Chapter 17
He was quickly but carefully frisked before being admitted into the VIP room. Wally walked in warily as he took in the surroundings. It was a pretty dark room, and it took him a while to realize that there were two guys seated in the shadows. Seeing them just made him more nervous. Straight ahead sat the son-of-a-bitch with a boy beside him; the kid was definitely younger than Wally, but not by much. The man who 'invited' him to the club smiled at him, but his eyes were as cold as ever.
"Welcome, Wallabee Beatles," he said, mentioning his name with satisfaction. "I'm glad you came. Have a seat," he added as he pointed to an unoccupied two-seater leather sofa. The blond sat down, his eyes never leaving the man in expensive attire. He didn't trust him one bit.
Wally noticed the boy seated next to the drug baron was stealing glances at him. When their eyes met, he saw distrust and anger in the kid's gaze. Greg noticed the uncharacteristic behavior from his boy. He snorted and took a thoughtful sip of his brandy before placing his hand on the cheek of the brown haired boy. "What's wrong?" he cooed. "Afraid of a little friendly competition, you little BITCH!" He slapped the boy hard, the impact pushing the boy onto the other side of the couch.
Wally's heartbeat rang in his ears and he could feel little beads of sweat form on his brow. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. He watched as the scrawny boy sat up, caressing the stinging cheek. He had tears in his eyes.
"Get out of here," Greg yelled. "I don't have time to babysit your bitch-ass." He took a drag of his cigar and exhaled, watching the grey fumes rise and spread lazily across the room. "Wait for me in a room. I'll deal with you later," he added quietly.
The boy got up quickly, whimpering all the way to the door. Before he could let himself out of the room, the door opened, and a man with caramel skin walked in. His face was stern. He barely cast a glance at the pathetic boy in front of him as he made his way into the room. His dark suit and black shirt made him blend into the room's darkness. The visitor went straight to the bar. He held the decanter at an angle, but did not pour himself a drink until he heard the quiet click of the door as the boy left the room.
"Kensei," Greg said with a pleasant smile. "What can I do you for?"
Kensei sat beside him and nodded in greeting. He sipped his drink before responding. "I was in the area. I thought I'd stop by for some girls." He looked around at the empty seats in the room. "Clearly, it's not my lucky day."
Greg clapped his friend on the back. "Yes, well…being the generous employer that I am, I gave them the night off." He put the cigar in his mouth and inhaled. "So how can I help you?" He smirked. "Perhaps I can give you a show," he said as he admired his blond playboy for the night.
The dark haired man got up and walked toward Wally. He smiled at him menacingly as he pulled the boy roughly to his feet. Greg bit his lower lip as he removed a gun from his waist band. He ran the cold steel barrel against the skin of Wally's face, before running it down his chest and stomach, finally coming to a stop at his nethers. His evil smile never leaving his face, Greg brought his lips to Wally's, or rather, that had been the intention. The blond boy had pushed him away mightily, and he staggered precariously as he tried to retain his balance.
Wally was mad. Scared but mad. All he knew was he that wasn't going to take this lying down, or bending over for that matter. If this asshole is gonna do anything to me, he'll do it to my dead body. However, his brevity faltered slightly when he saw the animalistic look in Greg's grey eyes. The dark haired man, having regained his balance came at him at lightning speed and struck him with the back of the hand - the hand that was still holding the gun.
As Wally fell back onto the sofa, he brought his hand to his mouth where he had been struck. He moaned in pain when he touched his bleeding lip. Further investigation confirmed that none of his teeth had been knocked out. He stared at Greg and knew that he would not make it out of that room alive. The faces of his family, Kuki, friends, and Kuki again, flashed before his eyes as the man in front of him yelled to one of his bodyguards, "Get a room ready for me and this little shit!"
As the bodyguard left, Greg turned his attention back to his conquest. He smiled again and run his fingers on the now obviously frightened young man's face. "Oh, I like you. You really are an attractive boy," he said, looking at him with half-lidded eyes.
He stopped caressing Wally's face when Kensei spoke. "I have no interest in your games, Gregory." His voice was calm, like he had seen this type of thing several times. "I want some weed," he continued. "I'll go pick some girls from downstairs, and we'll have a good time." Kensei rubbed his chin and crossed his right leg over the other as he looked expectantly at the drug lord.
Greg snorted, and then clicked his fingers in annoyance at the other bodyguard. "Bring him some weed," he said with disinterest. "The good shit," he added as an afterthought. The man exited the room.
Kensei scanned the room carefully. It was just the three of them in the room now. Wally saw the visitor fidget quietly in his position on the couch before watching him walk to the bar to get a refill.
"And just who are you looking at sweetie?" Greg asked Wally. He shook his index finger at him. "Careful, I'm the jealous type," he said as he straddled the boy. Wally's eyes grew wide as he felt Greg's arousal.
"Fuck!" Wally yelled and spat in his face as he pushed Greg off. The latter picked himself up from the floor, his eyes filled with rage for the second time that night. He punched Wally, striking the opposite side of his face from the split lip. The man in the suit then quickly made a grab for the blonds' genitals, but the boy was too quick. Wally evaded him and gave him a hard kick to the back of the knee. Greg buckled, but quickly removed his gun and put the nozzle against Wally's temple. He laughed wickedly. "What now bitch?" he snorted. "Just so you know, I like 'em feisty." He punched Wally against the side of the face using his free hand.
"Greg," Kensei called patiently as he sipped his brandy, "why don't you give the kid a little time to get used to the idea, hmm?" He looked at Wally with indifference. "And in the meantime," he continued, returning his gaze to the other man, "you can just come back here and drink with me for heaven's sake. By the time we're done, I think he'll be ready for you."
Greg grunted, and tried to kiss Wally again. This time he was lucky because Wally was in a bit of a daze. His head was pounding from the blows he had received. Once again he made a grab for Wally's genitals, but the latter had regained enough of his senses to hold his hand at bay. "You're not getting my fucking Johnsons!" Wally spat furiously. Greg just smiled and removed his tie, draping it on Wally's shoulders as he returned to his seat. He looked at Kensei, the smile still plastered on his face. He picked up his cigar, but it was just a little stub left. He threw it at Wally, and it burnt him slightly. Greg got up to refill his glass. He looked at his bodyguards who were seated on the corner. He addressed one of them, "Is my room ready?"
"Yes, Sir."
Then addressing the second bodyguard, he asked, "You got the weed?"
"Yes, Sir."
Greg held his hand out, and the bodyguard gave him the plastic bag with the rolled joints. He walked back to the couch and threw the bag at Kensei, who caught it and began to inspect his package. He sat on the table, body hunched as he sipped his drink, all the while his eyes on Wallabee. "I'll give you the time of your life," he said as he took another sip. Greg made a face as he lifted the glass to the light from a solitary lamp. "This tastes fun–," he said, but could not complete his statement as he began to have difficulty breathing. His right hand grasped his chest and his eyes were wide. His breath became labored and he began to wheeze painfully.
His bodyguards noticed the change in their boss, and they stood up and ran to him when Greg's body crushed to the floor. Wally's eyes registered shock as he watched his oppressor lying on the floor, his breaths coming slowly and more painfully.
"Boss!" one of the bodyguards yelled. "Mr. Richard?" he called as he turned over his boss so that he lay on his back.
The other bodyguard removed his cell phone and began to dial a number. Before he could complete the call, Kensei spoke quietly, all the while appearing unmoved by what was happening around him. He had a gun in his hand which he pointed lazily from one guard to the other. He had quietly taken the gun out of a one of the drawers next to the bar when the guards were out and Greg was harassing Wally.
He took the last gulp from his glass before setting it on the table, careful to put it on a coaster. "Listen carefully," he said with a quick lick of the lips. "Gregory is dying." He posed for dramatic effect as he listened to the last struggles to breathe. Greg's wheezes were now very sharp, but very few between. Looking the bodyguards in the eye, Kensei continued, "You were never here. I advise you to take anything you feel is of value, and go. Leave the state, leave the country, I don't care. But this," he paused for a moment, "never happened."
The bodyguards didn't need to be told twice. They got up and rummaged through the drawers of the cabinet in the corner of the room. They took out all the bills and stuffed them into their pockets. They walked out calmly, sure not to rouse the suspicions of the guard on the other side of the door.
Wally was left in the room with Kensei and the dying man. He swallowed hard, shifting his gaze between the couch and the floor. Shit,he thought, what's gonna happen now? So he had been saved from the lunatic on the floor, but what about this other guy. Does he want me too? Greg was a scary man, but there was something about this new guy that scared Wally even more. May be it was because he killed Greg. To kill Greg you must be bad-ass. Kensei still had his leg crossed over the other, as though all this was a regular part of his routine.
The biracial man watched Wally with slight interest as the latter deliberated over him. He shifted his gaze to Greg when he breathed his last. Kensei sighed and looked at Wally. "You should go. He won't bother you anymore." Then Kensei removed a few bills from his jacket pocket. "Take this. It should be enough to get you home." The blond fellow took the cash and left the building. Who the hell was that guy, he wondered as he got into a cab that was parked along the sidewalk.