I watched the struggle in shock until they were on the floor.
Officers read Reese his rights. The familiar, metallic click of handcuffs made my adrenaline pump. My spine shivered at memories from a different lifetime.
I got down to my knees and buried Dizzy's mournful face in my chest to muffle his cries. I looked at William in fear. What if they came into the house?
He shook his head as he read my thoughts. I whispered to Dizzy to stay calm and breathe. Reese would be unhappy if he were caught. He could get Reese into more trouble if they found us in his house.
He stopped struggling and sobbed into my wet hair. I was a broken teddy bear as he dragged me against his chest.
Chapter 23- Tulips
The police left the front door wide open as an invitation to looters. We waited before dragging ourselves off of the kitchen floor. I had been arrested once, shortly before my bipolar diagnosis, but never put on probation. I didn't know what to do or when we would see Reese again.
William helped Dizzy up. Our family was disconnected. We were missing a part of ourselves. I perched on the arm of the couch as William led Dizzy to his lonesome bed.
William rushed past me to the closet with a slip of paper in his hand. He burrowed through the mess of shoes and laundry until he found a pair of jeans. His teeth drove into his lip as he dug the burner phone from a pocket.
I followed him outside as he dialed a number. He paced the small stoop as I stood in the doorway, curious.
“Ma?” William’s voice bounced as he lifted onto his toes. “Yeah.”
I couldn't hear anything but a shrill voice speaking fast through the phone. “Yes, he is. I have the money but I can't exactly walk into a police station and pay it right now.”
What was happening? Who was Ma? What did we need money for?
“I love you, too.” He flipped the phone closed and grinned at me. “Do you want to meet my mom?”
“Your mom died.” How was I supposed to say that without sounding calloused?
He laughed and grabbed my hips. I tried to smile through his euphoria and the screams of my tender being. I held onto his neck as the world tilted around us.
“Who is coming?” I asked.
“Reese's mom. You're going to love her.”
✷✴✷
Hours ticked by. Dizzy wasn't ready to leave the bed. I made room for myself to hold and console him as he cried himself to sleep again. William sat on the floor and stroked his knotted hair. The sky darkened outside when I heard the front door open.
I reached for Dizzy's gun on the nightstand; memories from the night of the attack made my searing throat close in fear. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
William’s hand landed on mine as my fingers wrapped around the cold metal. A deep, feminine voice called out.
“Hello?”
William's grin flashed and Dizzy lifted his head, sniffling. Her shadow lengthened in the hallway.
She was gorgeous, her stature reminiscent of her son’s. Her hair was curled and piled on top of her head. Her dark purple skirt and short jacket made her look sophisticated and well taken care of.
She peered in at us and shook her head, smiling back at William.
“My Will. Look how grown you are.” She stretched out her arms and he leaped up, squeezing her. I saw the wetness in her eyes as she kissed his jaw, the tallest part of him she could reach.
He turned and grabbed my hand, pulling me from the bed. She nodded in approval as she looked me up and down. “So this is what all the trouble has been about?” Her eyes sparked with affection despite her words. “What did you do to yourself, Baby? Did you fall down a flight of stairs?”
The irony made a choking laugh burst from my chest. Ma cocked her head in amusement and confusion, but William was a stone of self-loathing again.
Ma shook her head at us. She turned to William, “I told you to keep him out of trouble. How do you expect to do that with your own face plastered all over the news?”
“I'm sorry, Ma.” He looked down in genuine shame for Reese's predicament.
She looked to the bed and pushed past William to stand over Dizzy. He stared up at her like a sick child looking to his mother for healing. With her hands on her hips, she shook her head.
“Come on, honey.” Her voice was gentle and patient despite her body language. She lowered to the edge of the bed and put his head in her lap. She rubbed his matted locks as she crooned to him softly.
I pulled William from the room to give them privacy. In the hall, he turned to hold me. “If anyone can help Dizzy right now it's Ma.” I kissed his shoulders. He dragged me to the kitchen with excitement. “I'm going to make her favorite.”
I sat on the counter and watched him work, pulling pasta, melting a whole pound of butter, chopping garlic, onion, peppers, and black olives to throw in the butter and wine sauce.
He had me help him with the bread. I told him that I could handle a more important job than slicing bread and toasting it in the oven.
I burnt it. William gave me an exasperated look touched with humor and had me slice another loaf.
“It smells marvelous.”
I turned to find Ma in the doorway with Dizzy towering behind her. William turned from sautéing asparagus to flash her the grin I loved so much. He offered her our bed for the night but she shook her head. “I don't want to put you out. I already have a hotel room.”
Dizzy, William, and Ma sat on the couch to eat and I sat on the bed to observe. She looked out of place in our tiny home with the worn furniture, cracked wall, and peeling wallpaper but she appeared comfortable.
It reminded me of when we first arrived, except there was no booze, weed, or violence. The way William acted towards Ma was different from how he had acted toward my mother. He protected and cared for Mother. He loved her and comforted her, but the relationship in front of my eyes made me wonder what his biological mother had been like.
I listened in wonder to bits of his childhood. He and Reese frequently got into fights in the neighborhood. William was caught sleeping in Reese's closet the first time he ran away from home. She spoke about William and Reese moving to Memphis and when she had to move to Tennessee to keep them out of trouble.
She asked me a few questions about myself and I tried to be as vague as possible without seeming rude. When she asked how William and I had met I got the sense that she already knew some of the details of our story. I looked at William for an answer.
He watched my reaction and sat up on the couch. “Ma, you already know.” He looked her in the eye.
“I'm not one to judge you, Will. I simply don't understand it,” she said simply. Her tone told me she was sincere.
How did she know anything about me?
The news. We were on every news channel every fresh hour. Mother and the power of money kept us flashing across the screens.
“They know you're here in Memphis. Have you been misbehaving, too?” she asked him directly.
I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the opportunity to ask about what she had heard. William could see it in my eyes. He told her he hadn't but that we had been spotted at the store. He didn't tell her about the bank robbery or the shoplifting.
Somehow he kept her talking through the whole visit, his eyes betraying him when he would glance in my direction. He knew what the news was saying.
“What did happen to you, Baby?” Apparently, my name was Baby.
I debated on the best way to respond and decided on the truth. “I was attacked a few nights ago. William, Reese, and Dizzy helped me, though.”
She nodded. “Well, I need some rest. You’ve gotten even better at cooking,” she told William, patting his cheek sweetly before kissing it.
She stood and so did the men. I scrambled off the bed as she pulled Dizzy down to kiss his cheek.
She turned to me and dragged me to her in a hug. She whispered in my ear, “Take care of him.” We all walked her outside to her bright yellow
BMW.
As her taillights disappeared I turned to William, “She has money? I thought Reese's dad is an alcoholic.”
“He was. She left him after we moved here and she moved to Nashville. He died soon after. She went to school and got a job. She tries to help Reese but he won't accept anything financially. She worked too hard for it.”
I nodded in empathy. I looked up into his eyes to catch him surveying my thoughts. I laid a hand on his chest, backing him against the house with a sly smile. I pressed my hips against him, brushing my lips across his mouth.
When he was trapped between me and the wall I leaned in and locked my arms around him.
He groaned as his head rolled back. “It’s not nice to trick people.”
“What is being said on the news?” My voice was low and as intimidating as I could make it, but I worried he would simply pick me up and move me.
He didn't seem to know what to do. I could see him trying to find an escape without being disrespectful. His eyes met mine, full of pure fear and misery. They begged me silently and I jerked back. “I'm sorry. I can't say it.”
I swallowed hard. As much as I felt I needed to know, I didn't want to hurt William in the process. I had to find another way.
✷✴✷
The next afternoon, as we gently attempted to bribe Dizzy out of bed with ham and fresh green beans, the front door opened again. I knew it was probably Ma but I couldn't help shrinking against the wall. Nightmares aren’t limited to sleep.
Ma's face appeared in the doorway, “Y'all come sit down in the living room.” She turned and left the room before calling out, “you too, Dizzy.”
He growled and sat up on the bed. William chuckled as Dizzy stood and snatched the plate from him, resigned. He stomped out of the room, shoving the pink meat into his mouth.
William and I followed, hand in hand. William sat on the end of the couch and I perched on the arm.
She put one hand on each of the men's knees and looked between us. “His court hearing is in two days. They don't know if he will get bail. If he doesn't, he will likely get another eighteen months.”
She stared at Dizzy, watching for his reaction. He stared down at his empty plate. Defeat drenched his expression. He had expected to lose Reese.
“However,” she continued, “If he does get bail, it will be expensive. I know you don't want my money,” she peered at William, her eyes hard. “I know you want to respect Reese's wishes but if I need to, I will gladly give him the money. I would even make it a loan if it made you feel better about it.”
William shook his head. “We have the money. It might be the last of it, but we have it.” I didn't know how much money we had but the lie darkened his eyes.
“Where did you come across a quarter of a million dollars?” Her tone wasn't accusatory. She seemed to be talking to a child with his hand in the cookie jar.
“I’m excellent at saving my money.” The devious smile made her roll her eyes.
“I knew you couldn't have been behaving. You don't know how to.” She didn't even seem disappointed in them.
William seemed to think she was. “Sorry, Ma.”
“You're a good boy. Old habits die hard.” The weight of their consequences sagged her shoulders. To her, they would always be the little boys she had raised.
Chapter 24- Moss
Ma didn’t stay long but Dizzy’s pain engulfed me. I didn't know what I would do at the possibility of being separated from William for more than a few days, much less a year and a half.
“Dizzy?” William came up behind him. “We need to get more money.” Dizzy nodded sullenly.
The hysteria of the last robbery flashed in my mind. It would be different. Our Reese depended on the money and we didn't have weeks to plan.
We had two measly days.
We all rushed to dress. The importance of our success made our blood pump in trepidation.
I dropped into the driver’s seat. Dizzy folded in beside me and William settled into the back. Neither of us wanted to give Dizzy any reason to feel isolated or unheard.
We drove around the city for hours, trying to find what looked like an easy mark. Hidden in darkness, we stopped and watched a man lock the door to a place that advanced checks. The building and its neighbors were so graffitied that the original color of the bricks was indiscernible.
The anxiety was almost tangible. When we pulled into the driveway and climbed out, Dizzy pulled himself onto the hood of the car. It creaked and dipped with his weight. He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled out a blunt. He set it ablaze and passed it to me.
I took it as I listened and watched William and Dizzy discuss how the job would play out. They didn't know much about the area or the place itself. William claimed taking over a similar place years before. It had been easy at the time, but not likely so simple anymore.
“Are you up for this?” William asked Dizzy, the worry apparent in the quiver of his voice. Dizzy shrugged. He lifted his hands to say he would do anything for Reese.
“You've never gone in before.” I didn't know if William was trying to talk Dizzy out of it or trying to help him see the reality of the situation. Terror flashed in Dizzy's face. “I can go in alone,” William assured him.
Dizzy shook his head, mimicking my movements.
“It's not a big deal. You're the best getaway driver. We'll need that.” He glanced toward me apologetically. “You're a little crazy behind the wheel, Ruth.”
I easily agreed but also didn't want William walking into the unknown alone. “I’m going in with you.”
Dizzy slid off the car, shaking his head in protest. William’s eyes popped, his teeth baring at the thought. “Like hell you are,” he growled.
I lifted my chin. William threw up at his hands at my defiant gesture. “I’m as useful as any of you.”
His head tilted as he leaned toward me, bracing his hands on my shoulders. His soft tone made me bristle, “of course you are.”
“Oh, don't patronize me,” I snapped as I slapped his hands down. “I’m serious. Dizzy has never done it before. Neither have I. You're right, we need him ready with the car. But it's stupid to try to do it alone.”
His stance widened as his fingers flexed and nostrils flared. “You are crazy if you think I'm going to let you do that.” Fear poured from his veins but I was right. He couldn’t go in alone.
“It's a good thing I didn't ask for your permission.”
His face hardened and he shook his head. Snatching the blunt from my fingers, he fumed into the house. Dizzy jumped as the door slammed closed. He looked at me with a new sense of appreciation.
✷✴✷
As William cooked dinner I watched his body language. He hadn't said one word since our disagreement. The twitch in his jaw and the tightness of his neck warned me that he couldn’t be reasoned with.
Dizzy didn't seem to mind the silence but stayed close, worried he would need to separate us like children.
After dinner, I took a plate over to Granny. She smiled widely and asked me a question I wouldn't have understood if she hadn't pointed along my body.
“I’m doing fine. Thank you for helping me.”
She whisked me into the house and pulled up my shirt. She changed the binding around my torso and checked my stitches and bruises. Her fingers pressed gingerly on my ribs and took notice of when I winced or bit down on my lip to not yelp.
She told me some odd instructions and I thanked her, not fully comprehending what she said. I kissed her on the cheek as she walked me to the simple screen door.
It slammed closed behind me. The night air was starting to have chill. It wouldn't be long before Granny would freeze in her home.
I started across the street and froze when I saw the police car in front of the green house- the brothers’ home. A cop was talking on his radio.
I tried not to run, to stay discreet and calm as I made my way into the house. William looked into my alarmed face. He rushed toward
me. “What's wrong?”
“Where did you take the brothers?” I asked.
He glanced toward the front door as we heard a small crash down the street. We stuck our heads out to see the commotion, noticing several other people down the street doing the same.
Three police cars were in front of their house. An officer ran out and vomited on the lawn as another tumbled backward off the stoop.
“You took them home?” I looked from Dizzy to William, not knowing who to chastise.
“They'll think it's gang-related. We did a number on them.”
I shook my head. “That's not exactly foolproof. What if one of the neighbors saw you dragging their limp corpses down the street?”
William and Dizzy shot each other grins. “They did.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
William shot out a hand to cover my mouth, "They’ll hear you." He glanced out the door to make sure we hadn't pulled attention to ourselves before releasing me. "I don't think we have to worry about the neighbors." Dizzy motioned clapping as William proudly announced, “They gave us a standing ovation.”
I wondered how many women they had attacked over the years, most of them likely not having three men to protect them or even being able to protect themselves against the two beasts.
I sighed and glanced back out the door. Police taped the area off.
Our house was supposed to be empty so we turned off all the lights and Dizzy pulled the car around into the back yard. I sat in the doorway and motioned for him to stop when I thought an officer might be looking our way.
We all sat on the bed in the living room, watching from the window as house after house the police questioned neighbors. Most shook their heads and closed the door quickly but one kept pointing down the street toward the green house. It looked like he was imitating a monster truck. I had no idea what he was telling the police. I leaned against William and tried to keep my eyes open.
✷✴✷
When I opened my eyes, my head was in William's lap as he slumped against the wall. My legs were being cradled by Dizzy. I smiled at how sweet they looked when I realized dawn was starting to streak the sky.
Truth: Book Two of the Taboo Series Page 15