Bender

by M. Stratton

  “I can understand that, but why here?”

  “My family had a farm out near Harvard, and we had to go this way to get to Chicago. I always remember how excited I got when we went through here because it meant we were almost there. I’ve watched it deteriorate over the years, and well, I wanted to do something, and thought this would be a great place to start.”

  “But we couldn’t find who was behind Twelfth Day.”

  “I don’t want anyone to know it’s me. Right now, I run a bookstore. There is so much more I can do from here, day to day, than in some office somewhere miles from where I’m needed. Where I can try to make a difference.”

  “Lady, did you ever think this was a lost cause?”

  “Nothing is ever a lost cause.”

  “Keep telling yourself that.” He turned away from her and started pulling boxes out of the duffle bag he had brought in.

  She walked over to him and stood behind him. “Now, what exactly are you doing?” She watched as his shoulders rose up and down in a silent sigh. She had to give him credit; she didn’t hear a sound come out of him, but knew exactly how frustrated he was.

  Once he showed her where he was going to be putting all the equipment and her control center, i.e. back storeroom, where she’d be able to view and listen to everything going on, including right outside her front and back doors, she went back to her workstation and started answering her emails.

  Unable to stop herself, she gave out a little excited scream when she read her last email. Bender came running and skidded to a stop and looked around.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Sorry. Everything’s fine, better than fine actually.” She tapped the computer screen. “I just got an email from a really good friend. She owns a bookstore in Boston and she’s coming out here with her new husband to pick up some rare books he’s been looking for.”

  “And you felt the need to scream over that?”

  “Well, yes. We met in college, the library in fact, and because of our love of books we hit it off.” She frowned for a minute. “Think of an old friend you have; you don’t see them all the time and then suddenly you know they are coming to see you, and you remember all the things you both love and you’ll be able to share that with them again, even if just for a day.”

  “I don’t have friends.”

  “Not even anyone from high school that maybe you haven’t seen in a while?”

  “Lady, I’m not the ‘friend’ type.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you apologizing for?”

  She shrugged. “I’m sorry you don’t have that. Everyone deserves at least one person in their life like that. I’ve only had a couple, but it means so much to me.”

  “I’ve made it this long without one; I think I’ll live without one.”

  “You shouldn’t have to.”

  “It’s not a matter of having to; it’s a matter of not wanting to.”

  “Don’t you get lonely?”

  “Everyone is lonely, even when they are surrounded by people, even when you are with the ones who are supposed to mean the most to you.” He turned and walked away from her.

  Absently she opened a drawer, pulled out a package of chocolate chip cookies, and started nibbling on them wondering about him, and what made him the way he was. She turned back toward the computer and clicked to open a new email. Maybe it was time to find out more about Mr. Bender. Everyone always told her she shouldn’t be so trusting; in the past, she always listened to her instincts, and they never had steered her in the wrong direction. But there always is the first time. After keying the search request in, her finger lingered over the mouse before she clicked the button.

  As he pulled into a parking space behind The Night Club, Bender cursed the fact he was driving an SUV. He was sure Murdoch was laughing his ass off; the only thing that would have made it better was if it was a mini-van. He was thankful for small favors.

  Pushing the code into the keypad, he opened the backdoor and walked through to the quiet bar. Not much happened around the bar during the day, just the old-timers hanging out watching some kind of sporting event on the television. When Roger, his bartender, saw him, he nodded to him. Bender changed directions and walked to the end of the bar so they could have a private conversation.

  “What’s up?”

  “Wanted to let you know there were a couple of cops here last night.”

  “Really? What’d they want?”

  “Didn’t say, but they were snooping. Asking a bunch of questions about you mostly.”

  “What’d you tell them?”

  Roger gave him a look. Bender knew the look and the reason for it. Roger had been on his team for years now. “That it?”

  “Nope, they were also asking about Stormy.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Already told Murdoch, he said you were putting in a security system at her bookstore today.”

  “Yeah, I did. Also going to do her condo.”

  “What else are you going to do?” Roger stared at him without blinking.

  Bender growled at him. “I’m sure you don’t mean that the way it came out.”

  “Dude, we’ve worked together on jobs for over ten now and you have never gotten this close to any woman. There’s something different about this one. Remember, Murdoch makes sure we see all and know all. I’m just trying to make sure your head is still in the game.”

  “My head’s always in the game.”

  Roger looked at him hard. “Just don’t put my ass out there while you’re checking hers out.”

  “My head is always in the game, Rog.”

  “Cops said they’d be back. They want to talk to you, especially one guy, didn’t leave a name, and said you’d know him when you saw him.”

  Bender stood there for a minute, not happy where this was going. “Thanks.” He turned and walked back into the storeroom and up the secret ladder to his apartment. Opening the closet door in the small hidden room, he began to take out guns and ammunition. He was afraid there was a war coming and he didn’t want to be caught without enough firepower to take the enemy down, and to protect Stormy.

  Without thinking too much about his feelings for Stormy, he picked up the phone and called Murdoch.

  “I’ve got some answers.”

  “Hello, boy, how are you?”

  “Fine, old man, now do you want my answers?”

  “Sure, sure, keep your shirt on.” Bender could hear paper rustling around. “Now what ya got for me?”

  “Stormy owns Twelfth Day.”

  There was silence on the other end of the phone.

  “Are you still there?”

  “Yeah, yeah. . . . No shit? Didn’t see that one coming. We might have a bigger problem than we originally thought then.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because, boy, Twelfth Day is trying to buy up all of Hela’s properties. All at once. And Mick and Nutter own Hela.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah, I just found out about it today. What do you think Mick and Nutter are going to do when someone comes in and wants to buy up all of their buildings? What are they going to do when they find out its Stormy?”

  “Based on the video you showed me before, it’s not going to be pretty.”

  “You got that right.”

  “But it will take them awhile to find anything out, right?” He was starting to panic. That was never good in any situation, but this one where the stakes were just raised, could end up being deadly.

  “It won’t take them long. We hadn’t been trying too hard because those properties were actually benefiting the community and there weren’t any illegal activities going on there. We had other fish to fry, so we were looking into the other properties and their owners closer. They will focus everything on Twelfth Day.”

  “Shit.”

  “I’ve started my own diversion; hopefully it will work, and I’m pulling all the backup I can from ever
y resource. It’s dicey since I don’t want the locals to figure out what’s going on. Corruption runs rampant here.”

  “Always has. Lucky there were a few good ones around.”

  A dry laugh sounded on the other end of the line. “Yeah, I might know something about that.”

  “That you do, that you do.”

  Stormy looked up when there was a soft knock at her door. Seeing Donnie peeking in, she immediately jumped up and opened the door for him. Once he was inside, she locked the door again and turned to look at him. Her heart broke when she saw him. It was clear his mother, or one of her many boyfriends had hit him, and hit him a lot.

  “What can I do for you?” She hoped he knew what she meant; it wasn’t just about the books, it was about him. He needed help and she was going to do whatever she could, whatever he’d allow her to do, in order to help him.

  “Nothing.” He looked around. “Anyone here with you?”

  “Not right now.”

  “Are you planning on opening up this afternoon?”

  “No, I’ve got a few things to do and then I was going to leave.”

  “You should.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I’ve heard things.”

  “What kind of things.”

  “It isn’t safe for you.”

  “Why?” She knew from experience she had to work with him. He never shared everything he knew right away, and he’d make you work for it.

  “They don’t like what you are doing for the neighborhood. They want you to go away. Squish out the last little bit of hope from us.”

  “I won’t leave.”

  He looked up at her with sad, yet happy eyes. “I was hoping you would say that, but I don’t want you to get hurt. I like your store.”

  It took everything she had not to wrap the skinny, little boy in her arms and take him away from all the bad stuff. Children should be allowed to be children, and not have to worry about being beaten or when their next meal would happen.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt either, Donnie.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t matter.”

  She instantly became furious, but she knew she couldn’t show it. She didn’t want to scare him. “Honey, everyone matters. That’s what I’m trying to show here. And if you take the time, get the education, read; you can do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter where you come from; it just matters where you want to go.”

  Looking at her with big brown eyes, she thought he was seeing deep into her soul, searching to make sure her words were truth and not just something adults think the kids want to hear. He must have found his answer because he gave her a little smile.

  “Where’s Bender?”

  “He’s not here right now; he should be back soon if you’d like to wait for him.”

  Donnie looked out the window and then back at her. “Nah, I didn’t have much time to begin with. I need to get home.” He turned and walked back toward the door.

  Stormy didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to do whatever it took to keep him here, to keep him safe. She’d been looking into what she could do legally and wasn’t coming up with the answers she wanted. She kept her team digging up information on his mother and getting everything ready so when the time was right she could strike and get the child to safety.

  “Donnie, I’m here for you.”

  He didn’t turn around. “I know, Miss Stormy.”

  “Do you?”

  Slowly, he turned around. “Did you know I had a younger sister?”

  Her heart broke in her chest. “Yes.”

  “She died. She died because my mama is more interested in the men in her life than her children. We got in the way. Sissy was crying too much.” He looked up at her with tears in his eyes that he refused to let fall. “She was just a baby, and she cried too much. She cried because there wasn’t enough food for her. She cried because I couldn’t take care of her.”

  Stormy sat down hard on the floor; she wanted to gather him up in her arms, but knew he’d run and be terrified. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Oh, I know that. It’s her fault, Mama’s. I did everything I could, she didn’t. I hate her.”

  “Sometimes it’s okay to hate.” She wanted to keep it in terms he could relate to.

  “You’ll let Bender know I was by?”

  “Yes, I’ll let him know.”

  “Bye, Miss Stormy.”

  “Bye, Donnie.”

  Stormy locked the door after he left and sat back down on the floor letting her tears flow. So much heartache for such a little boy. She cried for his lost childhood and for the sister who never had the chance to grow up. For all the other little boys and girls in the neighborhood who were slowly being weeded out as if they didn’t matter.

  With determination, she stood up, went to the phone, and made a phone call. It was time to set things in motion. Everything might not be perfect, but if she waited for the right time, it might never happen. Feeling a little better, she noticed the garbage was starting to smell. She remembered the last time the kids were here she had a snack for them, but forgot to take the garbage out.

  She made quick work of gathering the garbage and putting it in the dumpster. Turning around she ran right into a solid chest. Looking up she gasped when she realized Nutter was looking down at her.

  Stormy tried to back away from Nutter, but he reached out and grabbed her elbows, keeping her in place. Looking up into his icy blue eyes, she knew her first assessment of him was right. While he was handsome, he was dead inside and he was trouble.

  “My sweet princess, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “You . . . you didn’t.”

  A small smile played around his lips. “Yes, well, I was hoping you had a moment to speak with me.” He let one of her elbows go and escorted her to the back door of her bookstore.

  Stormy wasn’t sure what to do. Should she try to run down the alley? However, he was so tall, she was certain his long legs would catch her in no time. Would it be any safer in her store? He could lock her in there and no one would know. At some point, Bender would see the video, but she could be long dead. The only thing she could hope for was somehow the video was being transmitted somewhere, and someone was watching it and would send help. Soon.

  Once they were inside, he flung the bolt on the door. She was locked in with him. Chills ran up and down her spine. She couldn’t move because he was right behind her. She could feel the air move as he leaned down and inhaled her scent. “I’m very sorry for scaring you last time I was here,” he whispered in her ear. “There really was no excuse for it. I’d like to make it up to you because it would appear I’ve now scared you twice.”

  “No, that’s okay. I scare easily.” She mentally slapped herself upside the head. Not the best thing to tell someone you scare easily when you are scared spitless of them. “What I meant was—”

  “Shhh, princess . . . you don’t have to explain. Shall we?” He gestured with his hand for her to precede him to the front of the store.

  She had no idea what to say to him as they were walking back to the front. With each step, her panic increased, as she got closer and closer to the front of the store where the big windows were; where there was a chance for someone walking by to see them in here. She knew at any moment, he’d grab her, throw her between the tall bookshelves, and kill her. By the time she got to the last bookcase she was almost to the point of throwing up. When she safely passed it and was able to stand in front of the window, she turned around and looked at him. He had a small smirk on his face. She was sure he knew exactly what he was doing to her and was enjoying her panic.

  Casually, he leaned up against the end of a bookcase and crossed his ankles. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was a gentleman. She’d heard enough around the neighborhood to know he wasn’t. And she knew she didn’t hear everything. It seemed like the people in the neighborhood liked to protect her from the rougher edges.

  “Why don’t we talk
about what I can do for you?”

  “Really, it’s okay; I don’t need anything.”

  “Oh, but, my princess, you do! You do!”

  “Umm . . . okay, then why don’t you tell me what I need?”

  “I’ve heard a rumor you’ve been spending time with a fellow named Bender.”

  “Well, actually, he’s been helping me out.”

  His brow furrowed. “What do really know about this man?”

  Hating to admit she didn’t know nearly enough, she glanced at her computer wondering if the report had come in yet. “He’s just been helping a bit here and there.” She decided to speak in generalities hoping she wouldn’t give too much away. Needing something to do with her hands, she started going through the books on the shelves making sure they were all in order.

  “My princess, you should be more careful who you let in your store. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt because of the company you keep.”

  Slowly she turned toward him. “Is that a threat?”

  He pushed away from the shelf and strode toward her. She wanted to shrink away from him, but stood her ground, clutching a book in her hands.

  “Princess, I never threaten.” He cupped the side of her face, tilting it up, and locking eyes with her. “I always say what needs to be said. You can trust me.”

  All she could do was blink at him. She could think of nothing to say.

  Gently, he patted her on the cheek and stepped back. “This Bender character, you really do want to be careful of him, princess. I wouldn’t want to have to defend your virtue.”

  There were certain things, which would piss her off. This was one of them. “I can defend my own virtue, thank you very much.”

  Nutter bowed slightly at the waist. “I’m sorry, my mistake. Maybe I should rephrase.” He tapped his finger along his lips. “I was hoping to do this a different way, take my time, but you see, I’d like very much if you’d have dinner with me tonight.”

  “Dinner? Me? Tonight?” She felt she couldn’t keep up with him and his intentions.

  Chuckling at her, he smiled. “Yes, is it so unbelievable I’d like to have dinner with a charming, beautiful woman?”