From the very beginning, I’d known things were going to be different with him. Until now, I’d never really had the desire to get to know the men I was dating on a deeper level. It seemed too intimate. It was just safer to keep my walls up and play along with them and whatever made them happy. I guarded my heart and kept them at a distance. It wasn’t like that with Kane, though. I wanted to get to know him, and until that kiss, I thought he felt the same way about me. Now I was confused. The look on his face left me doubting everything, and I didn’t know what to think anymore.
Instead of going back to work, I decided to drive straight home. I needed to decompress. I wanted a long hot bath and a strong drink. After I’d soaked in the tub for almost an hour, my mind was still reeling from everything that had happened throughout the day. I desperately needed to escape for a bit. I decided to put on my favorite shorts and t-shirt and search for a good, funny movie. I needed a good laugh, so I settled on Crazy, Stupid, Love. Unfortunately, just as Ryan Gosling threw Steve Carrell’s 407s over the rail, my phone chimed with a new message from Tony.
I can’t wait til Sunday. Need to see you now. Lancaster’s – 30 minutes
T
His timing sucked, but there was no way I could tell him no. I replied back, telling him that I would be there and quickly began to change my clothes. As I made my way up to Lancaster’s, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with him this time. I knew something had to be horribly wrong, or he wouldn’t have been so eager to see me. All of the worst-case scenarios ran through my head. The fear for his wellbeing consumed me.
I tried to prepare myself for what lay ahead, but as I walked into the rundown, almost condemned, bar my anxiety only intensified. The whole place gave me the creeps. All of the customers seemed shady and from the rough side of town. The lights were dim, and the cigarette smoke made it difficult to even see. With burning eyes, I made my way to the back of the bar where Tony was waiting for me.
When I approached, he barked, “It’s about time you got here.”
“Tony, I got here as fast as I could. I’m not even late.” His knees were bouncing under the table, and I could tell that he was on edge. I’d never seen him look so upset. “What’s going on with you?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”
“Sit down, sis,” he said firmly.
“That bad, huh?” I asked as I threw my purse down in the booth and sat down. I watched as he glanced around the room like he was expecting someone to jump out and get him. He was obviously freaked out, and it was starting to scare me.
“I need your help, Allie. And I need it now. I’ve run out of time,” he said desperately.
“Why? What’s going on, Tony? Just tell me. Be honest!”
“I need money, Allie. Serious money, and I need it now,” he said as he glanced around the bar yet again, making sure no one was watching us. “You gotta give me twenty-five thousand dollars… now.”
“Twenty-five thousand dollars! Are you insane?” I shouted.
“I know you’ve got savings. It’s not like you’ve got kids or family or anything. I am your family. Can’t you get an emergency loan against your condo? It’s only twenty-five thousand dollars… you could even get your bank to give you a signature loan for a car in twenty-four hours. Why don’t you try that? They’ll hand you a check. If I don’t get it soon, they’re going to kill me. You have to help me, sis. Please,” he pleaded.
“Tony, seriously… there’s no way I can get my hands on that kind of money,” I told him. “I want to help, Tony. I love you. You know I do. You’re my brother. I just don’t know if it’s possible for me to get that much money.”
“What about the Youth Center? Didn’t you rake in all kinds of money with all those fundraisers and shit?” he snapped.
“Are you kidding me? Are you really asking me to steal?” I asked, completely stunned. “You know I can’t do that!”
I was in shock. I couldn’t believe that he even considered asking me to do something like that. He knew how I felt about my job, about helping those kids. There was no way I would ever do anything to jeopardize my career.
“Allie… they’re going to kill me! Hell, they’ll probably come after you, too, if I don’t get them this money. These guys don’t fuck around. They will come after us. I promise you that.”
“Who? What have you done? What have you gotten yourself into? Why would they come after me? How do they even know about me? You hide your whole life from me. I don’t even know any of the people you associate with. You’re scaring me, Tony,” I told him. I tried to fight back my tears, but there was no use. The thought of someone hurting him made my chest ache. I couldn’t even process the fact that I had been drawn into his mess. All I could feel was my heart pounding, each beat striking harder than the last. What was I going to do? He was the only family I had left, and I couldn’t lose him.
“You should be scared, sis. Hell, I’m scared. I’m scared to death. I’ve gotta get this money fast, or we’re dead,” he stressed.
I was completely overwhelmed, but I knew I had no other choice. I had to try and help him. “I’ll see what I can do,” I told him.