New to New York

“Jake!” Willow tried to scream through the gag in her mouth. She’d been thrown into the backseat of an old Tahoe that reeked of stale fast food and cigarettes. Every time she moved her feet they crunched some other piece of trash that littered the floor boards.
He looked back at her as if to say sorry. He had a broken nose and the beginnings of a black eye; there was dried blood from the crook of his ear to his neck. They’d tied their hands behind their backs and she could already see the purple bruise beginning to form on his wrist. Jake tried to scoot closer to her but scar face spun around in the passenger seat and held up a gun.

“Stay where you are. There’s a reason I put you there.”

Willow couldn’t see who was driving, but the car lurched forward and she fell a little off the seat to the ground with a noisy crunch. Scar face lifted her up by her shoulder; she could feel a bruise forming.

She leaned her head back on the seat and tried to calm her breathing. She wondered if they’d told Jake what Jason had done. What had they told him to get him in the car? Or had they just beaten him till he submitted? Will assumed it was the latter one. “You okay?” she tried to ask.

Jake looked towards the front and nodded slowly. He raised his eyebrows, asking the same of her. She laid her head back and closed her eyes; she wasn’t so sure at that moment and decided to act like she didn’t understand.

By the time dawn rolled around they were outside of the city into the open vastness of the country. She had cried when they drove over the bridge connecting Manhattan to the mainland, slow and silent tears. They burned hot streaks down her face and crusted the folded top of the bandanna tied too tight around her face. Willow had then promised herself that she wouldn’t let them see her cry again when they passed the Pennsylvania sign.

She’d learned back in school that the state’s slogan was “The State of Independence.”
How ironic was it that she was bound and gagged in the back of a car while passing that?

&&&&&

Jason tore through the house again looking for any sign that Willow might have left. He didn’t know if she’d left willingly or was taken. Did someone come here to take her or did they see her off the street? Had anyone tried to help her? And who had taken her? Someone she knew or a complete stranger?

Addi sat in the living room on the couch. She’d sat in the same spot for the last two hours.
Her mascara left wide, dark rivers down to her chin, the remains of which were starting flake off. When she’d come home to find the blood splattered on the white kitchen floor and smeared across the tile counter top she’d fallen to her knees right there. Her cries had echoed through the empty, desolate apartment so loudly that the neighbors started to bang on the walls. That was four hours before she’d sought out Jason.

&&&&&

Willow woke up one day to the sunny beach and the sound of waves not too far off. She could hear seagulls and people talking while bells and ringers went off an announcer proclaiming a winner. She had yet to open her eyes, the sun was directly in her face turning her eyelids red, but somewhere in the back of her mind came the picture of a boardwalk.
But were there any boardwalks this far mainland? No. She didn’t think there were. So where could they be?

Will rotated her ankle and the tip of her shoe hit a hard figure who grunted. She moved her hand up to-

She moved her hand up! Her hands were untied! She could stretch her arms and scratch her nose and do all things you never really appreciate. She moved her hand up to shield her eyes and looked for Jake, who the figure she’d kicked.

“Jake,” she whispered. Her voice was dry and scratchy, like wind over dead leaves in the fall, but she was so happy she could use she felt like singing. “Jake, where are we?”

Willow peeked to the front of the car but both seats were empty of their usual passengers.
The keys were gone, the doors were unlocked, and everything else their kidnappers had brought along.

Jake rolled over then sat up quickly, “The car stopped!” he reported. He looked out the window completely shocked. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” she tried to think back to the last sign she’d seen, it’d been Kansas. “This doesn’t look like Kansas. Looks like the…coast.”

“Oh my god,” Jake said still facing the window. A family of four passed by and the little girl looked up to the car. “Oh. My. God.” He said again. Scrambling for the lever that opened the door he half fell, half lunged on to the parking lot filled with minivans.

Will did the same, falling into the car on her side and hoping she didn’t leave a dent. “What Jake?” she said coming to the other side. “What’s going on?”

“I think I know where we are. Oh my God, I know where we are!”

“What? Where?”

“Big Sur.” He said spinning to face her.

“Big Sur?” she repeated.

“Big Sur.” He walked a little more to the sand but stopped when he realized she wasn’t following. “It’s Big Sur, Will. It’s a beach.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she said taking in the salty air and crowded families with little kids. “But where are we? Emphasis on the where.”

“Will,” he was walking back to her and holding both her hands like he was gonna tell her the secret of the universe. “Will, we’re in California.”

“California.”

&&&&&

The sun had set, families had cleared out, and the vendors had just about closed shop. Jake had led them to an overhanging cliff with a fire pit. “What do you mean California?” she couldn’t count how many times she’d asked him the same question but her mind just could not wrap its self around the fact.

“Exactly like I said before,” he drew circles in the sand with a spare stick. “We were in New York, now we’re in Cali.”

“But why would they just let us go? That doesn’t make any sense after what they went through to get us,” she indicated his busted ear and swollen eye. Both seemed to be healing which just made them look worse.

“That I don’t know. Maybe it was a mistake? I really don’t care though. All I know is I’m back home and I really couldn’t be more comfortable considering the situation.” Jake leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Willow had heard that Californians were laid back but this was ridiculous. They might have just escaped murderous gangbangers who had gone to get a couple of burgers!

“What about a place to sleep? Some food? We can’t just live on the beach in a cave, Jake.” Her voice was reaching the hysterical level.

“Don’t worry, Will, I know that. I just need some quarters and we’re set.” He opened one eye to grin at her, the sun blinding off his white teeth in contrast to his darker skin. “All I got to do is make a call.”

&&&&&

“There’s a warehouse on Long Beach. You need to be there five minutes ago.” Addi had just about had it with Jason’s mope attitude. He didn’t act like she’d spoken so she got within an inch of his ear, “Jason Hamberd get your ass up and go to your job. Do you think Will would want you like this? So dependable and lost? No.”

It’d been a week since Jason had last seen Willow. A week where he’d stormed the city, beaten up anyone who might have known something. It had, of course, gotten him nowhere. Addi had a theory that it wasn’t an enemy plotting against them, but someone they knew and knew well.

He had to admit he wouldn’t put it past Rob to do something like that. Hell, Jason had helped him get another member “focused” again. That’s what he liked to call it; using the excuse that someone or something was distracting that someone from their job so the only way to fix it was to take the distraction away.

Jason had lifted a guy’s new, fancy car he’d just gotten customized. He’d been so proud of that car, always making sure it never got a scratch or putting it in a safe place, he’d let a debtor getaway. And that just wasn’t acceptable.

“Get up.” Addi was back again bringing him back to the present. “Go to work. Find out who took them.” He would follow her first two directions, as for the third…all he could is try.

&&&&&

“Excuse me miss, do you have some change?” The woman walked right past Willow. “Sir?” she asked the next passing man. He didn’t stop either. She shot a told-you-so look at Jake over her shoulder. “‘Just ask the friendly people of Cali’. ‘They’ll help’.” She made her voice deep in a weak interpretation of Jake’s. “Yeah well, been here for an hour and still no change,” she said under her breath.

“Hey Will!” Jake called her name as he jogged up to her. “Hey, I got some.” He smiled and held his hand so she could see the shiny quarters. Her mouth dropped. She’d been doing this for an hour and he succeeded in fifteen minutes. “I think there’s a payphone over there. Then we can go to that McDonalds,” his smile grew and she realized how hungry she was.

Will sat down on the curb and watched as Jake dialed a number he knew by heart. She could it rang twice then, “Hey Kennan!” Kennan must have passed the phone because next Jake exclaimed, “Paul!” The phone was passed again, “Mark! Dude, where have you been?” This went on as Jake talked to a Lionel, Nate, Oliver, and Kiwi. The last name gave her pause but she was more interested on when she could eat.

“Nah, dude. I’m back…Yeah…Oh, uh, Big Sur…Yeah…that’s why I called. We need a ride…I’m with a friend…no, Willow Harrington. Addi is back in New York…No, man! She’s with my roommate…yeah…when can you be here?...Okay…Wait, I don’t think that’d be the best - …yeah, see ya dude. Bye.” He hung up the phone and turned to Will.

“He’ll be here in a few.”

“Who will?” she asked wondering which name she would meet; Kennan, Paul, Mark, Lionel, Nate, Oliver, or Kiwi?

“Dom.” He said starting towards the Mickey Ds on the corner.

“Dom?” she repeated the list in her head. There was no Dom before mentioned… “Who’s Dom?”

“He’s an old friend. One of the guys I would always surf with…” the sentence faded and he focused on the back lighted menu in front of them. The restaurant smelled like stale French fries but was comforting and warm. Will got the feeling that Jake wasn’t as comfortable though. It seemed like he was trying really hard to talk about Dom. “Uh, what do you want? We only got enough to order off the dollar menu.”

She gave him a strange sideways look that he chose to ignore. “Chicken nuggets please.” She could ignore the fact that he was ignoring something; Dom would be here soon enough.

&&&&&

Jason was on the fast track to becoming a hit man. This fact alone scared the shit out of Addi. It was one of the most dangerous jobs you could do in their line of work. It was being the poster child for how violent your boss could be, and a lot of times people wanted to call your bluff.

Rob had talked to her earlier about grooming him for the promotion; which set off a red flag in her mind. He definitely knew something about Will and Jake or else he would know Jason wouldn’t go for it. He knew now there’d be no reason for him to say no. Also that he’d been asking her to stay longer after fights, help trim the fat off of business deals, chatting up more clients, little things Rob hadn’t needed her for before. He was grooming her as well but for what?

&&&&&

Back on the opposite coast it had started raining and Willow stood under a short eaves with a damp newspaper over her head. Jake had run off somewhere and promised to be back “in a jiffy”, whatever that meant she wasn’t sure, but she was put on look out duty.
Which, in case you know what you’re looking for, is pretty hard to do. Hopefully this Dom fellow had been told to look for her too.

The rain picked up a little and Will cursed her luck just as a dark blue truck pulled up in front of her. The passenger window whirred down and an extremely handsome twenty something sat behind the wheel. He had short cropped black hair, a tan face that gave a hint of Hawaiian decent, broad shoulders, and clear blue eyes that she would have normally described as icy but on him they resembled more of a shallow reef.

“Need a lift?” His voice was deep and somehow sunny. How could a voice be sunny though?

Will looked down the street hopping to see Jake running up but no luck. “I’m waiting for someone. Thanks though.”

“Of course you are,” he looked a little disappointed which gave Will an odd ping in her gut that she hadn’t felt since she’d dated. “But you really shouldn’t keep a lady waiting.” He put the truck in park and exited the vehicle. “I’m actually waiting on someone too,” he said running up beside her on the sidewalk. Instinctively she took several steps backward away from his tall frame.

“I can wait somewhere else if you want..?” he said noticing her nervousness. He was about the same height as Jason but that was the only thing similar between the two guys. Jason was wiry, thin muscles he didn’t work out and hadn’t meant to have. This guy was football player-ish with a dazzling smile and chiseled features.

“No, it’s okay.” She scolded herself, for some reason she really wanted this stranger to like her. “Its fine,” she offered a weak smile but he seemed unconvinced.

“Waiting on a boyfriend or something?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

Willow shook her head as the image of Jason’s face on that other girl’s resurfaced. Fresh tears spilled over her eyes and she was glad for the rain. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Are you okay?” he reached an arm up to her shoulder but didn’t touch her. “I’m sorry if I upset you.” His eyes clouded like a stormy sea.

A shaky laugh escaped her lips. Never had she been one for pity and now she was crying in front of a complete stranger. “I’ll be okay. It’s not your fault.”

“You can tell me. It’s not like we’ll ever see each other again,” a reassuring smile spread across his face and Willow felt herself falling into it.

“I would, but it’s not really my story to tell.” Half truths were always the easiest way to go.
“It can’t be any worse than my story.”

“Yeah?” she doubted his could top finding out the person you love is cheating on you then being kidnapped by the person who burst her happy bubble and dragged across the U.S of A in the back of a smelly, cramped truck. “I doubt it.”

“Okay. My girlfriend decided it wasn’t good for her to seen with me because I dabble in some illegal gambling and racing on the weekends. She hooked up with the guy that beat me on the last race; that’s his truck by the way.”

She laughed. “I just found out my boyfriend was cheating on me with a tall Russian blonde, then was kidnapped and driven cross country from New York in the back of a smelly car. Mine tops yours.”

He looked her up and down with a smile playing at his lips. “No way.”

“Yep. I’m with a friend of mine who has abandoned me and I’m supposed to be standing here waiting for one of his friends to come pick us up.” Something clicked in her head and she could see the same going on in his.

“What’s your name?” they asked each other at the same time. “Oh, shit,” Will said realizing her mistake. “You’re Dom aren’t you?”

He nodded, “Willow right?”

“Just Will. Can we just forget I told you that? If the guys who did know I’m talking about it…” she let him fill in the blank.

“Same here.” Then on cue Jake comes jogging up with a plastic sack in one hand.

“Hey there, Dom,” He looked a little uneasy to find them there alone, but tried hard not to show it. “Long time no see.”

&&&&&

Willow let the guys have the front. She got the feeling Jake didn’t want her too close to this handsome stranger and she was all too happy to appease him. She felt way too much of a connection with him.

“How is everybody doing?” Jake asked conversationally.

“They’re all good. Kiwi dyed her hair again, green this time. Her name fits her really well this time.” Willow could hear the smile in his voice as he talked about this person; her insides went all warm at his kindness.

“Are you guys sure you have the room for the two of us? I mean, the house never was that big.”

“Dude, you’ve missed so much. We have more than just the one house now. We have a whole block.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.” Dom took a hard left then came to a stop in front of a small beach house. He turned in his seat to look her in the eye which made her heart flutter. “Welcome to Carmel.”