Dancing in Circles (Circles Trilogy) (18 page)

He kicked the chair across the room. "I don't believe this."

"Prove me wrong." She pointed at his jacket. "What's in your pocket?"

He whipped the bottle of pills across the counter. "You buy those in a drug store. And I paid for them, I didn't swipe 'em." His voice was cold and hard.

His fists were clenched so tight, his knuckles were white. "My bike's in the shop, and I can't afford to get it out so I gotta hitchhike. Can't afford nothing 'cause I ain't been to work. I've got a bunch of detentions 'cause of being late. 'Cause no one in Westland'll pick up a Shorer."

He paced the kitchen. "Carl's been raggin' my ass all week. Been tryin' to find a god damn apartment. Been turned down by a lot of…impolite people. Christ, I'm tired of everyone assuming I'm bad. I've got a funeral to attend tomorrow." He closed his eyes as the pain pulsed in his body.

"Whose?" Julie's voice was a whisper.

"Pete's. Devil's Blood killed him. I sent him in and they knifed him. It took us a week to find him. He died in an alley. Now I've gotta decide whether there's a war or not." He leaned on the counter, shoulders bowed as if the weight of the world had settled on him.

He stared at his running shoes. "If I start a war, more friends'll die. But if I don't retaliate, then Pete's death…. He's gotta be avenged. I can't handle this." He lifted his face, and his gaze met Julie's. "I don't know what to do."

The coldness of his voice sent a shiver through her.

"They register me in a school I can't afford to go to, then demand I go or I go back to jail. I can't quit the gang. If I back out now, all hell'll break loose. I wanted to be out of here by now. I thought maybe…I'd found a safe haven. Maybe ya were beginnin' to trust me. I shoulda known better." He spun, punched the kitchen cabinet and headed for the door.

Mrs. Anderson grabbed his shirt, pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him. As he sagged against her, she motioned to Julie to leave.

An hour later, she tapped on Julie's door. "He's asleep. He's very uncomfortable here. He doesn't like our charity. If he can't pay for it, he doesn't want to take it and that includes our food. He hasn't eaten or slept much in the past few days."

She crossed the room and sat on Julie's bed. "I think he's trying to repay his misdeeds, but he's harder on himself than anyone else has been. We have to try and make him feel comfortable until he leaves." She picked up a sweatshirt and folded it then placed it on her lap. "And he will leave. He doesn't trust us. No, he doesn't understand us. He can't figure out why we're helping him. He's scared of driving you away. I don't know if he's capable of loving you, but he's as close as he can get right now."

"Mommy," Ashley yelled.

Mrs. Anderson sighed and hurried to find her youngest daughter.

Julie tiptoed into Robert's room. He was sprawled belly down on the bed. She couldn't resist the temptation to stroke his back. She was careful, she didn't want to disturb him, but not even an eyelid flickered. "Can't do it all yourself, Robert. Just learn to love me."

***

Julie strolled into the kitchen about 8:30, the next morning. Robert was finishing his breakfast. "Hello, sleepy head."

Julie smiled. The old Robert was back. The toaster popped. She snatched the toast and spread peanut butter on it. "Are you going to write bio?"

Her mother handed her a glass of milk.

"I'll give it a stab." He chugged the last of his drink and put the glass on the counter. Mrs. Anderson playfully smacked his arm and pointed to the dishwasher. He rolled his eyes and placed it inside.

"I can quiz you on the way in." She popped the last corner of her toast into her mouth.

"I won't be home this afternoon." He pulled his hoodie over his head.

Home. He called it home.
"We've got English tomorrow." Julie reminded him as she slipped on her coat and picked up her purse.

"I've gotta go to Pete's funeral."

"May I go? As a friend." Julie walked to the door.

Her mother pulled her aside. "You be careful. I'm not crazy about this."

Julie patted her arm and whispered, "It's okay. He'll protect me."

"Thanks for breakfast." Robert held the door for Julie and followed her out.

***

As Mr. Parks handed out the exam papers, Julie gave an encouraging smile to Robert. He winked back and settled down to work. When she was satisfied with her answers, Julie flipped her paper and glanced at Robert. He'd finished checking his work and was waiting for the class to be dismissed. After the exams were collected, they hurried to her car. "Will we be late?" She pressed unlock.

"No, they have to wait for me." He slid onto the passenger's seat, shut the door, then directed her to North Shore.

The atmosphere in the small chapel was sombre, but the sense of rage was stifling. Shoresmen were in full colours. As Robert entered, Paul handed him his jacket. Robert indicated a pew in the back row. Julie slid in, and he sat next to her. Paul sat with his wife. The funeral director spoke a few words of consolatory welcome then introduced Robert. Julie looked up. "A gang leader's duty, Juls – bury the dead."

He walked to the front and stopped by the casket. Inside lay a young man with a scar on his cheek. "You will be avenged, Peter. You
will
be avenged."

A roar rose from the fellow members. Robert turned to face the crowd and waited until they silenced.

"I'd hoped when we buried Linc, he'd be the last member to die in colours. Pete died honourably. He died tryin' to prevent a war between us and Devil's Blood."

At the mention of the murderous gang's name, a chorus of jeers and profane insults was thrown out to the open air. Stern looks from family members and the Reverend settled the voices.

Robert continued, "I don't want this death to be a senseless one. I want it avenged. We cannot allow Blood to move into our territory. Many Shoresmen died stakin' out and protectin' what is ours. We must be prepared to do the same."

As howls of agreement filled the chapel air, Robert walked across the front of the room. "I said we must be
prepared
. I didn't say we're gonna charge out that door and kill every Blood we find. I know you're itchin' for a good fight, but a gang war never stays between gangs. As I look out, I see kids, wives, mothers. These are the innocents who get hurt in a gang war. We must find a way to stop Blood from invadin' and we must settle the score for Pete."

Low grumbles were heard. Robert glared at a few members. "There'll be no war until I declare it. I will not negotiate with Blood. We're Shoresmen! We control Shore. I will not give up any territory Shoresmen blood bought." He stood before his gang proud and defiant.

Turning to face the people seated in the front row, he said, "To Pete's family. I grieve for your loss. I'm to blame for sendin' him into Blood territory, and I'll live with that for the rest of my life." He lowered his head for a moment.

Raising his head, he let his gaze fall on a group of Shoresmen in the back corner. "The war council and I will say bye to Pete here. Council, twelve noon, clubhouse." He turned and placed his hand over his dead friend's heart. "Pete, my friend, wherever ya are, may the beer run freely and the babes be friendly."

The Shoresmen cheered. Robert shook a man's hand then kissed the woman seated next to him. He exited the chapel, motioning to Julie to follow.

When he got to her car, he slammed his fist on the roof. "Damn! I hate this. Funerals. Wars. I don't want to fight. I don't want any more deaths." He flung his hand in the direction of the chapel. "They're ready to explode. How do I stop this?"

Julie wrapped her arms around him. "You'll find a way. You're a good leader. You handled yourself wonderfully. I'll drive you to the clubhouse."

"No, go home and study. I may need to rack your brains again."

She gave him a peck on the cheek then turned to leave. He caught her hand and pulled her back. "Thanks for being there." He held her face and pressed his lips against hers. Something deep within him tried to awaken but was crushed by the reality of the moment.

She brushed her hand along the side of his cheek, entered her car and drove away. The kiss lingered on his lips as he watched her taillights fade.

"Looks like you've got more on your mind than a gang war, Bob." Paul slapped him on the back.

"Someday, I'll ask ya about bein' in love, but today I ain't got time."

***
 

After supper, while Julie helped her mother with the dishes, her father sat in the kitchen reading the paper. "Julie, there's a story here about the Shoresmen. By the way, where is our guest? Has he moved out?"

Julie placed several dishes in the dishwasher. "No, actually, he's avoiding you."

Mr. Anderson looked over the top of his glasses.

"Yes, you." She smiled at her father. "He hates Judge Anderson, but he respects you for taking him to the hospital. He's caught between emotions."

"Right now, I'd say he's caught between more than that." He turned back a page in his newspaper. "It says
, North Shore Tenses as Rival Gangs Square Off
. The article's about a gang called Devil's Blood's attempts to invade Shoresmen territory." He frowned. "One gang member has been killed."

"Pete, that's whose funeral Robert and I went to today." She sat across from her father. "Robert sent him in to discover what the other gang is up to. He was killed. Now Robert's trying to negotiate something that'll avert a gang war, but avenge Pete's death."

Mr. Anderson's eyebrows rose. "I'm amazed you know anything about this. And I'm surprised with Robert. He's not the kid I remember. That kid would've started the war like that." He snapped his fingers.

"Robert's worried he may have to." Julie played with her fingernail.

"In the meantime." Mrs. Anderson pressed start on the dishwasher then settled on a kitchen chair. "He works seven days a week, attends school and runs a gang. On top of all of that, somewhere he finds the time to eat, sleep and read bedtime stories to Ashley."

"Intriguing person." Julie's father returned to reading his paper.

Responding to a knock, Julie opened the backdoor.

"It's locked." Robert entered. "And I didn't think pickin' it would be a good idea."

As he stepped past Julie, the smell of beer and smoke reached her nose. "What happened at the clubhouse?"

He started to answer when he noticed both adult Andersons staring at him. He looked down at his gang jacket. "Oh, shit, I forgot I was wearin' this. I'm sorry." He pulled the jacket off.

"It's okay, Robert," said Mrs. Anderson. "It's just a surprise to see you in it."

"I don't want the little kids to see it. Keys, please." He held out his hand.

Julie tossed them to him. "Put it in the car. I'll drive us to school tomorrow."

He returned a few minutes later. Mrs. Anderson was at the counter preparing a plate of leftovers. He stood next to her. "You sit. I can do this." Hating the fact his presence caused her more work, he avoided the house. But a person can only sleep in cold, damp places for so long.

"Do we have to go through this again?" She brushed a stray hair off her face. "Don't pamper me just because I'm pregnant."

Chastised, Robert sat.

"Julie was telling us about the funeral." Mr. Anderson folded his paper and placed it on the table. "Any developments?"

Robert shook his head. "I don't know. I talked to Juan. Blood's leader. He says they ain't invadin' us. That it's a rebel group in his gang. He's promised to bring out Pete's killer." As he yawned, he rubbed his face. "But I don't trust him. Somethin's up. Just can't figure out what."

"What do you mean bring out Pete's killer?" Julie offered him a beer. He accepted it with a grin.

"They hand the killer over to us."

She sat next to him. "But what about the police?"

Robert chugged half his beer then placed the bottle on the table. "The cops'll get him eventually. If he's still alive."

Mr. Anderson coughed. It was a concerned
judge
cough.

Mrs. Anderson put a plate in front of him.

"Hmm smells great." He smiled. "Thanks."

He turned his attention to Julie's father. "Look, reality is, if Blood delivers him when I'm not around, the guy's dead meat and I say, looks good on him. If I can get my hands on him first, I promise he'll be alive when I turn him over."
Breathin' and a heartbeat but not much else.

Mrs. Anderson sat next to her husband. "Julie said Pete was a friend?"

Between mouthfuls, Robert said, "Paul's my best bud, and if I was ranking them, Pete's next." He swallowed. "When we was hungry, Pete and I used to raid stores. One of us would distract the owner, and the other would load up his jacket with whatever. Pete loved peanut butter and crackers. We'd eat jar fulls." He paused. "Guess maybe I shouldn't be sayin' this to a judge."

"I'm a judge between nine and five, and Bill the rest of the time." Mr. Anderson smiled.

"Pardon me for saying this, but if a friend of mine was murdered, I wouldn't be as calm as you. I'd be screaming and running around. I'd go crazy." Julie tried to stop the tremor of fear rippling her shoulders.