Page 3 of Chasing Storm

Joey’s head lolls to the side, periodically wrenching upward when he’s awakened by a bump or a sound. Tiredness wreaks havoc on his appearance. A redness circles his eyes, and his hair is a topple of black spikes plastered from sweat and blood against his skull and forehead. I’m worried about his head wound. My hand reaches over to rest on his arm to assure myself he’s fine. This man had first hurled me into hating him, then loving him, and now… well, I can’t imagine a life without him.

Joey has filled in the cracks made from my shrewd parents. Smoothed out my rough edges like stones in a stream. I’ve recently lost my father, but he was gone long ago. Gang life chewed at his insides, making him a hollow man. A man riveted by money and power. My mother is around somewhere, I’m sure looking for someone who will allow her the luxuries she’s grown accustomed to. Our mother/daughter relationship soured at the first hint she preferred being on her knees to please my father than filling a motherly role.

But it’s my brother Leo who I’ll miss. The only one who tried to shelter me from violence and our parents’ lack of parenting. Thinking about Leo reminds me that I forgot to call and warn him. Joey explained what had happened while we took off on the run. Leo has no idea about Frankie’s intentions. I fumble in my purse to find the phone, accidently knocking Joey in the arm.

Conscious and confused, he asks, “What are you doing?”

“Trying to find my phone. We never called Leo. He doesn’t know about Frankie.” Now the urgency to call him speeds up my heartbeat, and I’m frantic, tossing things out of my purse. “Leo might be ambushed.”

Joey’s hand stops mine. “Calm, Tea. I’ll call Leo. No one’s ambushing him, especially not Frankie who doesn’t have the money.”

As the phone rings, I take the ramp off the highway so I can think better. It doesn’t make sense, but neither does turning down the radio when you’re trying to find a parking space. Or looking both ways while crossing a one-way street.

Leo picks up right at the moment Joey says to me, “Shit! We’re heading into Detroit.”

Leo is on the line asking, “Tea? Is that you?”

Joey tells me to pull over at the first opportunity, which is by a chained fence. Vicious dogs snarl and bark as Joey directs me out of the car. He hands me the phone and we switch places.

Buckled into the passenger seat, I respond, “It’s me, Leo. Sorry about that.”

“Thank God. Where are you? Did I hear right? Detroit?”

“Listen to me, Leo. You’re in danger.”

“Is this about the hit on Joey?”

“Yes. And Frankie plans to do the deed so he can overthrow you. In order to bump you out, he is banking on the money.”

Leo curses. I hear him walking and then a door slams. “Where are you, Tea?”

“With Joey.”

He shouts into the phone. “Are you nuts? You’re as good as dead if you stay with him, which surprises me.”

Joey cuts in, “Hey dickhead, you’re on speaker phone.”

Leo snaps back, “I don’t give a fuck. You’re putting my sister’s life at risk.”

To stop their Brenemy fight, I say, “No he’s not, Leo. It was my choice.”

“Why? I thought you hated the asshole.”

Joey barks out, “Still on speaker phone, jackass.”

I purse my lips to stop from laughing. They’re worse than an incel forum, and this is not the time to find humor in anything.

“Both of you, please.” I give Joey a look and he concentrates on driving. “This isn’t the time to fight. Leo, I chose to be with Joey, because I love him.”

“Yeah, but—”

“At some point, we can have a conversation about it. Right now, I’m warning you about Frankie. He plans to take over Chicago. To do so, he needs the hit money.”

“Thanks. I’ll take care of it. Now, about you—”

“We’re—”

Joey pisses out curse words. “We gotta get out of here.”

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