Destroying Carter

by W. S. Greer

  The food comes in less than five minutes. My steak is perfectly cooked to temperature, and Kelvin’s omelet looks fantastic. Our meals seem to be the only thing in our morning that have gone right. We sneak in random comments about the food as we eat, and Kelvin tells me his feelings on having to stop by the main office of the casino this morning for a staff meeting, but the conversation is bland. By the time the meal is over, I’m anxious to get up from the table to head upstairs so I can be around things that are familiar and comfortable. When the waiter brings over the check, he drops the wallet off on the table and walks away. Kelvin shoves his credit card into the sleeve in the wallet and places it back on the edge of the table. Just as he leans back in his seat, I feel something brush up against my right arm. It’s a person… a man. When I look up at him, it takes a second for me to recognize who he is, but when I do, my heart begins to race.

  “Good morning, Prince,” Ilia Baskov says, looking down at Kelvin.

  Kelvin’s head doesn’t even move when he looks up at him, just his eyes, and he looks disgusted. “Who the fuck is Prince?” He spits the words out like they taste bitter.

  Ilia stands above us and unfurls a little sneaky smile that sends chills up my spine. “You’re Prince. Prince of the Carter family.” Kelvin doesn’t respond, and his face is twisted into an unsettling scowl. Ilia obviously catches on and decides to quickly backtrack. “I don’t mean to offend. My apologies.”

  “It’s fine. Is there something you’re here for, Ilia?” Kelvin inquires. His words come out harsh, probably on purpose. I can’t imagine Kelvin being nice to Ilia Baskov after all the shit he put us through a few months ago.

  “I just happened to stop by the casino this morning to check it out,” Ilia says. “Hadn’t been down here before, and I heard this restaurant has good breakfast burritos. I didn’t expect to see you, however. Now that I have, though, I figured this was a good time to come by and thank you for taking care of our little problem last night.”

  Kelvin freezes once again. All of the life seems to get sucked out of his face as he sits there locked in a trance. I look up at Ilia suspiciously, hoping that he’ll elaborate.

  “I know this isn’t the time or the place to mention such things, but I heard we had a problem with a delivery recently, and I found out that it was you who helped to take care of this problem. It’s good to see that you’re coming onboard,” Ilia says quietly.

  I can tell that Kelvin is hoping that he’ll just stop talking and walk away, but he doesn’t have that much luck in the world, as Ilia just stands there, waiting for him to respond. He seems to be at a loss for words until the waiter finally returns and picks up the wallet containing the check and credit card.

  “Umm,” Kelvin stutters. “Yeah, I’m not sure what you heard, but I do know for sure that this isn’t the time or the place to have this discussion.”

  “You’re right, and I understand. I just wanted to come voice my appreciating and tell you that I’m impressed. I look forward to forming a better work relationship with you in the very-near future.”

  My curiosity is extremely piqued as Kelvin glances nervously back and forth between Ilia and me. “I… umm,” he begins, but he is cut off by the return of the waiter. Kelvin takes the receipt from him and stops talking so that he can sign it. Once he’s tipped the waiter a generous twenty dollars, he hurriedly stands up. When I don’t stand up with him, he locks his eyes with mine. “You ready?”

  I want to say no, just to see what he’d do, but I nod naturally and slowly stand.

  “Umm, we’ll talk later, Ilia,” Kelvin says as he sidesteps the Russian mob boss and reaches for my hand to lead me away.

  Kelvin leads me around the tables, and I can sense his urgency as he steps lively like we’re being chased. He has a firm grip on my hand as we speed walk to the elevator. He jams his thumb on the button and I hear him breathe a sigh of relief as the doors open right away.

  Once we’re inside and the doors are closed, I struggle to find the words that I want to say first. Kelvin leans his back against the wall of the elevator and stares down at the floor. I can tell he was completely caught off guard by Ilia randomly showing up to Peggy’s, and I don’t want to add to his frustration, but I need some answers, because Ilia’s sudden arrival has now filled me with questions.

  “Alright, Kelvin,” I begin slowly, trying to tread softly. “There’s obviously something going on with you that you don’t want to talk to me about, and I’ll try to be understanding. But, we’ve been through so much together already, I really hope that you’ll just let me in so that we can get through it together.”

  Kelvin doesn’t answer, and I can now feel my own frustration starting to creep up in my chest like it’s trying to climb up through my throat and escape out of my mouth. The elevator dings and the doors slide open before I have a chance to say anything else.

  The two of us step into the penthouse and I follow Kelvin as he saunters into the living room. He takes a seat on the couch and immediately leans back, covering his face with his big hands. I take a seat next to him and put my hand on his knee. He’s tense and I can feel it all the way down in his legs. I want to take on the burden with him. We’re partners, and knowing that he’s struggling with something is making me uncomfortable. We get through problems together, and I don’t intend for this situation to be any different.

  “Baby, please talk to me,” I plead. “It doesn’t matter what it is. Please, just let me know what’s up, so we can deal with it together. Let me lighten your burden, please.”

  He lets his hand slowly slide down his face, finally revealing himself to me. He sighs loudly, then speaks up. “Damn, I fucking love you, Lilliana. You’re amazing, you know that?”

  I smile at him, but then force myself to push it away. “I appreciate that, and I want to help you, baby. Talk to me.”

  He sighs loudly once again. “I’m telling you, nothing happened. Everything is fine.”

  My frustration climbs a little higher. “Then what was Ilia talking about down stairs?”

  “I don’t know what the fuck he was talking about,” Kelvin replies without hesitation like he’d been waiting for me to ask that question.

  “You don’t know? Fine, then tell me exactly what it was that you had to leave with your uncle for. I want to know what they needed you for.”

  “It was just some paperwork shit. Some shit about the casino. That’s all.”

  “Bullshit!” I snap, louder than I intended to. “Ilia said there was a problem with the delivery, and you helped take care of the problem. So, don’t sit here and tell me that it had something to do with the casino, when Ilia said it was about the delivery. Is it about the guy you pistol whipped?”

  I hear Kelvin gasp, then he suddenly seems angry. “Look, Ilia doesn’t know shit about shit. He wasn’t fucking there. He heard something from somebody else, so who knows what he thinks or what exactly he heard. It doesn’t mean anything, alright. Just let it go.”

  “No, goddamn it! I’m not sure if I’m more upset that you’re not telling me, or that you’re fucking lying to me about it. I don’t understand why you feel the need to lie about it.”

  “Because this is a problem that I have to take care of on my own! You can’t be a part of this!”

  His words hit me like a train of confusion. I furrow my brow and look at him, frustrated and hurt. “What are you talking about? We’ve gone through so much bullshit together, and now, all of a sudden, you’re gonna just change the rules and block me out?”

  Kevin leans towards me and places a hand on my face, rubbing it gently. “No, baby. I would never block you out. I love you so fucking much. I just need you to trust me.”

  “Fuck that!” I shout, slapping his hand away. I can see the shock in his face as I stand up and look down at him. “You’re changing everything. We’ve had so much success dealing with our problems together, and now you’re putting all of that on the line. We took care of my crazy ex-boyfriend together. We
handled all the psycho Russian drama together, and now we have something new and you’re suddenly hiding shit and telling me to trust you? You’re changing how we do things, and I don’t know why. You need to explain this to me so that I can understand why you’re being so different about this.”

  “Jesus Christ, Lilliana, you can’t take this so personally.” Kelvin reacts to my anger by broadcasting his own. “This isn’t about you. This is my problem. And you’re right. We have always dealt with everything together, and this time is different, because this time I’m not putting you in danger because of something I have going on with the fucking Carter family. I’m not risking your life ever again. So, see if you can understand this. I’m changing the rules because I love you and I want to keep you safe.”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit. I don’t want to hear the old I’m doing this to protect you, cliché. This isn’t a fucking movie, Kelvin. I don’t want your protection. I’m not some broken girl who needs you to shelter me and hide me from all the cruelty in the world. I’m a grown woman who loves you. I don’t want your goddamn protection. I want your honesty. I want your openness. I want your heart. So, don’t patronize me.”

  “What the fuck? Patronize you? I’m not patronizing you. What the fuck are you even talking about anymore?” Kelvin stands up and walks past me, towards the elevator. “I don’t need you to understand this. I really don’t.”

  “So, that’s it?” I say as I follow him into the hallway. “You’re just gonna make this decision, even though you know it upsets me? You’re gonna put us through this shit to protect me?”

  Kelvin slams his hand on the button and the elevator door slides open. “You, being upset, doesn’t change what I know I need to do,” he says, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button to go down. “So, if you can’t understand where I’m coming from, then go ahead, be upset. I don’t have time for this shit. I have a meeting to go to.”

  The elevator doors slide closed, and an invisible wall sprouts up between us.

  “Oh hell no! So, you’re saying that I need to go over there and grab him by his balls right in the middle of his little staff meeting!”

  A giggle escapes my mouth as I sip my Coke. “I know. That’s what I feel like doing right now. I can’t believe the way he was acting. He’s never been like that before.”

  Lexy takes a sip of her drink and shakes her head as she puts it back down on the table. “I don’t even know what to say about that. You guys have been so cute for the past year, this is like a whole new thing. This is like Stephen King writing romantic comedies all of a sudden. It’s like, what the fuck is this shit?”

  “I’m not really sure how that relates to this, but I think I get what you’re saying.”

  “I just mean it’s weird, that’s all.”

  “I know. I’m not really sure what I’m gonna do about it. I’ve gotta be able to get him to open up to me about whatever it is that’s got him so worked up.”

  “I know that working for his father has been a pain, since they don’t get along, but this seems like it might be something serious. Is the casino business really that stressful?”

  I’m suddenly reminded that Lexy still has no idea that Kelvin’s father is a mob boss. It’s so easy to get caught up in talking with her that I forget that I have a secret that she isn’t allowed to know. I’m not sure what her knowing would really do at this point, but I feel like it’s safer for her if she doesn’t know about this side of mine and Kelvin’s lives, just in case.

  “Yeah, I guess it is,” I lie. “I mean, honestly, Kelvin Senior is just about the biggest asshole I’ve ever met, so I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for Kelvin to work for him for the past six months. Maybe he’s just reached his limit. I felt like I reached my limit with Senior within about five minutes of meeting him.”

  “Damn. That bad, huh?”

  “Ugh, you have no idea, Lex. The worst.”

  “So, you think maybe his dad has him doing shit he doesn’t want to do? Personally, I would fucking hate it if I had to work for my dad, and he’s not even an asshole. I’m sure I’d start thinking he’s an asshole if I had to work for him, though.”

  “I know what you mean. Who knows what Senior has Kelvin doing, though. I know that family and business don’t mix. I don’t know.”

  “Maybe you should try not to give the kid such a hard time then,” Lexy says, deciding to cut Kelvin some slack for being an ass this morning. “I mean, you know his dad is a rich piece of shit and that the two of them don’t get a long, so maybe he’s just finally starting to stress out. Maybe he’s been holding it in for a while, and now it’s finally starting to show.”

  “I know. You’re probably right, but I just want him to talk to me so that I can help him get through whatever it is.”

  “Yeah, but you know men are hard as hell to figure out, Lil. Not to mention the fact that men are the most prideful sons of bitches in the world, and they don’t like having help with anything. When Mike hurt his back last year and needed help getting in and out of bed, I saw him grimacing one time, with tears in his eyes, so I asked him if he was in pain. He said ‘No, I’m not in pain, I just hate that you have to help me.’ Men are ridiculous.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, that’s crazy. I’d like to think that Kelvin isn’t like that, but he is a man, after all.”

  “Yep, and you have to keep that in mind when he starts to act like a gigantic sack of mouse shit. He’s a man, and sometimes men act like gigantic sacks of mouse shit. So, sometimes you have to just try to ignore the smell and be understanding.”

  “Stop calling him mouse shit,” I say between chuckles.

  “Fine. Hamster shit. Call him whatever you want, he’s yours.”

  As Lexy takes another sip of her drink, and I try to keep myself from laughing out loud, our waiter makes his way back over to our table. “How’s everything going, ladies? Need anything?”

  “Yes, actually,” I reply. “Can I just get a refill of this Coke, please?”

  “Absolutely.” Our waiter grabs my cup and takes it away with him. When he returns, he places the newly filled soda on the table and smiles at me, but there’s something different about his smile this time. “Here you go.” He waits for a second like he wants me to say something to him, so I say the only thing that I think I should in this situation.

  “Thank you.” I flash a polite “thank you” smile and wait for him to leave. He hesitates, but then he finally turns around, except he doesn’t walk away. After about a three seconds with his back to the table, he turns back around and faces us again.

  “I’m sorry,” he says to me with a shy smile. “I don’t usually do this, but I just wanted to tell you that you’re absolutely stunning. I saw you smiling a few minutes ago, and I thought it was the most gorgeous smile I’ve seen in a long time. Maybe even ever. So, just in case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you that you’re beautiful.”

  I’m shocked by his candor, and I actually feel myself blushing a little bit. I look over at Lexy and see that she’s just as shocked as I am and her mouth is wide open. I wait a second for her to jump in and verbally bash this guy for hitting on me, but she just stares at me like she’s watching a bad car accident taking place, so I guess I’ll have to go it alone.

  “Umm,” I say quietly. “Wow. Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome,” he responds. “Maybe you could give me your phone number and we could go out sometime. My name’s Blake by the way,” he points to his nametag.

  “Wow, I really appreciate the compliment, Blake, and you’re very sweet, but I actually have a boyfriend. Sorry,” I say, offering another polite smile.

  “Ah, that’s too bad. Alright then. Well, I hope your boyfriend recognizes how gorgeous his woman is. I know I do.” With that, Blake walks away from the table.

  I look over at Lexy and her eyes are still as wide as ever. “Holy shit. That was actually really sweet.”

  “I know
,” she replies, still looking shocked. “I almost gave him my number.”

  “I was waiting for you to jump in and save me.”

  “I couldn’t. I was actually too shocked at how smooth he was.”

  “Of course, on the one day that Kelvin gets on my nerves, I’m hit on by a cute, sweet waiter.”

  “I know, right. Maybe you should go home and tell Kelvin that you got hit on by a sweet guy. Maybe he’ll get his shit together then. Nothing straightens up a man like a little competition. They can’t stand feeling like their woman is interested in another man. Drives them crazy.”

  “I know, but I wouldn’t do that to Kelvin. He knows there’s really no competition.”

  “Well, then don’t let him think that. Even if there isn’t, you should always let him think there’s competition. It keeps them in line.”

  “Ugh. You’re impossible, Lex,” I say, shaking my head.

  The waiter makes his way back over to the table and drops off the check without saying a word, but he flashes a smile at me before he leaves. When he comes back to pick up the check, I intentionally look away so that we don’t have eye contact. Lexy laughs at me, but I just feel like it’s the right thing to do. I don’t want to give the guy the wrong impression. It’s that kind of shit that led me to guys like Tim Bulger, and that’s a lesson I won’t soon forget.

  The waiter drops off the receipt, and when I sign it, I notice that he’s scribbled his phone number on the top of it. I let out a sigh and show it to Lexy.

  “Oh my gosh. You’ve got a real fan, don’t you?” Lexy teases. “Damn. We better go before he slips a transmitter into your purse and tracks you back to your house.”

  “Shit, I know. Let’s get out of here.” Lexy and I grab our purses and quickly make our way through the little dining area and out the door. Once we’re outside, I follow Lexy over to her truck.