C14: Al Paci-NO
The past. No matter how far behind we leave it, always finds that little leverage, that little yardstick, to claw and drag itself back. In effect, haunting our present, and ultimately, altering our future. For Shelby, one of those many leverages was…
"Jacob's brother?" Malcolm annoyingly asked while bound by cuffs on a pretty short table, in a dimly lit room. Shelby from the right end of the table looked like a complete shadow of her former self. She was quaking in fear, her hands shivering in terror and her face dowsed in nervousness and sweat. "Shelby, Shelby", Malcolm continued pestering. "Are you even…"
"No I'm not Malcolm", Shelby aggressively interjected. "No I'm not. I thought Jonathan was dead, and I'm pretty sure Jacob thought the same thing" She looked towards her left, now staring at Malcolm though they were a couple feet away from each other, bound side by side on the brown table. "But he's back", she said with a hint of dread lingering in her voice. "And he's gonna—"
"He's gonna what?" interrupted Jonathan. His uneasy smile seemed to create an even tenser atmosphere compared to if he had walked into the room with an infuriated countenance. He walked towards the table where, Malcolm and Shelby's hands had been cuffed, with two white leather bags in hand.
Taking his seat at the brown, office chair, opposite them, he became instantly disgusted. "Who cuffed y'all. This is no way to treat guests. Sam, get in here" he barked.
Samson walked into the room, as gentle and meek as always, and got to uncuffing them as fast as he could. "How could you do this to me Sam?" Shelby innocently inquired. "I thought we were—"
Sam immediately sent a look of 'don't give me that bullshit' in Shelby's direction. "Don't even start to play that card with me Ma'am. You were supposed to keep us safe Miss Shelby or is it Miss Michelle now" he asked looking at her with a shade of attitude. "If only we knew you were the one who dragged us down to die with you".
"But Sam, I never wan—",
"Please Miss Shelby", Interrupted Sam, audibly let down, "You don't need to say anything."
"Samson" said Jonathan in a light tone in order to dowse the anxious emotions all over the room, "I need you to go back to the bar. If any news comes up, I don't want to be the last to know".
"Okay sir", he replied. He stole one last look at Shelby and said under his breath, "can't believe we trusted you". He slowly walked out of the room gently closing the door behind him.
"Trust", smirked Jonathan in a rather cynical manner, "only fools trust", he said, looking endlessly at the inconspicuous details of the room. "And only idiot would trust you Michelle", he said, staring her down. "That's why I never trusted you, and I wished my brother didn't make the stupid mistake of doing the opposite", he said in a less lively tone. "But oh well", he continued, "Such is life. Would y'all like something to eat?" he said, bringing out a couple dark plates and a white cup from the white leather bag he had with him.
"I'm starv…" Malcolm managed to say before he was stared down by a pretty heated Shelby. "No thanks, we're good", Malcom revised. "I'm hungry though", he whispered to Shelby.
"You sure?", he looked at Shelby with a spoon full of ice cream in his mouth, "tastes really good Michelle, sure you don't want any?".
"I'm not that stupid Jonathan" she said with a sudden surge of confidence. "I'm not eating".
"Well okay then, suit yourself" he said while grabbing a couple more scoops of the vanilla flavored ice cream, dribbling down his disposable spoon and then down his throat.
"You know, Our Mayor passed away a couple months ago" Malcolm said a little smarter than usual, "would you happen to know anything about it?". Jonathan stopped the spoon halfway into his mouth, and slowly dropped it back into the cup of ice cream, just beside the plate of hamburger beside him. He stared inquisitively into Malcolm's hazel green eyes, and then all of a sudden, burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?", inquired Malcolm, a little taken aback
Jonathan managed to gather himself, "So you're the Godfather", he said with, tears already forming in his eyes. "Al Pacino would be so disappointed".
Shelby raised her head and her inquisitive eyes met his brown, scarred one. She meekly asked, "How'd you know about that?"
"What? That you wanted him to be the Godfather, and Jacob didn't? Don't be so naïve Shelby", he said, while trying to sit up from his slightly slanted sitting position. "I know everything". His amused conduct, gradually sunk to a slightly less light mood. He got up from the chair and started walking around the room with his hands crossed behind him. "I know that after you left me for dead back at Raven, you came here, to Exasthen, with this idiot, who if I may add, doesn't look all that,", he said, pointing to Malcolm, "thinking you could start a brand-new life together. I know you left your 3 months old daughter with your husband, my brother, 5 years ago. I know you came here, played around with your real name "Michelle" and changed it to Shelby, then started working in the police department 6 months later. I know that every weekday, you wake up by 3am, you can't sleep, because you're an insomniac. I know that by 6, you're in the office and you don't come out till 5pm, when you're in the bar till 9, and then you get back home to repeat, the same, stupid, schedule". He got closer to Shelby, put his hands on her chair, leaned in and whispered, "But most importantly, I know that no matter how hard you try to forget your past, you always end up thinking how your life would've been if you had just stayed in Raven with Jacob". Walking back to his seat, he ruffled Malcolm's hair and said, "Poor little Malcolm", he sat down, chuckling to himself, "No. I didn't kill your mayor, and honestly, I really don't care whether or not you believe me". He swirled on his chair and said, chuckling all the way "and you thought she was doing it because she loved you. Really Malcolm, could you be any more stupid?", he chuckled.
He stopped, leaned in from his chair, opposite Malcolm on the desk, his annoying smile gradually changing to an upsettingly sober expression, "Want to hear the real reason, she ran away with you Malcolm?", he said with a devilish grin.
All of a sudden, one of Jonathan's henchmen burst into the room. His golden-brown hair was arranged as if each strand was disagreeing with the other. His black t-shirt was swaying towards one side of his body and he was missing a leg of his black sneakers. Placing his hands on his knees while trying to catch his breath, he said in pretty disoriented fashion. "Sir, you need to see this". Malcolm, Shelby and Jonathan all rose up in unison, as if on cue.
"Harbin, what happened?", Jonathan said in defiant authority.
"Sir, Sir", the roughly dressed henchman said still trying to catch his breath, "Ano… Another attack sir. He's dead".
Jonathan rushed towards Harbin, trying to support his stance and likewise trying to understand what exactly he was saying, "What do you mean 'He's dead' Harbin? What are you talking about? Who's dead"
"I ran away. Forgive me, I ran away, I… I didn't know what to do" he said.
"Harbin, talk to me, what happened" Jonathan said, trying to calm him.
Harbin reached in for a rather tight, uncomfortable hug and said, "I was following him. We were on our way to the bar just talking about how he it felt to see the whole gang, the whole family in action last night. And then all of a sudden, in broad daylight, he was sniped Sir" he hugged even tighter "they killed Samson" he said, beads of tears falling down his cold, black cheeks and then on Jonathan's expensive-looking black suit.
Tears immediately began to form in Jonathan's eye. And then slowly, his teary eye gradually began to fade, unhurriedly becoming unholy anger. His fists slowly clenched and his face steadily became drenched in devilish intent. He grabbed Harbin even tighter and then painfully slow, he said, "Show me". He slowly freed himself from the uncomfortable hug and gestured to Harbin to lead the way. After gently wiping his tears off, Harbin slowly exited the room. Jonathan slowly turned around. His eyes that were burdened with sadness and anger, slowly met Shelby's confused demeanor. She was still trying to understand what exactly she had just heard. Jonathan slowly turned his head to Malcolm's expressionless appearance and said, "Still think I killed your precious Mayor?"