Hustle (3 page)

Chapter
3

Gabriel was back in the driveway of his house. The place was dark except for one light in an upstairs bedroom. He sighed. He had hoped the light would be out, that no one would be home. He slowly got out of the car, locked the doors, and walked toward the huge, oak, double-doors that separated him from what should have been his sanctuary.

“Hello?” he called out. H
e took off his jacket and hung it on an antique hat rack. He listened to his own footsteps as he crossed the marble tile of the entrance. “Is there anybody home?” He knew full well there was someone home. If that light was on, then there was someone up there.

Gabriel walked
into the kitchen and opened the cupboard door above the fridge. He took out his single-malt scotch, pulled a glass from the clean dishes beside the sink, and poured himself one. Three fingers deep. After a few sips, he opened the freezer and dropped a couple of ice-cubes into the glass.

“
Gabriel
?”

The voice came from upstairs. He felt his heart kick up a notch. He knew there was someone else home, but hearing the voice spooked him just the same. He stared into his glass.

“
Gabe!
”

The voice, angry now, sounded closer, at the top of the stairs. He had to answer.

“Yes, dear,” he said, hoping it didn’t sound too sarcastic. He took one more hit off the scotch and walked out of the kitchen toward the stairs. The steps were carpeted and curved up toward the second story. An ornate gold banister curved with them. He looked up and said, “What do you need?”

“Did you bring me anything?”

At the top of the stairs stood Dustin; pale, skinny, and pock-marked. He was wearing one of Gabriel’s silk robes and it exposed his pale pigeon chest. Square in the middle of his chest was a faded blue tattoo of an eagle with its talons clamped onto a swastika. It was blurred and amateurish. The tattoo was a constant reminder of where Dustin came from.

“Did I bring you anything? Like what?”

“Money, dinner, drugs—anything? I’ve been here all day waiting for something to happen and you drag your ass in here empty-handed?”

“I had to work late. I didn’t get a chance to stop by anywhere.”

“You’re fulla shit,” said Dustin. “You can sleep down there tonight; jerk yourself off for a change.”

Gabriel didn’t know what to say, so he just said, “I’m sorry.”

Dustin spun around, swirling his borrowed silk housecoat with him. He stomped back toward the bedroom saying, “We’ll see how sorry you are.”

Gabriel walked back into the kitchen. He looked at his scotch on the marble counter. He wondered how he’d let himself get painted into a corner like this, if
this were some sort of sub-conscious payback he felt he deserved. No, he decided, what he deserved was some peace. Some pleasure. He heard the shower start upstairs and took one more hit of the scotch, picked up his keys, and walked back out the door.

He pulled out of the driveway without looking back at the house. He didn’t care what Dustin would think when he got out of the shower. He’d st
ay away all night if he had to. Dustin was a mistake. A malignancy he should have cut out when he had the guts, the leverage. Maybe the kid would just be gone when he returned—if he returned.

It was full dark now. Past nine o’clock. The street traffic had slackened and he was back to the corner in minutes. He didn’t want to go by the corner
, but it lured him. It was his unconscious desire driving the car and he would have ended up there no matter what. He didn’t care about being seen now, he just wanted to see the boy as soon as possible and he didn’t feel like waiting. Gabriel pulled over into a driveway and dialed Big Rich’s cell.

***

Big Rich and Donny had just finished fixing. They were high and low, lolling off the effects of a healthy speedball. The shrill electronic ring of Rich’s cell phone startled them both. Rich looked at the caller ID. “It’s him.”

Donny smiled, but he had no idea who Rich meant.
He didn’t care. There were a lot of
hims
. He was settled in and didn’t want to work anymore tonight. He had dope, coke, cigarettes and was warm for the first time in hours. He didn’t want to leave Big Rich’s room.

“Gabriel,”
Big Rich said into the phone. He was looking right at Donny, grinning. “No, I’m home with a friend … What are you doin’? … No, just a friend.”

Donny waited. He co
uldn’t make out what the voice on the phone was saying.

“I
dunno, Gabriel. I’m kinda settled in. I don’t wanna leave my friend in my room all alone. Maybe I could bring him? You’d like him.”

The tiny voice buzzed through the speaker on Rich’s cell.

“No, he’s a few years younger than me. Maybe you’ve seen him on the corner … Ha, no, not like me … No, I trust him. He’s a good kid, just, you know, caught up by circumstance, like the rest of us.”

Donny liked that.
Big Rich getting philosophical. He watched Rich play with the man on the phone. Half-flirting, half playing hard-to-get, setting him up. Big Rich was a pro.

“I could, I guess. I
gotta bring my friend with me, though. It’ll be okay. You’ll like it.” Big Rich shot a wink at Donny and said, “Corner of Eddy and Jones. Twenty minutes.” Rich hit the end-button on his phone and turned to Donny, “Grab the shit and put your jacket on. We’re gonna make some money.”

“Shit
. I really don’t feel like turning any tricks. We just got here. Maybe I can just wait till you get back.”

“Donny, this is the guy. The john
I was telling you about. We’ll do what he wants tonight. This is your chance to meet him, gain some trust. Fuck, I’m tellin’ ya, I couldn’t a planned it better. Grab the spoons, I got the rigs. We might not be coming back tonight.”

In twenty minutes, the two boys stood dutifully on the corner, hands in their pockets, watching each set of headlights that approached.

“W
hat kind of car does he drive?”

“A Bentley,” said Big Rich.

“Seriously.”

“For real, a Bentley.”

Donny thought about it a minute. He wasn’t even sure if he knew what a Bentley looked like. “Seriously?” His voice pitched upward with surprise.

“I
’m telling you. This is the guy. He’s got more money than God. Be sweet to him and we’ll be fat in no time.”

Donny
grinned and watched the street, looking for something expensive to pull up, what his mind pictured a Bentley to look like. Like a Rolls Royce, maybe? He imagined an old car with a black-capped chauffeur behind the wheel. Donny thought about going into the liquor store and getting a back-up pack of smokes, but Rich was holding all the cash.

Right on time.
A sleek, black, expensive-looking car pulled up to the curb. The tinted passenger window came down and a frail-looking older man leaned his head out and said, “Gentlemen.”

“That’s us,” said Rich to Donny. T
hey both climbed into the car, Rich in the front and Donny in the back. As soon as they were moving, Rich said, “Gabriel, this is my friend, Donny.”

Donny held out his hand, but Gabriel didn’t tur
n to shake it. The old man kept both hands on the wheel. Donny watched the older man eyeing him through the rearview and met his eyes there.

“Where we going?” asked Rich.

“The Nikko. I’ve booked a room.”

“Nice,” said Rich.

“Well, I’m sorry about the late call. I just had to get away from the house. The room will be nice, two beds, we can order room service as soon as we get there.”

The Nik
ko Hotel was only blocks away from the single-room-occupancy dive where Big Rich stayed, yet they were worlds apart. There was valet parking, and an expansive marble entrance that led into the most luxurious hotel either of the boys had ever been in. They got out of the car and Gabriel handed the key-fob to the valet. They strode into the lobby, Gabriel with a leather attaché case in his hand and the boys with their hands in their pockets. The Nikko was modern and expensive, the type of place most of their johns couldn’t afford. Gabriel walked up to the front desk and checked in. The boys stood behind him, trying not to be noticed.

“And, Mr.
Thaxton, are these your guests?” said the concierge, eyeing them suspiciously.

“No, these
are my associates and they’ll be staying in the room with me.” Terse and quick. His tone was all business and he expected the clerk to assume the same.

“Would you like someone to show you to y
our room?” said the concierge, his voice now hiding any judgment that he felt.

“Not necessary,” said Gabriel, pulling the card-key from the desk and turning toward the elevators.
They were on their way.

When they reached the room, Donny and Rich flopped down on the bed like a couple of kids on a family vacation, bouncing up and down a little, feeling the springs.

“
Fuckin’ posh,” said Rich.

“If you boys want anything to drink, feel free to grab it from the mini-bar. Later,
after
, we’ll order up some food.” Gabriel went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. He splashed water on his face and washed his hands.

The room, sparse and utilitarian, had
a small mini-fridge, two queen-size beds and some uncomfortable-looking, wide, brown leather chairs. Donny walked to the fridge, opened a Coke, took a slug, and then opened and poured in a tiny bottle of rum.

“You could ge
t used to this shit, huh?” Big Rich said.

“Whew,
” said Donny, in response to the rum, not to Rich.

Rich
said, “Gimme one of them.”

Gabriel came out of the bathroom drying his hands on a towel and said, “Richard, let me see it.”

“Already? We just got here. Gimme a chance to settle in.”

“Just let me see it, so I know that you have it with you.”

Donny didn’t know what
it
was. He thought maybe this Gabriel was into the same kind of drugs they were. He hoped.

Big Rich turned toward Gabr
iel, with his back to Donny, unbuttoned his pants and unzipped the fly. He pulled free his cock and balls and said, “Yeah, I still got it.”

Gabriel said, “Can you take those off?”

“I’ve gotta, uh, freshen up first.”

Gabriel smiled.
“Be my guest.”

Big Rich went into the bathroom and shut the door. Gabriel took a seat on one of the brown leather chairs. Donny sat across from him on the bed, sipping
his rum and Coke from the can.

“So, Donny, tell me a little bit about
yourself.”

“What’s to tell?”

“Well, why don’t you tell me how you ended up working with Richard?”

“I met him on the corner, same as everybody.”

“I guess what I mean is, how did you come to be on the corner? What happened to you that you would decide this was an acceptable way to make a living?”

“
Acceptable’s got nothin’ to do with it. I needed the money, I guess.”

“No, Donn
y, I mean, what happened to you? What drove you to this lifestyle in the first place? Did they beat you at home? Were you abused, sexually?”

Donny took a sip from his drink.
Gabriel licked his lips.

“This is what I like, Donny. I want to hear your story. Were you a bad boy?”

Donny saw where this was going and decided to play along.

“I’ve been in some trouble.”

“With the law?”

“Yeah, some.”

“What did you do?”

Before Donny could answer, Big Rich wal
ked out of the bathroom in his T-shirt. Just his T-shirt. He wore no pants and no underwear. Donny could smell the faint residue of the meth smoke from where he sat.

“Shit, you two
gettin’ to know each other?” Rich was grinning.

“Now you know why they call him Big Rich,” said Gabriel.

“I’ve seen it,” said Donny, unimpressed. “We’ve worked together.”

“Really?
Well, maybe you should make yourself more comfortable, too.”

“I
gotta piss,” Donny got up and walked to the bathroom.

Rich whispered to him in a voice that was loud enough for everyone to hear. “It’s in the cupboard
.”

Donny closed
the bathroom door behind him, bent down and opened the paneled door below the sink. There it was: Rich’s glass pipe. There was a thick layer of crystal on the bottom that made Donny smile. Big Rich had held out at his hotel. He always seemed to be able to pull some crank out of a hat. He wondered if Rich had an endless supply of the shit.