Chapter 4 - Riker
I’d learned years before not to judge people by their appearance. Especially when it came to underestimating what they were capable of. That kind of mistake could get you killed in certain parts of the city.
My new “employer” had yet to learn that lesson. I preferred to keep my qualifications, including my psychology degree, under wraps. You could get further if you kept your cards to yourself.
And yet, there was something about her that I liked. Of course, there was the obvious—she was built for the bedroom, and there was no doubt that every day with her would be a holiday. She seemed to be ambitious and bright, but she treated her assistant like a child. Well, maybe there was a reason for that. Her assistant hadn’t impressed me much, either.
I headed back to the city, and as I drove, I gave some thought to my goals. I needed to get Jonas, and later on other boys like him, away from the city’s influences. I was telling the truth when I said I wanted to move, and up the coast in Michigan seemed to be a good idea. Before I left town, I drove around a few blocks. I liked the small-town atmosphere, although I felt like a fish out of water. I was used to living on the streets, and I was willing to bet that that small town left its doors unlocked at night. That said, it would take that kind of culture shock to make an impression on boys like Jonas. So I came to a decision. I would take the job with Lacy, but only to do the few things we’d talked about. It wasn’t going to be a long-term partnership—only long enough for me to find a place of my own and move my own business to that area. In a sense, we were using one another for the same reasons. In some altered sense of morality, that made it okay.
I got back to the city and parked within eyeball distance of the bus stop. Jonas was due home to my place, and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t making any unexpected stops along the way. I knew boys, and I knew how they thought. They were always pushing the envelope. Unfortunately, Jonas didn’t have very far to push before he was lost. I’d gotten temporary guardianship of the boy, and Stephens had helped me convince the judge that moving him to Michigan was a good idea. You take the animal out of the jungle and there’s a much better chance it won’t act like the same animal.
I scooted deep into my seat and put on my aviator glasses. I’d parked so that if he looked in my direction he’d see nothing more than the grill of the car; that made it harder to identify. Sure enough, the bus pulled up to the curb, the door opened, and out spilled Jonas and a half-dozen other kids his age. Although I’d bought him a backpack for his books, there was nothing over his shoulder. I wondered whether he was doing his homework. Maybe he’d gotten it done in school. I made a mental note to check with his teachers.
There was no denying that I lived in a rough neighborhood, and there were a couple of boys who looked like they would be friends with Jonas. In this case, that could spell trouble. Sure enough, instead of heading in the direction of my apartment, they banded together and headed down the sidewalk. Ahead of them was an empty lot where a Laundromat had once been. I knew it to be a hangout and a place where you could make a drug buy any time of the day or night. I also knew that Jonas didn’t have money to buy, which made it even worse. Someone else, most likely the dealer, would give him a few free samples, and after that it would be up to Jonas to come up with the money. I suspected he would ransack my apartment for things to sell first. Then he would turn to more dangerous crimes. God knew he’d had a teacher.
I started my car and slowly tailed them down the sidewalk towards the lot. Sure enough, they turned and walked in between the buildings, not stopping until they came to the back of the lot where it met the alley. The buildings on either side edged their dumpsters into that space. It was the perfect vantage point for someone who was up to no good. I waited until his back was to me, and then I drove past the lot and around the block to the back, turning down the alley. I approached slowly and saw Jonas with his hand out, standing in front of an older guy who was not one of the kids from the bus. I knew he was about to receive a free sample, so as I came abreast of the dumpster, I threw the car into park and jumped out. I was a big guy and the dealer didn’t take the time to figure out whether I was an undercover cop or a stick-up boy. He just ran full out, looking over his shoulder as he turned out of the alley and down a side street. The boys who were with Jonas also made a run for it.
“Get in the car!” I told him in no uncertain terms.
“Fuck you.”
“Jonas, I’m not screwing around. I said get in the car, and if you don’t, the next thing you feel will be my hand on the back of your shirt and your ass will be on its way to prison. You have my word on it. I don’t have time to waste on losers. You want my help, you got it. But it comes with some rules: You do what I tell you to do and you stay out of trouble. I know you’re smart enough to know the difference between trouble and doing the right thing. Now let’s see if you got the guts to walk a straight path.”
The words seemed to get through, and Jonas made his way to my car and got in the passenger side. I joined him and cruised the alley for a few more blocks, hoping to confuse anyone who might be watching.
“Might as well tell you now there are some changes coming ahead.”
“What kind of changes?” he asked in a sullen voice.
“The kind that are going to keep your ass out of prison, that’s what kind.”
“And how are you going to do that?” His head wagged with his words, and I knew he was mocking me.
“You just proved to me you can’t be trusted. This neighborhood’s no good for you. You can’t control yourself, so I’m going to take you somewhere you got no choice but to keep yourself under control.”
“And just where is that?”
“You’ll see when we get there. We’re moving tonight.”
“Like hell we are. I’ve got places to go and people I know.”
“That’s the old Jonas. The new Jonas is going to stay out of prison and turn out to be something worth a damn. He is moving with me tonight and he’d better get that straight in his head.”
“Or what?”
“I don’t need to explain what you already know. Look, there’s nothing in this for me, except that you’re going to start working for your keep.”
“The hell you mean?”
“I mean you’re not going to sponge off of me anymore. We’re going to live in another state, in a small town, and you’re going to go to school every day, and after school you’re going to come home and find there’s chores to be done. You’ll do them without complaining, and if I have to tell you a second time, you’re going on probation. It’s going to be our own form of three strikes and you’re out, except for you, my boy, it’s going to be three strikes and you’re in… Joliet, that is.”
Jonas rolled his eyes and looked out the window, giving me the cold shoulder. I knew he was formulating a new plan to get what he wanted, but we’d be moving fast enough he wouldn’t have a chance.
Jonas and I packed up what few possessions we had and managed to stuff them in the car. The truck was full of my tools. We rolled through a drive-up window and scored some burgers and fries and then we were headed northeast. Although it was dark by this point, I could see him watching the landscape as we zipped along I-94. He’d never been out of the big city, so it was all new to him.
“Where we going, anyway? Hooterville?”
“Lesson one. You talk to me with respect. I don’t want to hear you cussing. Not one word, not even in private. You are going to change overnight. Forget the old life, Jonas, you’re getting a clean start, and believe me when I say that doesn’t happen very often in life.” That was enough to shut him up.
At the edge of town, I found a motel with weekly rates. We’d start there and I’d keep my eye out for a house I could pick up for not too much. Then I’d make the improvements needed to turn it into a home. I’d do Lacy’s cottage first—and then it was my turn. I felt a whole lot more cheerful now that there was a plan in place.