ROMANTIC SUSPENSE : DEATH WHISPERED SOFTLY (4 page)

The restaurant Steve was working in was patronized by the members of a “minor” L.A. gang which specialized in stealing cars and other petty crimes. One of the gang members Carlo Lopez, who was barely a year older than Steve, and a regular patron at the restaurant, befriended him.  It was Carlo who introduced Steve to the other members of his gang.  Steve was fascinated by them.  Blinded by the thought of having “friends”, Steve was lured into their world of crime. Their tough demeanor, their bizarre and intimidating tattoos, arrogance and a carefree attitude mesmerized Steve, for he had seen nothing like this back in Indiana. Soon he wanted to be a part of them.  And thanks to Carlo, Steve became a part of the gang.  It was ironic that it was only upon joining the gang that Steve finally experienced a sense of belonging. The gang members were now his new family.

    He would hang out with “the guys”, drinking beer, stealing, and taking part in their criminal acts. Often Steve felt the pain of an inner conflict, knowing that he did these things against the wishes of his heart, but he was afraid that if his “friends” were to find out, they would dump him and he would be left all by himself all over again.  The thought of being alone again was so terrifying that Steve surrendered to the life of his friends and their unscrupulous deeds— stealing, shoplifting, car-jacking, petty extortions, drinking, and doing drugs.

But all the crimes did not change Steve completely. At heart he strived to be the loving, kind child that he was raised to be, when his parents passed away. 

Steve struggled with the life he was leading. Although the kind of life he was living made him a very tough man—both physically and mentally—he managed to retain the inherent goodness in his heart, and he attributed this to the teachings of his parents. No matter how hard he would try, Steve could never blot out the memories or teachings of his affectionate parents.

Steve did a lot of things he wasn’t proud of to survive, but kept himself away from drugs. He had learned in his school, and it was engraved in his mind, how devastating drugs could be.  He had staunchly resolved that no matter what, he wouldn’t do drugs.

He was with the gang because he wanted family—and the gang members were his family and friends, but he didn’t adopt all of their ways. He picked what he was comfortable with. Beer, bikes, movies, beaches and Vegas were his idea of fun, but drugs and womanizing were not—he steered clear of them. His gang friends started calling him “weirdo” because of his peculiar tastes and habits. Even though they found his actions “weird” Carlo trusted him and so they accepted him as one of them.

It was true that the hard life he led had toughened Steve up considerably, but it could not harden his heart. For this reason he could seldom conserve the money he earned – and he was earning plenty. He would invariably give away the money he had to the needy and homeless vagabonds he frequently ran across while on the streets he used to call home.

    While living on the streets of Los Angeles for a few months (before he joined with the gang), he had discovered that the people of the street always looked out for each other.  And that is exactly what they did with him. And he wanted to repay their helpfulness. “I can always earn more. When I was on the streets, they helped me with what little they had” he would remind himself.

Although his compassion for the poor and homeless made him a favorite with the destitute in his area, his other transgressions soon landed Steve in trouble.

He was lucky to have youth on his side. Due to his tender age, he was let off by the police a couple of times with stiff warnings. But he, along with his friends, continued to steal and break the law until his luck ran out. And over a period of ten years he received three prison sentences.

In the prison, and away from his friends, Steve had plenty of time to himself. The seclusion of his cell provided him the time and opportunity to reflect and search his soul.  In the darkness of his cell he could hear the voices of his beloved parents, “this is not you Steve, you must stop!” over and over.

His once thrilling life soon became unexciting, lackluster, and onerous.

He was now twenty six. Out of the ten years he had expended with the gang, four years had been spent in prison.  And after his third conviction, which procured him a prison sentence of two years, Steve decided he had had enough of his “friends” and the life of crime he was leading. He had had enough of cops, jails, courts, and prison. For that matter had had enough of gangs and their illicit acts. He knew deep in his heart that he was not born to be a criminal, but to be someone far greater than a gang member. In his moment of clarity he wondered aloud “What the hell am I doing here?”

CHAPTER VI

    The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? Steve started longing to be like his parents—well educated, well-respected, law-abiding folks, upstanding in the community.

He now wanted to put his past behind him; he wanted to quit the gang and start a new life and pursue a new and respectable career, but what new career? No decent business establishment would give him a job because of his links with an infamous L.A. gang, and a prison record. Who would give a decent job to a felon? He would wonder gloomily. Then one fine day he realized there was only
one
establishment; only one business which would give him a decent job and a remarkable career—his own establishment!

“
Yes that’s the solution, I will set up my own business”
Steve thought excitedly. While serving as a waiter in the tiny Mexican restaurant where he had met Carlo, Steve realized he had a flair for business and a knack for serving people. He knew exactly what they were looking for when they came to eat in that tiny Mexican restaurant. He would give them the food they craved and the service they enjoyed.  He was confident he could set up a successful restaurant in California, a state which had a dense population of hard working and ravenous people!

The perfect place for starting a chain of restaurants!

And to own a chain of restaurants, he would first have to establish at least one successful restaurant. Steve figured that if the restaurant was a happening place, with much appreciated cuisine and profitable, he could go on to duplicate the business model and open his restaurants all over America—much like other top corporations in the food industry had done.  America was the land of opportunity, and Steve wanted
his
share—he wanted a piece from the pie.

Although the thought of establishing a chain of restaurants in California was exciting, Steve was acutely aware of the challenges it involved.  The first and foremost of them being the fact that he was still a part of a notorious Los Angeles gang for a good ten years---- something he now was desperate to quit and move on. He wanted to break free from the gang but he knew it would not be easy. There were some
major
hitches. The first was he had to leave without causing too much strife. The other members wouldn’t take kindly to the fact that Steve wanted out. Leaving amounted to betrayal and abandoning the “family”. Steve had discovered the world of gangs was a one way street. Although it was easy to get in, it was virtually impossible to get out while still breathing! The remaining members considered every gang member’s exit not only a betrayal but a genuine threat to their own existence, since the outgoing member could so easily share the secrets of the gang with other rivals and even the cops. Often an outgoing member was found dead after trying to leave his gang. Steve knew he had to play this one very cautiously, lest he invoke their ire (and consequent) retaliation of the “family”.

“How the hell can I get out of this setup without getting my throat slit?”
he wondered. 

    After much contemplation Steve hit upon a solution. The leader of their gang, Armando Gutiérrez, was extremely close to Steve’s buddy Carlo—the dude who had introduced Steve to the gang and helped him join. Ironically he would be the one who would help him get out of it, Steve figured. Steve knew Carlo liked him enormously, considered him a brother and would certainly help him. One day he confided with Carlo and expressed his desire to leave the gang, so that he could follow his dreams of making it big in the world of business. Although Carlo did not approve of what Steve was determined to do, he wanted to help his friend. So he went and spoke to the gang leader Armando Gutiérrez. Gutierrez was immediately suspicious when he heard of Steve’s desire to leave the gang. But Carlo explained the reason why Steve wanted to leave the gang. Armando had lead his gang for over seven years now and during these years he had discovered Steve to be one of the most loyal members, who was efficient, obedient and trustworthy. Armando knew that Steve was not one of those people who would squeal to the cops. If this man wanted to leave the gang it could only be to start a new life and follow his dreams as he claims.  Although Steve had always carried out the gang’s orders obediently loyally and diligently Armando clearly saw that he didn’t belong here—in their world.  He knew that Steve was much different than the other members. Armando Gutierrez was a hardened criminal, but he was a good judge of people. He knew that Steve would never betray the gang and its members. Despite the type of work he did, Steve possessed that rare blend of character, and trustworthiness.  Armando knew this soft-spoken man, would prefer to die than to sell out his friends.
In his years as the leader of the gang, Armando had recognized that it would be just a matter of time before he would tire of the life he led and break free from the gang.
And he recognized that time had arrived.

One day he took Steve out for a drink to one of the gang’s favorite bars, and after a few drinks, much to Steve’s surprise, told him he was free to leave and assured him there would be no retaliation from the gang or its members,
provided
he keeps his mouth shut about the secrets and activities of the gang.

Steve promised Armando he would never betray the gang.

“Remember Stevio—as Armando affectionately called Steve—our world may be infamous for its criminal acts, but the world you wanna go to ain’t much better either. It can be nastier than our world. If you ever need any help Amigo, don’t forget to call me.”

Armando’s kind words moistened Steve’s eyes and he got up from his chair, and the two men hugged.  Steve recognized that the people who he was about to leave were the ones who had given him friendship, support, and encouragement when he needed them the most. But the time had come to move on.

“Armando, I will always be grateful to you and the other members for taking me in and giving me an opportunity to be with you and survive the situation I was in. I will never forget your favor.”

And on that emotional note they parted ways—as friends. It was also the last time that Steve would encounter Armando in his life.

CHAPTER VII

    After successfully breaking off with the gang, Steve would go each day and lie down on the beautiful Santa Monica beach. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the warm sand beneath him helped him open his mind and rummage around for a solution, an opportunity.

Although he had succeeded in getting out of the gang nonbelligerenly and peaceably, there was still a bigger problem he had to overcome, if he wished to accomplish his dream of establishing a successful restaurant in Southern California (and then keep duplicating it in various other parts of California).  In order for him to set up the first restaurant, he would need money… lots of money.  But who would give a loan to a felon, with three prison sentences? It wasn’t easy, if not impossible, for a felon to get a business loan!

But Steve knew he was a stubborn man. He had proved over and over again, in his short life that once he set his heart on something, he would leave no stone unturned until he had accomplished it.  And a steely determination now gripped him. He wanted to live an upright life, start his own business and take it to dizzying heights. He wanted to be powerful, admired, wealthy and upright. A life his parents would have been proud of, had they been alive.

Steve knew he
had to
find a way to realize his burning desire. Somehow… anyhow! 

His years on the streets of Los Angeles, and the hardened horrific memories of prison raced through his mind, his desire to establish his restaurant would not relent. It was now unremittingly tormenting him. But how could he do it?

For establishing a successful restaurant he would need a lot of money—at least a $100,000 to get started. “Where can I get that much money from?” He would wonder glumly. 

The months were passing and his relentless obsession was entombing his mind.  Yet he could think of no way, given his circumstances to raise that kind of amount. No way except one…

He would have to carry out one last act of crime, a scheme so flawless that no one would suspect him. From the ‘compensation’ he would receive, he could easily finance his business... his
first
restaurant.

In despair, a disturbing thought crossed his mind; one final ‘job’ after which he could assume his new life, and turn a new leaf without anyone suspecting.  Steve had to find the right assignment – that one job that would get him the money he needed.   But what kind of job would pay him a hundred thousand dollars? He wondered
uneasily.  Even if he landed himself an assignment
what
would his ‘client’ ask him to do? Kidnap someone, or perhaps murder someone?  It was a plaguing question whose answer Steve knew, but did not want to dwell his mind on. “We’ll think of the bridge when the river comes”—he would tell himself to calm the storm that would begin raging in his mind and heart.