Chapter Ten
Dax
I had waited two weeks for that day. The day after we had our big club meeting I went down and switched out the camera above the bar for one that Greg the tattoo guy had loaned me. This one was a live feed, like a camcorder and I could watch what was happening minute by minute from home.
I had arranged the flowers for Liv the day before. I was so happy for her, although my own life seemed to be sucking at that moment. I would never wish her anything but the absolute best of everything.
I got a text from her about the flowers. She sounded excited, even through a text. I told her that I loved her one more time and then I went to check on what my camera was recording. I felt like a kid in Disneyland when I saw them. Terrance, his father and Brock, all three bellies up to the bar and no one else in sight. This was finally it. I grabbed my jacket and as fast as I could go without risking being arrested for reckless driving, I rode to the bar.
I was shaking again as I went inside. This time it wasn’t fear, it was anticipation. When I walked in, they all looked over and stopped talking. Blake tried giving me the stare down, but I was so used to and sick of his games that it didn’t even faze me any longer. I smiled at him.
“What the fuck do you want now?” he asked.
“I just came in for a beer. What are you boys up to? Planning another set up? Thinking about shooting someone else?”
“Fuck you! You were holding a gun on your own Daddy. I shot you to save my friend.”
I laughed. “Yeah, because you have such a good heart.”
“What the hell do you want, Dax? I’m getting tired of all of this?” Brock asked. He was tired…poor thing.
“Then end it, Brock. Tell me the truth, all of you from start to finish. Then we can get on with our lives.” I looked directly at Terrance and said, “No matter how pathetic they may be.”
“You already know my part, I told you. I’m not going to stand up like I’m in church and testify in front of a room full of people. You’re a complete idiot if you thought that would work.”
I shrugged. “It was worth a shot, right?”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Blake said.
I sat down on one of the stools and said, “No, I don’t think so. I think I’d rather sit here with the three of you.” Terrance was giving me a hard stare and I said, “What’s wrong old best friend? You don’t want to have a beer with me?”
“I don’t know what you want, Dax. I told you my part and Brock told you his. You can assume the rest and just leave us the fuck alone. Go back to college or something.”
“I want to hear Blake’s part.”
Blake startled me by jumping up and grabbing me. Shoving me into the wall beside the bar, he got way too close to my face and said, “You want to hear my part, you little shit? It was all my plan, the whole thing. I wanted to kill you and make sure you didn’t come back. But if your dad would have found out and I would have gone to jail, it would have ruined everything. So I did the next best thing. I got some good, quality street grade from your brother and I asked him to go into your dad’s email account and send an order to Terrance. The rest as they say is history…Oh, right up until I found you messing with our bikes and shot you. That was fun. Too bad I didn’t have time to take a better aim. I could have stood right next to your daddy with my arm around him at the funeral. He would have thought it was all about saving him.”
I looked at Terrance’s face. I didn’t think he knew Brock and his dad had been behind this until that very moment. He had still believed he was doing what my dad had ordered him to do. He really was a moron.
I looked at Brock’s face and at first he was smirking and then I saw it change to one of complete and absolute terror. He was looking behind me. I glanced back and saw my dad. He had come out of the kitchen and he had a gun in his hand.
“You miserable piece of shit! Do you have any idea how much of my life was wasted thinking you were my fucking friend? I would have died for you and your retarded kid while meantime you’re going behind my back, and setting mine up? Trying to kill him…” He looked at Brock and said, “I should have given you up for adoption when your whore of a mother took off. I never even believed you were mine, I just felt sorry for you. But I raised you like you were mine, me and Gail both. You had everything a kid could want or need and this is how you repay me?”
“Dad, I can explain.” Brock tried. My dad gripped the gun tighter and said, “Shut up! It’s my turn to talk.”
I saw Blake moving his hand out of the corner of my eye. I yelled, “Dad!” just before he got the pistol out and fired at my dad.
My dad had taken the cue and ducked. The bullet came about an inch from taking off his head. In the chaos that ensued, Terrance and his dad took off. Brock seemed to be stuck to his stool either by the guilt Dad had just instilled in him, or fear. I wasn’t sure which. My dad took off after the other two, so I stayed with Brock, just so he didn’t get any ideas. I was packing, but I didn’t want to take it out unless it came down to life or death. I had to keep in mind that the camera was rolling.
“Dax, please…Talk to Dad. Don’t let him…I don’t want to go to prison.”
I knew the look on my face had to be hilarious. Imagine the irony of the person who you trusted and put you behind bars, begging you for a reprieve.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You want me to put in a good word for you? Now who’s the crazy one?”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Too little too late…Brother.”
That was when we heard the gunshots. There were two of them. Brock and I both froze. I said a prayer for my dad’s soul, just in case it was him who got hit. A few minutes later, Terrance came flying in the back door like he’d been pushed. He had a bloody nose and split lip. He stopped himself from eating the wood floor by grabbing onto the counter. My dad came in after him. He didn’t seem to have any injuries, he was just breathing hard.
“Call the cops, Dax,” my dad said.
“Dad,” Brock tried again.
“Don’t call me that, ever again,” my dad said. He walked over and grabbed a beer from behind the bar. He opened it and began to gulp it down. While he did that, I called the police. I asked for my favorite detective and when I hung up I said, “They’re on the way.”
My dad turned to me and he looked sadder than I’d ever seen him as he said, “I’m so sorry, Dax. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” Then he looked at Brock and Terrance and said, “If the two of you—”
“Dad,” I interrupted him. I was still hyper-aware of the tape. I didn’t want to say it so I tipped my head back just enough to cause him to look up. When he saw the camera, he smiled.
“I’ll be damn,” he said. “I always knew you were the smart one.” He looked back at Terrance and Brock and said, “I was just going to remind you that the law and your prison sentence will probably be a lot more comfortable if you just admit your guilt when the police get here.”
We heard the sirens approaching. My stomach clenched at the sound of it. I was excited about finally clearing my name, but I didn’t know if that sound would ever not make me a nervous wreck.