Chapter 18
Jesse, Frankie, Lenny, and Rose relaxed on the couch and continued to watch the American Outlaws movie. They were at the scene where Jesse James and his gang just robbed a bank earlier, sat around a campfire, divided up the loot, and burned some property rights.
Jesse was the only one that looked interested in the movie. His was an intense interest, as he thought he watched his previous life unfold before his eyes.
They all drank their beers while the movie continued. Except for Lenny. He sipped his beer as he despised the taste of beer. But he was afraid if he didn't, Jesse would force it down his throat.
Someone knocked on the apartment door.
Jesse jumped up, concerned, and looked at the front door.
Someone knocked again louder.
Jesse got up and towered over Lenny.
"Get rid of that person and remember, I'll be watching your every move," Jesse ordered then removed his revolver from his pants.
"Frankie and Rose, hide in the kitchen and come out when I call for you," Jesse ordered them.
Frankie and Rose got up off the couch and rushed into the kitchen.
Jesse pulled Lenny up by his hair. Lenny cringed in pain.
He grabbed Lenny by his arm and escorted him over to the door.
Jesse peeked in the door peephole. "Shit!" Jesse said as he cocked his revolver. He motioned for Lenny to open the door.
Lenny opened the door, and Jesse quickly hid behind it out of view.
Lenny looked at Joey and Kathy. He didn't recognize them and closed his door.
Lenny looked at Jesse for approval. "Good boy," Jesse stated.
Joey knocked on the door. "Lenny, it's me – Joey Austin," Joey yelled from outside.
Jesse thought for a few seconds then got pissed. Joey pounded on the door. "Let me in Lenny!" Joey yelled from outside.
Jesse motioned to Lenny to let them inside.
Lenny opened the door. "You're bald with a tattoo. I didn't recognize you," Lenny said while he stepped aside.
Joey and Kathy stepped inside. "This is Kathy. She's Wally's sister, and we must talk. It's important as Sidney, Ricky, and Wally are sitting in jail. And I might go to jail. So I need your help."
Lenny looked fearful as he closed the door.
Joey noticed. "What's the matter?" Joey asked, concerned.
"Well, hello Joey," Jesse said while he held up his revolver and moved close to Joey and Kathy.
Kathy and Joey saw Jesse with his pistol pointed at them, and they moved closer together.
Joey's eyes widened, he recognized Jesse.
"You were that janitor back at UIC," Joey cried out.
Jesse walked over to Joey and snatched his iPhone off his belt. "You have a good memory," Jesse said while he shoved Joey's iPhone in his back pocket.
Jesse slammed Joey up against the wall. "So why did you run to Denver? To have us caught? Thinking that would clear your name?" Jesse yelled at him and pressed him harder into the wall.
Rose and Frankie walked out of the kitchen, concerned.
They walked over to Jesse.
She walked up to Joey and glared in his eyes. She grabbed his head and brought him closer to her. She planted a kiss on his lips.
Kathy looked a little jealous.
"Good disguise. I never thought you had the balls to run. So tell me, how does it feel to be a fugitive?" she asked Joey with a smirk.
Joey looked at Rose and didn't recognize her. Rose sensed that and held out her left hand and showed off her rose tattoo.
Joey glanced at her tattoo, then it hit him like a ton of bricks.
"How does it feel to be a liar and a thief? Do you have a real name or do I just call you, carrot top?" Joey said, pissed.
Rose glared at Joey then slapped him hard across his cheeks.
Joey cringed in pain, and her handprints were visible on his cheeks for a few seconds.
Jesse chuckled, and he looked proud of Rose then placed his arm around her shoulder. He kissed her on her cheek. "That's my baby," he said.
"Her name is Rose," Jesse told Joey and Kathy.
He looked over at Frankie. "And that guy is my younger brother, Frankie," Jesse said as he looked proud.
Frankie bowed as his way of greeting them.
"And of course, I'm Jesse," he told them while he showed off his tattoo on his bicep.
Joey looked confused. "I thought your name was Tony?" he asked.
"I go by Jesse after I realized who I really am," he said.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Here we go again," Rose said quietly to herself.
Joey looked curious, and while he looked at Rose.
"You don't want to know," she told him and rolled her eyes again.
Jesse heard, and he didn't appreciate her comment. Fucking bitch! He thought to himself. How dare her doubt that I'm really Jesse James reincarnated. He thought while glaring and wanted to slap the crap out of her, but he still needed to use her to finish his plan.
She looked regretful for her comment. "Sorry baby," she mouthed the words to Jesse.
Jesse looked at Joey, Kathy and Lenny then he pondered what was he going to do. He came up with an idea.
He motioned Frankie to come over.
Frankie walked over to Jesse then he walked him five feet away. "We need another car and some chloroform and some rolls of duct tape," Jesse whispered in Frankie's ear.
"You got it," Frankie replied.
He walked to the door and left the apartment.
Joey looked concerned with Jesse and Frankie's little meeting.
He looked at Rose and Jesse. "Is this why you're doing this to us? Revenge because we turned you in for smoking pot and stealing CD players out of the dorm rooms?" Joey asked.
Jesse walked over to Joey and placed his arm around his shoulder.
"That's for starters, but also because your shit for brains friends, Sidney, ratted on Frankie and me for robbing a bank. Do you know what they do to people in jail?" Jesse said while he shoved the barrel of his revolver deep into Joey's butt.
Joey cringed in pain.
"They like to rape your ass!" he yelled at him. Then Jesse felt up Joey's butt cheeks. "They're going to love your virgin ass," he said with a smirk. "So nice and tight. But don't worry. You'll loosen up in a few months," he said and chuckled.
Joey wanted to comment that Jesse's butt hole is probably extremely loose but knew that would get him a beating. He kept that comment to himself.
Joey wormed his way out from under Jesse's grip and rushed over to Kathy and Lenny.
Jesse and Rose laughed while they escorted Joey, Kathy, and Lenny to the couch.
Jesse pushed Joey to the couch.
He pushed Lenny to the couch.
Rose pushed Kathy to the couch.
"Bitch!" Kathy said while she glared at Rose.
Rose got pissed. She reached down and grabbed Kathy by her hair and pulled her off the couch. She slapped Kathy hard across her face and pushed her back on the couch.
Joey got pissed and glared at Rose. She looked at Joey. "I'll bitch slap you – you fucking geek," Rose threatened him.
Joey looked intimidated then ashamed of himself. He looked over at Kathy, and she rubbed the spot where Rose slapped her. I'm a wussy! Joey thought to himself.
Jesse walked over and sat on Lenny's lazy boy chair with his revolver on his lap. "Get me a beer," he ordered Rose.
She obeyed and walked into the kitchen.
Jesse glared at Joey, Lenny, and Kathy who all looked worried.
Rose brought back Jesse a beer. He took a gulp.
"What are you going to do with us?" Kathy asked.
"Why you're going the help make me rich," Jesse said then gulped down some Budweiser.
"How's that?" Lenny asked.
"Joey knows the routine," Jesse said with a smirk.
Lenny looks at Joey for some answers.
"They want us to rob a bank for them where they keep the money, and we get sent to prison," Joey told Lenny.
It took a few seconds for the gravity of what the rest of his life will be like. Then it hit him. His eyes welled up, thinking that his life took a sudden turn for the worst.
Frankie entered the apartment from the front door. He had a Target bag in hand with two Budweiser six-packs of cans and another bag.
He walked into the kitchen and motioned for Jesse to join him.
Jesse got off the lazy boy chair and walked into the kitchen.
Frankie opened the one bag and showed Jesse the bag with Chloroform and two rolls of duct tape inside. "Plus I got us a Toyota Prius," Frankie said.
"Why that car?" Jesse asked. "Because they get great mileage and those environmental freaks love them, and we could easily blend in," he said.
Jesse thought about what he said. He smiled and patted Frankie on his back. "Great thinking, little brother," he said. Frankie looked proud.
Jesse looked at Lenny, Joey, and Kathy on the couch. He thought for a second, then looked concerned. "What did you drive over here?" Jesse asked from the kitchen.
Kathy and Joey sat there quiet.
Jesse got mad and stormed into the living room. He stood over Joey and grabbed him by his hair and pulled up upright. He got nose to nose with Joey. "I said; what did you drive here?" Jesse yelled at Joey, and his bad beer breath was all in his face.
"Two Harley Davidson's," Joey confessed and strained to turn her face away from Jesse's bad breath. Jesse grabbed Joey's chin bone and forced his head back. "Thank you," he said while he glared in Joey's eyes.
Jesse pushed Joey back on the couch.
He walked to the kitchen. "Frankie, drive their Harleys and park them in that Target parking lot. Lose their tags," Jesse ordered. Then he thought for a second then got a smirk. "Hide the bag of weed on their bikes," Jesse said.
Frankie smiled as he liked the idea of setting them up. Then he looked concerned.
"I don't know how to drive a motorcycle," Frankie said.
Jesse looked at Kathy and Joey. "I know shit for brains here wasn't an experienced rider, I want you to give Frankie a quick course on how to operate your Harley," Jesse ordered.
Kathy looked like she wasn't going to cooperate, so Jesse grabbed her shirt and pulled her off the couch.
He rushed her over into the kitchen and sat her down on a chair. "Teach him," he demanded.
Kathy positioned her legs and arms like she's driving a motorcycle.
She illustrated where the throttle was. Where the clutch was. Where the front and rear brake were. And where the gear shifter was.
She went through the motions of starting up the Harley and driving it off.
Frankie indicated he understood.
Jesse rummaged through Kathy's pockets and removed her Harley keys.
He walked into the living room and approached Joey.
Joey immediately removed his Harley keys from his pocket and handed it to Jesse.
Jesse threw the keys to Frankie, who caught them.
Frankie walked to the door and left the apartment.
Jesse walked over to the refrigerator.
He opened it up and removed a beer. He popped the top and took a huge gulp.
He walked over and grabbed Kathy's arm and walked her back and pushed her down onto the couch.
He walked over to the lazy boy chair and kept an eagle eye on his hostages.
Outside, Frankie walked through the parking lot near Lenny's building and searched for their Harleys. He finally found them.
He got on the Sportster. He tried one of the keys.
That key didn't fit in the ignition.
He shoved them into his pocket.
He inserted the other key in the Sportster's ignition.
He started up the Harley.
Frankie twisted the throttle a little too much while he released the clutch a little too fast.
The Sportster lunged and stalled. It fell over, and Frankie slammed into the pavement.
He looked frustrated as he got up and got back on the Sportster. He started it up again. He was a little easier on the throttle and when he released the clutch.
He drove out of the stall, proud of his accomplishment.
Frankie drove the Sportster through the parking lot and to the four-lane road.
He stopped and looked at the heavy traffic that whizzed by him.
Four minutes later, there was enough of a gap in traffic to allow him to drive across the four-lane road to enter the Target parking lot.
Frankie twisted the throttle and popped the clutch.
The Sportster lunged out into the street, stalled, and it fell over again.
Frankie slammed onto the street, pissed.
Frankie heard tires while they screeched. He looked and saw a Chevy Silverado that slammed on its brakes. His life flashed before his eyes as he watched the Silverado that stopped, tires smoking, inches from him. He almost crapped his pants.
Frankie immediately jumped up, relieved he wasn't killed and got the Sportster upright.
He jumped on it and quickly got it started again. He carefully twisted the throttle and slowly released the clutch.
He drove across the street. But he failed to check for traffic.
Three cars screeched, fishtailed while they stopped to avoid running over Frankie.
Frankie drove the Sportster through the Target parking lot.
He found an empty spot far away from the street.
He parked it and turned off the engine.
He got off and walked through the lot to Jesse's GTO.
He opened up the passenger door and removed a bag of pot from the glove box.
He shoved the bag in his pants pocket.
He closed the door and walked back to the Sportster.
He walked up to one of the saddlebags of that Harley. He removed the bag of pot from his pocket and dropped into the saddlebag.
Then he looked curious inside the bag.
He reached inside and removed Wally's camera bag.
He put the bag strap around his neck.
He reached in his pocket and removed a Swiss army type of knife and opened up the screwdriver.
He walked back and unscrewed the Georgia tag.
He walked away and walked through the parking lot and eventually found a storm drain.
He dropped the tag and ignition key down the drain.
Frankie walked through the parking lot and back to the street. He waited for a gap in traffic and ran across the street when it was clear.
He walked over to Kathy's Wide Glide.
He removed the key from his pocket and stuck it in the ignition.
He got on and started it up. He looked concerned. He put it in neutral and turned it off. He got off the Wide Glide and pushed it out of the parking spot.
He pushed it across the street when traffic cleared.
Fifteen minutes later, Frankie entered Lenny's apartment. He walked into the living room where Jesse sipped his beer from the lazy boy while he watched Joey, Lenny, and Kathy on the couch. Joey and Kathy looked nervous when they saw Wally's camera bag that hung from Frankie's neck.
"Get it done?" he asked.
"Yep and I hate motorcycles. Too fucking dangerous," he responded and looked a little shook up.
"Did you fall down?" Kathy said with a smirk.
Jesse looked and saw the dirty marks on Frankie's jeans. He chuckled, and that pissed Frankie off.
"Fuck off," he said. "Maybe we can buy one with training wheels," Jesse teased.
Frankie removed Wally's camera bag that hung from his neck. "Found this in one of the saddlebags," he said then handed Jesse the bag.
Jesse opened the bag and looked pissed when he removed the camera. He stared at Joey. "So, you were going to film us. You fucking bastard," Jesse yelled.
He stood up, dropped the camera to the floor, and smashed it with his boot. The camera was now useless.
Jesse stormed over to Joey. He glared down at him. "Any more stupid moves and I won't be so nice," Jesse said then stormed off into the kitchen.
Frankie followed.
Jesse went to the refrigerator and opened it and removed a beer. He opened it and gulped half the bottle down in frustration.
"What are we going to do?" Frankie asked.
"I think we'll do the robbery, then take them to Phoenix. We'll do Phoenix then head to Mexico," Jesse said.
Frankie thought about what he said, then looked nervous. "Four hostages. That's a lot to worry about," he said.
"I know, but we're professionals. We can handle it," Jesse said with confidence.
Frankie pretended to be all right with his plan but deep down inside, he was a little nervous and for the first time, had doubts about his big brother.
Rose walked into the kitchen.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I want Frankie to have the first watch. Then he can wake Rose up in three hours. Then Rose can wake me up three hours after that," he told Rose and Frankie who both nodded in agreement.
Later that night, Angie lay on her hotel room bed with her cell phone glued to her ear while she watched CNN on the TV.
"I'm sorry honey, I know I promised to be home, but I really needed to go to Denver. I have to try and stop a bank robbery and send the criminals to jail," she said into her cell phone.
"I know mommy, but I miss you!" Lela said over the cell phone.
Angie's eyes welled up. "I'll be home soon. I promise. Then we'll go to Disney for a couple of days. Okay, baby?" Angie promised.
A few seconds of silence passed, and that killed Angie. "I love Disney!" Lela said, excited.
"Good Lela. I love you. Now go brush your teeth, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Now go get Daddy," Angie told her.
"I love you too Mommy," Lela said then there was silence on her cell phone. "Mommy is going to take me to Disney," Lela said from Angie's cell phone when she handed her phone to Wayne.
"You're taking her to Disney?" Wayne asked Angie.
"Yeah. It's the least I could do since I've been traveling," Angie told him.
"What about me? How about a night out with dinner and a movie? Just the two of us?" he asked her.
Angie smiled. "You got it," she replied.
"Great. Have fun catching the bad guys and please don't get shot. You know I always worry about that," Wayne said with a worried tone.
"Don't worry. If this robbery goes down, the Denver police will handle it," she replied.
"Good. I'm going to put Lela to sleep. Have a good night and call tomorrow," Wayne said.
"I will. And I love you," she replied.
"I love you," Wayne said then disconnected the call.
Angie smiled as that phone conservation made her feel better. She got homesick when she arrived at the hotel room after dinner.
She looked at her cell phone then looked a little bothered.
She checked for missed calls. There were none. She checked for a text message. There were none. Angie looked concerned that Joey hadn't called her.
She put her cell phone on the bedside table.
She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
She flipped the channels until HBO came on.
She put the remote down, lowered the covers, and got into bed.
She turned off the lights and fluffed up two pillows.
She relaxed while she watched TV.