Claiming Carter

by W. S. Greer

  “Did you think about what I told you? About me breaking it off with Angela?”

  “Uh, no! Why would I need to think about that? I already told you we’re not getting back together.”

  “I know that’s what you said, but did you really mean it? I mean, you and I were great together,” Tim said matter-of-factly.

  I let out a loud sigh. “Tim, we were not great together. If we were so great, you wouldn’t have had to go sticking yourself in Angela’s mouth. I am so tired of having this conversation. Please, Tim, I am begging you to just move on. Please leave me alone.”

  “I can’t, Lily. I still love you.”

  “No you don’t, Tim. You just can’t stand to see me with another guy.”

  “I know that the only reason you’re seeing him is because you want to get back at me. You don’t really give a shit about this guy, and he doesn’t really give a shit about you.”

  “How the fuck would you know what he gives a shit about?” I yelled as I threw my gym bag into my backseat.

  “He can’t care about you, Lily. Those kinds of people don’t care about anybody but themselves.”

  “What the fuck? Those kinds of people? Now you’re a racist?”

  “That’s not what I mean. I mean people like him. They’re heartless.”

  “People like him? And what kind of people are you referring to?” I was quickly running out of patience for Tim and his bullshit.

  “Criminals. Low lives. Those kinds of people.”

  “Oh my gosh, Tim. You would say anything, wouldn’t you?” I snapped. “That’s terrible. You don’t know anything about Kelvin.” I opened the front door to my car and began to climb in.

  “I know more about him than you think. Maybe you’re the one who needs to look into your little boyfriend before you get yourself hurt,” Tim said.

  “Wow. So you’re threatening me now, Tim? Is that what you’re doing?”

  “I’m not threatening you, Lily. I’m warning you. You need to stay away from this guy. He’s not who you think he is.”

  “Well, since you seem to think you have all the answers, why don’t you go ahead and clue me in, Tim.”

  “I told you that name sounded familiar. Kelvin Carter. So, I asked my guy over at Chicago PD if he had ever heard of him.”

  “Jesus Christ, Tim, are you fucking kidding? You did a background check on him. You are pathetic.”

  “Just listen!” Tim snapped, startling me. “He told me Kelvin Carter is a boss.”

  I let out a condescending chuckle. “A boss? And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “A mob boss, Lily. Kelvin Carter is the boss of a crime family here in Chicago. He’s a gangster by the book definition,” Tim said, arrogance emanating from his smile. “I know it’s hard to believe, but your new boyfriend is in the mob.”

  Me: I know you’re busy, but I really need to talk to you.

  Kelvin: I’m sorry. I really want to spend some time with you. I’m just swamped right now. I’m working on clearing out some space in my schedule for you.

  Me: I don’t mean to bug you. Just call me when you can, okay?

  Kelvin: I promise. Talk to you later.

  I sat on my couch with my legs crossed and Meghan sitting next to me. My frustration was beginning to get the best of me. Everything that had happened over the course of the last twenty-four hours had taken its toll and I found myself nervous and skeptical of everyone around me.

  As much as I wanted to believe that Kelvin Carter Jr. was the one and only perfect man that God has put on this earth, ever since talking to Lexy about how much I didn’t know about him, the unknown was eating away at my conscience. Kelvin wasn’t making things any better by not answering my phone calls and never calling me back since we’d parted ways in his penthouse yesterday morning. I’d tried calling him three times over the course of the school day, but his phone just rang the first two times, then it went straight to voicemail the third time. After the bell rang to end the school day, he texted me, apologizing for not being able to talk to me, but by that time, all I could think about was why he seemed to be avoiding talking to me in the first place. He could text but he couldn’t call?

  My obvious crush on him helped me to make excuses for him. Maybe he was in a meeting and couldn’t answer his phone. Maybe he was so busy that all he could do was text me when he got the opportunity. Or, maybe he actually was some sort of mobster just like Tim said and he was too busy shooting somebody in the kneecaps to be able to pick up his phone. Maybe he was in the middle of chopping off some poor guy’s fingers when the phone rang and he didn’t have enough time to wipe the blood from his hands. There were so many possibilities, and Lexy’s words echoed in the back of my head. She was absolutely right. I didn’t really know anything for sure.

  I stood up from my couch and walked into the kitchen to grab my purse. It had been a long, adventurous week and I desperately needed to blow off some steam. Luckily for me, so did Lexy. Earlier in the day we’d decided to head to Applebee’s a day prior to when we usually would so that we both could vent. I needed to talk to her about Kelvin, and she needed to vent to me about how much her husband, Mike, was getting on her nerves. I gladly accepted her invitation this afternoon and now my cab was pulling into my driveway. I secured my purse, petted Meghan on the head as I walked by the couch, and made my way out the door and into the driveway.

  After a ten minute drive, my middle-eastern cab driver pulled into the Applebee’s parking lot and turned around in his seat to stare at me spitefully while I dug in my purse, looking for my Visa card. He seemed to be one those people who acted as if it was the customer’s fault that he had to work where he did.

  I walked to into Applebee’s and went straight to the bar, where Lexy was already waiting for me. Somehow, she always managed to get there before me. Lexy was wearing a cute Chicago Bulls V-neck shirt to go along with a long black skirt that went down to her shins. She already had a Cosmo in hand and could see her ordering one for me as I approached. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone hitting on her today. She certainly didn’t look to be in the mood for any of that.

  “Hi, sweetie,” I said as I sat beside her. “You look pissed. Mike still being annoying?”

  Lexy chugged the rest of her Cosmo and slammed the glass on the table. When the bartender shot her a dirty look, she shrugged and shook her head.

  “I didn’t break it. Just give me another one. You don’t want to be on the wrong end of my attitude today,” she barked at the man before turning to me. “Mike is killing me with this sensitive, feeling-sorry-for-myself, bullshit. Ever since I told him I thought Kelvin was attractive, he has been all on my ass about who I think is cute. We can’t even walk by a young guy without him being all sad, and asking if I think they’re better looking than him. And then when I tell him to stop being stupid, he gets mad at me for getting annoyed by him. I’ve just had enough of his crap.”

  “Wow. Sounds tough,” I replied. “Has he always been this sensitive?”

  “No. And I admit that I might have gone a little overboard in describing Kelvin. Apparently, I went so far that he can’t seem to keep from thinking about it. He says he feels like he’s not good enough.”

  “Aww, that’s so sad.”

  “Oh please, don’t take his side,” Lexy snapped.

  “I’m not taking his side. You know guys are all sensitive about that kind of stuff though. Sounds like you damaged his ego a bit.”

  “Maybe, but I wasn’t trying to. We’ve been married for twelve years, Lil. He should know how much he means to me.”

  I finished off my first Cosmo and nodded for the bartender to give me another one.

  “I hear what you’re saying, Lex. But, guys are weird. It’s kind of like the way Tim has been acting ever since he saw me with Kelvin at the school. He used to be so full of confidence. Now he’s like a little baby.”

  “Funny how guys are mostly the same. You must have put a spell on Tim, because that guy has b
een acting all sprung on you.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with him. Somebody should tell these guys that being all sensitive and sad is not attractive.”

  Lexy let out her first giggle of the night. I was glad because she seemed like she could use a laugh.

  Lexy took another sip of her drink and then set her glass on the table. “You got that right. Now, that brings me to the topic of the hour. You said you had something to tell me about Tim. Or was it something about Kelvin?”

  “Well, it’s about both of them, really,” I said. I placed my drink on the bar and turned in my seat so that I could face her. “Okay, so I need your advice. I know we just had a conversation about how much I know about Kelvin and his job, and I admit that maybe I don’t know very much about him. But, things really took an awkward turn last night as I was leaving the gym.”

  “Uh oh. What happened?” Lexy was giving me her full attention.

  “Well, as I was leaving the gym, Tim was waiting for me by my car.”

  “What! That little creep was waiting for you outside while you were in the gym?”

  “I know, I know. That’s weird, but that’s not the weirdest part. It gets worse,” I said. “He approaches me and starts talking to me about how we were so great together and how we need to get back together, and I’m telling him that it’s not going to happen and that he needs to move on. But, as I’m getting in my car, he proceeds to tell me that he had his friend at Chicago PD look into Kelvin.”

  “Ooh, what a bastard,” Lexy chimed in.

  “I know, right? But check this out. Tim says that his cop friend told him that Kelvin is in the mob.”

  Lexy put her drink down and squinted her eyes. “The mob? Like, the mafia?”

  “Yeah,” I answered. “He said Kelvin Carter is the boss of a crime family.”

  Lexy burst into raucous laughter that seemed to grab the attention of every person sitting next to us at the bar. The stares didn’t affect Lexy, however. Even if she wasn’t two Cosmos in—and working on her third—she wouldn’t have cared.

  “That’s fucking crazy. I can’t believe he said that. Was he being serious?” Lexy asked between giggles.

  “I think so. I mean, after that I just got in my car and drove off. I chalked it up to Tim just being an idiot and trying to say anything to get me to stop seeing Kelvin and come back to him. But when I got home I really started thinking about it, and I know it’s weird, but it kind of makes sense, Lex.”

  “Lily, you can’t be serious,” Lexy snipped. “Kelvin is not a mob boss. This is just Tim being a dick and trying to get into your head. You can’t take this shit seriously.”

  “I know, and that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell myself ever since Tim hit me with this shit last night. But I can’t seem to let it go.”

  “You know what? This is my fault,” Lexy said. “If I wouldn’t have been badgering you with all this stuff about not knowing Kelvin well enough yet, you wouldn’t be giving this craziness a second thought. Forget all that crap I said about getting to know him and just do what you’ve been doing. It’s only been a few days. You guys will get to know each other in due time.”

  “I know all of that, Lex, and trust me, I took all of that into consideration. But just look at the big picture and you’ll see that it kind of makes sense.”

  “What big picture? Kelvin is not a mob boss, Lily.”

  “Just think about, Lex. Think about the first time we ever saw him. We were sitting right here at this very bar, and he was over there in that corner, surrounded by, like, eight older black men. All of whom were wearing fancy suits. Do you remember that day?”

  Lexy shot me a dirty look. “Of course I remember that day. That day is the reason my husband won’t get his head out of his ass.”

  I giggled softly and continued. “Okay, well, do you remember the way all of those guys moved out of the way when Kelvin stood up and started walking out? They moved out of his way and let him walk in front of them. It was like he was in charge of all them. He was powerful.

  “And what about the clothes he’s always wearing? I know it’s cliché, but he is always wearing some sort of nice, tailor-made suit. Even his driver was decked out.”

  “So? He wears nice clothes. All that does is eliminate the idea of him being a waiter in a casino. It doesn’t prove anything. It certainly doesn’t prove that he’s a mob boss.”

  “You don’t think that it’s a little weird that he—along with every person he associates with—dresses so nice? And his dad owns a Bentley that he loaned to his son, and Kelvin owns a Ducati and at least one other car that I am aware of.”

  “His dad is a casino owner in Chicago. They make a lot of money, Lily,” Lexy said. “I don’t see how this proves anything. It’s all far-fetched. Why are you reaching? Unless, of course, you want him to be a mob boss.”

  I took a sip of my drink and frowned at Lexy in confusion. “Why would I want him to be a mob boss?”

  “Because it’s dangerous,” Lexy said with a devilish grin spread across her face.

  “And you’re under the impression that I want to be in danger?”

  “Oh, I know you want to be in danger.” Lexy held onto her devious smile.

  “Have you had too many Cosmos?” I joked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Oh, sure it does. You see, I know just how boring your life has been, especially when it comes to men. No excitement, no thrill, no surprises. Nothing that gets your adrenalin pumping. Nothing that makes you hot. But, if Kelvin is a mob boss, all of a sudden he just transformed into the sexy, dangerous bad boy that you’ve been wanting and needing in your life.”

  It took me a moment to process everything that Lexy had just said, and maybe it was because I knew it was true—at least for the most part. Sure, my life was mundane, and it was true that deep down inside I knew I wanted some excitement. But was this the kind of excitement I was looking for? Was this the kind of excitement that any girl was looking for? If Kelvin was indeed a mob boss, that would mean that he was a very rich and powerful man. It also would mean that he was a very dangerous man. Every woman wants their man to be rich and powerful. But what if he’s dangerous, too?

  “I’ve never thought of it that way, actually,” I said to Lexy, who had just ordered her fourth Cosmo. “A little bit of bad boy is fine, but I don’t want to date a dangerous mob boss. If he really is in the mob, doesn’t that mean that I should stay away from him?”

  “Come on, Lily. You and I both know that there is no way in hell that Kelvin is a mob boss. Yes, he’s attractive, and yes, he dresses exceptionally well, and yes, maybe I’m a little jealous of you because you get to have heart-pounding, lustful, sweaty sex with him. But there is no chance of him being a mob boss. You know it’s true. It’s 2013, Lil. I don’t even think the mafia still exists.”

  I let out a loud sigh. “You’re probably right. Maybe I shouldn’t be letting this stuff get to me. It’s coming from Timothy Bulger, for heaven’s sake.”

  “And that, my dear Lily, is the kicker. The fact that Tim is the one who told you this heap of rat shit is the number one reason you shouldn’t be giving it any attention. He’s a desperate asshole who would say anything to get you back. While I am glad to see that he has finally realized just how good of a catch you are, and just how much of a dirty pirate hooker Angela Bronson is, he had his chance and he ruined it. Don’t let him ruin your chances with Kelvin next.”

  Just as it began to settle in that I should listen to Lexy, her cell phone chimed.

  “Wow,” she said. “It’s a text from Michael. He’s says he’s sorry and he wishes I would come home.”

  “Aww, that is so sweet. Don’t be too hard on the guy, Lex. You know Mike is a good man.”

  “Yeah, I know. I hate to cut this short, and I know you have a lot going through your head right now, but I really should get back to my little crazy husband.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I replied. “Go home, sweetie.
Your family needs you. I’ll be fine.”

  Lexy and I finished off our last Cosmos and headed for the parking lot together. I let her take the first cab that arrived. When my cab came rolling up, I was glad to see that I didn’t have the same driver as before.

  The ride home was quiet. All I could think about was Kelvin. It was true that I didn’t know much about him, but we were just beginning. If we were going to pursue a relationship together, we were going to have plenty of time to get to know each other, so there was no need to rush into anything. There was plenty that Kelvin didn’t know about me, too. So, who was I to judge him?

  By the time I made it home, I had come to the conclusion that I wasn’t going to get caught up in Tim’s games. It was obvious that he wanted me back, and it was unfortunate that he would go to such extremes to get what he wanted. But, nonetheless, I was happy with where I was in my life, and Kelvin offered me an opportunity to have some mystery as well.

  The cab pulled into my driveway and I was quick enough with my purse this time to avoid a dirty look from the driver. When I reached my front door and tried to put my key in the lock, I was shocked to see that the door was already partially open. Had I left the door open by accident when I left?

  I scrunched my forehead in confusion as I pushed my way into the house, only to find that everything inside had been ransacked. My couch was flipped over. My lamps were broken and thrown on the floor. Pictures I had on the walls had been snatched off and seemingly stomped on. And my cat was nowhere to be found.

  As the tears began to force themselves to the surface, my cell phone rang. My confusion only grew stronger when I saw that it was Kelvin.

  “Hello? Lilliana?” Kelvin said. He seemed to sense my emotion after I didn’t answer him. “Lilliana, what’s wrong?”

  It took me a moment to be able to form the words as the emotion I was feeling was preventing me from speaking clearly, and my words kept getting stuck in my throat. So, I took a deep breath to settle myself.

  “If you could come over to my house right now, Kelvin, I would really appreciate it,” I said as I continued struggling to hold back my tears.