Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained Read online

  Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

  The Celluloid Closet Series

  Brennen Tammons

  Contents

  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

  About the Author

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  TITLE: NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED (THE CELLULOID CLOSET SERIES #1)

  AUTHOR: TAMMONS, BRENNEN

  1st EDITION

  ISBN: 978-1733776202 (Paperback)

  This story is a work of fiction. Any correlation between people, names, places, events, or politics, are simply coincidental. Although, in this and in practically every other story, there are elements of inspiration based on actual events. However, any exact correlations are simply coincidental.

  This story is graphic. There is strong vulgar language, criminal activity, drug use, and strong violent content. Due to the extreme subject matter, reader should be advised.

  The opinions expressed by characters in this story, may reflect the opinions of the author, or may not. The author wishes to have a neutral stance.

  Created with Vellum

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  To my twin brother, Berton.

  To my mother, Brenda.

  To my grandmother, Sharon.

  To everyone else close to me, I appreciate you as well.

  To God Be The Glory

  -----

  Chapter 1

  NOTHING STARTED, NOTHING FINISHED

  Los Angeles, a vibrant and loud city. A very populated city with an array of activity, and never that many dull moments apart of it. A city that has a lot of action and entertainment to offer, and for those to participate and take part in such agendas. A city that has many opportunities available. In this city, there are many who hold onto dreams of success in their life. Very driven on compassion and desire, with a very competitive edge for those to reign supreme above others in many aspects. This is a city which has many characters and personalities apart of it, all of which are finding their piece of the puzzle in the success and business ladder. It is also a city where crime and masterminding also come into play. In these difficult times to where those who have desires to achieve what they want, will do just about anything to obtain them, it becomes a very complex and complicated industry to understand. Everyone tries their best to fit into a loop or place to which they feel the most comfortable by, and willing to accept and understand their full potentials and abilities toward.

  In the heart of the downtown Los Angeles area on Sunset Boulevard, contains a small shopping center called the “Oakwood Shopping Center”, which for the most part generally isn’t that busy. Business has come and go as the years have gone. The shopping center itself has been around for over forty years. Many patrons use their businesses but all in all, it’s a very low profile strip. Nothing out of the ordinary usually happens. This “L” shaped shopping center which has three outlets facing north, and one single outlet facing east, in total containing four outlets. The northern facing outlets consist of a health and organic type grocery store called “Healthy and Fresh.” The grocery store is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. West of the grocery store contains two more businesses. One which is a family owned Korean dry cleaning business called “Happy Dry Cleaning.” Which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and closed on Sunday. Directly to the left of the dry cleaners is an Armenian Deli which serves donuts, sandwiches and coffee called “Sunset Deli.” They are primarily open during breakfast and lunch hours every day, as they close typically early at 3 p.m.

  The single eastern facing outlet which is connected to to the end of the Deli, is a bank called the “Sunset Credit Union.” This is a privately owned bank, which very seldom has incidents occur. The bank which has gone over numerous name and management changes of the years, has been called the “Sunset Credit Union”, for the past twenty years. The bank is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. The bank by far is the most populated business apart of this shopping center by far. It does cater to the most patrons and clientele. The bank not only is in charge of personal and private accounts, but also takes care of credit payment transactions that customers may need to take care of. The bank is also the oldest business apart of this complex, and has a long history of serving those who live in this particular part of the metropolis. Unlike the other stores apart of this plaza, it contains little to no natural light apart of the building. The most light which protrudes into the building, comes from the entrance door. The bank does not have much security measures. Having very few surveillance cameras, and there isn’t any safety glass behind the tellers. It has an open infrastructure into the whole layout of the bank. In addition, the bank does not have a security guards or security officers present. It is a privately owned quaint bank which very seldom runs into any issues or problems, so the need for that must not be necessary.

  It is 5:45 p.m., which is around closing time for the bank. It is the first Friday of the month, which incidentally is payday for many companies. So the bank is usually quite active on days such as today. With many customers wanting to deal with transactions and business related to their paychecks. Being that it is on the verge of closing, many of the patrons have mostly been helped and tended to already. Patrons generally try to do their business at the bank as early as possible, as the bank is very cordial on closing time. The bank is also closed on the weekends, so it is usually a day that the bank wraps all of its ties and transactions together. So patrons also realize Friday is a very important and detrimental day to get their business taken care of. Just in case patrons are not able to be make it into the bank before closing time, there are there is an automatic teller machine located to the left of the front door of the bank, which can also take care of some transactions that a patron may need to use.

  Today seemed like any other typical Friday at the bank, with everything going according to plan and operating as it usually regularly does. This was until closing time was approaching, to which the attitude and aura suddenly changed for some reason. Today seemed totally different and peculiar. Everyone inside of the bank which included five employees, and three customers currently, for some reason had a very strange unexplainable emotion running through their bodies. As if something unsuspecting was about to happen and occur. Just a very dark and negative energy was just roaming about, and not a single soul could put the pieces together to figure out what the issue and problem exactly was. But nevertheless, it is business as usual and everything is usually going according t
o plan as it usually does, and these dark feelings and emotions at this particular point and time have to wait and be put on hold. Things must continue to go on, despite feelings everyone has lurking in their minds.

  The five employees in the bank consist of two bank tellers, one financial advisor, one bank manager, and one operations manager. The employees have all been with the bank at separate durations; some longer than other. Even though for the most part, they are all familiar with the protocol and procedures of the bank. The last incident the bank has had was over four years ago shockingly enough. There was only one person currently working in the bank who experienced that particular event, whom is the operations manager. However, each employee has been thoroughly trained on how to handle robberies if they were to occur. Despite the very lax security this bank has, the employees seem confident on their code of conduct on how to act and approach a situation such as that if it were to happen. It still doesn’t take away any ill feelings that generally everyone in this building has at the moment. The bank in total has eight employees. Four bank tellers, two financial advisors, an assistant operations manager or bank manager, and an operations manager. Of those eight, only five are currently working on this particular day. The other three employees consist of two bank tellers whom are not currently working, and a financial advisor not scheduled to work today. The bank tellers and financial advisors alternate days when they work. The operating manager, and the bank manager are the only employees who work Monday through Friday, without alternating their shifts. There aren’t any other personnel associated with the bank aside from the Senior Branch Security Manager, who is not an employee of the bank, but an employee of the federal security branch the bank is involved in. He is present from time to time at the bank for security purposes.

  All five employees currently inside of the bank, are anticipating closing time. Performing their usual rounds, awaiting time for the business to close. The bank tellers are currently assisting patrons with their business, a financial advisor is currently helping a patron with their issue. The operations manager who also fulfills the duties of a financial advisor is helping a customer at his desk. The bank manager is standing behind the bank tellers terminals, with a very stern and strict look on his face. Watching the bank tellers to make sure they are doing everything in order and correctly. If they were to encounter any problems, the bank tellers are easy able to call upon the bank manager to help with any assistance.

  This newly appointed twenty-nine-year-old bank manager is Russell McCoy. A slightly chubby man who is robust. He is an auburn haired, tall man with a goatee, with sharp light blue eyes. As far as his face, he has very pudgy cheeks, and a spherical face. He has a short tapered wavy hairstyle, and very bushy sideburns on the side of his face, which neatly connect to his goatee. He has in a way a very grizzly, yet professional look about him. He has on a navy blue tailored patterned suit, which he goes to the dry cleaners located in the same shopping center to get altered quite often. He has on brown leather shoes, that are well polished. He usually has a stoic look on his face most of the time. He is a very introverted man, who keeps many of his feelings and emotions to himself usually. Having a very neutralized relationship with the other employees of the bank. A reason for Russell’s strange demeanor, would have to be his very damaging upbringing and background. Russell is not originally from Los Angeles. He was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin under a middle and working class family. He is of second generation Russian and Jewish descent, although he wasn’t very committed to his religion that much at all.

  While the day is winding down to closing time on this Friday evening, Russell begins to drift and daydream and reminisce on his past and current life a bit. Russell lives by himself in his luxury condo that he bought in downtown Los Angeles. It is located in a short driving distance from the bank. He is a man of solitude generally and keeps to himself. Although he is friendly and cordial to others, he is realistically a man of much mystery. Russell who self-diagnosed himself as having antisocial personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder, has kept this fact about himself very secret. He is particular with his daily life and he has certain routines that he’s happy with, and he’s very strict into going against them. He has many hobbies; he likes to play football, and he is really into watching NFL football games. His favorite teams are the “Oakland Raiders” and the “Green Bay Packers.”

  Russell holds both liberal and conservative opinions about himself. He is involved with anarchy and politics; to which he can be obsessed at times with it. Russell is also a gun enthusiast. He currently owns two guns. A “Smith & Wesson” handgun, and a “Smith and Wesson M&P” rifle. Which he is legally licensed to own both. In his spare time, he goes to the shooting range. Russell virtually struggles with friendships, as his introverted personality doesn’t allow him to connect with others. He has not had any romantic endeavors in his life. That part of his life is kept ambiguous. He doesn’t consider himself the fatherly type, and doesn’t plan on getting married, having children and starting a family. He considers himself a very strict person when it comes to romantic affection. Russell in a way considers himself a bisexual man, with homosexual tendencies. Being both romantically attracted to men, women, and people in general. He is very private about his sex life, and it’s very unknown and obscure at times.

  Russell looked back at how his childhood is one of much trauma and disappointment. An only child, he did not have any siblings. He led a very sheltered young life with his parents, Vladimir and Karla. Due to the fact his parents were sadly killed when he was only five years old in an automobile collision, under intense winter snow weather conditions. His father whom was driving, lost control of the vehicle. While Russell was the sole survivor in the accident riding as a passenger in the back seat. An event which Russell very rarely mentions or discusses due to the extreme amount of depression it causes him. His paternal grandparents were already deceased by this time, so he lived under the care of his maternal Grandmother and Grandfather, to which he had a distant and difficult relationship with, yet still appreciated their support. Russell turned to athletics in his teenage years to suppress these feelings he had. Excelling in football, and becoming very proficient in that. However, despite all of that Russell did not decide to pursue athletics in college, as it just didn’t interest him really.

  He decided to take a different outlook and lease on his life, with his major being business accounting. A dream of his was to be a stock broker in Wall Street, making a career and living out of that. He was accepted into the “University of Southern California”, to which Russell has now lived in and relocated to Los Angeles for over ten years now. He later received his master’s degree in Business Finance. Since he has moved to California, both his paternal grandparents have passed away, and he doesn’t keep in contact with his remaining extended family members in Wisconsin. Devoting all of his time to his new life in California.

  Since earning his degree, Russell decided to turn his passion into working for banks and financial institutions for the time being, with his dream of working in Wall Street still on his mind. He has worked for two bank branches. The first bank being a major branch chain called “First National Bank of Los Angeles”, as a bank teller. During his time as a teller, Russell only witnessed only one incident of a bank robbery. A female teller working two terminals to the left was given a note by a man wearing sunglasses, a brown trench coat and a top hat, to empty all of the money inside of her terminal. She complied with the note, and the man dashed out of the bank. Russell who was busy assisting a patron of the bank, noticed the man’s strange behavior, but did not pay him much attention. With that aside, Russell has not had any issues or problems while working in this bank. Very rarely calling out sick or missing work, due to the enjoyment he had working and helping his customers. He was very devoted to his job, and it was very vital for him to do his absolute best at all times. His main goal was to eventually become a manager at this bank.

  As much as
it hurt for Russell to realize, he did feel at times management of this bank did not have his, or many of the customer’s best interest at all. He began to question his importance at this company, and whether or not he wanted to continue his services here. Career growth seemed to be an issue, and he also had doubts about different rules the company had, which he felt wasn’t fair to some of the patrons of the bank. Russell then strived to find a way to assess and fix this problem. Although he cared for the company and was thankful for his position at the bank, he felt he deserved better. He decided to go for a change of pace and direction. After a few years of working at this bank as teller and gaining experience and knowledge from this position, Russell wanted to advance himself in a smaller bank, working as a manager in charge of all operations. He noticed an opening in a bank across town called the “Sunset Credit Union”, that was hiring for a management position. Russell inquired for this position, and decided to take a risk with it. He put in a two weeks’ notice with the “First National Bank of Los Angeles”, and decided to no longer to work at that branch. He decided to move forward in hopes that this new opportunity was one that was well worth it.

  On the morning of his interview at the “Sunset Credit Union”, Russell arrived an hour before opening to meet with the operations manager of this bank named Peter Jones. Peter Jones is a forty-five-year-old slender, clean cut, skinny and short heighted man of Irish descent, who has a very severe receding hairline, with his salt and pepper hair thinning on a low buzzed level, and spherical metal frame glasses. He looks as if he’s a college professor. He always wears a bow tie and suspenders with every outfit he wears to work. He is gentle and kind hearted man who has a big sense of humor about him. He lives with his wife Linda, and his 10-year-old daughter Louise in Los Angeles. Originally from New York, Peter is a man who has many experience working in banks and the financial world. He has various opinions on an array of topics, mainly because of his age. He holds a lot of virtues along with that. He is an open minded guy for the most part, willing to accept and understand things that most people generally don’t. Peter’s family consist of many immigrants, who came to the United States to seek a better life for themselves, so Peter uses that to fuel his hard working attitude to better himself.