Brett sat on the stoop outside of his house, smoking a cigarette and looking at the blue house across the street. He knew he was being avoided. Ever since Dante had been picked up with those stolen goods, he’d been avoiding more than hello or goodbye in the street. Brett didn’t understand the problem. That fat radio disk jockey hadn’t even pressed charges.
The problem, Brett thought as he took another deep drag of his cigarette and blew a plume of smoke out of his nose, was Dante’s girlfriend. Gen as pretty hot, he thought. And what guy wouldn’t prefer fucking her to petty theft? Brett was pretty sure Dante was thoroughly pussy whipped, as he’d tried to say that the B&E they committed was his last, because he wanted to go legit. However, Brett needed his expertise and, frankly having a Hispanic accomplice made things easier for him.
Brett took a final drag of the cigarette and pitched it into the gutter before he stood and walked down the stairs of his brownstone to the sidewalk. Dante wasn’t going to get to call that last job his last job. And Brett had just the incentive that he needed to get Dante back on his side, at least one more time. If Dante was going to let his women dictate his actions, he was too weak for Brett’s needs. But he’d get something out of him. He already had another accomplice set up for himself in White Rock, but that involved inconvenient travel.
Crossing the street, he walked up the steps and double-checked the time on his, admittedly nice watch. Barely nine in the morning … and a Saturday no less. Dante would probably be up and it was too early for Gen to be nosing around. He looked at his reflection in the glass of the door, making sure his white blonde hair was perfect, then rang the doorbell.
Lydia Alvin was watching out the back door window as her fosters bounded up and down on their big trampoline. It was a Saturday she wasn’t working at Thriftys so she was in her big flowered nightgown with a bathrobe over it and her giant silly plush cow slippers that had been a joke gift from her kids many years ago. She had a mug of coffee in her hand and when the doorbell rang she gave a little snarl but went to it. Opening the door she saw Brett, one of Dante’s friends as far as she knew. She gave him a friendly smile “You’re early to rise Brett. Mornin...come in….he’s not emerged yet. But I’ll give him a hollar.”
The two dogs were all over Brett as soon as he was inside with Bean sniffing a little forcefully at his crotch.
Dante was still fast asleep. Gen had snuck home a few hours ago and he had crawled back in, exhausted after the very beautiful night they spent together after she came over to “watch a movie”.
Lydia leaned her head into the garage and bellowed “Dante!! Someone here to see you!”
And he was jolted out of his sleep. No one could sleep through Lydia’s bellowing. And if they dared she’d get closer and louder and then let the dogs in. He knew the drill and he dragged himself out of his room in an old grey shirt and black sweat shorts. He stumbled into the main part of the house and saw Brett and tensed up. But Lydia was still in range so he was polite “Hi Brett.” He forced a half smile.
Lydia had moved to the back door again “If you boys want coffee you better hurry….Because I’ll drink it all happily.” Then she stepped out onto the back deck with hers and left them alone.
Brett’s smile is enchanting. “Good morning Mrs. Alvin …” he holds up his finger as if remembering her preference. “Lydia.” he doesn’t even have to tell her that he’s here to see Dante. She lumbers back in the house and screams for him. Brett is fascinated by how absolutely ridiculous she looks. Sure it was Saturday morning but have some pride, lady. Dante comes out and sees him … and doesn’t look happy to see him. “Hey, Dante.” he offers Dante the same smile, just in case. Lydia offers them coffee. “I’d love some.” and now that Lydia is out the back door, his smile fades a bit. “You gonna serve me, or am I gonna have to help myself?” he asks Dante as he heads into the kitchen. “So how’s it goin? How’s Gen?” he offers some small talk.
Dante rolls his eyes and goes to the coffee pot “You don’t have any coffee at your house?” Lydia can still see them if she looks back so he roughly grabs two cups and pours them each one, setting Brett’s down a little hard on the counter for him. He doesn’t offer him any cream or sugar because he’s clearly doing the minimum effort. “Gen’s fine. What do you want Brett?” He sips his own black coffee as a distraction from his desire to tell Brett off about the backpack drop and implicating Gen.
Brett grins. He gets the sugar and creamer himself and makes a show of adding it to his coffee. “I like mine light and sweet.” he says as he sips it. “Glad to know Gen’s doing good. She is fucking beautiful. A little too … Christian for me, but maybe that makes her hotter in the sack.” he sips again and leans casually on the counter. “I came by because I thought you and I could take the ferry to the mainland and take in some sights. Since you said you won’t work on this island anymore and the last job got us absolutely fucking nothing.” his grin is fixed, and he takes a swallow of the coffee. He is facing the back door while Dante’s back is to it. The smile … is just in case anyone looks in at them.
Dante rolls his eyes again about the coffee comment and then looks visibly uncomfortable when Brett talks about Gen, especially when he sexualizes her. “Not your fucking business…” He says about Gen in the sack. Then his jaw tightens when he realizes Brett is trying to rope him into a job “Nope. I’m clean now and I’m staying that way. Find some other sucker to do your shit. I’m out. I even have a part time job.” He sips his coffee again.
Brett snorts when he’s told Gen is none of his business. That remained to be seen. He then raises his brows at Dante’s refusal to do another job. “Well congrats on the job … whoever would hire someone who looks like you.” that could mean damn near anything from Dante’s ethnic origins to his tattoos. “But I think I can change your mind … Unless you want me to tell sweet, innocent, good girl Gen about your pussy on the side…” he offers nothing but the words for now, his smile fixed, but his eyes harden.
Now Dante looks both pissed off and confused “Pussy on the side?” He slams his coffee cup down on the counter and some splashes out. Lydia’s head turns briefly and Dante lowers his voice and grabs a cloth to wipe up the coffee. He doesn’t even address the job thing. “There is no on the side Brett. I’m not like you. I’m in love with Gen. She’s it for me, forever.” He feels he’s making himself perfectly clear but suspects a guy like Brett might not understand what it means to be deeply in love and committed to one person.
Brett glances at the counter when the coffee spills, and they both see Lydia looking at them. Dante then goes on a rant about love and forever, and he resists the desire to roll his eyes. His smile slips only slightly, and he pulls out his phone. “Unless you go on this job with me, you better fucking believe there’s on the side, hombre.” he explains mildly, keeping in his passcode and finding what he is looking for. “Now I know … and you know … this was back in April. Before you met me OR Gen. But when I show it to Gen it’ll have happened last fucking week.” he turns the phone to face Dante. It’s a picture of him lounging on a couch in a living room, somewhere. He’s laying back on his elbows and his shirt is off. Dante’s jeans are still on, but they are clearly unzipped and open. A pretty girl with long dark hair pulled back for the picture has her head in Dante’s lap, her mouth clearly full of his cock. His head is flopped back, his mouth open and his eyes half closed, as if he’s feeling the pleasures of an incredible blow job. “Frankly.” Brett’s voice is casual. “I’m glad she went blonde, but I know you’ll agree with me when I say she can suck cock like nobodys business.”
Dante snarls slightly at the word hombre. Brett always had his little microaggressive slurs on full. When Brett shows him the picture on the phone and makes his threat he just stares at it completely stunned “Brooke…” He mutters and then blinks “I don’t even remember this...i remember kissing her….where the fuck did you get this?” His voice is rising again at the last question and he doesn’t care. It would look bad to Gen. He looks no different than in the picture, the moment that’s a black hole in his mind. Dante feels both furious and a little ill.
Brett smiles and nods. “Yea. Brooke. Or as she’s known around, BJ Brooke.” he glances at the pic. “She sent it to me when I asked her. See she likes white meat as much as light meat and probably dark meat.” he looks at the picture again. “Well in all fairness, she DID say that you were passing the fuck out when the picture was taken, but she likes it cause she says it looks like you are just starting to cum.” he shrugs. “I’ll ask Gen what she thinks it looks like. Unless of course you’d like to head out with me today. You know .. good buddies spending a summer day in the big city. Whadda ya say, friend.” he mock punches Dante’s arm, smiling for anyone who cared to look into the house.
Lydia had heard Dante’s voice raised a minute ago but when she looks back Brett is smiling and punching him in the arm playfully. Then right after Dante starts talking, but ‘s pacing a bit. She knew her boy and something wasn’t right. She doesn’t barge in but she looks back a few more times as Dante talks.
Dante starts pacing, shoving a hand through his hair. He’s trying to look calm but he’s far from it. “I don’t even remember that night….if I do this job...whatever the fuck it is….you delete that from everywhere. You get Brooke to fuckin delete it too. I’ll do waht you want….and then you leave us the fuck alone.” At his last demand he stops and faces off with Brett with his eyes narrowed. “I need a fuckin show man..” He has just gotten up but he needs one psychologically and emotionally too. He stalks off after hsi demand and hits the shower near his room and as the water washes over him he quietly sobs “I’m sorry Gen…” He whispers in the direction of her house “I can’t lose you..”
After seeing Dante get right in Brett’s face and stalk off, Lydia comes back in looking suspicious of Brett “How’s the coffee?” She asks casually while eyeing him. She had a bad feeling in her gut now.
Brett watches Dante and knows that he has him right where he wants him. “Sure.” he agrees, although he’ll have to think about it. If enough money was made he might not manage to delete the photo. But then Dante gets in his face and Brett realizes that could be dangerous. Not that it really mattered He had another guy in Vancouver. Not as close as Dante but not pussy whipped either. Dante stalks off to take a shower and Brett is finishing his coffee hen Lydia walks back in. “Great.” he compliments the coffee. “Dante and I were gonna go hang out, if that’s alright by you.” it's an innocent request. After all he and Dante are friends, and he’s a good clean cut blonde hair, blue eyed Canadian boy. Who wouldn’t want their kid to hang out with him?
Lydia searches Brett, looking for a crack in his story. She hesitates on her answer about the hang out. She needs to see Dante’s face again “I dunno he’s got a lot of chores today….let me talk to him when he comes back in here. We’ll see.” She walks to refill her own coffee again and sees the creamer still out on the counter. Dante drank his coffee black so this was for Brett. She pours some into hers “What were you thinking you boys would do today Brett? What’s your brother’s name again? You should take him out too...both of you so new to town.”
Dante takes a fast shower and jumps into his clothes, slapping on deodorant as he leaves his room. His wet hair is finger combed in a rush and he’s got on his black ramones tshirt and a pair of his usual trashed black jeans with black socks. He hasn’t bothered to shave and has visible brown black stubble on his chin and upper lip. He looks like he’s in a hurry to get something over with “Hey Lydia we’re going out.” He announces, not asks.
Brett looks at Lydia, still all charm. “I was thinking we’d hit a museum.” he goes in his back pocket and takes out a printed sheet. On it are two e-tickets to a natural history museum in Vancouver in his name. They were actually for his brother, who Lydia mentions. “Nolan? He’s a homebody. Crowds make him nervous, you know.” Dante comes out and announces that they’re leaving. “Have a great day, Lydia.” and he’ll head out with Dante at whatever pace he sets.
Lydia sees the tickets and exhales. Maybe she was being hasty. Something just didn’t set right about this kid. He was smooth, too smooth. And his clean cut white boy cherry pie smile didn’t put her at ease at all, it set her further on edge, especially when he was going to hang out with Dante. But Dante seems keen to go out, too keen for her liking. Against a nagging voice inside her she gives them a nod “Ok...you boys have fun. Dante, keep your phone on please.” She stares after them as they go sipping her coffee and drumming her fingers on the counter.
Dante stops at the front door to get into his trainers and then reaches into a cupboard where Lydia keeps supplies for dealing with things that have had to come into the house in the covid era. He grabs a small pack of wipes and then sees a box of ziploc bags and snatches a few of those too, shoving them into his jeans pockets. He doesn’t offer Brett a single word. He also grabs a black hoodie from one of the hooks. He has a feeling Brett wants him to do some lifting and he needs a place to store shit. He hates Brett right now. But more than that, he hates himself. All he can remind himself of to get through it is that he loves Gen.
Brett heads out with Dante, noting what all he took with him. He had to hand it to him that Dante was one prepared guy. Wipes to wipe off fingerprints. Bags to store everything. He really hated having to let him go because the guy he had lined up to replace him wasn’t as good, but he also knew that he was bigger than the new guy, who was a kind of pansy weak guy in a foster home that wasn’t half as nice as the one Dante was in. There was also the fact that Dante seemed very serious about Gen and ready to back that up and he wasn’t sure if he could beat Dante in a fight. But he could find something else one he deleted the pictures. If Dante anted his little fuck buddy, he could have him, but Brett wanted a taste first. Maybe the way to a new collar and leash for his Hispanic crime companion was to have him understand that as long as he did as he was told … his pretty white girlfriend would be safe … but after Brett had taken her to see what all the fuss was about.
After a quick stop back at his house to pick up a duffel, they are on the ferry. There was a nice crowd on the ferry and Brett and he walked around. Now and then, Brett would feel a small weight as something was dropped into his duffel.
Dante’s fingers were still nimble and light as he chose crowded areas and accidentally bumped into strangers while relieving them of wallets, small electronics and even in the case of one sleeping older man, a nice watch. He was good at it. It was almost too easy. Most of his marks were older which meant they had cash. He also felt awful about it because some of them may have been on fixed incomes. He hoped to god he didn’t screw anyone over too badly. One frail old lady almost had a fall when he bumped her with his hand almost in her open purse. But at her frailty he couldn’t do it. He eased her into a seat on the bus and asked if she was ok. She was so grateful for not falling she handed him a ten dollar bill. It was a terrible irony and he felt his eyes fill with tears as he pocketed it. His hoodie was tucked into his pants, full of 4 other wallets which he slipped into the duffel the first chance he got. The museum was even easier as there was a tour group and they just joined it with their tickets. Moving with the crowd, he made the rounds. When they stopped in the men’s room before leaving as they had cut out on the tour he cleaned every damn thing of his prints and bagged it for Brett.
Brett didn’t notice Dante stealing anything. Not a fucking thing. The only exception was a little old biddy and that only looked like Dante as helping her sit. She handed him a ten for his kindness. In the mens room, he looked the door at Dante’s insistence and watched as Dante went through everything in the duffel bag, wiped it down and threw away most of the wallets in the rest room trash can. Dante handed him the cash from the wallets as he emptied them, looking angry the whole time. Brett was the opposite. He counted the cash and told Dante the tally as Dante piled up the credit cards and bagged them. “Five hundred and twenty-eight Canadian and two hundred and seventy-six American. Man … you’re a fucking master at this.” he takes out his phone and finds the picture. “I’ll have Brooke delete hers too.” he promises as he deletes his copy, and he means it, but he thinks his idea of using Gen to get to Dante will be more effective, and he begins to plot how to get her alone. Dante was too talented to be allowed to retire.
Dante was on edge and feeling queasy until he saw the photo deleted. Then he exhales and gives Brett a sardonic grin “Thanks man. I know this is your gig...but it doesn’t have to be..” He feels compassion for Brett. Maybe there’s good in him somewhere deep down “Go clean with me…..you’re new in town. It’s the perfect chance for you. Don’t let this take you man.” He looks genuinely at him.
Brett arches both of his brows. “You sound like my pansy ass brother.” he growls. “I’m fine. Thanks, This life is for the big boys. You’re soft … I heard you weren't always like this. Then you fell in ‘love’.” he rolls his eyes, then drops them to the cash. He counts out roughly half of it and puts it on the sink. “Your cut. By your girlfriend something nice.” he offers, already getting ideas on how to get his girlfriend alone. To put Dante at ease, he deflates. “Seriously. Thanks for the offer but … I can’t. I’m working for my Dad and … I can’t back out on my father, right?” the beauty of the words were that they were absolutely true.
Dante sighs and pockets the offered cash “Someday it might happen for you Brett….falling in love…” He starts to back towards the door “I hope it does. I truly do. Take care of yourself man.” And when Brett has put things away again he’ll give a simple salute like wave and head out the door. He walks right out of the museum and starts back to the ferry. On his way he passes an alley where a homeless woman is digging in a garbage bin to feed her gaunt looking little boy. Dante aches for them. He thinks of his own mother and all her struggles and without a word he catches the kid’s eye and when the boy walks over he smiles at him and gives him the whole wad of cash that Brett split with him. The little boy’s eyes light up and he runs back to his mother as Dante turns and pulls up his hood, not wanting her thank you as she calls it after him tearfully. He had a home to get back to, and a job working for good people, and a whole life to build with the woman he loved.
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