Ricky

Back with Deuce

         “Officer Kelley, find the witness for me. I still need to talk to him,” Detective Early directed a police officer who was standing near the porch steps. She nodded and headed towards the driveway.
         “Rob’s gone, isn’t he?” Viper asked, from behind Ricky and Drake. Viper’s voice was sad and quiet, so Ricky turned around to face Killer’s brother. Viper’s eyes matched his voice, sad, but he was obviously trying to cover the feeling by acting normally, even though his eyes kept darting over to Drake.
         “Yes, he’s gone. They’ve put out an APB on him, but if he’s on the run, he won’t want to be found. We’ll be looking, though. Thank you, kids,” Detective Early added before he hurried away, leaving the three teens alone. There was silence for a moment, but Ricky had a question for Viper.
         “So, what’d Deuce say? Is everything cool?” Ricky asked, breaking the quiet that was starting to annoy him. Viper’s eyes darted down to the ground, avoiding the looks from Ricky and Drake.
         “Yeah, everything’s cool. I just have to do something for Bobby to make up for it. No big deal,” Viper told them casually, his eyes still downcast and sad. The very fact that Deuce’s soldier was avoiding the stares of his peers told Ricky that he wasn’t being told the whole truth. That’s when Ricky noticed that Viper’s hand was drumming on the handle of the gun at his waist. Something had to be wrong if Viper would play with his weapon like that.
         “Are you sure, Viper? I mean, that sounds kinda simple for practically convicting Rob,” Drake questioned, reading Ricky’s mind again. Viper looked up, but he stared between the other two. He still wouldn’t look either of them in the eye.
         “I know it is, but that’s all Deuce said I had to do. I’m gonna go by that so I can get even quickly,” Viper told them, explaining that what he had to do was simple, but he still didn’t say what he was going to do. Ricky got the feeling that Viper wasn’t going to let his objective slip and tell what it was. Ricky sighed and strolled back across the street to the truck. He laid his arm on the hood and set his head between them, feeling the coolness of the metal seep into his forehead. It felt good because Ricky had been doing so much that morning that it felt like his whole body had heated up. It was the same as when Ricky had leaned on the glass door at the high school. That time, it seemed as though he was trying to keep his brain from overheating. This time, though, Ricky was simply taking a break from the insanity that had become his day. He heard footsteps coming towards him, but Ricky didn’t pick his head up. Soon, though, he knew who it was standing next to him.
         “Ricky, you want me to take you to Blayze? Bobby’s got him locked in pretty tight. I don’t think they’ll drop the charges anytime soon,” Viper whispered gruffly to Ricky, who thought the offer over for a moment. He lifted his head and turned to Killer’s brother, not quite sure if he wanted to leave Drake.
         “No, I’ll stay here. Blayze will be fine: it’s Drake who needs me right now,” Ricky decided, shaking his head. He saw disappointment float through Viper’s eyes quickly. Ricky didn’t understand why, but he didn’t bother to ask, knowing he wouldn’t get a straight answer, if any answer at all. Viper had gotten closed-mouth really quickly after he had talked to Deuce. Ricky guessed that Viper had been asked to do something that he wasn’t sure about, but Killer’s brother was going to do what he was asked.
         “If you’re sure, we’ll stay. I just figured you’d want to see your brother,” Viper explained. Ricky nodded; trying to think of what Deuce would have wanted Viper to do. Then again, Deuce wasn’t at all predictable. That’s one of the reasons that he’d done so well running the gang he inherited from Rebel. Many of the gangsters in the entire city respected Deuce, no matter what gang they were in and the fact that Deuce was younger that almost everyone with a gang tattoo. The only gang that disagreed was the one that Viper had shot at the bar. At this moment, though, Ricky wished that he could guess what Deuce had thought of. Ricky was deep in thought, so he didn’t hear Drake coming up to the truck.
         “Ricky, do you think they’ll let Blayze go? I know he didn’t have anything to do with all this,” Drake explained, gesturing towards the house and all the activity. Ricky looked at his best friend and remembered what Viper had said.
         “He’ll get out now. Rob admitted that he was just trying to get Blayze in trouble. They’ll let Blayze out soon. It can’t be too much longer,” Ricky told Drake, then he glanced at Killer’s brother. Viper was leaning against the driver’s door, staring into space, obviously thinking hard. Ricky waved his hand in front of Viper’s gray eyes, startling Viper back to reality.
         “You okay?” Drake asked Viper, who looked past Ricky to Drake, his face showing uncertainty.
         “Yeah, I’m all right, Drake. I’m just trying to figure out how to get this done for Deuce. I’ll get it, though,” Killer’s brother added, doing very well at keeping his objective secret. By now, though, Ricky wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to know. If he knew, the cops would be all over him, so maybe he’d let Viper have his secret. The three were silent again, but this time, Ricky didn’t mind. Actually, it wasn’t quiet in the yard, so Ricky listened to the general crime scene noises. He heard police radios, detectives talking and cameras clicking.
         “Viper, can we maybe go back and hang with Deuce? There’s nothing much we can do here,” Ricky explained. Viper turned to him, trying to read him. Drake simply glanced over at the other two, not quite sure what was going on.
         “Yeah, we can. I think we should go, or we’re probably gonna annoy the cops a lot more. Let’s head out,” Viper ordered, bouncing himself off of the truck. At that, Drake and Ricky began strolling to the other side of the Ram to their seats.
         “Ricky, do you think Rob’s gonna come back? If he doesn’t, they probably won’t find him,” Drake whispered to his best friend. Ricky opened the door and stood back, thinking. Drake stayed next to him, ignoring the fact that he could easily slide into his spot in the back of the truck. Viper was already in his seat and he started the engine.
         “He probably won’t come back now. He’s most likely gonna go into hiding now that the cops are after him. He won’t want to be in jail with all the people he’s sent there,” Ricky added. At that, Drake’s sad expression became more pronounced and he pushed Ricky’s seat forward, sliding into the backseat. When Drake was set, Ricky fixed his seat and settled in. Right after Ricky’s door was closed; Viper slipped the truck out of its parking spot.
         “I don’t know how Deuce is gonna react when we tell him that Bobby took off. He’s probably gonna be mad,” Viper added, just thinking out loud. Ricky was now trying to think of a way to cheer up the attitude in this somber truck.
         “Hey, do you guys think the cops will figure out what happened at Ty’s?” Drake questioned, cutting into Ricky’s thinking. Viper smirked.
         “Only if I held a box of donuts and confessed. Otherwise, they won’t find me,” Killer’s brother explained, making all three of the teens laugh.
         “So, no donuts for you for a while, right?” Ricky questioned, helping the mood stay more upbeat. At that, Viper laughed and shook his head gently, still navigating morning traffic.
         “Yeah, I gotta stay away from them until the heat’s off. That’s the major problem with killing people: you can’t have donuts for about a month. If you do, you’ll get caught. It’s as if the cops have a sixth sense for donuts,” Viper joked, obviously fighting to keep a straight face. He had to fight because Drake and Ricky were laughing fairly hard, but after a minute, Ricky saw that Viper had given in and was smirking again.
         "Did Deuce teach you that or was it Killer?” Ricky questioned, then he realized that they were almost at the hospital parking lot.
         “That was Killer, actually. I don’t remember how or when, but whatever,” Viper added, pulling into the back of the parking lot, near where Deuce, Killer, and the rest of the boys with black bandanas were hanging out in their little circle. When Killer saw the Ram approaching, he tapped Deuce on the arm and pointed towards his own truck. As Viper parked, Deuce came to greet them, with Killer following. As soon as the truck was off, Viper slid out quickly to talk to his boss and brother. Ricky took his time getting out, not sure if Viper wanted them out of the truck just yet. It looked as though Killer’s brother was making a promise as Ricky opened his door. Viper had his hands together and was talking fast, but Ricky was too far and Viper was speaking too quietly for Ricky to hear or understand. Ricky tried to ignore the conversation that he knew was going on as he got out and pushed his seat forward.
         "Ricky, come over here for a minute, would ya?” Deuce called over. Ricky began walking towards the three, then he stopped and turned back to his best friend.
         "I know you don’t know anyone here, but stay out of trouble for two minutes,” Ricky told Drake. When Drake nodded, Ricky continued towards Deuce. He heard the door of the truck close and he guessed that Drake would be staying near the Ram. When Ricky reached Deuce and the other two, Ricky put his arm on Viper’s shoulder and just waited for Deuce to explain what he wanted. Deuce shifted his weight and glanced over towards Drake before saying anything.
         “Okay, Ricky, Viper asked me to warn you about something. I can’t tell you what it is, but I will tell you that whatever Viper does do, I told him to. Nothing that he’s going to do is personal. Plus, did you hear anything that Bobby said?” the gang leader asked. Ricky thought over what Deuce just told him, then he answered.
         “No, I didn’t hear it. They were a little ways away, so I couldn’t have heard what they said,” Ricky told the three, then he turned back to check on Drake. Ricky’s best friend was still standing near the Ram, but one of Deuce’s gangsters had slid over to Drake and they were chatting. When Ricky saw that, he figured that Drake was okay, so he turned back to face Deuce, Killer and Viper.
         “Rick, I’m sorry, but I gotta do this,” Viper apologized, the he slipped past Ricky as he slid the gun from the holster on his waist. Ricky glanced over at Deuce, but Rebel’s brother had made his eyes unreadable. Ricky spun around and what he saw sped up his heart and slowed the speed of life. Ricky watched as Drake turned to look down the barrel of Viper’s gun. The gangster who had been talking to Drake stepped away as fear filled Drake’s eyes. Ricky’s brain said to intercede, to stop Viper, but Ricky’s legs hadn’t received the signal. Ricky was frozen, helpless to save his best friend as Killer’s brother squeezed the trigger, sending a piece of death speeding towards Drake. Ricky watched the bullet as it struck Drake between his eyes, killing him before the blood reached the wound. Ricky was still frozen as his best friend’s lifeless body hit the ground, laying next to the truck with his dead eyes still open.
         “Now Viper and Bobby are even,” Deuce reported, cutting into Ricky’s slow-motion watching of the fourth murder he had seen in one day. Ricky tore his eyes away from Drake and stared at the blacktop as the anger and sadness rushed over him, making his eyes tear and the melancholy feeling was worse than he had ever felt. He supposed that it was due to the fact that Ricky had a chance to stop this death. Ricky felt Deuce’s eyes on him, so he changed his focus from the ground to look at Deuce. The gangster’s eyes had worry and curiosity showing in them, so Ricky straightened up and wiped the tears from his face. Now he was pointedly avoiding the urge to look on as three of Deuce’s soldiers lifted Drake’s body and set it in the trunk of the red car that the group had been standing next to. Until now, Ricky hadn’t even noticed the car. Perhaps he had been more preoccupied with the guns that the gangsters all had on their waists.
         “I’m sorry, Rick, but I had to do it. This way, Blayze won’t rot in jail for something Bobby did,” Viper explained, getting Ricky’s attention, so Ricky turned to Killer’s brother, who had tears in his eyes. Viper quickly looked away from Ricky and glanced at Deuce sadly. Killer saw the tears in his brother’s eyes and put his arm around Viper’s shoulders. Viper turned and leaned on his brother, a few tears rolling down his cheek. That showed Ricky that Viper had been sincere in how he had treated Drake, like a friend.
         “Sorry, Viper, but now Bobby doesn’t have any reason to beat you. If you hadn’t, he probably would’ve hurt you real bad. You simply gave him an excuse,” Deuce explained, with concern in his voice. Viper nodded and stepped away from his brother, standing on his own as he wiped the tears from his eyes and slipped his gun back into the holster. Ricky realized that his own tears had been streaming freely, so he quickly dried his face, wiping away his obvious grief.
         “Deuce, how will Bobby know what Viper did? I mean, if no one knows where he is,” Ricky added, his mind racing now that he was focusing on everything except for Drake being gone. Deuce grinned at Ricky’s question.
         “He’ll know what happened. It’ll be all over the media. I mean, a mother and her son both killed in the same day, with different killers. It’s a headline story. Bobby’ll know who killed Drake because he knows that Viper had to do him a favor,” Deuce explained. Ricky thought it over, but before he could say anything, his cell phone rang again. Ricky’s heart skipped a beat, thinking that Drake was calling.