Charity For Nothing: The Virtues Book III

by A. J. Downey

  “You love him?” I asked her, and glanced at her face. Her eyes were closed but the smile that spread across her lips told me everything it needed to before she used her voice.

  “Very much, I don’t know how I would do this without him.”

  “You would, you know. You’re stronger than you know.”

  “You think?”

  “You’re still here, aren’t you?”

  Her face lost its easy smile of a moment before, and she sighed.

  “A lot of girls didn’t make it,” she murmured.

  “Yeah?”

  I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know this, but if Faith could live it for going on two years, I could hear about it and not flinch. It wasn’t a fair trade, but it was all I could give her, and so I would.

  “Some were killed, some they accidentally overdosed, some tried to run one too many times, others just never came back from their…” she groped for a word and I wanted to help, so I picked one of the most sanitized ones I could.

  “Assignments?” I suggested.

  “Johns. Customers,” Faith gave a one shouldered shrug. “My therapist says I shouldn’t try to marginalize anything that happened to me. That plenty of people would, to suit their own comfort level and that I shouldn’t do that. That by acknowledging the really horrible things that happened, that by confronting things head on, it will allow me to deal with them better than hiding from them, you know?”

  I nodded, “Makes sense, I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head, “Don’t be. You didn’t know.”

  “Now I do,” I said and knocked my shoulder into hers.

  “What about you?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “What about me?” I asked, grinning.

  “You think you love Nothing?”

  The question made me think and finally, I answered her as truthfully as I could, “I think something is there, besides just the absolutely bat shit insane attraction. He’s kind of a hard man to get to know.”

  “I didn’t ask about getting to know him. I asked if you were falling in love with him.” She rolled her eyes and I laughed.

  “Yeah, I think I am, but he’s so damn mercurial,” I admitted.

  “I know, I wanted to ask you to be careful, but I didn’t want to upset you.”

  “I’m not offended, and I get why you would ask. He has hurt my feelings and he has been a dick, but…”

  “But?”

  It was my turn to roll my eyes, “He sets my panties on fire with a look and his dick is magic?” I tried and Faith burst into laughter.

  “Marlin’s the same way; I think Cutter is the same way for Hope, so I get what you’re saying.”

  “Something changed between yesterday and today,” I said.

  “I should hope so!”

  I made a face, “Leave her out of it, I’m surprised she hasn’t gone all Corporal Badass on him and beat him up for being a douche the last time.”

  “I think she’s letting you fight this particular battle on your own, but word; she’s not happy. You deserve better than how he’s been treating you with this hot and cold routine.”

  “I know,” I said softly. “Somehow I think the cold tap has been shut off, though.”

  “Why?”

  “He promised to talk to me,” I said and it came out sounding childish and skeptical even to me. I winced.

  “Yeah, well, we’ll see if he does,” Faith said and sounded skeptical too.

  “That’s just it, he did.”

  “Yeah? When?”

  “This morning,” I said.

  “What did he tell you?”

  “A lot of things, but I don’t feel like I should share, you know? Nothing is a private person.”

  Faith nodded, but I could tell she was a little disappointed. I tilted my head and rested it on top of hers.

  “Sorry, Bubbles.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Hey girls!” Lightning marched past us dragging what looked like long lengths of rebar topped with neon plastic flags through the sand. Faith and I burst out laughing.

  “What are you doing!?” she called out to him; he turned to face us, carrying on with his antics, dragging the long lengths.

  “Storm is coming in! Gonna be a light show!” he called back and for some reason, my sister and I looked at each other and found that to be hysterically funny. Dissolving into a fit of giggles that damn near tipped us right back out of the hammock again.

  Shadows descended on us and we blinked up at Marlin and Nothing.

  “Hi!” I said and both of them smiled down at us.

  “Hey, didn’t Lightning tell you? Storm’s coming,” Marlin said.

  “What is he doing?” I asked curiously.

  “Up and at ‘em, and we’ll show you,” Marlin said grinning and with a yelp, he scooped up my sister. I cried out as the hammock tipped and threatened to spill me out, and Nothing was suddenly there. I hadn’t seen him come around to my side, but his hands were wrapped around mine, and his body blocked mine enough to allow me to get my feet under me.

  “Whew! Thanks,” I said smiling, and gingerly got to my feet. “Ouch!”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked frowning and it warmed me, the concern in his voice.

  “Sore from yesterday, I think. Delayed onset muscle soreness, it’s to be expected after getting tossed around in a trunk.”

  He pulled me against his chest, his arms going around my waist, and I held him too, taking comfort. I frowned over his shoulder at Lightning who’d put on a pair of work gloves and was thrusting the long, long pieces of rebar deep into the sand of the beach, at random intervals. The neon pink, construction marking tape, fluttering in the stiff breeze coming in off the water. Dark clouds were on the horizon and moving in fairly quickly.

  “What is he doing?” I asked again.

  “One of his favorite, odd jobs. Dangerous as hell, too. Come on, let’s go inside and I’ll fill you in.” Nothing shook his head at his brother as he came trotting towards us across the sand.

  “You done?” Nothing called.

  “Hell no! Just grabbing more.” Lightning panted and disappeared around to the side of the house.

  “That fool is going to kill himself, again.” Atlas uttered from the back patio. I gathered up my wrap and cover up, slipping into them and walking with Nothing to the back steps. Atlas handed an unopened beer to Nothing but Nothing shook his head.

  “No thanks, man,” he said and gave me a squeeze around my waist where I was tucked into his side.

  “Oh, my god! You’re killin’ me! What is he doing?” I cried.

  “Fulgurites,” Radar said opening up the back slider. “Come on, let’s watch this fool fry himself.”

  “Folgers what?” I asked, “What’s coffee have to do with anything?”

  Nothing laughed, “Not Folgers, fulgurites.”

  “What’s that?”

  Radar answered me, “When lightning, the phenomenon, not the brother, hits the sand; it superheats it and turns it into a hollow glass tube. They’re really cool looking, and really rare. When the storm conditions are right, Lightning helps God along by driving in the rebar. If he’s lucky, one or two will get struck, the lightning travels down the rebar, superheats the sand and he’ll get a fulgurite out of the deal. He makes a killing on ‘em in one of the local, high end gift shops on the boulevard. If he manages to sell one, he’s good for a month or more.”

  “Wow!”

  “Like he said, they’re really rare.”

  “Fragile too. If he gets one, he’ll be lucky to keep it whole getting it out of the ground. That’s why they go for so much,” Atlas took a drink out of his can.

  “I guess if he’s unlucky, lightning doesn’t hit one of his bars?” I asked.

  “Nah,” Atlas said.

  “If he’s unlucky, the damn fool gets hit, and Nothing has to run his ass out there and save him.” Radar said with a grin.

  “Wait, he stays out there during the storm?�
� I asked.

  “Stupid motherfucker,” Stoker said from behind us and laughed.

  “How many times has he been struck?” I asked incredulous.

  “Just the once,” Nothing said. “And once was enough.”

  “Oh my god, I don’t know who’s more insane, him for doing it, or you guys for letting him!”

  “Probably a good mix of both, Trouble.” Cutter said, and I turned to look up at him. He winked at me, and grabbed a couple cold beers from the fridge. “You’re welcome to join me, your sisters, and Marlin in my private box for the show,” he said and I frowned.

  Nothing chuckled, “He means the master bedroom upstairs. Floor to ceiling windows, you get a better view of the shenanigans.”

  “I think I’d better stay down here, in case something goes wrong,” I said. The first rumbling of thunder rolling in distant came in from the water. The breeze carried with it the scent of ocean, rain, and ozone and Lightning was still out there running around the beach like zippy the squirrel, driving rebar into the sand. I felt myself grow tense.

  “Suit yourself, Trouble. Enjoy the show,” Cutter said with a grin, and took the back stairs two at a time, disappearing. Most of the brothers had crowded in behind me, standing at the sliding glass doors and watching Lightning, drinking beer and taking bets and I was mollified.

  “Isn’t he in very real danger?” I asked.

  “Yep, and that’s just the way he likes it,” Atlas said.

  “You’re all crazy.” I stated matter of factly.

  “You ain’t lyin’.” Beast observed and all of the men burst out into laughter.

  I tipped my head back against Nothing’s shoulder and rolled my head back to look up at him, startled to find him looking down at me, a faint smile gracing his lips.

  “This is like, totally normal for you, isn’t it?”

  He gave a one shouldered shrug, “Lightning’s been doing this for years; its how he got his name, way before he was ever hit. This is part of the divide between our lives and that of your average citizen. We do what makes us happy, with the full support of our brothers. This makes Lightning happy, so here we are. If something goes wrong, we help him. It’s just the way it is.”

  It was food for thought, and those thoughts were interrupted by Trike saying, “Here he comes.”

  Lightning was hotfooting it across the sand even as the first drops of rain started to patter against the glass. Thunder boomed and he leapt up onto the patio and turned around to watch progress.

  “Isn’t he coming inside?” I asked.

  “Nah, it took a lot of work just to get him to get on base,” Beast said.

  “Base?”

  “The patio.”

  “Oh.”

  Light flashed, brilliant and blinding enough for me to throw up a hand and it hadn’t even dissipated when the thunder boomed hard enough to shake the very walls. I jumped and Nothing held me tighter against his body. The guys were all laughing and looking at me and I blushed. Lightning was pacing back and forth in front of the glass, muttering to himself.

  “This is insane,” I said just as a bolt leapt from the ground and crashed from the sky onto one of the pieces of rebar in the sand.

  The thunder was deafening, and you could feel the crackle of electricity on the air. I clapped my hands over my ears and flinched back into Nothing, who I could feel shaking with laughter. When my hearing returned it was to the guys cheering and clapping. Lightning leaping up and down on the other side of the glass shouting like a teenage boy who’d just beaten the hardest boss on the hardest mode of the game.

  I shook my head in disbelief as Nothing’s warm hands drifted up my body to rest on my shoulders, his thumbs digging slightly into the base of my neck, easing the tension in my shoulders.

  “Oh my god, this is crazy!” I said but I couldn’t deny the smile on my face, or that the jubilant glee of the men around me wasn’t seriously infectious. My heart lifted in excitement for Lightning even as more electricity lit the sky, sheeting through the clouds.

  I suddenly found Nothing’s hand at my throat, cupping my chin and drawing my face up to look at him, even as his lips descended on mine and a whole, different, electrifying feeling took over. Sweeping through my body, stilling my breath in my lungs for a fraction of a second even as his tongue swept into my mouth and swept all inhibitions away. I twisted, turning in his arms; my arms going around his neck even as I leaned my body into his, wanting more. More of this, more contact, more of his warmth, just more.

  The guys were shouting and cheering, whistling and rowdy around us, but I was sure it had nothing to do with the sparks happening outside and everything to do with the sparks igniting in Cutter’s kitchen between me and Nothing.

  ”Come home with me tonight,” he murmured and I nodded, readily. I likely would have agreed to anything he asked in that moment. Such was the spell he had on me. God, I was such an epic sucker for this man and his bad boy image.

  I rested my head on his chest, tucking it beneath his chin and folded myself into his welcoming embrace. He held me, turning so that we could still watch the dwindling show outside the glass.

  Atlas set down his beer on the table and jogged back to the living room. Lightning was watching where he’d gone from outside the glass, his hair and clothing soaked, plastered to his wiry frame.

  “He clear!?” Radar called.

  “No! I’ll tell you when.”

  Lightning was bouncing on the balls of his feet, and Radar rapped on the glass, Lightning’s gaze switched from their intent focus on the living room to where Atlas was standing and making a cutting motion across his neck. Lightning very nearly deflated and bobbed around impatiently.

  Several minutes went by, and the sky began to clear. Lightning looked very nearly ready to come out of his skin when Atlas called, “Okay! He should be good!”

  Radar knocked on the glass again and gave two thumbs up; Lightning whooped, grabbed up a five gallon bucket from under the patio table and tore out onto the beach, looking up at the tops of the rebar.

  “What’s he looking for?”

  “See the flags? The ones that got hit, they’re going to be melted. It’s not perfect because a lot of the ones close to the one that took the hit will be melted, but it tells him which ones to dig up carefully, so he doesn’t break it,” Radar explained.

  “Can we go out there?” I asked Nothing.

  “Yeah, you want to see?”

  “Yeah! This is fascinating.”

  He smiled and huffed a laugh, “Yeah, it was my first time, too; come on.” He slid open the sliding glass door and we stepped out onto the patio, washed clean by the rain. I drew in a deep breath that was tinged with ozone, the smell of wet earth, with just a tinge of the acrid smell of burning metal.

  “Come on out! Don’t touch any of ‘em yet though, still might be hot!” Lightning shouted from down the beach.

  We spent the rest of the day digging up fulgurites with the care and consideration one would use to unearth ancient treasures. Lightning even had an assortment of different paintbrushes to use to brush sand away from their twisting, corroded looking surface. They were beautiful. Sparkling when you turned them this way and that, under the sun. They looked like a living thing of fire and sand, like coral. Wild and warm to the touch, I could understand with both how fragile and unique each one was, how they fetched such a price.

  The piece of rebar that had taken the direct hit, had the biggest one, but there were more, smaller and much more fragile ones from where the bolt had split among a few nearby poles and done its magic.

  “Here,” Lightning said and laid a small, spidery fulgurite, delicate as spun glass, though not nearly as clear, into the palm of my hand. “Keep this one, it’d never make it in the gift shop with people picking it up and handling it all the time.”

  “You sure?” I asked.

  “Absolutely! Gotta have something from popping your fulgurite cherry.”

  “You just had to ruin the momen
t, didn’t you?” Hope asked from over Lightning’s shoulder and he nodded happily. Hope rolled her eyes and winked at me.

  Out of the three of us, I’d taken to this the most, Faith being happy just to tuck herself against Marlin, a look of contentment on her face.

  I yipped with girlish excitement at my new treasure and carried it up to my room in my cupped hands. Finding a safe place for it was a bit of a trick, but that accomplished, I stood back and admired it, sitting atop my night stand in a protective curve of the base of the iron lamp there.

  “Beautiful, like you,” Nothing uttered from the door. I hadn’t realized at first that he’d followed me up.

  “Thanks,” I replied, blushing.

  “Come home with me tonight,” he said again. “Pack an overnight bag; let’s leave now. I want you to myself.” I swallowed hard and met his gaze and saw sincerity and heat there.

  “Okay,” I murmured.

  “I’ll go tell the guys and your sisters we’re headed out,” I smiled a little half smile.

  “Good luck with Hope, better you than me.”

  “I think I’d brave a lot more than Hope for you, now.”

  “Yeah?” I asked softly.

  “Yeah.”

  “How come?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve been given one hell of a wakeup call,” he said and turned, heading down the hall toward the back stair. I think I sort of liked the sound of that.

  I took my time, putting together a proper overnight bag with options according to what the bipolar weather of Florida might be the next day. Nothing reappeared in the doorway.

  “You ready?”

  “Yeah, just let me grab a pair of flip flops, I figured I’d follow you in the Jeep?”

  “Sure, whatever makes you feel more comfortable,” he agreed.

  “Thanks, that obvious, huh?”

  He nodded, “I’ve been a dick, I realize that, but I promise, that’s over. Still, I get it, once burned twice shy. Were I you? I’d want a bug out option of my own too.”

  I felt like a jerk, even though I knew I had no reason to, so I said the only thing I really could say in a situation like this one: “Thanks.”