The Joy of Revenge

CHAPTER 49 Soldier Dan After cautiously stepping out of my Subaru SUV so | wouldn't get my expensive leather shoes wet, | fixed my black trench coat and pulled up the collar to hide my face. | disliked this neighborhood. It was exactly like the one | grew up in.

| knocked on the door of the Emery household. Jack had turned off his phone and now we had to do our meeting at his house.

His house was built in the 1980's. Everything was outdated especially the smelly brown carpet that ran throughout the household. | would have preferred to have had the meeting at Cris’ newly renovated modern- styled home, however, there was the peculiar case of the Undersheriff. Jack’s massive truck was parked beside the small hybrid compact car his mom drives, so I had no doubt he was home.

A stout middle-aged woman swung the door open, allowing us to enter. Mrs. Emery was our third grade teacher when we were kids.

“Good evening Mrs. Emery,” | greeted her with a smile. “Tell Jack we'll be downstairs in the basement when he’s ready.” She nodded her head without complaint, knowing full well why ere there.

estured to Cris and Liam to followinside. | walked towards a door beneath the stairs to the second floor and opened it to reveal another set of stairs that led to the basement. | switched on the lights and carefully walked down the short flight of steps with the other two slowly following from behind. This basement used to be Jack's bedroom and a place we would hang ng out after school when we needed a place to chill or goof around. Now, it was an empty space with a small chalkboard and a table surrounded by four chairs. We took our seats and waited for Jack to cdown.

When he finally showed up, he was wearing pajamas and his hair was still wet from his shower.

“What are you guys doing here?” Jack asked. | rolled my eyes. | hated it when he played.

dumb.

“We wouldn't be here if your phone wasn’t off, dufus.” Liam answered back, obviously peeved; a clear reflection of what all three of us were feeling.

1/5 CHAPTER 49 Soldier “Guys, can we please get on with the meeting? | need to get ssleep. | have meetings tomorrow,” Cris said impatiently.

“Yeah, | know. You have a meeting with Virtue,” Jack said.

“She told you?” Cris asked, feigning ignorance. “I forgot... You went shopping with her. Did you enjoy carrying her stuff around looking like her driver?” Jack laughed. “Why would you care? You're married, Cris.” “Knock it off, will yah?” Liam exclaimed, taking charge. “Jack, you and | have to talk. Cris, you can’t afford a scandal so near the election, so lay off Virtue and Dan, | need you to pay off our friends.” | took out two thick envelopes from my inner coat pockets and threw it on the table. While Cris enthusiastically took his, | saw Jack hesitate.

“I can’t keep doing this, Liam,” Jack said. “I want out.” “Have you finished paying off your father’s medical bills, Jack? Have you even started fixing this house like you promised your mom you would?” | asked.

but I'm almost done with the medical bills and | can take a loan out to fix the house,” eplied.

ou do know the cost when | inform the boss of your, uhm, exit, right?” Liam asked, staring at Jack.

“I won't tell anyone about the business. You know I'll keep quiet. Please, | don’t want to do this anymore,” Jack pleaded. “Abigail is in a coma and I-” “Jack, why the sudden change of heart?” | asked, puzzled. “Is this because of Virtue? Are you already falling for her?” “I just want a chance at a normal life with her- raised a finger to cut him off. | was surrounded by im beciles.

“Do you think she’ll want to be with you when she finds out you're in debt?” | asked, crossing my legs and leaning back against my chair. “Do you actually think she’ll get married to you and invite you and your mom to move in with her? Do you think someone as beautiful as her will play caregiver to your mom at her old age? Are you f ucking insane?” 2/5 CHAPTER 49 Soldier “I don’t know, but-" “That's right. You don’t know,” | said, looking at my nails. “She drives a Mercedes-Benz, bought a house on her own, even renovated it, and is planning to open a business of her own. Do you know the dress she wore last night was Armani? Do you know that small white Louis Vuitton bag she was carrying with her at the hospital costs more than what you make in a month? You seriously think your sparkling personality will win Virtue over? You are f ucking dumb.” “So basically you're team Liam,” Jack scoffed, taking the brown envelope in front of him. He opened it and peered inside, nodding his head appreciatively at the gracious amount.

“No, Jack. | am rooting for our team. We've been friends a long time,” | said. “A woman shouldn't be the reason why we stab each other in the back. Maybe... the three of you can share...just like what you guys did with Joy Taylor.” Jack’s face darkened with rage. “Don’t you ever say her nin this house ever again! If it weren't for my dad's cancer, | wouldn't have agreed to that.” “But your d ick surely agreed,” | argued. “If | remember correctly, you cafter you f ucked her. Sorry, my mistake. You cafter you raped her.” | leaned on the table and stared directly into his eyes so | could get my point across. “Before you ever think of leaving the m, remember | have evidence against you. | can walk to Virtue Sullivan’s house and tell you are a rapist. Do you think she would want to have a relationship with you after | spill e beans? She will never ever want to speak to you ever again. Got it, Jack?” Jack nodded his head and sighed, looking defeated. “Anything else on the agenda? | have to be up early in the morning.” “We have a problem,” | said. “After doing sdigging, the boss himself says Virtue checks out and just like the three of you, he has taken an interest in Virtue.” | heard the sharp.

intake of breath from all three men.

“That is a problem,” Cris said. “He isn’t the type Virtue would go out with even if you him up. So what do you propose? Don’t tellyou want us to play matchmaker?” dressed | sighed and looked up at the basement ceiling, praying for a miracle. Even | couldn't do the impossible.

“I can only do so much,” | said. “Virtue isn’t the type to take money for a one-night stand. She isn’t desperate.” 3/5 CHAPTER 49 Soldier | watched Jack shake his head. He didn’t want to step aside and have the boss take a chance with her. Actually, even if the boss tried, Cris was right. He wasn’t the type Virtue would date. She was a Barbie and he was definitely not a Ken.

Liam was quiet. | already knew what was going through his head.

If | failed to get the boss what he wanted, the boss will tap Theodore and Liam to abduct her.

Cris and Jack didn’t know all the details regarding Joan Summers, but | did. Just like Theodore Cohen, | was a soldier of the Angels of Darkness, the reigning mafia family of the Central States. | carried vital information and withheld it from my friends, including Liam and Nicole.

It wasn’t easy becoming a soldier, but because of me, the production and profit of crystal meth went up, earning us millions.

| first met the boss during high school, but he wasn’t the boss then, his mother was. He was just a regular student like the rest of us. When his mother ‘stepped down’, he continued the business. Currently, he’s hidden in plain sight and acted like any of the town’s folk.

One day, during gym class, he asked if | wanted to make smoney. His mother needed orge Taylor to sell his property by the lake. The only way for him to sell is if he needed money. The boss offered us one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in exchange for the orutal assault of Joy Taylor, George Taylor's most cherished daughter. Since | was from a poor family who didn’t have the means to sendto college even if | got a scholarship, | quickly agreed.

It wasn’t easy to convince the others, but once Jack caved after discovering his father had cancer, Cris and Liam agreed.

We raped her, but we weren't able to kill her. Joy was like a co ckroach who was almost- impossible to kill. When | called the boss that night, terrified the Sheriff would cto arrest me, he laughe d and toldhis mother’s friends would take care of it. Sure enough, without even batting an eyelash, Theodore Cohen told his men to clean the mess. up and threatened Abigail he would set her family’s bee farm on fire if she ever spoke a word to anyone.

The boss said his mother would only pay up if the Taylors sold the land. Fortunately, they did. So Cris and | got money to help with college, Jack for his dad and Liam for his extravagant lifestyle.

4/5 CHAPTER 49 Soldier After graduating university, | becNew Salem’s Auditor, laundering money and helping with the drug business. Unfortunately, | couldn’t flaunt my wealth, but if | decided to turn back on mafia life, | could retire in Asia and live comfortably for the rest of life.

my my “Dan, I'll talk to the boss first to get details,” Liam said. | saw Jack open his mouth to argue, but Liam raised his hand to silence him. “I'll go see him Friday night.” Chapter Comments Luna-Mom ha jackey boy you think your in with a chance