Kill the King (12 page)

The bullet
grazed Marko’s right temple and went through the door. Blood
dripped down the side of his head. Both men stared at each other in
silent astonishment.

Fuck!

Tyler pulled
the trigger again. The bullet grazed Marko’s left shoulder and went
right through the wall. Marko was too stunned from the first shot
to even notice the second one. He stared at his hand in disbelief.
It was caked with thick blood.

His voice
cracked as he spoke. “My boy. . .
why?”

Tyler’s hands
shook. He couldn’t find the strength to fire again. The gun felt so
heavy in his hands. His fingers couldn’t squeeze the trigger one
last time. He felt sick to his stomach and couldn’t speak.

Enraged, Marko
snatched the gun from Tyler’s hand and cracked it across his nose,
nearly breaking it in the process. Tyler staggered in a daze from
the unexpected blow. Marko struck him in the kidneys and bashed his
face on the banquet table. His grip was strong for a man his age,
and didn’t let go of Tyler’s hair and neck. He inched himself
closer to Tyler’s ear. His voice became a menacing growl.

“Get out of my
sight. My reckless, irresponsible, ungrateful fucking son. Get out
of my sight.
Get out!”

The last word
was screamed in Tyler’s ear. Marko picked him up by the hair and
ear and tossed him across the room. Tyler scurried out with his
nose bloodied and brain still swimming in booze. The cold late
autumn rain poured outside as he clumsily fumbled for the keys to
Khaled’s car. He never looked back. He could hear Marko shouting at
him from the doorway.

“Get out! Get
out!”

They were the
shouts of an angry, heartbroken man.

“
Get
out!”

****

Knock, pause,
tap-tap-tap.

Silence.

Knock, pause,
tap-tap-tap.

It was three in
the morning. Gloria put her hand over her mouth at the sight of
him. He was drenched and shivering from the rain. He was holding a
piece of cloth to his nose with one hand and carrying a heavy bag
with the other.

“Tyler? What
happened to you? Why are you carrying that bag?”

“Tell me about
your mother.”

Tyler’s head
throbbed and his stomach was in knots. His body hurt everywhere. He
wasn’t in the mood for post-coital chat. Not this early in the
morning, and definitely not while stuck with a massive hangover. He
mumbled something inaudible and turned over to his side.

“There’s not
much to say.”

Gloria was
lying on her stomach, comfortably nude. She dug her elbow in
Tyler’s ribs. It annoyed him enough to coax him into talking more.
He groaned from the discomfort it caused him.

“
Fine.
Her name is Da-Hae.”

She sighed,
annoyed with his reticence. “
Uy! Por favor.
I already know
that. I just don’t really know much else about her. I mean, her
name doesn’t even sound Japanese. Didn’t you say you came here from
Japan?”

“My parents and
I are
Zainichi
—Koreans living in Japan. They were born on an
island called Jeju, in the far south. When they were teenagers
there was a mass protest on the island and the military
dictatorship crushed it. When the police went looking for them they
escaped to Japan. They left with only their papers and the clothes
on their backs.”

Gloria pecked
his neck and cheek with soft kisses and gently ran her fingers
through his hair. Tyler often wondered if she treated him just the
same as she did every other man who shared this very bed with her.
Was she always this warm and affectionate when she was on the
clock? Was this just another part of the job? Did it really
matter?

“
Ah,
entiendo.
That sounds a lot like my childhood. . .the juntas,
the murders, the disappearances, and escaping with only what we
could carry. Those were not happy times for me and my family. What
of your family, my love? How did they survive in Japan? What was it
like growing up there?”

Tyler remained
silent, pretending to not hear her question. All of this was
something he would rather not talk about. She stroked his arm and
shoulder with affection. Only Gloria could ever get Tyler to talk
about these things. Her loving touch was the only thing that ever
compelled him to let his guard down. No one else could ever bring
out this side of him. For Tyler, there was no safer place in the
world than Gloria’s bed. It was his sanctuary.

“We were very
poor. Koreans were not welcome there, and it was very hard for my
parents to find work. My father ended up working for gangsters. He
was a huge man and strong as a bull. Big strong men with not much
of a conscience were always needed.”

“And what about
your mother,
mi amor?
Was she a gangster too?”

Tyler closed
his eyes. He didn’t want to go any further down this road. There
was only sorrow to be found there.

“
No.
My
mother was from a wealthy family and would never have lowered
herself to that level. Their life as outcasts in Japan was enough
on its own to wound her pride. She resented him for the life he
chose. He drank a lot and beat her every day. He was a violent,
angry man. Anything could set him off. One day we made our escape
and left him for a new life in the West. Everything was supposed to
be different here. We. . .”

Tyler stopped
talking and turned to his side. Gloria turned him over and lovingly
caressed his chest. She knew that Tyler was keeping his eyes closed
to keep the tears from coming out. It was something she had seen
before in many other men. Tyler was a hard man, but even hard men
weren’t made of stone. Even the hardest men had their moments of
weakness. She loved this rare side of him just as much as she loved
everything else about him.

“Don’t be
frightened, my love. No one will know. . .only me. Please tell me
more. I want to know everything.”

Tyler opened
his eyes. They were dry but his gaze was full of melancholy. These
were things he had never spoken to anyone before. The memories that
came back to him as he spoke were just as painful as they had
always been.

“When we came
here she did odd jobs; first as a cleaner, then as a nanny. She
worked long hours to look after other people’s kids. . .much more
with them than she did with me. I’d spend a lot of time alone in
our apartment. Sometimes I’d only see her late at night when I was
just about to fall asleep.”

Gloria nudged
over to rest her head on his chest, her large breasts pushing on
his ribs. She drew imaginary tattoos on his neck and face with her
long fingernails. They were purple and chipped in a few places. She
had forgotten to wipe off her makeup before going to bed, and her
eyes looked as if they had been dusted with soot. She looked so
beautiful to him. . .it only made him feel so much worse.

I’m such a
fool. I’ve brought a piece of hell to her doorstep. I should have
just kept on running. She would have understood. Khaled would have
kept her safe. Now she’ll always be in danger. I’m a goddamn
fool.

“
Esto es tan
triste, mi amor.
I bet she loved you so much. Was she pretty?
Oh, I bet she was beautiful! Long black hair, soft skin, slim
waist. . .very different than me and my big ass, huh?”

She slapped her
backside and giggled, vainly trying to lighten up the conversation.
Tyler’s mood didn’t change. He closed his eyes again.

“Yeah, she was.
She had long hair, just like you said. It would tickle my hair
every time she’d tuck me in at night. It was her voice that I loved
most. She’d sing me lullabies every night, even when I got too old
for them. The truth is. . .”

Tyler hesitated
to continue. There was no deeper wound in his heart than the one
his own mother left him. He moved to the side of the bed and sat
upright. He didn’t want Gloria to see him like this. She wrapped
her arms around him from behind and kissed his shoulder.

“Go on, my
love. We’re safe here. It’s just you and me. Please trust me.
Please tell me.”

Tyler sank his
head low, saddened and ashamed. He spoke in a hushed tone.

“The truth is.
. .I don’t remember her face anymore. The older I get, the more her
picture fades from my memories. All I really have left is her
voice; singing me songs as I fell asleep, in a language I no longer
understand. Her voice sounds so sad to me whenever I replay those
songs in my mind. I’ll never know the meaning of those words. I’ll
never know where she left. . .and I’ll never know why she didn’t
take me with her. There’s so much I’ll never know.”

Tyler’s face
was grim. There was so much more he remembered, and so much more he
wished he hadn’t; the day he came home from school and found his
apartment door padlocked, his few personal effects thrown out into
the dumpster by the landlord, and the months spent wandering the
streets alone. Only worse things lay ahead of him from then
onwards: the foster families. The beatings. The unwelcome touches.
Juvie. The Dead Boys. The Family. The Block. These were all things
he wanted to leave behind forever.

“
Lo siento,
mi amor.
I shouldn’t have asked you about your past. I don’t
like talking about mine either. We should talk about something
else, like. . .what are we going to do with all this
money?”

The stolen
bills were buried under a large pile of dirty laundry. The
apartment was so small and decrepit and with so few hiding spots.
It was the best Tyler could think of in his fractured state of
mind.

“This money
wasn’t earned. When they find out it’s gone, we’ll both be in great
danger. We’re going to run away as fast as we can and as far away
as we can make it.”

“How about
Tierra del Fuego?
The End of the World.
We can make
ourselves a cozy little
casita
there. Maybe somewhere with a
nice view of the sea. We can watch the sun rise and set every day
and never have to worry about anyone else in the whole world. We
will only have each other. Just me and you. . .
mi valiente
ladrón.”

Gloria swooned
and the thought of it. She climbed on top of him and kissed him
tenderly. Her long, curly locks tickled his face. She felt so soft
and warm to his touch, and he so hard and cold to hers. She wanted
to celebrate but Tyler knew far too much of what awaited them
should they fail to escape; she was in far more danger than she
could ever imagine and it was entirely his fault. It ate away at
whatever conscience remained deep inside him.

“Let’s not plan
that far ahead right now. It’s not going to be as easy as grabbing
the first flight out of here. Before we can run away together,
you’ll need to run without me first. You will have to go at it
alone for now. I will catch up with you when it’s safe for me.”

Gloria’s smile
faded into quivering lips. The joy had escaped and the fear had
taken over.

“No. .
.
no
. I can’t do it without you.
No puedo, y no
quiero.
I need you with me. Why can’t we run away
together?”

“This money
belongs to very
dangerous
people, Gloria. They’ll be looking
for me very soon. By the time they even suspect you may know
something, you’ll be too far away for them to find you. This is the
only way we can make sure you stay safe. They’ll catch us if we
leave together.”

Gloria rolled
off of Tyler and hastily put on her clothes, panting in
agitation.

“No.
No!
We’re leaving together, right now. . .
ya mismo.
Put on your
clothes and let’s go. Let’s go!
Vamos!
What are you waiting
for,
pendejo?
Let’s go! We have to leave!”

Her eyes welled
up. She was afraid. It was a look Tyler had seen before on so many
faces. He placed his hands on her cheeks and wiped her tears away
with his thumbs.

“Gloria, you
have to trust me more than you ever have before. We only have a
chance of making it if we split up. There is no other way. . .I’m
sorry.”

Gloria buried
her head in Tyler’s chest and sobbed. She knew he was right, but it
didn’t make it any easier for her to accept.

“I’m so scared.
I don’t know what to do without you. When do I leave? Where will I
go?”

“It’s still
morning and you have a shift at the hospital coming up, right?
Stick to that normal routine. Grab a few thousand dollars from the
bag and go to work. In the early afternoon, tell one of your
co-workers you’re going out to buy a pack of smokes and you’ll be
right back. . .then
leave,
and never return. Don’t even come
back to your apartment. The bus station is just a few blocks away
from the hospital. Grab the first bus out of town and when you make
it to wherever it is you’re going, do the same thing again. Ride
overnight if you can. Spend only what you need and don’t talk to
anyone. Keep going like this for the next two days.”

“How will you
find me?”

“I find people
who don’t want to be found. That’s what I do best. No matter how
hard they try, they always leave a trace. . .and at some point in
your escape so will you. I
will
find you, Gloria.”

She still
wasn’t entirely convinced of the plan. She had never been involved
in such a dangerous scheme.

“I just. . .I
just don’t understand. You go away to prison for so many years and
come back to me out of nowhere, and only three days later you come
here in the middle of the night with all this stolen money. Now you
want me to run away with you before we get killed. Why now, Tyler?
Why are you now doing this to me—
to us?”

Her eyes welled
up again. Tyler hesitated before answering. He had enough
difficulty convincing himself that this was all going to end well,
let alone convince her to go along with him.