“It’s Dowling, now, Mason. John Dowling. I have been reborn! The Lord has given me a new name, a new life, leading the wonderful people of Northeast Ohio into His grace,” he said, smiling sickeningly at me.
“Hallelujah!” the oblivious woman said in agreement.
I shifted uncomfortably in the chair and felt the weight of my cell phone in my jeans pocket. I couldn’t have blacked out for more than a second or two, because they hadn’t searched me. I shuddered at the thought of being at the bastard’s non-existent mercy.
“Oh, yes, Mason. You knew I’d come for you, right?” Dreyven said, his smile widening as he saw me react. “After what you did to Ricky? After running away like that? You made me look bad, Mason. I ended up having to leave Milwaukee with pretty much just the shirt on my back.”
“I didn’t tell them anything,” I said, coughing as I tried to catch my breath.
“Riiiight… sure you didn’t, you murderous bastard. Just like you had nothing to do with Ricky’s death,” Dreyven spat, suddenly on his feet. “Though how you got a gun is still a mystery to me… We’ll discuss that, soon enough, though. We have alotto discuss. The point is you made me start over, Mason. I lost everything… my best friend, my home, my stuff. All because ofyou.”
One of the men cleared their throat and Dreyven’s eyes shot to his. Dreyven was obviously struggling to control his rage, but he eventually managed to calm himself and sat down again.
“God works in mysterious ways, Mason. Starting over in Cleveland gave me new purpose, a new life. Akron’s not a bad drive from Cleveland, and since I knew you were coming to town, I thought I’d come down here and pay you a little visit.”
“Impossible…” I said, my thoughts in chaos. “There’s no way you could have known…”
“Known, what, exactly? That you changed your name? That you moved to Seattle? Or that you’d come to this town? I told you before, Mason, I have powerful friends. It didn’t take much effort to find out your new name, your new home.” Dreyven tapped the desk where I saw a copy of my most recent graphic novel. I recognized my writing on the cover and my eyes shot over to where the men held Tobi. It was the copy I’d given Tobi at the signing.
“All it took was a little patience. Did you sense me waiting, Mason? It seemed like it, sometimes. You kept canceling on me so many times… What was up with that? Two, no, three times? I just had to be patient, though. Patience is a virtue, after all! With the help of my friend, Bill, here, we managed to ‘convince’ your little friends at Twin Peeks to suggest you for the headliner, and there you go! He even got them to pay for it! God’s will at work.”
He snickered at me. “You always thought you were smarter than us, better than us. Always drawing pictures, acting like you were too good to live with us, too good to earn your keep. Ricky and I took you in, gave you a roof over your head—”
“And molested me and pimped me out foryears, Dreyven! Whatever miniscule amounts of money you spent on me, you more than made up over the years,” I spat, my anger rising. I hugged my fury to me, knowing the power of it was the only thing that would get methrough this situation. “Ricky was my uncle! He should haveprotectedme, not whored me out!”
In a flash, Dreyven was around the desk and casually struck me across the face. The blow rocked me, and I felt blood start to trickle down from the corner of my mouth.
“Don’t you talk about Ricky like that! You killed him!” He yelled at me, his face livid with rage. I saw his chest heaving as he struggled with his fury, but he seemed to remember his audience and got control of himself before quoting the Bible again.
“He was my best friend, and you killed him,” he said more quietly, and glanced around the room at the other adults. “You killed him, and you will pay. For the Bible says, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed’.”
Dreyven looked from me to the other adults. “Wemustdo the Lord’s work.”
“Amen!” said the men, the woman echoing them just a moment later.
“No!” Tobi yelled, struggling even harder, and I knew I had to get him away from here before something worse happened. There was no way the kid needed to see this.
“It doesn’t matter what you call yourself. You’ll still be Dreyven Reckner beneath it all,” I said, my voice low and raspy. “You’re a pimp, a murderer and a child molester,” I spat out, hoping that the words might sway the other adults from supporting Dreyven. There weren’t too many things in the world that were as universally reviled as child molesters.
Any hope that the other adults might help me fled as I saw Dreyven’s beady little eyes glitter at me, his hands reached behind his back and pulled a pistol from his waistband and set it on the desk in front of me before sitting down in the chair.
“The Lord has washed me clean ofmysins, Mason. We’re here to talk about yours.”
I glared back at him, anger and fear twisting in my gut, but Irefused to let my terror get the better of me now. I couldn’t fall apart, not with Tobi’s life on the line, too.
“Now, what to do with you and your little friend here…” he said, appearing to think out loud.
My thoughts raced as I tried to think of a way to get Tobi out of this. The kid was my primary concern. I remembered that in all the years I’d been with Ricky and Dreyven, it was always Dreyven calling the shots, always Dreyven that got off on the power he held over others. Well, if he wanted power, I’d give him power.
“Drey, please,pleaselet him go,” I begged and pleaded. “Tobi didn’t do anything to you.”
Tobi tried to interrupt me, but his mother slapped him again.
“Please,” I pleaded, my voice dropping almost to a whisper. “You have all the power here, Drey. He won’t talk. Even if he did, no one will believe a kid if his own family doesn’t,” I said, my eyes flicking to Tobi’s Mom. “Let him go,” I said, “Let him go and I’ll stay with you. Willingly. I won’t fight you,” I said, staring at him evenly.
Dreyven considered my words for a long time, eyes flicking back and forth from me to Tobi, then to the woman. Finally, he spoke.
“By the time we’re done tonight, you’ll be with me willingly, regardless,” he nodded at the teenager. “Get him out of here, Marian.” The two men wrestled Tobi toward the door, the woman following behind them. “…and Marian?” The woman stopped and looked up at Dreyven uncertainly.
