Pay Up and Die (7 page)

Chapter 12

“It’s your turn to say grace, Chloe. Why don’t you begin so we can eat this scrumptious meal your beautiful mother prepared for us tonight.” Derrick smiled at Chloe who was seated to his left at the table. A roast duck with asparagus and honey-baked yams before them.

“Okay, Daddy.” Chloe said excitedly. She awkwardly swiped her hair from her face, closed her eyes tight and began with her hands together in front of her yellow dress. “God we thank You for this food. For rest and home and all things good. For wind and rain and sun above. But most of all for those we love. Amen.” She looked back to her father for approval.

“Well done, sweetie. You are such a good girl.” He winked at her and she beamed with a smile as large as a Cheshire cat. “Now would you please pass the duck to your mother? She slaved away all day on this splendid dish and it is only fair that she eat first, no?” Chloe nodded emphatically and struggled to hand the heavy plate of duck to Rachel. Rachel grasped the plate before it tipped on the table and smiled lovingly at Derrick. She loved his charm and how he treated all family dinners as formal occasions. She found it so cute.

“Daddy, I got a A+ in math today and Mrs. Margera said that I had the highest score and Debbie Catalano was so jealous and she wouldn’t talk to me at recess because I beat her score,” Madison hustled out without a breath or pause.

“Fantastic! I always said that my little women were the brightest and the most beautiful in all of New Jersey.” Derrick paused while scooping yams onto his dish to declare this fact. He passed the plate to Chloe and gazed upon his wife. Rachel was dressed semi-formally to match his suit. She had on an elegant blue, strapless top which clung to her full breasts. Her slender neck was adorned with the heart-shaped diamond necklace he gave her last Valentine’s Day. And her silky, dark hair was gracefully pulled up, accentuated by a curl on each side that kissed her sculpted cheekbones. He thought how stunning she looked, especially right now.

The girls took turns going back and forth across the table about Debbie Catalano and of course little Danny Harper who had a crush on Madison but sometimes got her confused with Chloe. They both liked to toy with him when he got confused, sharpening their game at a young age for when they were teenagers. Derrick loved to listen to his princesses and their tales. The girls were so different and yet so similar beyond the fact that they were twins. Madison was more mature-acting and seemed to have an air of seriousness about her studies and her goals in life. She already knew that she wanted to be a professional dancer when she grew up and often dreamed out loud about starring on Broadway. On the other hand, Chloe was more childish and had a funny sense of humor. She definitely had a unique view of the world around her and was more attracted to goofing off and playing games. She could care less about her future profession or even anything beyond the moment she was in. She could be fiery too if she lost her temper. She was definitely from his side of the family.

When the girls had run out of stories from their day at school and who was saying what behind someone else’s back, Rachel began her daily updates. The gardener saved her favorite patio plant and she gave him an extra fifty dollars because it meant so much to her. And Jodi Wasserman stopped by this afternoon to tell her that the social club was planning a big welcome home event for the Stevens since they have been out of the country for over two months. They figured what better excuse to throw a huge ball at the country club than to welcome back the life of the group’s party. So she would need some extra cash to secure the caterer and a new DJ since the one they usually hired was arrested recently for possession and they didn’t want those kinds of people associated with the club. Derrick ate slowly and just soaked in her beauty. He could stare at her forever. He really couldn’t figure out why someone so lovely like her would choose to be with him. But he thanked his luck and worked hard to give her anything she wanted. He would do anything for her.

While he was lost in thoughts, Rachel mentioned running into Stephanie Wright at the post office. As soon as he heard Stephanie’s name he turned his thoughts to Michael. He smiled and nodded to pretend he was still listening to Rachel but his blood began to boil, recalling the incident in his office yesterday. How could he embarrass Derrick like that? In front of a customer. After all he had done for Michael over the years. He felt betrayed and was bent on getting even. Moves like that could slow down the debt collection which was a critical part of his plan to land the job as CEO. Nothing could derail those plans, especially Wright. Heck, he just saved his ass from Martin Pike, his own personal debt collector. Martin is a sick bastard and would have carved Michael up and left his dying daughter and family to nothing. What had Michael done for that family besides rack up huge debt and not save for the future? What kind of animal doesn’t take care of his own flesh and blood? How can a real man look himself in the mirror knowing that he couldn’t provide the best of life’s treats to his precious family? Michael Wright, that’s who, he thought. He suddenly lost his appetite and looked at his watch. It was getting late and he needed to meet up with Martin about this shortly.

Derrick wiped his mouth and folded his cloth napkin over the plate. Rachel had finished speaking and Derrick excused himself to go to the gym for a quick workout. He said he needed to sweat off the calories of his delicious meal and he circled the table, giving each girl a peck on the head. He saved Rachel for last and he kissed her for a prolonged second on the lips. He brushed his hand down her shoulder and she closed her eyes, smiling and leaning her head into his arm. Derrick left the dining room and went upstairs to change into his gym clothes. He had to at least look like he was going to the gym so nobody thought anything different.

Chapter 13

Derrick pulled into a parking spot across the street from the duck pond. It was almost completely dark now but he could make out the faint outline of a hulking man on the bench. Besides, he had seen that stupid truck parked up the street and around the corner. At least Martin is trying to be less obvious this time around, Derrick thought. But he was reckless two nights ago at the park in Dumont.

Derrick arrived at the bench and stopped before the seated man. He needed to set the tone immediately. “Your actions the other night were out of line. I don’t pay you to have your sick jollies. I pay you to get the job done, quickly, cleanly and quietly.” He glared down at the huge man.

Martin kept tossing crackers into the dark duck pond with no ducks on the water. He never once looked at the banker the whole time he approached, nor did he look at him now. His disheveled dark hair itched him, so he paused to scratch his head with one of the crackers. Then tossed it into the pond.

“Whatever.” Derrick said as the debt collector never responded. He sat down on the bench next to Martin. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and stared off into the woods beyond the pond. “The board meeting is coming up and I need things to go smoothly if I am to get that promotion. Do you understand the stakes here?”

“Nice track suit.” Martin finally spoke in a raspy voice. He continued to fling crackers into the pond. There was a flotilla of white crackers piled up near the water’s edge.

Derrick chuckled and looked down at this workout gear. “Yeah, well you wouldn’t know about pretending so your family stays safe since you live alone like an animal, wearing the same garbage flannel shirts and old jeans. You’re pathetic.”

“I like my clothes. They keep me warm and I know them intimately. When they lose their usefulness then I will bury them like all the people you send me.” Martin hinted at his notion of losing usefulness dealing with Derrick.

“Don’t threaten me, asshole. I call the shots here and I pay you good money so you shut the fuck up and you do the work. End of story. I am your boss and you do what I ask.” Derrick stood up and glared down at Martin. He got angry but a part of his gut was nervously telling him to shut his own mouth. As a leader, Derrick knew he had to sometimes face down scary situations and brave it out. This was one of those situations.

The debt collector despised Derrick. He had done his bidding for years and the money he earned was not as “good” as the banker believed. He knew he could earn more doing the same work for some mafia guys or pimp or drug dealer. But Martin liked the way that Graves left him alone, to his own devices, as long as he got the work done. Graves was low-maintenance compared to his other options. However, he was growing tired of being talked down to. He was a man, not a dog. One of these days he would show Graves what it meant to bend to the boss. “Tell me about this job.” He succumbed to the will of the banker. For now.

“I need you to put a little scare job into one of my employees. Someone who I need to keep quiet until the board meeting takes place. This one is different though. I don’t want him dead. I actually like this guy on some level. We go back a few years, but he needs to understand that there is a line that must not be crossed.” Derrick sat back against the bench. He reached into his sweat jacket and pulled out a small stack of cash. He handed it to the debt collector while looking around to make sure nobody was around the area.

Martin took the money without looking at the banker. He stuffed it into his denim jacket pocket. He spat a huge wad into the dirt at his feet. His squared jaw clenching together as he sniffed loudly. Then he turned and finally looked at Derrick. “Name?”

“Wright. Michael Wright. He lives over in Dumont off Pershing. Blue house. You are not to touch him though. I want you to kidnap his son. Just take care of him for me until the board meeting. Michael will be too preoccupied with finding his son that he won’t even think about what we are doing to collect the debts. I just need some more time to bring in another million without his righteousness getting in the way. Then we’ll drop his kid off somewhere so he can be found and returned. Do I make myself clear?” Graves stood back up as he asked the question so that it psychologically made him the man on the high ground, the authority figure. He had learned that trick years ago from a mentor.

Martin stood up himself and looked down at Graves. He didn’t want Graves to think he had the upper hand. So he made sure he postured his size upon the smaller man. “I understand. Derrick. I will take care of Wright’s boy.” His dark eyes searched Graves’ face for the slightest sign of fear. Surprisingly, he didn’t pick up any facial twitches and Graves maintained strong eye contact in return. But he could smell the tiniest bit of fear or self-doubt on Graves breath. His animal instincts were strong and he used all his senses when he became the predator. “Take care of him real good. Until you tell me to drop him.” The debt collector inched closer to Graves and bent his head to get a different angle on Graves’ face.

“Good.” Derrick responded with a soft squeak. “Good. Now I have to get to the gym so I can come home with some sweaty clothes.” Derrick backed away a few steps while continuing to look at Martin. The huge man never moved and maintained his crazy stare. The dark eyes felt like they were running right through his skull. It bothered him so he spun on his heels and walked towards his car. He felt like he might be losing control of Martin after all these years. It never used to be this difficult conveying his orders but things had changed somehow with the psycho. All those bodies must have diminished his sanity. Derrick began to consider finding another man for his dirty work. One who could handle his direct orders. And eliminate the need for Martin.

The debt collector followed Graves with his eyes. He hoped he got his point across that he was not some piece of garbage that could be talked down to or mistreated. He didn’t respond well to repeated belittling. There were people in his past who found that out. Maybe there should be more. He tossed the rest of the crackers, wrapper and all into the pond. He unzipped his fly and urinated profusely into the dark water and tilted his head to the sky. The night was welcoming. Darkness opened to darkness.

Chapter 14

The morning air felt crisp. Michael liked early autumn weather because the beginning and end of each day were chilly but the middle of the day was warm. It was the perfect combination, like the ingredients of s’mores. His face and head were hurting less today but he still looked like a raccoon. Although washing his face in the shower was still a painful chore. Reminded of chores he wondered when Andrew was going to learn to get up early enough to take the trash out as he was expected to. Michael wheeled the first garbage can down to the curb. He looked up the street and observed that everyone else’s trash was already curbside. As he turned to retrieve the other trash can he noticed someone across the street, partially covered by the neighbor’s sycamore tree. He figured it was another dog walker letting his pet crap all over someone else’s lawn. The Wright’s weren’t pet owners but they liked animals. But it always irked him that people were so rude with their dogs. Why don’t the owners let the dogs crap on their own lawns. Oh yeah, he sarcastically answered himself, because even the dog owners don’t want crap on their lawns. But it was okay to have them do it to somebody else’s property. Assholes.

As Michael returned with the second trash can, he glanced across the street again. The large man wasn’t walking a dog. He was just standing there staring at Michael. The man’s denim jacket was buttoned all the way up. Even the jacket collars were tilted up. The sloppy dark hair catching the small breeze. Michael placed the can next to the first one at the curb and then looked back at the stranger. A chill of uneasiness ran down his back and he quickly looked away. Michael headed up his driveway a few steps but had to stop as he felt the staring man behind him. He turned and shouted across the street, “Can I help you?”