Outside The Ropes

by Ashley Claudy

  "Gage," Dexter's voice was flat. After a moment of silence he said, "We're still at the gym." Then he hung up the phone and pulled the towel away, looking at me. "Gage answered Silas’s phone." His voice was a whisper of shock. "Something must have happened with them too. He's on his way."

  I couldn't worry about them yet; I would have to wait till they got here.

  Focused on Leona again, who had started crying in my lap, I wiped her face with another towel, trying to clean up the remaining blood. I used a wet wipe that had spilled from the kit, attempting to clean up the already drying blood on her face.

  Her small whimpers were like nails on a chalkboard. I tried to shush her and mumbled words I didn't believe. "Everything's alright now, they're gone, we're safe." But there was an edge to my voice as a hard anger crept in and I met Dexter's eyes.

  "I think my nose is broken," he whispered.

  I nodded my head. It was; even in its grotesquely swollen state I could see the bend in it. "Why? What have you done?" my voice was icy.

  He dropped his eyes and shook his head, his shoulders slumped over.

  The sound of the locks at the front door caused a white cold terror to surge through me and I pushed Leona off of me as I stood up, looking for the nearest weight to use as a weapon. But if they were back with guns, there was nothing I could do.

  It receded as quickly as it came when the door opened revealing Gage and Silas. Silas was holding a blood soaked shirt up to his head, but Gage looked fine at first glance.

  Gage's scanned the room and in the next moment he was in front of me, eyes searching my body. "You’re bleeding?" he tried to grab my blood spotted shirt.

  I stepped away, pushing his hand at the same time. "It's not my blood, its Leona’s."

  He let out a breath of air, eyes still moving over me. "You're alright?"

  "I'm fine," I lied. I didn't feel fine, but physically I guess I was.

  One hand circled around my neck and the other around my back as he pulled me in, and my heart leaped to my throat. He kissed my forehead and trailed the kisses to my cheek before I pulled away.

  "I'm fine," I repeated with more strength. "But Dexter and Leona were hurt."

  I gestured to them. Silas was sitting with Dexter, hands to his face. Silas made a quick motion, adjusting Dexter's nose. I thought I heard a sick crunch under Dexter's yell, but couldn't be sure.

  Leona's cries grew louder, and I sat beside her, trying to give comfort. She buried her head into my lap and curled up on the floor. At least this kept Gage away. I didn't trust any of these men in the room, but couldn't think of my next move.

  "What happened?" Gage asked.

  I took a breath and spoke with a surprisingly calm voice, focusing on a spot of blood on the floor. "Four men came in with guns and they emptied your safe."

  "Fuck." Silas jumped and ran back to the office, slapping the bandage in his hands hastily to his cut forehead.

  "They didn't hurt you?" Gage asked softly, kneeling beside me.

  I shook my head. "They were here for Dexter."

  Dexter dropped his head, hiding in the folds of the towel he still held to his face.

  "We have a lot to talk about Dexter. But first let's get the girls out of here." Gage stood up, his tone final.

  Silas walked out of the office like a ghost, his face lifeless and movements slow.

  "How bad?" Gage asked him.

  Silas's blank eyes looked to Dexter. "We're fucking dead."

  "All of it?" Dexter stood up, voice shaky and Silas nodded.

  Gage looked between the two, brows furrowed, "How much money are we talking about?"

  "It's not money. I was holding for Rusnak and they took it. All of it."

  Gage took a deep breath. "What the fuck have you two been doing?"

  Dexter was shaking. "I'm sorry. Gage, I'm so sorry. You've got to help me."

  Gage charged him, pinning him to the front wall, his forearm across his neck. "What have you done? I give you everything" Gage's voice cracked with more than rage. "Why did you do this?" Dexter's face was darkening with trapped blood and Gage released him, letting him drop.

  He turned to Silas, finger pointed at him. "This is your fault. Why the hell would you bring him into this?"

  Silas put his arms up in surrender. "Let's talk about this later." He glanced at us, making it clear Leona and I weren't meant to be part of this conversation.

  "We deserve to know, too. We were brought into this and I want to know why?" I said from the floor. Leona only gripped me tighter, trying to hide from everything.

  I had been an idiot to not want answers from Gage that day we went to Nan's house. I thought not knowing would keep me safe. I was wrong.

  Gage glanced at me and after a few deep breaths he said, "Let's go. We need to leave."

  I helped Leona to her feet. Dexter came over to help support her, but Leona whimpered and turned into me further, avoiding his touch. I couldn't blame her. Dexter's face crumpled further than it already was and his body drooped as he walked away.

  Once we were all in the SUV, Gage and Silas up front, and Dexter, Leona, and I in the back, Leona finally spoke.

  "I want to go home." Her voice cracked through her tears.

  Gage met my eyes in the rear view mirror. "Not tonight."

  She tightened her arm around me. "Please." Her sobs escalated again. "I just want to go home."

  "Maybe we should drop them off," Silas said.

  "Not until I've figured out what's going on. They can--"

  "They'll be safer away from us, at their own place," Silas insisted.

  "And then what? Her roommates start questioning her? They go to the cops? They stay with us tonight."

  My heart dropped to my stomach at what this all meant. "Where are we going then?"

  "My house," Gage said, turning right onto a busy road.

  A wave of panic hit me. "Shouldn't we go somewhere else? A hotel? Maybe drive far away, to another state?"

  "I can't leave. I have to figure out what all went down tonight. And we can't go to a hotel like this, everyone's injured it would cause suspicion." He softened his stern voice as he looked at me in the rear view again, "My house is safe. It's protected."

  I was grinding my teeth. This didn't sound like a safe plan. "Who protects your house?"

  "Me. But I don't think anyone will come anyways. They already delivered their message and took what they wanted."

  I held little confidence in his words. I didn't believe him. But I saw little choice except to go along. The night felt too dangerous to be alone.

  Leona kept her arms around me, face hidden, even as we walked into the house.

  Gage turned to me and ordered, "Take her upstairs to the guest room. Help her calm down."

  I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay and hear what was going on. I needed to know.

  At my hesitation Dexter stepped up. "I'll take her."

  But Leona's nails cut into my stomach, through my shirt. "No. You leave her alone." My eyes locked on Dexter, steel in my tone.

  Getting her to bed would make it easier to ask questions. Her constant crying was grating on my nerves.

  I found Benadryl in Gage's bathroom medicine cabinet and gave it to Leona, hoping to get her to sleep. Her blow to the head concerned me, and I remembered hearing in school that you're supposed to keep those people awake, but I thought she'd feel better if she slept through this.

  And she did. After ten minutes of lying with her, her breathing evened, and she was out.

  I escaped from the room and went down the steps, listening to the raised voices in the living room.

  "Poker? You borrowed money from Rock for a fucking poker game?" Gage's voice was incredulous.

  I rounded the corner into the room. Dexter was sitting on the couch, head in his hands. Silas leaned against the front window, eyes looking out, and a rifle by his side. A metallic taste filled my mouth at the sight of the gun, acid rising in my stomach. Gage stood in front of Dexter,
hands spread, questioning him.

  Without his coat on I noticed that the back of his shirt was torn and blood circled around it. But it looked like dry blood at least. My mind raced, trying to understand.

  "I'm good at poker. I usually win. Just this night I didn't. I had bet using the money I knew I'd get from my fight this Saturday. I've done it before and its fine. But I don't know what happened tonight. Why that all changed." He looked up at Gage. "This wasn't my fault. Something else is going on."

  Gage's hands clenched and anger lined his face. Dexter moved back on reflex as Gage gripped his shirt, lifting him into standing. "You got involved with people like Rock. You did that. You took the risks." He tossed him down onto the couch and turned around trying to bring down his rage.

  He spotted me at the door and turned back to Dexter. "And now you put Regan and Leona in danger. For Christ's sake, your girlfriends up stairs with who knows what injuries. This is your fault."

  Silas pulled away from the window. "Rock isn't the big problem. It's Rusnak. What are we going to tell him? I've got to get his money or shit back, or it's me and Dexter that will pay."

  "Why is Dexter involved in that? Why are you?" Ice ran through his words.

  "It was supposed to be easy money. Dexter is good at sales," Silas said simply.

  He crashed to the floor, Gage on top of him in the blink of an eye. Gage's fists pounded on Silas and the blood on the back of his shirt began to spread, he had opened up whatever injury was there.

  I just stood and watched, detached, not caring what happened to these men. They could destroy each other and I don't think I would lend a hand to any of them.

  Dexter got up and put his arms around Gage, trying to stop him, without success. Gage slowed on his own. His body shook as he stood. Silas groaned and rolled to his side, spitting out blood and a tooth.

  Gage stood up, an animal rage still in his eyes. Turning to me he demanded, "Go back upstairs and stay there."

  The look he had scared me, especially with the spray of blood on his shirt and neck from Silas. But I needed to see what was happening. I was part of this now. "I- I want to know."

  He took a few steps towards me, his fire barely contained. "I. Said. Go. Upstairs. Now."

  With him towering over me, I knew I had to listen. My shaky legs carried me up the stairs. I went into the guest room with Leona. She was still asleep.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, millions of thoughts ran through me, but none of them made sense. I kept waiting for the shock to come, for my breathing to escape me, for panic to set in, but instead, all I felt was cold--a prickly, needley cold all over.

  Every now and then I would hear shouting and then I heard footsteps stomp up the steps, but nobody came to the room.

  A while later the door opened, but I didn't move, not even to look at him. I knew it was Gage.

  "I've got to leave. But you'll be safe here. Dexter is downstairs."

  I looked up. He must have showered and changed his clothes. All signs of blood gone.

  "Just in case. Take this." He extended a small black gun to me but I just stared. "Have you ever held one, used one? Here's the safety-"

  I stopped his demonstration by taking it, feeling the heavy cold weight in my hand. "I've used one." At his questioning look I explained, "At a gun range with Nan."

  I stared at the gun in my hand, on my lap. The icy feeling shattered me.

  He reached a hand towards me and I leaned away. He dropped it, shuffling his feet.

  "I'm sorry about all of this. I'm going to make it better." He walked away and my heart pounded and strained painfully.

  "Wait," I choked out without thinking.

  He paused at the doorway, looking at me.

  I looked up at him and opened my mouth a few times before I finally pleaded, my voice strained, "Don't go."

  He was sitting next to me a second later, arms wrapping me up into him. "I'll be back soon. I promise," his voice was soft.

  I gripped the front of his shirt, not wanting to let him go into danger. I was confused about everything, except that I wanted him safe and leaving wasn't.

  Doing the only thing I could think of I pressed my lips to his neck, his lips were too far a reach.

  He grabbed my wrists and held me away, leaning himself back.

  I stared at his hands between us, heart sinking.

  "I've got to go. This will be over in the morning." He stood up and walked away, the door not making a sound as he closed it.

  Tears escaped my eyes for the first time tonight. It would be over in the morning, that's what I was afraid of.

  26: Sorry

  DEXTER OPENED THE DOOR AND PEEKED IN.

  “How is she?” He nodded to Leona.

  I stood from my cross-legged position on the floor by the window. I had been watching for anything, hoping to see Gage’s SUV pull up. I set the gun on the nightstand, reluctantly parting with the security.

  “She’s hurt.” I was pissed at Dexter and didn’t want to make this any easier on him. He was the reason Gage left. He was the reason Leona was passed out on the bed with a bloody bandage.

  I swallowed my anger to focus on her; it felt better to have something to do. “She must still be bleeding. She needs stitches. Do you have bandages or something so I can change those?”

  We both stood on either side of the bed. Dexter brushed her hair back from her head and lowered his head to hers.

  I shoved his shoulders from across the bed. “Focus,” I demanded.

  He stood up tall, throat moving as he swallowed. He looked to me with heavy eyes that were already bruising from his broken nose and nodded before walking out of the room.

  I looked out the window and my muscles vibrated with nerves and mixed emotions. If Dexter hadn’t looked so beat up, I would have punched him. I needed to punch something.

  I held my breath every time headlights came up the road, but they always passed by or parked, going somewhere else. For someone else.

  Dexter came back into the room with a handful of supplies and dropped them on the bed beside Leona.

  “We’ve got super glue. Use that to keep the cut closed.”

  “Keep an eye out. I’ll take care of her.” I nodded towards the window.

  Her eyes fluttered but didn’t open as I removed the bandages. Squeezing her cut to keep it closed, I cleaned up the surrounding skin. I held my breath as I applied the super glue. It worked. The clear liquid dried on contact, bonding the skin together. I placed a new bandage over it and Leona’s hands moved to mine as she groaned, opening her eyes.

  “Rea? I hurt,” she mumbled.

  “I know. Try and go back to sleep,” I said, too stressed to find my gentle voice.

  She looked down at herself and her hand floated to her head, patting at her hair and cut. “Ugh. I need to get out of these clothes and get all this blood off of me.” Her voice began rising in panic and she squeezed her eyes with the pain of it.

  Dexter moved to the side of the bed, bouncing with nerves. “I’ll get her some clothes.” He ran out of the room.

  “You can wash your hair, but don’t get the bandage wet. Maybe a bath?” It sounded nice. I would love to wash the night off of me, but couldn’t. I needed to stay by a window, to keep watch for what might happen next. To keep watch for Gage to return so I could breathe again.

  At her nod I helped her up. She seemed steady enough on her feet so I let her walk to the bathroom on her own, the one connected to this room. The sound of water rushing filled the room as she started the bath.

  Dexter returned and stared at the bathroom door. “Did she say anything? About me?”

  I flicked my eyes away from him, back to the window. “No.”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry. I really messed things up.” He sat on the edge of the bed.

  “I don’t want to hear sorry. I want to know what the hell happened. Why?” I snapped.

  He continued to stare at the door where Leona was. “I don’t know. Something we
nt down tonight, bigger than what I did.”

  I waited for more, but he didn’t say.

  “Tell me what you do know,” I demanded.

  “I like to play poker. I go to games at different places, with different groups and Silas invited me to Rock’s. Gage’s uncle, Nick, goes too. Some other people I know as well, all people that I grew up around. A lot of the times I would win, so they’d always invite me back. Sometimes I’d lose or not have cash on hand, but they knew I was good for it. Then the other week it was a high stakes game, and I was all in. It was a different group playing, though, so Rock spotted me some money. He’s done it before. He said I’d pay him back when I won the hand or when I won my fight, this Saturday.” He raised his hands slightly, confused amazement clear. “But they showed up tonight.”

  “And what about this stuff they stole?”

  “They took more than I owed Rock. Silas owed him too, but still. They took more than what was owed. And that… that’s the worst part. They took more than we can pay back. And it’s not Rock we owe, but Rusnak.”

  “Who is that?”

  Dexter shrugged. “I never met him. I always went through Nick or Silas. But he’s the one in charge, the one we have to worry about owing.”

  I tapped my finger on the gun sitting on the nightstand, unable to keep the nervous energy in. “And that’s where Gage is? I still don’t get why tonight happened.”

  “I don’t know either. Gage left with Silas. That’s all I know.”

  I went back to looking out the window and waited for Leona. When she came out Dexter jumped off the bed, going to her.

  “Let me help you. I’m so sorry lee. Please let me help,” he pleaded as she stood warily. She nodded and he put his arm around her, walking her to the bed.

  Tucking her in he lay beside her and I was shocked that she even curled into him a little.

  “We need to talk, Dex,” she whispered.

  His eyes shone with tears. “I know baby. Rea can you give us a moment?”

  I turned to them, looking directly at Leona and she nodded. I picked up the gun and walked out with disbelief. She had been clinging to me earlier, a crying mess, and now she was ready to forgive so easily?