by K. S. Adkins
“Oh right,” he says laughing. “Rio the man whore. The man was so far up your ass he didn’t notice the threat sitting right next to him. Rio doesn’t scare me, Rion.”
“No? Okay that’s fair. Stupid, granted, but fair. But you haven’t met Loyal yet, and when that happens I’ll need my phone to get that shit on video to show my grandkids on special occasions.”
“What did you just say?” he screams turning to face me fully. I can’t even find it in me to be afraid right now. Henry was a bitch and I don’t do bitches.
“Seriously? You want me to repeat all of that or can I just highlight the fun parts?”
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because seconds later my eyes were rolling back after he sucker punched me upside the head. Score one for Henry, he hit like a sledgehammer.
‘Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.’
~ Robert A. Heinlein
For hours we tore the office apart looking for anything useful. He pulled everything Senior saved from the day he made that bet forward. There had to be hundreds of letters from the guy threatening to take Rion by force if he didn’t hand her over willingly. Ten years ago, he wrote a letter saying her time was up when she was twenty. Two weeks later, she was in college living in a gated community off campus. Like Rio said, if she wasn’t here on weekends he was there making sure she was safe.
For all of these letters, not one even hinted at who the son was.
My specialty wasn’t research, it was extraction. I was given coordinates, an objective and a weapon, that was it. Rio had the Intel here, he’s known for years someone wanted her and he had to know something even if he wasn’t consciously aware of it. The other problem was, I wasn’t skilled in interrogation either and beating him for info probably wouldn’t work even if I did get satisfaction from it.
“He had pictures of her dating back to her in high school. This guy knew her. Go over the pictures again and tell me what you see. Look past her, check the background for landmarks. The answers are there Rio, find them.”
“On it,” he says arranging the photos chronologically by age. While he did that, I went back across the hall and looked at Senior’s place with fresh eyes. It wasn’t easy knowing she was stolen right out from underneath my nose. But how? We were on the porch outside the living room and it was a two story drop. The only access to the building was the front door facing 8 Mile and the garage in the back. There was no way he came in through that front door and the apartment while we were in it. I’m missing something.
“Loyal,” he says, stealing my focus when he enters the room. “This picture was taken at the office,” he says, pointing at the photo and in the background is a framed photograph identical to the one behind her desk. “Junior bought this for his fiftieth birthday; it’s of Brigg’s Stadium. This one here was when we all went ice skating and that right there is my god damn arm.”
“First, tell me how anyone could take her out of here with us fifteen feet away. There’s two exits, the garage and the front door.”
“Fuck!” he screams then punches the wall. Following him I watch as he pulls the closet door open, moves the clothes aside to show me where a board once was. “It leads to the fire escape,” he growls, kicking it open and when I lean over I see the ladder was pulled down. “He wanted her to have an escape if she was ever in trouble. Dammit I forgot about it!”
“Who else knew about this?”
“It wasn’t a secret to the guys. Hell, at some point we were all told to use it if we needed it.”
“The man who took those pictures did this. Who was with you?”
“Senior, Tank and---” he pauses then starts to lose it completely.
“Who, god dammit?”
“Henry,” he groans. “It was Henry. He was always taking pictures of us, or hell of her. The kid never bothered nobody. Jesus Christ how did I miss this?”
“When he left, did he return his key?”
“Fuck man, I don’t remember that shit, he says. “Senior said we were always welcome back. Maybe he did, I don’t know.”
“Find me a picture of Henry,” I order him and when he stays put, I push him hard. “Do it now!”
“He was tall and lean---”
“I’m not a fucking sketch artist Rio! A picture! I need a fucking picture!”
Bolting from the room, he comes back a minute later with a photo album with the label of our family on the front. “He kept everything in here,” he says opening it up. Flipping page after page he finally stops at one, turns the book and hands it to me with his finger on one man. “Him,” he says. “That’s Henry.”
“That ain’t Henry,” I mumble. “That’s Honor, my brother.”
“Oh fuck,” he says, falling into the nearest chair. “How is this possible? Your old man made the bet with Senior?”
“My old man is dead,” I tell him ripping the picture out so I can memorize it. “Honor was adopted out. I need to know everything about him including any property he or his old man owned. She took back the house I was crashing in, find out who’s name that house was in and any another houses they had.” Looking at the photo again, I told myself that I wouldn’t recognize him if he was standing right in front of me. I was wrong, I’d know him anywhere. We both share our father’s eyes and at that moment I was truly scared shitless. I wasn’t fighting an unknown, I was about to take my own brother down.
“His name is Henry James,” he says.
“Henry is his middle name and James is mine,” I correct him. “Find out who his adoptive father is, Rio, that’s the link I need. Start with public record on that house and work your way back.”
“All them years, he followed her around,” he says to himself. “He seemed harmless man, said he needed a second chance.”
“He didn’t need a second chance, he needed access to Rion. I need your head straight, Rio. Get me that information yesterday.”
“I can give you the information now,” he says, pulling up a chair to the computer. “His father’s name was Lucas Sullivan. Major piece of shit. Senior couldn’t stand the guy now I know why, fuck. He died a year ago from a heart attack. Got off easy, if you ask me. His last known residence was the house we took back.”
“Give me the last known address for Lucas personally,” I order him. While he worked on the computer, I went over to her apartment and loaded up her pistols to be ready to bolt once he gave me addresses. My god damn brother took her. Of all the scenarios I could come up with, that wasn’t one of them. Taking a moment to calm down, I find myself looking around her place again. The letters, the clocks and the photos all of it was mocking me. Was she safe? Had he touched her? Did she know she was with the enemy?
Minutes later he hands me an address. Breaking for the door he stops me. “I go where you go, head case,” he says holstering his own gun. “You ain’t the only one who loves her.”
“Let’s go,” I tell him and together we run down the stairs to the garage. Because Rio knew the streets, I took his cues and turned where he told me. Within fifteen minutes, I was kicking in the door but this house was empty. No one had been here in months. This house was a diversion.
“Fuck!” I scream. “Where the fuck is she?”
“Drop me back off and let me ask around,” he says, climbing back into my truck. “Somebody had to see something.”
“No,” I growl. “I’ll get answers my way now.”
Flooring it through town, I managed to make the ten minute drive under five without getting pulled over. The minute we walked in, spotted him and he inclined his head. I knew I’d come to the right place.
‘Love your enemies and hate your friends. Your enemies
~50 Cent
Headaches were nothing new to me. However, a headache from being jacked in the temple was a whole ‘nother story. Keeping my eyes closed as long as possible, I make sure not to move an inch. I can hear him moving around and without the use of my hands the best I could do was sit up. Deciding the floor wa
s my best option, I listened from there instead.
He was talking to himself about how he owned me, how I should be appreciative and how he’d make me listen if he had to. The Henry I remember was gentle, content to stay in the background. This Henry was aggressive and fucking coo-coo. He was also three times the size he was last time I’d seen him. When he comes to stand over me, I can feel his anger like a physical thing. Yes, I knew basic self-defense but that was with the use of my hands. The fact was, I was no match against crazy.
“Wake up,” he says slapping my face. There was no way to hide the wince and I brought my hands up to protect my head automatically. “Tell me the truth and I won’t have to hurt you again,” he says pulling me up. “Are you hurt?”
“Yes.”
“What hurts?”
“My head and wrists.”
“I’ll get you something for your head,” he says leaving the room in favor of the kitchen. Looking around, I have to figure out how to get the fuck out of here. When he showed up at Senior’s, I was changing my clothes in my old bedroom. I didn’t sense him and in a flash I was jabbed in the arm with a needle, gagged and blindfolded before being drug through the closet down the fire escape. He tried to keep me relaxed by talking to me but the second I heard his voice, I wasn’t relaxed even with whatever he gave me.
I was fucking pissed.
“Open your mouth,” he says, shoving two pills inside followed by a drink of water. “Better?”
“No,” I moan. “What the fuck did I say to set you off?”
“Loyal is the name of the man you’ve been attached to all these months? The one that left you?”
“Oh no,” I argue. “I said Loyal and you reacted. Tell me why.”
“I’m afraid you aren’t the one giving orders this time, Rion. The day that Senior died you stopped calling the shots. I gave you time to grieve and to come to terms with this arrangement, but I’m done following your lead. You were promised to me and you can either accept that or suffer needlessly until you accept it. Either way, I get what’s owed to me.”
“Release my hands,” I order him, “let’s keep this fair. You put on what, about fifty pounds of muscle since I saw you last? Surely, I’m not that scary. Or, am I?”
“I own you,” he says, sitting next to me. Then grabbing my hair and pulling it back he bites my ear causing me to cry out. “You’ve had time to live your life without rules. Now you’ll live your life with mine. I bet you’re wishing you hadn’t listened to Senior all those years, am I right? You did as you were told then so I know you have it in you now. Maybe you just need a refresher.”
Slamming me to the ground belly first, he punches me in my right side. Biting my lip to stop the scream from escaping, he flips me over on my back then pins me down by the shoulders. “I had to watch you look past me for years,” he growls. “It was all about everyone else. You went through men like candy, while I waited for you to see me. Why couldn’t you have come to me on your own? I would have spared you this!”
Look past him? The mother fucker never spoke! Christ, he never did anything except follow me. He was like a lost dog unless I gave him direction. “Look past you? Kinda hard to look anywhere when you were always ten feet up my ass!”
First an unholy sound filled the room followed by him getting off me. My first deep breath was short lived when he came from downtown and kicked me directly in my side. The surge of pain was so intense it caused me to pull up onto my knees to protect myself. So all this to get me here was only to be beaten to death? It hardly seemed sporting from down here on the floor. Small breaths were all I could manage right now. To get out of this I had to rely on my strengths. Cataloging them they were my mouth, my knees and my feet since my hands were out of commission.
He’s yelling again. Probably at me although I tune it out easily. When the coughs take me over I raise up a bit to take another breath. If he punted me again, I was done. He didn’t. Instead he was rubbing my back which creeped me out. I almost preferred him hitting me to this.
Closing my eyes, I knew my chances were slim that I was going to survive this. I missed Loyal and hoped that he would recover from a life without me, the man deserves happiness. I wish I could have told him one more time that I loved him more than anything. I’d give it all away to hear him say the words to me too. Even though he always showed me, the words mattered because it took a lot for him to say them. When Loyal told me he loved me, the world made sense.
Listening to Henry pace was annoying me. I still wondered why Loyal’s name set him off and if I do anything well, it’s push. Mumbling words with no meaning simply to get his attention, he wastes no time in coming down to the floor next to me.
“I didn’t hear you,” he says in my ear.
Lifting my head up, I smile while looking in his eyes. “I said, you lost the bet, Henry. I bet on the long shot. I’m in love with Loyal.” Before he can react, I head butt him as hard as possible to give me the chance to get away. Clumsily getting to my feet, I keep a safe distance while the pain was excruciating and I was seeing double as a result. He doesn’t make a move and neither do I. “Talk to me Henry,” I prompt him. “You think taking me will make me want you? If you’ve watched me then you’ve seen him. From where I’m standing that bet is the least of your problems.”
“He always gets everything!” he screams before charging me. Moving sideways he tags me around the middle taking me back to the ground. I was sick of being on the ground. He climbs back off of me, but I lose sight of him. Using my elbows, I look over my shoulder to see him holding a rolling pin. What the holy shit?
“Stand up,” he orders me. Slowly making my way back to my feet I knew this was it. This was do or die time. Thinking of Loyal and how I wanted to get back to him only one thing stood in my way, the enemy.
“A rolling pin?” I laugh. “You wanna play prison rules? Is that it? Well okay, I’ll be your daddy.”
“He doesn’t get to have you, too,” he growls, but stays put. “I won’t let him take you from me. He shouldn’t even be here. He’s next for touching you.”
“Oh he’s more than touched me,” I say giving him a fake giggle. “Want details?”
That did it. The reaction I needed.
Now I all I had to do was stay alive and hope for a miracle, that miracle had a name.
And my heart.
‘If you’re reading this letter, I failed. I’m sorry, Junior.’
~Senior
I spotted him and wasted no time telling him why I was there. He didn’t seem surprised to see me either. Taking me outside, four of his men follow and surround Rio and me. Time was of the essence right now and if anyone knew Senior’s secrets, it was Old Man. “Talk to me,” I order him. “You ain’t been tight with Senior all these years and not know nothing.”
“That bet was with Lucas Sullivan, the dirty bastard,” he says and his men nod in agreement. “Senior thought it was a joke. I did too because shit, you don’t bet people. Everyone was drunk, telling stories and cracking fun. Senior got his life straight for his daughter. He wouldn’t fuck it up with some stupid shit like a poker game.”
“What else?” I ask. “You know about the letters he was getting?”
“Of course I knew,” he groans. “I even tried killing the bastard myself when he tried kidnapping Junior from school when she was in third grade. Lucas hated Senior because he got the girl and the family. Lucas was sweet on Junior’s mom when they was kids. She had eyes for Senior, no one else. My guess was he wanted to hurt Senior good since he’d already lost his wife. Lucas knew Senior always paid up on bets, only this time he refused. That prick even adopted a kid to pair up with Junior, like some arranged marriage bullshit. When he died, I figured it was over.”
“Lucas may be dead,” I remind him, “but his son took Rion. Now that he has her. Where would he keep her?”
“I’d guess at the house he bought for them,” he says, reaching for a cigarette.
“He bought them a hous
e? Rio, you know about that house?”
“Sure as fuck didn’t,” he growls. “Where’s the house at, Old Man.”
“Pay attention son,” he says. “When Senior married, she left her childhood home to be with him. Lucas always wanted what he couldn’t have, bought her house and kept it waiting for her. Guessing since he could never get her back in it, he wanted the next best thing.”
“Senior’s daughter.”
“Find her, son,” he says, grabbing my shoulders, “and kill him.” Sticking a scrap of paper in my hand I look and see an address. Nodding at Rio, we climb back into the truck and this time I wasn’t coming back empty handed.
My woman was coming home with me and I didn’t care how many people had to die to make that happen.
Even my own brother.
‘If you ever find yourself in some shit, fight dirty until I can get to you.’
~Rio
Cradling my left arm was all I could do to make sure it didn’t fall off. No, he didn’t sever it. The bastard hit me repeatedly with a god damn rolling pin. If the dents in my skin were anything to go by, I’d bet it was from the Martha Stewart collection at K-mart. Not only did he run out of steam fairly quickly, remorse kicked in and now he wouldn’t stop touching me which was worse than getting worked over with wooden kitchen utensils.
Rio would bitch me out if he knew I only managed to land a few blows. I’d bitch him out right back for not teaching me to be lethal with my feet. My eyes filled up at the thought of never seeing Rio again to bitch him out. I missed my best friend and like me, he only did what Senior said. I may be breathing for the moment but my heart isn’t beating right. It’s missing Loyal and Rio something fierce and it hurts knowing I may not have what it takes to walk away from this. Knowing this psycho could kill me easily at any time was lead in my stomach. I had no tools to fight back, I was helpless and that pissed me off.
