Chapter 4
Max
“Whoa, Max, wait up!” Tysir yelled after me.
I barely heard him above the music blaring through the speakers as I dove headfirst through the crowds of the casino.
Around me, patrons fussed at the various game tables, causing a commotion of cheers and groans.
Waitresses dressed in their sparkling dresses with trays full of drinks milled through the aisles.
A chorus of “Hi Max,” accompanied their seductive smiles and coy winks as I passed.
To avoid being rude, I gave them curt nods, but didn’t stop to chat.
Not just because of the money in my duffel bag, but because I had another errand to run once I was done here.
The security guards manning the stairwell to the VIP floor moved aside like automatic doors as I approached.
I went through the opening and hurried up both flights of steps, past the exclusive section, toward the almost empty top floor where my father’s office lay.
I passed the line of closed doors, knowing his handful of personal employees were likely handling other situations in them.
For him, the casinos were the laundering facilities. Since so much money was lost between those walls, it was easier - and smarter - for him to run the operation there, drawing distinct lines between the other dealings he had his hands in.
His door was already open when I reached it. The men standing at each side of the door spared me quick glances as I walked past them and entered the office.
My father was sitting at his desk, a cigar in his mouth and his feet propped up on the desk. Underneath the cloud of smoke, he flicked through the wad of money in his freshly bruised hands, counting it carefully. He glanced up at me as I approached his desk. “How’d we do?” He asked.
“Fine.” I dropped the duffel on his desk. “I counted fifty grand on the way here. Feel free to double check.”
Turning on my heel, I headed back towards the door.
“And where are you running off to?” My father asked.
“None of your business.”
“Maximiliano,” he said, a command rather than a call.
Gritting my teeth, I stopped in my tracks. “What?” I asked, reluctantly turning to face him. “We’ve been doing this long enough. I don’t need to count it in front of you. It’s all there.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about the money,” he assured me. He slid his feet off the desk and rose from his seat. “I’m worried about my son.”
“Don’t. I’m fine.”
He walked around his desk and leaned against the edge. “What’s so important you’re ready to rush out of here like a bat of hell?” Cocking his head, he asked, “Is your mother alright?”
Like you care. I bit the words before they could dart out. “She’s fine,” I said. If something were wrong, he’d probably know before I did. With the eyes he had all over this city, he practically knew everything. “I have an errand I need to run. It’s personal and urgent.”
He cracked a grin. “Personal? Meaning a girl?”
“Dad,” I kept my voice firm. I was not in the mood for one of his stupid attempts at a father-son bonding moment. He could shove all of them right up his ass.
“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Go. Use protection.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned on my heel and rushed out of the casino.
I drove through every red light towards our old neighborhood. Something told me to check there first. I didn’t know if Audrey was staying with her fathers, but it was worth a try. If it was a bust, then I could always put an ear to the streets and see where that leads me.
A red Mazda sedan I didn’t recognize was sitting beside the curb in front of their house when I arrived, and I hoped my intuition was right.
I parked in front of the car, closer to my mom’s front yard.
She wouldn’t question peeking out the window and seeing it in the middle of the night.
She preferred mine over the others I often send to keep an eye on her.
Since it was late, I wouldn’t have to hear her fuss about wishing I’d stopped inside.
I needed to be better at spending time with her, but I didn’t like talking about the shit my father often had me doing.
She tried to hide it, but I could see the glimpses of disappointment in her eyes.
I didn’t want her to feel like she’d failed.
She’d done a good job shielding me from the dark side of his world.
The blame for falling into his trap was all mine.
I climbed out of the car and followed my old route towards the Davis’s backyard. I scanned the windows, searching for her lavender curtains.
Soft beams of light shone through the translucent color. Another good sign. Maybe she was still awake.
The makeshift ladder I made years ago was still hooked to the wall. Grabbing a hold of one of the handles, I tested my weight on the thick wood. It didn’t budge, still sturdy beneath my foot.
I climbed up until I finally reached the window. Peering inside, I caught a glimpse of Audrey’s silhouette. She was laying on her bed with her back against the headboard and her laptop on her lap.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Her head shot up at the sudden sound. It whipped back and forth as she glanced around.
I gently tapped my knuckles on the glass again.
She hesitantly rose from her spot on the bed and tiptoed over to the window.
Her fingers curled around the edge of the curtain as she leaned her knees onto the cushion of her window bench.
Pulling it back some, she revealed her face.
Bare of any makeup with glasses on her nose and her curls pulled up, she was still every bit of the girl I’d fallen in love with.
Her light brown eyes instantly darted in my direction and widened at the sight. “Max?” She asked. Her brows stitched together. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I motioned to the window. “Are you gonna let me in or are you going to leave me hanging here?”
Audrey glanced over her shoulder. Uncertainty flew across her face, and for a moment I worried she was going to say no. Sighing, she unhooked the latch and pushed the window up. She moved aside, so I could swing my legs through the opening and shimmy inside.
The familiar scent of her favorite perfume, light and floral, wafted through my nose and warmed my belly. Seeing the lavender walls covered with hand painted flowers and posters of horror heart-throbs transported me into a different time. Back when life was simple.
My gaze fell on Audrey, and I almost gasped at the view.
The moonlight illuminated the tiny freckles splashed across her nose and cheeks. Beneath her chin, the diamond necklace I’d gifted her almost ten years ago sparkled in the silver light. An oversized tee swallowed her torso and fleece pajama shorts barely covered her legs.
“Wow,” I murmured, raking over her body again. She’d aged like wine, growing finer by the year.
Audrey followed my stare. Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms and legs in a feeble attempt to shield herself. “What are you doing here, Max?” She repeated.
I stood up and took a step towards her. “I needed to see you. I had no idea you were in town. Why didn’t you call?”
She lowered her eyes. “I didn’t know what to say…”
“Well, I do.” I reached out to caress her face. “I’ve missed you.”
Her brows twitched as my words put a crack in the wall she was trying to hide behind. Still, she dodged my hand, stepping backwards. “Yeah, well you could’ve fooled me.”
“Look, if this is about how I acted when…” I couldn’t even say his name, the syllables dragging up my throat like knives. “I know there aren’t enough apologies in the world to make up for it, but I am truly sorry. I was grieving and upset and angry-” `
“So was I,” she said, her firm voice contrasting with the tears forming in her eyes. “He was my friend, too!”
I frowned at the pain trickling over her face. If I could wipe every inch of it away, I would. But, I couldn’t. All I could do right now was let her get it out and pray there was still a place for me underneath it all.
Sighing, she continued. “And I know we weren’t in a good place, but I tried…
I tried to be there for you, and you just…
” She shook her head, pausing to catch the crack in her voice before it could appear.
“Now, look at us. We let all this time pass, and you…you’re so different.
Like someone I know, but also someone I don’t. ”
“I’m still the same where it matters.” I grabbed her hand, pried it out from underneath her arm and held it against my chest - directly above my heart. “I’m still yours.”
Audrey opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her watery eyes flicked between mine, searching for the remnants of the boy I used to be and figuring out where he fits in the man I am now.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Baby girl,” Rashad’s voice called. “Are you alright in there? I thought I heard you yelling.”
“Yeah, Papa!” She replied. “I’m just on the phone!”
We were quiet for a moment, listening to her father’s footsteps pad back down the hall.
At the sound of the closing door down the hall, I smirked and said, “I see your cover stories haven’t changed.”
She rolled her eyes. “You need to go.” She lay her other palm on my chest and started pushing me back towards the window. “Next time he comes back, he might not knock and he cannot see you in here.”
“Why? It won’t be the first time he’s caught us.”
“I know, but it’s just… You have to go.”
I planted my feet against the floor. “Why?” I repeated. After all the years I spent hanging around in here, I didn’t understand why she was trying to push me out.
She hopelessly pushed at my chest, leaning all her weight into me as if I was a huge boulder. “Max, please, for once in your life, can you just listen?”
“No,” I said. “Is this about your new boyfriend? Is that why you’re trying to get rid of me?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she quickly retorted. “It’s just been a busy day, and I’m tired.”
I only half-believed her words, but decided to give up the battle. I loosened my stance and let her shoo me towards the window.
“He’s not good enough for you,” I told her as I perched on the windowsill, half of my body still wedged in her room. “You know that, right?”
“That’s what you’ve said about every boy who tries to come around.”
“Because there isn’t a man alive worthy of you.”
Her brows twitched, struggling not to stitch together. Her lips parted for a moment, as if to retort, but no words came out. She shook her head, erasing the expression. “Goodbye, Max.”
I dragged my legs out through the window and put my feet back on the ladder. “Not goodbye,” I corrected. “Just goodnight.”
Her lips pressed together in a tight line. “Goodnight, Max,” she said.
Satisfied with her answer, I finally left her window and climbed down the ladder. From below, I watched the glass come back down and the curtains squeeze shut. I waited for a few moments, hoping she might poke her head back out and invite me to stay.
But, the light went out, and the darkness added to the silence still standing between us.