The Past III Part 3

The Past III
Part 3

Dan made it to within two blocks of the Cowhand hangout before any of the gang noticed him. Kerm and Derek were the ones who spotted him, sauntering toward the warehouse as if he owned the place. Dan’s heart was thumping as they approached him, one dropping into place on either side.

“You coming back, Manny?” Derek asked.

“That’s the plan.” Dan’s voice was cool, belying his inner turmoil.

“It’s a bad time, boyo,” Kerm told him nervously. “Luke’s got a meeting with one of the Vice Lords’ bigwigs.”

“So?” Dan asked with practiced nonchalance.

“So he’s wound and uptight and he don’t want no surprises.” Derek spoke this time. “He’s already takin’ heat about you being off playin’ school boy when youse supposed to be jackin’ cars for his booty.”

“How does my not being active in the gang put heat on Luke?” Dan was genuinely perplexed.

“Luke wants to start runnin’ for VL,” Kerm explained. “They’re looking to expand their territory, but they only pick top leaders, and if Luke can’t control the gang, he won’t get the gig.”

“Shut your trap, Kermit!” Derek growled. “You shouldn’t talk about gang business in front of him.”

“But he’s a brother,” Kerm protested. “He’s one of us.” He made a fist with his right hand and thumped it on his left shoulder. Dan and Derek did the same.

“Maybe so, maybe not.” Derek curled up his lip. “All I know is that he’s been gone more than he’s been here, and he seems more interested in doing his own thing than doing his part.”

Dan didn’t speak; he just stood there, staring at Derek. Finally, Derek broke and said, “It ain’t for me to decide. We’ll take you to Luke and let him do the deciding.”

Luke was pacing back and forth in front of his raised chair. He looked up when Dan was escorted in, looked away, and then whipped his head back around. “So you’re back,” he stated. “Good timing.”

Dan said nothing, just stood and waited. Luke circled around him, looking him up and down. “Something I say finally get through?” he asked.

“More like something you did,” Dan stated flatly. “You didn’t have to burn the place, Luke. I was leaving anyway.”

There was a long pause, and then Luke was in Dan’s face, smirking, the pupils of his eyes dilated so wide his eyes appeared pitch black. “I can’t ever tell with you, Danno. You like to do things the hard way.”

“You win,” Dan told him. “I’m back.”

“So it would seem.” Luke circled again. “Where’s your gear?”

“You’re looking at it,” Dan said bitterly. “Everything else went up in your fire.”

“Yeah? Sorry about that.” Luke’s grin was insincere. With a sudden movement, he drew a pistol from his waist and pressed the barrel right between Dan’s eyes. Dan froze, and Luke turned his attention to a figure standing near the door. “Welcome to my place, Carlton. I was just about to have a private word with my boy, Dan, here. Would you care to join us?”

“As a matter of fact, I would.” The figure moved out of the shadows. “I take it this is your rogue?”

“Yeah. This is Danny-Manny. He’s been a bad boy, but he’s seen the light now and decided to come home and face the music. Right, Manny?”

Dan nodded. The cold metal of the gun moved along with his head, and he could feel the sweat running down his back. Dan wasn’t sure who the stranger, Carlton, was, and he didn’t know what Luke was talking about, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like either one.

With one hand gripping Dan’s arm, and the other holding the gun, still pointed at Dan’s head, Luke signaled to Kerm and Derek to follow as he led Carlton into a room off the main meeting space. This appeared to be Luke’s private quarters, judging by the decor. Once the door closed behind them, Luke shoved Dan away and turned his attention to his guest.

“Kneel, Mangan.” Eyes wide, Dan complied. Luke continued, the gun never wavering. “You see, Carlton, Danny here is a really good thief. He can lift a car so fast it’d make your head spin. Unfortunately, he thought it would be okay to freelance, instead of working just for me. That was his mistake.” Luke spoke directly to Dan. “But you’ve seen the error of your ways now, haven’t you Manny?”

Dan swallowed hard and nodded.

Luke was on him in a flash, grabbing his face, twisting Dan’s skin roughly. “I said, haven’t you, Manny?”

“Yes,” Dan managed to squeak. Luke released him and turned back to Carlton, tucking the gun back into his waistband.

“Unfortunately, I can’t just let him waltz back in any time he wants. That would set a bad example. So I need to punish him a little. That’s what you expect, right, Dan? Luke swung back to Dan, who nodded.

Luke frowned at the silent response, quickly grabbing Dan’s left hand and slowly bending back the fingers, snapping them, one by one.

“Use your words, choir boy.”

Dan fought against the pain, as the bones in his fingers cracked and pain shot up his wrist. Gritting his teeth, he managed to squeeze out a faint, “Yes.”

Carlton said nothing. He just stood off to the side, watching, as Luke released Dan’s now-limp hand. Dan cradled his injured hand in his right, drawing it close to his body. His breath came in short gasps, but he kept his face expressionless.

Luke narrowed his eyes and spoke in a loud voice, punctuating each word with a hard, open handed slap across Dan’s face. “You need to remember your place, Danny. Who’s in charge? Who makes the rules? Answer me!” Dan’s head snapped back with the force of the last blow.

“You, Luke,” Dan answered, licking blood off of his lip.

“That’s right, me. I. Am. In. Charge. I make the rules, and I decide what you do, when you do it, and where you go to get it done. Right?” Luke signaled to Derek and Kerm, who stepped forward to drag Dan to his feet, holding his arms. Luke’s fists slammed furiously into Dan’s face, chest, and stomach. “Answer, damn you!”

“Yes. Right.” Dan managed to gasp. Luke hit him again, a closed-fisted, full force punch to his left side, and Dan was certain he heard, as well as felt, something crack. Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe. Sharp, shooting pain attacked his chest with each attempt.

“Stop.” Carlton’s voice was soft, yet powerful. Luke heard the order, for that was what it surely was, too late to stop his backhanded swing at Dan’s head. At the same time, Derek and Kerm heard the order and released their hold on Dan. The blow connected, snapping Dan’s head back again, and he dropped to the floor like a rock.

Luke turned to Carlton. “What?” he asked.

Carlton motioned for Luke to come closer. “You’ve done enough,” he said, his voice calm, yet forceful. “I think you broke his ribs, and that’s the last thing you want to do.”

“Why?” Luke looked genuinely confused, and then anger took over. “Who are you to tell me how to run my guys, anyway?”

Carlton looked at Luke for a moment, silent, but with an air of disdain. “First,” he said evenly, “if you broke his ribs, he’s going to be worthless for a long while. Second, I’m the guy who’s going to be your boss--if you get in--which is, in part, up to me. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do what you’re doing to keep your boys in line, but if we take you, then your boys become my boys. I can teach you how to give the most pain with the least amount of damage. That’s something you need to learn.” He pointed at Dan, who was now a retching heap on the floor, watching them warily. “You said you needed him. My guess is it’ll be two, maybe three weeks before you’ll get any work out of him. I would also suggest you find him a doctor before he chokes on his own puke, and stops breathing altogether. If that happens, he’ll be completely worthless, because he’ll be dead.”

Coolly, Carlton stepped toward Dan. Casually, he reached down and yanked Dan by the hair, raising his head. “So, are you as good as Luke says?” he asked. Dan managed a gasping nod. Carlton released him, wiped his hand against his leg, and moved towards the door. “I’ll send Doc over. We’ll be in touch,” he said, and then he was gone.

Two hours later, Dan found himself in a cold and windowless, two-stall bathroom, lying on a lumpy old mattress that smelled of things he was afraid to try and identify. An old man with dirty fingernails was poking at him, causing more pain than comfort. Dan could hardly breathe; every breath caused stabbing, burning pain. Moving made his head throb, and the way the ceiling spun whenever he opened his eyes, sent his stomach churning. Coupled with the prodding, and the stench of beer on the breath of the geezer with the fingers, Dan found that it took all of his concentration to fight the nausea.

“Well?” Luke spoke from the shadows, surprising Dan, because he spoke as though he was concerned. “Is he okay?”

“No, he’s not okay!” the geezer growled. “He’s got three cracked ribs and four broken fingers. What the hell did you do to him?”

“I...he...Look. It don’t matter. I just need you to fix him, okay?”

“I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve got. Without x-rays, I’m just guessing. Come over here and hold him up. I’m going to try and tape his ribs in place.”

Luke knelt at Dan’s head and lifted him up with unusual gentleness. Dan struggled to catch a breath through the pain, moaning a little in the process.

“Shhh, Danny,” Luke murmured. “Let the Doc fix you up.”

Dan wondered if he was hallucinating. Luke was the one who had put him in this position, and now he was the one taking care of him? Warily, he held as still as possible while the doctor taped adhesive bandages at the point of his pain. As the bandages stabilized his ribcage, Dan found it somewhat easier to breathe. Luke eased Dan back down onto the mattress, and Doc Geezer moved on to splint and wrap each of the fingers on Dan’s left hand.

“That should do it.” The old man stepped back and rummaged in a paper sack sitting on the concrete floor. “He’s gonna hurt like a son-of-a-such for a while. Just keep him quiet for a couple of weeks and give him these for the pain. Two of them. Every four hours.” He handed Luke a bottle of pills. “Watch to make sure his lungs don’t fill up--make him cough, even though it hurts. Those lungs fill up, you’re looking at pneumonia, maybe worse.” He bent over Dan again. “You do as I say, boy, or you’ll be in a world of hurt that’ll make tonight feel like paradise. You stay put for a while, and try not to get hit again until the ribs heal.”

The doctor picked up his sack and fixed Luke with a cool stare. “You need to learn how to discipline your men without crippling them. First rule: Don’t hit ‘em when you’re high. Get your addiction under control, before you kill someone you don’t mean to kill.”

Luke didn’t respond, but just opened the door and watched the old man leave. Once he was gone, Luke closed the door and came to sit next to Dan. “How you feelin’, Manny?” he asked.

Dan didn’t answer. Luke rubbed his hand over Dan’s hair, and Dan held himself very still, wanting to pull away, but at the same time, not wanting to cringe. “Look, Manny,” Luke continued, “I didn’t mean to rough you up so much. I got a little carried away, you know? It was the coke. I wouldn’t have done the lines if I’d known you was coming back. I was just gettin’ up for Carlton’s visit. You’re one of my boys, and I was just trying to keep you in line. I didn’t mean to really hurt you. Honest.”

Dan was confused. Here was the person who had held a gun to his head, broken his bones, and had seemed to enjoy it, now apologizing to him. He didn’t know what to think.

Luke lifted up Dan’s head and pushed two pills into his mouth, followed with a sip of warm cherry Kool-Aid so he could wash them down. “Here. You sleep, now. We’ll take care of you, now; you’re home, Danny.”

Dan closed his eyes, still confused, but too tired, and in too much pain to even try to understand.

III Past 2
Index
III Past 4
Main