Malicious Mechanic

“Trixie did you place that ad on Face Book? Good, good. Make sure you go on all those Rants and reviews pages too. I want to start booking appointments right away. They need to all be booked within a two week span so we are going to work these three counties with three different numbers. Yes, Chuck Chambers aka “CC”, Bobby Boston and Aaron Ackerman. Ackerman will be working in Lake County, Boston in Orange and CC in Seminole County. You already have reviews written up right? Good, good okay, well I will meet you at the spot after I gather these addresses to put on the stationary.”

Slowly Jack Johnson drove down the sandy Central Florida streets looking for the home of an elderly person living alone. That wasn’t very hard to find in Florida. Jack was only in town with his girlfriend Trixie for two weeks. They hailed from Fayetteville, North Carolina both military brats whose families settled in the small town after their father’s ended their service in the armed forces. Jack was a talented mechanic but he learned early on that he was a better con man and scammer. It took far less work and there was no overhead, only profit.

So he and his baby mama born Tamara Turner to a respectful middle class family of faith traveled the south east ripping people off in need of auto repairs. Jack and Trixie were more Bonnie and Clyde than Jack and Diane. Their beautiful little girl with eyes blue as the ocean and locks of gold resided with Trixie’s parents. She retained custody for the benefits but left the responsibility for the care and well being of the three year old to her parents, they gladly accepted. Jack’s home wasn’t quite as stable as his girlfriends. His father Jack Sr. carried demons with him from his years in combat. The man suffered from PTSD but refused treatment opting instead to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. His drug and alcohol abuse led to him being verbally, emotionally and physically abusive to his family. Jack Jr. shared many of his father’s traits.

As a young boy Jack was good with tools, fixing and creating things. He first put his head under the hood of a car at age five. Standing on a wooden box in his uncle’s backyard, the boy learned the parts of a motor and how they all worked together. He was a quick study and determined to make things work at a young age. His uncle was impressed; he showed the kid off to his gear head and grease monkey buddies in and around Fayetteville. Jack earned a little change here and there working on cars with his uncle. He needed the money to provide him with the things his father’s addictions deprived him of but mostly he did it for the love. He just loved turning wrenches; Jack wanted to do nothing else.

When Jack was thirteen, his father’s younger brother Earl went to prison for attempted murder after a crazy bar fight in which he stabbed a man six times over a bar fly. More than the woman, they were fighting for pride. That was all their dead end lives left them with, their pride. They were small men struggling in a small town with little opportunity and a predictable fate making bad decisions over frustration and hate. Sobering moments were the most painful so they enjoyed few which altered their thinking and sense of morality. Their desperation quickly turns to anger and the pain they need to share over minor transgressions.

When Earl went to prison, he left all of his belongings to his favorite nephew Jack. Earl’s prized possession was a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. It had a 454 big block, 350 turbo, 3 speed automatic trany, 282 comp cam and MSD ignition. This black beauty was now the property of a thirteen year-old. Earl arranged for it to be kept in his buddy’s garage until his nephew got his license because he knew that his brother would probably try to sell it for drugs. Jack was excited about the car but he was overjoyed at getting all of his uncle’s tools. He added them to what he had accumulated and now he had the right tool for almost every job.

The boy worked part time at a garage run by one of Earl’s buddies and he hustled on the side doing repairs for neighbors and friends. For a teenager Jack made pretty good money but then one day when he was fifteen he stumbled upon something. In his billing for a part he added one too many zeros and his customer paid it anyway. The elderly woman was unaware of what the pricing should be and just wanted her vehicle repaired. He made three times the money he would have made for the job by just making a clerical error. That got him thinking about other ways he might increase his income. He already knew tricks of the trade, how to patch a car together so that it would work in the short term. He started carrying around bad parts to show his customers as if he had pulled them from his vehicle. He would then get them to prepay for a new part at an absorbent price, shine up the part on the car and keep the new part. He was getting free parts and making money off of the up charge for the parts. Then he would charge labor on top of that.

Jack was getting tired of living at his father’s place so when he got eighteen he decided it was time to go. His girlfriend Trixie who he started dating three years earlier decided she would go with him. Jack Sr. found where his son hid his money and decided to help himself to it. His son was furious but he dared not challenge his crazy father, instead he just picked up and left. Trixie broke her parent’s hearts by announcing that she was leaving home to follow her greasy boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks instead of going to college. Mr. and Mrs. Turner allowed their daughter to date Jack but monitored her carefully. They thought that it would run its course and she would move on and find a guy on her level. They thought the more they protested the more she would cling to him. Their understanding, tolerance and loving patience worked against them.

So off she went excited to live the life of a grifter. Before they left town Jack burned many people for thousands of dollars. As it all came to a head, he was pulling out. It was his way of burning his dad too. He knew that people would be coming to his house looking for him. Some may even demand reimbursement from him. Jack chuckled as he visualized Big Chuck and Crazy Jerry demanding money from his father, smacking him around a bit. The thought of his father being abused brought him joy. There was more joy in young Jack’s life than he knew. His beloved Trixie was already a couple of months pregnant yet in denial of what she was experiencing.

They headed north partly to get as far a way from North Carolina as possible and also because Jack felt that he could work his scams better up there. His Uncle Earl always told him that Yankees were stupid. They were stupid because they thought southerners were stupid. They hear your southern accent and quickly assume you’re no threat because you must be slow or dimwitted. He figured the farther north he traveled, the more stupid the people would be. Jack decided to start at the top and work his way down. They went all the way up to Caribou, Maine to start their new life of hustle. Meanwhile the bun was still baking in the oven but it didn’t curb Trixie’s desire for narcotics and alcohol.

Their shared addiction to cocaine and alcohol became their bond as Jack and Trixie grew into adulthood. Jack’s addiction helped him to become a criminal initially so that he would never suffer a day or night without his favorite vice. Before leaving Fayetteville, Jack acquired a large amount of drugs on consignment from three of the local drug dealers. He was thought to be good for it because he bought so much, so often. None of the dealers knew that he was fronting coke from each of them until Jack was way up the east coast planning his new schemes.

Maine was very lucrative and not too terribly cold. The two planned their travels around the seasons. Their intention was to spend the summer in Maine and the winter in Florida. Maine was beautiful in the summer time and there was no shortage of suckers to separate from their hard earned cash. As soon as they entered the state, Trixie went to work posting on social media consumer pages and placing ads on her fake social media pages. Business came fast and Jack played it cool initially. He did some small jobs and asked the owners of the vehicles if they wouldn’t mind helping him by posting favorable reviews on him. They all readily agreed, who wouldn’t want to help out a young couple trying to make it on their own. Jack and Trixie told many tall tales about their upbringing and parents to garner sympathy and trust from their victims. They were said to both be survivors of abuse and abandonment when in actuality Tamara’s parents were worried sick about her.

Jack made some new “friends” while in Caribou, Maine. In actuality they were drug dealers who he bartered with, fixing their motorcycles and trucks in exchange for a fix. He and Trixie partied hard every night after a long day of scamming. The baby inside Trixie’s belly wasn’t as big a fan of the drugs and alcohol as she was. When it was obvious to them both that she was pregnant the irresponsible couple never curtailed their behavior, instead they escalated it. After three weeks of gathering monies for repairs and parts, breaking appointments and offering excuses and delays the two skipped town with eight thousand ill gotten dollars. South they traveled settling down in a small town outside of Portland, Maine. Westbrook wasn’t ready for the two slick kids from the Tar Heel State. They drummed up business and burned bridges quickly in a matter of two weeks. Drugs were tougher to come by so they got what they could out of the area and quickly exited the State of Maine never to return.

Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island were hit in succession over the next three months. Albany New York and Allentown Pennsylvania weren’t quite as lucrative. They were sure to stick to the plan and hit only small towns and areas with a high number of elderly. Older folks weren’t as active on social media or savvy about new scams. After making their way through New Jersey and Delaware Jack decided that they should head west into parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Trixie was getting bigger and she was starting to have pains. It seemed there may be some complications with her pregnancy. When she felt pain, she got high, when she was numb, she drank to feel. Trixie hadn’t spoken to her parents since she skipped town but she felt that this was a time to contact them. It was becoming obvious that she would need medical attention and her parents would be desperate to see her. Jack suggested she give them a call.

“Hello, Daddy?”

“Tamara is that you?”

“Yes Daddy, it’s me.”

“Oh Lord thank you. Sweetheart, are you alright?!”

He called back to his wife.

“Mother, it’s Tamara; I’ve got her on the phone.”

She yelled back to him from the bathroom.

“Tamara? Is she alright?”

“Yes, Honey, yes.”

He turned his attention back to his daughter.

“Where are you? Let me come bring you home, please.”

Trixie was quick to interrupt him. She didn’t want a long drawn out, emotional conversation.

“You don’t have to send for me Daddy. I have my own way. I’m coming home.”

Her parents were overjoyed at the possibility of having their little girl back home. She may not have been the best daughter she could be but she was everything to them. Trixie neglected to tell her parents that she was with child. She knew that they would be surprised but would love her and the baby no matter what. Unconditionally loving and benevolent they were and Trixie knew she didn’t deserve them. She had always been a rotten child and no matter how much they taught her or loved her she remained morally challenged, betraying those who trusted her most.

Jack was sure to send her home with a thousand dollars to show her parents that he was a man and he was taking care of her. Her parents knew that the money was ill gotten so it had no value to them anyway and they refused to touch it. Learning that they were having a grand daughter in a month was shocking but joyful news. With the Blessing unfortunately came a curse, the curse of the results of their daughter’s irresponsible behavior. Their granddaughter Jenna would be born with several birth defects and in need of much medical treatment, surgeries and procedures. They cherished her no less she was just as beautiful in their eyes and the Turners were proud grandparents.

Trixie and Jack stayed in touch while she dried out and had the baby. They communicated on burner phones and on fake social media pages. They face timed with the baby so that Jack could feel like he was a part of things. Her parents didn’t speak of him. They just wanted him to stay wherever he was so that they could get their daughter back on the right track and help to raise their granddaughter. Trixie didn’t love her daughter the way she should because she felt the girl was damaged. Baby Jenna’s defects were glaring to her mother, she expected to have the perfect child and instead she got less than that. Ironically she never paused to look at the causes for her daughter’s medical issues, her drug use!

Trixie was confronted by dealers around town about her boyfriend and Jack armed her with a great lie to keep her safe. Trixie told everyone that Jack deserted her once he found out she was pregnant. She woke up one day in a motel room and he was just gone. Luckily for her, Mr. and Mrs. Turner were gracious enough to allow her to come back home. She lied, stating that she had no idea he had ripped so many people off and she hoped that she would never see him again. She finished by calling her lover a few choice curse words and complaining about him leaving her to raise a child on her own. She actually garnered some sympathy and support from some of the people they were indebted to. They aimed their anger at the absent Jack who they vowed to hurt severely whenever they saw him again.

During the six months apart from Trixie while she had the baby and worked on her health Jack spent his time hustling in Tennessee and Kentucky. He poured oatmeal in radiators to keep them from leaking; he carried around rusted old parts that he pretended to pull from vehicles he was working on. He would get the owner to pay for a phantom part and the labor it took to install it. He would then pocket all of the money and skip town as their vehicle started to breakdown again. Jack took up with a few loose, drug addicted women in the small towns in the Appalachia and Smokey Mountains. Without Trixie with him he could find free lodging and sex just by sharing his drugs. So he partied on as the Winter months approached. Jack delayed Trixie rejoining him on the road as long as he could, giving the excuse that she needed more time to bond with their special needs daughter. He promised that he would pick her up in a couple of weeks when he finished working Tennessee.

Weeks later Jack grudgingly put his plan into motion to reunite with his girlfriend. He figured he could use her to case locations and manage pages. Jack had Trixie take the bus from Fayetteville all the way west to Ashville where he would meet her. Jack didn’t dare go too deep into North Carolina where a lot of people wanted his hide. He was hoping that Trixie wasn’t carrying too much baby fat. He was having her back but he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop living his bachelor’s life. Trixie may just have to learn to adjust to the new Jack.

Trixie left a dear john for her parents stating how she wasn’t cut out for motherhood and her daughter would be much better off in their care. She would be in touch and she loved them very much. She packed light and boarded the bus without a tear in her eye or a care in her heart. They had their reunion at the buss station in Ashville. Jack reserved a 4 star hotel room in town so that he and his baby’s mama could celebrate properly. This place was much better than all of the other places they had ever stayed at. There was room service and a mini bar stocked with everything. Trixie was impressed by Jack’s thoughtfulness. He didn’t need to do much to please Trixie; in her eyes Jack could do no wrong. She couldn’t be more blinded, more wrong.

Jack booked the room for a week; he figured he’d earned a brief vacation. Their vacation mostly consisted of the two of them sitting in a hotel room getting high all day and night. As they “vacationed” a cold front passed through the south east. Jack started thinking. Maybe instead of hitting Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi he would just head straight to Florida where it was always sun and fun. The middle of the state seemed like a good place to start, just out of the reach of the cold. He told Trixie of the new plan and she readily agreed; anything to make Jack happy. Meanwhile she hadn’t given a single thought to the well being of her ill child or worried parents. The Turners just prayed for their daughter’s safety and thanked God for the Blessing that was their granddaughter.

The weather wasn’t the only reason Jack wanted to make his way to Florida. He held a fantasy about the women of Florida. He thought all of the girls to be sun drenched Blondes with tan hard bodies and sparkling blue eyes not flat, pale brunettes like Trixie and most of the girls from his home town. The girls in Florida all had pools and were looking for pool boys to come over and clean them up. The high class women would invite the pool boy in for a drink and then have her way with him. These poorly written story lines from the pornographic videos Jack watched became reality in his mind. He imagined himself working on a woman’s car and her being a little short with his payment. To make up the difference she would like to show him a good time while her husband was away at work. In return he would get high with her and then she would invite her girlfriends over and they would all pleasure him. It would be one big blonde mound of flesh to please and satisfy his every sexual desire. Jack truly was a simple minded boy.

They settled into a weekly stay hotel in Northwest Orange County paying two weeks in advance, It was nowhere near the lovely room in Ashville but it did have everything they needed in the room including a refrigerator, microwave and stove. They had stayed in far worse places so for a while they could make this place home. The area was so large that they figured they might be able to hide in plain sight for a couple of months while stock piling funds and fools they’d duped. Jack was excited to get started, making money and checking out the babes. While Jack was out on the prowl, Trixie would be back at the base working her three burner phones drumming up business, garnering and then betraying trust.

Money came easy and drugs were plentiful so Jack and Trixie adjusted to Florida living quite well. Jack wasn’t doing too well in the love department though. Every girl he hit on had better things to do with her time than to spend it with a grease monkey. Eventually he resorted to grabbing the low hanging fruit of coke whores and bar flies once again. His long hours were making Trixie suspicious and she questioned him about his whereabouts. He brushed her off or turned the argument on her, chastising her for not trusting him enough. Shame she would feel for her mistrust and betrayal after he was done excoriating her.

Trixie would do anything for her Jack, anything that she could do. The girl never learned to be very domestic. She was spoiled by her doting parents. Never had she cleared the dishes, washed or dried them. She never made her bed in her life or did much laundry. Jack on the other hand was used to fending for himself so he was very domestic, for survival. There was a maid service which the couple took full advantage of. They did however have to launder their clothing so Jack took on the responsibility. He enjoyed the space, being in that small room at night with Trixie really wore on him sometimes.

Down in the laundry room Jack made himself a new friend, a taboo friend. She was blonde, blue eyed but not so tan. She was a bit pale because of her habits and hours. The tattooed and pierced Veronica lived in the extended stay hotel with her long time off again, on again boyfriend Tommy. The young mother of three didn’t currently have any of her children living with her. Her oldest lived with his father, her middle child lived with her mother and DCF picked up her two year old two weeks prior to Jack and Trixie coming to Florida. Her baby was found wandering the halls of the building several times and once outside of the building in the street. The Department of Children and Families was called and after a brief inspection of her home and investigation they removed her son for his own safety. Veronica wasn’t fazed by him being put in the system; she wasn’t a big fan of mother hood anyway. After having Lil John she had her tubes tied to prevent it from ever happening again. She couldn’t be bothered with taking birth control or buying condoms. Tommy certainly didn’t care about the child; Veronica had the boy when he was in prison. They broke up, he got locked up and then she got knocked up.

With the kid out of the way, Tommy could run his business with far less restraint. Tommy was a low level heroine dealer and user as was Veronica. Her baby would wander off when she was nodding after getting a fix. Tommy road with a violent biker gang that took pleasure in partying and causing pain, they were into many different criminal activities. Tommy was low on the totem poll but he was a member and not merely a prospect. Trying to rise meant putting in work so he was called on to commit many small crimes in furtherance of the gang. Tommy just loved the life, he would die for it.

Jack had spotted Veronica in the parking lot and the lobby but this was the first time he had seen her without her man. Alone in the laundry room with Veronica for the first time Jack decided to strike up a little small talk.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Veronica looked back at him with a smirk on her face.

“What’s up with you?”

Jack paused for a moment, confused at her response. Still he extended his hand and continued on.

“Hi, I’m Jack, your neighbor.”

She took his hand slowly while looking him over. Up close Jack could see that she was a little worse for the wear than the thought.

“Well Jack this ain’t exactly no neighborhood.”

Jack pulled out a big bag of cocaine and a rolled up hundred dollar bill. He smiled at her and Veronica’s hard face finally cracked smiling back at him. She motioned with her index finger for him to follow her. Veronica led him out to an old van with a covered trailer hooked to the back of it. She unlocked it and told him to climb in. Heroine was what Veronica needed to survive but she was never one to turn down free drugs. She handed him a plate and a blade; he proceeded to cut up lines. Jack made small talk.

“So, is that your husband I see you with all the time?”

“See me with all the time? What, are you watching me or something?”

Jack stumbled over his words trying to explain himself.

“No, I just couldn’t help notice you every time I saw you. I always make it a point to notice beautiful women.”

Veronica just smirked before answering him.

“No he’s not my husband but we have been on again off again for years.”

“Yea, I’m staying here with a chick I moved down here from North Carolina with. She’s been staying with me but I don’t think things are working out. I feel sorry for her so I’m not trying to put her out right away.”

Veronica knew that he was lying but she didn’t care, just as long as he passed the plate. She quickly snorted two long thick lines, one in each nostril. Jack was impressed.

“Damn girl, be easy. Don’t hurt yourself.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m a pro.”

They shared their first laugh as Veronica fired up a cigarette then passed the pack over to Jack. They enjoyed a little small talk and sniffed a whole eight ball in less than an hour. From the van Jack could see Trixie in the lobby looking for him. She was wondering where he had gone. Veronica wasn’t worried at all because she knew Tommy would be out all night.

“I see your girl is looking for you. Somebody’s gonna be in trouble.”

Veronica chuckled and Jack just waved his hand.

“Well where’s ole boy at?”

“He’s out for the night.”

“Oh yeah? Well can I be in for the night?”

Veronica just laughed at the fool. He had no idea that he was risking his life.

“No you can’t stay with me but you can buy me dinner.”

“I don’t know if I can eat dinner with you tonight. You know she is already out looking for me.”

“You mean that girl that you are tired of and are about to get rid of, that girl?”

Veronica giggled, Jack didn’t join her. She continued on.

“I didn’t say that you had to eat dinner with me. I asked if you would buy me dinner.”

Jack was taken aback a bit but excited by her bold and directness. This girl knew how to get what she wanted and Jack liked it! He was happy to buy her dinner.

“What would you like to eat?”

“A pizza will do.”

He reached in his pocket and all he had was the rolled up hundred dollar bill.

“All my cash is up in my room. All I have is this.”

He held up the hundred dollar bill. She snatched it from his finger tips.

“That’ll do just fine.”

“A hundred dollar pizza?”

Veronica smiled at him.

“I’ll give you your change Thursday Night when I do laundry again around 7:00 o’clock. Are you going to be free?”

Jack smiled wide.

“I will make myself free.”

He leaned in for a kiss and was met with a cheek. Jack kissed Veronica’s cheek then gave her a puppy dog look. She placed her index finger on his lips and looked seductively into his eyes.

“There will be plenty of time for that when we get to know each other better.”

He reluctantly climbed out of the van anxious for the next two days to pass quickly so that he could get some time with the exotic bad girl Veronica. Jack was happy he left his phones in the room during his little tryst so that Trixie couldn't ruin his time with Veronica. He put their laundry in the dryer and then returned to the room. Trixie fussed but he just shut her up.

“I can’t go for a walk without you being all up my ass. I was thinking of new ways to hustle up money and you’re running around here like a little school girl sweating me. I saw you from the woods walking around the lobby and everything, If you want me in the room so bad why don’t you do the laundry like every other good woman. Your mama never made you do nothin’ and now you’re like a spoiled little child always crying about what you want. I am going out for a beer, get the clothes out of the dryer when they finish. Do you think you can do that!?”

After grabbing his wallet he slammed the door and stormed out, leaving Trixie weeping into a pillow. As he walked out of the side door of the building he could see a pizza delivery driver pull up. He wished that he could eat that pizza with Veronica but for now Jack would be content bellying up to a bar and pounding a few. He had one pocket full of cocaine and the other full of bills. He was good to have a good time. Jack didn’t intend on going back home that night and he didn’t. He text Trixie a few guilt texts when she asked when he was coming back home. Then he told her he would see her in the morning. Again Trixie cried into her pillow feeling all alone. She was sad and lonely but not enough to call her parents.

Jack kept his promise. He hung out with a rough crew of guys and older women who invited him back to their home after the bar closed. Having a pocket full of cocaine made you popular in many places. One of the older women took a shine to him. She was in town visiting from Jacksonville. Jan Renfro hadn’t been back in her home town in over ten years, recently divorced she returned home to lick her wounds and have a good time. Jan had blonde hair, platinum bleach blonde hair and she was tan, wrinkled, leathery skin damaged from years of Florida sun abuse. That night, Jack didn’t care, in his life enough cocaine could make any time a good time. Early the next morning Jack did the walk of shame to his vehicle and pulled out while Jan was still sleeping. None of those people would ever see him again.

When he got back to the room the clock read 6:42 AM and the Winter Florida sun was beginning to peak up over the horizon. Trixie didn’t budge. She was just happy to have Jack back home. Jack jumped straight in the shower to attempt to wash away his shame but the memory of the liver spots and varicose veins was too fresh in his memory. He got really loose with Jan pretending in his mind that she was Veronica. So, to her he did things that he wished he could do to Veronica. Jack disgusted himself.

When the water ran cold he decided it was time to exit the bathroom and lay down. Jack feared no repercussions for staying out all night because if Trixie said anything, he would just leave again. He slid under the warm covers and turned his back to her. Trixie rubbed him on his shoulder to see if he would snatch away from her. He didn’t so she spooned him holding her man so tight hoping that he would never escape her clutch again.

While Trixie held him he fantasized about Veronica until he fell asleep. Jack was counting the hours until he could be alone with her again. While he slept Trixie went out and bought breakfast for them. That made Jack happy because he woke up starving after partying all night long. After he was well fed and rested, Jack went out and scammed two customers in Clermont that day out of a total of $1,125.00. They wouldn’t fully realize that they had been taken until weeks later. Jack tried to busy himself until he could see Trixie again. Instead of watching her, he watched her man Tommy. Unfortunately for Jack, Tommy had no set schedule, except three nights in the middle of the week. Mid week nights he didn’t come home until the morning.

Now that Jack new Tommy’s movements he could press Veronica for more time. He knew it was dangerous dealing with another guy’s old lady, especially a big biker dude like this one. The guy carried guns and knives all of the time. Jack didn’t exactly know what business he was into, he just knew that it was illegal and Tommy was most likely very violent. He would be sure to tread lightly and avoid ever coming in contact with Tommy. The danger and Veronica’s bad girl persona made him desire her all that much more.

Thursday rolled around and Jack was sure to get to the laundry mat early. He slowly sorted then loaded his laundry into the machines. She came sauntering in when he least expected it. She almost startled him; Veronica was like a sexy cat dressed in black leather.

“Hey you.”

“Hey.”

She could see the hearts in his eyes as he approached her for an embrace. Veronica stepped back from him and Jack stopped. Again she summoned him with her finger and Jack followed. Back to the van they went, Jack walking a safe distance behind Veronica so that it wasn’t obvious that they were walking together. As he ducked into the van Veronica handed him $72.35, he smiled then pulled out a big bag of his favorite drug. In return Veronica pulled out a little bag of her own and two beers from a cooler she had tucked behind the passenger seat. The substance in her bag was a little darker than his; actually it was a tint of brown.

“Your coke looks a little funny Honey.”

Veronica smirked then let out a slight giggle before looking seductively into his eyes, scooping out a bump and raising it to his nostril.

“It’s not coke Baby.”

His eyes widened then lower to not make him look like a square to the object of his affections. She raised it towards him again and he inhaled deeply. Once again his eyes widened then quickly lowered. Jack was filled with a rush he had never felt before. He'd done many different drugs over the years but nothing ever made him feel like this before. He felt like he was outside of his body but lost in his own mind at the same time. She smiled at him, enjoying his initiation. Veronica reminisced back to her first time watching Jack succumb to his. Jack wanted to move but couldn’t, his speech was slowed to a slur. Veronica giggled and rubbed his head.

He watched in a daze as she pulled out her “works”. Quick cook on a spoon, syringe filled with dope, she tied off and found a vein. Down went the plunger; up came the blood mixing with the dope, back into the body, mainline. Jack learned his lesson well as his teacher plopped down next to him and squeezed his hand. The last thing he wanted to do is leave that van or the feeling he was feeling courtesy of the vixen Veronica. Jack suddenly felt the urge to vomit, so he did out the side door of the van. Veronica helped him, she expected it.

She sniffed a little cocaine to bring her back up thirty minutes later. Jack followed her lead. They sipped a beer and Veronica stroked Jack as he tried to understand exactly what and how he was feeling. It was as if he lost his virginity that night and Veronica was ushering him into manhood.

Veronica cut two huge lines of cocaine and then snorted one in one continuous snort. Jack again followed her lead. They wanted to smoke so she convinced him to take a walk in the woods with her while they sipped beers and enjoyed their high. Jack was still in a place that he had never been before. Veronica inquired about what he did to get money. Zombie Jack shared all of his misdealing and history with the opportunistic predator. Her wheels were already turning, figuring out how she could get a piece of the pie initially and then eventually eat the whole damn thing.

No sex would be had that night but a special deadly bond was formed and Veronica was now in control of another. Tommy the violent felon was mere putty in Veronica’s hands. He was dangerous to the rest of the world as a whole but fully under her control. He sold large amounts of heroine, trafficked in stolen goods and helped to run a chop shop, anything to keep the money coming in. Tommy owned no property, nothing he couldn’t strap to his bike and peel off with if he got in trouble with the law. He also had a huge heroine addiction to support as well as Veronica’s. Thanks to Veronica Tommy was saving money, putting it away for a rainy day. She would show him “the numbers” once a week then show him the cash to motivate him to earn more. He made deposits into the bank of Veronica daily. He walked around with little cash but a lot of drugs. Tommy lived life on the edge just two steps away from being back in his prison cell. Soon his banker would become his jailer.

While Tommy carried on business as usual, Veronica focused on grooming Jack. She knew that he would have to come to her very soon; the feeling he felt the night before, he would be chasing again. Sadly, he would never again reach such heights but from that day to the day he died he would forever be “chasing the dragon”. After work the next day, he paced his room waiting for that damn motorcycle to pull off. Trixie tried to calm him down but he was having none of it.

“Here Jack, Baby come do a line with me.”

Without saying a word, Jack walked over, aggressively did the line then marched to the fridge to get a beer. When Trixie tried to comfort him, he snapped at her. As he was barking, he looked out of the window to see Tommy pulling off on his motorcycle. He was overjoyed but tried to play it cool.

“I need some air. I’m going for a drive.”

“Can I come?”

“No Trixie, damn I just need to clear my head. Stop hovering over me.”

She knew not to say another word as he stormed out the door with all of the cash he made that day. He drove his car not far away and stashed it in the woods. He knew if he said he going for a walk she would expect him back sooner. He needed time to enjoy the journey. After stashing his vehicle he raced by into the building and knocked on Veronica’s door, she was expecting him. She answered with a smile.

“What took you so long?”

“I got here as quick as I could.”

She laughed at him standing there with wild eyes and sweaty palms. Veronica opened the door wider, inviting him inside. He quickly took her up on her offer. She offered him a seat and brought him a beer. Then without hesitation she got down to business.

“I need money.”

Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of bills and handed them to her. She put the money into a purple Crown Royal bag and then handed him a bag of the brown. Quickly he dipped his key into it and took a big sniff. There it was, that magic feeling again, not as intense but still oh so good. She watched him to make sure he was good and gone before she started talking to him.

“You know, Tommy will be gone soon.”

Jack wanted to ask what she meant but couldn’t muster up the strength. He just sat there, dazed, listening.

“That Trixie needs to be gone too, understand?”

Jack nodded his head slightly. She continued on after his response.

“Do you want to be with me Jack?”

Again he nodded.

“Well then we can’t have anyone in the way so, I’ll take care of my problem and you take care of yours. You have a week from tonight to remove her from our life. Tommy will be gone sooner. Now it's time for you to graduate Baby.”

She heated a spoon and shot him up for the first time. Jack didn’t resist, instead he leaned into it. He was now all in and loving it. There would be no vomiting now as the heroine became a part of him. It was now his air, water and nourishment, the only medicine he would ever need again.

“Thank you.”

He responded to Veronica for shooting him up before he dosed off. Again no sex was had that night but she was in full control of him. Veronica now had a new zombie at her disposal as she was about to discard the old one. Two days later Veronica put her plan into motion by first removing the license plate off of Tommy’s bike. She walked Tommy to his bike as he was heading out on a weekly run. She knew his route, suppliers and customers. As soon as he was on his way she sauntered inside and called the authorities.

“I was just driving on I-4 and I saw this motorcycle swerving from lane to lane almost causing accidents. There was this big guy riding it waving a gun around threatening other motorists. I would give you a tag number but there was no tag on the bike. Please get him of the road. I am afraid for the people driving around him. He could kill somebody!”

The dispatcher was sure to contact officers on duty and have him apprehended right away. It wasn’t an easy feat; Tommy was determined not to go back to prison so once the cops were on him he did everything he could to allude them. Several accidents were caused and eventually Tommy was involved in one of those accidents losing his life to the road he loved. Veronica would later call around to some of his gang members and drug dealing associates to find out where he was, as if she didn’t know. It was all over the news. Jack saw it as well. When he asked Veronica about it she was short and to the point.

“I saw the news; that was your Tommy who died on the highway?”

Veronica glared at him for a moment before answering.

“Yeah, that was him, now when are you getting rid of that Trixie girl?”

“Soon.”

“Do it now!”

Jack looked into Veronica’s eyes and she could tell she meant business. He then sheepishly asked her for some “H” so that he could feel right. She denied him.

“I don’t have any; as a matter of fact I don’t think I can find any until that girl is gone. You got me?!”

He took her at her word, literally.

“I’ll do it now!”

Jack grabbed a knife from out of her drawer and proceeded to leave with it. Veronica stopped the fool.

“What are you doing?!”

“You got rid of Tommy, now I am going to get rid of her.”

“Not like that; do you want to go to prison? No you fool, just take all of the money and leave her, put her out or whatever, don’t kill her!”

Jack started thinking a little more rational. She snapped him out of his murderous intentions. Here the fool was ready to kill the mother of his child for a fix and a woman he’d never been intimate with. Before he left, he asked one last question.

“If I get rid of her now do you think I can have some tonight?”

She answered in an aloof manner.

“Maybe, just go handle your business first and Mama will take care of the rest.”

Veronica couldn’t believe that he was going to kill his long time girlfriend for her just like that. Then she smiled to herself reveling in the power she held over simple men. Jack raced up to his room on the second floor to give Trixie the heartbreaking news. He stormed in and out of there in ten minutes. Arguing, threatening while gathering his things and the money he had stashed.

“Look, I’m done. This room is paid for until the end of the week and after that you need to find yourself somewhere to go.”

“What do you mean? How can you do this? I don’t understand Jack, what did I do? I’m sorry; please don’t leave me, please!”

She grabbed on to his waist and he just pushed her off. She grabbed him again and he snatched her by her hair and threw her to the floor.

“No, no I won’t let you go. We have a child together!”

Jack just looked down on her and let out an evil chuckle. Neither of them had even mentioned their daughter since they had been living in Florida. Trixie hadn’t even call her parents to check on the well being of the baby or her parents. After Jack’s desertion, she would be sure to get in contact with them now.

“Are you going to leave me here with nothing? I helped you make that money you know and now you are going to leave me here to starve. I love you Jack. I thought you loved me!”

Without saying word he pulled some money from his pocket and dropped random bills down on her head. She held onto his leg and he kicked free then let the door slam behind him. Trixie scrapped the bills together and then counted them. It was thirty-seven dollars. She cried hysterically after being dumped and deserted with no closure or explanation. She gave her all to that man, followed him up and down the east coast and her reward was to be cast away in the worst way. Before the night was over Trixie would take a bunch of pills in an effort to end her life. Fortunately and unfortunately for her she was covered in the prayers of her Christian parents who never turned their back on their wayward daughter. The next morning Trixie would wake with her head and face in a puddle of vomit. Dried puke was matted to and clumped up in her brown hair. She looked into the mirror at herself and what a mess she had become.

Suddenly she felt great shame for the pain she had caused herself and her family. After showering and seeing the light of a new day she decided that she wanted to live. Schooled well in the Christian faith she understood the penalty for taking her own life. She prayed for the first time in a decade, asking forgiveness and thanking the Lord for sparing her life. Trixie rose from her knees as Tamara once again focused on making wrongs right and changing the ugliness that was her life. She was still heartbroken yet somewhat lucid and resolute on what direction her life had to take from there.

After his despicable act Jack rushed right downstairs and was rewarded by a huge dose. Veronica already had the syringe full and waiting for him when he knocked on the door. When he nodded off she counted up her Tommy money and stash. It totaled $123,098.00, a half pound of heroine, five ounces of cocaine, a bail of weed and a mound of pills. This was in addition to the money and drugs she’d been skimming from Tommy all along. Veronica knew that Jack wasn’t as good a worker as Tommy but she could still live off of his crimes while saving her Tommy fortune.

The next morning Veronica got Jack up and ready for “work”. He was a little groggy and ate up inside but she was a great motivator. She got him up with a black cup of Joe and dry toast. Jack had two appointments that morning which he struggled to make it to. He made it through, conned the good trusting people out of their money and brought it back home to Mama. Veronica held the little money in her hands and couldn’t help but feel disappointment. She was used to making thousands a day not hundreds. Still she would be patient with him, for now.

Tamara placed a collect call to her parents that fateful next morning begging their forgiveness and promising that she had changed her ways. Her parents, ever benevolent and forgiving, made it very easy for her.

“Listen Honey, we’ll deal with all of that later. We just want you back home safe and sound; that is all that is important to us right now. We love you, we always have, we always will.”

“Thank you Mama, I am so, so sorry. I just want to see my baby. I am a horrible mother.”

“We’re not doing that, focusing on the shame of the past. Instead, we are going to focus on the promise of tomorrow and make things better.”

Fortunately for Tamara there was a Western Union within walking distance so her parents could wire her money so that she could get back home. Tamara spotted Jack’s car in the parking lot so she knew he was still staying in the hotel. Her heart sunk but she was determined to make her way to the light; her life with Jack is pure darkness. Sad curiosity did trouble her until it was satisfied while walking to the shopping plaza to collect her money from Western Union. From a distance she saw Jack and that biker woman; in disbelief she spoke to herself.

“I can’t believe he left me for that gross junkie chick.”

Then it all came rushing to her.

That guy on the news that the people in the hall were talking about was him, her boyfriend. He died on the highway running from the cops. Jack doesn’t look so good, oh he must be shooting up now too.

Then she thought about her own addiction and what it had cost her. She looked all around her; Tamara realized she was in a foreign land. The night before she read the Bible in the night stand of her hotel room. Galatians was the book of the Bible she chose because it was short. The writings of Paul seemed to be meant just for her. Tears she shed as she took it to heart. After praying she showered, wanting to feel clean. She couldn’t wait to leave this place and the mess she’d made of her self and her life. The people who loved her most, she hurt. The one who led her most astray, she cherished.

Now she looked on him and what he left her for. She dropped down where she stood and asked the Lord to please take the taste out of her mouth. She no longer wanted to be controlled by drugs, alcohol and nicotine. People walked by her looking at her strangely but to her none of them existed in that moment. Tears poured into her palms as she poured out her heart. She thought she would go home and still party a little bit every now and then but just not get so crazy but now she saw, it was her demise and she wanted it no more. Tamara wanted to be cleansed of it and now finally, of Jack too. She felt light headed and fatigued when she finished her prayer. Across the courtyard and parking lot she could see that Jack and his new girlfriend were gone. She later prayed him from her heart and mind, focusing instead on the only good thing that came from their relationship, her daughter.

Two days later Tamara would call a cab to transport her out of her Florida Hell and deliver her to the bus station. There she boarded a bus, looking forward to her somewhat spiritual journey back to the Carolinas. She had a lot of pain and shame to deal with but she knew that she had already been forgiven, forgiven by the Lord and her loving family. She couldn’t wait to get to know her daughter, she was so happy the baby was too young to understand that her mother had abandoned her and that her health problems and birth defects were because of her mother’s drug use. Tamara would relieve herself of that burden once her daughter was old enough to understand. She would share rather than run from her sins.

Jack was falling in love with Veronica, or so he thought. He was living life in a blur, Veronica was the drug and the drug was her. She was his supplier, doctor, leader and life source. In less than a month he had lost thirty pounds off of his already slight frame. He rarely ate; he stayed high after servicing his queen. Business slowed due to customers feeling suspicious of him and the way he looked. Veronica made him clean up before he left the room but he still had that look in his eye and when he needed a fix he was just no good. Tamara was great at drumming up business, she worked hard at it, she did out of what she thought was love. Veronica didn’t help much with the business, she just gave orders and supplied drugs. Finally Veronica decided that Jack just wasn’t working out so it was time to dispose of him.

She decided that she would cap him off at $10,000.00. Once he earned her ten grand she would cut him loose and cut him off. Jack was struggling to reach the goal that he wasn’t aware of and Veronica was growing impatient. She figured that she would help him to earn and dispose of him at the same time. Veronica liked her men dumb and strong not weak and needy. The heroine had taken Jack’s spirit in a short time. He could function on cocaine but he struggled to maintain his lifestyle and work while being a heroine addict. Veronica decided it was time for him to find new employment and start speed balling.

She took Jack to a biker bar and put him in touch with a prospect named Carl. Carl needed some repairs done on his bike so she had Jack take care of it for him. Carl was under her control as Jack was but neither of them understood the other’s relationship with her. Carl and Veronica were intimate twice, just enough to bring him under her spell. He didn’t use heroine but he did any and every other drug that came his way.

Veronica directed Carl to help Jack get business within the club he was associated with. It was the same gang that Tommy was a part of and Jack got to meet many of them at a celebration they were having in memory of their fallen comrade. To the members of the gang Veronica acted as if Jack was just a customer of hers. She portrayed him as being a friend of Carl’s. Carl was happy to show off the work Jack had done to his bike and many members were impressed. The gang’s mechanic was a doing a short bid so they needed someone to service their bikes. Jack got eight new customers in just one night. Most of them didn’t mind prepaying for his services and parts because they thought he would be too afraid to cross them. Plus having their prospect vouch for the guy was good enough for them.

Over the next week, Jack went around collecting money and dropping off invoices to his new customers. The money was delivered directly to Veronica and in return she shot him up. Veronica counted up her Jack money; he was getting close to his goal so she offered him a treat.

“Jack let’s speed this thing up.”

He sat looking puzzled, anxious for his fix. She cooked cocaine and heroine together in a huge table spoon as Jack looked on. He got excited to try the drugs all together. The initial rush was incredible and then Veronica gave him another surprise. She disrobed and ordered him to perform oral sex on her. Jack happily did as he was told. Veronica enjoyed the experience for different reasons, the fact that she ordered it and controlled him but most importantly because she got to be abusive at the same time. She pulled his hair and smacked him about the head and neck while angrily giving him instruction. She boxed his ears causing him pain that the drugs numbed him to. Later she ordered him to take off his shirt so that she could whip him with a belt while he performed acts on her. An hour later she had reached climax two times and relieved her self while sitting on his face and head. When done he was covered in welts, bruises and cuts, facial and head hair soaked with urine. When done she got up and took a shower. This would be the only time he would be intimate with her, if you can call it that. After showering and getting dressed she left without saying a word to him. Jack wanted to but knew better than to ask where she was going or if he could come with her.

When she left he cut himself two large lines of cocaine, snorted them and then got in the shower himself. Walking across the carpet he stepped in the wet spot of urine where Veronica abused him earlier. Combing his hair he looked at himself in the mirror on the night stand. His eyes were sunken in his head and he was wire thin, still he had no appetite for food, only drugs and maybe a beer and a cigarette. So, he snorted another line, grabbed his smokes and a beer. Standing in the parking lot, he realized that Veronica had taken his car. She didn’t ask but he wasn’t terribly upset. He was too numb to be upset. That car was once his pride and joy and now he had just let some chick drive off in it.

He wouldn’t see Veronica until hours later. That night Jack reached his financial goal and Veronica had grown tired. It was time for the nomadic woman to pull up stakes and hit the dusty trail. She started packing a bag. When asked by Jack if she was going somewhere she told him she had to take care of some business. Before he could ask any further questions she pulled out her works and got him right. There he was nodding again. The bikers whose money Jack had taken for parts and work he was to do on their bikes were given his whereabouts by Veronica. She wanted to stop Jack from asking too many questions so she got him high enough to put him down.

His beautiful vintage Camaro was being chopped as he dozed and Veronica finished packing. The car sold for $8,000.00 which brought his total to $16,375.00. He exceeded his goal by almost $6,500.00 and Veronica was proud of him. She didn’t want him to be dope sick in the morning so instead of $37.00 she tossed him a fifty of smack. She wanted the bikers to find what they were looking for, the guy who ripped them off. She chopped Jack’s car at the same chop shop Tommy helped to run. Some of Jacks “customers” worked there as well.

Veronica packed light, mostly toiletries some jewelry, undergarments and two pair of jean shorts with two matching tops. She planned on traveling south down to Monroe and renting a place on the beach. She’d rather lay low on the West side of the state, far away from the noise and lights of Miami and Fort Lauder dale. She’d spend her time around vacationing families and retirees, easy marks, so trusting so foolish. Something in her got joy from hurting, gaining and abusing trust.

Jack struggled to the window and looked out on the parking lot. He didn’t see his Camaro but he did see Veronica under the street light walking to her old van. She walked around to the back where the trailer was and opened the back. She climbed in with her bags. Jack dosed off waiting for her to exit. Then he was awakened by the sound of an engine revving. Veronica jumped down out of the trailer then pulled down the ramp and backed out a pink Harley. Jack had never seen this bike. There were large saddle bags on both sides of the bike packed with cash, guns and drugs.

He had a sinking feeling that she might not be coming back. He wanted to yell out to her but he couldn’t muster a murmur. He just watched helplessly as she rode out of his life after simply draining him. Veronica revved her engine once more then looked over at him. They made eye contact, she blew him a kiss, and Jack shed one, two tears with his forehead pressed up against the glass. Veronica sped off leaving the trailer wide open. Jack listened for the sound of her bike engine until it was out of range. Then he slid down to the floor and had a full cry.

Veronica didn’t care about the trailer, van or hotel room; they were all registered in Tommy’s name. The rent was paid till the end of the week, just enough time for the gang to catch up with Jack. They beat poor prospect Carl within an inch of his life for bringing Jack around and then took Jack to the Ocala National Forest. They didn’t come back with him. Veronica knew the fate she left for the poor boys but she needed patsies so that the gang wouldn’t think she had something to do with ripping them off. Everyone already felt sorry for her for her losing her old man Tommy. Black Widow.

Tamara returned home and she was welcomed back into her community by her friends, family and especially the parishioners of the Pentecostal Church her parents were members of. Her baby Jade was overcoming most of her birth defects. Her lungs were a little underdeveloped but besides that she was a normal kid. Tamara had it in her head that her baby would always be sickly and abnormal because of her abusing their bodies with drugs. Everyone wondered where the little girl drew her recessive genes from, blonde hair and blue eyes. Then they found out that Jack’s great grandmother was a blonde. The one good thing he had to offer his daughter, his genetics. Too bad he was never there to offer her his love or even meet the little girl. It would seem that she is better off for it, God don’t make no mistakes.

Tamara never learned of Jack’s fate but she knew his fate. Through prayer she found peace with the fact that she would never see him again and she needed to move on and focus on raising her daughter. Though she no longer pined for him, she was happy that he pushed her away. If he hadn’t she may have never left him, following him around doing drugs and committing crimes while neglecting her daughter. Jack’s rejection of her may have saved her life. Again, God don’t make no mistakes.

Veronica pulled up to a bungalow in Monroe. She turned and looked out on the ocean with her hair blowing in the wind, seagulls flying about. She was going to like it in this little town. She had all the money and dope she needed for a fresh start. Veronica couldn’t wait to get started working the residence, her new neighbors. She smiled, nodding her head up and down, Yeah, she was going to get the most out Monroe.