“ Guys, look who's here, the diamond in the rough...”.
They all laughed, pairs of eyes watching me enter, there was a girl in here with them, she seems to be getting ready to leave, her body trembling out of fear, her clothes in her hand, placed on her chest while the other was trying to get her footwear. She seems to be in tears, like the guys had done something to her, all of them putting on only their underwears.
“ I can see the brightness on your face boy, that's what being a freeman feels like.....”.
Michael spoke out, trying to prove a point, others agreed with him, making fun out of the gesture while I just remained silent and stayed on my guard, Jerry wasn't acting with them, just standing by the window side, lighting up a cigarette, he swings his arm repeatedly to get the fire off the match stick, before turning to me.
“ You're late ”.
“ Took me sometime to convince them, told them that I have to go to my mom's hometown for a short while....”.
He had that serious look, but began to get bright and brighter after what I just said, before you know it, he's all smiles.... I was even having this fear that he might've known what I had done this morning, but I believe he doesn't.
“ Looks like we got ourselves a sugar mouth, nice excuse, one that definitely going to keep you out of there radar, respects to you boy ”.
He returned back to the window side, probably thinking just like always. The guys are acting more friendly than before, sitting comfortably and making jokes all together, Freddy lying on the bed, his wounds showing improvement of healing. I believe it's because of what Jerry had ordered them to do, showing me respect for what they still believe was my achievement.
I moved close to Jerry who was standing by the window side, “ I want to see my mom ”. I spoke out, not sounding like it was a plea, I made it sound like I was voicing my own opinion, making him turn towards me with that look that shows, is that a challenge.
“ You probably think I am a genie, impressive ( he laughs), don't worry boy, genie doesn't disappoint, you will get to see your mom, but first, before you get genie out of the kettle, you've got to rub the lamp...”.
He was now facing me, his full frame towering my size, I was just looking up to his face while he was looking slightly down, trying to show me his dominance over me without voicing it out with words. Other guys weren't interested on my conversation with Jerry, they were just making jokes like they possibly were before I came in here.
“ How do I rub the lamp then?”.
A smile crept into his feature again, like he liked were this conversation was going, like there's a new idea in his head. “ Now I am beginning to like you a lot Bruno.....”. He turned back to the window, looking out and down to the street like his idea was right outside there.
“ You've got a delivery to make ”.
He made me go back to the club house where we were last night, he asked me to find a girl, giving me a description of her look and also her name, letting me know that no one else should know that I was there if not the girl, that's definitely going to be a hard task, because that's going to make me search around instead of asking around. The thing I was to deliver was something I know, something I definitely don't want anyone to see because any sighting of it puts me in danger, Jerry didn't ask me to hide them because he already knew that I know the complications of it, seeing how he got them yesterday, it's the card.
I stayed there for minutes, before the girl I was here for came in, I carried out my task, transferring the information that came with it, which Jerry definitely wants no one to know, if not her. She thanked me for the delivery, appreciating the fact that I brought them, was this Jerry returning this back because he believed it was a reckless movement or was he up to something as always?.
I was about walking out of the door when I was stopped by two hefty men, fear gripped me, knowing exactly what this was, he set me up, Jerry f**king set me up, tears clothed my eyes, knowing that I just stepped on a land mine.
More men came out, all of them blocking the exits before a man walking with a cane in his hand came out with the girl at his side, the same girl I gave the card to, the girl that just thanked me for bringing the card here. The handle of the cane has something crafted on it, looking like the head of a tiger or something, he relied his weight on the cane as he walks, one leg looks to be wounded that's why the cane was there for support.
“ How did you get this?”.
The question came as a shock, I know something like that will come, but I still wasn't expecting it, it felt like time is flowing faster, me getting closer to my doom as the clock ticks.
Should I tell them?, If I mention Jerry, would my mom be safe?, What is happening?, How am I going to get past this?. Men were all blocking the exit, the man was now holding a gun in his hand and it feels like there's a lump in my throat, like a hard pill to swallow.
“ I believe he's of no use to me since he can't talk, kill him.....”.
“ It's Jerry, Jerry..... He was the one who gave it to me, asking me to bring it here ”.