Apprehension Page 2

  Wendy rolled her eyes. “Everybody knows Jayce. Most girls would give their left leg just to catch a ride with him. Have you seen him?”

  It made sense—Jayce was attractive and he had that bad-boy look going on that had girls drooling over him.

  “How do you know Jayce?” Wendy asked

  Sabrina picked up her slice of pizza and took a bite before answering. “We’re neighbors. Used to be friends when we were younger.”

  “Younger? I thought you just moved here.”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Wendy nodded and they ate the rest of their food while Wendy told her more about herself. It felt comfortable, like they had reached an instant friendship in a matter of minutes. Wendy lived in the older part of town and worked at a small cafe near her house a couple of nights a week. When Sabrina asked if she was dating anyone, Wendy said she wasn’t sure. Sabrina decided not to push it any further. Once lunch was over, Wendy walked Sabrina to her next class. The day was starting to look up. When the final bell rang she was able to follow the crowd and make her way to the parking lot. She walked to the Camaro and leaned against the passenger door. Several girls glared at her as they walked past. She was ready to go home and pat herself on the back for surviving her first day at Falcon Haven High. Jayce headed out of the building and towards the Camaro. Her heart fluttered and she reminded herself this was her childhood friend who used to race her down the hill on his bike.

  “Hey, Brina,” Jayce said, using the name he used to call her by. He used the key fob to unlock the doors.

  Sabrina scrunched her nose up. “I thought you would have forgotten about that.”

  He laughed. “Never.”

  He slid the black duffle bag from his shoulder and threw it in the back seat. They got in the car and pulled out onto the street.

  “So, how was it?” he asked.

  “Huh?”

  “Your first day.”

  “Different,” she admitted, not that she’d expected anything in particular.

  They drove the rest of the way in silence until he pulled up in front of her house. Jayce didn’t park his car in his driveway like she’d expected.

  “You’re not going home?” she asked.

  “Don’t live here anymore,” he said.

  “Where do you live?” She had assumed he still lived next door since she had seen him at the house just last night.

  “I have an apartment downtown,” he said.

  Sabrina tried to hide her surprise. Apartments weren’t cheap and she didn’t know anyone at her old school who could afford to live on their own.

  “Oh I just assumed…”

  “Moved out a few months ago. It’s just my dad in the house now. I come by and eat dinner with him a lot.”

  She wanted to ask what had happened to his mom but she figured that would be a conversation for another day. She knew years ago that his mom had had a drinking problem. At least that’s what she’d picked up on from snippets of conversations she’d overheard as a kid.

  “Well you don’t have to go out of your way to drop me off—I’ll be fine walking.”

  He shook his head. “Nah, I’ll be back in the morning.”

  She smiled. “Alright, see you in the morning.”

  “See ya.”

  She got out of the car and headed inside, listening to the Camero as it drove off.

  Jayce

  Sabrina walked away from the car and into the house. She was innocent and quiet, which didn’t surprise him because she’d been the same way when they’d been kids. His phone vibrated and he answered without looking at the caller id.

  “Jayce,” he greeted.

  “You going to make it in time? Tribute’s about to start,” Mason said.

  “Shit! Yea I’m on my way.”

  He hung up and sped off to the Italian restaurant downtown. It was owned by his capo, Lucas, and each month all his soldiers were required to gather there. They ate and talked business and then gave Lucas his percentage of what they made. It was laidback and Lucas was usually in a good mood. He always was when it came down to money and good pasta. It was a fifteen-minute drive to the restaurant and he parallel parked the Camaro on the street about a block away. Few people were on the streets at this time. It didn’t usually get busy until about five o’clock when everyone started to get off work. He grabbed one of the smaller bags from his back seat and made his way inside the restaurant. The woman standing at the hostess stand was close to his height, thin and pretty like a model. She smiled at him as he walked in. Her name was Camilla and she got paid a lot of money to turn a blind eye to some of the dealing that went on in the restaurant. Jayce had gotten to know her well on more than one occasion.

  “Hey, Jayce,” she said in her seductive tone.

  “Hey. Everyone here?”

  “In the back. Stop by when you’re done, ok?” She winked at him.

  “I’ll try.”

  Camilla was always down for a good time and he was grateful that she wasn’t affiliated with anyone in Cosa Nostra. The last thing Jayce wanted was to get caught red handed with one of the capos’ daughters. Jayce walked to the back of the restaurant. There was a closed-off area for what would usually be used for private parties. In the middle of the room was a long wooden table. Lucas sat at the head. The seats were mostly filled beside a few which told him he wasn’t the only one running late. He walked to the head of the table and set the bag down on the floor next to Lucas’ feet.

  “How’s it goin’, Jayce?” Lucas asked.

  “Good, good.” He nodded at a few of the men sitting around the table before taking an empty chair next to Mason. Respect was a big thing in Cosa Nostra and he didn’t want to come off rude, especially after showing up late.

  “Did I miss anything?” Jayce asked Mason.

  Mason shook his head. “Nah, we haven’t even started yet.”

  Mason had been somewhat of a mentor to Jayce. Mason had vouched for him so he could get in with Cosa Nostra, so if Jayce messed up so did Mason. In a sense they were tied to each other. That was just the way things worked in the mob. Mason was much older than Jayce—he had to be at least twenty-six. He’d been a solider for a few years before Jayce had met him. Usually men got made in a year or so. Jayce assumed it was probably because he’d been forgotten about. Looking around the table, compared to the other men, Mason was a skinny guy. He wasn’t broad shouldered or tough looking. He had brown hair he kept buzzed. He kept to himself for the most part and did his job.

  Lucas cleared his throat and everyone instantly quieted.

  “As you all might have noticed we have an increase in coke. I know everyone isn’t used to this but we need to get it gone. The sooner the better. We have some debts we need to collect on this month. I will let you know if you are needed. Any questions?”

  Lucas wasn’t a man of many words. It was a big deal if you were called on to collect debts from the local businesses. It usually involved slamming people around and scaring them enough to pay up. Jayce had his fingers crossed. He needed this to become a made man— or a hit. So far he hadn’t been asked to do either.

  “Alright, let’s eat,” Lucas said.

  A couple waitresses brought in bowls of food and plates served family style as men talked around the table. Lucas sat back in his chair, opened a duffle bag and counted his cash. No one was allowed to leave until he’d finished counting.

  “You think you’re going to get called on for one of these debts?” Mason asked.

  “I hope so,” Jayce said but he was more worried about getting rid of the bags of cocaine sitting in his back seat.

  Chapter Two

  Jayce

  Jayce walked up to the brick house. It was located further downtown then he usually went. The lot next to the house was empty with overgrown weeds. Some of the neighboring brick homes were boarded up and covered with spray paint. He looked around to make sure he wasn’t being followed before he knocked on the black wrought-iron security door th
ree times. Mason had told him where to find this guy but it didn’t put Jayce any more at ease. Lucas had strict rules about alternating the product. The last thing they wanted was to have a bunch of people overdosing and drawing attention, but at the moment Jayce was in a bind. He was more worried about what would happen if he didn’t get this product sold than the potential fallout. He needed to make the coke affordable enough so he could sell to people from his school and on the streets. Everyday druggies couldn’t afford grade A coke, and since he couldn’t get into any club he didn’t get a chance to sell to the upper class. The main door creaked open and a man with a long beard peeked his head out.

  “Name?” The man asked not bothering to open the security door.

  “Jayce. Are you Albert?”

  “Where’s your stuff?” the man asked ignoring his question.

  “In the car. Wanted to make sure I was in the right place.”

  “Grab it and bring it around to the back door. I’ll meet you there,” he said before closing the door and locking it.

  Jayce sighed. This was getting sketchier by the minute but he was desperate. He went out to the car, grabbed one of the duffle bags then headed to the backyard. There was no fence and the grass was tall. A set of concrete steps led down to what he assumed was a basement. Jayce walked down the steps, and the door opened before he could knock. Albert towered over Jayce—he had to be at least 6 foot 5 inches and round around the middle. He moved to the side.

  “Come on in.”

  A couple of couches and a TV were set up on one side and it smelled like cleaning products. Albert shut the door and locked it.

  “How do you know Mason?” Albert asked.

  “We work together.”

  He wasn’t sure how much Albert knew about Mason but he wasn’t about to give anything up. Albert rounded the table and set his meaty hands on the edge.

  “If you work with Mason you probably shouldn’t be here,” he said.

  “I’m kind of desperate. I need to get this shit sold and Mason said you can help.”

  Albert tilted his head. “How old are you, man?”

  If Jayce had a nickel for every time someone asked him that question.

  “Old enough. Now are you going to help me or not?” Jayce wasn’t interested in engaging in small talk.

  Albert smiled. “Yea I’ll help you.” He patted the table. “Throw it up here.”

  Jayce slid the duffle bag off his shoulder and set it on the table. Albert held out his hand before Jayce reached in his pocket, taking out a bank roll and throwing it to him. Albert silently counted the money before rolling it back up and placing it in his own pocket. He grabbed the duffle bag and took out one of the clear bags of coke.

  He looked up at Jayce. “This is some good stuff. You sure you want to cut this?”

  Jayce shrugged. “It’s the only way I’m going to get it sold.”

  Albert grabbed a bag from under the table and they got to work. Albert showed him how to mix the coke with a few other ingredients to make it so he could sell it for less and still make good profit. It was a long process and it took all night to get through half of the duffle bag. Jayce didn’t even realize the time until his phone alarm went off for school.

  “Shit I got to go.” He grabbed the duffle bag, now mixed with the original coke and the new product they had just made.

  “Let me know how it goes, man,” Albert said. Jayce left the basement and walked out to his car.

  Sabrina

  The first week of school passed by fast. Sabrina and Wendy sat at lunch together every day. Wendy introduced Sabrina to some of her friends and she was doing pretty good for only being at this new school for a week. She wasn’t sure how she and Wendy had become friends so fast but she was grateful. Sabrina accepted the fact that as long as Jayce was giving her rides to school, girls were going to keep staring at her like a foreign creature. Jayce insisted on picking her up and dropping her back off at home each day. She finally stopped arguing and started waiting outside for him in the morning. The second day of school she had woken up early to try to put some makeup on but after about ten minutes and deciding she looked absolutely ridiculous she’d wiped it all off.

  “Do you want to go?” Wendy asked, sitting across from her at the lunch table.

  Sabrina shook her head. “Sorry I wasn’t listening, what were you saying?”

  “You do that a lot,” Wendy said.

  “Do what?”

  “Zone out. What are you thinking about?” Wendy asked

  “Murder,” Sabrina winked at her.

  Wendy smirked. “Do you want to go to the football game with me tonight? It’s going to be huge.”

  Although she was getting used to the school, the thought of being surrounded by all these students and crazy local football fans put her on edge. She’d much rather be at home re-reading one of her favorite books or watching a movie.

  “Come on. I’m not giving you a choice, I’ll pick you up at 6:30 tonight.”

  “You don’t know where I live.”

  Wendy rolled her eyes. “Well you can either tell me where you live or I can hunt you down.”

  Sabrina sighed, she knew this was a battle she was going to lose. “What am I supposed to wear?”

  Wendy took a drink of her water. “Whatever you want, some people get really into it and paint their face blue and white but just some jeans and a blue T-shirt would do.”

  Sabrina nodded—she could do that.

  *****

  After school, she slid into the passenger seat of the Camaro.

  “Are you going to the game tonight?” she asked Jayce as he shut the driver side door.

  “Nah, I have some stuff to take care of.”

  “Oh?”

  He nodded but didn’t offer up anything else. She had noticed that each time they drove to school he was looking more and more tired. He had faint dark circles under his eyes and he’d yawned about ten times this morning. She was curious but decided not to ask. Once he’d dropped her off, she walked in the house to see her mom was in the kitchen brewing a cup of coffee, still in her PJs. She worked as a nurse so it wasn’t unusual for her to just be waking up when Sabrina was getting home for school.

  “Hey, mom,” Sabrina said setting down her book bag on a kitchen chair.

  Her mom yawned. “Hey, honey, how was school?”

  “Good, you got work tonight?” she asked

  “Yea tonight, tomorrow night and then I’m off for the next few days.”

  Sabrina opened the fridge and grabbed out an apple to snack on as she leaned against the counter.

  “I’m going to the football game tonight,” she told her. Her mom was a pretty laidback parent, not like she ever had anything to worry about. Sabrina was a good kid.

  “What time does it end?” her mom asked reaching to take a coffee mug out of the cabinet.

  “I think around 9:30 or so,” she said taking a bite of her apple.

  “Ok, just let me now if you stay out later. Hey, have you given any more thought to that nursing program?”

  Sabrina looked down at her apple. “I don’t think it’s for me.”

  Her mom was trying to help her figure out what to do after high school. Sabrina knew she was just trying to help but nursing sounded terrible. She didn’t want to work 12 hour shifts and the thought of cleaning up blood and gore made her stomach turn.

  Her mom stirred her coffee. “Well, what are you thinking?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea. There wasn’t many career fields that interested her and although she did good in school, the thought of spending another four years in a classroom gave her a bit of anxiety. She took another bite of her apple.

  “Well, start to think about it. I have some money set aside for your college,” her mom said.

  “I’m going to go get ready,” Sabrina said as she started to walk out of the kitchen.

  “Alright I’ll see you in the morning.”

  She decided that was
enough stressing about the future, now she could stress about what to wear to the game. She still had hours before Wendy would be there but she was getting tired of the evil glares she was getting from the girls. Tonight she decided she was going to go all out.

  *****

  By the time Wendy showed up, Sabrina had dressed in a vintage low-cut Falcon Haven T-shirt that her mom gave her. It had to be at least 20 years old—the blue was faded and the logo was slightly different but she loved the way it looked. She had on a pair of tight black jeans that fit her like a second skin, a pair of Converse, and her brown hair with caramel highlights was thrown up into a slick high ponytail. And she actually managed to put a bit of makeup on. A car horn honked outside, and Sabrina walked downstairs and out of the door, making sure to lock it behind her. Wendy whistled as she climbed into the old Honda.

  “You look hot!”

  Sabrina blushed.

  “Why don’t you dress up every day? Guys would be drooling all over that body. You’re built like a model, flaunt it.”

  Wendy’s dark hair hung down past her shoulders. She was wearing a blue Falcon Haven T-shirt as well with ripped jeans that exposed her tan-skinned.

  Sabrina laughed. “Ok, ok enough flattering, let’s get to the game.”

  Wendy pulled the car onto the street. “They really won’t send the bus out here? I think you live far enough.”

  “I think so too. It would make my life easier.”

  “Would it?” Wendy asked raising an eyebrow. “It doesn’t seem like riding with Jayce to school is that big of an inconvenience?”

  “You are just as bad as everyone else,” she joked with her. “Jayce is a friend.”

  “Say what you want,” Wendy said.

  Like Wendy had said it would be, the outside of the school was packed with people. The bleachers were almost filled and more people were milling around by the concession stand. It was a sea of blue and white colors. Some of the guys wore two stripes of face paint on their cheeks, while a few of the girls had blue ribbons in their hair. The football field was in front of the school with a bright blue track that wrapped around where the cheerleaders were currently standing and talking in a big circle. The bleachers stretched from the track to the school entrance with stairs in the middle separating the rival teams. Loud exciting energy oozed from the crowd and wrapped around Sabrina like a blanket protecting her against the cold breeze of the night.