The Boy Next Door (34 page)

“I’m exactly like you. I stress tolerance and show restraint when faced with an overwhelming problem. I’m giving the next generation a chance to rise above the expectations of society. We don’t have to be pigeonholed into a world that we can’t wrestle free from. We can fight our way out and there is always something that will allow us to reach for that lifeline. Economics is a subject that I feel very strongly about. If a person knows how their money works, then they can make their money work for them and not against them. I’ve given you some pointers. These are not foolproof by any means. I’m just making sure that you have everything that you need in your twilight years.”

“I appreciate that, Carmela. That is a very unusual name, but I imagine that it has some significance to your mother.” She was very astute. My name came from my grandmother. She was a strong woman that fought for equal rights and died during a period that was full of strife. “I thought that playing the market was for fools. I guess you just need to know what to look for to make an educated chance.” The plane was landing and I felt a momentary sense of hesitation creep into my bones. I really wasn’t sure I wanted to be back here.

“This is my stop. I don’t like Chicago, but it is where I grew up.” We had promised each other that we would stay in touch. I’d given her my e-mail and she had given me hers. There was no reason why we couldn’t continue to talk, but whether we actually would was another matter altogether. “I don’t think that I’ve had a more pleasant conversation on an airplane. Betty, your husband was a damn fool to leave you for a younger model. She’ll chew him up and then spit him out. You must know that she was only trying to get her claws into his money. There’s only one reason why most men of a certain age will turn their attention towards some hard little body that gives them the eye. She most likely feels sick to her stomach, but she’s holding out for that big payday.” I picked up my briefcase with my laptop inside. It wasn’t that expensive and was the one that I always used when I was traveling.

“I think that little tart is going to have a rude awakening. My husband has no idea how to deal with his finances. He was most generous in giving me half of his earnings. He’ll blow through that by giving her gifts. With your help, I’ve learned that I can stretch that dollar to work for me. That is a very valuable lesson and one that everybody should learn. You’ve made it possible for people to pick themselves up from their bootstraps and move on after any kind of disaster in the market. I commend you on being the voice for the people.” It felt nice to be validated.

“This is the easy part of my trip. My brother doesn’t even know that I’m coming. Let’s just say that it’s going to be quite a shock for him to see me standing at his doorstep. I think he believes that I abandoned him and I guess on some level it’s true. I didn’t want any part of this life. By the time that I realized what I was doing, I was leaving him in the dust. I would have loved to take him with me, but there was only room on this train for one.” I was wearing an expensive brand name red plunging blouse and a black skirt that went down to my knees.

“He’s most likely going to be stubborn, but I don’t want you to let that deter you from trying to rekindle your relationship. He’ll realize in the end that family is the only thing that is worth fighting for. He’ll give you hell and make you feel like you are two feet tall, but you are stronger than he gives you credit for. Your brother is no match for a woman with your character and strength.” It was nice to talk this thing out. It made me feel better about jumping on a plane and using my vacation time to come and try to convince my brother that it was time to leave this life behind.

I had no idea how he was going to feel about doing that. He was a rising star within the Knuckles. His main focus was apparently a feud between them and the Fourth Street Latino’s. It wasn’t clear what the beef was, but something was keeping them from living in peace. They had marked their territory with gang colors, thinking that was going to keep the peace. It was only a temporary fix, and something was going to happen that would push one or the other to the brink.

It was inevitable that this was going to turn into an all out street war, the likes that the police had never seen before. “I’m scared to approach him. He’s going to be very angry and I know that he’s going to try to slam the door in my face. Betty, you showed me that I need to be patient and not force anything.” I gave her a hug and I walked off that plane to be greeted by a black man with a bald head holding my name up in bold black letters.

Chapter two

I remember feeling funny in the cab, breathing deeply and having my entire world spinning around in a circle. I looked through the partition to see that the man that had greeted me was now smiling. He seemed to be getting great pleasure out of my discomfort. Come to think of it, if my brother didn’t even know I was coming… how was it that he sent someone for me?

I passed out and I have awakened to find that I was not exactly where I thought I was going to be. The room is dark, but there is a stream of light coming through the ugly yellow curtains. I’m strapped to a chair, my arms and legs are pretty much useless. I tried to struggle free, but those knots at my hand were only getting tighter. The only thing that I had going for me was that I wasn’t blindfolded. I hear dripping, and I tap the floor and figure it was made of concrete.

As I moved around, the chains around my ankles were unforgiving. My arms had this coarse thread-like texture rubbing against my wrist. I know that this is not good, but there’s no sense in panicking over something that is out of my control. I had to assess my situation and come to terms with the fact that I was taken against my will.

I hear a door swinging open on rusted hinges and then I see the figure of a man walking down the stairs. He is dressed like a gangbanger. He has a red and white do rag over his head and he carries himself like he is the leader. “I see that our guest of honor is awake. You may not recognize me and it’s been several years since we’ve been acquainted. My name is Anthony and I am the leader of the Fourth Street Latino’s. I’m afraid that our meeting this time is not going to be quite as cordial.” I didn’t want to believe that this had anything to do with my brother, but the writing was on the wall.

“You abducted me and you’re keeping me here as your hostage. What exactly do you expect to get from this? My brother and I are not exactly friends these days. If you think that he’s going to give up anything for the safe return of me, then you really have been out of touch. I came back to mend some fences.” He circled me with this swagger and a red handkerchief that was hanging out of his black jean pocket. I could see his boxers hanging over the top.

“I think that you might be protesting a little bit too much. Devlin is no fool and for him to rise to the ranks of leadership shows that he can be reasoned with. We just want what is owed to us. If we don’t get it, we’ll chop you up into little pieces and send you back to him one piece at a time. Smile, because we need to show him proof of life.” The flash blinded me for second. The only thing I could see were yellow dots in my pupils. “This is a basic business transaction. I’m sure that you can understand that with all of your degrees.” I gave him a disgusted look and cocked my head to the side to let him know that I really was in no position to argue the point. “I know all about you, Chiquita. You walked away from your family and now you try to slink back without anybody realizing that you’re coming. Let’s just say that I have long arms and the resources to know almost anything.” That could only mean that he had a spy within the ranks of my brother’s gang. I had told only one person.

“I think you’ll see that my brother is not one to be negotiated with. I hope for my sake that I’m wrong, but I think I know my brother a little bit better than you do.” The product in my hair was not staving off the sauna-like heat that was now penetrating into the follicles. I could feel the sweat dripping from the strands and down into the open cleavage of my red blouse. It had soaked through and I could see that those guys standing around like his own personal posse were not exactly subtle about their intentions.

“We shall see what he says little lady. If for some reason he does not feel it necessary to negotiate for your release, then we’ll have a little bit of fun with you first. You don’t look like the same young little thing that ran around high school looking to get you some. Take a good look at me and maybe it will jog some of your memories.” I narrowed my eyes, looked into his face and I suddenly came to the conclusion that he was the one that had made me lose my innocence. “You and I had a nice time and I introduced you to your first taste of Mary Jane. You were most anxious to please. I have to say that I’m looking forward to a repeat performance.”

The drug that he had given me must’ve been laced with something when I was eighteen. I knew exactly what I was doing, but I felt more compelled than necessary to give him my body freely. I didn’t want anything to do with him, but his overanxious hands and the way that he smiled made me drop my panties. I actually found myself enjoying riding the beast between his legs, as he squeezed my breasts and slapped my nipples to make me grimace with a sort of pain and pleasure mixed into one.

I turned my head away from him. He grabbed my face and turned it back, so that we were now looking at each other. “I knew that you would remember. I have to say that I’m looking forward to seeing what new techniques that you learned over the years. You know what they say about wishing in one hand and shitting in the other.” His laughter was met with a fake laughter of those that were underneath his purview. “I need to go have a face to face with your brother. It’s going to be interesting to see what he’s going to say. I won’t make you wait too long to find out his answer.” He patted his crotch squeezing the length of his member and bringing to mind how he felt banging within my folds when I was younger.

He raised his hand and they all walked away leaving me with one lone man. He was standing within the shadows with a tendril of smoke coming from a cigarette or something that he was smoking. “You don’t have to hide. It’s not like he’s going to let me live anyway. Even if my brother allows him to dictate the terms of my release, it doesn’t mean that he’s going to be a man of his word. At the very least, you can talk to me and not be some kind of coward.” I saw the flick of the butt from his hand land at my feet.

“You really don’t know how to keep your mouth shut. Antagonizing Anthony is only going to make things worse in the end. You might get more flies with honey, than you will with vinegar. Be nice and don’t make any waves and he might surprise you.” The voice sounded familiar and when he stepped out, I noticed that Brody had joined the ranks of a rival gang. “I’m second in command and I have the ear of the leader. I could probably convince him that letting you go is in his best interest. For the time being, I’m going to allow this thing to play out and see what my next plan of attack is going to be.”

“Brody, you are the last person I thought would get caught up in something like this. I always thought that you would get out and go into the Marines to serve your country with distinction. You talked about making your parents proud. What do you think that they would say, if they saw you here acting like some kind of Neanderthal?” It appeared that I had exposed a raw nerve. I didn’t mean to, but his attitude was irksome at best.

“You don’t know anything about me, Carmela. You left and you never looked back or even reached out to find out what happened to any of us. I don’t blame you, but I thought that you were better than that. For your information, I did join the Marines. I saw things that would curl your hair. I came back to find that my service to my country meant nothing. Getting a job was hard to hold down with memories of death and violence in my nightmares every time that I closed my eyes. I turned to the only thing that I knew. I reached out to Anthony and he was most anxious to use my skills.”

“Don’t you see that he’s using you? You just finished telling me that he wanted to use your skills. He doesn’t respect you and for you to bow down to him doesn’t make you much of a man.” I was really needling him, but my expectations for him were high. “You could have translated those skills into joining the police force. Maybe even going into the private sector and using that skill set to protect the innocent. This couldn’t be your only answer. To think so makes you look like you are settling for something that isn’t you anymore.” I felt like I was getting through to him, but he was the one that was going to have to ultimately decide if he could live with his decisions or not.

Chapter three

Brody had come back from whichever war torn country to which he’d been sent to find that life was not exactly as he remembered it. I felt bad that I had put a spotlight on his decision making skills. He wasn’t thinking clearly and maybe over time I could convince him that this life could only end in disaster. I never said anything to him at the time, but I had a major crush on that boy back in the day. He was the one that I wanted to lose my virginity to, but that wasn’t how it happened. After being with Anthony, I fell into a pit of depression. I did not drink anymore and I certainly didn’t take recreational drugs.

I had no idea how much time had elapsed, but it felt like forever. I wanted a moment to confess my infatuation to him, but that could only happen if he came back alone. I was starting to doze off, my chin falling towards my chest, when suddenly the door opened and footsteps raced down the stairs at a speed that was indicative of somebody that was in a hurry.

Brody had a gun in his hand and I thought for a moment that he had come down here to end it. I didn’t say anything, as he paced back and forth and looked around like some kind of caged animal. He was wearing a wife beater tee shirt and a pair of jeans, with a silver chain through the loops as a belt. His head was shaved and he had a five o’clock shadow that made him look like a bad boy. He couldn’t weigh more than 170 pounds, but he knew had to carry himself with an air of authority.