Devil Awaiting (part 2)

-9-

I make my way a few blocks away to the Starbucks. It’s only about eleven in the morning and I could use some more coffee. I order a large coffee and a couple of donuts, grab a newspaper and take them to one of the tables outside. I sit there for a while, eating my donuts, drinking my coffee, smoking a cigarette. How to find Castillo… No idea where the prick lives, no idea who his contacts are (aside from Sami), no idea.
I’m lost in thought with no idea how long I’d been sitting there when I hear a girl’s voice.
“Adam?” asks a cute little blonde. She was clearly excited and had a manic look on her face. I look at her for a moment before I realize who she is; Denise, Alexandra’s younger sister.
“Denise.” I say, not having any idea what else to say to her.
“Oh my God it is you! Where’s Al?!? Are you guys okay? They said..-“ I cut her off there.
“Not here, Denise. Bring me to your place and I’ll tell you all about it there.”
“What are you talking about? Where have you guys been?”
I look directly into her eyes. “Denise, not here. Let’s go to your place.”
Fifteen minutes later we are parking outside some apartments. She kept pelting me with questions the whole ride. I told her to wait until we got there. Then I was silent. We go into her place and I breathe a sigh of relief. Safe for now, and a place to plan.
“Okay, we’re here!” she says crossly.
“Do you have any roommates?” I ask.
“No, now where the fuck is my sister?” she shouted.
“Look kid, I don’t know what you know and what you don’t. It’s best if you stay in the dark until this is over.”
“FUCK THAT! WHERE IS AL?”
I realize that there’s no sidestepping this one.
“Did you ask Sami?”
“Duh. I went to your place when I couldn’t reach Al. He told me you and her took off! Left town! He said you were in trouble. What the fuck did you get her into you sonofabitch!” She screams at me. She’s in tears and she looks pissed. Maybe I should have stayed at the coffee shop. If she’s anywhere near as crazy and violent as her sister was I might be in trouble.
“Denise, you’d better sit down for this.”
She sits.
“Look, when we disappeared… We didn’t leave town, and we weren’t in trouble. Sami sold me out. She and I did everything together… you have to understand I had no way of knowing…”
“Where the fuck is Al?”
“Denise… she’s dead. Alexandra is dead.”
Silence. Bleak and pure and terrible silence hangs in the room. She seems frozen in a state of terror and disbelief. Her eyes are empty and haunted. She doesn’t move.
“They shot me twice, in an alley behind Smallwood. They walked up pretending t be customers. Sami and I were waiting them and when they got there they shot me. Sami had set me up. They left me for dead. I just heard about Al today. Sami told me.”
“She’s d-dead?” she whimpers.
“I’m sorry.”
She stands up slowly and walks around the corner to her bedroom. “Denise?” I say, but it’s no use. She’s in a trance brought on by sudden shock. She closes the door behind her.

-10-

I grab a bottle of olive oil from her pantry pull three rags from the kitchen drawer and sit down at the table with my bag. I open it up and pull out the revolver that I took from the penthouse. The thing was huge. I always favored the big revolver because it was scary as shit. No one is a badass when they are looking down the barrel of a canon. I open up the chamber. Six Bullets. Sami always used a .22 before. At least the bastard did something to preserve my legacy. I dump the bullets on the table and tie one of the rags around the firing mechanism so I don’t ruin it. I roll one of the rags up so that it is long and narrow and push it through each of the cylinders and the barrel. Cleaning guns is like meditating for me. I could do it blindfolded. My mind clears as I douse one of the rags with the oil and rub it all over and inside the barrel and chamber. This should be done with gun oil but I’m fairly certain that Denise is fresh out. I wipe the oil off with the dry rag. As I’m inspecting the barrel and chambers, memories of Alexandra begin to flow into my conscious. I spin the chamber to make sure that it is well lubricated, untie the rag and snap the chamber back into place with a twist of my wrist. I point it straight up and pull the trigger. Click. Perfect. I open the chamber and tie the rag back into place. I completely zone out as I begin to clean the gun for a second time.

¬-11-

“You know that thing is just a metal penis.” Alexandra chides from the bed as I pull my .357 revolver out of its case on my dresser and shove it into the front of my jeans.
“And I figured I’d get the biggest, baddest one so that it matches mine.” I quip back.
“Riiiight,” she laughs as she rolls her eyes, “I don’t know why you need that thing anyway, Castillo would never dream of fucking with you.”
“Only because he knows that you’d come after him like an unholy Hell-storm if he ever tried any shit with me.” I walk over and stand close in front of her as I say this.
“Fucking right I would.”
I put my hand on the back of her head and pull it in for a long kiss.
“I’ll be fine. Castillo is a dangerous Maricón, but he’s not stupid enough to fuck with me. I make him too much money. I’ll see you later tonight okay?”

***
“So I’ve been thinking a lot these last few days.” I tell Alexandra as I take a big sip from my Pinot Noir.
“Oh, NOW you start thinking, six hours AFTER you graduate.”
She looked beautiful with her dark red lips in a devious , sexy smirk. Her bangs hid a small part of her face and her eyes were bright green. Her green dress showed just enough of her neckline, her back, and her incredible breasts.
“I didn’t have to in college, I had you to do my homework for me, but don’t distract me, I have something to say. I’ve been working hard, and this new thing with the chemists is going to make us a ton of extra money.”
“Oh yeah, that reminds me. Since you’re going to have access to all this LSD, we should definitely go to a music festival this year. We can move a ton of it and trip our minds out for the shows.”
“That’s actually a great idea. But I wasn’t finished. Business is going great and I got you a little graduation present.”
“Aww, that’s sweet, you know you didn’t have to.”
I reach into the inside pocket of my dinner jacket and pull out the small box. I get out of my chair and take a step so that I’m right in front of her. Then I drop to one knee. I open the box in front of her and show her the gold ring with diamonds and a jade green emerald.
“Alexandra, I want you to be my partner in crime forever. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

***

“Are you fucking serious?” I ask, shocked and incredulous.
“Dead serious.” She answers.
“Let me get this straight… you’ve been setting up a racket ever since the beginning of the semester, without my knowing, as a pimp?”
“That’s insulting. I’ve set up perfectly legitimate escort service. Sometimes the lonely college boys need some company, and all the little college girls need to make money. All I’m doing is bringing people together.”
“Are you fucking serious?” This was a little too much for me.
“In the first month the lowest price girl was pulling $150 a trick.”
“And how many tricks were there?”
“Fifty-one! I paid all six girls $1500 for the month and we still made over three grand! Isn’t it awesome?”
“Well, you certainly are putting that MBA of yours to good use aren’t you?”
“I learned from the best.”
“Well, do me a favor and set up Sami with one of them. He’s been off his game lately.

***

“I’m telling you it just doesn’t feel right!” she protests as I pull the .357 out of the drawer.
“And I’m telling you that it’s fine!” I retort, “Sami set it up. I gave him the money and he’s meeting me at our place with two ounces of blow. We go and meet his buddies in Smallwood, make a quick grand. It’s just a simple deal.”
“Something isn’t right about it. Don’t go. Tell Sami to handle it.”
“You know I have to be there and you know why. I’ll be fine. I’ve got my buddies Smith and Wesson with me.”
I take a step toward her.
“I’ll be back in a few hours. Don’t worry.
I grab the back of her head and pull her in for a kiss. She doesn’t let me off this time. She pulls me down on top of her, reaches down pulls the gun out of my pants. The revolver was on the dresser. I slide her panties down from under her nightgown. I tease her a little. She grabs my hips and pulls me into her. She lets out a moan of pleasure and drags her nails up my back.
“I fucking love you.” She whispers.

***

“Where the fuck are these guys, Sami?”
“They said they would be here at 2:00. What time is it?”
“It’s two fucking fifteen, and I’m getting sick of waiting.”
“Wait, I think I hear them coming.”
We hear footsteps coming down the alleyway. Two of them, walking slowly, deliberately. As they come around the corner I see that they are dressed in baggy clothes, and one of them is wearing a huge gleaming pendant on a silver chain. One of them is wearing a backpack. As they approach I can tell that they are both very big and both very Mexican.
“How are you boys doing tonight?” I ask them warily.
“We’ll be doing better once we unload all this cash we’ve got.” Says one of them with a thick accent.
“Well, I think I can help you with that problem. May I see it?”
The one with the backpack takes it off and unzips the front pocket, revealing two wads of bills standing in the pouch inside.
“Thirty-two hundred.” He says as he tosses the bag at my feet.
“Excellent. Sami, the bag please?”
CLICK
I turn to look at Sami and find myself staring down his .22. I didn’t have time to think, I knew if Sami was pointing his gun at me the other two would soon draw theirs. I throw my arm up quickly and spike Sami’s hand down so his gun is pointed elsewhere. It doesn’t go off. As I’m doing this I pull my revolver out of my pants and turn it on the Mexicans. I squeeze one round off and hear the deafening sound echo through the alley. I just miss as they both dive in opposite directions out of the bullet’s path. I try to aim at one, but I’m blasted off my feet and crash down onto the ground.

-12-

“How did she die?” asks a weak voice.
I turn from the table to look at her. She had obviously been crying, and she looks just a little pale, but the expression on her face isn’t grief. It’s something else. Something I’ve seen before. My gut feels like it’s tied in a knot as I realize. She looks EXACTLY like Alexandra when she’s pissed. That face is dangerous. I stare at her for a moment. Her features are set in stone and her eyes are burning green ferocity. She looks like she’s going to erupt burning rage and lava.
“How did she die?” Her voice now much stronger.
“I wish I knew.”
She stares at me a moment.
“When?”
“January. When we ‘took off’.”
“Then where the fuck have you been?”
“Dead.”
“Goddamnit Adam! This isn’t a fucking joke!”
“YOU DON’T THINK I FUCKING KNOW THAT?” I spring up out of the chair, almost knocking it over.
She isn’t fazed at all. She looks me dead in the eye. The silence is deafening. I don’t know what to say to her. She has too much she wants to say to me. So we just stare at each other. It seems like an eternity. Finally she breaks the silence.
“Tell me what happened,” she commands me, “I deserve to know.”
“Greed. Some people got greedy. They wanted what we had. So they killed us. Or at least they tried. I was shot twice. I survived. I’ve been in a coma in the hospital since that night in January. I came out of it today.”
“Bullshit!” her eyes and nostrils flare dangerously.
“It’s the truth.” I say firmly and look her in the eye.
More silence, then…
“Who?”
“Sami, for one…”
“Sami? You’re fucking roommate?”
“Yes.”
She holds my gaze, still with the same look, piercing my gaze and drilling into me. But then she looks away. Her features soften and she sits down on the couch and buries her face in her hands.
“Look, I know that’s a lot to digest right now, but I’ve been living this all day. The last thing I remember before waking up in a hospital bed is falling onto the street after getting shot.”
Silence. I sit down next to her and put my arm around her shoulder. I don’t blame the kid. This is heavy stuff. I’d be in a poor state too, but I have things to take care of before I can let it sink in.
“Look, I have to go somewhere and try to figure things out. I’ll be back in a little while. I’ll tell you more when I get back.”
“Are you going to your place?”
“I’ve already talked to Sami, it wouldn’t do much good going back there.”
I get up and walk over to the table. I grab my bag off the table and head toward the door.
“What did you say to Sami?” she asked just before I grab the doorknob.
I turn back to face her.
“You don’t need to know about that.”
“I’m going over there. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“You’re not.” I say flatly, “Do not go over there.”
And I walk out the door.

-13-

After a twenty minute walk I arrive at my destination. I walk up onto the porch. There’s music inside. Loud music. I knock on the door. No answer. I bang on the door hard.
“Open up, you damn hippie!”
The door opens. I see Nick standing there. For the last year or so, Nick, along with his roommate Jamie, was my supplier for all things mind-altering, mood enhancing, or memory erasing that could be made with a chemistry lab. Molly, Doses, Angel Dust… If it required chemistry they were the best. They were two chemistry majors (and damn smart ones) who loved their hallucinogens, and they decided that combination of these two was their calling. I met them in a bar when they were freshmen. They both had fake ID’s, and had just taught the barmaid a new mixed drink. We got drunk and then went to a concert. They had some acid and we all dropped. I ended up buying them all the supplies for drug-making and put them to work in my basement laboratory until they moved out of the dorms. These guys were my biggest project and they were the closest thing I had to friends. They would mix their potions and put out their pills, and I could sell them to Castillo or Cameron for 350% of the cost and still charge 25% under the market price. Cutting me out of the equation is probably saving Castillo about five large every month, more if he’s taken some of Cameron’s business.
As Nick sees me he cocks his head back slightly and raises an eyebrow in mild surprise.
“Adam! Come on in, boss.” He recovers quickly.
“Thanks.” I was a little confused. It felt like I was here yesterday, and now he was asking me in without even mentioning me being dead.
“Jamie! Adam’s here.”
“Adam who?” Yells Jamie from the other room.
“I’m the only Adam you know, or did you forget about me already?” I ask him as we walk into the living room.
“HOLY SHIT ADAM!” yells Jamie from the living room.
Jamie is looking at me like he can’t believe his eyes, and I detect a very subtle nervousness. After a pregnant pause the edge of nervousness seems to disappear and the silence is broken.
“So you’re back from the dead now?”
“You know it.” I can feel myself starting to grin.
“Who did it? I hear it was Cameron.”
“That’s why I came over, actually. I need to know where I can find Castillo.”
“Castillo? But we’ve been selling to Castillo ever since.” says the puzzled Nick.
“And Sami wouldn’t let him near us if he took you out.” Continues Jamie.
“Unless he didn’t know.” Answers Nick
“He knew.” I put in.
“Then he must have…”
“Been in on it?”
“No way…”
Both of their mouths open and eyes open wide when they see the light and the full weight of this revelation came down on them like an avalanche of implications, unknown details and stinging betrayal. Jamie’s face darkened as he collected his thoughts and Nick still looked bewildered, grappling with all the ins and outs of the situation.
“I killed Sami this morning. I’m going to take out Castillo. Maybe tonight. I need your help to find him.”
They both stare at me for a moment, almost expressionless, but the very lack of expression radiates the innumerable emotions and thoughts that have to be going on inside of them. Finally Nick clears his throat.
“How did you kill him?”
“With a hunting knife and a bottle of vodka.”
“You never half-ass anything, do you?” He jokes as his face slowly resumes normality.
“One of my many talents. What do you got for me?”
“One of his boys was here earlier picking up. These guys don’t pay as well as you did. He was talking about some DJ who was going to be at Jake’s Nightclub tonight. You can probably start there.”