Since first hearing his name I had conjured up images of what Devin would look like. After much consideration I finally came to the conclusion that he would look like a cross between The Joker and a monster on Scooby Doo.
Entering the room I dropped my glasses down to the bridge of my nose, searching the flickering candlelit room for this half man half beast. Instead all I saw was the outline of a figure standing at the window his back to us, arms resting at his sides as he spoke.
“According to the newspaper reports you have completed the task that was assigned to you.”
“Yes.” A.J. answered him in a flat even voice.
“Who have you brought with you this evening?”
“My friend was hurt so I brought along someone else who can be trusted.” Beaming in the darkness I was pleased that A.J. considered me someone whom he could trust.
“I’m well aware of your friend’s condition.” Devin answered, my smile falling. “I told you in the beginning there would be obstacles to overcome. I wanted to see how you would deal with things when presented with such an obstacle.”
“You had him stabbed?” A.J.’s voice wavered slightly as he tried to maintain a calm façade.
“I created an obstacle.”
“And we overcame it.” A.J. slung his backpack on the marble-topped table in front of him, the veins in his forehead visibly bulging in the soft glow of the candlelight.
“Both of you turn around.” Before I could even get my feet in order to turn around a large figure came towards me dropping a heavy hand on my shoulder turning my back to the table, which now held the goods.
I could hear the clicking of shoes across the hardwood floor as Devin approached the table behind us.
I desperately wanted to turn around, to see the man who would eventually turn our lives upside down. But in the end fear won out over curiosity and I stayed put staring down at my shoes, my hands shaking at my sides.
“Everything appears to be in order.”
I could hear the shuffling of the backpack as it was tossed to the floor at A.J.s feet the contents now safely in Devin’s possession.
“I trust by now that you know the rules.”
“I do.” A.J. answered.
“And does your new friend here know the rules?” At the mention of me I felt my heart pound in funky staccato beats, totally off of the rhythm of what was occurring all around me.
“No he doesn’t know the rules Devin.” I wanted to tell A.J. to shut the hell up but I didn’t get the chance as the snapping of shoes on hardwood made their way in my direction.
Coming up alongside of me I could smell Devin’s cologne, hear his breathing, feel his shoulder as it brushed mine before he leaning down and whispered in my ear.
“Do you want to know the rules?” A shiver zipped up my spine tingling down my arms and up into my hair.
“You fuck up you die.”
* * *
Walking back down the path I took my sunglasses off tossing them into the bushes.
“You dumb motherfuckers,” I shouted. “What the hell did you two get yourselves involved in?”
“Keep walking Nick.” A.J. walked on ahead of me not turning around.
“I mean I just don’t get it. Where do you meet a guy like that and why on earth do you do what he says? Fuck up or die. Did he seriously said the words fuck up or die.”
“You’re ranting Nick.”
“This isn’t funny A.J.” Once to the bottom of the path he stopped. Pulling off his sunglasses he looked me right in the eye.
“I never said it was funny Nick.” His dark eyes blazed in the night without the hint of a smile on his face.
“Then please stop doing it.”
“Yesterday you wanted us to let you in on the deal now you want us to walk away? You can’t have it both ways Nick.” Pulling the wig off of his head he stuffed it in his backpack along with his sunglasses.
“Well now I changed my mind and I want you to stop.”
“It isn’t my decision to make.” Turning around he continued walking down the street to where the cab was waiting.
“So I’ll talk to Brian, I’ll tell him to stop. He’ll listen to me.”
“Ha!” A.J. laughed over his shoulder.
“Let me at least try?” Coming up alongside of A.J. I tugged on the sleeve of his shirt like a little kid.
“Get in the cab Nick.” Stopping at the passenger side door he slung it open and motioned for me to get in.
Sliding inside I looked up at him wondering if this was all a bad dream?
“A.J., I don’t want you and Brian to die.” Bracing his arms on the open door of the cab he leaned down a smile playing on his lips.
“Then all we have to do Nick is not fuck up.”
* * *
Once back at the hotel I found myself looking around for Eva.
She had been so good at popping up when I needed her the most that I figured that she would just be there, waiting, with a big smile on her face.
But there was nobody around except hotel employees milling about and an elderly lady slumped down in a highback chair in the corner of the lobby snoring as the clock struck 2:00 a.m.
Stopping at the elevator A.J. pressed the button and miraculously it opened.
“Where was this damn thing when we needed it last night.” I heard him mutter under his breath as we stepped inside.
After Devin had finished speaking to me, melting again into the flickering shadows of the room. He made it perfectly clear that he wanted to have a few words alone with A.J.
“All of you outside but Juan.”
Juan?
One of Devin’s evil henchmen came up beside me grabbing me roughly by the upper arm to escort me from the room.
Leading me out the door, which was slammed, shut behind me, I was then pushed face first into the corner of the hallway where I stood until A.J. came out twenty minutes later.
“What did he say?” Screwing up my mouth sideways I tried to be inconspicuous talking through my pursed lips like a really bad ventriloquist.
He didn’t answer me.
I noticed as we were led down the hallway to the stairs and back through the entryway of the house that there was something different about A.J.
His steps seemed harder.
His back was straighter.
His strides had purpose.
He never did answer me about what Devin had said to him that evening while I waited, scared and confused outside the door. But whatever it was had made him into a man.
“What are you staring at?” Blinking I looked over at A.J. standing arms folding impatient in front of the elevator doors.
“I don’t really know.” Tapping my foot nervously on the floor.
“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked as the elevator doors slid open.
“You tell me.” Brushing past him I walked down the hall to our room.
* * *
Sometime during the evening there was a soft knocking at the door.
I’d been having a scary dream, the kind where you open your mouth but you can’t speak the kind where you run but you don’t go anywhere. The kind where everything is in black and white but the splashes of red that coat your body after something hideous sunk its’ claws into you.
Dragging the pillow over my head I heard the door open and close.
“Is he sleeping?” The muffled sounds of Brian filled by head.
“Yeah. He’s out like a light.”
“How’d it go tonight?” A.J. and Brian moved over to the bed across from me sitting down as they spoke.
“It went fine. Devin scared the shit out of Nick though.”
“What happened?”
“He told him ‘the rules’.”
“Shit.” Brian exhaled loudly. “I really didn’t want him involved in this.”
“I know.” I could hear A.J. shuffle some things around and then I heard what I thought was the flick and blaze of a match.
“You’re not supposed to be smoking.” Brian scolded.
“Yeah, well we’re not supposed to be stealing either. Life’s a bitch.” A.J. replied with a husky laugh.
Wrinkling up my nose I tried to keep from inhaling the stale stench of cigarette smoke that was wafting through the air, making me feel as if I had to sneeze.
“Do you want one?” I could hear A.J. tapping out another cigarette into his hand.
“I told you I’m not going to start doing that shit.” Brian replied.
“I vaguely remembering saying the same thing once.” Was A.J.’s witty comeback as he exhaled and some thin threads of smoke wound around in the air over my pillow covered head.
“So did Devin talk to you tonight?”
“Yeah. I know he would have rather been talking to you but he settled for me.”
Wrinkling up my nose again I tried to block out he smoke but I could definitely feel a sneeze coming on.
“And?”
“And he talked to me about the plan. He said-"
“ACHOO.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Whoops. Wincing as the pillow was flipped off of my head I could feel A.J. pounce on the bed beside me pushing me face down into the mattress.
“You little sneak, when are you ever gonna learn.”
Flailing around I tried to buck him off of me as my face lifted slightly above the mattress and I was able to suck in some fresh air before being pushed down again.