dirty business

Justin sat there, frozen. He wasn’t sure what to say, or how to even react. The man smirked, “Just like your father: always trying to make a deal.” Biting the inside of his cheek, Justin tries to keep his face expressionless. He needed to be strong. Fuck his own life, this was about Molly. Turning his attention back to the window, the man rests his hands on the stabilizer. “I used to fly your dad around,” glancing at Justin, he adds, “He was a real ass.” Justin swallows hard, forcing himself to stay quiet. “He would pay me under the table sometimes… you know, like when he was shadowing for someone.” Justin nods, pretending he understood. He chuckles, “You have no fuckin’ clue, do you?” “What do you want from me?” Justin asks quietly. The man shakes his head and smirks at the nineteen year old for the second time. “I got a call this morning from your mother. She told me that Craig’s old man fucked up… tried to take on the big guns.” The tears start to form in Justin’s eyes, but he keeps himself in check. He would not lose it, not now. The man shrugs, “She told me Craig was dead. He was shot while she was still talking to him on the phone.” A tear escapes and slides down Justin’s cheek. He didn’t want to hear this. It hurt too much. He felt as if his whole world was shattering in front of his eyes and the shards were piercing his heart. “She begged me. Begged me, kid. She begged me to fly you and Molly out of here. Told me she’d pay double what your dad would pay me. Double.” He looks directly into Justin’s eyes. “Hard to do that when she’s dead though, don’t you think?” Justin feels the bile coming up. Forcing it down, he meets the man’s gaze. “So this…this is about money? … you want money?” “I get to the airport, and Tammy at the front desk tells me there’s some other guy here waiting to fly you and your sister out of here.” Justin blinks slowly. He was feeling overwhelmed. He wanted to just disappear… to wake up. To wake up from this horrible nightmare that had become his life. The man continues, “I go over to the guy, and I can tell… I can tell right away. I know. I fuckin; know he ain’t a pilot,” he chuckles, “I asked him who he was flying and he told me… you know what the fucker told me? He told me it was none of my business. That fucker. And you know what else? He had a gun,” he pauses for effect before continuing, “He was packing a gun. I knew what he was gonna do. He was going to do the same that happened to your mom and dad. I could give a rat’s ass about your dad, though he paid me well… but your mother. She was a classy woman. She always treated me right and was real sweet…. For her, I’d fly you guys,” again, he pauses, making sure that Justin was still listening, “So I followed him into the bathroom and knocked the fucker out from behind… I took his gun too.” He opens his jacket to reveal the stolen hand gun, “Nice, huh? I bet you can get a clean shot out of something like this.” Swaying slightly, Justin rests his head back against the chair. This was too much to handle. “So then Tammy announces your arrival and I take you guys here in my plane… and now what, huh? Now what the fuck am I supposed to do with you little shits? Your mother promised me twenty grand,” he shakes his head, “How much do you think I can get from your uncle, huh? How much do you think you and your kid sister are worth?” Chuckling, he shrugs, “I’m thinking $100,000….each. That sounds fair, don’t you think?” Justin closes his eyes. This wasn't happening. Suddenly the man starts to laugh. "Shit, don't go fainting on me, I was only kidding!" He opens his eyes in confusion, "Wha...?" The man laughs, "Well, not completely... but I ain't holding you two for ransom or anything. (still laughing) Your uncle is a friend of mine," he slaps his thigh, trying to stifle the laughter down to continue, "Don't worry, it's all covered." Justin blinks slowly. He needed a drink.