CHAPTER 2

The sound of the phone ringing on the table was what woke Taron up the next morning.

After a long day that started with waiting for hours and ended with a painful rejection, Taron McCarthy had walked all the way home and fallen on his bed in tears. He had slept off crying that night and he would have still been sleeping as late as 11am that morning if not for the person that was calling him continuously.

Taron stood up angrily and took the phone to look at who it was. It was the waiter, Pablo Hernandez. Could the damn old man not leave him alone for just a minute! He cut the call and threw his phone on the table before falling face first on the bed.

He was still on the black suit he had rented for the engagement party and he didn’t care if he got it rumpled. He was going to do whatever he liked. What’s the worst that could happen anyways?

The phone rang again and Taron grunted in anger as he stood up to pick the call. It was Pablo. He picked the call and started barking into the receiver.

“I swear if you call me again I would…”

Taron stared at the phone. The call had been cut already. He frowned and just as he was about to drop the phone a text message flashed across the screen.

“Meet me in front of Downtown. It’s urgent. Hernandez.”

Taron hissed and put the phone on airplane mode. He was sick and tired of Pablo Hernandez calling him like he had stolen something from him. He sat down on his bed reliving the events of the previous day and something flashed in his head - the second bottle of wine that Pablo had brought! That was why he was calling him!

“Oh gods!” Taron cursed and picked up his phone quickly. “The old man would think I don’t want to pay and so I’m avoiding him…not like I asked for the drink in the first place.”

He dialed Pablo’s line quickly but the call didn’t go through. He called a second and a third time but still the same thing. Taron frowned. Now he didn’t have a choice. He had to go meet Pablo Hernandez at Downtown.

He washed his face quickly and searched his literally empty wardrobe for something to wear. Most of his clothes were dirty. The only shirt that was there was too small for him so he decided to just keep wearing the suit.

Taron cleaned his shoes quickly and walked out of his apartment into the main road. It was past noon already and the street of New Orleans was buzzing with people. On a regular day, the walk to Downtown was a short one but the throng of people on the streets that afternoon made the walk rather long. He had to navigate his way through elderlies reading papers on the road, teenagers skating around, and children playing in the corners and when he eventually got to the bar, he was sweating profusely.

Taron looked around quickly. Pablo Hernandez was not there. He ignored the Black Limousine that parked in front of the building and walked inside the bar.

Bitter memories greeted him as soon as he walked in. He could see a couple making out on the very table he had sat on the previous day.

What a lucky guy! They looked so happy together He wished he was the one, but sadly, Selena had rejected him.

Taron walked up to the bar man and waved at him. He didn’t look friendly.

“How can I help you?” the bar man asked and started walking towards a table with a glass of gin in his hand.

“I’m looking for Pablo Hernandez,” Taron replied. “You know, the old man that works at the bar.”

The bar man dropped the glass of gin and turned to face Taron. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

He started off almost immediately and Taron had to run to keep up with his pace.

“Come on, everyone knows Pablo,” Taron said. “The jolly old man. He does the night shift.”

“I’m not everyone,” the bar man replied dryly. “Ask everyone.”

He turned around, abandoning Taron in the middle of the bar and just then, he got another text on his phone.

“Come outside.”

“Seriously?” Taron frowned. “He’s even watching me.”

Taron walked out of the bar and turned around in search of Pablo but he was nowhere to be found. His phone beeped again and he stared at the screen.

“Enter the black car.”

Taron turned to his right. The black limousine was still parked there, but the windows were tinted and he couldn’t see inside. Pablo Hernandez didn’t own a limousine anyways. He turned around looking for any other black car around and as he turned, the door of the limousine clicked open.

Taron shifted back a little and looked inside. Smoke was coming from the open door and blurring his view of the occupants of the car.

“Is this some sort of joke Pablo ?”

Taron heard a light chuckle and as he started to shift away from the car, he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulders. He opened his mouth to scream and another hand landed on his mouth. He was trapped.

His abductor lifted him up and threw him in the car before anyone around could notice and a familiar smell hit his nostrils. Cocaine.

Taron’s heart was pounding in his chest as they drove away.

“If it’s about Selena, I’m sorry,” Taron pleaded. “I promise I would never disturb her again. Just let me go free.”

“Shut your trap!” One of them commanded. “We don’t know what the boss wants with you but all I can say is you’re in a lot of trouble boy.”

Taron closed his eyes whimpering. He didn’t expect that he would ever see a day worse than the previous day when Selena rejected him but he was wrong.

Sitting in the back of the black Limousine flanked by burly and heavily armed men was definitely worse than rejection.

Taron closed his eyes and prayed silently that he lived to see the next day.