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  Bon Appétit

  Glenn Gamble

  Chicago, Illinois, USA

  © 2011 Glenn Gamble

  www.GlennGamble.com

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Bon Appétit © 2011 by Glenn Gamble

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Glenn Gamble.

  Bon Appétit

  Escape

  On the Run

  James

  A Thousand Chances

  1001: Car Wash

  Chapter 1

  "Where the fuck is my money?!"

  Jim's face was soiled with anger. He'd been chasing Chuck for two weeks attempting to collect money owed to him. Chuck had managed to dodge Jim in every way imaginable. After a tip from his estranged girlfriend, Jim finally had him cornered.

  "I don't owe you shit!" Chuck fired back.

  "I want my money now!" Jim demanded. "Look, I'm not your girlfriend or the fat man-bitch that keeps your dick in his mouth! I don't give a fuck what you owe them, you better pay me now motherfucker!"

  "Says who?" another voice asked.

  Two men emerged from the side of the two-flat building. Jim reached for his switchblade, but decided not to pull his weapon as Chuck's brothers approached.

  "What seems to be the problem, baby bro?" asked one of the men.

  "Just a little misunderstanding on my friend's part." Chuck said. "Nevermind him, he was just leaving."

  "Not without my money, motherfucker!"

  "Oh, I see. You got your little bitch out here so you wanna prove to her that you got big fucking nuts."

  "No, I want my money!" Jim repeated.

  Sitting in the passenger seat, Jessica felt uneasy from the moment Jim parked in front of Chuck’s building. The three men standing in front of the building were menacing, and she was visibly shaken. Chuck picked up on this as he peered into Jim’s car. He even winked and smiled at the attractive young woman.

  "Look man, you need to take your pretty little bitch home and forget we ever met."

  "Jim, just forget about it! Let's get out of here." Jessica said, the nervousness palpable in her voice.

  "That's a smart bitch you got there!" Feeling emboldened by the presence of his brothers, he spit in Jim's face. "Didn't your bitch say let's go?"

  Jim was steaming mad. He felt the urge to jump out of his car and carve prime cuts of his ribs with his switchblade. Realizing that he was outnumbered, all he could do was start his engine as Jessica reassured him that he did not need to worry about the money.

  "You're gonna get yours, Chuck. Consider yourself lucky that you borrowed from me. I have friends who would eat you alive for stiffing them!"

  Jessica's mouth watered as she had momentarily forgotten where she was until she heard gunshots. Chuck's youngest brother had retrieved a pistol from the hedges and began firing at the vehicle.

  Fortunately, Jim sped off in time.

  Chapter 2

  Jim called Steve shortly after his near-death at the hands of Chuck's brothers. Steve was Jim's best friend, and a no nonsense bruiser that Jim called whenever he came across a debt that he considered uncollectable. They spoke shortly as Jessica eavesdropped as best she could without being noticed as they stood on her front porch. Steve eagerly agreed to assume the debt and they hung up.

  "Jessy baby! Are you alright?"

  "Jim, you could have gotten killed!" Jessica shouted.

  "Get killed? Not by Chuck's pussy ass, but I forgot about his brothers," Jim said. "Those are some wild motherfuckers there!"

  Jessica was taken aback by Jim’s disregard for his own safety. She couldn’t understand how he could dismiss the fact that he had been shot at in such a short amount of time. This clearly wasn’t the same Jim whose face was spit in who was very nearly shot. She loved Jim, but not his dangerous lifestyle; thinking about it scared her to death. The earlier incident served as an especially sharp reminder of the things she feared.

  "Jim, do you really need to do this for money?" Jessica asked, not really expecting Jim to cooperate.

  "Baby, don't ask me about my business! How the fuck am I supposed to keep you in Gucci and Prada from head to toe? And I gotta buy us a house too! Did we forget? All these things cost money!"

  "None of those things matter more than knowing that you won't be killed over an unpaid marker," Jessica reasoned. "Besides, we can get a house the way everyone else gets theirs."

  Although Jessica played a small role in Jim’s dealings, she still couldn’t quite understand why Jim couldn’t leave the gambling lifestyle alone. She was a teacher’s aide and going to school. Jessica aspired to be a teacher while secretly loathing Jim’s lifestyle. She’d wanted him to get out for months, but hadn’t talked to Jim about it. Even though she enjoyed the trappings of Jim’s illegal gambling, Jessica was really a square who dreamed of the day that Jim would finally get out and work a square job.

  "How? By working?" Jim asked. "I haven't had a job since high school. Jessy, what am I gonna put on my résumé? I can see my skills and qualifications now: Jim Moneymaker Skills: expert play of flush draws, straight draws, and bluffs. I manage both poker and blackjack games while evading possible arrest and I currently loan shark on the side. Jessy, get real! No one will hire me, and them square motherfuckers with their square checks and their square homes can kiss my hustlin' ass because I'm a gambler and a hustler til I die! Beside, we can't live like these square bums."

  "How do you know whether we can or can't live normal unless we try?" Jessica said. "If you try hard enough and look hard enough, someone might hire us. It may not be a lot of money, but I'd give up all the Gucci and Prada I have in order to be normal."

  "You actually wanna wait two weeks for your money like these other bums?" Jim asked incredulously.

  "I don't know what I want!" Jessica said. "I just don't wanna live like this anymore!"

  Jim paused, wiped his brow and began pacing. He was taken aback by Jessica’s statements. No woman he dated had ever questioned his lifestyle, nor regarded it as something he should abandon, especially when he bought Gucci, Prada, and jewelry for them. For the first time, he felt compelled to take a woman’s point of view into consideration. He had been dating Jessica for nearly a year and their relationship had gotten serious. He often thought about getting out of the gambling lifestyle, but figured that Jessica would be less than receptive, just as previous women had been. He would surely miss the money, but he could profit in ways that he couldn’t measure monetarily. Maybe I can reestablish a relationship with my mom again, Jim thought to himself. Perhaps she’ll be happy that I found a great woman and gave her the grandchildren that she’s always wanted. I’m going to marry Jessica.

  Jim exhaled, and attempted to verbalize his thoughts. "I didn't know that you felt this way," he said. "Jessy, listen to me! If you want me to get out the life, it'll be hard, but I'll get out just for you! We'll get married, start a family and buy ourselves a house. We're in this TOGETHER, right?"

  "Jim, I love you... but there's something I gotta tell you," said Jessica.

  "What is it, Jessy?" Jim asked patiently.

  Jessica's phone rang before she could respond. Her skin turned the color of Edward from the Twilight saga once she recognized the phone number. Anxiety and lust simultaneously took over.

  "Jim, I gotta take this!" Jessica said. "We'll
talk about this later."

  Before Jim could respond, Jessica shut her front door and began her phone conversation.

  Chapter 3

  "What do you want?"

  "Jessica, is that how you greet an old friend?" Steve scolded. "I think you know exactly what I want."

  "No! You know I can't. Steve, it’s over!" Jessica said. "IT’S OVER!"

  "No, it’s not over!" Steve insisted. "What you and I share can never be over, no matter how badly we want it to be!"

  Jessica begins to shiver and cry uncontrollably. She couldn't comprehend her desire. Her insatiable urges surfaced whenever Steve called. Neither she nor Steve could move beyond what they shared in the past.

  "It’s wrong Steve... WRONG!" Jessica argued. "Why do you do this to me?"

  "Because I know you want it as bad as I do."

  "I love Jim!" Jessica said "You shameless bastard, he's your best friend! How could you do this to him?"

  "Bitch, if it weren't for me, you would have never known Jim!" Steve countered. "You know the fucking deal! Why you acting brand new?"

  Jessica stood motionless as she contemplated giving in to Steve. She shuddered at the thought of Jim finding out.

  "Jessica?"

  "What, Steve?"

  "Tell the truth. You want this, don't you?" Steve pressed.

  Jessica hesitated as she pondered Steve’s question. Steve repeated his previous question in a low, deep tone. "Yes!" she squeaked, helplessly.

  "Meet me tomorrow at noon!" Steve said.

  "Where?"

  "At Chuck's place."

  "Are you kidding me? Jim and I almost got killed over there!"

  "Don't worry, that's gonna be taken care of. Besides, we gotta pick up dinner on the way back."

  "You're right," Jessica conceded.

  "With your appetite.. let's just say that I know I'm right!"

  Jessica laughed before reconfirming their meeting. On one hand, she felt excited about meeting with Steve. On the other, she felt guilty about what she intended to do with Steve. The possibility of Jim finding out scared her, but she couldn't resist Steve's proposition.

  "One more thing," Steve continued.

  "What's that?"

  "Don't mention this to Jim."

  "Of course not!"

  Chapter 4

  "Come on Jessy! Pick up!"

  Jim called Jessica 10 times without success. Each call went straight to voicemail. Now she told me to call her as soon as I leave the casino. I wonder why she's not answering. Is something wrong? Before Jim could speculate, his phone started ringing.

  "Hello," Jim greeted

  "Jim, I'm going to kill Steve!" replied a familiar voice.

  "Who the fuck is this?" Jim said, not immediately recognizing the voice.

  "Me, Carla!"

  "Oh, of course." Jim relaxed slightly but was still annoyed. "What do you want?"

  Jim did not hold much regard for Carla. From his point of view she was banal on a good day, and a batshit crazy nuisance that Jim crossed paths with on other days. Despite her shortcomings he respected her, but only because she was Steve’s wife. However, he never understood what Steve saw in the senseless broad. Perhaps she had $100 bills flowing in her pussy, and Treasury Bills in her excrement.

  "We both know that I can't fucking stand you, so I'll keep it short," began Carla.

  "Cut the bullshit! Why are you calling me?" Jim demanded.

  "Because I want you to tell Jessica to quit fucking my husband before I kill the bitch!"

  Jim rolled his eyes. “I’m now convinced that you need to be admitted to a mental institution. I told Steve to quit fucking with you.”

  “Just so he can fuck your girlfriend, right?” Carla asked, in a tone that was more accusation than question. “For you to think you so smart, you’re such a dumb motherfucker!”

  Jim could not believe what he was hearing. Could the same man who introduced him to Jessica betray me? Hell no, we’ve gone through too much shit together. I know Steve! He would never fuck my woman.

  “You’re a dumb bitch for fixing your mouth to say that, and I’m a dumb motherfucker for entertaining your banter.”

  “Jim, you arrogant bastard! OPEN YOUR EYES!”

  “My vision has never been better,” Jim remarked.

  “I know what the fuck I’m talking about. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard my husband making plans to fuck on Jessica.”

  “And I don’t believe that I’m listening to this shit.” Jim replied, his annoyance level rising. “Are you such an attention whore that you gotta make accusations against my girl?”

  “No, but I do know that your girl is a whore!”

  “Fuck you!”

  “No, you need to fucking listen to me!” Carla stressed, determined. “They were talking last night...”

  “That can’t be! I was with her last night.”

  “Were you with her at 11:00 pm?”

  “I left around 11... wait! She got a call and closed the front door on me real fast.”

  “Right! That was the time that they were talking!”

  “So that’s why she rushed me off her front porch!” Jim realized out loud, finally connecting the dots.

  “You think?” Carla asked, with a hint of both condescension and relief in her tone. “I thought I was hearing shit because when you hear shit, you don’t wanna believe you hearing shit; especially when your husband talking shit like No, it’s not over! What you and I share can never be over, no matter how badly we want it to be! Then the fucker arranges for them to meet at 12 noon thinking I’ma be at work. He ain’t know that I took off from work because I was going to surprise him with a day of romance for us. I spent all my check reserving a room at the Trump Tower and buying all kinds of shit, and this is what he does to me.”

  Jim still couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It seemed impossible for him to conceive the notion that the same man who introduced him to Jessica and said that they would make a great couple would be the one to jab the knife in his back while fucking his girlfriend missionary, but here was Carla with facts he could no longer deny. Had Carla not mentioned the time that Steve called Jessica, he would have dismissed her as being crazy, but if Jim was to be completely honest with himself, he would have to admit that Carla had never been crazy. High strung, yes, but not crazy. Carla held down a square job as a LPN and did a good job taking care of their home despite working long hours at the hospital. The reason Jim disliked her is because she was a working square bitch who often spoke down to him regarding his lifestyle. She disliked Jim because of the influence he had over her husband. Carla wanted Steve to be more committed to her and their family, and felt that Jim was the main reason why Steve had not gotten away from his life of crime.

  Carla almost cried as she held her own in response to Jim’s venom. “Think what you want about me, but I love Steve, deeply! You don’t understand how badly this hurts me and all you can do is insult me and shit. Fuck you Jim!”

  “Carla, you’re doing all this fucking crying, but you ain’t do shit when they agreed to meet.” Jim said. “How come you didn’t meet them and check your husband?”

  Carla gathered her thoughts as she started to speak in a lower tone. “I was going to kill him and Jessica today. I saw both of them moving all kinds of shit from Chuck’s house. I had my glock, and I was going to kill both of them, but I couldn’t. I knew if I did, you’d surely kill me.”

  “What the fuck you want me to do?”

  “Find Steven and Jessica!” Carla growled. “Don’t you at least wanna talk to her? Because I got a lot to say to Steve after I kill him!”

  “You got a lot to say after you… Carla, I don’t know what I wanna do right now.” Jim replied, confused and growing numb. “To tell you the truth, I think I’m losing my stomach for this shit. Just a week ago, I would have killed both of them motherfuckers. Now... I don’t know.”

 
“Pick me up from my house” said Carla. “Look, I know I’m the last person you’d wanna be around right now, but you’re the only person I got right now.”

  “What time?” Jim sensed Carla's confidence, which boosted his own.

  “Now!”

  Chapter 5

  Jim arrived at Carla’s house in less than 15 minutes. Carla rushed to Jim’s car and began crying uncontrollably. This was the first time Jim had seen Carla vulnerable and offered some Burger King napkins that he had in his console. She graciously took them as he wondered how they had both gotten here. He never thought he’d be in a position where Carla and he would be on the same page on anything. Now they were both searching for answers as they found themselves wondering where they went wrong.

  “Perhaps we should wait til they both come home,” Jim suggested.

  “It is midnight! They’re not coming home tonight.”

  “Then how the fuck are we going to find them?”

  “Look Jim, I need you to stop cussing at me.” Carla demanded. “I know that you’re a thug and a low-life, but you’re going to respect me!”

  “Then bitch, you can get out my fucking car!”

  “This is why I don’t like you Jim!” Carla exclaimed. “You’re such a Neanderthal asshole.”

  Jim hopped out his car, ran to the passenger side of his vehicle and yanked Carla out of the car. He decided that it was a bad idea to have come over to her house and feed into anything she had to say. As soon as he slammed his door, he was sucker punched. Carla threw a bottle at the assailant, but he ducked. As he was coming towards Carla, Jim tackled him. They both wrestled on the ground until the assailant reached for his gun. He had dropped it when Jim tackled him. Noticing the gun at the same moment, Jim grabbed his switchblade and stabbed him in the thigh. Carla, whose body was still free, punched the assailant in the head, further hindering his progress. She flew into such a rage that she knocked him off Jim with three punches. She threw more punches until Jim recognized the assailant, pulled Carla off him, and grabbed the gun.