Chapter 23- Are You The Math Teacher?
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Friday, Fifth Period Lunch

Dan paced back and forth in his empty classroom. He could barely contain his excitement while speaking to his business partner Rob on the phone. For all of the madness Dan faced these two weeks, Rob was able to secure three classrooms and hire four teachers for the Math For Life tutoring program.

“Dude, you’re a beast!” Dan cheered.

“Haha, come on bro, you sent me like three hundred grand already. That kind of money opens doors, literally,” said Rob. “So can we keep this gravy train going?”

“I really think we can. We’ll have the donor ceremony on Monday so we can reach out to-”

Dan’s caller ID beeped on his phone. “Hold on Rob.” He checked the number but didn’t recognize it. “Bro, let me call you back, I want to take this phone call...cool, talk to you later.”

He answered the call, “Hello?”

“Hello, are you the math teacher?” A smooth voice, slight eastern European accent.

“Yes. I’m Dan. Can I help you?”

A long silence. “I think you can help yourself, and give me my money back, Daniel Capra.”

A cold chill shivered down Dan’s back. His stomach knotted as he shut the classroom door, and replied to the caller.

“Ahh, right. Now you say your money back. But from what I understand there are three of you. So which one are you?”

“Haha, I haven’t called you to entertain your questions, Daniel. I have called out of curiosity and to give you a message.”

The dark tone of the voice clashed with the sophistry of his words. Dan knew the man on the other line was a killer and no fool. However, every man has a price.

“And what, whoever you are, are you so curious about?” Dan asked.

“Hmm, I would ask why you decided to take the course of action you did and steal from me. But I’m sure you’ve deluded yourself with an answer. So I’ll think forward. Now that you have my money, what do you want, Daniel?”

Dan nodded, feeling the caller out, “You keep saying my money, so I’m gonna guess that your name is Lazlo Kenny, the biggest boss of the three.”

“Please answer the question.”

Adrenaline coursed through Dan as he concluded the man’s identity. Ok, this is Lazlo. Half of Dan wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the man. The other half wanted to jump on a plane to Thailand and never come back.

No, Dan, you’re not gonna run, you’re gonna fix this.

“Ok Lazlo, since you called me that means you may be a reasonable man. So, I’ll say my part-” Dan took a breath, “You guys are slave traffickers and fraud gamblers. Two inefficient businesses that should be replaced by consenting adults for a more profitable and humane way to engage in sex work. And this is a documented fact, by the way. I can show you the numbers-”

“Daniel, are you being a clown, or are you trying to insult me?” Lazlo growled.

“I’m not doing any such thing, but let me get to the point. I do have your money, Lazlo. And I’m not giving it back because I don’t like your cruel business and the fact that you fuck people over for a living. Now what I am offering to you, if you sit down with me-”

“Sit down with you?”

A silence as Dan paused, “Um, yes. A sit down with you and your other partners, Leo and Emil. And this can all be done without bloodshed, especially since I know everything about your business and who-”

“Mr. Daniel Capra, it seems I almost believed you weren’t a fool until I had this conversation with you.”

“Eh?” Dan didn’t understand what Lazlo meant, “How am I a fool? You never let me finish the conversation and get to the part where I offer to buy you out-”

“I’ve heard enough, Daniel. So now you listen to my message!” Lazlo’s voice grew firm, “You have affected my livelihood and stolen my money. And that has dire consequences.”

Dan grit his teeth, but let the man speak.

“And I know those two Chinese whores, Tara and Kitty, are helping you. And when I catch them I’m gonna bury those two bitches in my brothel and make money off of them until they shrivel into nothing.”

As Lazlo threatened Dan, the math teacher gripped the side of a desk and trembled the same way he did after evading the assassination attempt yesterday. But he let Lazlo continue.

“Daniel, you’re going to give me my money back, and you will die slow.” Click!

Lazlo hung up.

Well then...

Dan put away his phone and listened to the chorus of midtown Manhattan traffic outside the classroom window. The sounds of civilization. The phone call shook him to his core. He calmed himself by taking a few breaths while strolling through the aisles, straightening all the desks in his classroom. But his heart still raced.

The bell rang for the sixth period.

Lost in thought Dan wandered out into the hallway. At one hundred eighty centimeters, he stood taller than most of the students passing him on their way to class. Standing in the hallway his dark brown hair covered his eyes and he seemed to drift. Until one student approached him.

“Hey, you daydreaming Mr. Capra?” asked Rica Reyes as she passed him by.

“Heh, a little bit,” He smiled, suddenly happy to see her.

She returned his smile and stepped off, “Ok, I gotta get to clas-”

“Rica?”

“Hm?” she stopped and turned around in the middle of the river of students in the hall. “Yes, Mr. Capra?”

“Can umm..your guys be ready for tonight?” he asked quietly.

As he asked the question Rica's face changed. Her eyes grew cold, and she smiled a cruel smile as she locked eyes with him.

“Yes, Mr. Capra. My boys will be ready tonight.”

...

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