TESLA
William guided me to some place in the hotel I had never been before. A floor where only the most important people stayed at.
He beeped open one of the doors and pointed inside, a motion for me to get in before him, which I did without question.
It was an office and after I had stepped inside, I didn’t dare to look, but I knew he stood right behind me. God knows what he was doing. Checking me out? Smelling my hair? Getting a cord out of his pocket to strangle me to death? Ok, I don’t know where that came from, but I really didn’t feel at ease around this man. Why did he want me to come along with him? He was on top of the Invicta chain where I was just a mere new employee. I was nothing.
He closed the door and walked past me and I couldn’t help but notice how his cologne smelled nice. After he sat down on his chair, he told me to sit down on the chair opposite his desk, so I did.
“So...Tesla,” he started. “Tell me about yourself.”
“Uh…What would you like to know?”
“Whatever you wanna tell me. Tell me what you did before you came to work for me.”
“I’m not good at that sorta stuff--introducing myself I mean...and Gremelda told us that we are forbidden to speak about life before Invicta...”
William laughed and looked at me with twinkling eyes. “Is Gremelda the one calling the shots here or am I that person?”
“Oh, you of course. I...I d-didn’t mean that--”
“It’s ok, Tesla. How about I tell you something about myself first?” he asked while tapping a few fingers against the desk top.
“Oh, ok, y-yeah, sure,” I stuttered.
“I’m William, twenty-eight years old and an absolute fan of anything that has to do with cooking and food. Do you have a passion for that? Cooking and food?”
Ok, didn’t expect that he was going to talk about food. “Yeah, I do.” Everybody liked that, right?
“How about Polish food?” he asked.
“Polish...food?”
Thinking about that country and food in one sentence took me back to that fateful night--the night that got me into the whole mess. The reason I have to stay here because jail or death would be my only other option.
“Yeah, Polish food. I thought you liked that, cause...a little birdie told me you did,” William said.
“...”
I swallowed. Did he know what happened that day? How did he?
“Oh, yeah, I know all about you, Ryder,” he said as if he was reading my mind.
“B-but--”
“I know everything about everyone. And Ramone, the one that ended up dead? That was my cousin.”
My eyes grew large at what he just told me.
“Oh, come on Ryder,” Jason whined.
“No, man,” I said.
He followed me through my apartment, asking me the same stupid question over and over again, like a child that wouldn’t take no for an answer. He wanted me to participate in one of his stupid illegal activities again. I didn’t wanna do those things anymore.
“I’ll pay you double, come on. You only have to take that guy to that Polish restaurant. He’s a fag too, so I’m sure he wanna fuck your ass, or be fucked by you in his ass, whatever you homos do.”
I punched him on his nose, making him fall to his knees and grunt out loud. “Asshole.”
“Ok, fuck, I think you just broke my nose. Ok...ok, I shouldn’t have said the F word again. But come on, 500 bucks. You only have to take him out and maybe fuck him if he wanna. That’s it. Didn’t you whine it’s been a while since you got laid? This is a win-win. I heard he’s hot too.”
“I’m not a prostitute,” I said.
“Whatever, it’s just sex, man.”
I hated to admit but I could use the money.
“Why a Polish restaurant?” I asked. Not that it was that important but I just think it’s an odd choice to pick. I mean Italian, sure. Greek, great. French, of course. But why Polish?
“Cause the guy’s mother was from there and he has a mommy complex so he is a bit obsessed with that country.”
“Oh-kay…”
“So you’ll do it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you will, right?”
I sighed. “Fine.”
I could definitely use the money after my boss kicked me out two months ago.
~
Ramone appeared to be quite a handsome man. He wasn’t only good-looking but he was funny and kind and smart. And a policeman too. I wondered why I had to take him out to dinner since he appeared to be quite the catch. Maybe I even thought about going out on a second date with him! I certainly thought about asking him to come for a “coffee” later at my place. Jason was right, this was a win-win. Ramone was great.
“I have to say, Ryder, I think you’re the most gorgeous person I've ever been on a date with,” Ramone praised.
“Thank you. You’re not too bad yourself.”
“Actually, I am.”
“Hm?”
“I am a bad man. And I really like you, that’s why I’m gonna have to ask you to leave this restaurant while I stay behind,” he said. “And believe me when I say I’m asking you that with pain in my heart.”
We didn’t even have the main course yet. And I meant the actual main course--the food not the sex. What was he talking about? “But...we aren’t done here…?”
“We are done.”
“But--”
“I know you’ve been asked to go out on this date with me. And it’s because I like you, I’m telling you to leave.”
“Uh...ok.”
I was so disappointed, but he persuaded me to do what he said.
~
The day after, my cousin asked if I could visit him. He lived on the other side of town. Since I had nothing more important to do and was still a bit bummed out about last night, I went.
It was there, where I heard on the news that a cop was killed. When I saw his photo and his name, I was flabbergasted and the most strange uneasy feeling came over me.
His name was Ramone. It was “my” policeman Ramone.
It somehow felt as if I had lured him to that restaurant, where he was found dead on the toilet.
“Ramone was your cousin?”
“He was,” William said as he loosened his tie and took it off. “He actually was a cop for real. But he was sort of a dirty cop if you know what I mean. Me and my family, we don’t really care about the law. We, however, care about family. A lot...”
“I swear to God, I had n-nothing to do with any of this. I-I actually liked him, b-but he told me to leave, I don’t know why he wanted me to leave b-but he said I should.”
Oh, God, was William going to kill me now? How would he do it? Shoot me in the head? Strangle me with that cord? Rip out my beating heart?
“This hotel is against violence, remember?” he said. “I won’t do anything to you since I am a firm believer of following my own rules. But I do need you to tell me everything you know. If you do that, I promise you are completely safe here in this hotel. A lot safer than you would be when you were outside. Cause it’s not only the police that searches for you, but it’s also the underworld. It’s a shitshow your buddy Jason pulled you into.”
“W-why?” Why would they? I didn’t do anything. What could I have done to a cop/mafia family member? I was just one man. “Where’s Jason?”
“Don’t you worry about him…”
“O-ok.” I couldn’t help to worry, though.
As I started biting my nails, William opened one of his drawers and took out a bottle of liquor. He poured it in two glasses and by the time he was done, I had bitten my skin so much, I tasted blood.
He shoved one of the glasses in my direction. “Now tell me everything you know.”
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