Dreams Die Fast

by P X Duke

  –Are you coming over for dinner later?

  –Do you think I should?

  –I’d like it if you did.

  On The Road Again

  When Kelly got back she had the parts. Finally, I thought to myself.

  –I’m going out to work on the bike. I might as well get the old girl roadworthy again.

  –You go ahead. I’m going to get Tammi and pick up some groceries. Is there anything special you’d like?

  I looked at her. It wasn’t the same now that I knew what she had stashed in her closet and why I was here. Yeah, see if you can pick up a gun for me at the liquor store. But I kept that to myself.

  –No, I’m good. I’ll see you later. Is Tammi coming over again?

  –I’ll ask her, okay?

  While she was gone I got my tools out and popped two bolts to get the primary off. I’d done most of the work that I could to make for a fast turnaround, and it was paying off. I had the clutch back in and was buttoning up the primary when Kelly got back with Tammi.

  Kelly walked over and gave me a hug, and when she did I looked across at Tammi. She wasn’t looking at us.

  –Hey now, what’s with you two?

  –Nothing, why?

  –Look at the both of you.

  –What?

  –My two favorite girls are all dressed up with nowhere to go.

  Kelly grinned. Tammi blushed.

  –I dug this out of my closet. It’s nothing special.

  –Did you tell Tammi how much I like seeing a good-looking woman in a dress?

  I could see Tammi blushing again, so I shut the fuck up. Women. Sometimes they can be so obvious. I turned away from them both and went into the kitchen.

  –What did you get us for dinner, baby?

  –There’s some steaks there. Potatoes for baking. I was looking for fresh corn, but I had to get canned.

  –I’ll go fire up the barbecue.

  –I’ll help Frank.

  –Don’t you be grabbing his ass out there!

  –I won’t, I promise.

  Tammi walked outside.

  –I want more than his ass now.

  –Stop being a tease and put the steaks on. Fuck the potatoes. I’m in no mood. I’ll do them in the microwave.

  –You are upset, aren’t you?

  –It’s those fucking drugs. I haven’t stopped looking over my shoulder since I left your place.

  –What are you going to do?

  –I don’t know, but if Buddy manages to get anywhere near this place again, I think I’m going to stuff those drugs up his ass and send him packing to the border.

  –And Kelly?

  I didn’t answer her right away.

  –I know you’ve only been here a few days, but I can tell you like her a lot.

  –That coca in Kelly’s closet is a deal-breaker for me. Fuck, I could end up in jail if someone made the wrong call. And if they made the right call, I could end up full of lead. You might too if the right people show up when you’re here.

  –Frank.

  –What?

  –I’m scared.

  Tammi let her hand brush against mine. I grabbed it and squeezed, then let go.

  Kelly walked out onto the patio.

  –What are you two whispering about out here? Shit, Frank, you’ve got the steaks on already. The potatoes aren’t even started.

  –I’ll put them in the microwave.

  She looked at me.

  –What’s wrong?

  Tammi had walked back inside.

  –Well, for starters, you’ve got five kilos of Colombian coca in your closet.

  –What were you doing in my closet?

  –You told me I could stay with you, remember? When I was putting some of my things in the closet I kicked a box and knocked it over.

  –How do you know its Colombian?

  –The scorpion is a dead giveaway. Kelly, Mexicali is 70 fucking miles away. That’s like next door. Does Arellano ring any bells for you? And what about Buddy? He was here looking for something, wasn’t he? And now I know what it was.

  Tammi had come back out to the patio.

  –It’s bad enough that you’ve got me into this thing with that asshole Buddy, but now you’ve got Tammi into it too.

  –You told her? What the fuck have you two been doing?

  –I went over to her place this afternoon to see if she knew what the hell was going on. Guess what? She didn’t. She’s over here visiting you almost every night, and if she’s here when the shit hits the fan, she’ll be dead too.

  –Tammi, you’ve got to go. Now. I’m sorry. I’ll bring your dinner over for you when it’s done, okay?

  She looked at me and nodded and got up to go.

  –As for you…

  I knocked on Tammi’s door.

  –I brought your steak over. Come on, answer the door.

  –Oh, you changed.

  –How can men be so dumb? I was dressing for you tonight. Couldn’t you even figure that out? What’s the point of looking nice and not have anyone notice?

  –I’m sorry. I noticed that you changed.

  –Small comfort.

  –More comfort if you go and put the dress back on. For me. How about it?

  –What are you grinning at?

  –Well, I’m kind of thinking that if you do, I’ve got you. And if you do, you’ve got me. I’d call that a Mexican standoff.

  –In that case, don’t go away. I’ll be right back.

  I nuked the potato and put it on a plate with the steak and corn, and set the table for her while I waited. Christ, does it take her a lifetime to throw on a dress? Women.

  –Here I am.

  –Now I know why it took you so long. Que chula niña.

  She blushed.

  –You like?

  She did a pirouette for me and sat down.

  –Si. De nuevo por favor.

  Tammi looked at me and grinned, then stood up and hugged me. I hugged her back.

  –Okay, enough. Eat, woman.

  –What are we going to do about Kelly?

  –We? At this point I don’t know. But I put my bike back together this afternoon and it’s good to go.

  –Does that mean that you are too?

  –Well…

  –Tell me.

  –Yes.

  –Alone?

  –Without Kelly, that’s for sure. I don’t need those complications in my life. In any case she’s sitting on five kilos of coke. She won’t be going anywhere with the likes of me. Sure as shit, there’s going to be something coming down the pipe. It’s only a matter of time. She’s not hanging onto that coke to stuff it up her nose.

  –Do you think she wants to sell it?

  –She’s probably put some feelers out. Not too smart, considering who actually owns it. If that’s the case, Tammi, it’s only a matter of time. I don’t want to be here when time runs out.

  –Is there anything I can do?

  –I don’t know. I’m thinking. Have you got a bag?

  –I’ll be right back.

  She went into the bedroom and came out with a backpack–right now.

  –I’ve got a couple of dresses, two shirts, a pair of jeans, a pair of heels, three panties, three g-strings, short-shorts, a tube top and tampons. Will I need anything else?

  –I don’t know. Where are you going? And why are you taking all that underwear?

  She ignored me. It’s funny how women will do that with a man sometimes.

  –Listen, you jackass. You’ve been shacked up for four days with a woman you ran into in a parking lot–literally. She’s spreading her legs like there’s no tomorrow and grinning at you like a cat eating a canary. You tripped over five keys of Colombian coke in her closet. Her ex is looking to score and somehow I don’t think he wants to get laid. There’s a reason he hasn’t forgotten about that coke, and it’s probably named Arellano, don’t you think? All that, and you want to stay a few more days with some broad because she has a tight pussy? F
rank, get real. With a dick like you’ve got, any pussy is tight.

  It was all true.

  –I never said I was a rocket scientist when it comes to women. And by the way, you should stop spending time at Kelly’s if you don’t want to get caught up in this.

  –For fuck’s sake, give your head a shake–both of them. If you haven’t figured out what your next course of action is, I’ll do it for you. You should get right back on that road you came in on, backtrack and then turn right onto the 86. Can I make it any plainer?

  –Well, since you put it that way…

  –It’s time, Frank. You know what Kelly is up to. Get yourself out of a situation that could be fatal.

  –Shit, you’re in this with me now. We both need to get out. I’m going to push my bike over to your place after Kelly falls asleep, just in case. At least we’ll have an out if the shit hits the fan before morning.

  –And there’s one more thing.

  –What did you leave out?

  –Kelly’s got a gun in the closet too.

  –So she means business.

  –Yeah, that’s what I figured too. I didn’t tell you that part because I didn’t want to keep you up nights.

  –It’s too late for that. I’ve been up nights since I first laid eyes on you.

  That again.

  –I’m going back across the street. When she falls asleep I’ll pack my bag and coast down the street. When you hear an air horn get that fine ass of yours out the door, down the street and throw a leg over–if you’re coming with me, that is. I’m not taking any prisoners and I won’t be turning back for stragglers.

  Tammi started to say something but I put my hand over her mouth and gave her a hug. I didn’t want to give her a chance to say a word before I left.

  Kelly was still up when I got back across the street.

  –How did she like the steak?

  –Cooked to perfection, she said, just the way she likes it.

  –Yeah, I’ll bet. What else did she like?

  –Nothing, baby. I’m here now, aren’t I? And while I’m here, I have a question for you.

  –What’s that?

  –What are you planning on doing with the coke in the closet? You got a buyer?

  –Why? Is the broke-ass biker going to make me an offer?

  –If I was interested I wouldn’t have made any offers. I’d have fucked off with it when I found it. You’d be sitting here empty-handed trying to scream past a gun barrel shoved down your throat by a cartel hit man. It wouldn’t even be their best hit man. When he finally figured out you didn’t know were the dope was, you’d get a bullet in the back of your head.

  –Whatever you say, Frank.

  –What’s the gun for? You trying to be the town toughie too?

  –What the fuck do you think it’s for?

  –If the dope doesn’t get you killed, the gun will. Do you think those guys are fucking around? Some broad with a gun is mincemeat to a cartel SUV filled with AKs. What the fuck are you doing, exactly? Do you even know? Coke in the closet? What the fuck is with that?

  –Frank, let it go.

  –It’s not the five kilos they care about. It’s the message the missing five keys sends out. Nobody fucks with their drugs. Ever.

  –Enough. I’m going to bed. Are you coming?

  –I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be in in a minute.

  –You’d better not be washing her stink off.

  –You want to smell me first?

  Kelly got up and went into the bedroom, and I ran through the shower. She pulled the sheet down for me when I got into bed.

  –Come here, baby. Make me feel good.

  I made sure to walk my bike out to the street past Tammi’s and down a back alley towards the highway. I went back to get my shit out of the closet. When I heard the sound of a hammer being pulled back I froze in my tracks. Now I definitely knew I should have pulled out of here a lot sooner.

  –You going to shoot me in the back?

  –What the fuck are you looking for?

  –Only for what I came with.

  Fuck. I should have left it all here. What I had wasn’t worth shit anyway.

  –Throw your bag over here, Frank.

  Kelly rummaged through it and then threw it back at me.

  –Get out.

  I didn’t waste time.

  I walked an alley up the street to my bike, put the bag in the trunk, and then backtracked down another back lane towards Tammi’s. That’s when I noticed the black SUV parked out in plain view on the deserted street. Given the circumstances I didn’t waste any time trying to figure out why it was there.

  I opened Tammi’s door and called out for her. She was sitting in the dark on the sofa. I sat down beside her.

  –Well?

  –She pulled a gun on me.

  –And that surprised you?

  –Yes. And no. Not anymore.

  –Well?

  –You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?

  –Nope.

  –We barely know each other.

  –Yeah, but there’s a plus to that.

  –Which is?

  –We didn’t meet in a parking lot. We were actually introduced.

  –True.

  –I don’t need you to guard any drugs. I don’t have any.

  –Good. But Tammi, I’m busted flat and we’re not even in Baton Rouge yet. All I have left is enough money to get home.

  –I cleaned out my stash. Oh, and there’s one more little detail you need to know.

  –What’s that?

  I’m down to two panties and two g-strings, but I threw in another dress.

  I laughed.

  –You were listening.

  –And I was a dancer for a year before I moved back here.

  –Come on. We’ve got to get out of here now–the back way. There’s an SUV parked out on the street.

  –I wonder if her ex gave her up.

  –If he did Kelly is in for a world of hurt. Come on, we’ve got to go.

  We both quick-stepped out the back and down the alley.

  –Should we go back and warn her?

  –She was using me. I have no idea what she was doing with you. Maybe she was using you too. If you want to go back, we’ll go together, but you better know what you could be in for. This won’t be anything like you see on television.

  Just then the SUV crashed through Kelly’s back yard and the doors opened. The overhead light highlighted four shadows, all moving towards the house.

  –You still want to go back?

  Tammi started running.

  –Come on, we need to get this show on the road.

  By the time we got to the bike I was winded.

  –I’m getting too old for this shit, woman.

  –You’re not too old. You just need a little exercise to help you keep up.

  –Yeah, well, I’m old enough to know you’re going to be more trouble. Just a different kind is all.

  –In that case, I’m hoping you’ll like being in trouble again.

  Tammi grinned and put the beanie on that had been fastened to her backpack.

  –I’m on. Let’s go!

  I punched the button, nicked down to first and twisted the throttle. Tammi’s arms went around me and she squeezed me with her thighs. I could tell this wasn’t her first time on a bike.

  I turned onto the 86 without stopping.

  –You want to go by the casino and tell them you quit?

  –They’ll figure it out eventually.

  –Any place special you want to be?

  –There’s a little place up on the 62 I danced at for a couple of weeks. It’s in the middle of nowhere. We’d probably like it there for a while.

  –Are you talking about that peeler bar? It used to have pretty good pizza.

  –Yeah, that’s the one. Used to?

  –It’s closed.

  –In that case I know another place off the 215 in Colton. It’s kind of nowhere too.


  –We?

  I had been listening too.

  She leaned back against the bagger’s trunk, settled in and wrapped her legs around me.

  –Yeah, Frank, we–you and me. Trouble, remember? I don’t see anybody else around. Do you?

  Trouble. Most times it’s bad. Sometimes it’s good. One way or another it always seems to find me, for better or worse.

  ###

  More by P X Duke

  If you enjoyed reading about Frank Ross, you can read more about his adventures while he's on the road. First Time and other stories is available at feedbooks.com.

  It's not that Frank doesn't want to stay in one place. It's just that there are so many places, and he can't be in all of them at once - as much as he might like to be. No matter how hard he tries.

  For some reason, all of Frank's women come with dark hair and dark eyes. In itself there's nothing remarkable about that. That's just the way it is with Frank. I'm sure there's something in his psyche to account for that. Perhaps you'll read on to find out what that might be, exactly.

  First Time and other stories

  http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/17710/first-time-and-other-stories

  Frank Ross is headed down Mexico way, but first he has to escape from the high desert and the clutches of a sweet-talking, nimble little thing that has spun her web and led Frank down the road to good intentions gone bad. Following a trial by fire, Frank manages to get back on the road, but not before narrowly escaping a damsel in much distress when he refuses to take her along for the ride.

  Midnight At The Oasis

  http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/17623/midnight-at-the-oasis

  Frank is back on the road, this time with a sweet little riding partner he hooks up with in a bike shop in the desert. After getting acquainted during a ride to Big Bear, they stop off for a visit at Frank’s place in Cherry Valley. The asphalt perfume they both picked up on the ride gets washed away during an impromptu shower. Breakfast follows. Later, when Frank learns that his new riding partner was t-boned by a left-turning cage, he decides to forgo his devil-may-care attitude and hunker down for a bit to care for his seriously injured riding partner and show her that he has a heart.

  One More Time

  http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/19408/one-more-time

  About The Author