Trouble (14 page)

“I’m not,” she finally tells me firmly. Hugging my mother was never something I would do since I hit twelve, but in this moment I think I understand why she’s crying. I pull her into my embrace and try to forget all the wrongs between us for the moment. She’s my mother, and nothing will ever change that.

“I love you, don’t cry.” She fidgets in my embrace
and I let her go reluctantly, but I keep my hands on her frail shoulders.

“I’m not crying because I don’t think you love me, I’m crying because
I never thought I’d see the day where you’d actually love someone as much as I love you.” My chest feels tight, as if my heart is swelling. My mother smiles at me, and I give her a sideways grin back. It’s my trademark look for my mother, one that I’ve given her since I was able to actually smile.

“Is everything alright in here?” My father pokes his head through the kitchen doorway, takes one look at my mother, and takes a few steps into the room. I can hear Daisy and Jessie chatting in the dining room yet.

“Everything is fine, Tom.” My mother rolls her brown eyes and pushes a stray, graying hair out of her face. It’s at that moment I realize how much my parents have aged in the past month. I was not the only one in grieving. No matter how much of a trouble maker and bad influence my mother thought Ronnie was, she cared.

I suddenly feel selfish for ever doubting that.

Daisy and Jessie choose that moment to come into the kitchen, asking what is going on. I look at the love of my life in her jeans and a sweater, and I tell her the truth. “Everything’s fine, we’re just going to make some coffee.”

Contrary to my words, my mother makes the coffee while I root around in the freezer for some ice cream to go with her chocolate forest cake. After dessert, Daisy and I manage to make it upstairs before we actually start peeling off each other’s clothes. I feel a little dirty for sleeping with her in my old bedroom at my parent’s house, but we make sure to be quiet. Well, as quiet as we can be when we’re giggling like teenagers.

The next morning, my sister knocks on my door like she used to every morning when I lived at home. The smell of chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and bacon wafts upstairs. It’s as if the scent alone has Daisy rising out of bed. Her nose is in the air and a smile blooms across her face before she even opens her eyes. I pull her back down into bed and bury my nose in her brunette hair, relishing in the smell of her shampoo.

“I’m hungry,” she tells me just as my sister calls out that breakfast is ready. I close my eyes tighter and find the flesh of her neck, kissing a trail down her spine.

“So am I,” I growl at her. Daisy giggles when I try to pull her closer to me, but she manages to wriggle free before I can convince her to stay.

“No really, I’m hungry for
food
Caleb.” Her cheeks are beautifully flushed, and the way her eyes glint in the morning sun makes my insides tighten.

“You’re awfully hungry lately,” I accuse her. The both of us look at one another in an awkward silence as the thought slips through both our minds.

“I’m not pregnant, if that’s what you’re worried about!” Daisy looks down at her stomach with insecurity on her face. “I’m not getting fat, am I?” I can’t help it, I laugh loudly at her question and fling my legs over the side of my childhood bed. Daisy gives me a narrow eyed glare and turns on her heel. Before she can make it to the door, I scoop her up and fist my hand in her hair as I kiss her. She’s breathless and her cheeks are rosy for an entirely different reason now.

“You’re not getting fat, and as long as you’re sure then I won’t worry.”
I think about what I just said and kiss the tip of her nose. “Not that I don’t want kids later on in life, but right now doesn’t seem like a good time.” Before she can comment on my statement, I slip out of the room and whistle as I walk down the hallway.

Daisy joins me at the kitchen table about five minutes later. Her hair is up in a neat bun
and she’s wearing one of my t-shirts. I’m about to tell her that she looks hot in that shirt when my cellphone buzzes at my hip. Curious, I pull the device out of my pocket and furrow my brows when I see Carl’s face on the screen. I slide the bar across so that I can answer it.

“Hello?” I ask curiously, and then I hear the breathing on the other end of the phone. Even before he speaks, I know
who it is. I also know what is going to happen next.

“Caleb Jacobs?” It’s a deep voice, masculine.
I glance at Daisy, but she’s occupied with getting herself pancakes. I back out of the room and head for the front door.

“Hang
on, I need to get outside for better reception.” I say it loud enough that Daisy will hear me, and then I step onto the front porch and stare at the neighbor’s house across the street. My palms become sweaty.

“Outside now?”
The man on the other end of the phone asks tersely. I grit my teeth together to keep from letting a smart ass comment come out. Instead, I decide to play nice, for now.

“I’m outside. Who is this, and where is Carl?” My heart is pounding in my chest.

“Carl is fine, he’s just indisposed as the moment,
kid
.” I flinch at the nickname Carl has for me. “If you want him to remain alive, you’ll bring Daisy to the tattoo shop, no cops.” So this punk thinks I’ll trade Daisy for Carl? He has another thing coming.

“No, make another deal.” My nostrils don’t seem wide enough to intake the amount of air I need, and I have to bring through my mouth because of it. My free hand is
clinched into a fist so tight at my side that my fingernails are digging into my flesh.

“Another deal?
There is no other deal. You either bring Daisy here by six this evening, or Carl will be indisposed forever. Do you want someone else’s death on your hands?” At the sound of my sharp inhale, he laughs. “I didn’t think so. Look, you’re reasonable, I’m reasonable, let’s just get this over with without any more blood spilled. I want my property back.” I hate myself for it, but a thought pops into my mind. This man considers Daisy property, and all property has a price.

“How much is your property worth to you?” My voice is cold and calculating as I ask the question. Something inside of me grows icy, is that my heart?

“Worth? You’re smarter than I thought kid. She’s worth ten grand. And your buddy here is worth another five.” I grit my teeth as I look up at the rising sun. It hurts my eyes, but right now I need something to distract me from the enraged scream building up.

“Work with me here, fifteen grand is too much. I’ll give you eight.” There’s a snort on the other end of the line and the man actually laughs. It’s a crazed, loud noise that reminds me of a killer Santa Clause.

“Twelve, final offer. Either that or you bring Daisy back here, and I’ll give you Carl.” The phone cuts off and I foolishly say ‘hello’ before I look down at the blank screen. I don’t want to look at that phone and have Carl’s face popping up when he’s actually dead.

There’s a soft noise behind me, and I turn around to see Daisy standing in the entrance hall to my parent’s home with her hand to her mouth. Her eyes are
glittering, and I recognize it for what it is. She’s crying, and I’m not a fool. I know what she heard. Before I can reach out a hand to her and try to comfort her, Daisy turns around and flies up the stairs. I hear the bedroom doors slam shut, and my heart breaks in two. She must think I’m a complete monster.

My mother shows up in the doorway of the kitchen with a confused look on her face. I cannot meet her eyes as I put my phone into my pocket. I back down the steps of the front porch as my mother begins to advance. “Take care of Daisy,” I tell her when she gets to the top of the stairs.

“Caleb!” She calls out to me as I pull the keys to my Mustang out of my pocket. I see tears glistening in her eyes as she reaches out a hand to me, but I don’t stop retreating from my family and the woman I love.

“Take care of her!” I call back to my mother again as I slide in behind the wheel of my vehicle. I’ve been saving money for over a year to purchase myself a home. I have more than enough money to pay off Big Man, and it will be worth it. Daisy will be free, even if that means she is free of me too.

I shift the Mustang into first gear and peel away from my childhood home with a blank face. Nothing runs through my mind as I drive along, just an incessant buzzing. That must be the sound of my conscious warring with itself, but there’s no turning back now. I’ll have to explain when I get back to Daisy, if she’ll hear me out. Even then, she might not understand.

Half way through my trip an idea begins to form within my mind.
If this Big Man was in jail, his gang might forget about the fact that Daisy exists. Perhaps they would be a little afraid to mess with me. I narrow my eyes as I fish my phone out of my pocket and search on Google for the number for the precinct. I pull the Mustang over to the side of the road and turn the engine off. A woman answers.

“I need the Chief of Police. I have some information for him.” This could be risky. If Carl is not actually at the shop, then Big Man’s cronies might kill him anyway. Before I can change my mind and hang up, a man gets on the line.

“Captain Greenfield, to whom am I speaking?” I state my name, and get right down to business. By the time we’re done discussing the plan over the phone, Captain Greenfield wants to see me in person at the station.

I roar my Mustang to life and drive with more purpose than before now. There might be a way to save my relationship with Daisy without losing Carl. It takes me another forty five minutes to make it to the police station, where I pull into the back parking lot and head for the back entrance. I’m not sure if Big Man has eyes here, but if he does I don’t want them seeing me now.

A tall, gangly man meets me at the back entrance. He’s wearing an officer’s uniform and his nametag reads Greenfield. I meet his gray, blue eyes and step inside the building without a greeting. The Captain leads me directly into an office and sits me down in a plush, leather chair. I lean forward in the chair and we meet eyes against as he settles into his own leather chair.

“Caleb Jacobs, it seems you have some valid information for me. We have confirmed that Carl’s tattoo shop is closed today, but it appears that there are three people within. If you’re correct, son, this might get ugly.” I nod in understanding as we begin to hash out a plan. As it develops, my heart feels lighter and heavier at the same time. I feel awful that Carl is in danger, and yet my mind is working better knowing that Daisy is safe at my parent’s home.

At the end of our discussion, Captain Greenfield shakes my hand and he calls in reinforcements. I get into the third love of my life. Daisy is the first, and my motorcycle is my second. The car comes in third. I put the key into the ignition and try to breathe normally as I start the car. My eyes close for an instant and I think about Daisy’s long hair and her pretty, brown eyes. I wish I had been able to tell her that I love her before I left.

My fingers grip the steering wheel as I punch the gas pedal, shifting the Mustang as I drive through town towards Carl’s tattoo shop. The cellphone in my pocket buzzes and Carl’s face comes up on the screen. I slide it and answer it immediately, putting the phone up to my ear.

“Caleb here,” I say in a deadpan voice. Just like before, there’s breathing on the other end of the line.

“I just wanted to make sure that you were coming with the money. I’m growing impatient here, Caleb. Do you not care about your friend as much as I thought? Perhaps I should give you some incentive,” Before I can even answer him, the psychopath hangs up the phone. I throw my own phone across the vehicle and roar as I turn the corner to the tattoo shop. My nostrils are flaring as I step out of the vehicle. I can feel my pulse drumming out a quick tempo on my neck, and my hands are balling into fists again.

I have to go in here with a calm, clean head. If I screw my part up, the police will be escorting two bodies to the morgue. My eyes narrow as I start heading up the steps to the tattoo shop. I don’t glance to my left or right as I get to the door, just as Captain Greenfield instructed. The wire on my chest itches, but I don’t scratch it.

In the back of the shop, I can see silhouettes behind the
frosted glass. For an instant, I think actually think about turning around and getting back into my Mustang. But I don’t. Instead, I raise my fist up and rap on the glass of the front door. A man I don’t recognize turns the corner from behind the frosted glass, and I can see the gun on his hip. He narrows his eyes and looks down at a phone. Then he looks up at me with recognition.

“Caleb Jacobs,” the man calls out as he opens up the glass doors. He immediately pats down around my waist for a weapon, and I allow him to. My palms grow sweaty as I wait for him to
pat around my chest, to feel the wire. But he does nothing of the sort.

“Get out kid! I’m not worth it!” I hear Carl’s voice and feel a knot inside of me loosen. He’s here!

“You’re worth every penny, Carl!” I shout back at him, waiting for the crony to finish feeling me up. I give him an ‘are you done yet’ look. He grasps the leather jacket I’m wearing and tears the duffle bag out of my hands. Then he marches me to the back of the shop like a disobedient dog.

“Caleb,” I recognize the man that says my name. It’s Big Man, the one and only,
the one who was in the ring that night when Daisy made her first attempt at getting my attention. He looks nothing like he did that night in the ring.

I study the slicked back black hair and his pale flesh. He lights a cigarette and puffs on it, studying me too in the silence. The suit he’s wearing looks expensive, I wonder if he’ll get it back if he ever gets out of jail. He might get a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in lieu of the suit.
When I finally get down to the black, shiny shoes on his feet my face must be contorted into a sneer. Does he really need this money anyway?

“Twelve thousand dollars,” the man who led me to the back states.
Carl snorts from his position on one of the tattooing chairs. There’s blood on his face that must be from his broken nose and his split lip. I feel a sudden surge of disgust and rage build up inside of me, but I don’t make a move to act on it. Carl’s life depends on me toeing the line here.

“You’re a smart man, Caleb Jacobs.” I have to get him to say something incriminating before the police will be able to arrest him on more than one charge. Otherwise, he might get off when he goes to trial.

“Wait, tell me, what would it cost to get another one like Daisy from you? I enjoy her company, a lot.” The last of my good side seems to die within me as I ask the question. I need him to admit that he’s selling people like they’re property to bring him up on trafficking charges.

“For a brunette like her, another ten grand kid.”
Carl’s mouth drops open as he stares at me. I cannot meet his eyes as I nod my head.

“It’s a deal
, another ten grand and I’ll purchase a woman from you that’s like Daisy.” I need him to admit to that exact statement. I don’t want there to be any doubt in the courts as to what he’s selling.

“Yeah, another whore for ten grand.”
My lip quirks up slightly at the right corner, and I try to stifle the grin on my face. I want to say ‘gotcha’, but Carl and I are not out of danger yet.

“I’ll have to take you up on the offer later, Big Man. Now cut Carl loose and we’ll call it all even.” He sneers at me, but motions for the second crony near the back door to cut Carl loose. I back out into the front of the building with Carl behind me
, waiting for them to pounce on me. Just as I’m opening up the door to freedom, one of the police officers bounds up the steps and raises his gun.