The Violin Pt. 04

There was no shortage of townspeople willing to talk to the local news about the "troubled young man." By the time the headlines finished, Keith was a drug-abusing truant with a history of violence.

"I can't believe you were hanging out with such an animal," Mr. Evans said over breakfast. "He's been in my home."

"It's all lies, Dad! You know Keith is a good person. His father's been abusing him for years!"

"If that were the case, they'd say so, honey," Mrs. Evans said.

"They don't know! But I have proof." Kendra opened up the file on her phone and showed them the pictures of Keith's body. Her parents were quiet as they scrolled through the photos.

Maria gagged at the sight of his back. "Jesus."

"This is terrible," Mr. Evans said. "Why didn't you tell us this was going on?"

"You hated him, Daddy. And he made me promise not to tell."

"No child deserves this kind of treatment," Mr. Evans said. His honey-brown eyes clouded over in shame, racking his brain to see if he'd ever ignored signs of abuse just because he disliked the boy.

"I'm disappointed in you, honey. You should've shared this with us. It might have prevented this whole tragedy from occurring."

"It's not her fault," Maria said. "She's just a teenager, and she was trying to protect her friend. I'll make some calls this morning and see if I can get this entered as evidence. I'm sure it will influence the case."

Maria pushed the issue through front and back channels, until Keith's charges were lowered. But because he was 18 and an adult, he got a six-year term.

Mr. Evans wasn't willing to drive Kendra to see Keith in prison, but he told his daughter if she wrote, he would mail the letters along with a monthly check for Keith's canteen privileges. "Some things you can avoid in jail, if you have the money," he said.

The first time she tried to write, she couldn't get past a few lines without tears.

Hey Keith, I'm traveling Spain. The gypsies remind me of you. Wish you were here.

The trajectory of their lives spun light years apart.

***

Seven Years Later

***

3:14 a.m. Sunday, and Kendra was riding the train home. Boston could get rough, but she felt safe. She was alert and she'd taken several personal safety classes. She'd graduated Yale, then Harvard, and was just ending a late night at the law library, studying case law for the firm where she was a junior partner.

She had to stay on her toes. It had been four months since she and Niall called it quits, but he was a petty, vindictive sonofabitch. Not that he'd been all that passionate when they were together. Hell, she and Niall hadn't had sex at all those last two months. Still, he was her boss—or at least, her superior at the firm. The longer their affair dragged on, the greater the chance of discovery, and the greater the professional price she'd have to pay. She'd ended it with a cordial lunch date and a vow to stay on top of her caseload at all costs. Tonight, she was looking forward to nothing so much as her own bed.

A hard-looking guy boarded her empty train from the connector, not the platform doors. She'd seen him before; he was a regular on her route. Tall, tatted, muscular and very pale, he looked a little scary, but he never bothered her. She saw him give up a seat to an old drunk once, and not in the you-smell kind of way a lot of people would have. She imagined he lived somewhere on the South side.

The car rattled to a stop and two more men boarded: one skinny and hyper, the fat one with a weird, high voice. They greeted the tall guy, which surprised her. All these months, she'd never seen him talk to anyone. They were clearly ex-cons or worse, and they gave her a bad feeling. She stood and gathered her bag but the doors closed before she could approach them.

Damn. She resolved to get off at the next stop and change cars. The fat one inclined his head towards her, then turned to speak with his pal.

Oh shit. A blue tattoo of a swastika twisted above the man's right ear.

"Look at that tasty bitch over there," Bam said. "She looks like fun tonight."

"Not my type," Kaine said curtly, hoping his friend would leave Kendra alone. He didn't want her to look up and recognize him. Not like that was a huge possibility, he thought bitterly. She'd dumped him from her life like so much trash years ago. Bam ignored him, and snaked his way to the seat behind Kendra's. Whatever he was whispering in Kendra's ear, she steadfastly ignored.

"Bam's fucking crazy," Cody laughed. "But he does have a good eye."

Kaine shrugged. The boys were fucking idiots, had been since the pen, but they were just blowing off steam.

"Don't like dark meat, huh?" Cody was geared up, high on something. "You never had it, bro. Niggers, their brains are in their asses. They work a pole like a fucking scientist. I bet she could make you cry for your mama."

"Hell yeah," Bam added, springing to his feet. "It's your birthday, after all. Carpe diem and shit."

Fuck this, Kendra decided. They're just a bunch of drunk losers, but no use in tempting fate. She stood to leave the car, hoping there were more people in the next compartment.

"Hey, where the hell you think you're going," Bam shouted, blocking the aisle. "We're just playing with you."

Kendra tried to push past him, but he used his weight against her. "Get the fuck out of my way," she bristled.

"Get the fuck outta my way," Bam mocked her high-pitched tone. "That's not really how you say it, is it, honey? You gotta say it Roxbury style. 'Git da fuck outta mah way!'" he bellowed, spraying spittle in her face. She flinched, eliciting a cheer from Cody.

"Yeah, show that bitch," Cody called. "Uptight bitch. She looks like she needs some dick in her life. It's been a minute for me, too. Kaine, you wanna go in on this whore?"

"That's so gay, man. Anything you two've been in, I wouldn't fuck with someone else's dick," Kaine joked. "Plus, who wants a chick all banged-out and shell-shocked?"

"No way, that's the beauty of these bitches, they're used to it. All spades do is run trains on their chicks. A black broad can't get off with just one guy," Bam retorted.

Kendra snaked her hand in her bag, feeling desperately for a pen, or anything she could use as a weapon. The jangle of keys attracted attention, and Bam snatched her purse away from her.

Kaine walked over and tried to calm the situation. This was turning into a nightmare. "Come on, man, I gotta see my PO today."

Kendra dug her phone from her pocket. "Get back or I'm calling the police!"

Kaine pushed her back in the seat one-handed. "Sit down and shut the fuck up." He snatched the cellphone out of her hand. I'm trying to help you, bitch!

"Yeah, Kaine. I can put something in her mouth to make her shut the fuck up," Cody said.

"I'll bite it in half."

Bam slapped her in the face. The perv was breathing hard, Kaine noted—a bad sign. Bam was getting excited. Why wouldn't she shut the fuck up so he could think?

"First thing I'm gonna do is stuff my dick up that sweet ass," Bam was saying, rubbing his knife like a cock. "Then, I'm carving my name on your tits. I bet you scream pretty. But if Cody feels even one tooth, I'll really have to hurt you."

Kaine realized then what he had become. Why she hadn't recognized him in all these weeks. He wasn't the same person anymore. Anything he once was had been replaced by hate. He hated her for not seeing him when he was right in front of her. Hated himself for not killing Bam on the spot. And for thinking, just for an instant, that if she had to get fucked, he was the lesser of three evils.

***

"All right, brother, you convinced me," Kaine said to Cody. "I'm horny enough to fuck a hole in the wall, I guess a monkey's one step better."

He let a hand slide down her shoulder to grope a round, juicy tit, bigger than he remembered, through her silky blouse. In spite of everything, it excited him, and he continued to squeeze as he talked. "I know a spot near here where I can take her. You two go on ahead. I'll see you meet you at the clubhouse when I'm done."

"What man, you don't wanna share?" Cody asked, moving in closer. "I can keep the pussy warm for you. I like it all stretched out and sloppy."

Kendra was struggling to maintain control. Fear and rage radiated from her. Kaine groped her other breast too, to keep Cody's hands off her. She was so fucking beautiful.

"Nah, I'm feeling selfish. A little strange is just what I need to clear my head."

The train pulled into a stop and a middle-aged white couple, laughing and talking loudly, stepped through the doors. Seeing Kendra surrounded by the men, they froze.

Kendra shrieked. "Help me! Please help! Call—"

The two quickly retreated back to the platform, chased by the underlings' hoots. Cody shot Kaine a look of anticipation, eager to see how she would be punished.

"That was real cute. You're clever, aren't you?" Kaine couldn't let these animals rape Kendra, no matter how he hated her for abandoning him. But they couldn't know he had been friends with her; had loved her. He had to be a convincing monster in order to save her. His gaze fell on her open satchel.

"Law books. Bet you're coming from Cambridge. Ivy League, after all, huh? I'm going to teach your smart ass a lesson tonight. Get up!"

"You heard the man, bitch. On your feet." Bam pulled Kendra to her feet for his lieutenant. "We should inspect her, boss. She might not be no good under these fancy clothes."

Without waiting, the fat man shoved her face-first into the dirty plexiglass and yanked her light jacket off. Kendra couldn't suppress a yelp, which made the men laugh. As the fabric pooled at her ankles, her mind raced a mile a minute. She couldn't take them all. But at the next stop, maybe she could make a run for it. Could she escape to her apartment, or would they simply follow, break in and rape her in the comfort of her home? A thin, cool edge danced over the nape of her neck, making her tremble. The knife. It ripped down the back of her shirt. The sound of fabric tearing terrified her. The halves of her top fell away from her back, and the fat man gave a low whistle. The other started a slow clap.

"Nice ink, sweetheart," Cody's voice dripped with lust, running his hand over her ass. "You supposed to be a guitar or something?"

Kaine couldn't trust his voice to speak. On either side of her lower back, resting above the swell of her ass, were two f-notes. Something long-dead and buried beneath all the misery stirred in him. She was still his violin.

"Our Ivy League nigger is a whore, with the tramp stamp to prove it," Bam said. "Doesn't that just make the sweetest little cum-target?"

Cody fished his dick out of his pants. "I know it's your birthday, but with a tat like that, this bitch is advertising."

Kaine grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into the wall. "I'm the goddamn lieutenant, and I'm the only one dipping my dick in this tonight. Touch her again and you're next." Kaine's voice was low and deadly.

Kendra was shivering against the wall. Her chances against one was better than three, but he might be more depraved than the other two. He could kill her when he was done. She nearly toppled as the train screeched to its next stop. Her stop.

"This is it." Kaine lifted his t-shirt to flash a black .45 tucked into the waist of his jeans. "Now, you're going to be a real good girl for me. Aren't you?"

Kendra couldn't even shake or nod her head. Her eyes were frozen in fear. Keith touched her shoulder and she flinched, so he pushed her toward the doors.

"You're such a pussy hog, man! All right, I feel like getting fucked up anyway," Bam chuckled.

Cody was pissed. "Bitch probably has AIDS," he muttered, glaring at Kaine's back.

The doors opened and Kaine gripped a wad of her hair tightly with one hand. "Don't be stupid and I won't have to use this," he whispered in her ear, pressing the gun in her back. "Nice and easy." Together they slowly disembarked through the sliding doors.

"Hey Kaine, take pics!" Cody shouted, before the train took off again.

"Now," Keith frog-marched her to street level, then shoved her away, "think you can get home without getting raped?"