Kobe (17 page)

* * * * *

              Marley and Daniels pull up beside Dog Head Lake, next to the monumental tree. Instead of the police cruiser, they have a full-size SUV filled to the brim with camping supplies.

              "Should we hunt for Skaggs a bit first?" Marley parks the Suv and gets out.

              "Let's build a fire and get our tent set up, "Daniels walks around to the back of the truck, "then we can prowl. Maybe even hide out and see if he scouts the camp area," he pops the trunk and pulls out a tent and some chairs.

              "Sound's good, boss," Marley says. "You think he made it all the way to the state park?"

              "Maybe," Daniels says, "it's a long walk. We got a couple black and whites near the visitor's station at the Ohio Caverns. If they see anything they'll let us know. Don't worry we'll catch him." Daniels finds a nice flat area without rocks and sets down the tent.

              "You know what I think?" Marley walks around the area and picks up twigs, leaves, and some other wildlife to start a fire.

              "What's that Marley?" Daniels removes the dome tent from the plastic sheath.

              "I think he found himself a hidden spot," Marley walks over to a fire ring, "someplace he goes to get high," he lays down a piece of foil in the hole, "just waiting for folks to stop looking long enough to bolt."

              "Pretty good guess. For all we know, he could've jacked a car in the Bay and made it all the way to Columbus by now," Daniels inserts a large metal rod through the slits at the top of the dome and sits the tent on the ground.

              "Did we put out a state-wide search yet?" Marley arranges the twigs in a teepee on the foil. He shoves the leaves and dead grass below the twigs.

              "I'm not sure," Daniels says, "Judd wants to keep it quiet. I think if we
don't
find him in a couple days then he'll put it through, If not, we'll have the Columbus cops poking their noses in our business."

              "Or the national guard," Marley flicks a zippo lighter and gets the fire started.

              "You got a point," Daniels shakes out four stakes from the plastic sheath.

              "There might be something to that, though, Daniels, if we get the guard and the feds out here, he'll be toast." Marley finds a few logs on the outskirts of the forest and brings them over to the campsite.

              "We've seen it before. It just makes a bunch of red tape. Sure we'll have more manpower, but half of them are arguing, and the other half, stand around and drink coffee." Daniels shoves the stakes through rings at the bottom of the tent, into the ground. "I'm with Judd," he says, "let's keep this one in our neck of the woods. From what his brother Quinn says, the creep's got razors for fingers. If someone picks him up, I'm sure he'll get tossed in jail, at least on suspicion."

              * * * * *             

              The Mayor, an older gentleman with white hair deals the last round out for Texas Hold'em. It's down to only two players, Hunter and him.

              Everyone else is cashed out, waiting patiently to buy in again, and watching the showdown between the last two card sharks.

              The Mayor peers at his hand.

              Hunter leaves his last card on the table and watches his opponent, "all in," Hunter pushes his remaining chips to the middle of the table.

              "What the fuck, hoss? How are you gonna throw all that green on the table without even lookin' at your last card?"

              "I'm sorry if you didn't hear me, Mayor," Hunter smiles, "I said all in."

              "I can't match you, is that just going to be free money when I win?"

              "When you win?" Hunter asks. "I'll tell you what, throw in the keys to your car parked outside and we'll call it square."

              "My Bentley?"

              "Yup," Hunter says.

              The Mayor holds his breath and pushes the air into his chin, swelling it up.

              "Tell you what," Hunter says, "I'll even buy you a new set of tires if you manage to keep that beauty."

              The Mayor looks at Hunter, then back at his cards several times.

              Hunter can almost see his thoughts race.

              "Fuck it," the Mayor blows out a face full of hot air and throws his keys on the table, "call."

              Hunter stares back. Waiting. Watching his opponent sweat bullets. Just another victim to play a trick on, another mind to manipulate.

              "Aren't you going to look at your card?" The question surfaces on the Mayor's lips, but it looks more like a prayer.

              "Why bother Mayor? You didn't make good with the aces. I could have a pair of fuckin' fours and beatcha." However, Hunter knows the Mayor made the aces. The evolved homo-sapien made the royal flush. Handing out helpings of hope is all part of the bluff.

              Lie until you believe it.

              Hunter's classic smirk creeps out of the corner of his mouth. The same smirk that pulls in the ladies quicker than a coupon for a free pumpkin spiced latte. He never closes the deal on any of those floozies though. He's a one woman man.

              "Thanks for the car, Mayor," Hunter flips his last card and lays down the rest of his royal flush.

              The Mayor's eyes peel back and stretch almost to his forehead.

              "Fuck off and die, Hunter." The Mayor throws his hand on the table.

             
Been there done that
Hunter thinks to himself.

              "Brittany get these fella's a round on the house," Zed calls over to his favorite brunette.

              "Sure thing Zed, what'll it be boys?" Brittany says through her ruby red lips.

              "The Mayor'll have another gin and tonic, Brittany," Hunter says, "and I'll have a Bloody Mary."

* * * * *

              He's not the prettiest, but he's the sweetest boy in all of Kobe. Jessica hands Rob two ecstasy pills with aliens etched in the center.

              "Alright, you know the drug drill. All the phones go in the safe," Krystal tells her guests, "we don't need any status updates about rolling, or tweets about how fucked up we are. That's how idiots get busted."

              "Especially since two of us live with the sheriff of Kobe,'" Austin chimes in.

              Krystal takes guides the group down into the basement. A large poster on the wall says 'D.A.R.E.' in big red letters. Underneath that in smaller white letters it says. 'To keep kids off drugs.'

              The basement radiates comfort. Lava lamps, bean bag chairs, a wraparound white couch, about a million pillows and the walls are covered in fuzzy purple carpet.

              Jessica loves doing drugs with rich people.

* * * * *

              Judd strips down and hops in the shower. The boiling hot water turns his skin red, and he lets the stress of the day wash down the drain.

              He wraps himself up in a towel and pops an Ambien. Neither Austin nor Rob came home, not a big deal considering, but he needs to talk to them. He left about a hundred messages on their phones, text and voice.

              Nothing.

              They may be grown enough to make decisions, but they need to have the common decency to return phone calls.

              They ain't too old to get an ass whooping, that's for sure.

              Judd flies high from the Ambien and sinks down into bed with Karen. Still as beautiful as the day he rescued her from the devil worshiping mechanics. And just as sweet.

              She rolls over with her eyes closed and pecks him on the cheek.

              Definitely just as sweet.

* * * * *

              The bass from Krystal's speakers shakes the purple fuzzy walls in her basement.

              The smell of Vick's vapor rub, marijuana, and jasmine scented candles blend together to make an intoxicating aroma. The vapor rub, while on ecstasy, heightens the senses to make the MDMA effects more intense.

              Krystal and Jessica are in their bras and panties. Belly button piercings glow in the black light as the two girls dance together. Gently rubbing each other as the music soothes their souls.

              Rob and Austin watch the girls with delight.

              When the song stops, Krystal gives Jessica a quick kiss on the forehead, "I'll be back," she says.

              Krystal walks into another room and returns moments later with a bottle of lotion.             

              "Look at this!" Krystal's teeth grind and her mouth stretches, her excessive excitement for body cream is as bright as her teeth underneath the black-light.

              "What's that?" Jessica's eyes widen as she tip toes over to her best friend and room-mate, like it's some sort of forbidden secret. She hugs Krystal tightly.

              "Let me show you," Krystal pours the lotion out on her hand and it sparkles.

              "Oh my God!" Jessica says. "That's so cool!"

              Krystal motions for Jessica to lie in a mountain of pillows while she drops down on her knees.

              "Are you going to massage me?" Jessica asks. Her eyes roll around in her head as the soft pillows brush against her flesh.

              Krystal rubs her hands together, and then caresses Jessica's back, pressing her thumbs deep into her delicate muscle tissue.

              "Wanna take over, Rob?" Krystal massages the inside of Jessica's thigh. The blonde beauty gasps and moans every time Krystal touches her.

              "I think she may like some stronger hands to take over," Krystal says. She leans down next to Jessica, her breasts mash into her shoulder as she rubs the back of her neck.

              Jessica pulls Krystal in close and shoves her tongue down her roommate's throat, almost instinctively.

              She has never been attracted to her beautiful curvaceous housemate, but the hallucinogenic properties of MDMA can make a heterosexual girl very experimental.

              Austin and Rob join the girls on the pile of cloud-soft pillows.

              Jessica lets her lips loosen from Krystal's tongue and pulls out of the kiss.

              Rob lightly caresses Jessica's arms, making the short hairs perk up with delight. Krystal backs away as Rob takes over.

              Robs hands grip Jessica's sides and his thumbs push up around her spine. He gets behind her. She can feel him against her crotch. Pulsating. She rolls over and the two come face to face. Jessica wraps her arms around Rob and strokes the back of his head while guiding him towards her.

              Their pelvises touch and she grinds him. They intertwine and kiss for the first time. The two are so busy they don't notice Austin and Krystal creep into the adjacent bedroom.

              Jessica isn't the type of girl to be promiscuous, but Billy and moral intuition are very far from her melting mind.

              They kiss until the sun steals the moon, and before the rooster crows she makes Rob into a man.

Chapter XX

A Case of the Mon-daze

             
Before the sun splits the night sky and gives birth to Monday, Hunter puts the finishing touches on his prodigy. The self proclaimed King of the city kneels before his creation and places a thermometer in his mouth, one hundred and three degrees.

              "We're going on a little trip," Hunter checks Skaggs' pulse, "there're a lot of people looking for you, Mr. McDermott." Hunter picks up the Junkie and throws him over his shoulder. "We need to make sure you got time to develop before you're killed or arrested. The only way to make a hero is to create a villain."

              Hunter ignores Skaggs' bag of goodies. He sees it of course, but it may help stir the pot and get more attention for the chase.

              As they descend deeper into the depths of the cavern, the musky smell and trickle of the underground river become more prevalent. Hunter carries Skaggs underneath fang-shaped stalactites created by moisture and limestone, a constant reminder of the evolution of Mother Nature.

              After a few miles of twists and turns, Hunter and his prodigy arrive at a small waterfall splashing into a crystal clear pond.

              Hunter carries Skaggs underneath the waterfall, through a small cave, to a wooden door.

* * * * *

              Jessica pets Rob's face, his five o'clock shadow is rough beneath her fingers. They snuggle in a pile of pillows on her basement floor.

              "Your hands are really, soft, and... nice," Rob slurs.

              She giggles, "thanks." Jessica taps the tips of her fingers on Rob's jaw. "I always liked you, did you know that? You're always so sweet. I've never seen you get mad, or yell at anyone at the restaurant.

              "Even the stupid bitches that forget to ring in their orders and make you send it out on the fly. No other cook's like that. I don't think anyone is as patient as you." The ecstasy creates a river of compliments.

              "Thanks," Rob says, "I try."

              "And not only that, but you're a really
good
cook too," she snuggles closer.

              "I kinda want to open my own restaurant," Rob says.

              "What kind?" Jessica stares into his deep brown eyes, checking his soul for scratches.

              "I'm not sure if it's gonna have a theme, I just want to make what people like."

              "You're a great cook, maybe even better than your uncle Zed," She lies on his chest, half asleep.

              "I don't know about that. The man taught me damn near everything I know. How to smoke meat, how long to boil oysters, the secret to a good hot sauce, Zed can make a turd taste like tiramisu."

              "What was the first thing he taught you how to cook?" Her eyes blink longer and longer.

              "Ribs."

              "Really?"

              "He showed me how to check if the smoke penetrates correctly, how to look for the pink hue on the meat," Rob says, "every time we had a cookout he'd let me help."

              "What's your favorite thing to cook?" She yawns and snuggles into Rob's chest fur.

              "Ribs," Rob smiles, "it took a while to learn, I've fucked up plenty of times. You got to. You can't get good unless you screw up. It's the law of life."

              And with that, Jessica slips into dreamland before the clock strikes six AM.

* * * * *

              Hunter opens the door of a stone bedroom. It doesn't have a lot of charm, but the bed is more comfortable than the stiff ground.

              Large furry spiders scurry around the cave.

              "Hello my lovely ladies, I got a surprise for you," Hunter carries Skaggs over to the bed.

              The spiders wait for their master to drop the Junkie so they can latch on to his broken flesh, and clean his wounds.

              Their long tusk-like fangs drip exotic venom. However, the newest occupant will not be infected or devoured. They recognize their creator's blood type. The arachnids are an extension of Hunter's brainwaves. An extra set of senses.

              The orange and brown spiders burrow in and out of the clay floor. It's as if they can appear out of nowhere, hunt, and disappear without more than a carcass as evidence. An alteration of the wolf spider that prowls in the Kobe woods, however these troglobites have never left the cave.

              "See you soon," Hunter exits through a second wooden door and up a set of stone stairs.

* * * * *

              Marley adds dry wood to the steaming coals to awaken them from the previous evening. Daniels plugs a travel coffee maker into the SUV cigarette lighter hole.

              "I got the coffee brewing for the first thermos," Daniels says, "what're you cooking?"

              Marley dumps a can of refried beans into a pot and adds a little water, "breakfast burritos," Marley throws two cans of diced chicken in the pot, adds a bit of taco seasoning, and then pours some hot sauce in, "I figure we'll eat, pack up camp, and start hoofing it. We'll search through the day and make camp in the caves tonight if we don't find him."

              "I'm gonna check in with Judd," Daniels picks up a radio in the SUV.

              "Sounds good, I'm going to make about ten of these things so we'll just snack on 'em all day."

              "You'll probably eat all ten before lunch," Daniels laughs, "how do you eat so much and stay skinny?"

              "Black-tabolism."

              "What?"

              "Just like we don't get wrinkles, black people don't get fat. At least most of us don't."

              "You ain't right, Marley," Daniels pushes the button to talk on the radio, "hello." Daniels waits a moment and presses the button again, "hello," he hangs up the radio, "damn things busted."

              "Get dressed. I'll call him on my cell."

* * * * *

              Rubber suctions to asphalt as the jet black SUV caresses corners at an easy seventy miles per hour. The clock reads nine twenty six. Although the morning air is brisk, Quinn has the window rolled down in the black Escalade.

              Jaybird lights a skinny marijuana filled cigar. "I can't imagine what you're going through homie," Jaybird says, "I can't fix it, I can't bring her back, but I'll help you kill this motherfucker," he hands Quinn the blunt.

              Quinn accepts the gift. Afraid to speak, he inhales the smoke and remains silent. All he can think about is revenge. His piece of shit brother's on the loose, but he shouldn't be.

              Quinn massages the Remington forty five Jaybird let him have, his sweaty hands latch on to the walnut handle. He's ready.

              Not like last time. Quinn won't run away twice.

* * * * *

              Billy slowly wakes up in his bedroom. A blonde with perfect silicone filled breasts lies next to him. Her hand rests peacefully on his ex-jock abs. He gently pushes her off, grabs a pack of smokes, and heads out to the living room.

              He lights a cigarette and stares at the chaos from the night before. Beer bottles line the coffee table and kitchen counter. A mirror is dusted with white powder.

              The worst looking part of the carnage is a two hundred pound naked black man sleeping in his Lazy Boy, with his foot propped up on a three dollar whore. You can't un-see shit like this. Billy shakes his head and tries his best to not look at Roc.

              "Get up," Billy squeezes the words out, but the frog in his throat blocks his voice.

              "Whatchu say nigga?" Roc doesn't open his eyes. He just chews the air for a moment.

              "Dude, we gotta get our shit together and hunt this fool down. I need that money back. I can't sit on that loss, bro," Billy picks up some bottle and throws them away. "I got that front and sold out last night, but it's like starting at the bottom."

              Roc opens his big brown eyes and wipes the white shit from around his mouth. He nudges the girl with his feet.

              Billy watches her roll over. The cocaine residue around her nipples is the only appetizing thing he notices. She stretches and smiles at Roc with seven teeth. The skin on her face sags, an extension of the bags beneath her eyes.

              Roc does a double take."Bitch you fugly!" 

              Her smile fades, "you ain't nice, Roc!" She doesn't appear to care that she's naked, at least not in Billy's perception, she does care about the little bit of cocaine left on the mirror. She licks her finger and wipes it across the reflecting glass, scooping up a nice bit to put on her gum-line, "your mama shoulda taught your black ass better."

              "Bitch I'm Russian," Roc stands up and lets his mandingo swing.

              "Russian people ain't black," she scowls.

              "Maybe not, but I'm Russian you out the door," Roc picks her up by the arm, grabs a pile of clothes, and pushes her out of the apartment.

              "You promised me breakfast!"

              Roc grabs a five spot off the coffee table, balls it up, and throws it in her face. "Get some Mickey D's, hoe." He slams the door and locks it behind her.

              "You shouldn't treat women like that," Billy says, "they ain't never gonna be good to you." He turns away from his naked friend, trying to erase the depravity he just witnessed. "Put some pants on and clean that chair. You left the cushions full of farts and fuck-prints. Use the lemon scented shit from under my kitchen sink."

              Billy walks into his bedroom to a much better view. The beautiful bombshell opens her periwinkle eyes and bats them at Billy.

              "Hey babe," the silicone sweetheart says.

              "Mornin' darlin'," Billy leans against the doorway admiring the stripper from Aces. "Roc and I got some errands to run."

              "Can I take a shower first?" Her voice is coarse but still sweet, like a spoon full of sugar in a bitter cup of coffee.

              "Sure," Billy blows smoke rings until they crash into the whirl of a ceiling fan.

              The blonde gets up on her knees and squeezes her melons together with the inside of her biceps. She flutters her long eye lashes. "Can you wash me?"

              Billy chuckles. It's good to be a dope-boy, even a broke one.