In Young Hollywood, Episode 14, Damn, Cat Videos, Adrian discovers he has a tail. He takes care of the problem and without missing a beat, begins to restore his bond with his nephew, Zax.
The Recap
In Young Hollywood, Episode 12, Jagger Bennett, you got introduced to Jagger, Adrian’s nemesis who would do anything to get rid of Adrian and protect his own secrets.
Jagger Bennett adjusted Reece Kincaid’s medical file to show that she died from in-operable head trauma. If the truth got out that his mistake took her life, he could lose everything he’d worked so hard for. The cover-up was tight, only one other person on his team knew the truth and she wasn’t going to sell him out. His biggest problem now was Adrian Banovic. Adrian could take away all that Jagger had worked for and he wasn’t going to stand by and watch that happen. He needed to get rid of Adrian once and for all.
Fatigue set in and his eyes got heavy. A small yawn escaped his lips and his head nodded surprising him—he quickly pulled it back. He forced himself to stay awake but the lure of sleep consumed his body. Jagger dragged himself to his couch and within seconds he was sound asleep.
*********
The tide was right for the experienced surfer; there was a storm brewing off the coast and the waves were 20-ft high. Adrian and Zax paddled all the way out until the shore was a silhouetted line in the distance. The perfect wave peeled across the ocean and in that moment, nothing mattered except the rush of adrenaline that filled them. This wave was a beast, and coming out on the other end alive would be a story worth their grand kids attention and admiration.
Adrian hit the shore first, he saw Zax wipe out and shortly after tumble to the shore. Zax lay on his back and laughed.
“You alright?” Adrian stood over him, the moonlight illuminated the water droplets dotting his nephew.
“That was freaking awesome!” Zax grinned.
“Atta boy.”
“Go again?” Zax looked at his uncle, his eyes shone with excitement.
“I’m gonna sit this one out.”
“Old man.” Zax teased then grabbed his board and ran out into the ocean.
“Who you calling old?” Adrian grabbed his board and chased after Zax. He was fully aware that his tail had been watching them. He paddled out until he disappeared into the darkness only to double-back a little further down the beach. Checking on Zax, he saw him still paddling in the distance.
Once ashore, he snuck around the back of the vehicle that had been tailing him. The light from the person’s phone illuminated the interior of the car and Adrian could tell that his follower was a man, he seemed to be amused by what was on his cellphone. Adrian stealthily walked along the driver’s side of the vehicle, he thumped on the door startling the man and in one swift move, grabbed him by his neck and yanked him out through the car window. He wrestled him down on the sand holding him in a deadly choke hold. The man tried to fight his way out.
“The more you resist the more it’ll hurt.” Adrian advised.
The man stopped, “please, don’t kill me.” He struggled to get the words out.
“Why are you following me?”
The man didn’t answer.
Adrian put pressure on the man’s neck and he gasped for air.
“Don’t make me ask again.”
“Your boss hired me.”
“I don’t have a boss.” Adrian squeezed.
“Jagger.” The man gasped.
Adrian loosened his grip, but only a little.
“Why?”
“I’m supposed to get evidence of illegal activity.”
“Anything else I should know?”
“Please, don’t kill me.” The man pleaded.
“He could’ve at least sprung for a professional. You’re an amateur, I spotted you two days ago, now I am pissed … am I not worth a professional?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should get another job … you suck at this. On second thought…” Adrian snapped his neck. He threw the lifeless body over his shoulder and put him in the trunk of the Buick.
He noticed the man’s cell phone on the seat, he picked it up and saw that the man had been engrossed in cat videos on YouTube.
“Damn cat videos.” Adrian smashed the phone and tossed the remains in a nearby trashcan. He spotted Zax walking towards him.
“You hungry?” Adrian smiled as if nothing happened.
“Sure. Whose car is that?”
“Some drunk, he wandered into the pisser. Joe’s Crab shack still over by the marina?”
Zax grinned and headed to the Buick. “Hey, if that guy is so drunk he shouldn’t be driving.”
“I took his keys,” Adrian dangled it then put it in glove box in the Buick. “I’ll turn it in to the police on my way back to work. I left the doors open so he can sleep it off.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t think you cared about humans.”
“Don’t go spreading that around, okay.” Adrian half smiled.
At the restaurant, Adrian noticed a couple of girls making eyes at Zax as they took a seat in the booth. The waitress appeared and started them off with drinks.
“I’ll have a Corona and is the Arctic Bay Steampot still on the menu?”
“Yes, hasn’t changed.” The waitress replied with a smile.
“I’ll have that and I’m guessing my good nephew here will have the Ragin Cajun.”
“Yes.”
The waitress wrote it down, “and to drink?”
“O’Douls.” Zax answered.
“Your drinks will be right out.” She smiled pleasantly.
“You remembered,” Zax said once the waitress left.
“Spending time with you kids were some of my best memories.”
Over cold drinks and belly filling seafood Zax let his guard down, he and Adrian chatted about sports, cars, and surfing.
“Hey, does Westwood Academy still have a lacrosse team?”
“Ugh, just barely. I think they haven’t won a game since you graduated.”
“At one time we were kings in the division.” Adrian reminisced. “Hyland High couldn’t touch us.”
“That’s how we are with basketball. You should come to a game sometime …” Zax stopped abruptly then added, “I know you’re busy, so…”
“I’d love that.” Adrian studied him, he could see a sadness in Zax’s eyes. He knew the whole ordeal with Adriana had taken a toll on him. “Did you notice those girls over there have been eye-banging you since we walked in? Looks like they’re in the mood for a Zandwich.”
Zax laughed, “Zandwich? Really? I have a girlfriend.”
“Ah, yes, the blond with the never-ending legs. I saw you guys in the waiting room the night of the accident.”
“Kristin.”
“Don’t get me wrong, she’s smoking hot, but you’re seventeen, you don’t need to be tied down, that’s what your fifties are for.”
“You saying you didn’t have a serious girlfriend through high school or college?”
“There were a few. Variety is the spice of life.”
“You sound like Frankie.”
“Homeboy might have the right idea.”
“Speaking of Frankie… have you seen Preston since the night of the accident?”
“No.”
“He was your best friend and he’s engaged to your sister, I thought you guys would have at least connected.”
“My sister connected me with her fist, hence the black eye. I’m going to hold off on the congratulations for a while.”
“Ouch.”
“Yes, your aunt can be a feisty one.”
“The same is true for all Banovic women.”
Adrian’s phone beeped. “It’s the hospital.”
“Adriana?”
“Doubt it.” Adrian excused himself and when outside to take the call.
As Zax steered out at the black ocean, his mind replayed Leighann confessing her love to Joel. He felt tremendous guilt for feeling jealous; Joel was one of the best people he knew and he deserved love from a girl like Leighann.
Zax thought about his own relationship with Kristin … how he’d been in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her at freshman orientation. He finally got the courage to ask her out in their senior year. Even with their busy afterschool activities, they’d managed to make their relationship work. Soon they’d be off to college and it dawned on Zax that they hadn’t talked about what would happen to them after they graduated from Westwood Academy.
Adrian returned to the table.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. Someone messed up the schedule at the hospital.”
“You back on staff now?” Zax got up.
“It’s complicated.” Adrian paid the check.
“Mind if I hit the head before we roll?”
“I’ll wait in the car.” On the way out, Adrian stopped at the table with the girls who were making eyes at Zax.
“That’s my nephew, here’s his number, give him a call sometime.” He slipped them a napkin with Zax’s number and they happily giggled among themselves.
Look for Episode 15 on February 15. Missed Episode 1? Read it now.
Look below to find previous episodes.
In the meantime, learn more about The Family Portrait series. Or get the box set which contains books 1 through 5.
Copyright ©2018 Gillian Felix. All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, email the author Gillianfelix23{AT}Gmail.com
