Ch. 7 (RWM) :Let the truth be told

My ringtone resonated from the nightstand making me nearly jump from my skin. Trenton’s name was etched across the screen. A grainy vibration rattled my throat as I answered.
“Hey, brother! How have you been?” I forced the excitement.
“Look, Tiff and I are out of ideas. We are completely at a loss for a place to stay that we feel safe.”
“Is everything all right?”
“No, no it's not. We are paranoid everywhere we go because of this shit, Malice! With Tiff being so far along with her pregnancy, we can’t afford to place the baby in distress.”
This conversation was one I didn’t want to fucking wake up to, sitting up drousy, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I tried to calm him down when a tap at the door broke my attention.
“Come in?”
Drift poked his head in to inform me that Sky and I had another job to do.
“Hey, Trent, listen--uh--everything is going to be fine. I have to go, duty calls!”
“Wait! Please don't go, it's been so long and I miss your punk ass. You seem fine with all the awesomeness I keep seeing all over your PhotoMac!”
There was another grumble that tickled my dry throat. “If I told you, you’d kill me…”
“Are you an international drug dealer?” His jested.
“Ha, something like that.”
“Whoa! For real?" I heard the shocking octave of his tone. "Let me come do some drops with you, I’m serious! I can totally be of help."
“You have a baby on the way, Trent, there’s no way in hell I’m putting you in that type of danger! Much love, though.” I quickly hung up before he could finish his sentence.

Drift sat on his couch cutting a thin white line with a razor.
“What’s our location today, boss man?”
Sitting back, rubbing his nostril, he coughed a little. “This one is a little bit of a travel.” He then cleared his throat. “It’s right outside of a small town by the name Tomah. I want you to put some miles on that bike, so that’s going to be your transportation. You’re doing a small drop--two pounds of green and an ounce of molly rocks.”
“Tomah is my hometown...” Sky’s voice crackled.
I placed my hand on her thigh to grab her attention. “Babe, it’s going to be a quick run.” A reassuring smile played on my lips, though, she still seemed apprehensive about it all.

We supplied a backpack filled with everything we needed for the trip--the subtly of survivor gear. I cranked the engine hearing my exhaust crackle inside the garage as the door pulled up. Sky climbed onto the back seat, holding me tightly--no words spoken. I felt disheartened, but I knew by the day's end, she'd shift her mood.
Arriving at our destination, I parked the bike inside a large carport, hiding in-between two SUV’s. Stretching my back and legs, I inserted my ear monitor before adjusting my back holster. Sky was to stay put and guard the location while surveilling me from the lot. There was a small café across the street with a busy sidewalk buzzing with locals. Sky pulled me in by my jacket, locking our eyes. “Babe, please hurry back! I have a strange feeling inside about this.”
I pressed my lips together trying to find something positive to say. “It’s going to be fine. You have this to protect you.” I pressed my hand against her holster.

After a hard kiss, I parted ways, disappearing inside the stairwell. Making my way to the sidewalk, I held one strap of the backpack around my shoulder as I watched for a break in traffic. Glancing over my shoulder to view Sky’s position, she signaled to let me know I was visible. I pedaled my feet across the asphalt, hurrying to the other side. Looking from right to left then back again, Sky stopped me before I advanced towards the café.
“Strange men are walking in haste at ten o’clock.”
I began frantically searching about to see who she was talking about, but there were so many people passing by that it was difficult. “Where babe?”
“Change your direction towards the phone booth to your right. Hurry!”
“All right, I’m on it!” I was weary, yet alert as my feet scuffled against the pavement. Reached the phone booth, I awaited further instruction. "I need you to tell me something, baby. What do you see?" My heavy breathing suffocated the tiny box in which I stood cramped inside.
“Holy shit," Her voice muffled in and out. "They have a gun! Oh, Jesus Christ...” Her voice rose in frequency.
I placed the phone to my ear, pretending to dial a number when I saw a man behind me in the reflection of the metal. Once he raised his hand, I quickly ducked, slamming him in the face with the telephone before wrapping the short metal cable around his throat. Two others lurched forward, grabbing at my clothing as I tried to shield myself with my attacker's limp body, fighting to get away.
“Babe, do you see--anyone else?” I panted.
“No! But you’re causing too much attention from standbys. You need to get the fuck out of there, Malice!”
“I’m try-ing, dear!” I bit out.
Diving through the barricade of neanderthal sized men, I rolled up onto my feet to catch my balance before taking off again. Struggling to get out of the booth, it gave me enough time to scan a direction to run in before they could further reach me. Sprinting several blocks down the street in the opposite direction, I found a small alleyway between two parallel buildings; reaching the end--I either had the choice of going left or right onto another street.
“I can’t fucking see you! Where the hell are you?”
“I—I actually have no fucking idea?" I panicked, scratching my head in hysteria.
My mental quibble took me to the right--sprinting once more with my heart on the verge of explosion. I drew my handgun, cocking the hammer just in case before rounding the edge of the building. I ended up back where I started.
“Okay, I have visual, but I don't know where those men went, and the guy you clubbed is gone, too!” I looked up to see Sky leaned over the concrete ledge with a pair of binoculars.
“See, that wasn’t so bad.” I smiled.
“What the fuck?” Sky’s voice echoed.
I drew my brows together looking all around me. Before I could ask what it was that she had seen, a van screeched around the corner with those same guys hopping out. I pointed my gun, attempting to shoot when a bag was placed over my head, causing the gunshot to veer off aimlessly into the air. I could hear the sound of innocent screams as the gun was forced from my hand, my body being violently thrown into the vehicle.
“Who the fuck are you?” I yelled.
“Shut the fuck up.” A voice replied before pistol whipping me.

My eyes opened to a dimmed room--the only light presented by an old industrial fixture descending from the ceiling above. My vision was blurred from the blow I took earlier; the stinging sweat that dripped from my hairline wasn’t much of a comfort either. I breathed in deeply, hearing my heart beating through my chest. I was zip tied to a metal chair, the fumes of gasoline antagonized my headache further. The only sound I heard was that of water dripping against an old aluminum oil pan. I squinted to find my way around, trying to figure out where I was exactly. To my assumption, it was evident that I was being held captive in some dinky garage somewhere. Everything was stripped from me other than my clothing articles and boots. Jerking several times to attempt an escape was merely pointless, only causing unnecessary commotion. Then a familiar voice echoed from a corner in the darkness. I felt my nerves stand on end as I began to tremble.
“Your fear… I can smell it.” A male's voice rumbled sardonically.
“Wh—who are you?”
The figure stood to his feet, coming into the lighting. Kokoh appeared before me bearing a chromed M9.
“Ugh, what the fuck?” I sighed.
“Do you know who I am?” He knelt before me, resting his elbows on my knees.
“You’re Driften’s boss. Correct?”
“I didn’t ask if you remembered me, I asked if you know who I am.”
I took a second to stare at his features, but before the time we were introduced, I’ve never met nor seen the man a day in my life.
“No. I can’t say that I do.”
“Does the name Santiago ring a bell?”
I repeated the name under my breath, trying to rack my brain for a single memory. My eyes remained fixed on his face as my lips parted in disbelief. “Colton’s... last name is Santiago. But I’m confused. Who did you say you were?”
“That’s right, I’m Colton’s father.”
“Holy fucking shit! How is that even possible? He doesn’t even know who you are! I grew up with the kid. He’s lived in foster homes all his life.”
“Correct, to keep him protected from my lifestyle. The woman he stays with is paid by me to keep him safe. Why do you think he’s so well taken care of?”
So much information was being crammed into my skull at once that it was tearing at the sutures. Kokoh placed his gun back into the band of his pants, pulling out a pocket knife. He flicked open the blade letting it gleam beneath the lighting.
“I will tell you anything you want to know only after you answer my questions, beforehand. Deal?”
“Deal...” My voice shook.
He slid the blade in between the zip tie and my hand, popping the plastic restraints. I rubbed the agitation of my wrists when the door behind Kokoh busted open. The click of a pistol’s hammer broke the silence like a pin drop.
“Release him or I’ll fucking kill you where you stand!”
“Sky?” I asked quizzically.
Kokoh turned around to view her. “It’s all right, honey. I’m not going to kill your boyfriend...yet. So put the gun down.”
“Do as he says, Sky, please?”
She disengaged the hammer, sliding it back into her holster, placing her unoccupied hands onto her hips. “Aren’t you that guy we met a few weeks ago?”
“Yes, I’m Kokoh.”
“Why the hell did you bring him here? Did Driften set us up ‘cause I’ll handle that fucker!”
“No. Well--ehhh--not exactly. I’ll explain later. But first, I want to get out of here. This room is only used for interrogation and likely death.”
“How the hell did you find me, Sky?”
"I’m familiar with the area, somewhat. But I also hotwired that SUV we parked next to in order to come save you.”
“Jesus Christ, you’re fearless.” I yanked her in by the face with a heavy kiss. "Are you all right?"
"Yes yes, I am fine, but are you okay?" She looked worried.
"I am now that you're here."
"I'll patch up that head wound of yours once we get back to my house." Kokoh proceeded to place blindfolds over our eyes to exit the building. Apparently, his location was one held in superlative secrecy that was in a remote area. Not having the ability to see my surroundings slowed my movement as a cold pair of hands ushered me inside a vehicle. “Watch your head.”

Our vision wasn’t granted until we arrived at his house. Stepping out of the vehicle, I pulled Sky into my side as we followed close behind. Kokoh motioned for us to sit in the chairs that sat before the desk in his office. Rolling up in his chair, he pulled out three rocks glasses and a bottle of Scotch. I wasn’t a fan of the shit, but I knew it’d be offensive if I denied his offer. Sky quickly threw hers back with a small grimace leaving me to follow suit, feeling the simmering boil of my stomach.
“I know things because of my position in business." He began. "In fact, I know a lot more than most. I can say what else I know is that you two are running from something and I want to know what and why?” Kokoh steepled.
“How do you know that exactly?”
“Do not answer my question with another!” He barked.
“I’m the one who’s running, not her.” I swallowed hard.
“The fear held in your eyes tells me it’s something so great that even you have no idea what the outcome may be. Perhaps, something that is out of your control?”
Tears formed in my eyes as I gripped Sky’s hand in mine.
“I did something really terrible--back in Jersey."
“You took a life, did you not?”
“I took three...”
“Why?” He looked so intrigued to know the finer details.
“Because I felt I lost all but my own sanity. My mother overmedicated and my father got so belligerently drunk that he burned our fucking house down, killing himself in the process. I was tired of having nothing, that everything I worked for amounted to shit. I was tired of being picked on and bullied constantly with threats... so were my friends."
"By who? The ones you offed?"
I nodded. "We decided we all had had enough of this kid, Charlie, and his menace pal’s bullshit. So we took matters into our own hands and--uh--well, we killed them.”
“How did you manage to kill three guys at such a young age that you actually got away with it? I’m quite fascinated.”
I glanced at Sky, feeling for her relapse of a reminder. “We lured them down to an old train station and had a psycho version of a “deposition” by mocking them through torture until they were dead."
Kokoh’s eyes shifted towards Sky. “And you’re completely okay with the satanic crime your boyfriend here premeditated and committed?”
She gave a shrug. “I mean, I don't agree nor disagree with what he's done. He felt he needed to do it and I know he’d never do something to that extremity unless he felt it was absolutely necessary.”
A smile played on his lips. “How well do you know Malice? Well enough you’d give your own life in exchange for his? Do you not find his sinful behavior ludicrous?”
“If you’re asking about my love for him then yes, it is boundless. I know by the way he looks at me,” She inhaled deeply, squeezing my hand. “And by the way he touches me, that he in return, would do the exact same for me. That his hands would never strike me in the harmful manner he might have used on those guys. Call me insane--but aren't we all in a sense?”

Her stare intensified so harshly that I could feel it. Kokoh sat for a moment, glancing back and forth between us. Opening his top desk drawer, he then pulled out a folded newspaper, slapping it on top. Sky and I both leaned forward to view it more clearly. The top of the page read South Jersey Times. I took a hand to my face, nervously stroking my scruff.
“Look at page nine, read the headlined article aloud for me, if you will.”
I pulled the paper hesitantly in my direction, opening the paper to page nine. The article was titled ‘Gruesome murder at Mill's train station; three bodies found, bound and tortured.’
It took me a moment to proceed having lost my mind over devastating flashbacks. “Approximately just after midnight on August 19th, 2014, local police were dispatched to investigate a site by the Old Mill train station, where three young male bodies were identified and reportedly found bound to metal chairs and tortured to their death. Police say they have a young male by the name of Johnathan Rocko, who was found on site, now held in custody for the alleged murders, but authorities are thrown by the crime scene where Mr. Rocko claimed to have no other accomplices. Police claim to have been called to the scene after the parents of one of the victim’s, Charlie Bradford, called worried about the whereabouts of their 18-year-old son who was out abnormally late. Reporters state an ongoing investigation to find the other offenders who seem to be on the run in the hopes of bringing those responsible to justice. The New Jersey Bayside State Prison is currently responsible for the incarceration of Johnathan Rocko, until the date of his trial. Further details have been restricted until further notice.” I finished, folding the paper back up.
“They're led to believe your little friend, Mr. Rocko, refuses to speak. Luckily for you, he hasn’t given any names. The downside of this is that my son was involved, and I’ll be damned if I see him locked up for murder at his age. I’ve killed plenty of people in my lifetime, Malice. Some by placing a hit and others by my own hand. Sadly, it comes with the job.” His eyes lowered.
“So what does this have to do with me?”
“Everything. I have a proposition for the both of you.”
His dark expression made my jaw clench. “Go on.”
“You and Sky work strictly under me. In exchange, I keep you both safe from the public eye.”
“What about Driften?” Sky asked.
“He’s my runner. I tell him what is to be done and he makes the sales, bringing back the money for his cut. I hired him about a year ago and trust him with my life. I knew he had a connection with you, prevailing a perfect opportunity in bringing Malice into my possession, Sky. That little display of an attempted job you made earlier was all a set up to get you closer to me.”
“Wait! You hired Driften to pretty much hold us captive without our realization, and totally against our own will at that, just to have us here before you? And for what reason might I ask?”
Kokoh opened a small cigar box, pulling out a tape recorder.
“Well, because if you don’t do as I ask, I have your boyfriend’s confession here on tape and you my dear, will be charged as an accessory and housing a fugitive on the run.”
Her mouth dropped open in complete and utter shock. “Are—are you seriously going to endanger our lives even more?”
“You’re not the only ones!” His voice rose. “My fucking son is in danger, too. It’s a simple request and the choice is yours. Remember, I hold your confession in my hands at all times, but don’t let obligation influence your decision.” An evil smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Fine, we’ll fucking do it. But now it’s your turn to answer my questions like we agreed earlier.” Kokoh motioned for me to proceed. “Why is it that after all this time you keep tabs on Colton, yet you chose to remain absent in his life? He fucking needs you. You have that kid believing you abandoned him because you didn’t want him.”
“That was not my intention. His mother was the one who was scared during pregnancy. We were both rather young, and I had already been getting into trouble here and there until I joined a group that dealt with my business.”
“The mafia?” I replied knowledgeably.
“Precisely. But his mother didn’t want to have a child so young and dealing the drugs I was back then wasn’t making us enough money. When I was offered a better position in the industry, Karah was in no agreement which, can you blame her? She made me choose between keeping Colton and quitting my illegal activity or give him up for adoption and we both go our separate ways. I was in too deep and leaving was out of discussion--death was my only way out. So because I failed at being a father figure, Karah put Colton up for adoption under the condition of being unable to properly care for him.” He sighed. "When Colton was about ten years old, I found his whereabouts after many hopeless dead ends. My private investigator found the housing unit he was in. It was terrible. I told myself that I wouldn't let him grow up in a group home like I did... so a very close family friend, you know her--I paid to take care of him. Of course, it took her three long years to gain his adoption through New Jersey's statutes, but we did all we could to make sure it happened. Not everyone has a perfect life, as you very well know."
I could tell he carried a heavy burden of guilt and regret on his chest. Kokoh was so invested in the mafia that he was grandfathered into the cartel service. I felt bad for him knowing the choice wasn't one he wanted to make.
“So what of Driften then?”
“You will continue to stay at his place. Since I am now in charge of your movement, Drift is nothing more than a business partner. Understood?”
“Got it.”
“And for the record, I was already aware of your “incident”. I just needed to hear you say it.” He winked, motioning for us to leave.
“What are we supposed to do now?”
“Wait for my call. By the way, your motorcycle is out front. I had one of my guys pick it up. I’ll be in touch.”

I huffed in irritation knowing my life was about to take on a whole new tumble. All I wanted to do for the moment was get so fucked up it would impair my thought process from further movement. Sky straddled the bike holding me tightly and I snapped the throttle back, feeling the front wheel come off the ground before the back tire kicked into gear, sending us flying down the road.
What the hell did I get us into now?