Secrets and Betrayals

Bryan loved to run almost as much as he hated arguments. Naturally, the former often followed the latter. A casual jog through the county park, a set of headphones, and some rock and roll tunes usually worked to drown out the constant clamor that bounced around the ol’ cerebrum whenever Dena chose to serve up one of her lectures.

Dena doubted Bryan’s competence, and that always stung. Don’t be a moron, Bryan, use your head, Bryan, keep your eyes open, Bryan, don’t screw up – ugh! He wasn’t a dummy! He’d earned a master’s degree from Notre Dame. She barely had a G.E.D.

The day’s heat faded to a reasonable temperature once the sun dropped beneath the maple tree canopy that bordered the path. Even so, dark splotches gleamed wetly on Bryan's blue Colts jersey, but a cool breeze made that feel wonderful. Another lap, and he’d be done, anyway. Perhaps when he returned, they could bypass the post-argument speeches for once and just head to the bedroom for make-up sex.

He felt - more than heard - the cell phone pulse and stopped to read the text message: a strange and ugly poem.

Roses are red; blood specks are too,

Why should murder be so goddamn taboo?

Dearest Bryan, we are saddened to say,

Dena betrayed you just last Thursday.

Not by word, though she used her mouth,

But by deed as she lay on the couch!

We understand that should make you sad,

That she’d meet someone else completely unclad,

But take heart, her sentence won’t be swayed,

We’re ready to cut Dena’s throat on our blade.

A half second later, the phone pulsed once more. Beneath the poem appeared a photo of Dena secured to a rocker, fat cords of rope knotted around her hands and feet. Her left eye was puffy and black. Both cheeks were cut and oozed blood. Her mouth had been smashed repeatedly on her teeth and was purple and swollen.

Bryan’s heart gave a tremendous lurch as he took a deep breath. He must stay calm and focused. Thumbs that seemed suddenly heavy trembled as they flew across the screen’s keyboard. Who the fuck are you? What have you done to Dena?!

Endless heartbeats passed before the reply came.

No need to fuss and weep; don’t be the banshee.

We won’t charge; we’ll carve her up for free!

*

No! Please, leave her alone! What do you want?

*

Oh, come on now, Bryan. Don’t be such a mouse.

Be the panther for once and eat the mouse.

Bryan’s mouth spasmed. He looked away from the phone, eyes shut for a long moment. He couldn’t fuck up. Not now. What do you mean? Look, don’t hurt her. Just tell me what you want!

A few seconds went by. Bryan took a few nervous breaths and watched the phone expectantly.

Your concern for your spouse touches our hearts.

You’re a good, decent person, a man of smarts.

Look at the next photograph. We’re sure you’ll agree,

She doesn’t deserve your unfettered pleas.

A new photo of Dena appeared, seen through the square glass frame of some cheap hotel room. He leaned forward and stared, cheeks flushed a deep red. The shades had been opened as far as they would go as though they feared any form of decency. She knelt by the bed, her shadowed face obscured somewhat by a man’s hand as he held her head pressed softly to grey cotton boxers. The room was dark, the man’s eyes were closed, and the photographer hadn’t been able to capture an unobscured look at the man’s face, but Bryan knew the man, nonetheless.

Bryan’s stomach fluttered. He drew another deep breath and chased away the butterfly. He had to breathe slower, had to calm down, or all would be lost. He couldn’t let Dena down.

Are your eyes open now? Dena’s a real whore.

Let us take vengeance for you and even the score.

Bryan suppressed a sudden urge to laugh. He needed to focus, not go mental. He had to be perfect. No. You could send a thousand such photos, but that wouldn’t make me love her less. Please tell me what you want or let her go.

Bryan stood by and counted the seconds. These delays between responses were gonna cause a mental breakdown.

We’re frustrated by your chosen path.

She deserves an arduous death when you do the math.

But they say once a sucker, always the chump.

Your resolve to be the lamb produces goosebumps.

But you can have her back, though not for free.

You want to see her, you’ll have to pay a fee.

Just a small token, and you can take her away,

You can be a cuck once more, for only 500k.

*

What? Who the hell has that much money? Not us! You can’t ask for that!

*

We don’t care where you get the money. We’ll call you soon.

Don’t call the cops, or you’ll cause Dena’s doom.

Bryan sent many more texts, but there was no response. So, on to the money problem. The only person he knew who possessed that much money was Dena’s hotel room lover.

He located the phone number under frequent contacts and called. The asshole answered cheerfully. “Hey there, mate, what’s up?”

“Hello, mate,” Bryan returned. He saw no reason to beat around the bush. “You fucked my spouse, you bastard.”

There was a long pause on the other end, then, “Uh, pardon me?”

“Don’t act dumb, James! How long? How often? Every day? Every week? Enjoyed her, eh? Bastard! You’re supposed to be my best mate! Was the pussy good enough to destroy ten years of – “ He cut off abruptly. “No. We can’t now. Later, we’ll talk about your escapades another day when Dena’s safe.”

“Dena? What happened to Dena?” James’ tone became hopeful. “Hold on. You’ve gone and pranked me, haven’t you, mate?”

“Pranked you?!” Bryan shouted. “The only pranks came from you, mate, when you made yourself out to be loyal. You don’t fuck a man’s spouse, James, you complete ass!”

“Bryan – “

“No! Later, James! Dena’s about to be murdered by some psycho, thanks to you! So shut your flaps and open your ears!”

James blew out a heavy breath. “Okay, Bryan. You’ve got my regard. Tell me what’s happened.”

Some of the stress departed from Bryan’s shoulders. Now, to throw the long ball. “Some asshole sent me photos of you and Dena together at a hotel. She’s bound up real fast, and she’s got blood and marks all over. Look, here comes the photo.”

“Oh my god, Bryan, what the hell?”

“Yeah. She’s done up really bad. The guy says he won’t murder her so long as he gets 500 thousand dollars.”

Bryan stood by for nearly 40 seconds before the message sank. “That’s a lot of money, mate.”

“Oh, go suck on a fat one, mate!” Bryan’s whole body shook, but he managed to hang on to the rage. He was close. He knew that. Just needed to push a dab more. “You owe me, James, and you owe her after you plugged your cock up her crack, you crummy bastard. Don’t play around! We both know that much money wouldn’t put a dent to your fortune.”

“Me and Frances worked hard to make that – “

“Oh, go cut yourself on a cactus, mate! Yeah, you worked so hard, we’ve been here before, but you wouldn’t have got where you are except for me and Dena, would you? Come on, James. No one’s told you to empty your account. Show some bloody courage for Dena, yeah?”

For a long moment, Bryan feared he’d been unsuccessful. He needn’t have doubted, though. James’ throat cleared loudly, but he sounded subdued. “Where should we meet then, Bryan?”

*

Bryan parked the jeep and looked around the steakhouse where they’d agreed to meet. The lot was full of cars. Any could have sheltered a watcher, but he felt mostly at ease. Nobody but James would have a reason to search for someone at a car lot, and James was a dumb prat.

He strode through the restaurant’s entrance and glanced up at the clock. He was early, but that was ok. He tapped the hostess and grabbed a table for two, then sat and played Scrabble on the phone for a few spans. The room was nearly full - perfect. That meant personal chats would be hard to eavesdrop on.

He'd just completed the word, ‘acknowledgment’ - worth a double score - when the seat adjacent was pulled back by a slender hand. He looked up and was pleased to see Dena’s lovely face as she took her spot at the table.

“Hello, babe. Love that dress.”

Dena beamed, stood, and spun around. The dress was gorgeous — an almost glossy black that glowed thanks to hundreds of teeny jewels sewn onto the bust - clearly an extravagant purchase.

“So glad you approve,” Dena purred and ran her thumb gently across Bryan’s hand as she returned to her seat. “Looks good on me, huh?”

“Mmmhmm. That’s an understatement. What a man wouldn’t do for a chance to grab hold of that shapely body.”

She reached under the table and caressed Bryan’s leg. Her eyes sparkled. “Perhaps scam another man for loads of cash.”

Bryan brought her hand up and smooched her knuckles. “For you, absolutely.”

Dena’s eyes shone as she leaned forward to plant her own smooch on Bryan’s cheek. “Thank you. Sorry for the argument today. Guess the nerves really got to me.”

“Thank me later, baby. For now, let’s eat. You can show me how grateful you are on the mattress after we get home.”

She laughed and settled back. “You can bet on that. Do you feel bad, though? He was your best mate, after all.”

Bryan gave the query some thought and nodded. “Some, but not much. He got wealthy from our plans, our hard work, and our effort, but he refused to acknowledge our part and just kept all the money. He was my best mate, but he let us both down. He deserved to be scammed.”

Dena nodded thoughtfully. “All true. And you’re not mad about the sex?”

“Nah! Turned me on, mostly. And we set that up together, remember? Wouldn’t make sense to get mad.”

“Ok, great. So, what do we do next?”

Bryan beamed and took up the menu. “Next, we order steak. After that, we should take a good look at Sweden.”