The Grand Hotel

Chapter 34

Your worst enemy…

Conrad Mondragon thought he had slept like a baby.

Suddenly hands were shaking his shoulders.

“Conrad….Conrad. Wake up,” a woman’s voice called.

He pushed back against the pillow and slowly opened his eyes.

Duchess Lanchow was shaking him. She brushed her glossy black hair. “Madame Lemieux will return soon. You need to leave.”

Conrad was exhausted and satisfied. Excellent sex always made him feel on top of the world. “Tell her I’ll pay her extra just to sleep a little longer. Come back to bed with me Duchess. What do you say?”

“No Mr. Mondragon I want you to leave now.”

He yawned. “No….,” he protested sleepily.

Conrad never saw the fear that etched its way slowly across Duchess

Lanchow’s face. Her eyes abruptly gazed at the door.

A loud thunderous boom roared as the door was kicked open.

Conrad’s eyes shot open.

Duchess immediately ran out of the door.

“You dumb bastard. Get your horny ass out of that bed! It’s me. Your worst enemy, you remember, you’re fucking brother-in-law,” his voice said tersely.

“Leroy!”

Leroy Maddox Jefferson was Ming’s older brother.

A passionate anger rose across Leroy’s face as he closed the distance between them and threw off the sheets. Immediately his hand jerked out and made contact with Conrad’s head.

Conrad could feel the intense pain of having been hit by Leroy. Leroy Maddox Jefferson had been a tough street wise kid from the time he could pour milk on his cereal.

“Damn!” Conrad said feeling the pain of his punch as he crawled out of bed.

He sat on the floor and nursed his face.

Leroy Maddox Jefferson was slant eyed square-jawed, handsome, muscle bound, and tall. He stayed close to his Oakland roots. As a young kid he taught a neighbour gangster how to make money on the stock market. The gangster did. He made millions and he rewarded the young genius by sending him to UC Berkley. Leroy held a degree in finance from UC Berkley. He was an educated stock market guru and a bonafide hoodlum thug.

“Leroy, I forgot you were a man of few words. What are you doing here?” Conrad asked rubbing his jaw as he rose.

Leroy laughed out maliciously. “I missed seeing my brother-in-law. Can’t you see I came here to show you some love? ”

Conrad got the feeling Leroy was lying but didn’t want to press the issue.

Leroy smiled and Conrad tried to crack a smile back at him. His face hurt.

Finally Leroy spoke. “Do you have anything you want to tell me Conrad?”

Conrad shrugged following his gaze looking around the room. “Oh this?” he asked but didn’t’ wait for a response. “This isn’t what you think it is,” he paused. “Okay, maybe it is what you think. But what if I told you Ming knows I’m here and she doesn’t have a problem with my getting a little on the side.”

Leroy glared at him. “Get dressed brother-in-law we need to take a ride.”

Fifteen minutes later, they made their way through the lobby of the hotel.

Outside, the sky was dark. It had to be after four o’clock in the morning. The limousine driver stood by the car door and opened it.

Conrad paused and stared at the driver. He had a long cut on the side of his face going from his ear to his chin.

Conrad flinched nervously as he stared back at the man. “Ah……Leroy, he grunted. “I don’t think I want to go for a ride.”

Leroy pushed him into the car and got in.

“You shallow, cold-hearted, manipulative bastard! Get your ass in the fucking car!”

Quickly the limousine driver closed the door after them.

Suddenly the car jerked abruptly and took off.

Conrad adjusted himself and looked on with a frightened expression. He swallowed hard. “Leroy, I don’t understand. What’s this all about?”

Leroy leaned back in the seat and calmly lit a cigarette. He inhaled deeply. It was obvious he was enjoying watching Conrad squirm.

He took another long drag on his cigarette. He took it out of his mouth and studied it. He fingered the cigarette and blew on the end. It turned a bright red.

In the silence of the moment the seconds ticked by slowly. Conrad sucked in a deep breath.

Leroy maliciously looked up at him and smiled. Quietly he opened the car window and threw out the cigarette. “I can’t believe I’m the fucking criminal in this fucking family Conrad!”

Conrad rubbed his jaw and started rocking back and forth. He was scared. “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he looked mystified. “Besides, you’ve caught me with a whore before. You said yourself as long as I was discrete….” his voice broke off as he watched the cold eyes that stared back at him. “I haven’t done anything. I swear…...”

The moment was silent.

Nervously Conrad stared back of Leroy. He could decimate a person just with his bold stare. All at once Conrad knew what he’d just said was as damaging as any confession could ever be.

Leroy leaned over and looked him in the eyes. “You lying ass son of a bitch. Don’t you know what conduct befitting a man who claims to love his wife looks like? You don’t drug my sister and let some bisexual bitch rape her ass and then think your ass is going to get away with that shit!”

Conrad nervously laughed. His mouth was dry. “Leroy I don’t know what you’re talking about, seriously.”

“Wham!” Immediately Leroy’s hand jerked out and landed another blow. “That’s for lying to me a second time!”

On impulse, Conrad’s hand released a blow. Leroy laughed out maliciously. His face contorted viciously, as he punched Conrad’s face with fierce precise accuracy. He followed the blows with several well placed blows to the gut until Conrad grunted unconsciously.