Straight Up Interfererence

by Rose von Barnsley

  He frowned and looked away.

  "Do you think I did the wrong thing?"

  He just shrugged.

  "Would you cooperate with them?"

  "I don't know. I guess it'd depend on what it was and who it was concerning."

  "I don't have damning evidence, just enough which might get them a search warrant."

  "So, you didn't see anything?"

  "Nope, I was given something and was told some hearsay about it. It was destroyed, when a crazy Fed set it on fire and did this," I held up my arms.

  "The Feds set you on fire?" he shouted and caused the birds to fly out of the trees overhead.

  "Yeah, so you see why I might be hesitant to work with them. I wouldn't put it past them to plant evidence."

  "Lord Almighty, you got yourself into a mess."

  "I thought they told you about it the first day I was here."

  He shook his head no. "I called Ann Marie, because she'd know the most. Her husband is only one under the big boss, along with his two brothers. She told me you'd proven yourself to be loyal to the family and didn't deserve to go down for this. She said they were trying to pin a charge of interfering with an ongoing investigation on you. She also mentioned you were a little self-conscious about your arms. She didn't say why, though. I didn't realize it was related to that whole mess."

  "Yeah, that's pretty much it in a nutshell." I felt a little relieved that he didn't hold my not talking against me. I realized then that I cared what he thought about me. I figured that if someone who seemed so innocent could accept me, then maybe I wasn't such a bad person after all.

  Chapter 11 – Back

  The walk back to the house was wonderful. Well, it was for me. I stood back, as Daniel pulled out his machete and cleared the brush with his shirt off. Yes, he was sweet and strong. I would bet this was why they had invented the phrase "strong silent type." Or maybe strong and nervous babbling mess might have fit better. His worried rants were endearing, though.

  He would talk when he felt comfortable, but seemed content to be quiet as well. He worked away, never complaining, and the few times he stopped for a drink, he was smiling.

  We finally broke into the cabin's yard, and he stood up, stretching his back. I knew his body would have to be sore from working so hard to cut the path, but he didn't look like the type to complain.

  I stood back and looked up the path he had made, my path, to my grove. "That's amazing. I'm really going to hate leaving it."

  When I turned around, I saw his smile was forced, and he turned away from me. I hoped I hadn't upset him. He walked over to the hose and bent over, rinsing himself off, not saying another word. I could only guess he wasn't happy with me talking about leaving, after he had done all that work for me. I must have seemed ungrateful to him. He grabbed a towel out of a cabinet inside the back door and dried off. "Let me get dinner started. Do you mind watching it while I shower?"

  "Sure, that's fine."

  He seemed a little down, as he moved around his kitchen. He was humming a song, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I knew I had heard it before, and it was driving me crazy. He passed me the spoon for stirring and slipped off to the shower.

  It didn't take long for the food to finish, and I put it in his little mini oven to stay warm. I decided to get my bed ready. I was exhausted and planned on dropping dead on it after my turn in the shower.

  I heard muffled singing. I couldn't make it out, but it was definitely the same tune he had hummed before. I leaned in a little closer, when it became blaringly clear.

  "All by myself…I don't want to be…all by myself…anymore..."

  I stood up straight, shocked. I looked around, almost as if I would find someone else to confirm that I had just heard Daniel singing Eric Carmen's song, All by Myself. The only reason I knew the song was because it was one of my mother's favorites. She often sang it loudly before she passed out.

  I honestly didn't know what to do. I quickly rushed to the kitchen and made myself look busy. I didn't want him to know I had heard him. When he came out, I gave him a nervous smile, as I set the last dish on the table. I wondered if he could tell I had been listening to him by looking at me. He didn't seem to, though. He sat down and dug right in to the stew. It was probably best I didn't bring it up and never let on that I could hear him in there.

  Dinner was interrupted by the ringing of a phone. I looked at him confused. "You have a phone?" I felt like an idiot after I said that. I knew he had one. He had used it the first day I was here, but I hadn't heard it ring once the whole time I had been here. I had forgotten it existed.

  He nodded. "I have a cell with an unlimited data plan for my internet. It was the only way to get it out here. It'd be too costly to run a cable out here, but I do have good cell service from the tower up the road."

  He went to answer the cell phone that was sitting on his desk. It was connected to his computer with some kind of wire, or what I thought was a charging cable. He looked at the caller ID and let out a huff. That scowl from my first day here was firmly fixed on his face again. "What do you want?" He didn't even bother to say hello first.

  His scowl lifted to worry, and his eyes darted over to me. "I don't think that's a good idea." He outright frowned. Then his brow dropped again like he was getting mad. "I don't need you bringing anymore trouble out here. She's fine where she is, and she doesn't need any company. You keep away from here."

  He closed his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. You could tell the person on the other end was still chattering away. It obviously had something to do with me. I gently touched his shoulder to get his attention and motioned for him to give me the phone. His shoulders sagged in defeat, but he handed it over anyway.

  "Hello?"

  "Gabby, my god, I thought that crazy uncle of mine took a hatchet to you or something." It was Marky, and my chest pinched with the ache I had been trying to avoid.

  "No, he'd never hurt me."

  "Does he have you at gunpoint making you say that?" he chuckled. I didn't like him talking about Daniel that way.

  "No, he's been very nice to me."

  "Not as nice as I can be, right, baby?"

  "Don't you have a maid to fuck?" I snapped. I knew I had no right to be upset about something that had happened before we had ever tried to be exclusive, but it still stung.

  "Ah, come on, you know I didn't knock her up on purpose. You know it'd be just you and me if that didn't happen. I miss you." He sounded sincere, and it made it hurt even worse.

  "I know, but you have more important things to focus on now." I fought back my damn tears, making sure my back was turned to Daniel. I didn't want him to see how upset I was. I didn't want him to think of me as another whore his nephew had jerked around.

  "I've got time. There's always a chance she'll lose it during the first trimester."

  I felt like he had punched me. I sat down on my bed, trying to steady myself. "I can't do this."

  "Gabby, please, you know I want to be with you."

  The tears broke loose.

  "Sweetheart, I wish I was there to hold you. You're it for me. It's killing me to stay away from you."

  I still hadn't gotten over my crying.

  "I want to come out and stay with you this weekend, just you and me."

  "And Daniel," I added.

  "Yeah, and that nut job," he chuckled. It wasn't anything like Daniel's laugh. "I'm sure we can hit the bedroom, while he's distracted by his nature shit. I'm sorry you got stuck out there. You must be going crazy."

  I didn't like the way he talked about Daniel or his home. It was enough to get my tears under control. "I like it here. It's quiet and relaxing."

  "Sure, baby, I'm glad you're being a trooper about it. I'll bring us something to do. Mom said there's nothing to do out there at the freak's house. Maybe I'll bring some cards, and we can play strip poker." His laugh was starting to get on my nerves.

  "No, I'm fine," I tried to shake it off. I was hurt and upset, a
nd now he was making me defensive and mad. Daniel had been nothing but kind and understanding, and he wasn't a nut job or a freak. I could see why Daniel didn't like his family coming out here.

  "Okay, I'm sure I can think of something for us to do. I need to see you. It doesn't feel right when you're not around. Even when we weren't talking, I could at least watch you. I had my friends looking after you, so they could tell me about your day. I swear I nearly took Tommy Moretti’s head off, when I saw him looking at your ass. That's my ass. I know you think it's hopeless, but I'll find a way to fix this. You're mine, and I plan on coming out there and proving it to you. I'll bet you miss my fingers, don't you, baby?" his voice was suggestive.

  "You need to focus on your maid, Marky. You need to be there for her, not here with me. Don't drag this out. Don't make it worse than it has to...don’t…don't…" I lost my steam and burst into tears again.

  I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. Daniel looked worried. He was standing too close for his own good. I sobbed harder, wrapping my arms around his legs. He pulled the phone from my hand and ended the call.

  My snotty face was buried in his thigh, with my arms around his knees. He ran his fingers through my hair, trying to calm me, but everything I was running from had hit full force. I wanted it to go away. I had cried it out that first night, and then I had cracked that time at school, but I had been doing so well here, up until now.

  I felt Daniel pull on my arms, so I would loosen my grip on his legs. I sat back embarrassed, but only for a moment. He sat on my bed next to me and pulled me into his arms. He was so sweet, it was too much. Another round of tears hit, but he just held me, not asking questions or prying, not shushing me, he just held me. I would hide here forever if he let me. Somehow, I knew he wouldn't let Marky upset me again.

  I cried myself to sleep and woke the next morning to Daniel's heated voice. "You tell him to stay away from here, Ann. She was a mess last night, and that was just a phone call. You said she's been through a lot. Don't let him make it worse."

  He let out a sigh, and I watched him shift on the couch in the living room. "I don't mind if you come out to check on her, but leave that hoodlum of a son of yours at home." He took in a deep breath. "You didn't see her last night. I won't let him do that to her again. Damn it, Ann Marie, I said no. I swear to god, I'll shoot the little bastard if he comes here. You know it'd take at least an hour if not two to get him to Joey. I wouldn't feel bad, either, for making him feel at least half the pain he made her feel last night." He took a few deep breaths, like he was trying to settle down. "I'm fine with you coming, your driver can come, but he's not to get out of the car. I don't want any of them wandering around my property. It's not a dumping ground." He let out a huff and snapped, "Fine," then hung up.

  I sat up on my little bed, catching his attention. "Hey, how are you doing this morning? I've got bacon!" he said with a grin, like bacon was the cure for everything.

  I smiled back and giggled, because I knew he would protect me, and bacon did sound really good right now, especially accompanied by his smile. "I'd love some bacon."

  He hopped up and quickly set the table. He plated the food and sat across from me, still holding that smile on his face. "I didn't fill the birdfeeders or put out the deer corn yesterday. Would you mind helping me out?"

  "That sounds like fun."

  "Really?" He was surprised. I didn't know why.

  "Yeah, really." Talking with him made me feel lighter. "I love watching the birds. Filling the feeders sounds cool, like it's me out there feeding them. You know, like the bird lady on Mary Poppins, without the poop."

  It was his turn to laugh, which made me smile wider. That genuine sound of happiness was what I needed to forget about the past. I felt the overwhelming need to hug him and thank him for last night, and for protecting me this morning.

  Before he could stop me, I threw myself into his lap and hugged him around the shoulders hard. "Thank you, so much."

  "For what?" He was still stunned, but slowly wrapped his arms around my waist.

  "For being there for me last night," I took a deep breath, "and for this morning. I heard you on the phone. Thank you."

  He ran his fingers through my hair and smiled at me. "Hey, you're my nature buddy. I've got your back." He gave me that goofy grin again, causing me to smile. Yes, this place was the distraction I needed.

  "I've got yours, too, unless there's a bear."

  "You'd ditch me if there was a bear?"

  "You're the one with the gun. What do you want me to do, dance with it?"

  He let out another one of those perfect laughs. "You have a point. Very well, you're allowed to not have my back if there's a bear. But I do suggest you stay behind me when I'm shooting the gun."

  I got up off his lap and gave him a salute. "Will do."

  "Let's get to work then, solider, we have hungry mouths to feed, and they tend to act like animals if they don't get their food in a timely manner," he joked.

  He soon had me smiling and laughing like yesterday had never happened. He was exactly what I needed right now.

  Chapter 12 – Red

  Daniel led me out the back door and around the side of the house. There was a large shed he marched into, not even bothering with the lights. I pushed the door open wider, so I could see inside better. There was a large machine-looking box thing and a few shelves full of different kinds of feeders. There were several bags of different feeds lining the floor under the shelves.

  "Watch out, I need to get the work table out. It makes it much easier to fill the feeders." I stepped back, as he pulled out a wooden folding table. "Do you mind getting the feeders off the shelves? I'll grab the bags of food."

  "Sure." I jumped into action and got to work. There were ten feeders in all, and five red feeders that didn't hold seed. "Should I get these, too?" I pointed to them.

  He looked back at them and smiled. "Yeah, we'll fill a couple of them and hang them where we can see them. As soon as the first hummingbirds come, we'll fill the rest."

  I held the feeders, as he tipped the large bag over each one. I did my best to keep the seeds aimed at the opening, so the food wouldn't spill all over the table. Once those were all full, I went to work closing them off. He pulled a tall stick with a hook off the back wall of the shed. "Now we swap them out."

  We held the full feeders in our hands, and he had the hook under his arm. I passed him a full feeder and took the empty or low ones from him as he brought them down. I watched as he deftly hooked them onto the branches with practiced ease. "You're really good at that."

  He looked at me, furrowing his brow. "At what?"

  "That…you hanging them up there. I'm having a hard time not spilling them when I hold them with my hands, and you're just scooping them up and swinging new ones up there like it's nothing."

  He gave me a happy smile. "Well, I've had a lot of practice. Would you like to try one?"

  I looked up at the treetops dubiously. He was barely reaching a few of the feeders, even using his big stick. "I don't know if I'm tall enough."

  "Follow me." He led me to the lowest one that was still high above our heads. "Take a shot at this one."

  I set the feeders down and took the pole from him. I realized this was way harder than I thought it would be. The pole was heavy, and to keep control of it by just holding the very end of it was nearly impossible. I held it with both my hands, and it still wobbled around a bit. I would swear I heard him snicker behind me. I couldn't be offended, because I was laughing at myself as well. I finally got close to the feeder, but ended up knocking the last of the seed out of the side, making it rain down on us. I had shut my eyes in preparation of getting a mess on my face, but I didn't feel any of it. When I opened my eyes, I saw Daniel's hands hovering over my face.

  "You alright?" he asked, still shielding my face, as if protecting me was completely normal. He shook some seeds out of his hair, and then went to brushing the seeds off his body.

  "Yeah, t
hanks."

  "I've had a face full of seed before. It's not fun, and it's nearly impossible to block when you're holding that pole," he nodded to the pole in my hand.

  "Duly noted." I hooked the now-empty feeder and brought it down, feeling a little triumphant. "I did it."

  "You did great, especially for your first time. I was out here for hours the first time I tried hanging the feeders up high. More birds come because they feel safer when they're up so far from the ground."

  "I wondered about that."

  "Would you like to put the replacement up now?"

  "Oh no, I spilled a mostly empty one. I don't want a shower from a full one."

  He laughed and hooked it up with ease.

  "Show off," I teased, and he smiled widely.

  Once the birdfeeders were hung, I helped him carry out a trough of some kind. He pulled it off into the woods on the side of the house, but still very visible to the backyard, perfect for viewing from the swing. He hurried to the shed and came out with two big bags. "This is the deer corn. They usually eat it from a tall feeder, but I found other animals trying to get into it as well. The first year I had one, it ended up full of squirrels, I had to fish them out a few times. They weren't very happy about that." He held up his hand with a little bite scar.

  I gasped.

  "They were scared, Gabby, but they're very friendly otherwise. Anyways, that's why I got this instead. The sides are lower, and the long shape lets them get a running start, so they can jump out if the food gets low."

  The trees started to swish behind us, and his grin grew wide. "Here they come." Once that first bag was empty, the trough was swarmed by squirrels, who immediately started jumping around each other, trying to claim their spot at the food. A few were run off by others, but Daniel assured me they would come back and eat when the others left. I suspected he knew this for sure, because he looked out for them all. He really was the male version of Snow White after all.

  We filled the last of the feeders, and then he dusted himself off. "I'm running low on food. I'm going to have to go into town. Would you like to come with, or do you have to stay here?"