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Raptor

“This Raptor?” asked the voice on the other
end.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got a package for me?”

I glanced at my saddle bag. “I do.”

“Meet me at your house. In twenty minutes,” he
said and then hung up.

He knew where I lived. I wasn’t sure how I felt
about that. Yeah, we were brothers, but he was still The Judge and something
told me that blood meant nothing to him, unless he was getting paid to spill
it.

Sighing, I got on my bike and tied a red and
white bandana around my head. Then I headed home.

***

Adriana

“Oh good. You’re here,” said my mother, as I
stepped into the busy shop. She was showing a young couple some diamond
engagement rings. “I sent Gerald home, already. Could you help Mrs. Jacobs
clean her jewelry?” She nodded toward the back of the shop, where and elderly
woman was waiting. “Tim and I are both just too busy, at the moment.”

I looked across the room at Tim, who many said
looked like Zac Efron’s twin brother. He was surrounded by three-teenaged girls
who appeared to be interested in both the charm bracelets and the young guy
behind the counter.

“Sure. No problem.”

“Hi, Adriana,” said Tim as I walked by him. He
looked at me over his shoulder and gave me dimpled smile.

“Hi, Tim.”

“You look lovely today. Hey,” he squinted. “Is
that a new necklace? It’s gorgeous.”

“It’s not new. By the way, you’re looking
pretty swanky yourself. Tell whoever’s dressing you that they have amazing
taste.”

He winked. “I certainly will.” As usual, he was
dressed to the nines in a black tailored suit. His boyfriend, Juan, worked at
Macy’s, and had excellent taste in fashion. From what I understood, he selected
all of Tim’s clothes and wouldn’t let him step out of the house without
approving his clothing choices.

I hung up my coat on the hook, behind the
counter, and began helping Mrs. Jacobs. When her jewelry was cleaned, she asked
to look at some earrings that were in the case.

“These are so lovely,” she said, trying on a
set of pearl ones. “I keep looking at them, every time I visit your shop.” She
sighed. “I should just get them.”

“I would. They’re beautiful, and they’re not
lab-created,” I told her. “Thus the price. You’re going to pay for quality and
Vanda goes to great lengths to make sure that we sell the finest pearl earrings
in Iowa.”

“Yes, I believe it. I do know that you get what
you pay for, too. I’ve learned that over the years.”

I nodded.

“The price is reasonable. I keep waiting for
them to go down, though.”

“We had a sale last week,” I whispered, leaning
forward. “Twenty-percent off. If you want the earrings, I’ll do what I can to
get you that same deal. I know the owner and I’m pretty sure she’ll okay it.”

She smiled. “If you can do that, I’ll take them,
for sure.”

I winked. “Let’s wrap them up so you can take
them home.”

“Thank you, Adriana. I’m going to tell your
boss that you’re a ‘keeper’.”

I laughed. “Thank you. Hopefully, she’ll
believe you.”

“You two are having fun over here,” said Vanda,
walking over to us after ringing up her couple. “I like that.”

“A happy customer is a return customer,” said
Mrs. Jacobs. “And you know, I keep coming back.”

“And we are thrilled that you do,” she replied
and then looked down at the earrings. “Ah, you’re getting them. The ones you’ve
been eyeing for weeks. I just marked them down, too. Perfect timing.”

My eyes widened. “You did?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I took twenty-percent off
last night.”

“So, I’m getting forty-percent off of the
original price?” raved Mrs. Jacobs, grinning. “My goodness. This is really my
day!”

My mother’s eyebrows shot up and she looked at
me.

I laughed nervously. “I promised her
twenty-percent off the current price. Sorry, I didn’t know you’d already
lowered it.”

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she
wasn’t too happy with me, but she faked it for Mrs. Jacobs. “It’s quite
alright.” She winked at the older woman. “I guess this
is
your lucky
day, isn’t it? Well, I don’t know who deserves it more than you. I really do
appreciate all of the business you’ve given me, Mrs. Jacobs. All of us do.”

“Call me, Mary.”

“Mary. Thank you, Mary,” she replied.

The phone in the store rang and Tim answered
it.

“Adriana, it’s for you,” he said, putting the
caller on hold.

“I’m with a customer,” I said. “Can you take a
message?”

“It’s okay. I’ll ring her up,” said my mother.
“Take your call.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Enjoy your earrings, Mary.
They look lovely on your ears.”

She touched her ears. “Thank you, Adriana.”

Smiling, I walked over and grabbed the phone.

“Hello?”

The caller didn’t say anything.

“Hello? This is Adriana. Can I help you?”

I heard the distinct sound of a lighter being
flicked. Then someone inhaled what I could only imagine to be a cigarette. Then
they blew it out.

“Hello?”  I said, getting frustrated. “I’m
going to hang up if you’ve got nothing to say to me.”

The sound of man’s deep laughter made my blood
turn cold.

I gripped the phone tightly. “Who is this?”

The person hung up.

My hand was shaking when I placed the phone
back on the receiver. I knew who it was. I could tell by his coarse, evil laughter.

Breaker.

“Who was that?” asked Tim, looking concerned.

I forced a smile. “Wrong number.”

“That’s strange because the man actually asked
for you.”

“Huh,” I said, moving around the counter and
toward the front of the shop.

“Where you going?” called my mom.

I didn’t reply. I walked to the front door and
glanced outside, terrified of what I’d find.

“Is there something wrong?” asked Jim

“I don’t know,” I said, looking around the
parking lot. There were six cars, including mine, but no menacing black truck.
I relaxed a little.

Jim stood up. “You’re worrying me, Adriana,” he
said, looking out the window himself. “Is there something we should know?”

He was like a hawk. He noticed everything and
trusted nobody, outside of my mother and me. He even had a hard time trusting
Tim and Gerald. It made him an excellent security guard. “No,” I replied,
turning to him. “Everything is fine. Really.”

At least I hoped.

Vanda approached us. “What’s wrong?” she
whispered frantically. “Why didn’t you answer me?”

“I’m sorry and nothing is wrong, Mom.”

She didn’t look like she believed me. “Who was
on the phone? Tim said you looked like you’d seen a ghost.”

I managed a smiled. “Oh, well that was just a
crank call. Some punk kid. Where is Mrs. Jacobs?” I asked looking behind her.

“Bathroom. I think she’s used it more than me,”
said Vanda, chuckling.

“That’s what happens when you get old,” said
Jim, who was pushing fifty himself. “Leaky faucets and rusty pipes.”

“You’re not old,” replied Mom. “And I’m sure
your pipes are working just fine.”

His face turned red and he smiled. “Easy for
you to say. You look like Adriana’s sister, not mother.”

“Flattery will get you ten-percent over-cost on
something for your own mother,” she replied, grinning. “Come Mother’s Day.”

He laughed. “I’ll hold you to it.”

Vanda chuckled.

“I’m going into the back for a quick cup of
coffee. Would either of you ladies like me to grab you any?” he asked.

“No,” I replied. “I’m fine.”

“No, thank you, Jim,” said Vanda. “I’ve had enough
cups myself, today.”

“Let me know if you change your mind,” he said,
walking away.

Vanda watched him leave and then turned to me. “Oh,”
she said, reaching over to my necklace. She lifted up the sapphire. “You wore
your father’s necklace. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it.”

I looked down. “I guess that I couldn’t stop
thinking about Dad, this morning.”

Her eyes grew moist and she smiled. “He was
such a good man.”

“He was. The best.”

She looked outside again and then back to my
necklace. “I must admit, it makes me a little nervous – you wearing it out in
the open. It’s very expensive and not exactly… subtle.”

“I know. I probably shouldn’t have,” I
admitted. “It’s just… I wanted to feel close to him today.”

“I understand,” she replied, glancing down at
her wedding band that she refused to remove, even though he’d been gone for the
last seven years. “I wouldn’t dream of taking this off.”

“I’m sure if you did, though, Dad would be okay
with it.”

Her eyes widened. “Why would I ever take it
off?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know… I mean, you’re only
forty-seven. You might fall in love again.”

“I’ve been in love. I don’t need to replace
your father.”

“Don’t you get lonely?” I asked.

She patted me on the shoulder and turned to
walk away. “I have you, Adriana. I’m never lonely.”

“I know, but-”

“Let it rest,” she interrupted. “We’ve been
through this conversation before. I’m content with my life.”

I sighed. We
had
been through it before
and she was always so stubborn. I knew that if she opened her eyes, she’d see
that Jim had a thing for her. But, that was Vanda. She was so obstinate.

The phone rang again and I jumped. This time,
fortunately, it was for Tim.

Raptor

When I arrived home, I left my bike in the driveway,
unlocked the door, and went inside. When I reached the kitchen, a man was
waiting for me at the table. He was dressed in a long, black leather overcoat
and wore gloves.

“You Raptor?” he asked pointing his nine
millimeter at me.

“Yeah, who the fuck are you?”

He put the gun down on the table. “You’re
smart. Figure it out.”

“Jesus Christ, how the fuck did you get in
here?” I snapped, not too happy that he’d made himself at home and was drinking
one of my beers.

The Judge, who had dark hair and light blue
eyes smirked. “Back door. Used the key hidden under the pot with the dead
Begonias. Did anyone ever tell you to water your flowers?”

I frowned. “I didn’t hide a spare key, there.”

“Then you’d better figure out who did.”

Brandy.

It had to be her. It was even her flower pot.

“I need to change my fucking locks,” I said,
staring at him, trying to find some kind of resemblance. From what I could,
there wasn’t anything other than maybe the eye color.

“That mine?” he asked, nodding to the package
in my arm.

“Yeah.” I handed it to him. “It’s all there.”

He opened it up and pulled out the folder, with
Breaker’s information. “I don’t need this,” he said, tossing it aside. Then he
pulled out the bundles of money and counted them. “Looks like it’s all here,”
he said before standing up.

“So, when are you going to do it?”  

“Do what?” he asked, walking toward the kitchen
door.

“Kill the fucker?”

He stopped abruptly and then turned around to
face me. His smile was cold. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. Murder is a
crime, Kid. You should know that.”

“I’m not your fucking, ‘kid’,” I said, not
appreciating his condescending bullshit.  

“Relax,
Brother,”
he said, smirking
again.
“Didn’t your daddy ever teach you the importance of self-control?”

“My old man’s idea of self-control was waiting
until seven a.m. for his first shot of whiskey.” I said. “From what I hear,
your old man wasn’t much better,
Jordan
.”

I thought he’d be pissed, but instead, he
surprised me. “See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he replied, removing one of his
gloves. He lifted his right hand and even I had to wince at the scars. “He
demanded self-control. As you can see, I learned it early on.”

“That’s from acid, isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Looks like ‘Dear Old Ma’
sure knew how to pick ‘em.”

I smirked. “No shit. Have you met her?”

“No,” he said, putting the glove back on. “And
I really don’t care to.”

“I haven’t seen her in years, myself.”

“Lucky you,” he said, walking out of the
kitchen.

I followed him. “What happens now?”

“I leave,” he said, turning around. There was a
look of mirth in his eyes. “Why?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Did you want to ask
me anything?”

“About what?”

“We’re brothers. Thought you’d be curious.”

“It’s only blood, Kid,” he said, heading down
the steps. “Don’t get hung up on it.”

I didn’t know what else to say. It was obvious
that he wasn’t interested in shooting the shit, but that didn’t stop me from
being curious. “See you around?”

He grunted. “In my occupation, you’d better
hope that you don’t.”

I stared at him.

He grinned and then left.

I pulled out my cell phone. “He’s paid,” I told
Slammer.

“He say when it’s going to happen?”

“No. In fact, he acted like he didn’t know what
the fuck I was even talking about when I asked him the same thing.”

“That’s the way he is. Okay, get your ass to
the chapel. Meeting is going to start in thirty minutes.”

“I’ll be there.”

He hung up.

I put my phone away and went around the house,
checking the locks. Then I went outside and found the key he’d replaced, under
the flower pot. I stuck it in my pocket, threw the flower pot away, and left
for the clubhouse.

***

Slammer smacked the gavel and called the
meeting to order. There were nineteen of us, in the Jensen Chapter, plus three
prospects hoping to be patched. The prospects were absent, as they weren’t
allowed at the meetings, for obvious reasons.

It was most of the same stuff, with the
treasurer going over our finances, new correspondences, and then us voting on
prospects. When that was finished, Slammer made a surprising announcement.

“You’ve all have heard, by now, what happened
to my Old Lady’s daughter,” he said, staring down at his folded hands.  “And
about my meeting with Mud, last night.”

“How did that go?” asked Horse.

“Actually, it didn’t go very well. But, that’s
already old news.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, wondering where he
was going with this.

He grinned. “Well, today, we talked and I think
we’ve cleared up our issues. We even called a truce.”

“No shit?” said Chopper.

“That’s right,” he replied, smiling around at
everyone. I had to give him credit, he was smooth when he wanted to be. “The
shit between us is all smoothed over. We’re good.”

“What about Breaker?” asked Horse.

His smile faltered. “Well, as usual, my fucking
temper got the best of me, when I first found out about the incident. But, we
all know that you can’t go pointing fingers without evidence. Truth is, we have
no proof that Breaker is the one who attacked Jessica. Could have been a number
of fuckers. Hell, she’s not even sure herself, who did it.”

“But they were wearing a cut that matched the
Devil’s Ranger,” said Chopper, looking frustrated. “Come one, Prez. You know
that one of them did it. You fucking know they did.”

“I have to agree with Slammer,” said Buck. “Unless
we know for sure who did it, we can’t go killing people without proof. Can’t
kill an innocent man for another man’s sins.”

“Yeah, but, he’s the only one who’s done time
for rape,” said Chopper.

“You know this, how?” asked Slammer.

Chopper grunted. “I’m your Intelligence
Officer, come on. It didn’t take me long to find this shit out.”

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t,” he replied.

“You sure you want to let this go?” asked Horse.

“Like I said before, no proof. Plus, I gave Mud
my word that none of the Gold Vipers would touch Breaker,” he replied. He
looked at me and then the others. “And I plan on keeping my word. There will be
no retaliation. No revenge, no nothing. Understood?”

 We all agreed.