Brad walked out of the bank carrying a suitcase.  Max and Lucielle sat in the car and watched him approach.  Max still didn’t understand how it was this simple.  ‘Hey Brad, we need a shit ton of money.’  ‘Sure thing. No problem.’  If he had known it was this easy he might have hit Brad up for money a long time ago.  Not that he was in need as the shoe store was doing well enough.  But he hated Brad so why not?

Lucielle started to straighten up as Brad approached.  Max figured she hadn’t really thought this was actually going to work out.  Brad opened the back door of the car and slid in.

“Done.”  He handed the suitcase up front to Lucielle.

“But how?” she asked.

“Dad sold his electronics company awhile back and I’ve had cash stored in a safe deposit box for a rainy day.  Looks like it’s pouring out.”

“Thank you Brad.” she said.  “I can’t believe you’d do this after everything that has happened.”

“I told you before how I felt.  Whether either of you believe it or not is a different story.”  Max rolled his eyes.  He started the car and they drove back to Brad’s house.  As they got out Lucielle came over to Max.

“You’ve done what I have asked of you.  I appreciate your help.”  She leaned forward and hugged him.  “I’m sorry I turned your life upside down today.”

“I’m just happy to know you’re alive.  But I have to get back.  The store has been closed all day.  Someone is sure to notice and Shelia will be worried.”  Lucielle smiled at him.

“She’s very lucky.”

“I agree.” Lucielle chuckled at that and looked over at Brad.

“Thank you too.  It was way more than I expected.”

“You make it sound like you’re saying good bye.  I’m going with you.  Whoever you have to give that too can’t be that trust worthy and you need someone to back you up.” Brad said.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.  These are dangerous people.  I risked your life even talking to you.”

“You should know by now that there is nothing I wouldn’t risk for you.  And I’m not going to lose you again.”  Max crossed his arms across his chest.

“I can’t leave you with him.” Max said.  “There is no way he’s going to get a moment alone with you.”  Lucielle walked back over to Max.

“It’s okay.  I trust him.”

“Trust him?  How after . . .”

“I just do.  And you have more to worry about than me.  You shouldn’t be worrying about me at all anymore.  You have a family.  Go home.”  Max looked back and forth between her and Brad.

“Okay.”  He looked up at Brad.  “You better take care of her.  If I find out about you doing anything like last time I’ll be back to kick your ass all over town.”  Brad nodded at him.  Max looked in Lucielle’s eyes one last time and then got back into his car and drove away.

“So who are we off to give that too?” Brad asked.

“We’re not really off to give it to anyone.  We have to use it to buy something.  And we have to do it before someone buys it out from under us.”

*  *  *  *

Max pulled into the driveway of his house.  It had been a long day and all he wanted was to get home and put the whole thing behind him.  He still hadn’t decided what he was going to tell Shelia if she asked why he had closed the store all day.  What could he say that didn’t sound like a complete lie?  Should he tell her the truth?  Would she even take it as the truth?  He guessed he would have to play it by ear.

He grabbed the knob to the front door and found it locked.  It seemed odd to him as Shelia usually unlocked the door when she came home.  He dug his keys back out of his pocket and slid them into the lock.  He walked into the living room and the curtains were still drawn so he had to let his eyes adjust to the darkness.  There was no noise.  Billy should have been home already and usually had the TV on.  It seemed odd to him

“Honey?  I’m home.”  He walked into the kitchen to see if his wife was home yet.

Shelia came in through the door in the garage.  Two bags of groceries and her brief case in her arms.  She almost dropped all of them.

“Billy?  Can you come help me please?”  She waited for him to come trotting into the kitchen but only silence answered her.  Slowly she rested the bags on her knees and tried to duck walk them over the counter.  Just as she raised them up one bag ripped on the side and spilled everything all over the floor.  A can of tomato soup hit the top of her foot.

“Damn it!” she yelled.  There would be a bruise tomorrow.  After setting the full bag and her briefcase on the counter she hiked up her skirt so she could bend down to pick up everything.  “Billy?” she asked again.  Still no answer.  She figured me must be over at Steven’s house.  Sometimes he went over there after school rather than sit at home for 3 hours by himself until both her and Max got home from work.  She had told him many times to either call her cell phone and let her know or to leave a note on the dry erase board on the fridge so that when she got home she knew where to call to get a hold of him.  After getting all this stuff put away she would go look and see if he left her a note.  If not he would not be a happy camper when he got home.

When all the groceries where finally on the counter she looked at the board and saw that it was blank except for the note NEED MILK that Max had posted yesterday. She was starting to get annoyed but then noticed the message light on the phone blinking.  It seemed odd that Billy would leave a message on the house phone rather than call her cell but it was possible he had gone over to Steven’s house and called from there.  She hit the blinking light and the machine started it robotic voice.

“You have three messages.” it said.

“. . .can get you a reduced credit rating now . . .” she hit the delete button.  Automated telemarketers had been calling the house for awhile now.  She wasn’t sure where their number had gotten onto their lists.

“Hey Max, it’s Kevin.  Saw that the store was closed today and wanted to call and see if everything was alright.  Can’t remember the last time you didn’t open the store.  Just give me a call.”  She was worried.  Max had left this morning to open the store.  She started to reach for her cell phone when the third message started.

“Hello . . . Shelia.  I figured you were going to be home before your husband would because . . . Well because he is off being involved with something he really should have just stayed out of.  But now that he’s involved he’s really going to be involved.  And that does not bode well for you and Billy.  Right Billy?”  Shelia put her hand to her mouth and realized it was shaking.

“Mom?  Where’s dad?  Where’s he at?” Billy asked.  It was obvious that he had been crying.

“See?” the voice returned. “Billy is worried about his dear old dad as well.  Better hope he’s the one that gets home first.”  Shelia’s mind was reeling.  Who was this man and how did he get a hold of Billy?

“No!” Billy screamed in the background of the phone call.   Just then she could hear the chiming of a clock in the message.  It was obvious that it was the one in the family room.  The call cut off and the message ended.  They had been here in the house when the call was made.

She ran into the living room.  No one was there.  Into the dining room.  Empty.  She was at the bottom of the stairs and looked up wondering if she should call the police before checking out anything up there.  But her mother instinct won out and she had to find her child before anything else would enter her mind.  She climbed the first set of stairs and was on the first landing.  She looked up the rest of the stairs and they looked a mile long.   There was no sound in the house.  Her adrenaline had kicked in gear and she felt that if there had even been a fly any where in the house she would have heard it.  The silence unnerved her.

She started walking up the next set of stairs cautiously.  She had to find Billy.  This was the only goal  After that she would figure out what to do next.  When she reached the top she looked at the door to Billy’s room.  It was slightly ajar.  Sunlight was coming in his window as the sun was starting to descend.  The light escaped through the ajar door and made it seem as if the room itself was aglow.  She reached out and pushed the door open.  A gasp escaped her as the scene unfolded before her.

The stepped into the room and saw Billy lying on his bed.  His throat had been cut and the blood had spilled out on either side of him.  It almost looked like he had angel wings.  Her mind began to break down with all the information she had just taken in.  Nothing seemed to make sense and everything had become very swimmy.  The tears began to flow out of her as she took another step forward.  She felt someone behind her and turned to look.  Sitting in Billy’s desk chair was a man with a grin on his face.

“I said you had better wish your husband got home before you did,” he said. “But my, you are intoxicating.”  He walked towards her and his knife glinted in the sunlight coming through the window.

Alright.  A quick note before we get into the next chapter.  So this started as an off the cuff writing exercise.  I was supposed to write each chapter on it’s own and not try and think about it to much.  Well I was feeling that the story was falling apart.  So I’ve done some thinking and have a strategy on where we’re going.  So long off the cuff and hello more thought out writing.  Kind of a BIG DUH moment I know but here we go.  Hopefully the actual direction shows now.  So enjoy and here’s to more chapters.

He flipped his cell phone open and hit re-dial.  The other side picked up without even saying a word.

“I found her.”

“Where is she?” a male voice on the phone asked.

“She was at the mall.  She met up with someone.  I don’t know how he’s connected.”

“Where is she now?”

“I didn’t follow them.  She saw me and they took off.  But I can feel her and it’s not going to be hard to find her.  She’s radiating like crazy today.”

“You better be able to.  We need the money she took from us.  If we don’t get to the seller by tomorrow night we’ll have lost our opportunity.”

“Understood.  Let me know when you want us to go in and we’ll take care of it.”  The other side hung up.  He closed his phone and got back into his car.  She was radiating really heavy now.  Anger.  Fear.  He laughed to himself.  She had no idea that the very fear and anger she was exhibiting is what would lead him right to her.

*  *  *  *

“Well?” Brad asked.  “Are you going to tell him or not?”  Max looked over at Lucielle to see what she was going to say.

“I never said you raped me.  I said I blacked out and didn’t remember anything.  But someone put something in my drink and you were the only one I was around that night.”

“I didn’t.”  Max shook his head.

“This was a bad idea.  It’s not worth it.”

“What?  What is it?”

“Oh fuck off.” Max said.  “You were always pissed after she left you for me.  The fact that you pulled that ruffie bullshit shows at what length you would have gone to get her back.”

“I never once denied that I wanted her back but I never would have done that.”

“Well whatever the case is now is the time to make up for it.  I need your help.”

“What is it?  Anything.”

“Don’t dedicate yourself yet.  I haven’t even told you what it is yet.” she said.

“Well you have to be here because you know I would do anything for you.”

“I need $150,000.”

“Done.”  Both Max and Lucielle straightened in surprise.  They both had figured that it would be more of an argument.  Brad giving in hadn’t been in their plans.

“That quickly?” she asked.

“Yeah.  Like I said I would have done anything for you.  Just knowing your alive is worth every penny.”  Lucielle looked at the ground.

“Even after . . . After all that?”

“Of course.”  Max shook his head again.

“It’s always easier to buy your way out of it right?” Max asked.  Brad looked over with a snarl on his face.

“Fuck off.”

“Thank you Brad.  You’re saving my life.”  Brad smiled.

“Worth every penny.”

*  *  *  *

He knocked on the door.  After making a few phone calls he had gotten the name of the guy she had seen at the mall.  After a few more phone calls he had the guy’s address.  People who didn’t think they had to worry much about people knowing their address always did very little to hide the information.  He had to laugh how easy it was to find people now a days.  Almost made his ‘abilities’ obsolete.

No one answered the door.  He heard a dog bark from inside the house.  Just as he was about to to walk around the back of the house he saw a yellow school bus pull up in front of the house.  A boy of twelve got off the bus and started to walk towards him.

“Billy?”  The boy stopped for a second and looked the man up and down.

“Yes?  Do I know you?” the boy asked.

“No.” he said as he smiled.  “I’m a friend of your dad’s.”  The bus pulled away from the curb and they were alone again standing in the driveway.  “But me and you are about to get to know each other really well.”

Max flipped the CLOSED sign over and locked the door after them.  He had no idea how he was going to come up with the money Lucielle needed.  It had been a rough year at the shoe store and it’s not like you ever heard of millionaire shoe store owners anyway.  So as they walked through the mall out to his car he started to turn over in his mind what they would do.

“I’m sorry I never told you.” she said.
“Would have been nice to know that you in fact didn’t die in my arms.”
“I was afraid that if I came forward that the people that tried to do this would have found me.”
“Where did you go?”
“South America for a long time.  The Mediterranean for awhile longer.  Constantly looking over my shoulder.  Moving around if the guy at the grocery store looked at me like he had seen me before.”

“I sat here thinking the love of my life. . .” she glanced at him. “. . . at that time, had died.  It took me five years before I could even think about wanting to date anyone else.  You caused me a lot of broken relationships.”
“I know.  Again I can’t even begin to understand.”
“You can’t?  I just called you the love of my life and I haven’t even heard you say that you even liked me.  And you want to draw me into all this mess?”  Lucielle grabbed him by the arm and made him stop.
“I know.  It sounds like shit.  But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t love you at some point.”  He looked her in the eye and shook his head.  “If you don’t help me I will be dead this time.”  He turned and continued to walk towards the parking lot.

*  *  *  *

He felt her on the move.  A lot more emotions.  Love, hatred, and sadness.  Coming from all directions.  He walked back out to the parking lot and just as he walked out he saw them driving by.  As if she sensed him the blonde in the passenger seat looked up and him and their eyes met.  She seemed to read his intentions.  Her eyes widened.  He smiled at her.  The fear she exuded jumped to insane levels.  He literally almost came it was so intoxicating.  Later he would have to scare her until he climaxed.  For now the foreplay was enough to keep her alive.  The car began to speed up.  He laughed to himself and walked calmly to his car.  She was going to be easy to track.

*  *  *  *

“Speed up!”
“What?” Max looked over at her.
“Someone is here.  He’s following me.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.  And if it’s who they threatened to send we’re both in deep.  We’re not safe anywhere.”

“Already?  You already have me dead in this scenario?”  She looked at him and he could tell she was terrified.  Max knew he just had entered something way over his head.  He had to find a way to get the money.  There was one person he could call but he really didn’t want to bring anyone else into this situation.  And if he called this person it would be out that Lucielle was still alive.  “The only person I know that can get us the money is Brad.”

“No.  We can’t.”
“Unless you have a better plan, which if you came to me for help then I am guessing you don’t, it’s the only option we have.”
“But you know we can’t.  I can’t go back to that feeling.  I can’t feel that again.”
“I know.”
They drove on in silence.  Max got onto the expressway and he felt Lucielle tense up.

“I guess we don’t have any other choice.”  When he pulled into Brad’s drive way Lucielle was gripping the door handle so hard she was leaving indentions.  Max got out and walked up to the door.  He looked around and knocked on the door.
“Go away!” immediately came from inside.
“It’s Max.”
“Then fuck off.”

“I need your help.”  He heard heavy foot steps coming to the door.  The door opened and Max saw Brad for the first time in twenty years.  He had grayed around the temples.  It looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week.  Also didn’t seem to have showered in a couple of days.
“What the fuck are you doing here?  What makes you think I’d help you do anything?”
“Well it’s not so much me as it is her.”  Max moved off to the side and Brad looked over as Lucielle shut the car door.  All the anger in his face drained out into disbelief.
“Lucy?”
“Hello Brad.”  He walked over to her and went to hug her.  She shirked away.  “Please don’t.  Not after . . .”
“How can you still think that?”  Max walked up behind Brad.
“Can we just talk about why we’re here?”

“I’m sorry.” Brad said as he turned to look at Max.  “If I seem a little shocked it’s because the love of my life turns out to be alive after me thinking she was dead for twenty years.”  Max smirked.
“Right.  Love of your life.”
“Oh why the fuck are you here?”  Brad began to get defensive.
“You’re lucky I don’t knock your teeth out.  Which if you remember the last time I saw you I said I would do if I saw you again.”
“Oh get over yourself.  Mr. White Knight.”
“Please stop . . .” Max and Brad were in each other’s faces.
“Well Max why don’t you take a swing then?”

“Would love to.” Max took a step forward.  Lucielle tried to get between them.
“Brad please.  We wouldn’t be here unless we needed your help.  Not to rehash old wounds.”  Brad looked at her.
“Old wounds?  Please.”
“Oh come on.  I should have known.”  Max looked about ready to explode.  “All these years and still being an asshole.”
“Max please you’re not helping.”
“I don’t care!  I’m going to bust him finally.  Should have done it twenty years ago.”
“Lucy tell him.”  Brad looked at her pleading.

“Max . . . I . . .”
“Tell him . . .”  Max was balling up his fists.
“Max!  Back off!”
“Lucy.  Tell him . . .”
“Please.  We need him.” She put her arms up to try and push Max back.
“Tell him I didn’t rape you that night.” Brad looked at Max as he said it and watch Max look at Lucielle to confirm his statement.

One night as Paul and Sal are out having dinner they both see Paul’s favorite player Quantrell Bishop at a gas station. They decide to follow him just to see where he’s going. After a car ride with some stops in some questionable neighborhoods they arrive at a strip club and follow him inside. After a few awkward attempts they try to go over and talk to Bishop. Immediately him and his posse start to goof on both of them. Eventually Paul lets slip that they followed them there and the group starts to get really aggressive ending in Bishop beating Paul up.

Paul wakes up in the hospital and finds he has been out for three days. Bishop has been suspended by the Giants until the investigation is over. From here we learn that if Paul presses charges then Bishop could get three to five years for assault and his favorite team would be without it’s star player. From here we follow Paul as he weighs how much he loves his team vs what he should do to rectify the beating he as taken. All the while he has to listen to the fan from Philli heckle his Giants. This all leads to a shocking conclusion that I didn’t see coming.

I really enjoyed this movie. Like I said before the dramatic turn by Patton Oswalt really surprised me and Kevin Corrigan did a great job as Sal. This is a high recommend from me. As of this writing it is streaming on Netflix instant watch.

One of the better character moments is watching him craft his calls into the sports show reading them aloud to himself before calling to make sure they sound okay and then blowing them off as made up on the spot to Sal. He tries to come off as not really thinking about it to much but in reality is so obsessive about what he says about his football team that he has to rehearse it. Great job by Oswalt.

The smoke stung Max’s eyes as he looked into the burning living room.  Fire was eating away at the heavy drapes that were in front of the bay window.  The curtain rod finally gave way and the heavy fabric fell to the floor.  Max put his sleeve over his mouth to help filter the smoke out of his mouth.

“Lucielle?!?”  He moved further into the house hoping that Lucielle had already found a way out.  As he pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen the first thing he saw was Lucielle’s father tied to a chair.  He ran over and shook him.  His head lolled to the side and Max saw what looked like a bullet hole in his temple.  He was about to lift him when the floor caved in.  Max was able to jump to the safety of the door out into the back door.  It was very apparent that bullet hole or not there was no saving Lucielle’s father.

He turned and saw Lucielle lying on the path that led to the garage.  She was on her stomach and there was a large red patch on her back.  Sirens could be heard in the back ground.  Max turned Lucielle over and she began to cough.  Blood flew out of her mouth and onto his shirt.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Crawled.  Through the fire.”  Max looked down and saw that her knees were scrapped up.  Her pant legs were burned away and the skin on her legs was already starting to fall away from the burnt flesh underneath.  He saw the front of her shirt had a large red stain on it as well.  She began to cough again and a lot more blood sprayed his shirt.

“What happened?  How did this start?”  She was still coughing and couldn’t seem to catch her breath.  “Hold on Lucy.  They’re almost here.”  As if on cue firemen burst through the gate into the backyard.  They circled around Lucielle and led Max away from the house.  “No I want to stay with her.”

“Just let us do our job sir.” one of the firemen said to him.  He was led to the front of the house by the fire truck and waited for word on Lucielle.  Eventually one of them came up and pulled him to the side.  “We couldn’t do anything for her.  She was to far gone.”

That was the last time he had seen her.  Dying in his arms in her back yard as her house burned down.  Now she stood here in front of him.  Twenty years had passed.  To him it was a life time.  He had grieved and moved on.  She was nothing to him but a memory.  Now flesh and blood was right in front of him.

“How?”

“I know.  I imagine it’s a shock.”

“A shock?  This is something that I considered impossible until a few minutes ago.”  She smiled at him.

“I thought so too.”  She turned a looked out the window again.  “I shouldn’t be here but like I said you’re the only person I can trust.  I’ve trusted to many people in the last twenty years and it’s only caused me more problems.  I wish I could fill you in but we don’t have time.”

“So what do you need from me?”

“How soon can you get together $150,000?”

“What? I don’t have that kind of money!”

“I didn’t figure you did but how soon can you get it together?”

“ I don’t even know.  I’ve never thought I would have to do that before.  Is that how much they think you owe them?”

“They think I ran off with $75,000.”

“Then why do you need double that?”  Max was flabbergasted that within the last ten minutes his life had gone from normal to needing to find $150,000.

“Because if I can’t get it and pay them double they will not stop until I am dead.  Really dead this time.”  Max shook his head.

“I . . . I can’t even begin to think of how to do that.”

“They had the money set aside for a specific purchase.  Just trust me if I tell you it’s better if you don’t even know what it is. ”  She walked over to him and looked him in the eyes. “If I thought I could do this on my own I would have tried.” Max looked at her and stared into her blue eyes.  In that instant all his feelings flooded back.  His wife wouldn’t have liked that but for this one instant it was all there.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

He stood on the second floor of the mall looking down at the shoe store.  She was in there.  He could feel her mind.  Her desperation.  She was in there.  He might have been picking up love as well but he wasn’t sure.  If he was it wasn’t coming off of her.  Might have been someone close to her but since he was only focused on her it was just coming in peripherally.  The fear coming off her was intoxicating.  All he wanted to do was to tie her down and see how much he could scare her just to soak in as much as he could.  It would be a thrill.  He backed away from the rail and walked further into the mall.  As scared as she was he would be able to find her when he needed to.  Now was not the time.  He was hoping that he could follow her to where she was keeping what he wanted.  She would eventually.  For now he was just enjoying soaking her in.