DJ, Apple and Jack

DJ tottered around the small office room, gathering his belongings spread across the only three-seater couch in the room. He invited the three men, at his door, inside his wrecked office before he could think of making his place a bit presentable.

There were personal articles of clothing, that belonged to the owner, along with stationary and whatnot spread across the room and the minimal furniture inside.

The room was suffocatingly small and stuffed. It had the tiniest kitchenette with a stove and a microwave, a congested balcony at the back side of the building, a wooden desk, a three-legged stool and a three-seater ugly parrot green couch crammed in the corner.

With springs threatening to pop out whenever they please.

Ezekiel looked around the room nonchalantly, observing and making notes in his mind as he made his way towards the couch, following the boy leading him.

“Wo-would you l-like som- somethi-ing???---” the young lad offered, planning on serving orange juice he had seen somewhere in his room, but stopped when Ezekiel shook his head with a raise of his manly hand.

“There is no need. I am here to offer you a job” the old man started with a pensive glare as he scrutinized the young boy under his sharp eyes.

DJ blushed madly, face on fire and ears red with nervousness, a trait very prominent in his personality.  Nova, who was watching DJ carefully, still in the trance of that beautiful being, took a seat beside his brother on the green couch while Leo went to snoop around the kitchen.

“Lord Yael has been kidnapped for five months and there is no lead to track him down…..” Ezekiel started taking DJ’s full attention. He addressed his son as ‘Lord’ to put emphasis on his status and DJ noticed it right away.

The supposed job was serious.

“And I want you to find him for me” Ezekiel finished his sentence, explaining briefly what he was there for, as he observed the nervous detective. The boy blinked blankly at the older, the information provided to him was short and precise but the weight it carried was nowhere near light.

The detective gulped, averting his eyes to focus on his shoes, as he gathered with a heavy heart that it wasn’t an offer, it was an order.

Yael Doukas was the crime lord of the country, a wild beast and a danger to anyone stepping his way. There was no doubt about the people kidnapping him would be more dangerous than Yael, if they dared to perform such a stunt.

They would be prepared to end any life sniffing their tracks to find the lord.

DJ was aware of the many people who were assigned to find Yael Doukas in the past five months and failed miserably. Some came back dishevelled and beaten, telling the tale of their bad luck about not getting a single hint about lord Yael’s location and some didn’t even return.

It was a risky job and the consequences of being caught were unimaginable.

Then how was DJ, a small incompetent detective supposed to find that man in the cluster of everyone dubious?

It will be like running in a circle without any conclusion.

But that didn’t stop DJ from nodding his head obediently, like a one’s good dog. The boy wasn’t given any choice regarding his supposed job and he had to accept no matter what the circumstances be. They were Doukas’s after all who had, from all the way, come to his door.

A mere jobless detective.

“I have been told about you and your shenanigans…..”Ezekiel started again earning a wide-eyed DJ in return.

The boy was once again nervous.

“… And as far as I doubt that you will be able to do anything productive, I want you to work for me to find my son” DJ stared at Ezekiel with wide-open eyes as the older finished with a swift mock.

He couldn’t speak for a few moments as he let himself be scrutinised under the hardening gaze of the three men present in the room.

And then he began to think

As a strictly professional detective, his job was to find the lead of lord Yael’s whereabouts and inform to the lords against some thick cash. That’s it. He didn’t have to do more than that, didn’t have to be a hero or a saviour for the whole rescue process.

Just a lead, a clue, a hint, a sneaky hunt is all he has to do before he retires from the job and the rest should be the concerns of the family and not his.

That’s right, right?

Drawing the finest conclusion, an emotion of joy twirled in DJ’s tummy as he sketched a rough map of his adventures in his mind.

It seems to be a simple task, a very simple task.  

A few more seconds passed between the four people inside the room and finally, DJ nodded his head, slowly, taking on the assignment.

Ezekiel sighed while Nova and Leo exchanged glances.

DJ stumbled towards his desk and pulled out a thin notebook with a silver pen dangling by its side with a spring. He managed his way around the table, stepping over papers and other stuff scattered on the floor, before taking a seat on the three-legged stool.

Although, it was a known fact that such abductions by the mafia didn’t intend any benefit such as money or a piece of property in return instead these hazards were a symbol of revenge and hatred and in most cases, the victim was killed.

In this case, lord Yael.

Nonetheless, DJ got ready to gather as much information as he could, besides, he wanted to look a bit professional in front of the Doukas’s.

“w-when and wh-where----…” DJ started with scrunched brows, going in all like a true investigator, but was cut off mid-sentence by Ezekiel.

“Leo will provide you with all the necessary details. You can ask him whatever you need for the investigation and he will be there to help you with resources” The question was answered before DJ could ask and the boy was left with an open mouth.

DJ looked down sheepishly as he drew a cobweb on the white clear page of the notebook.

There was nothing to write.

No, but there is.

“di-did they a-ask for any- anything in return. Any c-call for ra- ransom---…” This time Nova interrupted the young boy. DJ looked down again not to show his irritated face to the lords.

“they didn’t. No calls were received and that’s the reason we couldn’t find the location where they might have kept Yael” Nova finished and DJ’s eyes fell over Ezekiel who was already looking at him.

Staring at him.

“I wish they had asked for something.” A sigh escaped Ezekiel’s lips as he wished in a whisper loud enough to be heard. DJ found himself staring at the man with his heart heavy. A horrible feeling of longing swirled in the older man’s eyes, the boy sympathized with him in his heart.

Call him naïve or stupid but he couldn’t help but be empathetic and emotional when people tell their hardships.

Even in this cruel world, where every act starts against a specific purpose, he feels for them only to regret it later.

So yeah, let’s go with mostly stupid.

“I would have given my everything just to see my son again” Nova rubbed at his brother's back to comfort him while Leo sauntered back to the kitchen. He found an apple on the small counter and picked it up to take a bite.

“Brother is right, we would have but since there is no contact for the ransom or any other demand, I am afraid if Yael is alive or…” Nova left his sentence purposefully.

Ezekiel’s expression hardened in a second as he fixed his glare on his brother’s form making Nova avert his gaze from his brother’s scary eyes.

DJ watched the silent exchange curiously before he found Ezekiel turning his attention towards the boy.

“do whatever DJ, do whatever it takes to get my son back. I want him back” Ezekiel said boring his eyes in DJ’s blinking one.

The pain of losing your only child all of a sudden, with no hope that he will come back, was beyond repair. Ezekiel was the unlucky father of that unfortunate child known as lord Yael. DJ understood the loss Ezekiel might be feeling and he knew the lord Doukas would do anything that could get him his child back.

The boy nodded his head once again silently as he reigned himself from asking about the settlement of charges against his services.

But maybe his fidgety demeanour was giving away what he wanted to ask because the next moment was when he heard a chuckle of amusement.

Ezekiel shook his head with a mild smile as he cooed at the beautiful boy in his mind.

“Don’t worry about the money my dear. You will be awarded a fortune when you bring back the news I want to hear” he said. DJ’s face burned in embarrassment while he contemplated if he should say something in return or not.

The boy was adorable when his round cheeks went pink and his nose turned a faint red. With his small hands cupping his own face, DJ tried to hide his face from the three older men staring at him.

That’s him. A nervous, blushy boy.

Nova felt his own cheeks getting hot seeing DJ so shy while Leo turned away from looking at the alluring boy, afraid that he might smile when he wasn’t supposed to.

“speaking of the money, who is the money man?” Leo asked, diverting the attention from the young lad to an unimportant question.

Hearing the question directed his way, DJ’s turned to face Leo only to freeze on his spot when his doe eyes landed on the almost gone fruit in the other’s hand. A small gasp left his lips seeing his last apple being devoured by Leo Doukas.

Now what will he eat for dinner?

A pout made its way to those thick red lips and Leo forgot to swallow the food in his mouth. He didn’t know what came to his mind that he blamed himself for those dewy eyes that were now eyeing the gone apple in his hand.

He shouldn’t care but he did. He cared and felt guilty for eating that apple.

Lost in those teary eyes, Leo forgot to almost breathe but when the mushed food protested against his throat, he choked and swallowed, breathing irregularly.

How could he do that to that angle?

“DJ!!!!!.......” a roar filled with anger resounded in the quiet room as they heard someone approaching with heavy boots.

In a minute or two, the opened door of the office was kicked angrily taking DJ’s breath away. The boy flinched as soon as his eyes met with an ugly-looking, tall man with a dirty face and a nasty scar running down the side of his forehead ending till his cheek.

“J-Jack…..I---I….” DJ stammered badly while the man approached him, ignoring any other existence inside the room as he rounded the table to reach DJ. He didn’t notice who was standing there with the boy otherwise he would have been wise in his actions.

“I sent my man to collect the money but you didn’t pay this time as well….” The man grabbed DJ by his collar, referring to the ‘money man’ he had sent before to collect his share, and pulled him closer until the boy was standing on his tippy toes while the man towered him in anger.

One thing about DJ is that he is a scaredy cat. He is afraid of most things in his life whether it is people huge in size, animals that can bite or paranormal that can hide from plain sight.

And right at that moment, Jack is who DJ is scared of.

 “Instead you played like a fucker you are and told him that no Jerry lives here? How dare you fucking bastard?!!!” the man snarled, spittle flying everywhere, making DJ to close his eyes in distress.

The young boy held onto the hand around his collar to pry it off but the other buff man didn’t allow it as he shook the small lad with aggressive moves until DJ felt his eyeballs shaking.

Ezekiel, Nova and Leo watched the man with a frown. Leo stepped up towards the young boy and pushed the man away from him.

DJ heaved long breaths as he ran behind Leo to hide his tiny self from Jack. He tried to mutter something but nothing came out.

“get the hell away from him you filthy animal” Leo shouted standing in front of a scared-looking DJ who peeked at Jack from Leo’s back, eyes teary and breathing heavy.

The man was ready to throw a punch at whoever pushed at his chest with such force but he stopped when he realized who was standing there.

“lord” he gasped as he looked around to find more of the Doukas family glaring at him with disgust.

The man was reeking of gutter and cigarette, he didn’t know the intensity of the smell but the others did.

“what do you want from him” Ezekiel’s voice boomed and the man trembled where he was. He looked at the questioning lord and lowered his head in respect.

“he…he owes me lord and--…” the man stuttered his words out but Ezekiel wasn’t in the mood to hear that skunk’s voice.

“how much?” he asked irritated.

“five grands” the man replied eyeing DJ who looked baffled when Ezekiel pulled out a small wallet from his jacket and threw a few bills at Jack’s face.

“get lost and never show your face again. You should not have any business here anymore” Ezekiel's tone was so harsh and commanding that DJ felt tongue-tied as well.

Jack scurried away from the office before giving one last look to the young boy and the room went quiet once again.

A few seconds passed and no one said a word until Nova started.

“we should take our leave now. Hopefully, we will get a good news soon?” DJ was still recovering from Jack and his sudden visit when he heard Nova. The boy nodded slowly watching as the three gathered towards the door.

“t-thank y-you lord for the m-money” a small voice stammered from their back making them turn towards the boy.

“Don’t worry about it. Think of it as a favour you can repay with extra efforts that you will put into finding Yael” Nova said simply but those words held an obligation that was understood very quickly by DJ.

The boy looked down at his shoes once again not knowing how to say anything back.

“I am waiting to hear something positive from you about Yael,” Ezekiel said with a commanding voice, DJ jerked at his place.

“Don’t make me wait long” the old man menaced with a final look at DJ before he strode out of the room followed by his brother and nephew.      

DJ slumped to the ground as he heaved a tired sigh.

The lords were gone leaving DJ with the most nerve-wracking task of his young life that is to find a clue about Yael Doukas, and on top of that, the boy was under debt from the favour Ezekiel did for him.

DJ was doomed.  

The lords were gone to come back and DJ was not ready to face them any time soon.

……….

Holla my lovely people!!!!

Here is chapter two of our new journey.

Leave a comment to make me smile and we will see each other in the next chapter.

Until then, your author Donald Duck.