“You got it?” Chad asked from the tan living room couch when he eyed the two black rubber hammer handles sticking out of the plastic shopping bag his younger brother was holding when he casually entered the front door of their two-bedroom apartment.
“Yeah,” Jose replied, then raised the two Craftsman he had picked up at the hardware store before heading back to the Florida International University campus area. “But what if we’re too late?”
Chad frowned at the thought. Felipe’s oxygen tank was 100% full when they left Arica and he had been guaranteed its contents were highly concentrated. Yet, it was designated to only last sixteen hours. After that, a mask connecting to a plastic tube leading to a small vent at the bottom of the left side of the box was the sole means for Felipe to breathe.
What if the jury-rigged setup failed?
“Let’s hope we’re not,” Chad answered. “Otherwise we’re going to have to take a long venture deep into the Everglades this afternoon so we can dispose of Felipe’s body.”
Jose’s pupils instantly widened. “And let the Gators make him their supper?”
“Sure. Why Not?” Chad said, nonchalantly as if this was something common folk might do on a regular basis. “The guy was an abusive asshole. So what better way to get rid of him?”
Jose shook his head. “Still. What about the past – when you used to love him? Not to mention, what guarantee would we have the gators would do a thorough job? All it would take is a leftover finger or toe to set off a trail that would eventually lead to us. Well, maybe not me specifically. But since you used to have a relationship with him, it would certainly lead to you.”
Chad partially smiled. “Used to love him are the keywords, my dear brother. For a long time, I was madly in love with him. But, I eventually opened my eyes and realized he was treating me worse than a dog. Nobody should have to go through what I did. And to think I was literally kissing his ass and begging for more the whole time. It makes me sick just to think about it.”
“I know,” Jose said, nodding in agreement. “What you’re now saying is the same thing I overheard Mom and our Dads say about the relationship you and Felipe were tightly wound in. That’s why they insisted on sending both of us here to start college instead of letting you go with the jerk to the university in Santiago. They hoped by us going to school in Miami, a thousand miles from home, it would kill the abuse. And if it didn’t, their friends Mike and Eric were supposed to fly here from New York to try to intervene.”
Chad pursed his lips. “That would explain how Mike and Eric ended up almost getting killed.”
“You’re darn tooting,” Jose said, doing a John Wayne imitation. “No one would have suspected Felipe had a cousin in New York who would do his dirty work for him – until it was too late.”
Chad glanced at the large wooden box in front of them and laughed at the situation. “And now it’s Felipe who’s depending on us to save his life. How ironic. It almost makes you want to change your mind.”
“And let him die if he’s not dead already?” Jose gave his brother a quick eye-to-eye glance.
Chad grinned and nodded yes.
Jose shook his head in disbelief. “Boy. You sure have a cold heart, brother.”
Moments later, the box was opened and Felipe appeared to be dead. His skin was a pale white and there were traces of blue in a number of places.
Chad gulped the moment he saw his former lover and quickly grabbed one of his wrists so he could try to find a pulse.
One was there, but it was quite weak.
“Damn,” Chad said, the word escaping out of his tightened lips. It hung in the air above them like a dark cloud for several seconds.
“He’s alive?”
Jose wasn’t sure if the answer he’d soon receive would be the one he wanted. If Felipe was alive, they would have to keep the kid hidden until they decided what they wanted to do with him since the FBI was looking for him; if he was dead, they’d have no choice but to discretely get rid of the body so they wouldn’t end up possibly spending the rest of their life in prison.
Chad nodded yes and then sighed. “Just my luck. He’s alive. I guess it’s hard to kill a bonafide asshole.”
Jose chuckled. “Yeah. But just think. This 5’ 11”, 160-pound pile of crap is all yours. You’re the one who got involved with Felipe, despite everyone warning you not to. But would you listen to me, our parents, or any of your friends? No. So now we got this mess to deal with.”
“You want to revive him?”
Chad looked at Felipe and wanted to say no. In reality, he wanted to turn off the small bit of oxygen left. According to the gauge at the top of the tank, Felipe had just enough left to last a few more minutes.
It would be interesting to see if Felipe would kick the bucket once the tank was empty. And if he did, the unconscious son of a bitch would have deserved it.
“Let’s go ahead and do it.”
Jose gave Chad a puzzled look. “Do what? Revive him or see if he’ll die?”
“Let’s revive him,” Chad replied. “With any luck, the FBI will catch up with him and send him to prison. I’d rather see him spend heaven knows how many years there, instead of us for deciding to do him in.”
Jose looked at Felipe and then back at Chad. “Do you really think he’ll get life?”
“No. Probably not,” Chad said, with a shake of his head. “I expect he’ll only land a few years. And it’s a shame. Jerks like him really deserve to do serious time. They would then, perhaps, treat people differently. It’s no fun when you’re so blindly in love you don’t recognize you’re being used and abused.”