And it will be with your blood.
But until then, we have a few things we need from you.
Let me start by telling you how your game is going to work. We are going to set you some tasks. You can choose whether to carry out those tasks or not, but like the game says, there are consequences. If you comply, you live to see another day. If you don’t, you will regret it.
“Why should I comply?” I hear you say. I think the parole board would be very interested in the evidence we have involving your role in a certain trafficking ring. Freedom is so close, and yet, we could take it all away. And we will, if you don’t do as we say.
We’ll be in touch with your first task very soon, but know this, Mr Cheslin… We are always watching.
The Soldiers.
I added our signature cartoon joker at the bottom of the message and passed the phone back to Colton.
“No video this time?” he asked.
“No video. We don’t know what kind of phone he has access to inside. Let’s keep it simple.”
He nodded and read through the message.
“I like it.” He smiled. “And send. There. That’s gone. Now we wait for the fireworks. Any ideas you want to share about what you’re gonna make him do?”
“I have a few. In fact, you can check if Jake Colt is still in Belbroughton for me. I think he’d be perfect for the first task.”
Jake Colt was a well-known armed robber from Brinton. He was also a very talented tattoo artist, who’d taken to practising his craft in prison to keep his skills on top form while he was in there.
“I doubt he’s been let out. We’d know about it. But I’ll double check,” Colton informed me, standing up and heading for the door.
“Good. And tell him we have a new client coming his way soon. One he’s gonna enjoy marking some fucked-up shit on.”
* * *
Later that night, as I was getting ready to leave the asylum, we got a message sent through the soldiers’ phone from Karl Cheslin. He told us to fuck off and that he wouldn’t play ball. It was a standard response and one we expected. So, Tyler pulled a few strings, got a message to a group of inmates in there to pay him a visit to his cell and make sure he knew the soldiers could reach him anywhere.
Why didn’t we just off him in his cell?
Because where was the fun in that?
We were soldiers, we liked battle and we enjoyed the war. He was our prey, and we wanted to play with him. This was what we enjoyed, where we got our kicks. His days were numbered, his cards were marked. But we would have a little bit of fun with him first. This was what we all lived for.
I put thoughts of rapist scum out of my mind as I climbed on my bike and headed to Olivia’s house. I’d had enough of CCTV, and I wanted to be closer to her. She’d been ignoring every one of my messages and I was done with the silent treatment. I wanted to be heard.
Once I pulled into her road, I turned into the dirt track that ran along the back of her house and parked up in my usual spot. Again, I mounted the wall and reached across to scale the fence. Then, I made my way through the fir trees and undergrowth towards the house, seeing a light shining bright downstairs where her kitchen was. As I got closer, I could see her standing and staring in concentration, stirring something on the hob. She looked serene, beautiful. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her.
Her two little brothers came bounding in and beamed when they saw her. She mouthed something to them, and they sat down, clearly doing what they’d been told. Steam billowed in the air as Olivia turned to the sink to drain something, probably pasta or spaghetti. Then she got busy serving their food up and carrying it to the table. The three of them settled down to eat their meal and I felt my heart lurch in my chest.
I wanted that.
I wanted to be sitting there, at that table, with her.
I wanted to be the one that backed her up when the boys didn’t listen.
And then a thought suddenly struck me. I wanted it to be my family. I wanted to put a baby in her and watch her grow. See her be a mother. In all my life, I’d never wanted that. Never thought I was father material, but the urge that’d suddenly and spontaneously jumped into my brain totally floored me. Where the hell had that come from? And why wasn’t I repulsed by it?
I couldn’t take my eyes off that window, seeing her collect the plates afterwards and smile as they each took an ice-cream cone from the freezer and sloped off to their rooms like little terrors who’d gotten away with stealing the cookies. She pretended not to see them, but when she sat down at the table on her own and appeared to sigh, my heart twisted again.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
Me: Truth or dare?
She picked up her phone, read my message and put it straight back down on the table. No response. Nothing.
Me: Don’t ignore me, Olivia.
This time she kept the phone on the table but tapped the screen to open my second message. Then she turned her phone over, so it was face down. No response, again. I didn’t like this.
Me: I’m not going anywhere.
She tried to ignore that she had another message from me, but after a few seconds, curiosity got the better of her, and she picked it up. When she saw what I’d written, she stood up and walked over to the window, but she still didn’t reply. I was losing patience, and I didn’t like being ignored. So I lifted my phone and took a photo of her standing in her window and then I sent it to her with a message.
Me: I’ll always be here.
She lifted her phone up and looked at her latest message, and when she saw it, her eyes went wide. Instantly, she grabbed the cord for the blinds and closed them, shutting me off completely.
I gripped my phone in my hand and took deep breaths, counting to ten to stop myself from marching up the lawn and storming into her house. Then her name appeared on my screen. She’d replied.
Olivia: Is this meant to scare me?
Me: I’m not here to scare you. I’m here to protect you.
Olivia: You have a funny way of showing it.
Me: But I am showing it.
I waited, but the next response never came. I’d had all I was going to get out of her tonight. And when I saw her bedroom curtains close only minutes later, I knew she wasn’t in the mood to play. It didn’t matter. Just knowing she was safe in there was enough for me.
For now.