Pay Up and Die Read online

  Contents

  Cover

  Pay Up and Die

  Copyright

  Contents

  Dedication

  Special Thanks

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Continue the Thrills!

  Behind the Scenes

  Join The Collectors

  About the Author

  I Need Your Help!

  My Other Series

  Pay Up and Die

  Life in our times can be dangerous.

  So many people struggle to make ends meet. Providing for the modern family is expensive and getting more costly each year.

  Something has to give.

  Michael Wright works hard to bring home a paycheck. His daughter is sick with a terminal illness. The only way to save her life is to pay for an expensive, experimental surgery. But his rainy day fund is empty. The credit cards are maxed out. And so is the home equity line. His only remaining option is to take out yet another loan.

  A new loan with a steep cost. Beyond interest rates.

  A loan with an addendum of death.

  Michael’s story is a cautionary tale. And it applies to all of us.

  Pay Up and Die is the first novel in the Debt Collector series by Chuck Buda. It is approximately 52,000 words and contains adult language, scenes of horror and a cliffhanger ending. Reader discretion is heavily advised.

  Pay Up and Die

  By Chuck Buda

  Copyright © Chuck Buda (2016).

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Any semblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The author has taken great liberties with locales including the creation of fictional towns.

  Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

  The author greatly appreciates you taking the time to read his work. Please consider leaving a review wherever you bought this book, or telling your friends or blog readers about this book to help spread the word.

  Thank you for supporting my work. Without you the story would not be told.

  Cover art by Leslie K.

  Contents

  Pay Up and Die

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Special Thanks

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Continue the Thrills

  Behind the Scenes

  Join the Collectors

  About the Author

  I Need Your Help!

  My Other Series

  Dedication

  Dedicated to my family.

  Thank you for sticking with me while the Debt Collector demanded payment.

  Special Thanks

  I would like to thank Christopher Zingaro for testing my story. You patted me on the back when I needed the encouragement and you put me in my place when the writing was inadequate. I am grateful for your friendship and honesty.

  Chapter 1

  “Come on, dammit,” Lori muttered under her breath. It was getting late and she needed to get home before Doug. Otherwise she would have to endure his paranoid jealousy and accusations of an affair. They had been married for almost two years now but he was still so insecure. She sighed to herself.

  Lori entered her PIN more slowly this time so that the stupid machine would work. She had to make sure the check cleared today so that she could withdraw funds to reimburse Doug’s emergency fund. He was always so habitual about his accounting practices. Like clockwork, he would go through the shoe box in the closet every Tuesday night. It was another one of his annoying paranoias. He had to physically count the stack of cash and open each insurance document to ensure that all contingencies were accounted for. Craziness on one hand but comforting on the other. At least she knew he was meticulous with making sure they were provided for.

  It was so stupid of her to borrow the money but she had to have those shoes. The sale was only good for one day. And she had been dreaming about those sling backs since she first laid eyes on them a month ago. A cash purchase was her only option since Doug inspected the credit card statements religiously. He had scolded her so harshly once last spring that she had changed over to a “cash only” policy to avoid Doug’s scrutiny.

  She hated these outdoor ATMs because she always felt so exposed to potential muggers. At least if it were a drive-thru ATM she could pull up close and lock all the car doors. But the only way to avoid all the damn fees was to use the machine provided by her own bank. Thankfully, the bank had chosen to use extremely bright lighting over the brick facade. And it was comforting to see the security cameras on each corner angled over the machine.

  As she waited for the ATM to process the card and reveal her latest transactions, Lori got a creepy sensation that she was being watched. A chill shot up her spine. She glanced to the left and then the right. She swiveled around and eyed the parking lot. Everything appeared to be clear but she still couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness.

  Finally, the screen showed her the check cleared today as she had hoped. She punched in her request for cash and waited impatiently for the money to come out. It was all her
e and now she had to hustle home in a race against the clock, and Doug.

  Lori turned and headed for her car. Her senses were still on high alert as she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. She kept peering from side to side. She reached into her purse for the car keys but fumbled around all the junk inside. She stopped walking for a second to glance down into her bag. There they were, right under her used tissue and empty gum wrappers.

  She clasped the keys and started walking again. As she looked up from her bag she realized she almost walked right into the handicapped parking sign. It startled her and she exhaled loudly, rolling her eyes. Such an idiot, she thought to herself.

  As Lori put the key into the door she was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of dread. She quickly spun around and a huge man was hovering over her. He was dressed like a lumberjack which was strange in this suburb of New York City. But she had no time to contemplate it further as he clutched her neck and lifted her off the ground. Her feet were kicking wildly, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. She noticed that he was a fairly attractive man, in a rough sort of manner. It fleetingly crossed her mind that she was being choked to death by a lumberjack and all she could do was admire the man’s features. So she shook off the ill-timed thoughts and focused on getting out of this situation.

  A small hatchback pulled into the parking lot and approached the struggle. The balding driver lowered his window and shouted, “What the hell is going on here?”

  The large man in the red and black flannel shirt slowly turned to face his distraction while continuing to strangle the little brunette with the glasses that were now askew.

  As the Good Samaritan began to step out of his car a large, expensive SUV screeched alongside the hatchback. The window was already down and the driver looked angry. He was dressed in an expensive suit and his fine features belied a life of prosperity and privilege. “You better get out of here now or you’re next,” he threatened baldy.

  The Good Samaritan deflated immediately and nodded his understanding. He got back in the hatchback and sped across the lot.

  “Go take care of him and fix this mess,” the SUV driver yelled at the large man.

  Lori’s hand found the lumberjack’s huge belt buckle and she grabbed hold of it, trying to get leverage to kick this monster off her before she blacked out. Her lungs were straining for life. The veins on her temples bursting at the surface of her skin.

  Without blinking the large man slammed Lori downward, smashing her head and breaking the side view mirror off her car. Her lifeless body now limp in a pile underneath the shadow of her vehicle.

  “Well what are you waiting for?” The SUV driver was exasperated.

  An almost imperceptible smirk on the right side of the large man’s face. He trotted over to his pickup truck in silence. The engine roared to life and the truck sped across the lot without the headlights on. It reached the stop sign and then squealed loudly as it swung left in pursuit of the small hatchback.

  The door opened and two expensive shoes stepped onto the dark asphalt, one after the other. The open door chime sounding its rhythmic cadence. The well-dressed man walked over to the woman’s body. He bent down and checked for a pulse but there was none. Not anymore.

  As he stood up, he straightened his tie and adjusted his suit jacket. He looked up at the full moon and took in a deep breath. Closing his eyes to get control of himself, he let out a large exhalation. Now, he had to make sure that the job was completed to his satisfaction. There could be no loose ends. Ever.

  He got back in the SUV and drove off in the direction of the pickup truck.

  Chapter 2

  Michael awoke suddenly. He was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. He looked over at the clock on the nightstand as it flashed 1:30 a.m. The nightmare was more intense this time.

  His wife, Stephanie Wright, rolled over and caressed his arm. “Another bad dream about the money?” she asked in a sleepy voice.

  “Yeah. It was worse than usual.”

  “We have to figure something out so you can feel better. You can’t continue to have these dreams every night. It’s affecting your sleep and your mood. And depriving me of beauty sleep,” Stephanie kidded to lighten the atmosphere.

  Michael ran a hand through his wavy, dark hair and exhaled. He flopped back onto the bed. His blue eyes searched the ceiling for an answer where none existed. The white undershirt stuck to his chest.

  Stephanie propped herself up on one arm and rubbed his chest with her other hand. A delicious curl of long blond hair slipped down across her face, shadowing one deep brown eye. Michael felt her breast mashed against his side as she reached up to tuck the curl behind her ear.

  “Wanna tell me about it,” she coaxed.

  Michael exhaled loudly again. He tried to organize his thoughts so the tale sounded coherent as opposed to the chaotic pattern of the nightmare.

  “We were having a big fight over the bills. You kept insisting that you could get your parents to help us out. I was trying to sell the kids for money. Sell. The kids. How crazy is that?”

  “Well I don’t think our kids can fetch a large enough sum on the open market to solve our financial problems,” Stephanie kidded again.

  “It’s not a joke, Steph. This is serious. What kind of father could even contemplate selling his children to pay off debts? It’s absurd. I mean, it’s bad enough I got us into this big mess and now I’m dreaming of ridding my kids as a solution,” he whined.

  “Honey, I know you would never do something like that to hurt our kids or this family.” She bent over and kissed his cheek with her full lips. “You have always tried to do the right thing by us and we’ve just had some bad luck.”

  Michael snorted. “Bad luck. That’s funny. Bad luck is something that happens once, briefly. We have been sliding downhill for years now and it just keeps getting worse. I don’t know what else to do anymore.”

  Stephanie sat up and slipped her nightgown straps off her shoulders, revealing her beautiful breasts. They were both fully rounded and her pink nipples puckered up to the chill of being exposed. “Maybe I can relax you a bit.”

  Michael slid out of bed and started to pace the floor. “I’m sorry but I can’t even conceive of sex at this moment. I’m out of my mind with stress and fear about keeping us afloat. What are we going to do, Steph?”

  Feeling rejected, Stephanie’s seductive grin faded. She sighed and pulled up her nightgown straps over her shoulders.

  “Well, when are you going to hear back from Derrick about the loan? Shouldn’t we have gotten an approval by now? You did convey the importance of this money, didn’t you? I mean, he knows your daughter’s life is hanging in the balance, right?”

  Exasperated, Michael stopped pacing and stared at Stephanie. “Of course he knows about Allison’s surgery. That was the first thing I brought up when I asked him for the special approval. Look, they know how deep we are and regardless of Allison’s situation, the bank is not going to issue checks to anyone who asks for one. Derrick can only pull so many strings at his level, especially with the big corporate push to recover bad loans. Company-wide the mandate is to reign in these potential losses and not take on more risky investments until the Board ratifies the new organizational changes. There’s a lot at stake.”

  “And your daughter’s life is not at stake? You sound like you are taking the bank’s side of this instead of your own family’s.”

  “I’m not taking sides, Steph. That’s ridiculous. Of course I want to get money to save Allison’s life but our options are very limited in this environment. You think I asked for this life? When was the last time we took a nice vacation, Stephanie? Better yet, when was the last time we took any vacation? All our money has been flushed down the toilet by this damn house and the cars breaking down and getting braces for Andrew and everything else. I have done it with smoke and mirrors for over ten years now, between balance transfers with the credit cards and home equity loans. We ate up our rainy day funds little by
little too with all the Christmas gifts each year and fundraisers for school. Nothing left for us, Steph. Nothing. And now our daughter may die because of it and I feel horrible. Devastated.”

  Stephanie drew the sheets aside and came around the bed to hold Michael. She pulled him close and rested her head on his strong chest.

  “I know, sweetie. You have done a wonderful job taking care of us with what little we have. You are so smart and creative and you always come up with a plan that gets us through each hard time. I know you will do it again. I guess I’m just frustrated to see you like this and I’m worried about Allison. I’m sorry I pushed you just now. Maybe we should just try to go back to sleep and deal with it in the morning. What do you say?”

  Michael gently broke free of Stephanie’s embrace. He opened the closet door to grab a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. “I can’t sleep now. My mind is racing and I am too worked up. Besides, I don’t want to fall into that dream cycle again. It is horrifying and it is only getting worse. I tried to sell our kids for money. What is the next dream going to be about? Are we going to be eating the kids because we can’t afford to buy groceries? I need to get out of here.”

  “But where are you going? It’s the middle of the night. Come to bed, honey. Let’s just hold each other.”

  “No,” Michael cut her off. “I’m going to go for a run and see if I can burn off some of these thoughts. My head always clears after a good run because it lets my mind work silently in the background while I concentrate on my breathing. I won’t be gone long.”

  “But only bad people go out at this hour of the night. Nothing good happens when someone goes out after midnight. Don’t go,” she protested.

  Without responding, he opened the bedroom door and started to walk down the hall to the staircase. She bent over to put on her slippers and grab her robe when she heard the back door click shut. He was already gone. Stephanie hugged herself and sat on the end of the bed. A tear slipped over her warm cheek and splashed into her lap.