Jake is here, he always seems to be here. Lurking around. I wonder what he’s been doing these last past five years. He’s chugging a beer, watching some trash reality television show when I enter. He doesn’t even look my way but waves his hand in acknowledgment. I kick my shoes off, my boots clunking loudly to the floor. He turns the television off, his attention coming to me. We’ve spoken, briefly, he knows in pieces about where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing. Just not the full story.
“Are they your rivals?” He knows what I’m talking about, and he nods his head.
“Once he died, I cut them off. They were pissed, but now I think about it, they weren’t pissed to the extent that they should’ve been. Thousands of dollars being taken away from them, I guess you’re the reason why that is?”
“He’s in hiding. Sax has been looking for me, he couldn’t find anything.” Jake nods his head in understanding.
“I have contacts, deep and bad contacts. Pres handled that, but I have it all now.”
“You told her you were clean?” He’s referring to what Rose has said about his club.
“That’s the only way she could handle being around us. We do good Black, but we also do a lot of bad… that hasn’t changed.”
“How big have you taken it, Jake?” Shipments, guns, drugs. His father was a legend, always under the radar. No one caught him, until me, Jake’s smile is anything but pleasant.
“The whole country.” I shake my head at him, he shouldn’t be delving deeper into this, he should be backing out.
“Use your contacts, find him!”
“I’m leaving, Black.”
That takes me by surprise. He can see it on my face, his head shakes back and forth. “It’s not for the best that I stay. They are yours, not my family.”
“They know you.” He stands and walks closer to me.
“She loves you.” He does love her. I see the pain in his eyes when he said that.
“He lied to you.”
“Who?”
“Your father.” He takes a step back from me, having no idea what I’m talking about.
“Robbie, the Police Officer. Does he look familiar to you?”
“No.”
“He should. You have the same father.” He takes a heavy breath, then turns to the wall and slams his fist straight through it, a large hole left behind and his knuckles are bleeding.
“Tell me you’re lying?”
“How do you think Ru knew where we were that night? Why do you reckon your father was never the primary suspect in any of the killings? I set them up to trap him. My plan was flawless, everything linked to him. Except, he had an insider, someone to cover for him, to get rid of evidence.”
“He’s in her house, right now.” Jake pulls his cut from my kitchen bench, his shoes in his hands, a gun under his shirt. Then he’s gone.
It doesn’t take me long to follow him. He’s off his bike and at her door when I pull up. She smiles when she sees him, but her smile drops when she sees me.
“Liam,” she says looking at me, then back to a murderous Jake. “Jake?”
He calls the kids, I watch as they listen to his commands and all come straight away, he tells Rose to grab her car keys. She goes to argue but sees the serious look on his face and runs in and is out in seconds. Jake doesn’t speak, just waves them to their car.
“Liam, what’s happening?” I haven’t seen her for a day—one day and she’s even more beautiful. The kids look to me for answers as well, answers I can’t give them.
“Leave, now.” She doesn’t question me, they’re pulling out in the car as soon as Jake removes his weapon.
Robbie emerges, his steps are slow. He’s fully dressed in his uniform, Jake’s current look is lost. He isn’t seeing clearly, he’s lost in the haze of murder. Robbie doesn’t enter his space, he keeps a safe distance from him, and I’m impressed.
“Jake…” His tone is anything but pleasant. He looks to me, sneers and looks back to Jake.
“Drop it,” Jake commands pointing to his gun. I didn’t even notice. Robbie has his hand wrapped around the barrel, holding it tightly. He shakes his head, telling him no.
“Whatever he said, it’s a lie.” Robbie looks at me with disgust. Jake’s eyes flick to me for a second then back to Robbie.
“You think Black would lie to me?” He doesn’t hesitate as he nods his head.
“He hates me and he’d do anything to make sure I stay away from Rose.” That’s true, I do hate him. I thought he was helping me last time when I was trying to find her, but he wasn’t. He was stalling.
“You think I’m dumb enough to tell a lie from the truth?” Robbie doesn’t answer straight away, he knows he needs to tread lightly. Jake is like a bomb, and he’s about to explode.
“Jake…” is all he says, trying to make him see reason.
“Do you know what they did to me?” He steps closer, his voice lower, I can just hear him from where I am. “And it’s all your fault, isn’t it? You’re the one who told them about her. You’re the one who said I was helping him. You’re the one…” His gun raises, Jake’s doesn’t. His stays exactly where it is, tucked into his pants. He isn’t afraid, I sometimes think he welcomes death. He gets a look in his eyes that says ‘bring it.’ He’s been through worse, he has, I know he has.
“He shouldn’t have been with her, he should have stayed away. I could’ve made her love me. I could have made her forget him.” The gun is now pointed at me, a gun in my direction is anything but smart.
“No, you couldn’t have. Those two are two brands of their own crazy, two fucked up that only they can feed it.” Then his gun drops, and a cry screams from him. Jake turns to me, shakes his head, his gaze lifting. “Did you have to shoot him?” I shrug my shoulders. I did, he shouldn’t have pointed a gun at me. “Look, you need to leave if you are gonna shoot him again, it’s not your turn.” Robbie starts moaning from clutching his hand.
“I didn’t even shoot him in a good spot,” I say pointing to the sack of shit on the ground, clutching his hand like a bitch.
“I don’t care, it’s not your turn. It’s mine.” I shrug my shoulders at him, he steps closer. “Black, keep your hand off the trigger or go home.”
“Even if he points it at me again?” I question him.
“Yes.”
“Even if he points it at you?”
“Yes.”
“Even if I am sick of his face.”
“Black…” I raise my hands.
“Got it, no more shooting the dickwads.” He nods his head like he’s happy, then walks back to Robbie and lifts him by the shirt and pushes him into my car.
“Hey, I don’t want blood in my car.”
“You shouldn’t have fucking shot him then.”
True. Next time all he will see will be my bullet.