by Kara Hart
Some types of men never changed…
Avery
“Him? He's a complete liability, Bruce. What makes you think he's more fit for the job than me or Adam?” Luke said to Bruce. I kept quiet, trying not reveal just how much I wanted to punch him square in the nose. “Take the drug deal that sent me to prison, for example. That would have never happened if Avery had my back. I’ll tell ya, Bruce. If he gets the job, I’ll have to rethink some things.”
“Settle down, Luke. It's not his fault you got picked up that day. Let me ask you a question. Are you the boss of this crew? Did you start Courage from the ground up?” Luke stayed silent. “That’s what I fucking thought. Shit man, if you weren't such a god damn hot head, maybe I would have considered you for the title a long time ago,” Bruce muttered. He sighed and put his hands flat on the table. “Look, fellas. This is all speculative. I ain't dying any time soon, so get that through your thick skulls. You got plenty of time to impress me and the rest of the guys.” He sat back in his chair and lit a cigarette.
“Thank God for cigarettes. So, Avery. What do you have to say about all this?” The boss was looking right at me. Time to spill my guts: I ain’t paying Luke and I could run this damn crew better than all of our men combined… I didn’t say that of course. But I damn well should have.
He eyed me cautiously. I wasn't about to give in to his tricks. I knew how he operated. “Just glad to be a part of the team.” I said.
Bruce ashed his cigarette and slammed his fists down hard onto the table. “You see?! That's the spirit! That's what this crew is all about. It ain't about no job titles or leadership positions. It's about being a part of the mother fuckin’ team.” Luke frowned and ran his hands through his hair. He glanced at me angrily.
One of the other officers in the room spoke up, changing the subject. “Hey boss, what were you talking about the other day, when you said bad stuff was sure to follow? You got anything to tell us?”
Bruce leaned forward and stroked his beard. He was contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to tell us what he knew. After some time, he decided it had to be done. “Keep this in here, boys. I got word of some shit a couple of days ago. I’ve been ponderin’, trying to figure out what to do. Get this, Bobby Farole is out of prison.”
“What the fuck? You serious, Bruce?” I couldn't believe my ears. “How? He had at least another 20 years left in the can.” I shook my head in disbelief.
Bobby was notorious for his temper. I'm talkin’ worse than Luke. Worse than any man I've ever come across. Pretty much everyone in this ‘business’ were criminals. Everyone knew and accepted that. But Bobby was down right evil. He once scalped a guy for cracking a joke about his weight. That was Bobby. And he never liked our crew all that much.
“Yeah, I’m serious. This probably concerns you the most Avery. He always saw you as a little bit of a go-getter.” He took another drag, enjoying the burn in his throat. “Bobby hates success if it ain’t his.”
“Yeah, I know that. So what’s the plan? We take him out? A set up? We gotta come up with something, Bruce.” I looked around the room as the men nodded their heads. They all looked worried, including Luke.
Angelo, one of the leaders, stood up and started pacing around the room. “We need Adam.” he said. “We need all the muscle we can get.”
Bruce shook his head. “No. We need patience and understanding.” He said.
“Fuck that!” Luke screamed. “He’s a threat to our own security. All our lives are at stake. So what do you all do? You sit around, hope, and pray that we’ll be alright? You all know he’s been planning his revenge since day one in that cell, right?” Silence. “Fuck this.” He pushed the door open and walked out. Angelo stood as if to stop him, but Bruce motioned for him to sit back down.
“Sit down, Angelo. It’s alright. His anger problems…you know how he is. Anyway, my son seems to think he can do whatever he wants. God bless him, he's an entrepreneur. That boy is my kin – no one touches him, here me?” The boys all nodded. Some even lifted their glasses in the air as a salute. No one was going to hurt Adam. The crew all loved him. Not to mention, he always brought bonuses in for his friends. “In fact, let’s just not mention this to him right now, okay?”
“Wouldn’t even think about it.” Angelo agreed.
“Good. So what should we do boys?” Bruce sat with his arms open. “I need a million-dollar idea here.” He smiled.
I stepped forward. “We go for his weaknesses.” I said. “Women. He can’t say no to a beautiful woman.”
Bruce cried out, “Bingo!” He threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out carefully. “Women. What else?”
“Drugs is a given.” Angelo chimed in. “Mix the two together and you have a recipe for disaster. He won’t see what’s coming.”
“All good ideas, boys.” He rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes tightly. “I’ve got it.” he suddenly said.
“What is it?” I asked him, intrigued to hear the plan. Anything to get Bobby Farole off the streets. “We can’t go Luke’s route and kill the guy. That’ll start a war that probably won’t end for another decade. Most of you guys didn’t grow up in the old days, but if you did, you’d know why I’m averse to going to war. I’ve been down that path. War is hell.” He coughed and pulled out another cigarette, tapping it on his desk. “So we use other tactics. Women, drugs, a good setting. We make him feel like he’s fucking king of the goddamn jungle. He starts to get a bit cocky, right. He thinks, ‘Well, I got all these nice things. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little more?’ He starts making deals, getting back into the business. We all do, right? Then, when he least expects it, there’s a knock on his door. Who could that be? It’s his parole agent…”
“I see where you’re going with this Bruce.” I said, smiling. “It’s fucked up.”
“More fucked up than what he does to innocent people? More fucked up than what he did to Pace back in ’96?” We shut up. He was right, after all. The man was one evil son of a bitch. If no one was willing to kill him, this was probably our best shot at getting the guy out of the picture. “That’s what I thought. So the parole agent knocks on his door and asks if he can take a look around. Little does he know, there’s a kilo of cocaine in the garage, planted by our little friend.” Bruce smiled wide, looking proud of himself.
“So he goes back to prison for another 20 years or so. Even if he did get out, he’d be an old man.”
“Exactly.” I said. “But who’s the girl? Who’s trustworthy enough to hire? Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of getting Brianna. She’d end up falling in love with the guy.” I laughed hesitatingly. It was pretty well known that Brianna wasn’t trustworthy, it was pretty clear that Bruce thought of her as the daughter he never had.
“Don’t worry, I know what you all think of Brianna. She’s a misunderstood person, but she’s not the right fit for a job like this. Maybe as a driver or something easy, but not this. No, I was thinking of someone different.” Bruce said, thinking to himself.
“Different how?” I asked him.
“Someone not involved. Can’t be a hooker either … someone who has a strong work ethic, with no job prospects.” He tapped annoyingly against the table.
“We’ll find someone.” Angelo said.
“Good.” Bruce said. “Tomorrow. Bring me names.” The men all stood up and shook hands. All but me. I kept thinking about the plan. Would it really work? It would be tough, that was for sure. But the best we could do was try. As they were walking out into the hall, I stood up and cleared my throat.
“I’ve got the perfect girl.” I suddenly said. Bruce stopped and turned, stroking his big beard. “Hope. Hope Lawrence.” I said.
Hope
When I got home, all of my stuff was on the lawn. Jack was pacing around the front yard, biting his nails like always. “Excuse me, miss.” A man said behind me, as he carried my bed into a moving truck.
“Jack, if you don’t tell me what
’s going on in the next five seconds, there will be hell to pay!” I screamed.
“Well…” He began, scratching his head.
“5…” I counted. I wasn’t going to let him have time to come up with any excuses.
“Hope, stop…”
“4…”
“It wasn’t my fault!” He cried out, falling to his knees. The sprinklers came on, soaking his new Armani suit. He was really pathetic. Always.
“3…”
“Okay, okay! They’re repossessing your house, Hope.” He fell onto the grass and gave up. He always did have a way with being dramatic. I helped him up, moving him to the sidewalk. I looked behind us to see all of my belongings getting sprayed by the sprinkler. Great. I thought.
“What a wonderful day.” I sighed. I sat on the curb in disbelief. “How can they take my house away from me? I’ve paid on time every month. I just don’t get it, Jack. Why me?”
“You’re telling me you didn’t hear the news earlier?” He looked shocked.
“How would have I heard? You’re the one who’s supposed to tell me everything. Without you, I don’t hear shit. I’m just the label’s bimbo. Someone to get the crowd riled up so they pay us money. Money that should be paying for this house!” I yelled. I couldn’t help it. All of my stuff was ruined now.
“Okay, I hear you. I’m sorry, Hope. I kind of dropped the ball here. Ryan, the old CEO of the label, is apparently getting charged with fraud. Is it possible that you were giving him the checks to deposit for you?” he asked, carefully backing away from me.
I couldn’t believe my ears. Fraud? How could I be so stupid? I put my head in my arms and began crying. “Fuck!” I screamed. “That prick. I’ll…I’ll…I’ll sue him for all he’s worth!”
“Hope, that’s what I’m telling you. He’s worth nothing.” Then the realization set in. “We’re all worth nothing now…” Jack fell backward onto the concrete and breathed erratically.
“We’re screwed, aren’t we?” I asked him, tears falling down my face.
“We’re pretty screwed, doll.” He shook his head. “If you know any one who owes you any favors, I’d give them a call right now. Because in about 24 hours, you won’t have anywhere to go.”
“What about you?” I asked, wiping the tears from my eyes. There was no use in crying. I had to do what I always did: Pick myself up and get on with my life. It was hard, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do.
“Honey, if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about others. The star always gets the worst of it. As for me, I have a good resumé. I have opportunity still. Frankly, in about three months time, I’ll be fine. Thank God, my house is paid off already.” I looked at him angrily. “Don’t worry. I’ll put in a good word wherever I go. You’ll still get work, trust me.”
“Yeah, I’ll get work as some label assistant or something. Or even worse, a PR agent. Jesus Christ, Jack. This is all messed up. Well, I’ll call you later I guess.” I started to walk way. I wasn’t even going to look back, but Jack called out.
“Wait! Do you need a place to crash?” He asked me. This wasn’t the first time he had offered me a place to stay. Though I could tell he was being friendly, he used to flirt with me constantly. I eventually had to tell him I didn’t go for nice guys like him. I think he slightly resented me ever since. I still wasn’t convinced he was even straight.
“I think I’ve got it covered, Jack.” I said, laughing and shaking my head. “Call you tomorrow.”
I got in my car and put my head on the steering wheel. Okay, Hope. This is just a slight hiccup. Everyone goes through them. You can get through this like everyone else. But the truth was, I was scared.
After college, my father died. An O.D. the doctors told my family. We lost everything that day. My mom lost a husband, my sister and I lost my father, and my family started to make less and less sense. We eventually split apart. My sister went to Kansas, got involved in drugs, or so I’ve been told. I haven’t talked to her in years. My mom simply shut down. She lives in the same house as before, quietly waiting for her death. She won’t accept my calls. It’s tragic shit, but this was my life.
So when I got the call that the label liked my first record, I was stunned. It was a huge breath of fresh air for me. But when I called my mom, she simply said ‘Don’t call here again’ and hung up the phone. So yeah, today was a bad a day.
I put the keys into the ignition and started the car. Avery. I thought. He’s the only one I can trust right now. It was odd. When I first met him, he seemed to be the least trustworthy person on this planet. Now he was the last one I could trust. I pushed my foot against the pedal of my BMW and took off, headed back in the direction from where I came.
Fuck it. Nothing mattered at this point. Time to start at point zero.
I got to his house in 10 minutes flat. When you drive 80 miles per hour, your bound to get to your destination on time. That, or crash. Luckily, I was still standing, headed for that familiar doorstep. I went to ring the buzzer, but realized there was no buzzer to be rung. That’s odd, I thought to myself. There wasn’t even a doorknob. Instead, there was a key code. I knocked on the door and took two steps back, waiting.
“Please be home,” I whispered, bouncing on the heels of my feet.
Like clockwork, Avery opened his door. He had the same denim jeans on, complete with his leather vest. The words ‘COURAGE OR DEATH’ were embedded onto the back. “Hope?” He blurted out.
“I need your help.” I said, feeling my face turn red hot. It was embarrassing to say the least. In the past I would have never asked a guy like him. In the past, I would have thought he was a piece of trash. Not worth my time.
“Well, well, well.” he laughed, eating a bowl of cereal. “Do come in.” He moved to the side, letting me through.
We walked through the kitchen, the comforting smell of pancakes lingered through the room, and we sat down in his living room. A big screen TV was playing an old movie loudly. “What movie is that?” I asked nonchalantly.
“Easy Rider!” He blurted out, nearly spilling his bowl. He chewed loudly, a gross habit to have.
“Hm. Looks Cheesy.” I said, knowing full well he would take offence to it. He set his bowl down and leaned forward.
“Wait one second. You haven’t seen Easy Rider, one of the greatest movies of all time?” He slapped his own face, loud and hard. “Holy shit, baby, are you in for a treat! Sit down. I’m starting this thing over.” he smiled. Clearly I had stopped by at the wrong time. This bachelor life he lived wasn’t exactly the most attractive quality he had, but I had to make it work. For now, at least.
“My house was taken from me this morning, Avery.” I revealed to him.
He reached for the remote and turned off the TV. “Hold up. Your house? It’s gone?” He looked away from me, shaking his head. “What happened? It was that Jake loser, wasn’t it?” He got up and started to put his boots on.
“Stop it. It wasn’t Jack. It was my fault.” I said. I still wasn’t convinced that it was, but I wasn’t about to start pointing fingers yet. I needed someone tough on my side. That someone was Avery.
“And your label? They still want you out?” He asked, staring off into the distance.
“It’s complicated. But, yeah. The new CEO wants to bring a change into the company. I guess country club music isn’t selling as well as it used to. Or maybe I just suck that bad.” I broke out crying. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop. It’s just … that house was the biggest thing I had ever bought. The first paycheck from my album sales went right to that. And our old CEO, he helped me. He said he would deposit all my checks for me. You see, I don’t really have a reliable family to help me out. So I agreed, and I—”
He waved his hands at me. “Say no more. You came to the right place. I deal with this kind of shit all the time. I can get your house back, no problem.” He stood up and walked over to a drawer. Reaching inside, he pulled out a notebook full of names and numbers.
“You can get my hou
se back?” I repeated it, making sure I heard right.
“I can get your house back.” he said. “I gotta warn you though, it’s not going to be easy. It’s gonna take some time and a lot of energy. And at the end of this, you’re gonna owe me a favor.”
I dropped to my knees and crawled toward him. I put one hand against his jeans, feeling his thickening member. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked me. I backed away, feeling completely embarrassed. “I didn’t mean that kind of a favor, although I’m not going to say no to a good blowjob. I meant a real favor. When the time comes, you’ll have to come through on something big for us.”
“If you can get my house back, I’m ready to do anything.” I admitted. I was desperate. I wasn’t ashamed of that. It was like I said, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
“Alright.” He extended his hand and I shook it. “It’s a deal. Welcome to the team.”
I laughed. “I thought I was already a part of the team.”
He turned to me. “Like hell you were. I tell that to all the women.”
What a prick.
Avery
“You really are a prick, aren’t you?” she asked me. I smiled and waved my hands at her. Who me?
“Of course I am.” I said, slapping her tight butt. “But that’s why you like me so much.” I went to pour myself a nice stiff drink. There’s one thing I couldn’t handle and that was women problems. She was a cute gal and all, but I sure as hell couldn’t listen to her babble on about her house all night. “You know, if you wanted to stay over so bad, you could have just asked.” I said to her. A big fat smirk appeared on my face.
