Elizabeth slowly shook her head. “Stanley isn’t the type to lead. He would be the protector. He hasn’t ever made the first move in anything. He is quick to listen, meaning he is a fast learner. Slow to act will love them all the same but will have none of them in the end.”
It was William’s turn to laugh sarcastically. “Gloria and him not together. I do not think there is a love stronger than theirs.”
Elizabeth stood. “We would all like to believe what we want to believe, William. I have told you everything I think I know about the dreams inside a dream. Like I said, if it is discovered that is what is going on, it will be too late for anyone to do anything about it.”
William stood as well. “Why do you say that?”
Elizabeth looked towards the window. “Because we are nothing but a dream, William. That is why.”
“Have you seen Gloria?”
“No,” she said sharply. “And from the topic of conversation that we have discussed, I hope I don’t.” William didn’t say anything as he walked away. Elizabeth turned the power back on. She closed her eyes and gasped as she felt arms come around her and a soft kiss on her cheek. “What do you know of the storm in the darkness?”
Tears flowed softly from her eyes as she said, “You should be hiding, I love you, Stanley. She has to fulfil her part.”
“She isn’t strong enough,” the voice said.
“Then she will die, Stanley, and there is nothing anyone can do about that. The ways of the dancers may have been forgotten. But in the supernatural, only the dominant rule. The weak either fall as subjects or die as prey. It has always been that way.” She opened her eyes and looked down, hoping to see arms. But she didn’t see anything. As suddenly as the feeling came, it left.
William placed the key back in the lock box on the wall as he unlocked the door. He made his way through the garage to the door as his cellphone rang. “Hello.”
“Have you found her yet? It’s been nearly a week,” Bobby said with a concerned voice.
“Not yet. Has she called you again?” William said as he opened the door.
“Call me if she does. I’ll call you if I find something.” He hung up the phone. As he made his way into the studio, he was surprised to discover the place wasn’t being rented out and even more surprised at the condition the building was in. He pulled out his phone and took some pictures and sent them to Barbra. As he made his way upstairs, he opened the door and walked in. There was a tall, muscular man lying on the sofa asleep. On the end table was an assortment of drugs. Several syringes that had been used were lying around. he walked into the dining room, then the kitchen. He made his way down to the office. He walked over to the desk and opened the top drawer. “Damn, Gloria, where the fuck is the gun? Where the hell are you, and what in the name of God are you doing?” He walked out of the office and checked the bedrooms. They all had people in them asleep. But no sign of Gloria. William walked back to the front room. He walked over and sat down in a chair and waited. It was several hours before someone came walking into the front room. William took a look at the tall and lanky man. “Where is Gloria?” he said calmly.
The man looked at him. “Who?” the man replied.
William leaned forward. “Gloria Parker, the woman that owns this place.”
The man rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know any names. The woman that brought me here was a blonde. Hell, she brought us all here.”
William stood. “Okay, where is the blonde?”
The man shrugged. “Don’t know. The bitch fucked my brains out after we.. ”
His voice started to quiver slightly as he was looking down the barrel of a pistol. “Look, man, the bitch picked me up. She said she had some good shit. I was down for a free high. We got here and she started with me, man. Hell, the bitch knows how to suck dick. Hell, she was fucking everything in sight. Hades was the last man she was with. They were downstairs when I came back up and crashed. If she isn’t here, I don’t have a clue where she is.”
“Hades.”
The man pointed to the large guy on the sofa. “That was the one she was with and Hades was the name she screamed over and over.”
William lowered the gun. “Get the fuck out of here.” The man walked away fast. William walked over to the sofa, grabbed the back of it, and flipped it over. The couch flew over and the big man stood up. He looked at William. “What the fuck? You got a death wish?”
William pointed the pistol. “I’m looking for Gloria Parker. The blond woman that calls you Hades.”
The man smiled. “Crazy-ass bitch. I don’t know a damn thing about her. Some guy called me and told me he would pay me five grand to hang out with this bitch. I showed up and the bitch was stoned out of her fucking mind. She cut her hand and drew crazy shit on the walls and floor with her blood. She did some stupid dance and then she started hearing things.”
“Did anything odd happen while she danced?” William said with a forced calm voice.
The man shook his head. “Apart from her staggering and nearly falling a couple times, no. After she finished, I fucked the shit out of her like she wanted. She came upstairs and left with another chick. She was holding a helmet, so I assumed she left on a bike of some kind. The beds were all full and I had partaken of the refreshments she provided, so I crashed here. She said something about hanging a picture on the wall of fame. Kept talking crazy shit, man. I think the bitch was on some bad shit. She shot up before she left, her and the brunette.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” William said to the man as he backed away. The man walked out. William started waking people up, and once everyone was gone, he locked the place up and called the restaurant in San Francisco. As William got in the car, his phone rang and he answered. “Yes, Barbra.”
“I did as you asked me to when I got the text. The symbols were pentagrams to the Underworld. It took me a while to locate them. She is trying to reach Hades.”
William transferred the call to the Bluetooth to his car. “She is on some strong shit. I’ve got to find her before she overdoses. I think she is on her way to the dancehall up there.”
“I will see to it that no way she is going to show up and not be seen.”
Lucy walked over to a table in the restaurant. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked with a smile.
The man held out an envelope. “Guy out in the parking lot said he was very busy and had to leave. It was very important that I give you this. He said it was concerning your brother that was missing.”
Lucy gave him an odd look and took the envelope. She opened it and pulled the card out and read, ‘Old home place. Come now and come alone. Jake Coleman.’ She dropped the envelope and walked back to the kitchen. “Ross, something came up. I’ve got to leave. Call Darleen and tell her to come in early.” Before he could say anything, Lucy grabbed her purse and walked out the back door.
Lucy put the car in park, opened the door, and got out. She jumped as she heard, “Been a long time, Lu.”
She turned and saw him walking towards her. “What are you doing around here, Jake? All these strangers and now you.”
He walked up close to her and she wrapped her arms around him. “This is my home. People poking around here makes me nervous,” he said as he returned the hug. “I’ve always watched after my home, Lu, and you know that. What’s been going on? I know you’ve had to have heard something.”
“All I know, Jake, is a good man was killed. Britney Farley was close to him. Word is she is pregnant with his child. His name was Stanley Thomas. We all thought he was with his dance partner Gloria Parker. Turns out Gloria has been seeing Bobby. They have a child together. The moment she first brought the baby in, I knew it was Bobby’s. She looked just like him. Anyway, after the man was shot, they brought him back here. Gloria was going out of her mind, then she suddenly just up and left. No one knows why. Bobby is about to
go crazy.”
“Do you think anything happened to her?”
Lucy shook her head. “No. Talk is she once had a drug problem and she is strung out somewhere. But that is only a rumor and from one of the strangers. But the odd thing is so many people are watching them until it isn’t funny. No one can get close to that house without being seen.”
“I’m going to be poking around, Lu. I don’t want anyone to know I am here. If you hear something you think I should know, come by and let me know.”
Lucy nodded. “You know that works both ways, Jake. If trouble is coming, we need to know as well.”
Jake kissed her on the cheek. “If I think I can’t handle it, you will be the first to know.” He walked her to the car and opened the door. As she drove away, he said, “Do a location check. The entire town is Operation Hotspot,” he said into his Bluetooth.
As JD turned to look back towards the old home place, words from his past haunting his mind. “Lord, watch over my boy, them babies going to need him.” His blood grew colder as he walked towards the door.
Three weeks later, William walked into a club. He sat down at the bar and the bartender walked over. “Still haven’t seen her. It’s been years since she has been in here. I don’t know why you would think she is going to come in here.”
William nodded. “Just give me a soda.” As the man walked over with a soda, William looked around, ‘I know you haven’t left, but where the hell are you, Glow?”
A young woman walked up to the bar. She was wearing a pull over shirt and jeans. Her hair was long, down to the middle of her back. She said, “I’ll have a water.” She turned and leaned next to the bar. “You will find what you are looking for in the wind if you will just listen.”
The bartender set a bottle of water down. She turned handed him a twenty. “You heard me,” she said as she walked away.
William watched her walk out the door. He stood and followed her to see what she was talking about. At this point, he was desperate. As he walked outside, the woman was nowhere to be seen. But he heard a sound in the wind. A song played: “Do You Hear What I Hear?” It was Gloria’s favorite Christmas song. He walked towards the sound. It never increased in volume, no matter how fast he walked, and when he turned, the sound went away. He would turn until he heard the sound again. Several blocks away, he stood in front of an old small building. A motorcycle was parked out front. He walked fast towards the building. “I don’t know why in the hell I didn’t think about this place,” he said to himself as he opened the door and went down the stairs. He walked fast up to the old soda machine and grabbed it, pulling it out, dropped down to the floor, and crawled through the opening. He walked fast down the hall and opened the door. Gloria was lying on her side on the floor. Her face was covered with vomit and foam. He rushed over to her, and on the sofa, another woman lay. Her eyes were open. William could tell she was dead. He pulled out his cell phone and called Barbra. He lifted Gloria off the floor.
The sound of beeping woke Gloria. She slowly opened her eyes. Everything was blurred. An arm held her close. Everything was blurry as she tried to focus. An IV pump was beside the bed. Her body shook as she started to get up. The arm held her tighter. A tear came to her eye as she touched the arm. “Stanley,” she said with a soft, hopeful voice.
“You came very close to joining him, Gloria.”
She closed her eyes. “William, how did I get here?”
“I brought you after searching the entire damn state. You were nearly dead when I found you. It was only by the grace of God you lived. The woman that was with you didn’t make it. She didn’t have any identification. Do you know who she was so I can contact her family?”
Tears flowed softly from her eyes. “The last thing I remember was going to Memphis. How long have I been gone?”
“Just over six weeks. You been here for two. We kept you out to get the drugs out of your system.”
“Bobby.”
“Is waiting for you to come home. Gloria, you need to get on some medication to help you deal with things. You talked in your sleep. I wasn’t about to let you wake up alone. In a couple days, I’m taking you home. You have something very special to hold on to. Don’t screw it up.”
Chapter 2
Back Home Again
William walked into the house. Bobby looked at him. “Where is she?” Bobby asked anxiously.
“She wanted to walk down to the gazebo.” Bobby started to walk away. William grabbed his arm. Bobby looked at him as William explained, “She is walking on thin ice, son. It can break at any moment. She has a lot of regrets of what she has done. She is very fragile, so hold your temper and don’t get angry. She’s on meds to help her. Don’t make her feel worse than she already does. Where is Britney?”
Bobby pointed. “The bedroom at the end of the hall.” William released him and walked towards the way Bobby pointed as Bobby made his way out the door.
William knocked on the door to Britney’s bedroom. “Come in,” a soft voice called out.
William opened the door and walked in. Britney was sitting up in the bed holding a book. William heart melted as he saw the pained look on her face. He could tell she had been crying. He walked over, sat down on the bed, and placed his hand on her leg. “How are you holding up?” he said softly with a concerned voice.
She blew out a breath. “From day to day.”
He nodded. “It will get better with time. I know it doesn’t seem like it will, but trust me, it will. I wanted to talk to you for a second about Gloria.”
Britney set the book down and looked at him. “What about her?” William washed his hand over his face. “She doesn’t remember hardly anything about the past few weeks. What she does remember she won’t hardly talk about. Don’t try and get her to talk, but if she wants to, listen. I didn’t tell Bobby, but for a few days, it was touch and go with her not dying.”
“She was in love with him, wasn’t she?” Britney asked with a sad tone.
William shook his head. “I can see where anyone who knew them would and could think that.” He reached up and took her hand. “Britney, he was everything to her except someone she could be in love with. Gloria and Stanley were as different as day and night. In many ways, he calmed her down. In a lot of ways, she made him explore life far more than what he would’ve.”
“Was he in love with her?” she asked with genuine curiosity.
William smiled and laughed slightly as he shook his head. “No, he wasn’t in love with her, but he felt the same as she did. And would likely have taken her death just as hard if it had been in reverse. Probably more so. Stanley was always level-headed, but when he lost his temper, he could be hard to calm down.” He paused for a moment and said, “Gloria has a wild side three miles wide and ten miles long. Coming down off her high, she had many very vivid dreams and talked a lot. She doesn’t remember much of what she did. But she remembers a lot of her dreams, and to her, they feel very real. In her dreams, you and she had a relationship that went a little more than just friends. I told her they were dreams. It may take her some time to adjust back to reality.”
“What do you mean ‘more than just friends’?” Britney asked, not understanding what he said.
“Gloria goes both ways in an intimate relationship. She is just as comfortable with a woman as she is with a man. I know she didn’t want anyone in this town to know that because many look up to her and have a great respect for her. People don’t accept women like her in certain circles. For the first time in a very long time, she cares about public opinion about her. She said she didn’t know why she left. But I believe she took some of the stronger drugs that caused her to return to her addiction and she left because of that.” William stood. “Like you, she has a hard fight to get her life back straight. But in time, I am positive she and you both will get past this tragedy. If you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ca
ll me.” She nodded, and William walked out the door.
Gloria sat looking out at the lake. She didn’t look at Bobby as he sat down and placed his hand on hers. He was about to say something when she said, “I know I cheated on you.” He saw the line of water come from the side of her eye and start down her face.He took his other hand and wiped it away. “A wrong can be forgiven. But the truth is I cheated on you first, so I guess that makes us even.”
He took in a deep breath before he could finish what he was going to say. “An addiction to drugs is hard to overcome. The desire to feel what the drugs do never goes away. The urge subsides to where it is easily overcome, but sometimes, it flares up in moments of great stress. The memory of how it took the pain away surfaces. It increases the urge to just find relief from the pain. I didn’t intend for it to go as far as it did. I should’ve known better.” She looked at him and he could see the pain and regret in her eyes. She could see the loving concern in his. “Don’t ask me to talk about anything that happened because I never want to remember.”
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “I’m just glad you are home,” he said softly. She wrapped her arms around him and they held each other tight.
Bobby walked into the house and went into Britney’s room. “How is she?” Britney asked as she set the book down.
Bobby leaned next to the door. “Something is different about her. She seems more distant and more guarded for some reason. I’m going to go over to Mom’s and get the kids. You want to come in a sit with her for a few until I get back?”
Britney stood. “Sure.”
Bobby walked back towards the front and Britney followed. Gloria was sitting down with a drink in her hand as Bobby and Britney walked in. Bobby walked over and kissed Gloria. “I’ll be back in a few.” She nodded, and Bobby walked out. Gloria looked at Britney and thought, ‘I can’t stop thinking about her. I dream every night about us. I have never felt this way about anyone. From the night I took the drugs until now. What is happening to me? Why do I want her so badly? Stanley loved her so much.’ Gloria looked away from her.
Love and Beyond Part 3 Page 6