by Sonja B
THE SALVANT BROTHERS
BOOK 2- FELIX
A Novel By
SONJA B.
©2020 Published by After Hours Publications, Inc. www.afterhourspublications.com
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contains explicit language & adult themes suitable for ages 17+
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Chapter 1
Felix
I am Felix Salvant, the outspoken one of the three of us. Axl is more than a brother, he’s like a father to me and Adam. Just when we were about to give up, Axl found us and took us away from the shit hole we were living in. Whether my brother knew it or not, I always looked up to him. He literally went through hell to get back to us, and for that, I will always be grateful.
I was happy to have my big brother back in our lives. Adam and I went through tough times when he was ripped from our family. Our father, Sergio Salvant, had a gambling and drinking problem that cost our family dearly. His gambling was so out of control that he ended up owing Andres Romano an extraordinary amount of money that he couldn’t payback. Because he didn’t have the money, he did the unthinkable and paid the debt with Axl. That one night changed our lives forever.
My mother, Adam, and I sobbed, as we watched Romano’s men drag Axl away, kicking and screaming. Our piece of shit father sat in his chair with his head down like a fucking coward. He wasn’t man enough to face what he had done to his son.
After they left, my father finally got up and stumbled into the bathroom. Shortly after, he came out, holding a towel to his face, as he went into their bedroom, slamming the door behind him. My mother told us to stay on the couch, as she got up and followed him.
Soon after, we could hear our mother yelling at our father from the other side of the door, “How could you do that to our son, Sergio?’” She yells, as her voice trembles.
My father barks back, “Because he is not my son! Every time I look at him, I see the face of another man! It’s done! I don’t want to hear another word about the situation or him, Elena. It was either you or him, so you should be thanking me. Axl is where he belongs…with his father.”
What the fuck! Our father wasn’t Axl’s father? The man who just took him was, Romano. I wrapped my arms around Adam, as he trembled uncontrollably. We both cried harder from hearing our father’s words. Minutes later, he stormed out their room, then out the front door. I wished I was strong like Axl because I would have beat his ass too. Our mother hurried over to us, taking us into her arms.
“I know you heard what your father said, but it changes nothing. Axl will always be your big brother. I don’t know what’s about to happen to him, but I pray he will be back with us soon, and when he does return, do not tell him what you heard. Let me tell him, okay?” Mom says with sorrow.
Adam and I shake our heads, as we continue to cry. This had to be the worst day of my life. My brother was taken, and our father was not his. Our lives would never be the same.
I tried to step into Axl’s shoes to protect our mother and Adam as much as I could from our father when he was in one of his drunken stupors, but at the time, I didn’t have Axl’s size or strength, so there wasn’t much I could do. That shit still fucks with me to this day.
Then one day, our father started showing signs of illness. In a short period of time, he became bedridden and could barely eat. Mom tried to do as much as she could for him, but in the end, she had to call the ambulance to come get him. After the doctors ran tests to determine what was wrong with him, we found out he had Stage 4 liver cancer. It was too late for him to have a transplant, so the only thing they could do was keep him comfortable. The day before he passed away, he had my mother bring Adam and I to the hospital to see him. He didn’t look like the monster who beat his wife and kids, as he laid in the hospital bed with tubes running from his body. He looked pale and had lost a lot of weight. He asked my mother to take Adam out of the room while he talked to me. She smiled weakly, before leaving the room with Adam.
“Felix, come here.” He weakly says through the oxygen mask. I step closer, looking into his tired eyes that held tears. “I’m sorry for the pain I caused your mother and you boys. I won’t be around, so you’re going to have to look after them now.” He begins to cough. When he catches his breath, he continues. “I need for you to do something for me, if you ever see Axl again tell him I’m sorry for what I’ve done, and I hope one day he will forgive me.”
I stared at my father with such hate, I knew he sensed it too because he tries to reach out for me. I take a step back, causing him to let his arm drop back to his side. “Axl will never forgive you for what you’ve done to him or our family, and neither will I. You better be glad cancer got to you before he could because whenever he comes back, you would’ve been the first person he’d come for.” I tell him, before turning my back on him and leaving the room. The next day he died.
Watching my mother slowly fall into a deep depression was one of the hardest things for me to witness. I had to take over doing the household chores and making sure we had something to eat. Mom barely ate or got out of the bed most days. Losing her son and husband was too much for her to bear, and it was starting to take its toll on her. Adam being younger, didn’t understand what was happening. He kept asking if she was okay. He was scared, and hell, I didn’t know how to answer him at the time. I would tell him she wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest.
I made sure he went to school, but I started missing days because I had to stay home to watch over her. She began doing crazy shit. One time, I found her sitting in the dark crying, as she rocked back and forth, repeatedly saying she didn’t want to live anymore without Axl or dad. I went to her and helped her up, then took her to her room. After I got her into bed, I sat in the chair next to the bed and watched over her for the rest of the night.
I must have fallen asleep at some point because the next morning, I was awakened by the smell of bacon. Mom was in the kitchen making breakfast for Adam and I, as if the night before never happened. She seemed like her old self, as she made our plates and laughed with us while we ate. Once we finished eating, we got ready for school like we normally did. Mom gave us a kiss goodbye as we left the house that morning, unaware that would be the last time we would ever see her again.
I was in gym class when the vice principal, Mr. Donaldson, called for me to come to his office. The other kids in class began saying, “oh, and you’re in trouble now”. I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I was nervous as hell, as I walked down the hall.
When I made it to the office, Mrs. Griffin, the secretary, directed me straight to Mr. Donaldson. As I entered his office, I noticed there were two other people in the office with him, as he sat behind his desk.
“Come in and have a seat, Felix.” Mr. Donaldson says, as he stands from his desk then comes to a stop in the front of it. “Felix, this is Ms. Lewis and Mr. Pena. They are from Children and Family Services.” I glance at the woman and man who stare back at me. Mr. Donaldson states, “They are here because there has been an accident.”
“What kind of accident?” I ask, hoping that Mom and Adam are okay.
“Felix, it’s your mom.” Ms. Lewis answers. “She’s in the hospital right now, and
because she can’t take care of you guys, Mr. Pena and I are here to make sure you and Adam have a place to stay until she gets better.”
“Is she going to be alright? What happened?” I questioned, as tears begin to fall from my eyes.
“She’s in critical condition, but the doctors are saying that she should pull through. That’s all we know right now.” Mr. Pena replies.
Ms. Lewis steps in front of me, then places her hands on my shoulders. “Felix, Mr. Pena is going to go with you to gather your things, while I run to the elementary school to get Adam. We’ll meet you back here in Mr. Donaldson’s office, okay?”
I nod, wiping away my tears. That day, Adam and I were put in the foster care system with only the knowledge of our mother being rushed to the hospital, and she was in critical condition. They tried to separate us, but I fought for us to be kept together. Every person I loved had been taken from me, so I’d be damned if I let them take away Adam too. He was small and couldn’t defend himself, and he was going to need me now more than ever.
Over the course of time, we were shuffled around to several foster homes, some I had to fight in because of bullies or fucking perverts who tried to touch Adam. With everything that was happening to us, my little brother started to become withdrawn from others and was afraid to leave my side.
I learned early on to sleep with a knife under my pillow. I didn’t trust anyone in the foster homes, not the parents, and definitely not the other kids. Once, when I was twelve and Adam was ten, we were staying at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lowery. They seemed okay, but at this point, I was leery of everyone. There were four other foster kids there besides Adam and me. The oldest one, Michael, who was fourteen, was a bully and an overall dick. After being in the system for those few years, I learned how to read people, and I could tell he was going to be a fucking problem. He was a monster to the other kids scared of him but was a perfect little angel in front of the Lowerys. I caught him a couple of times picking on Adam and threatened to beat his ass if he kept it up, but he would just laugh and walk away. I told Adam to stay away from him and if he started any shit with him again to make sure to tell me.
One night I woke up, and Adam wasn’t in his bed. The door to the bedroom was opened, light illuminated from under the bathroom door across the hall. I figured Adam had gotten up to take a piss, but when I heard his faint cry, I jumped out of the bed grabbing the knife from under my pillow. When I get closer to the bathroom door, I heard another voice.
“Your brother ain’t here to protect you now, punk.” Michael says, as Adam cries harder.
I bust the door open, knocking a half-dressed Michael down. Adam is standing in the corner with soaked pajamas, a busted lip, and his face wet with tears. I see red, as I jump on Michael and commence to hit him over and over with the handle of the knife, blood spews from his nose. “Go back to the room, Adam.” He shakes his head, as he scurries away.
I place the knife under Michael’s neck, “I told you not to fuck with my brother!” His eyes grow big with fear. “You fucking freak, I should cut your balls off and shove them down your throat!” I press the knife deeper into his skin. He cries, begging me to stop. “If I see you anywhere near my brother again, I will kill you! And you better not tell anyone who did this to you, or I’ll beat your ass again! Don’t fuck with the Salvants mother fucker!” To show I meant what I said, I tag him again with the handle of the knife, busting his lip. “And clean your fucking blood up!” I hiss, before leaving.
I left Michael lying on the bathroom floor, holding his face crying like a fucking baby. When I returned to our room, Adam was standing by his bed with his head down, as he silently cried. Going to the dresser, I take out a new pair of pajamas for him.
“He won’t fuck with you anymore, Adam. Here, take those off and put these on.” I assure him, handing him the clothes.
Once he was changed, I placed the wet pajamas next to the dirty clothes hamper. I got Adam back into bed, and just like I used to do with our mother, I sat next to the bed and watched over him until he fell asleep, but this time, I had my knife in my hand.
Needless to say, we didn’t have any more problems with Michael. The next morning at breakfast, Mr. Lowery asked what happened to his face. He wouldn’t even look in my direction, as I stared him down, daring him to say it was me that fucked him up, but instead, he said he slipped getting out of the shower the night before. After that, things seemed to flow okay, until a couple of years later, Mrs. Lowery died, and Mr. Lowery decided he didn’t want to be a foster parent anymore, so that’s how we ended up at our last foster home.
The wife was okay, but the husband was a piece of shit who reminded me of our father because when he got mad, he liked to put his hands on her or us. I tried to keep it together for Adam, but it was like reliving the shit all over again. Then one day, our foster mother called us into the living room, stating we had a phone call. Imagine our surprise when we found out it was Axl on the other end. We all cried tears of happiness. Adam asked when he was coming to get us, and Axl told him as soon as he was released. That gave us hope, but it slowly diminished as days turned into months and months into years. We finally gave up hope that Axl was coming for us. I felt like it was just Adam and me now.
Tired of our foster father’s abuse, Adam and I ran away once, only to be caught and brought back. After we were returned, he knocked us around and threatened to kill us if we messed up their money. I couldn’t let anything happen to Adam, so I prayed that God would send help for us, and it came a week later, when Axl showed up and took us away.
After Axl got us settled into our new home, we learned the truth of our mother’s suicide. It was a fucked-up feeling, knowing that the same day she cooked us breakfast and kissed us goodbye was the day she took her own life. Then to hear what Axl went through made it even harder.
Axl kept it straight with us, as he always had even when we were younger. He told us of his boss, Romano, who always threatens to harm us if he got out of line. So Axl started taking us to his warehouse to train us in combat and weaponry. He wanted to make sure we could handle ourselves if he wasn’t around. Axl was hard on us during our training sessions but I didn’t care, I was just grateful to have him back in our lives.
I worried about him when he went out on his hits, but I thanked God every time he returned home. He spent as much time as he could with us, unless he was summoned by Romano. There were times he would disappear for hours, and my curiosity got the best of me. I asked him about it one night when we sat down for dinner.
“Hey, Axl, where do you go when you disappear for hours? I mean, we call you and get no answer, then you call back hours later.”
Axl stopped chewing on his pizza, then placed the slice back on his plate. He lowers his head, before saying, “I train.”
“But if you’re at the warehouse, you should be able to pick up your phone.” Adam counters.
“I’m not at the warehouse.” Axl finally looks up at us. “Sometimes, I need to get away to fight my demons.” That was all he said on the matter, and we didn’t push him any further about it.
Adam and I came to terms with Axl’s past always being a part of him; it was all he knew. He did tell us he’d stop the disappearing acts and let us know when he needed time to himself. He apologized if he made us worry, and he would keep his phone close by in case we needed to call him, but said only call if it was an extreme emergency. If we didn’t call while he was out, he would call to check in with us as soon as he could. We thought that was reasonable.
Chapter 2
Felix
Six months ago
It was a Friday night, and I had just finished my shift as a sous chef at Lombardi’s. It was a high-end Italian restaurant located downtown. You would have thought we were giving away free plates from the number of orders that were coming in. Master Chef Pierre was in one of his moods, and every little thing was setting him off. He reminded me of Gordon Ramsey with the way he was yelling at the staff and talking down t
o them. I didn’t let it get to me because I was biding my time until I finished culinary school, which was only a few months away. After I graduate, I’m planning to open my own restaurant, ‘Salvant’s’. Axl and I have talked about it many times, and he had offered to be a silent partner when I was ready.
After I hung up my apron, I jumped into my charcoal gray Dodge Challenger and headed to Rook’s, a local bar that was located in our hometown. I still had friends that I occasionally hung out with in our old neighborhood, but tonight I needed a drink to wind down before I journeyed back home.
When I arrived, there was a nice crowd partying it up, the music was flowing and so were the drinks. I headed straight to the bar, passing a table full of women, who whistled as I walked by. I gave them one of my killer smiles that had them blushing and a few that were bold enough to ask for my phone number. I never had any problems in the dating department. I actually have a list of women I could call at any time who would be willing and waiting for me to lay it down on them, but I was getting tired of that. Most were starting to get too clingy, and the others just didn’t have what I was looking for in a woman.
Finally, making it to the bar, I took a seat in one of the empty stools and got the bartender’s attention, ordering a Jack and Coke. As I wait for my order, I scan the bar and stop when I noticed a beautiful African American woman sitting at the end of the bar nursing a drink. She had the smoothest looking caramel skin that seemed to glow in the low lights. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail that hung past her shoulders. When she turned her head, observing the crowd of dancers on the small dance floor, I was able to see her dark brown eyes. There was something about her eyes; they held a sadness that I’m sure others didn’t pick up on. I felt the need to go to her and take her in my arms. I wanted to let her know that whatever had her looking sad would be alright.
