“There’s our hotrod, call it in,” Russell said starting the car.
Zack looked through the binoculars at the Barracuda that had just emerged from the parking garage. He wished that the windows of the car weren’t tinted so he could get a good luck at the woman in person, from the pictures provided he had ascertained that she was indeed quite the looker. Not that he had any hope of attracting anyone with his current and incredibly fucking asinine hairstyle. With a frown, he grabbed the cell phone to report her movement.
They followed for about ten minutes until she pulled into the parking lot of a liquor store and went inside.
“Ya know for somebody who knows she’s a target, she carries on like it’s the least of her fucking concerns,” Russell stated.
“No kidding,” Zack agreed.
“I don’t know why we have to follow her around if they ain’t gonna try and take her down. I mean it wouldn’t be hard to bag her from here with a rifle round,” Russell said.
“You heard the lecture today. She knows we’re here and for no reason whatsoever are we to engage her.”
“Yeah, I heard. But it would be so easy.”
“Russell, just between you and me, I think that chick would be all over us if she even suspected she was in danger.”
“What? She acts like she doesn’t have a care in the world.”
“She knows exactly what she’s doing or they wouldn’t be so worked up about her. Besides, I got to thinking about some of the shit I’ve heard about The Wraith over the years.”
“And?”
“And watching that chick wander around openly like she is, makes me think that the maybe some of the stories I’ve heard aren’t all that farfetched.”
“So what do you think the hold up is?”
“On what?”
“Why haven’t we moved on her yet?”
“I dunno, but Mike said that we’ll be moving into an office building next week so I bet we’ll be here for awhile.”
“I hope not, it’s embarrassing driving around with you and that retarded haircut,” Russell said with a huge grin. “I feel like I’m chaperoning an envoy of the Special Olympics or something,” he finished with a chuckle.
“Do yourself a favor, Russell. And don’t piss me off anymore than you already have,” Zack said sinisterly.
Russell’s grin faded swiftly and he wisely refrained from commenting. He studied the scenery with a keen interest to avoid the glare being aimed at him until they were following the Barracuda again.
“This is the same way we went last night,” Zack said after a few moments.
“She’s probably going to see the redhead again,” Russell said hopefully. “Did you get the night scope out of the trunk?”
“Way ahead of you. It’s in the back seat.”
“Cool. You think she’s a dyke?”
“Let’s hope so,” Zack said and they both laughed.
“Yep, she’s going to the redhead’s house, this is the same neighborhood. Should we call it in?”
“Let’s wait and see if they go out again first.”
They watched the Barracuda pull up into the driveway and Russell pulled over to the side and parked.
“Are those flowers?”
“Yep, roses,” Russell confirmed through his binoculars. “A hot date, perhaps?”
“Perhaps,” Zack agreed as he watched her disappear into the house.
“I got first dibs on the night scope.”
“Fuck you, we settle it in the usual manner.”
III
And I want to be with you,
Be with you night and day.
—Hewson, Evans, Clayton, Mullen
“Do I look okay?” Piper asked Nancy as soon as the doorbell rang.
“You look great, although you forgot to stencil ‘Easy’ on your forehead,” Nancy said chuckling at her own joke.
“I’ll let that one slide only because it was kinda funny,” Piper said amused as she turned and walked to the door. She stopped at the mirror in the entry to give herself the once over before she opened the door to discover Bailey bearing gifts.
“Are those for me?” she asked excitedly.
“Yes,” Bailey said shyly and presented her with the flowers, smiling when Piper did a little hop and took the roses from her hand. The smile got larger when Piper leaned in close and kissed her.
“They’re beautiful, thank you.” She smiled. “Come on in.”
Bailey crossed the threshold and Piper closed the door behind her. With a smile, Piper took her hand and led her to the kitchen where Nancy was seated upon a barstool.
“Let me put these in water,” she said, letting go of Bailey’s hand.
“Hi, Bailey,” Nancy said.
“Hello,” Bailey said politely.
“I made spaghetti and meatballs, I hope that’s alright,” Piper said with a sly grin at Nancy as she ran water into a vase. “Nanny helped a little, but I’m afraid that she’s only capable of the basics, like boiling water,” she added amused with herself.
“Yes, I’d probably starve without Pippy around,” Nancy said sarcastically with an annoyed glance at Piper.
Bailey listened to the interplay between the two with slight confusion, but shrugged it off as she watched Piper fuss with her flowers. She turned a casual look upon Nancy, who was a pretty girl, almost as petite as Piper but with light brown hair and eyes.
“What do you do for a living, Nancy?” she asked curiously.
“I’m a flight attendant with TWA,” she said with a look at Bailey, instantly wondering if the woman was aware of just how penetrating her eyes were.
“Piper said you two have known each other since you were kids?”
“Oh yeah,” Nancy started with a smile and Piper who was observing both of them carefully stiffened slightly. “I could tell you all kinds of things about her if you like.”
“Nanny,” Piper said warningly and was dismayed when Bailey put the bottle of wine on the counter and took a seat on the barstool next to Nancy’s.
“Okay,” Bailey said far too enthusiastically for Piper’s taste.
“Nanny, isn’t it time for your medication?” Piper intruded.
“No, I took it an hour ago, why don’t you put the wine Bailey brought in the fridge before it gets warm,” Nancy said with an infuriating smile before returning her attention back to Bailey.
“What do you want to know? I have many, many gems of information to share,” she said and almost giggled when she heard Piper mumble under her breath as she put the wine in the refrigerator.
“Was she always pretty?” Bailey asked curiously.
Piper, who was hurriedly sorting through escape plans, caught her breath at the question. It wasn’t a question asked out of a playful teasing but one asked from an innocent curiosity. She realized that Bailey wasn’t aware of the slightly mean-spirited game Nancy had instigated and had just asked because she truly wanted to know. It was deeply touching and, looking at her innocently awaiting Nancy’s answer, she began to suspect that hard was not a strong enough word to describe how badly she had fallen.
“Uhm… yes,” Nancy said a little startled as well. “Yes, she was always pretty.” .
As soon as Nancy responded, Piper came around the counter and gently placed a hand on Bailey’s back. She felt the muscles under her hand move slightly with the contact but she rubbed a soft circle on her back with her palm and was pleased when she felt Bailey lean into her hand.
“You’re very sweet,” she said to Bailey and kissed her quickly on the cheek before turning narrowed eyes upon Nancy. “And you are out past your curfew, or should I brandish my rapier-like wit and discuss the many gems of information I can happily provide about you.”
“Oh, look what time it is. I’m going to miss my shows,” Nancy said innocently, hopping up from her stool. “Bailey it was nice to see you again, you kids have fun,” she finished hoping for a painless escape as she padded down the hall.
Piper watched
her until she disappeared and then turned to Bailey with a smile. “So, how was your day?” she asked brightly.
“It was very good,” Bailey said honestly.
“Really?” Piper asked intrigued.
“Yes, how did your day go? Is everything going alright.”
“Yes, busy though.”
“Have you looked into getting an assistant?”
“I haven’t had the time the last couple of days,” she admitted.
“I see, I’ll look into getting one for you tomorrow and you should move into John’s office so you can be closer to your staff.”
“Uhm…okay,” she said uncertainly.
“What’s wrong?”
“It just seems a little quick to be setting up camp in his office,” Piper admitted
“I can understand that, but you need to acclimate yourself as soon as possible and you need to be easily accessible to the staff.”
“Alright,” she said quietly.
“It’ll be fine, the word is, you’re doing a terrific job but you need to delegate a little more. Let others do the work and step in when asked or needed.”
“You’ve been checking up on me?” Piper asked with a little smile.
“Of course, I want you to do well, for…uhm…a variety of reasons.”
“Such as?”
“Well, there’s the business aspect, but mainly because I…uhm…want to spend time with you and I don’t want you to wear yourself out,” Bailey admitted.
“That sounds like a plan then, because I want to spend time with you too,” Piper said with a shy smile moving around to stand in front of her. “I thought about you all day, ya know?”
“You did?”
“Yep, and I want a smooch before dinner,” Piper said demandingly.
“What’s a smooch?” Bailey asked curiously.
“This,” Piper said leaning forward to kiss her gently.
“I knew what a smooch was,” Bailey admitted and Piper chuckled at her.
“Have a seat at the table and I’ll get dinner,” Piper said with a light slap to Bailey’s hip.
“Okay,” Bailey said agreeably.
“What kind of dressing do you want with your salad?” Piper asked while getting everything together.
“None, please.”
“None?”
“I don’t like dressing on my salad.”
“I’ve never met anyone who ate their salad dry,” Piper said amused as she set a plate and silverware in front of Bailey who just shrugged her shoulders.
“Did you want to try the wine with dinner or did you want something else with your food?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
“I’m gonna have a Coke with dinner, is that okay?”
“Coke sucks, do you have a Pepsi?” Bailey said turning around when Piper laughed.
“Gee, why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” Piper said chuckling.
“I’m sorry, it just popped out,” Bailey said honestly.
“That’s okay, I thought it was funny. How about iced tea and I’ll buy some Pepsi for next time?”
“That’s fine,” Bailey said.
She sat quietly for a few more minutes until Piper had everything situated and sat down herself. She had just put a forkful of food in her mouth when Piper started the conversation.
“Can I ask you a question?” Piper asked and Bailey nodded to the affirmative.
“I’ve noticed that you don’t paint your nails or wear makeup, how come?” Piper asked curiously and then added. “Not that you need to, you have a great complexion.”
Bailey chewed for a few seconds and swallowed. “I just never thought it necessary, I guess.”
“Well, in your case it really isn’t, I was just curious on how you come across as so feminine with so little effort.”
“I wasn’t aware that it took an effort,” Bailey said innocently and Piper giggled.
“It’s an effort for some more than others,” Piper said and then whispered conspiratorially. “Nancy has to bleach the hairs above her lip or she gets a mustache.”
“Really?” Bailey asked in amusement, chuckling as she conjured up a mental image of the woman with a mustache.
“Yep, would you let me paint your nails?” Piper asked.
“Sure.”
“I rented ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ for after dinner have you seen it?”
“No.”
“Great, I think you’ll like it. Do you know how to two-step?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a dance, I was hoping we could try it.”
“I assume you know how?” Bailey asked.
“You don’t grow up in New Orleans and not learn to dance,” she admonished. “I would love to teach you if ya wanna try?”
“I guess so,” she said cautiously. “Can you teach me here?”
“I was thinking about going out to a club,” Piper said.
“What kind of a club do you go to?”
“It’s a country dance, so we would go somewhere that plays that kind of music and has a dance floor,” Piper said and noticed the sour look on Bailey’s face.
“A country music place?”
“You don’t like country music I take it?” Piper asked amused at her expression.
“No.”
“We don’t have to go, I thought it might be fun,” Piper said trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
Bailey looked at Piper carefully and sighed. “Did you want to try this tomorrow night?” she asked wondering why she caved in so quickly.
“Yeah, if you want to,” Piper said happily.
“I’ll have a lash at it I guess,” she said a little grumpily and Piper chuckled.
“Don’t sound so enthused, you’ll have fun I bet.”
“Did you have a place in mind?”
“There’s lots of places, did you wanna try a regular club or try to find one in Midtown?”
“What’s the difference?”
“A regular club would be a straight club and one in Midtown would be a gay club. Which one would you feel most comfortable going to?”
“Doesn’t matter, you choose,” Bailey said casually.
“I would’ve thought you’d choose a gay club over a straight one,” Piper said honestly.
“Why?” Bailey asked curiously.
“Because two females dancing with one another in a straight club can gather a lot of attention.”
“I don’t care what people think,” Bailey said dismissively while spearing an olive out of her salad.
“You really don’t do you?” Piper asked intrigued.
“Why would I?”
“Because, one can sometimes face difficulty or prejudice being in a relationship with a member of their own sex,” Piper said carefully.
“That’s not an issue with me, Piper.”
“Really, why?” Piper asked with open curiosity.
Bailey rolled a mouthful of spaghetti up on her fork and considered. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s you that I’m attracted to and your gender really doesn’t come into play,” she said honestly. “Categorizing myself as straight or gay would be a waste of time. I want to be with a person, not a specific gender. That person is you and I really could care less what people think, but I do care what you think and to me that’s all that matters.”
“I think that’s one of the more enlightened viewpoints I’ve listened to on the subject,” Piper said. “A little naïve, perhaps,” she added carefully. “A great many people would disagree with you.”
“Perhaps,” Bailey shrugged.
Piper watched in amusement as Bailey picked through her salad for the things she liked.
“Miss Cameron, I believe you’re the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met,” she stated seriously. “And I’m very glad that you’ve chosen me to spend your time with.”
Bailey’s eyes came up from her salad and she glanced at Piper suspiciously. “I’m glad you think so and I
feel the same way, but can we tell jokes or something now? I’ve been pretty pleased with myself that I’ve not stuttered my way through the evening so far.”
Piper laughed. “Okay, I know an Irish joke, wanna hear it?”
“Sure.”
“Why did God invent liquor?” Piper asked.
Bailey shrugged her shoulders.
“So the Irish wouldn’t rule the world.”
“Funny,” Bailey said tonelessly.
“Tough room,” Piper said with a smile. “You wanna try that wine now?” she asked noticing that Bailey had cleaned her plate and ate most of her salad.
“Okay,” Bailey said agreeably.
Piper got up to collect their plates and padded to the kitchen. “Do you want me to make popcorn later?” she asked as she deposited the plates in the sink and retrieved the wine from the refrigerator.
“Sure.”
Piper brought the bottle of wine and two glasses back to the table. “Are you done with your salad?”
“Yes, dinner was good, thank you,” Bailey said.
“Anytime, and you’re welcome,” Piper said happily, collecting the rest of the plates.
“Pour us a drink and I’ll be back in a sec,” she said dumping the rest of the dishes in the sink and disappearing down the hallway.
She reappeared about a minute later and sat several bottles of nail polish and accessories on the table before Bailey. She seated herself and scooted her chair forward until she had the correct angle and beamed a smile.
“Ya ready?” she asked cheerily.
“I guess so,” Bailey said warily and Piper chuckled.
“It’ll be fun, what color would you like?”
“You choose,” she said and watched with a smile as Piper scrunched up her face to consider the matter.
“I think a crimson or a pearl would look best, you agree?”
“Sure,” Bailey said noncommittally.
Engravings of Wraith Page 18