Guard My Heart Page 5

  He puts his hands on my chest, but he doesn’t push me away.

  “Fuck off, Kyle. I just saw my best friend being shot. I have to tell his wife he’s dead. His three-year-old will grow up without a daddy. I don’t need your bitch fit,” Mike says defeated. “I bought us some time alright. It’s more than what you did,” he adds.

  I let go of his throat and sit down next to Jonah. He seems tired, worn out. Jonah is going to run. I can feel it. He is going to take Mary, the Sunday school teacher, and run away. If I was smart, I would do the same, but how do I explain to Mia and Mom that we have to move? And with what fucking money?

  “I’m going home. Tomorrow is my last day of school, and if I’m not dead, I’m heading to the beach the day after. Text me,” I say before walking down the street and away from the chaos that has become my life.

  DAY SIX

  When Mom comes to wake me, I’m already dressed. I thank her for the coffee and sip it on my way downstairs. I don’t wait for Mia and decide to walk to school. The black SUV is again parked on the other side of the street. I can’t see shit inside the vehicle, but I flip the bird to whomever the unlucky bastard assigned to watch over an 18-year-old kid is. Fuck them. Fuck the whole lot of them.

  I stop by the community center before school. It’s still closed this time of the morning, but Dominic, the guy who runs the center, stays in a small wooden cabin on the premises. I’m not sure why I’m here, but Dominic has helped me before. He took me in when I got kicked off the school martial arts team. Gave me a teaching post, working with some of the kids from the area. He also taught me some of the MMA moves that they don’t teach in high school. I went with Dominic to my first MMA fight; he’s like an older brother to me. I knock on the wooden door of the small cabin. After the second knock the door swings open.

  “Kyle—” Dominic starts but stops. Something on my face must tell him there’s a big problem, because he steps aside and holds the door open for me.

  “Talk,” Dominic says around the cigarette in his mouth.

  “Danny Migelli,” I say. I watch Dominic’s face. I need to be sure I came to the right place. But his face betrays nothing, complete poker face.

  “Danny Migelli,” I say again.

  “I heard ya,” Dominic says, sitting down on his double bed. There’s not much space in the cabin. It’s only one room. Bedroom, lounge, and kitchen all in one area, a small bathroom to the back.

  “Reno Parker. Go see Reno Parker. And do it now. Don’t go to school, don’t go home, and don’t take a piss until you speak to Reno Parker,” he says, standing up and shaking my shoulders.

  “Okay.”

  Dominic scribbles an address on an old envelope and hands it to me.

  “Thank you,” I say, stuffing the envelope in my jean pocket.

  “Thank me if you don’t wake up dead tomorrow,” he says on a smirk.

  I shake my head and walk out the small door.

  When I get to the corner, I look up and down the street, and when I’m sure the black SUV isn’t following me, I get my cell out and phone a taxi.

  When the taxi turns onto a gravel road and the tiny peddles bounce off the side of the car, rounds of fear uncoil in my stomach like a snake ready to strike. Déjà vu hits me so hard my stomach flips its shit and I almost puke all over the back seat. We stop at the big iron gate blocking the drive.

  “One,” I say out loud.

  “What?” the driver asks looking at me in his rearview mirror.

  “Nothing,” I say back. I open the door and climb out.

  “Hey, you have to pay me,” he calls after me.

  “Right, shit,” I say, backtracking to his window.

  I hand him a bill, not even checking what it is, and head for the intercom built into the wall surrounding the property.

  This is the same place we were last night. I can hear the dogs all the way from here. Why would Dominic send me to the same people I’m trying to get away from? My head is so messed up. I don’t know who to trust. But I’ve always trusted Dominic in the past, he has been like an older brother to me. I don’t know for certain, but I think he’s done this before, before he changed his life around. He wouldn’t send me to my death. Would he?

  I take a big breath and press the button.

  “Hello? Parker residence?” A female voice thick with an Italian accent creaks over the speaker. She sounds so unsure of herself. Like she isn’t sure where she is.

  My lungs ache, and the air I wasn’t aware I was trapping in my lungs rushes out of my mouth. I clear my throat and speak into the microphone.

  “I'm here to see Mr. Parker,” I say, trying to sound like I’m supposed to be here.

  “Okay,” the lady says.

  And with a heavy click, the gate starts rolling back. That was easy. I walk down the long driveway past a big three-tier fountain with various colored fish swimming around the bottom level. The water I heard last night. To the left there are two Rottweilers barking furiously. The same dogs I heard last night. Their mouths dripping thick saliva down their muzzles. I don’t want to make friends with those beasts.

  I count the stairs. One, Two, Three, Four, Five. When I get to the top step the heavy, dark wood door opens slowly. A short, old, Italian woman smiles up at me. She nods her head at me and motions for me to follow her. I do, because I doubt she’s going to whip out ninja stars or a samurai sword on my ass.

  Ten steps down the passage and there’s a door to my left. Goosebumps dance over my skin; I know what happened behind that door. Where was this woman last night? She leads me further down the passage. Five more steps and a turn to the right. There are pictures of a man and a woman with long blonde hair on the wall. In one, the blonde woman is staring lovingly at the man next to her, but he is looking to the left of the camera with a heavy scowl on his face. Next to that picture is another picture of a young boy with light hair. He is smiling brightly at the camera; a big black dog sits next to the boy. The rest of the wall decorations are art. Expensive looking art.

  The small woman stops in front of a door and knocks softly.

  “Come in,” a deep male voice calls from the other side.

  The woman opens the door and steps inside.

  “Mr. Parker, you have a visitor,” she says, gesturing towards me with a big smile on her face.

  “Damn it, Emily!” The old woman jumps from the loud bark directed at her. “How many times have I told you not to let anybody in here? Where is Danny?” Mr. Parker asks her sternly.

  Emily’s old face crumples, and her eyes fill with tears.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Parker. Danny he is in the bathroom. I saw the boy on the television screen. I didn’t know,” she says shrugging her frail old shoulders.

  “That’s all, Emily. You can go now.” Reno Parker is a man who demands discipline. His body radiates authority, but there is softness in his eye when he speaks to the old woman.

  Emily hangs her head and retreats through the open door. I stand rooted to the spot. Luck put Emily at that screen. If it was Danny Migelli or any of his goons, I wouldn’t be standing here. I say a silent prayer and take a step forward.

  “Kyle, what can I do for you?” Reno Parker asks.

  “I, uh. What?” I say, buying time to sort out my jumbled thoughts. Wait, he said my name. He knows who I am?

  “I know everything that happens in this house. And everything that idiot nephew of mine does. My question is, why are you here?” he asks, staring at me.

  “A friend said you could help.” I snap my mouth shut. I don’t know what it would mean for Dominic if I tell Reno Parker that he’s who sent me.

  “Why would I help you? You owe me money,” he says not taking his eyes off me.

  I break eye contact first and look at the room around me. Like I’ll find the answer to my survival written on the wall. This room looks the same as the one from last night. But where the other room had a thick carpet on the floor, this one is outfitted in glistening red wood. It gives the
room an old and classical look. Yeah, I’m definitely in a Bond movie now.

  “Come on, boy. You are wasting my time and time is money. You don’t want to be more indebted to me than you already are.”

  I clear my throat and swallow hard, trying to get my dry mouth to work.

  “I need help. Danny Migelli is going to kill my mother and my sister. I need help,” I say, raising my hands then dropping them helplessly to my side. I feel like crying, but I won’t let the stinging moisture behind my eyes form into the tiny droplets that will expose my weakness.

  For this man to believe I’ll be of any use to him, he needs to believe I’m tough. That I’m brave. And I am. I’ve just had a really shitty week.

  “Why would I help you?” he asks.

  And why should he? What do I have to offer him? I’m here because I’m going against his nephew for crying out loud. Blood is thicker than water. I’m going to die. No, my family is going to die. That thought strengthens my resolve. No. Fuck that. For ten years we’ve merely been breathing, now it’s time to live. It’s time to be alive.

  I suck in a deep breath and look him straight in the eye.

  “Because I will do anything. I will owe you everything,” I say as slow and steady as I can.

  “You already owe me, Kyle. The question is, how far will you go? My nephew and I don’t get along that well. He is a reckless fool. Killing and whoring like he runs this town. I run this town, but Danny, he’s gotten money hungry. He wants the key to my throne. Will you kill for your family?”

  I run his words through my brain. Filtering the information. He wants me to kill his nephew? Why doesn’t he just do it himself?

  “Why?” I ask. “Why don’t you kill him yourself?”

  “Ah, that’s the right question. His father. You see, Danny and his father aren’t close. I took Danny in when he got tossed out of his father’s empire. But his father is a powerful man, and I think the two of them are conspiring my demise. If I kill him, I will start a war,” Reno Parker says with a glint of maliciousness in his eye.

  “But if I kill him, how will I know my family will be safe? Who will protect me?”

  “That’s another good question. No one. You will die. Your family will be safe because you will be dead. Your life will belong to me,” he says.

  That’s bullshit. I don’t want to die. Plus, that’s two sacrifices for one. I have to kill his nephew and give my life to him for my family’s safety. I turn to leave but stop in my tracks. I can’t be selfish. Mia and Mom will be safe. What is my life for theirs? I started this mess. I should end it.

  “Okay,” I say.

  “You would die for your family?”

  “Yes.”

  The decision was easy, the consequence was death. Never have I made an easier decision or one of more importance.

  ***

  I swear I can feel the cold steel of the gun right through my pillow. I’m in my room, waiting for the text from Pete telling us where to meet Danny Migelli. Reno Parker told me to send a text to Pete telling him I have the bag. Then he stuffed a black backpack in my hand and sent me on my way. I found a gun inside when I got home.

  I’ve packed my bag for my trip. I don’t know if I’ll get on that bus tomorrow. I don’t know if I’ll make it home. I don’t know anything. Reno Parker only told me to kill his nephew and continue as normal. Then I wait to die. He said my life would be his. My life for my mom and my sister. Easy trade, dire consequence.

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

  The sound of my cell going off jerks me into a sitting position. My heart fights in my chest. The little spike of adrenaline makes my head spin.

  Pete.

  “Warehouse, now. Bring the bag.”

  “No. Send me the address,” I text back. I can’t risk Pete checking the bag.

  “Don’t fuck with me, Kyle.”

  “Send me the address.” I send again.

  “I’m sending the boys to your house,” he texts back.

  “Just send me the fucking address. They might be followed. Let them meet me there.”

  “Town library. Move your ass.”

  I slip the gun into the back of my jeans and sling the empty bag over my shoulder. It’s 10 p.m. and the house is quiet. The light in Mom’s room is on. The stepdad hasn’t been around in two days, thank fuck. The TV is on in the lounge, and Mia and Jenna are watching some chick flick. I slip past them as quietly as possible and leave through the back door.

  The thirty minute walk to the library is the longest walk of my life. When I turn the corner, the shadowy front of the library comes into view. The black van is already waiting for me. When I step under the first light post, Mike and Jonah get out of the van and meet me on the front steps of the library. I’m sure we look just as suspicious as this feels. I extend my hand to Mike, and he reaches out hesitantly, but then he closes the space between us and shakes my hand. He frowns at me then steps back and shoves his hand into his pocket. I stretch my hand to Jonah, and he shakes it without hesitating.

  “So where did you get the bag? Or did you have it the whole time?” Jonah asks me.

  “What? You were lying next to me in that truck. Where would I have hidden this big bag? In my ass?” I ask sarcastically.

  “Nah, I didn’t mean it like that,” he says shaking his head. The dimly-lit light casts shadows over his face, but it doesn’t mask the fear in his eyes. I’m terrified, but I’m not letting them know that.

  The black SUV pulls into the parking lot of the library.

  I look at Mike then at Jonah, boyfriend of the Sunday school teacher named Mary. Trust, it all comes down to trust. “Whatever happens here, don’t go back to the warehouse,” I say to the both of them.

  Before they can say anything, Danny Migelli gets out of the van. He adjusts his tie and looks over at us with a bored look on his face. The big Asian guy gets out next with another guy behind him. Then Pete gets out. “What the fuck?” Jonah growls out next to me. Is Pete working with Migelli? Pete was one person I didn’t expect to see here, but it makes what I have to do so much easier. Pete follows the three men up the steps until I can see the fear in his eyes. I doubt my earlier thought. If he is working with Migelli, he isn’t in the boss’s good books right now. The tension is thick in the air. It threatens to climb down my throat and strangle my lungs.

  Danny Migelli steps forward until he is staring right in my face and his boots touch my sneakers. He breathes his rancid breath at me and smiles. He’s testing me; he thinks he can scare me off. But I’m not going anywhere. I adjust the strap of the backpack on my shoulder, and his eyes fall on the bag. His smile droops into an unsure curl of his lips, but he fixes it quickly. Danny Migelli takes his eyes off me for a second to look at Pete. I move fast. I yank the gun out of my jeans. Danny Migelli starts to say something to Pete, but he swings his eyes back to me at my movement.

  “Boo,” I say before I pull the trigger. His blood splatters on my face, soaking into my skin and tainting my soul. The kick back of the gun shocks me, but I swing the gun in the direction of the Asian guy. I don’t aim. I squeeze and fire off my second bullet. Mike takes out the third guy, shooting him between the eyes. Jonah empties his magazine into Pete’s torso. I check Danny Migelli. He’s dead. The first part of my deal is done.

  I turn around and walk back the way I came, ignoring Mike and Jonah calling me. I make it to the corner before I hear tires pealing on the road and heading in the opposite direction.

  DAY SEVEN

  My name is Kyle. I’m just a normal guy. I was just a normal guy. Now I’m a killer. A cold-blooded murderer. Would I do it again? Yes.

  I feel out of place standing in the line, waiting to board the bus. Our bags have been loaded. I keep waiting for something to happen. For the police to show up. For Danny Migelli’s father to show up, but nothing. Nothing happens.

  I stare out the window and watch the landscape fly by. The colors blur from green to yellow and brown. Jenna is sitting next to me. Her head res
ts on my shoulder. Mia is on my other side, music blaring through her ear phones. What would they do if they knew? Would Jenna still sit so close to me? I will never be good enough for her. Not now. But I still have one more thing to do. I must die. The thought frightens me. I spent the whole night trying to figure out a way to escape death, but I know if I cross Reno Parker, I would have killed Danny Migelli for nothing. A life would’ve been wasted, a useless life, but a life none the less. And he would hunt us down until he found us. I’m sure Reno Parker’s influence runs far and wide.

  “Boo.” Danny Migelli’s eyes go wide. Shock and disbelief flash in the murky depths. The crack of the bullet squeezing through the barrel. The slight recoil of the gun, kicking my hand back. Danny Migelli’s blood splattering against my face in a warm, sticky mess. The sick thud of his lifeless body hitting the hard cement floor. I jerk awake and Jenna lifts her head from my shoulder.

  “Are you okay?” she asks softly. Her eyes dart between mine. I look down, afraid that she’ll she my secret if she looks too closely.

  I clear my throat and sit forward in my seat. I pretend to look out of the window.

  “We’re here,” I say pointing at the ocean through the window.

  She wipes her eyes with the long sleeve of her top and follows my finger.

  “Yay!” she squeals and leans over me to shake Mia awake. The soft, sweet fragrance of her hair fills my nostrils, and I close my eyes. I file that sweet smell into a compartment deep in the recesses of my brain.

  Mia groans and swats Jenna’s hand away. Mia’s hand hits me in the chest, and I grab hold of her wrist before she can do anymore damage. My black eye is barely visible now, I don’t need a refresher. Mom almost had a heart attack when she saw my face the next morning. After assuring her that I would be more careful sparring at the community center, she let it go. Yes, I lied. Again. You do that for the people you love. You lie, you kill. You die. The long tendrils of my nightmare threaten to cloud my brain again, and I shake my head hard. Jenna giggles, assuming it’s because of the sucker punch I got from my sister. Ignorance is bliss. I’m not going to set her straight.