A Father's Wrath by Phil Nova Page A

Joe
still felt partly responsible.

CHAPTER 34
     
    After three full days in jail, Bradley was
happy to be getting out. Although a few people did extort some
candy and commissary money from him, he was just thankful no one
beat him up or raped him.
    It was Friday morning and the first day of
spring. Bradley felt optimistic about winning his case and securing
his place in the company. He’d been in touch with David and David
had assured him that everything would work out.
    When Bradley stepped out onto the busy
Manhattan sidewalk, he stopped for a moment and took a deep breath
while basking in the warm sunlight. The mounds of filthy snow and
ice were gone and the bustling streets and sidewalks were back to
normal.
    His limousine pulled up and double-parked.
Bradley’s driver approached him on the sidewalk and said, “It’s
good to see you, sir.”
    Bradley shook his hand and said, “It’s good to
see you, too.”
    They stepped out into the street, where the
driver helped Bradley into the back of the limo, then circled
around and got in the driver’s seat.
    Bradley enjoyed the feel of the leather seat
under his ass. All those cold metal and concrete benches in jail
had given him hemorrhoids.
    He rolled down the divider as the limo pulled
out into traffic. “I have a lunch meeting with Mr.
Schultz.”
    “Yes, sir. I have the address.”
    “Let me know when we get there.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Bradley rolled up the divider, then poured
himself a double shot of scotch on the rocks. He sipped it while
watching the cars and people outside through his tinted windows.
The alcohol warmed his blood and relaxed his mind.
    They pulled over on a busy midtown
street.
    Bradley rolled down the divider.
    The driver said, “This is the restaurant, sir.
I’ll park in the garage down the block, just call me when you need
me.”
    Bradley got out of the car and saw Wayne on the
sidewalk. He approached him and asked, “Where’s David?”
    “David couldn’t make it. He said to tell you
the meeting is cancelled.” Wayne turned around and began to stroll
down the sidewalk with the crowd.
    Bradley stood there in front of the restaurant,
trying to figure out what was going on. He yelled, “Wayne!
Wayne!”
    Just as he was about to run after Wayne, he
noticed a man on a cell phone, staring right at him. Bradley had a
bad feeling. He turned around and began walking while dialing his
driver on his cell phone. The phone went straight to voicemail.
“Shit.”
    Bradley turned and saw the man with the cell
phone following him. He walked faster. He wanted to text his
driver, but he couldn’t do it without stopping, so he kept
moving.
    While crossing the street, Bradley noticed the
man with the phone behind him, standing on the corner, not moving,
his eyes fixed on something.
    When Bradley looked to see what the man was
looking at, he noticed another man on a cell phone coming his
way.
    Everyone seemed to be talking on phones.
Bradley wondered if he was just being paranoid. But why would Wayne
just walk away like that? Why didn’t David call him if he had to
cancel?
    On the other side of the street, Bradley
stopped and turned around. The man across the street was gone.
Bradley exhaled. He began to text his driver.
    Someone bumped into Bradley and said, “Hey!
Watch it!”
    When Bradley turned to look, he felt a stinging
sensation on the back of his neck. It felt like a bee
sting.
    Bradley tried to finish his text message, but
the words became blurry. He tried to walk, but his feet felt heavy.
After a few seconds, he couldn’t even hold himself up anymore. He
fell to the ground as consciousness faded away.

CHAPTER 35
     
    After checking on his mother, Joe headed to the
gym for an evening workout.
    After a few warm up sets, then a few heavy sets
on the bench press, Joe was pumped. His muscles swelled and his
veins were bulging. The rock music that played over the speakers
wasn’t too much, just hard enough to add to the pump.
    A middle-aged