Nine, the Tale of Kevin Clearwater

by T. M. Frazier

  Where the fuck am I?

  Suddenly, I’m blinded with light when the bag is ripped from my head, scratching my skin. I blink at my surroundings. It takes me a few seconds to be able to focus again, but when I’m able to make out my surroundings, I notice I’m in a massive space with tall, rounded metal ceilings and corrugated metal walls. It smells strongly of fuel.

  There’s a large private jet to my left. White with no markings of any kind.

  I’m in an airplane hangar.

  In front of me, in a director’s style chair, sits Tico Ricci himself, complete with perfectly groomed white beard and matching hair combed to one side. He’s wearing a tailored grey three-piece suit with a baby blue tie. He crosses one shiny brown shoe over the opposite knee. The sleeve of his jacket shifts when he moves, exposing a large silver and diamond watch. Everything about him screams power and intimidation, but that shit won’t work on me.

  Tico is staring down at me as if he’s waiting to speak. He motions for his goons to stand aside.

  I rise off my knees, my hands still bound behind me.

  “I’m sorry to have to bring you here like this,” Tico starts in his thick Brazilian accent. “But I am not fond of people knowing where I am. I received word you were looking for me, and now, here you are.”

  “Ever heard of Uber?” I ask. “Would have made for a more pleasant trip. Well, unless you get the guy that wants to chat your ear off the entire time, and chatty, your men are not. Or maybe they were. Couldn’t tell you. I was unconscious.”

  He smiles. “What can I do for you, Nine? What is so urgent that you saught me out for a private audience?”

  “It’s about Jared Cox.”

  His jaw stiffens. “What about that motherfucking cunt would you like to discuss?” he asks between his teeth. “Maybe, how many ways I’m going to make him suffer before he dies? Because that is the only thing I want to talk about when it comes to that thieving piece of shit.”

  I shake my head. “Sounds swell, but no. It’s about his girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend, Lenore Leary.”

  “Yes, I’m listening. Go on,” Tico replies, leaning forward in his chair.

  “She didn’t have shit to do with Jared’s deals. She needs to be left alone,” I demand.

  “I understand,” Tico says, taking a tumbler of whiskey handed to him by one of his men. “But there is still the matter of my men that you killed.”

  I shrug. “It isn’t a matter. They were shooting at us. It’s part of the game we all play. You win some; you lose some. They lost.”

  Tico jerks his chin to a man in the corner who comes over and cuts the ropes tying my wrists together.

  I pull my smokes from my pocket and light one. “Thanks,” I say, sarcastically.

  “You should have just let them take the girl, and they wouldn’t have lost,” Tico argues.

  I inhale deeply and blow the smoke out through my nose. “I couldn’t do that. She’s an innocent and not a player of the game.”

  Tico swirls the whiskey in his glass. “You got some sort of history with this girl?”

  “I’ve got everything with this girl,” I answer, honestly.

  “Tell me where Jared Cox is,” Tico demands. “And maybe, we can talk more about this girl of yours.”

  I shrug and take another drag of my smoke. “He’s dead. I killed him. You’re not the only one he stole from, and when I went to ask him about the money he took shots and hit Bear. So, I took him down.”

  Tico nods several times approvingly. “Good. That man was a fucking coward. Always has been. I’m disappointed about not getting to do it myself, but the fact that he’s dead still brings me great joy. It figures that he couldn’t take his punishment like a fucking man.” He sighs. “I’ll be honest with you, kid, because you’ve been honest with me. After Jared disappeared, we did look into the girl, naturally, which is why my men came after her. That’s when we found these.” He hands me a file. “Every page has two signatures. Jared Cox and a witness, Lenore Leary. This is why we initially thought she had some involvement, but we quickly learned that her signature was forged after comparing it to her real estate deals. We no longer have any interest in her. You need not worry about her safety. At least, where I’m concerned.”

  Then who put the hit out on Lenny if it wasn’t Tico?

  “So, you’re just going to drop the fact that you were ripped off for millions? I don’t know you personally, but I know your reputation, and I feel like you’re the kind of man who doesn’t wash his hands of a few million dollars easily.”

  Tico chuckles. “You would be correct in that assumption. I’m not the kind of man who would let that slide. Ever, but you see, I’ve been paid back. All is well.”

  “Wait, you’ve been paid back? By who?” I ask.

  “I am not sure. All I know is that several days ago, I was transferred the money I am owed plus a decent amount of interest from an anonymous encrypted account. They signed the transfer with the name Lenore Leary. However, it came from one of the best encryptions my hackers have ever come across. So, you see, I’m not a stupid man. I do not believe that a person who would go to the trouble of making where the money came untraceable would also be stupid enough to sign off with a name. Looks like someone has it out for your girl.”

  This isn’t making sense. Jared’s dead. He couldn’t have sent it. Then who? “Then, why did you put the severed head of Jared’s business partner Sheff in her bed and his body in my brother’s back yard?” I ask. “If you knew those documents were forged? Or better yet, why did you put a price on her head id you have no interest in her?”

  He raises his eyebrows. “That sounds like an interesting story, but that is not my style. Severed heads.” He scoffs. “I am not a barbarian. Besides, Sheff is the one who discovered Jared’s wrongdoings in the first place. He works for me and is one of us, or was one of us. It is a tragic loss for our side, but at least, I now know why I haven’t been able to reach him. And it is true that I was looking for the girl, but as I said, that was the extent of it. There is no finesse in warning people with body parts unless it is showing them their own. I told you. We have no interest in the girl. She’s made no moves to tell us otherwise. I’ve put no price on her head.” He pauses. “However, I was told that a message was received by many about this price, but it was not from me. I am a businessman, not a classless thug. I take down those who cross me, not those who are obviously being framed so they can meet my unwarranted wrath. I am no monster, contrary to popular belief. I have daughters of my own, you know. Killing a woman unless you know without a doubt that she’s guilty of the crime, well, my friend, that is not something I am not capable of.”

  “Then, who the fuck…” I trail off, wracking my brain.

  “I don’t know who, but if you care about this girl, then it sounds like you are going to want to figure that out, and soon.” Tico stares down into his whiskey. “I lost my beloved Lidia because I realized far too late that she was in danger. Don’t make the same mistake. In the meantime, my people are working to figure out who is acting on my behalf without my permission, because that is a person who will most definitely be meeting my wrath.”

  I nod my thanks and turn toward the large doors which are sliding open behind me when Tico calls out to me once more. “Word of advice, young friend? If you figure out who this imposter is, who has it out for your girl, before I do, make sure they are good and dead, yes? The voice of fear fades in the mind over time and whatever vendetta this person has against her will only rise again and shout over that fear until they’ve accomplished whatever it is they started.”

  “Don’t worry,” I clench my fists and head to the door. “Dead won’t be a fucking problem.”

  When I get home, Pike is waiting for me on the porch. “I got your text and drove straight here. Lenny’s fine. She’s inside sleeping, don’t think she ever knew you were gone. How did it go, man?”

  “I’m alive, so that’s one good thing. The other good thing is that
he says he’s not interested in Lenny, and he knows she ain’t got shit to do with Jared’s scheme, and she doesn’t have his money. The bad news is that someone left that severed head in her bed and the body in the yard, and he says it wasn’t him. Same goes for the price on her head.”

  “Then, who the fuck was it?” Pike asks, scratching his head.

  “I don’t fuckin’ know man. It can’t be a message just for me because the head was at Lenny’s. It’s got to be for the both of us.”

  “I’ll do some digging. Ask around and see what I can find out,” Pike says.

  “Thanks, man. I’ll hit the dark web and see what I can drum up. Tico said the account was encrypted. His men are sending me the info. They can’t crack it, but I’m going to give it a go.”

  Pike lights a smoke and passes me one. I light it and take a deep drag, hoping the nicotine will clear my mind and point me in the direction of whoever might have it out for Lenny. She won’t be safe until I find that person and put them in the fucking ground.

  Pike leans against the porch railing, crossing his feet at the ankles. “Does Tico, at least, know that Jared’s dead?”

  I nod. “He does now. I also told him that I’m the one who killed him.”

  Pike’s eyes fall on something over my shoulder. He freezes with his cigarette dangling from his lip.

  A sense of awareness washes over me, and instantly, I feel the terror that comes along with it. I don’t have to look to know what, or who, is standing there.

  “Nine?” a sleepy sounding feminine voice asks.

  I turn around slowly, and my worst fear is confirmed.

  Her mouth is open in shock. Her bottom lip quivers as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

  Lenny.

  Lenny storms inside.

  “I’ll tell you what I find out,” Pike says, but I’m only half listening because all that matters right now is Lenny and telling her the truth. Something I should have done a long time ago but was too chickenshit to do it.

  I follow her into the house and find her standing there at the kitchen counter with her face as pale as if she’s seen a ghost. Her hands are shaking. She’s leaning on the counter for support.

  “Shit,” I mutter.

  “You…all this time. All this time you’ve been lying to me.” It’s not a question. It’s a realization. The pain in her voice digs into my ribs and causes me to cough.

  “Only about that,” I say, needing her to know exactly what happened, needing to take that look of betrayal from her face.

  I take a step forward, but she takes one back, holding out her open palm to stop me.

  “I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you the whole truth,” I say, pleading with my eyes.

  “That’s exactly what lies are!” she yells. “Unspoken truths.” She jabs my chest with her finger. “You…you killed Jared. He’s the one you were telling me about that night, but I was too stupid to listen and too blinded by this thing between us to understand. You fucking killed him!”

  “Yes, but it’s not what you think. Hear me out!”

  She shakes her head in disbelief. “All this time, I thought he left me, but he was dead. You let me believe that he left me and my anxiety was going crazy with all of the reasons why, but you killed him.”

  You killed him. She’s said it three times already as if she’s drowning in the words.

  “He was leaving you!” I yell. I’m trying to find the right words but spewing all the wrong ones.

  “Tell me! I want to hear you say it. Tell me the truth! Don’t be a fucking coward. Not now.”

  I hold her gaze. I feel her slipping through my fingers, pulling away from me with each tick of the clock. I’m furious when I scream. “I fucking killed him! Is that what you want to hear?”

  She stares at me blankly, blinking back tears.

  “And if given the chance, I’d do it again.”

  She spins around and heads into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

  I go to follow her in, but the door is locked. “Lenny, open the goddamn door. Let me explain. Please, Poe.”

  At first, I hear shuffling around behind the door, but after a few seconds, it grows eerily quiet.

  “Poe!” I shout, I take a step back and barrel into the door with my shoulder. It bursts off the hinges, but I’m too late. The room is empty. The window is open.

  “Shit!” I roar, racing to the door. I hear the roar of an engine and race into the middle of the dirt path just in time to see the tail lights of my truck as it turns onto the main road.

  “Fuckkkk!” I scream, tearing at my hair.

  I can’t fucking breathe. I can’t move. I’m sure I’m not even alive right now, there’s no way I can be, because my heart stopped beating the second I saw her standing behind me. The way she looked at me, as if I were a stranger when she’s the only one who really knows me. It’s like shards of glass have ripped through my chest and is now tearing up my insides.

  Love shrapnel.

  Because, that’s what this is, I realize. What I thought I wasn’t capable of. What I was too stupid to recognize before.

  Love.

  What they say about it is true.

  It fucking hurts.

  Love is a two-sided sword that cuts at every turn. I know this because Poe’s edges are sharp, and my heart is sliced to fucking shreds.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  LENNY

  I drive to Dre’s because she’s the only other person I know in this town. Right now, I miss Yuli more than anyone in the world. She’d know how to comfort me, and it would probably be really funny and involve her threatening castration or some sort of genital mutilation because that’s Yuli, and that’s what she does.

  When I get to Dre’s, Preppy and the kids aren’t there, but two other women are. Ray, King’s wife, and a dark-haired girl she introduces as Frankie, a friend and wife of one of the Lawless MC bikers they call Smoke.

  The three of us are sitting around the small breakfast nook table. “So, you just ran out?” Ray asks, after I’m finished spilling my guts and filling them in on what happened. She refills my mojito from a pitcher in the center of the table.

  I nod my thanks and take a big gulp. I’m upset, but I’m not incapacitated. I can still recognize a delicious drink when I taste one, and this one is damn near perfection. “Yeah, I ran. I mean, what would you do if the man you’re falling for admitted to killing your boyfriend and, worse, kept it a secret?”

  “I dunno, depends,” Frankie says, leaning on her hand. “How cute was the boyfriend?”

  Dre rolls her eyes while Frankie goes back to doing something on her laptop at the table.

  I drop my head into my hands. “It’s not even just Nine or just Jared or what happened. It’s me, too. I’m so confused. I grew up in one world, and here I am, living this life like that one never existed. Am I the rich girl from the other side of the causeway who wears business suits and works eighty hours a week, or am I this other me who goes to zombie festivals and has sex on a beach and is constantly in some sort of danger?” I rub my face with my hands. “I keep asking myself. Who am I?”

  Frankie looks up again, “Can we go back to the sex on the beach part?”

  “You know, I wrestled with that very same question for a long time.” Ray offers, but not in a way that says she pities me, but in a way that says she understands.

  “You did?” I’m surprised. Ray seems like she’s got it all together.

  “In more ways than one. When I first came here, or wandered here, I was homeless, with no memory of who I was. This place was scary, and King was the scariest thing about it. When I regained my memory and found out that I came from a world a lot like yours—”

  “Her dad was a fancy senator,” Frankie adds.

  Ray continues, “I went back, but it wasn’t where I belonged anymore. It’s okay to change. To grow. That’s what people do. We understand what our men do, and we don’t try to change them. We love them for who they are
, but we’re not just women, sitting around catering to our men. Frankie spends most of her time on the dark web, rescuing victims of sex trafficking. As you know already, Dre is a very successful renovator of old houses, and I am a mother and one of the best tattoo artists in this town.”

  “The best,” Frankie adds.

  “Don’t tell King that,” Ray laughs.

  “But what did you do? How did you figure all these things out?” I ask eagerly, leaning forward and ready to hear the secret to life. “I just want to skip to that part.”

  “It’s not that easy, but here, let’s try something.” Ray closes her eyes and lets her hands fall to her side. I do the same. “Now, relax your shoulders, and close your eyes.”

  I raise an eyebrow in silent question.

  She catches me. “Come on, I promise it’s not anything weird. Now, close your eyes.”

  I do as she says. “Take a deep breath, and hold it. I’m going to give you one word, and I want to picture what that word means to you as you breathe out.”

  I nod. “Okay.” I take a deep breath and hold it.

  “Home,” Ray says. “I want you to picture home.”

  I breathe out, and the image of home is as clear as the summer sky after a heavy rain. It’s not a place I picture. It’s a person.

  “Now, what did you see?” Ray asks, softly.

  When I open my eyes, a tear escapes and slides down my cheek. “Nine. Nine is home.”

  Dre reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I think you have your answer.”

  “I do, but that doesn’t change what he did or why,” I explain. “If anything, it only makes it worse. Because the rest of it…” I blink back more tears. “I don’t think I can go to that home, to him, now that I know what I know.” I sniffle. “Right now, I wish I didn’t know. Ignorance is, in fact, bliss.”

  “Wait!” Frankie shouts suddenly, making me jump. “Did that fancy house of yours have surveillance?”

  “Yes,” I answer, wiping a tear from my cheek. “Why?” I’m wondering what exactly she’s getting at. Ray and Dre appear to be wondering the same.