22
Bear tried to talk to me through the door apologizing to Dodd. I wanted him to go away, but I never voiced my wants.
"I know Dodd can be a piece of shit, but when he said he didn't mean. He knows your family going to war with us from him snitching wouldn't end well for anyone. You're a part of this family, always have been. Always will." he said. But I didn't reply. When Floyd came to the door, I opened it. But she respected my wishes by staying in the doorway.
"You think I would put my family in danger because my idiot son made a mindless threat?" she asked calmly. I just looked down some in thought of her words.
"No. But then again, if Dodd decides to do something, he will do it with or without your say so… or knowledge." I replied. She inhaled some and walked up to me.
"I will deal with my son. But we both know it is in our best interests for you to stay on the ranch." she said with a bit of firmness. I looked away some thinking of my next words.
"Floyd, if your sons were to do anything that jeopardized your family in a way that couldn't be fixed, how would you punish them?" I asked finally looking back at her. Her eyes were stiff before looking down some.
"They'd be banished from the family." she said almost proudly. I chuckled dryly and looked at her.
"My mother taught me some things growing up. She told me the difference between us and them. You see the difference between family owned and business owned is that your power allows you to protect your family, enable them and let them do what they want with the power you have given them- what Otto has given them. Businesses punish their men and women when they are out of line so that they will never mess up again. Floyd… Dodd has messed up. He put his hands on me, he threatened my life. And even though I grew up in this home, you will choose him over me." I said.
"Well what would your father do if you or your brothers stepped out of line?" she asked quickly. I leaned against the doorframe in thought.
"Dante almost ruined a deal with a rival mob… dad punished him by whipping him like a slave." I replied softly looking down. "He made Melvin and Jerome watch. I had to listen to him screaming from the other room. That alone was enough to keep me in line. But he's also a father and when he was done punishing his son, doctors were there to help him." My voice was low and cold as I remembered hearing my brother screaming at the top of his lungs. I inhaled some and looked at Floyd who only gave a mild wince.
"Your father is a good man. We've always done right by each other. And I don't want any more wars between anyone else. Maybe in the morning we settle this and if you still feel the same, I'll put you in a hotel for a few days so we can all cool down." she said and I nodded.
"Floyd, my love for you is the only reason why I haven't called my father and told him what happened… in some ways I don't think I would have called him either way." I admitted to myself. She gave a soft oh noise and opened her arms to me. I leaned in and embraced her. "If you can get Bear to punch him out in front of me tomorrow morning, then we will be even." Floyd leaned back and looked at me almost stunned before nodding.
"A small price to pay to keep the piece. Good night." she said. I smiled and watched her walk away and I looked down before closing the door. I thought of my talk with her and I came to the conclusion that I could not entirely trust Floyd or the rest of the family. When eleven rolled around I was visited by one more "Gerhardt". There was a knock on the door, and I knew who it was. I couldn't keep him out and he wouldn't stay in the doorway. The door was locked, and I refused to get up and open it. So he did what he used to do when I kept the door locked. With his knife, he put it between the door and just pried the inside lever open. The door opened slowly and quietly. I left my lamp on so we weren't speak in the dark. I pulled the blanket over my body.
"What is it?" I asked lowly watching as he moved over to my small desk and sat his knife down.
"Haven't had to do that in years." he said lowly motioning his head to the door. I nodded.
"Yeah it seemed nothing could ever stop you." I muttered. He was only in a black shirt and pants. He came over to the bed and sat down slowly beside me, unreadable eyes watching me. He smelled different this time. Sure he never came to my room dirty, but this time he smelled like he added more to himself.
"You can't go to a hotel." he stated and I just scoffed and got up from the bed now walking around the room with my arms crossed.
"And why not?" I asked.
"Because the agreement with your father is you come to the phone every time he calls. When you don't come to the phone he sends his men, if he sends his men, there's gonna be more lives lost." he explained lowly.
"So you don't care who lives or who dies." I replied.
"I care if you live or die." he said. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm sorry if I have trouble believing that." I snapped. He moved from the bed and stood in front of the door. I guess I was too close to it.
"More bodies are going to drop… just be glad it's none of your men." he said.
"Why did you come here, Hanzee, we never talk, we never converse before you take me. So if that's what you want just do it already." I replied removing my gown. I was wearing nothing else under it. Maybe I already knew he would come and there was no point being fully dressed. Hanzee looked down at my body for a moment, his eyes just staring at my chest for a long moment. His hand raised lightly to gently cup my right breast. But it wasn't usually with need or demand. It was awkward as if he had never touched breasts in his life. He winced some before looking at me.
"Just promise that you won't go to a hotel tomorrow." he said. I thought about his words for a moment before tilting my head some.
"Only if you do one thing for me." I said.
"I won't kill Dodd." he responded almost robotically, and I shook my head.
"If only… tell me the truth. Was Rye really killed by some Butcher from Luverne or did Dodd ask you to lie for him?" I asked. He looked down now and slowly I raised my arms so that my palms were on either side of the door trapping him inside. His body began to tense and his eye twitched a bit, a sign he did not like what I was doing. I didn't care, if he didn't like it he'll do something about it. I leaned up to him gently letting my lips airily rub against his lips. "Tell me the truth Hanzee… please." I lightly pressed my forehead into his and his eyes closed slowly as he pressed his head into me.
"He was killed by a butcher from Luverne… but he wasn't hired by Kansas City. He is an actual butcher." he replied lowly and I winced at his words gently moving my head back to lock eyes with him.
"And you lied to Floyd because Dodd told you too." I concluded. He didn't have to nod or look down. He just stared into my eyes with little to no remorse and I just shook my head moving back from him now.
"You helped Dodd start a war and you think I am safe here?" I asked looking away now and holding myself upon hearing the news.
"Because you are safe here, safe with me." he said lowly and I just looked at him now with a mild scowl.
"When Dodd isn't around. He threatened me and put his hands on me and you did nothing, you stood there… you can't keep me safe when he is around you won't. You are the dog he wants you to be." I explained and he frowned now, and I mean really frowned. He walked up to me and I cowered back some onto the bed and immediately he pushed me right onto it.
"And you're just their inside dog." he said gripping my shoulder and forcing me on my stomach.
"Stop it!" I said almost too loudly, feeling his hand on my mouth as he leaned over me. With his other hand I can feel his hand fumbling with his pants.
"You think they care about you? You're nothing to them except a shiny red apple to use against your family should they step out of line. That's why they want to keep you here, that's why they don't want you out of their sights." he replied. I struggled under his hold, but felt him immediately enter me, but not his usual entrance. I whimpered hard and his hand over my mouth tightened as I felt my ass muscles expand. He grunted low in pleasure as my hands gripped the bed sheets. My ass burned as I felt him moving in and out, my muscles doing their best to expand away from his hardened shaft. He started an even and firm thrust.
"Floyd would choose her sons over you every… time." he said in my ear and I stilled my body now as I listened, as I listened to the truth he spoke. My stomach formed knots and my vagina was ringing from the pleasure of my ass. It was a new feeling I was still trying to describe. The bed rocked beneath us and I whimpered as I feel him move faster.
"So you see we are both their dogs, the red man, the black man, the yellow man, we are all dogs to them." He panted in my ear. "You can't beat them and I can't beat them. You don't bite the hand that feeds you." After a few more hard pumps I feel his shaft throb as he releases himself inside me. I burry my face into the bed as I thought of Gale. As I thought of him in my ass. The feel was way better and I knew I had to get away from this house. If not for him then for myself. Hanzee raised my body and moved me into bed and slowly pulled out of me. He remained atop of my body for a second before he shifted as if he were going to get up.
"Stay." he demanded and I did not move as he moved over to my desk and grabbed a few tissue from the tissue box and came back over to me. I feel his hand wiping at my bottom some. I didn't move for a second as I felt one hand wiping at my ass and the other rubbing my ass cheek for comfort? But maybe that's where we differed. He is a dangerous man, his mind locked away by the Gerhardts. Me, I am a dangerous black woman who submitted to no one unless it was a part of a plan. I was no man's dog.
I suddenly turned on my back and pulled him down right into me. This had to have surprised him because his body tensed a immediately like he had to fight, but he did not pull back from me.
"Aren't you tired? Are you tired of being their dog? You are dangerous Hanzee and that's why they need you. Without you they'd be nothing. You have the real power." I said in his ear and slowly he leaned back to look down at me as if he had a revelation. But the look did not last. I gently ran my fingers through his hair and slowly he got up from me, dressed himself and left. I sat up now and just sat there wondering what my next play is.
With the information I just learned, I realized I may have been a bit over my head. Dodd wasn't just playing the game of mobsters, he was winning. He started a war with Kansas City and used Rye to do it. He didn't care who really killed him, this butcher was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and to Dodd all that information worked for him. And Hanzee was right, this family stuck together no matter the mistakes. Dodd's punishment will not be good enough for me I have decided. I got up from the bed and placed my night gown back on. I gently opened the door and looked down the dark halls. The men didn't patrol inside the house only outside. I left my room and moved down the hall. I stopped at Floyd's room and leaned in. I could hear their gentle breathing from the door.
I then moved over toward Bear's room and heard him loudly snoring. I then moved downstairs into the living room, picked up their phone and dialed it. It only rang twice.
"Dawn?" Dad asked.
"Will you send Silas here please? I need him do something for me." I replied.
"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.
"Yes father, I'm fine. I just need him to do one thing for me." I replied lightly.
"I'll put him on a plane now." he replied. I smiled.
"Thank you." I replied and we both hung up.