Hotbox

by Delia Delaney

  I shook my head. “I uh, don’t think it’s personal,” I lied. “It’s been happening around town. Vandals, I guess. Come inside, I’ll take care of it.”

  She followed me in just as Lou was answering the phone.

  “Ty, for you,” he said.

  I almost didn’t take it, but I grabbed it anyway to avoid questions. “This is Ty.”

  “You’ve been warned, Ty,” Dean’s voice cut through the phone. “Doesn’t look like you’ve made much progress with our new arrangement. Time is running out.”

  He hung up.

  I falsified an ending to the conversation and then dialed another number. I called in a favor to the tire business down the road, told Tony what I needed, and he promised he’d bring them within a half hour. At the same time, Lou had made a report to the police, and there wasn’t anything that I could do about it. After he dealt with that, I decided to sit in the office with Jayden until Tony came, but she insisted that I just go help Charlie for the time being. Lou was heading out, though, and I didn’t want Jayden in the office by herself, so she sat in the garage and watched us work.

  Tony came twenty minutes later and the two of us had her car ready to go in no time. By then it was seven o’clock, I was starving, and my nerves were shot. Jayden left for home, so I helped Charlie for a few more minutes before I headed out as well.

  I wasn’t sure how much more I could take before I completely lost my mind. The “arrangement” as Dean called it. I didn’t care what it took, but I had to find a way out of it.

  I was pretty busy at work for the next two days. I hardly talked to Jayden on the phone, even. She had been busy in her office as well, and Tuesday and Wednesday evenings she was working at the music store for another teacher that was sick.

  Thursday I made it home to shower and change. She had invited me over for dinner at her house, and as much as I didn’t want to go, I found myself unable to turn her down. I didn’t even know what I was doing anymore. And talking to my dad on the phone the last two nights didn’t help, either. He insisted that I needed to break it off; maybe once it was done, something would change and I could get her back. But for now, he didn’t want to see me tempting my fate.

  I didn’t want to admit that he was right. I was still trying to convince myself that there was a way out of it, and I finally decided that I really couldn’t go through with breaking her heart. I had to just talk to her. We shared everything, and I was sure I could find a way to explain why we couldn’t be together without telling her too much.

  I was just about to get into my truck to leave for her house when a dark sedan pulled up at the curb. My first instinct was to avoid getting in the car at all costs. But with much reluctance, I made my way to the door as it opened. I was even more appalled that Dax was the one that stepped out, forcing me to slide in between him and Dean. I realized that Olevsky must be out of town.

  “Hey, Ty,” Dean smiled. “Nice to see you. Ready for an adventure?” The car left the curb and headed down the street. “I’m kind of disappointed in you, really. Waiting for the very last day to break things off with her? Are you hoping I’ll change my mind, or something?” He looked at me for a while before he glanced around me at Dax. “I think he is,” he chuckled. Dax returned the laugh and it made my skin crawl.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Oh, just to see your soon-to-be ex-fiancée.”

  My pulse began to race.

  “What’s she think of her new tires?” he continued. “You always make sure her car has the best of everything. The tires are no exception; they must cost a pretty penny.” It was quiet for a moment. “How was your visit to your pops? Does he enjoy being alive while he’s clean and sober? I’m sure it’s been a shock to his system.”

  I was getting impatient with his talking and I was on the brink of just shouting at him and asking what the hell he wanted. But I figured it wouldn’t be worth it based on whatever “adventure” he was taking me on. I didn’t want to set him off any further, just in case there was a chance of changing his mind. He had me in a vice, that’s for sure, and it really pissed me off.

  He began talking about this or that, fully knowing that I didn’t give a damn. He said Olevsky was out of the country again, taking care of “family stuff.” I didn’t know what that meant, but Dean apparently wanted me to know. When I didn’t inquire further, he filled me in himself.

  “You know he has a brother?”

  I didn’t.

  “That’s kind of funny, huh? Ivan. Just found out a few months ago. That’s crazy, isn’t it? Hey Dax, maybe one of these days we’ll find out you and me are related,” he chuckled.

  Dax returned the evil laugh.

  “And maybe Ty is our little brother,” Dean added, patting my face hard. “But Olevsky…he’ll do whatever it takes to get his brother out of the trouble he’s in. Nothing’s going to stop the boss from making it happen—not even you, Ty.”

  Once we were in Jayden’s neighborhood I began to feel really uneasy. I had no idea what was going on and it made my stomach tense. When we got near her home, we pulled up to the curb across the street, but two houses down.

  “So let’s talk about our arrangement, Ty. Why haven’t things changed between the two of you?”

  “It’s already starting to change,” I mumbled.

  “Oh, really?” he chuckled. “Things a little on edge between the two of you?” He glanced across at Dax again. “There’s trouble in paradise.”

  Dax actually spoke this time. “Obviously not enough, though.”

  “True,” Dean nodded, “very true. So Ty… I think maybe we need to…convince you…that I’m not fooling around here. The tires… That was kid stuff, harmless. It was a simple warning, but I guess it wasn’t enough. See, tomorrow is the due date, my friend. It ends for good. So I’ve decided—just in case you need some motivation—to remind you what you’re doing this for.” He rolled the partition down in front of us. “Oliver?” he called to the driver.

  Oliver flashed his lights once, and I nervously watched as a man got out of a car several houses down.

  “That’s Little Lars,” Dean smiled. “But…obviously he’s not so little.”

  I watched the man sneak his way along the sidewalk out of the streetlights.

  “Lars just got out of prison yesterday. He’s a bit…anxious to get back to his old habits,” he smiled. “Jayden’s all alone. Her dad is working late, and he probably won’t be back for another hour or two—”

  My heart took off into overdrive and I made a break for the door, but Dax grabbed me and slammed me against the seat.

  “Leave her alone!” I yelled.

  Dean was laughing when he said, “I don’t know, Ty. You’re one stubborn kid. I don’t know what else to do to make you take me seriously. Well…I guess there are lots of things I could do,” he smiled, looking at Dax again.

  “Leave her alone,” I demanded again. “She has nothing to do with this.”

  “She has everything to do with this. If you had used some common sense and stayed away from her, we wouldn’t be in this little predicament. Because this relationship is still lingering, I’m kind of getting a little nervous that she’s going to figure out something she shouldn’t,” he smirked. “She’s a bit too close to the wrong people, if you know what I mean, and the slightest tipoff would screw us all.”

  “I told you that she doesn’t know anything, and if you’d just let this go and stay away from me, there won’t be anything for her to figure out. Come on just…let this go. You don’t ever have to talk to me or see me again.”

  He looked ahead to where Lars was standing outside of Jayden’s house, just out of the cast of the porch light. Ignoring my plea completely, he said, “Jayden will just think it’s you when he knocks on the door, since she’s expecting you. And if she doesn’t open the door… Well, it’s nothing that will get in his way.”

  I could see Jayden through the kitchen window and I think my heart broke in hal
f. Lars took a couple of steps toward the front porch and glanced around the neighborhood quickly. Then he took another step…

  “Stop. Please, just leave her alone. I’ll do whatever you say, just leave her out of this.” I tried to get out of the car a second time, but I was held back again.

  “Ty, I’m not kidding. Quit screwing around with me. You break it off with her, or her life will never be the same.”

  “Her life already won’t be the same! What is this all about, Dean? You got Olevsky to do what you wanted, why can’t you just be happy with that? Do you think he appreciates having to deal with all this crap, just because you have a personal vendetta against me?”

  “You’ve got some balls, Ty.”

  I could tell he was really pissed. I groaned to myself, sure that I just dug the hole even deeper. I kept my eyes on Lars, but he hadn’t moved any further. Hopefully he was waiting for another signal, but I’d probably just sealed Jayden’s fate myself.

  “Look,” I sighed, trying not to panic. “I don’t know why this is happening, other than the fact that you hate me and want to see me suffer. And if you must know…it’s worked.” His lips offered a smile of satisfaction. “But if there’s something I can do to end this—I don’t care what it is—just tell me.”

  “The bottom line, Ty? Your girlfriend’s a problem. Yes, I hate you, and yes I like to see you suffer. But what it really comes down to is business. This comes from the boss. I have a huge job to do and I can’t do it when I have to worry about things I shouldn’t be worrying about—”

  “I guarantee you have nothing to worry about—”

  “You can’t guarantee anything,” he retorted. “This business doesn’t allow for personal relationships. Especially with the daughter of a judge! Look at Kenny… He’s got a wife and three kids… Do you know what he’s gone through just to keep them alive?” He scoffed. “I don’t think you want to know. This is the life, Ty, and you’re a part of it whether you wanna be or not. I don’t care if you’re ‘out’ of the organization. There is no out. If you want complete freedom, go kill yourself. That’s the only out for you.”

  “Leave Jayden alone. That was the deal, right? I break it off with her, you leave her alone.” I looked ahead at Lars, still waiting outside of her house. “If something happens to her, you know her father will never stop—”

  “Don’t threaten me. I know all about her father. He’s a pain in my ass. But I won’t hesitate to do what I need to do if you don’t comply. This might not be your last warning. I don’t even care what you tell her as long as the organization stays out of it, but you make this happen or I guarantee she’ll suffer one way or another. Get out of the car.”

  I didn’t wait another second and barreled my way through Dax to get out the door. I heard them both laughing as I jogged across the street toward Jayden’s house. Lars saw me coming and stood there, watching me. I had no idea how he was going to react until he turned with a smile and left down the sidewalk.

  I stopped where I was in front of her house and felt like dropping to my knees. Now what? How could I possibly knock on her door and pretend nothing happened? I just couldn’t do it. Dean’s car took off down the road, and so did Lars in his car. I was stranded in Jayden’s neighborhood without a proper excuse as to why I didn’t have my truck.

  I had to think fast because at that very second she looked out the window again and saw me. With a smile and a wave she left the kitchen; I knew she was heading to the front door. I took the deepest breath I could inhale and came to the porch as she opened the door.

  “Hey, you’re late,” she playfully scowled. “I was just about to call you.” She held the door open and as I stepped through, she noticed what was missing right away. “Where’d you park?” she asked, looking down the street both ways.

  “Uh, that’s why I’m late. My, uh, truck was having problems so…I didn’t want to drive it. I got a ride.”

  “Oh.” She cast me a funny glance and I knew she felt that sounded odd. I kept my truck running perfectly; I never had problems with it.

  “Smells good in here,” I said, changing the subject. “What’d you make?”

  She watched me for a few seconds before she answered, “Um, just some stir-fry…” She made her way back into the kitchen. “So who’d you get a ride with?”

  My heart thumped heavily. I followed her into the kitchen and stood in the doorway. “Uh, Brian.” It made sense; he lived the closest to me. And Jayden hardly knew him, so any chance that she would ever try to verify my story was slim.

  “I would have picked you up,” she said, placing a bowl of rice on the table and the pan of stir-fry.

  “Well, I knew you’d be cooking,” I said, forcing a smile, “and I didn’t want anything to slow down the progress of my dinner being made.”

  She laughed. “Hmm, thinking with your stomach, huh? I guess that makes sense.”

  We stood there for a bit, staring at each other, and I could instantly feel the awkwardness of the moment. I was fighting a guilty conscience, battling with all of the emotions of the week and what had just transpired, and she seemed to be struggling with something as well. I was just about to speak when she came closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

  “You haven’t even kissed me, yet,” she said simply.

  I never thought kissing her would be so difficult, but it was. I felt like it was going to be the last time and I became desperate for time to just…stop. I wanted everything to freeze except for me. I needed to do what I could to fix things, to make my life right again. I had no idea what that would take.

  “Wow,” Jayden smiled, pulling away from me. “I think I’m a little dizzy. Do you kiss that way when you’re hungry?”

  “What way?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know…really, really passionate. You’ve weakened me.”

  “I’ve never kissed you like that?”

  “Yeah, you have. But this time I think something’s bothering you.”

  She’d said it deliberately, and she looked right at me before she sat down at the table. I knew that was my chance; she was giving me the opportunity to talk to her.

  I just stood there for a second, wondering if she was going to press further, or just wait for me to share on my own. I decided it had to be now or never. I couldn’t do this anymore. If I felt dragging it out any longer would do just a little bit of good, I would do it. But my father was right. I needed to just get it over with and hope I could somehow pick up the pieces. I didn’t want to talk to her in person—I was still afraid of what I might tell her—but I realized what I wanted to say, and I felt it would be the right thing to say.

  I sat down across from her. “You’re right. Something’s bothering me.”

  She nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  I said, “I guess there are some things that I need to talk to you about.”

  “Good…because I need to talk to you, too.”

  I figured her issues had everything to do with me and my idiotic behavior, so when she told me to go first, I wasn’t surprised.

  I took a deep breath. “Well, uh, this isn’t anything that’s easy to say. I just… I’ve made some really bad mistakes, Jayden, and…I can’t exactly fix them right now. I just want you to know—”

  The phone rang and it completely intensified my nerves. Jayden remained in her seat and we both sat there, letting it ring. She wasn’t going to answer it and I knew I was still going to be breaking her heart in a matter of seconds.

  The answering machine came on and Chris’s voice began to speak with urgency. “Jayden, if you’re home, pick up, okay? It’s important. It’s your dad—” a look of panic filled her face and she jumped up to answer the phone “—but I’ll try your cell—”

  “What happened?” she almost shouted. She listened for a few seconds and I stood up to stand near her. “What?” she gasped. “Is—?” She listened again and then let out a deep breath. “Okay… Yeah, but I’m still coming… No, Ty’s her
e… Okay, thanks for the call.”

  She hung up and let out another breath. “My dad was shot at.”

  I raised my eyebrows with surprise.

  “He was getting into his car outside the courthouse and a bullet went through the window. They think it was just a warning and no one was actually trying to hit him but…”

  “Is he okay?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, thankfully he didn’t get hurt or anything.” She stood there for a few seconds, seeming to debate what to do. She looked at the table and then looked at me.

  “Go ahead and see your dad,” I told her. “Or at the very least, just give him a call.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’d rather we keep talking. My dad’s fine; this is more important.” She seemed a little rattled and her voice was shaky.

  I reached out and pulled her close, and I felt her relax against me. “Jayden, one thing at a time, okay? I know you’re not going to unwind until you see he’s fine. Just go see him. We can talk later. I promise.”

  She took a deep breath. “Okay. You’re right. Uh… Why don’t you just sit and eat?” she asked, pulling away from me and stepping to the table. “I’ll just be a few minutes and—”

  “Jayden, don’t worry about me. How about you just drop me off at home? Go see your dad, take all the time you want, and just give me a call later, okay?”

  I assumed she would protest but instead she replied, “Can you come with me?”

  My pulse quickened. I didn’t want to go anywhere near the police department.

  “Oh, never mind,” she quickly said. “My dad will be mad enough that I’m there. Chris doesn’t even want him to know he told me,” she smiled uneasily.

  She grabbed her jacket and purse and I met her at the door.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  “Ty, I love you,” she told me when the car stopped in my driveway.

  “I love you, too,” I replied, feeling about a hundred pounds crushing my chest. She leaned across the car and kissed me.

  She was still worried about her father, and although he was okay, she mostly fretted about why someone would take a shot at him. She was kind of rambling on the drive over. Whenever she was worried or nervous she tended to talk more than usual. It was actually a relief because I was afraid to speak.