by W. S. Greer
I stepped out of the room and into the hallway, but before I got to the elevator, I realized that I’d forgotten my watch. So, I made a U-turn and walked back into the room. When I turned the corner, Kelvin was shoving his handgun into the back of his pants. He quickly pulled his sweater down over his waist and looked up at me.
“You ready?” he asked. His nervous expression told me he was hoping that I hadn’t seen him. So, I grabbed my watch off of my nightstand, and flashed a playful smile.
“Sure. I’m ready.”
The ride over to Mariana’s was quick. Too quick, which was why I couldn’t help but to be nervous as hell about the fact that we were already going out in public after an attempt on both of our lives less than twenty-four hours ago. Knowing that Kelvin felt the need to carry his gun around only made things worse, and I was more paranoid than I’d ever been.
James parked the car as close to the restaurant as he could. The parking lot was pretty full, with most of the cars being Chicago PD police cruisers, which gave me some comfort. When we walked inside, at least half of the small restaurant’s customers were uniformed cops. None of them seemed to notice that Kelvin Carter Jr. had just walked into the place, and I didn’t know if that was a bad thing or a good thing. I was just happy to be surrounded by people who were paid to protect Chicago’s citizens. Kelvin’s strategy to put me at ease by eating here seemed to be working so far.
The place was poorly lit, with old fashioned wooden tables spread across the main dining area. The hostess escorted us to our table, including James, who’d asked for a seat next to the window so that he could keep an eye on the car. When the tall, skinny redhead strutted over to our table, we all immediately ordered our meals without even giving her a chance to ask if we wanted appetizers or drinks.
Kelvin and I were sitting across from each other, while James sat on his side of the table. I had a clear view of the entrance from my side, and I found myself glancing up at the door every single time I heard it open. If someone’s chair slid across the floor, I found myself jumping at the sound. I felt like I was going to have gray hair by the time our food arrived.
Kelvin noticed my anxiety and reached across the table to place his hand on top of mine. His hand was smooth, but it was also strong and masculine. On more than one occasion, I’d felt just how strong those hands could be, and the memory of the last time I felt it made me feel warm all over as I looked at the man sitting across from me.
“You have to relax, Babe. I can see that you’re all tense,” Kelvin said with a comforting grin.
I gave his hand a flirtatious squeeze. “You’re making me feel more comfortable.”
James dramatically rolled his eyes and looked out the window next to him.
“Oh, whatever, James. Don’t be mad because you’re here without a beautiful woman to love,” Kelvin teased, tapping James on the arm playfully.
“Youngster, you have no idea how many beautiful women I have to love. You wish you could get it like I get it,” James replied with a confident raise of his eyebrows.
“Oh! Big time player over here, ladies and gentlemen,” Kelvin quipped, pointing at James as if he was introducing him. “Get on James’ level, Chicago.”
I giggled to myself, and I felt my tension begin to dissipate just as our food was delivered to the table. Kelvin and I had both ordered steak and eggs, while James had chosen a breakfast sampler that had just about every breakfast item known to man on it.
As the redhead placed Kelvin’s plate down in front of him, he leaned over and spoke in her ear.
“Excuse me. Do you have any extra pimp cups in the back? My friend James over here is the biggest player in all the land, and he only drinks from the finest of pimp cups.” Somehow he’d held the straightest face, even with me covering my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
James sucked his teeth loudly as the server smiled at him.
“I’m sorry,” the redhead said. “We’re all out of pimp cups at the moment.” The server giggled to herself and walked away from the table.
Kelvin and I laughed at the expression on James’ face. He was trying his best to look serious, but we knew that he thought it was funny.
“That shit’s not funny,” he said, just as the smile began tugging at the sides of his mouth.
“Whatever, Player,” Kelvin responded as he cut into his steak.
Fifteen minutes later, all of us were finished eating and feeling fat and tired. The redhead came back over to the table and started picking up our plates.
“Are you ready for the check?” she said, stacking all four plates on top of each other while she reached in her pocket for the bill.
“Absolutely,” Kelvin replied.
She placed the check on the edge of the table and sauntered away towards the kitchen. Kelvin pulled out his credit card and placed it inside the black folder that was holding the bill, and the redhead came right back to pick it up. I watched her walk over to one of the two registers, and begin pressing buttons to ring us up. As I watched her, I noticed a man out of my peripheral vision. A cop, with short black hair, and a very sharp nose and chin. It looked like he was staring at our table.
If the man was actually staring at us, I didn’t want him to know that I knew he was there, so I looked away, acting as though I was looking at Kelvin. After another ten seconds or so, I looked back up at the counter where the man was standing. A server from the back walked over to the officer and handed him a takeout bag that had at least seven Styrofoam boxes in it. When he didn’t look over at us, I chalked it up to my increasing paranoia, and let out a sigh of relief as the man pulled out his wallet and handed the cashier cash to pay for his takeout.
“You good, Babe?” I heard Kelvin say.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I think I’m just ready to go. I’m still not quite over the craziness from yesterday.”
As I looked at Kelvin, I could see the cop standing at the register, staring at our table once again. He looked like he was incredibly confused. It was like he was questioning his own eyes, and he leaned over trying to get a better look at something.
Then it hit me—he was trying to see if it was Kelvin who was sitting in front of me. Although I didn’t know why, I didn’t like the fact that he was trying so hard to see Kelvin’s face. Just as I was about to ask Kelvin if he knew the officer, I felt my heart rate skyrocket as I noticed the tattoos on his hands. They were the same tattoos from my dream this morning.
Just then, the officer and I made eye contact. When he noticed I was watching him, he tried to flash a phony half smile, but seemed to struggle doing even that, like whatever emotion he was feeling was keeping him from smiling at all.
“Lilliana, what’s wrong?” Kelvin said, snapping me out of my frightened trance. “What is it?” He started to turn around in his chair to see what I was staring at, but before he could turn all the way, the police officer turned on his heel and hurriedly walked out the door.
Ilia Baskov walked through the crowded dining area of the Versailles restaurant, on his way to the back, where he knew his brother, Ivan, would be waiting for him. The live music that was being played by the small band on stage was a distraction, but it wasn’t enough to make him lose his focus. He knew that Ivan wasn’t going to be happy with the news he was about to deliver. But, if they were to move forward with their plan of going to war with the Carters, he knew he had to tell Ivan what he learned today.
He pushed the metal door open and recognized Ivan sitting at a small table in the corner of the dimly lit room, wearing a thick black sweater and black pants. Ivan had his back to the door and was obviously in the middle of eating, and he didn’t even turn around when he heard the door open and close.
Ilia crept over to the table and stopped right next to his brother, noticing his plate of beef stroganoff that he’d obviously just started eating. When Ivan didn’t acknowledge him, Ilia decided to go ahead and get the conversation started so he could get it over with.
“We have a prob
lem,” he said with anxiety in his voice.
Ivan put his fork down and looked up at his younger brother while he continued chewing.
“Sadit’sya (Sit down),” he said, pointing to the chair on the other side of the table.
Ilia did as he was told and took a seat.
“So, what’s the problem? Is it what I think it is?” Ivan said just before picking up his fork and scooping more stroganoff into his mouth.
“I guess that depends on what you think it is?” Ilia answered with a playful grin.
“Why don’t you just tell me what the fuck it is? I’m trying to enjoy my lunch.”
Ilia’s grin evaporated as he let out a nervous sigh. “I got a call from Viktor earlier today. He said he saw Kelvin Junior and his girlfriend eating at Mariana’s this morning. They were sitting next to a large black man. Probably a bodyguard.”
Ivan let his fork fall onto the plate with a clank as he sat back in his chair, glaring at Ilia while still chewing. “So, what happened?” he said between chews.
“Looks like the news was right—”
“I don’t watch the goddamn news!” Ivan exploded, slamming his fist on the table and knocking his fork onto the floor. “That’s why I have you, Ilia. You tell me the news. Now quit fucking around and tell me what happened.”
“Well, Viktor said he tailed them after they left the girl’s house, like you ordered him to. When they parked and went inside, he rigged the limo to blow when they started it. I guess the driver got in first. When the car exploded, they must not have been very close.”
“What the fuck good are any of you?” Ivan asked. He stared at his brother with a menacing expression on his face. Ilia didn’t know how to respond so he waited for his brother to continue. “I asked you and Viktor to take care of this problem quickly and cleanly. Now, all their focus will be on keeping Junior safe. They’ll surround him with protection and watch him around the clock. You see how this is a fucking problem?”
“I know it’s a problem. There’s no way Viktor could’ve known that the driver would get in the car so far ahead of them. They got lucky.”
“I don’t have patience for these kinds of mistakes, Ilia. You know that.” Ivan picked his fork up off the carpet and dug it into his food as if it’d never been on the floor. He covered his gross fork with beef and shoveled it into his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Ilia muttered. He didn’t like disappointing his brother.
“Save your sorry. I don’t want you to apologize. I want you to fix it.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Ivan looked up at his brother as he continued chewing. “There’s a silver lining to this little fuck up, Ilia.”
“And what’s that?”
“Missing him will have gotten their attention, which would usually be a bad thing. Unless, of course, you’re smarter than them. And I’m smarter than them.”
Ilia scrunched his forehead, waiting for his brother to continue.
“You see, now that you’ve missed Junior, you’ve spooked them. Surely, Kelvin Senior will be doing everything he can to protect his son, and they’ll be watching him twenty-four-seven, and sending their best bodyguards to escort him everywhere. He’ll never be alone, and they’ll be solely focused on him. Do you understand?”
Ilia grinned as he caught on to what Ivan was getting at. “I see.”
“Yes, brat (brother). We’ll move on now,” Ivan continued confidently. “While the Carters are focused on Kelvin Junior we’ll move on to another target. While our enemy is distracted and looking one way, we’ll attack them from the opposite direction while they’re not looking. And, they’ll never see it coming.”
I jumped in my seat when I heard the bell ring, signaling the end of the school day. I didn’t know why I was still so paranoid, but I was. Even after having a full day at my house yesterday, and another day at school today, I was still a little unnerved from everything that happened over the weekend.
Kelvin never got the opportunity to see the police officer who was staring at us from the entrance of Mariana’s, but the image of those tattoos on his hand was still at the forefront of my mind, and I couldn’t shake my anxiety, even as the last student happily strutted out of the classroom with an energetic smile and wave.
“Bye, Ms. Hayes,” Jennifer chirped as she exited.
“Bye, sweetie. See you tomorrow,” I replied.
As Jennifer walked out, I couldn’t help but look across the hall into Mrs. Alex Hanie’s classroom. The fifty-four year old sixth grade teacher was standing at her door as her students filed out, wearing a blue turtleneck with navy blue jeans. She looked up at me and caught me staring, so I tried to flash a quick smile. She smiled back and walked back over to her desk, formerly known as Timothy Bulger’s desk.
My ex-boyfriend, Tim, had been sentenced to twelve years for attempted second degree murder just last month for his attempt to stab Kelvin in my house almost six months ago. Kelvin and I both had to be witnesses at his trial. Kelvin didn’t like the idea of having to be a witness in any sort of trial, but he went through with it because he knew he needed to if he wanted to keep Tim away from me, which of course was keeping me safe. However, as much as I despised Tim, it was still weird seeing another teacher in his classroom, but I loved knowing that he would never be back in my life again.
I’d spent the entire day at my house yesterday grading papers and looking out the window. I wasn’t sure what I was looking out there for, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to look. That feeling of being watched just wouldn’t go away, but I never saw anything outside. Just the same ole street, with the same ole houses and trees. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. So, why wouldn’t this feeling of being watched go away?
I walked back over to my desk and plopped down in my seat. I still had a few papers left to grade, as usual, but instead of jumping right into them, I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and started texting Kelvin.
Me: Hi, Baby. How are you?
Just as I pressed send, I heard the shuffling of footsteps in front of me. I looked up and found Lexy strutting in wearing a long green dress that went all the way down to her ankles. Her curly red hair spilled over her shoulders as she smiled at me.
“What’s up, Lil? How was your day?” she said as she leaned over my desk, using her elbows as support.
“It’s been okay, I guess. Glad it’s over.”
“I know exactly what you mean. I can’t tell you how ready I am for Christmas break. I need this.”
“Tell me about it,” I replied. “I feel like I’ve got so much going on right now. I could definitely use a break. Next week can’t get here fast enough.”
Lexy tilted her head and gave me a worried look. Then, she walked over to the closest chair and sat down.
“Looks like it’s time for you to spill the beans. What’s going on?” she inquired.
I had so many things happening that I couldn’t explain, and it bothered me that I couldn’t tell her. Lexy was my absolute best friend, and we usually told each other everything, but the things that were going on with Kelvin and his family weren’t just regular things. Kelvin’s family was the mob, and they were all involved in some form of illegal activity, including the illegal gambling that was going on at the Red Chip. And even though I trusted Lexy, if she ever knew about this stuff, it would put her and her family in danger. I was in love with Kelvin, so I was choosing to accept the danger. Lexy, on the other hand, had no reason to endanger her family, and I wasn’t going to put them in danger myself by letting her in on this particular secret. So, I sighed, and I lied.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I said convincingly. “Umm, Kelvin’s job is just taking a lot of his time and it’s starting to become stressful.”
“Well, I’m sure running a casino is hard work, but he’s totally worth it, right?”
“Of course he is. It’s just hard.”
“You’re sure it’s work that’s taking all his time, right?”
I frowned at the question. “What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s not another woman is it? I don’t care how much money he has, or how nice he dresses, or how big you say his dick is. If he hurts you, I will gladly Lorena Bobbitt his ass. Throw that shit in the tall grass, never to be seen again.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even though I was still totally anxious about what might be happening to my car while I sat in this classroom chatting.
“You’re crazy, Lex,” I said as I chuckled. “I can assure you, sweetie, he isn’t cheating on me. He’s just very busy. I can’t help the fact that I want him all to myself all the time. He has to work hard for the money that he makes, and I understand that. I’m just a girl, that’s all.”
“Well, have you let him know how you feel? Because as much as we want them to be, men aren’t mind readers. They’re too stupid for that.”
“We’ve talked about it a little. He always reassures me that he loves me and that it’s just his job, and I really do understand. I just love him, so I’m sensitive. What can ya do?”
“Well, what I suggest you do is support your man. Kelvin’s a good guy, Lil. Don’t mess it up, because a man like him is hard to find.”
She had no idea how true her statement actually was.
“You’re right. I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”
Lexy got up from her chair and walked over to my desk to give me a hug. “Well, I have to get out of here. Amy’s got choir tonight so I have to get her over there so I don’t have to deal with that bitch of a choir teacher. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Alright, Lex. I’ll call you.”
Lexy walked out and my phone chimed just as she turned the corner.
Kelvin: Hey, Beautiful. I’m fine. Chillin’ at the house with James the Babysitter. You okay?
I took a look at my tiny stack of ungraded papers and realized that I didn’t have as many to grade as I thought.
Me: I’m okay. Gonna knock out some grading and then head home.
