Exceptional How far does love go? Brotherly Love by Barry Penfold This Sentence Starts The Story contest entry Artwork by Renate-Bertodi at FanArtReview.com

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language. There was a knock on the door. Ray Striker ignored it. He had things to do. Like, where he would holiday after months of work plus work. The knock came again, a little more urgent this time. Probably school kids on a cookie- selling run, he thought. They would go away. A voice accompanied the next round of knocking. "Ray, are you there? Need you to open the door pretty quickly." The voice had a familiarity that demanded to be discovered and Ray reluctantly pulled himself from his kitchen chair and strode to the door. They had the name correct and it was no school kid. He slid the lock and turned the door knob. "Thank God you are here. Let me in and shut the door." Ray obliged and let the voice pass through the door. Before closing up he noticed a figure just beyond his front gate. He stood motionless, making sure the figure could view him. He then closed the door. "What the fuck Steve. You come barging in here and what is it.... ten years since we have seen each other." "Sorry brother, but there was an urgency. How about a big hug." With that he wrapped his arms around Ray's shoulders and pulled him closer. Ray was a bigger man and the hug only a half one but Ray, despite the surprise of his visit, was glad he was here. "Well, you had a friend follow you. I guess you do not want me to invite him in" There was a pause before Steve responded. "There are two of them. Met me at the airport and invited me to accompany them. A sort of free taxi ride. Fortunately, a large tourist group came along and I got mixed up with them. Thought I had thrown them off the scent." Ray stood looking at him. He wanted to yell again but that would be no use. What was done was done. Time to find out the real damage. "Okay, nice and slow. Tell me why they are so keen to give you a ride. Leave nothing out?" "Can I dump my bag and grab a drink?" Ray grabbed the bag and went straight to the kitchen, placed the bag on the kitchen table and went straight to the fridge and extracted two cold beers. He turned to Steve, "I think we both might need these." He held out one of the bottles to Steve. It was eagerly taken, although it was clear that Steve was very agitated. "Have you locked all the doors, Ray?" "All doors and windows and roof exit are locked. I doubt they will burst in just yet. They will be sizing up the situation. Probably also checking with their boss. To get to you at this moment they have to get through me. That will not happen. Start talking" Steve raised the beer to his mouth and took a long swig. He then released the beer to the kitchen table and gave out a large sigh. "Well, I got myself into a spot of bother in LA. I had been out of work for a bit and thought I might give the game machines a go. For some reason I found myself going down to a club called the Pink Diamond. A couple of good wins but I stayed too long, Ray. Got myself a loan." "How much you in for Steve?" Steve looked away and hesitated before replying. "Forty grand." "Shit brother. You dug the hole pretty big. Do you know these guys outside will want the whole lot. The alternative is a ride from which you will not return. Of course, I will not let them do that but if they go away without the money or doing you in, they or others will be back." Steve sat and was speechless for a minute. Head down he mumbled. "So sorry I have got you into this mess. Should not have come here. Now they will try to get you as well." "Don't you worry about me. I can look after these two if that's what it comes to. The better option is to finish it for once and all." Steve's reply was stifled by another knock on the door. Ray immediately reached under the kitchen table and drew out a pistol. He handed it to Steve with the advice, "Safety is on. If trouble, slide down, aim and fire. You have six bullets. Use them all. I am pretty sure they are not going to rush the place but, hey, they might not be the smartest thugs on the planet." Before Steve could pose a question, Ray had stomped up the hall towards the front door. He diverted slightly and went into a small room. A CCTV screen sat squarely in the middle of the wall and provided a clear view. A younger boy, about ten or eleven stood there. A white piece of paper in his hand. Not likely selling cookies Ray thought but he was not going to step out in the open. He pressed the intercom system and spoke. "Hi Kid, If you want to give me whatever it is in your hand, please slide it under the front door. If you want to earn one hundred bucks, just hang around a bit. I will more than likely have a message to go back with you." He did not wait for a response but went to the front door, and sure enough ,the white piece of paper commenced its journey under the door. Ray snatched it up, unfolded it and read the message: We have come for the money. Not going to hurt you. Need forty- five grand by the end of the day. So, they were raising a scam. Skim a few extra bucks for themselves. Dangerous play if their boss knew of their game. Ray thought he knew the name of their boss. Uncle Junior they called him. Ray had never met him,but was aware of his somewhat unsavory background. Killing those who owed him money was certainly on his can and will do list. "Hey Steve, are you sure about the amount of money you owe. This lot say Forty five grand." Steve's response was quick and irritated. "No way. But hey I have no money in any event. What are they going to do?" Ray was annoyed with Steve. He did not seem to appreciate that the only alternative for him was death. Slow or quick did not matter to the thugs. Might not happen this time but they would not let it go. "Steve, I have figured a way to fix this. Just sit in the kitchen with the pistol. Safety on. Only if they come through a door or window do you aim and shoot. Got it?" "Got It. But what are you going to do.?" There was no response as Ray quickly wrote a message on the paper and folded it back up. He was just about to slip it under the door when he hesitated and reached into his left trouser pocket. Out came a one hundred dollar bill and he slipped it into the folded note. He then slipped it under the door and quickly diverted to the CCTV room. The kid was totally checking out the one hundred dollar bill when Ray's voice broke the spell. "Okay kid, take the note paper back to the guy who gave it to you and wait for a reply. There is another one hundred for you if you can do that. What do you say?" There was an immediate answer. "Yes, for sure mister" The boy turned and launched himself off the patio and down the narrow pathway to the gate. He turned left and went out of sight. Ray needed this kid to be reliable and the one hundred dollars plus fee he paid to him was some guarantee he would see it through. About five minutes passed and Ray saw the kid enter the gate of his property. He carried a folded piece of paper, probably the original. He reached the door and slipped it under the door. Ray quickly slid another one -hundred -dollar bill under the door. Got to keep his word. Build that trust. Another message in reply had been added to the paper note. As he read Ray could not help but smile. Holy shit. Who are you? Okay, forty grand it is. Nice crisp notes. No tricks. The money to be placed in a backpack and left for our pickup. The kid will know where the pick -up will take place. Ray's mention of Uncle Junior had triggered the favorable response, and he was now more assured these two would not try anything funny. He went to the intercom and spoke: "Hey kid, you are doing a great job. Give me 5 minutes and I want you to take a parcel to your guy. Apparently, you know where. Make sure he gets it. You don't leave until he does. You then come back here and tell me the job is done. Oh, and if you have a few mates who could meet here and go with you that would be great. There is one hundred dollars for each of them." "Sure mister. Easy done. Do you have any other jobs like this?" "Ha, Ha I am hoping this is the only one." Ray was still concerned the two thugs may try to harm the kid. Unlikely, but he did not want that sort of thing on his conscience. Extra kids would ensure that did not happen. Now to gather the cash. The CCTV room held another surprise. Ray lifted a floor panel and reached down until his hand contacted with a dial. Practice made this easy for him, but any would- be thief would likely stumble around for hours with the combination. A few twirls and the safe door opened. He pulled out a carry bag and placed it on the floor. He knew there were eight wrapped packages each containing twenty grand. Two packages came out and were placed on the floor. A quick wrap around with a cheap disposal back -pack and zipping of the center zip line secured the two packages. Ready for delivery. He then placed the original backpack back into the safe. Back went the floorboard and he went over to the CCTV. There were now four kids at the door. Two with bikes. The original kid was doing the speaking, and he was reminding the others that they had to see it through to get the one hundred dollars each. All of them were nodding in agreement. Ray pressed the intercom button. "Hi kids. I am going to slightly open the door and I want the original kid to take the package, No one else. Let him lead and follow him closely to where you drop off the package. You leave when the person picking up the package leaves. Then back here. Got it." They all gave a thumbs up, and other sign of agreement. Ray quickly got to the door and opened it very slowly. He pushed the package along the ground and out the opening available. A small hand reached for the package and dragged it totally out of the door. They were on their way. Five minutes went by. Ray figured it might take about ten minutes especially if they counted the money at the pick- up point. But as that thought finished, the original kid came around and through his front gate with a big smile on his face. His mates soon followed. They were back for the biggest pay day that any of them probably had ever had to date. The original kid knocked on the door. Ray watched on the CCTV and pressed the intercom. "Well how did it go?" "Great, they took the package, undid the bag and counted one bundle of the two. They then hightailed it." "Well, it is time for all to be paid. Come to the door and I will dish it out. Well done." All the kids lined up at the door and Ray dished out a one- hundred- dollar bill to each of them. Even original kid got another one. What a day it had been for him. Ray let them chatter on the patio for a few minutes and then asked them to get on home. They did not dispute the request and each of them tucked their treasure in a safe spot within their clothing. For all this time Steve had remained in the kitchen. Holding a pistol, ready to defend himself and his brother's home. Now Ray was with him again. "Well Steve, the two thugs have gone. No coming back. They have their money, all forty grand of it. Means we can spend a bit of peaceful time together." "But why did you do all of this Ray. Why?" Ray just looked at Steve and took hold of him in a big bear hug. "I believe it is called brotherly love. How about I have a shower, and we get out on the town.?" Steve nodded his acceptance but had one more question for Ray. "How did you get all that cash. What do you do for a living?" "I am into exquisite reproductions." "Exquisite reproductions" Steve quizzed. "Yes, otherwise known as counterfeiting." Steve just stood still looking at Ray. He began to laugh and laugh like he had not laughed for years. He moved towards Ray, opened his arms. "Come here brother. I have just got to get more brotherly love." Recognized Author Notes Family is family. How far would you go for them?

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