by Kelly Utt
“Nothing like that,” Marshall assured.
Penelope began to crack under the pressure as she sipped air, her body threatening to reveal the lie that wasn’t even hers to tell.
Sip. Sip. Hold.
The blonde man continued toward the middle of the dock, one slow and deliberate step at a time.
In a burst, Penelope pushed out the air once she could no longer hold it. “Pfftt,” she blurted.
The blonde man tilted his head to one side. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked.
Marshall used a hand to squeeze Penelope’s arm, urging her to keep it together. “Easy now. She has asthma. It flares up when she gets nervous. Nothing to worry about. You said you wanted the other girl, anyway.”
Another lie. Penelope didn’t have asthma.
Sip. Sip. Sip.
She knew Marshall would move soon. Only now it was a balancing act. Penelope wondered if he’d be able to formulate a plan of attack before she gave him away with her ridiculous breathing routine. She silently scolded herself.
“Give me the girl,” the blonde man said again, turning his gun to Marshall. “I’m running out of patience.”
“Okay, okay,” Marshall said, holding his posture. “She’s scared. Take it slow and easy.”
There was a moment of tense silence as the man stepped closer. Reggie paused at the edge of the dock and stood with his shoulders slumped. It didn’t look like he intended to put up a fight.
Sip. Sip.
“Slow and easy,” Marshall repeated.
Penelope held it in. She felt herself getting lightheaded, but she held it in.
Hana remained silent, clutching Marshall.
The blonde main stepped closer, inch by inch, pointing his gun, until finally, he came within arm’s reach of Marshall.
On impulse, Penelope used all of her air to shout as loud as she could. “Over there!” she exclaimed, pointing towards the house. At the same time, she grabbed Hana’s arms, freeing Marshall.
The blonde man glanced in the direction Penelope was pointing. He was no amateur. He didn’t turn his head all the way around. But the glance was enough to allow Marshall the advantage.
Marshall surged forward, taking hold of the end of the weapon and directing it away from the people. Shots rang out as the two men struggled for control. Hana clung to Penelope. The ladies stood, trapped on one end of the deck and unable to make their way to the grassy yard until the men moved off the path.
“Get down!” Marshall yelled.
Hana did as instructed, throwing herself down hard on the deck. But Penelope stood. Although she couldn’t explain why, she knew she wanted to help. She realized it was probably a foolish move. She hadn’t been trained in physical combat. Yet she wanted to do something. She didn’t want to leave Marshall to this alone. A quick glance at Reggie told her he wasn’t planning to assist. He remained limp and useless, most likely in shock. He would not rise to the occasion.
The blonde man grunted with effort, lowering his brow. He twisted and pulled Marshall towards him, like a wrestler wrapping up an opponent. Marshall wasn’t just any opponent, though. He was strong and skilled. It took less than a minute for him to get the gun away and hurl it into the bay.
Now the true hand to hand combat began. The men crouched in front of each other, fighters at the ready. Without words, they continued on, Marshall making the first move as he rushed the blonde man. Marshall grappled with the man, wrapping his arms around his waist and working to knock him off balance. As they spun, Penelope saw her chance and sprung into action.
She screamed like a banshee and rushed into the fray, jumping on the blonde man’s back and wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel her dress rip during the leap, but that didn’t matter now. She raised her hands and clawed at the man’s face from behind, feeling for soft tissue. Her fingers quickly found his eyes, and she dug in as hard as she could with her long fingernails.
The blonde man screamed in pain and tried to swat Penelope away. Only Marshall was plowing forward, determined to bring him to the ground. In a tangle of arms and legs, the three of them fell hard against the dock. Penelope kept her tight hold, gripping the man’s torso tightly with her legs as she scratched at his eyes. She could feel his eyeballs being destroyed. They oozed and squished. She didn’t hesitate. This man had threatened their very lives. So what if she took his vision? At least, she’d live to tell the tale.
“I’ve got him,” Marshall shouted as he went for the man’s throat. “Go, Pen. Get to safety.”
Satisfied that she’d done what she could, Penelope released her grip and scurried back to lay face down on the dock near Hana. Her braid was undone, and her dress tattered. She was a disheveled mess now, but she felt like a proud warrior.
“Wow,” Hana mouthed as her friend plopped beside her.
The blonde man lay belly up as Marshall straddled him and used both hands to compress his throat. Penelope wasn’t sure if Marshall aimed to kill him, but she wouldn’t blame him if he did. The man’s eyes bled. His hands alternated between instinctively covering the sockets and trying to pry Marshall’s hands off his throat. It seemed like Marshall had complete control now. The man writhed in pain. He was nearly ready to give up. But not before one last surge of energy.
The blonde man arched his back and threw himself sideways, launching Marshall off of him and seeing both of them land in the water.
“Oh, no!” Hana exclaimed, jumping up to get a better view.
“Jesus!” Reggie said from a distance, not moving to help.
Without even thinking, Penelope rushed forward, jumping into the water to help.
In a series of splashes, the three of them emerged above the surface, Marshall and the blonde man struggling against each other. The blond man had to be blind at this point, which gave Marshall the advantage. But the man was strong, too, and he wasn’t giving up without a fight. The minute Penelope got her bearings, she swam towards the man, again jumping on his back. This time was even easier since the buoyancy of the water aided her leap.
“Pen!” Hana yelled from the shore. “Be careful!”
Marshall glanced at Penelope and nodded, his expression one of pride.
Taking Marshall’s nod as permission, Penelope used her lanky arms to put the blonde man in a choke hold. She’d never seen such a thing before, except on TV. She placed one elbow strategically on the front of his throat and braced that arm with the other. Then she squeezed as hard as she could. Marshall held the man’s arms from the front as he thrashed. Penelope could feel the life drain out of him. She continued to squeeze, harder and harder, until his body went completely limp and he was lifeless.
Penelope locked eyes with Marshall as the two of them let the man go. He slipped quietly into the bay and beneath their reach where he couldn’t hurt them any more.
7
For more than an hour, Penelope, Hana, and Marshall sat motionless on the dock. They had been too rattled to bother with the chairs, but had instead sat down right on the hot planks. It was mid-morning now, and they’d soon be burnt by the sun, if they weren’t already. Physical sensations were dulled for all three of them. Things that usually mattered didn’t matter. They didn’t even feel the heat from the planks or the overhead sun. Not really.
Reggie had disappeared, throwing his arms up and fleeing to the safety of the house not long after the blonde man sank. The others wondered what he was doing. Although they weren’t concerned enough to follow him and find out. They weren’t sure whose side he was on. And they couldn’t be certain he wasn’t their enemy.
Reggie was the one who’d gotten them into this mess in the first place. He had to have been. This whole operation was his doing. His baby. Everyone else had been swept up. Including Marshall.
Hana was the first to speak.
“What now?” she asked. It was a simple question, but one that didn’t have an easy answer.
“I wish I knew,” Penelope asked. She was rattled, but she was also
proud of herself. She had always wondered how she’d react if her life was in danger. She’d passed her own test, and by her own metrics, she’d done it with flying colors.
“You two were good,” Hana said. “I froze like a stupid little baby.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Penelope replied. “The chips were down. It was a tough situation.”
“Yeah.”
Hana fiddled with a fingernail. It was her go-to move when she was nervous. Penelope was surprised she hadn’t torn her fingernails completely off by now.
Marshall gingerly traced his knuckles where the skin was broken and bruised.
“Does it hurt?” Penelope asked, leaning on his shoulder.
“Not really,” he replied. “How are your fingers?”
Penelope held them up like a kid showing hands to a parent. They were covered in dried blood. She wasn’t sure if it was her own or the blonde man’s. “I think I might have jammed a finger. I should probably get it looked at.”
Marshall scooped her hands inside of his and pulled them to his lips, kissing them gently. “I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
“I’m okay. Nothing that won’t heal.”
“No kidding,” Hana added. “That could have been so much worse.”
Marshall nodded without taking his eyes off Penelope.
“Like I asked,” Hana continued. “What now? Someone has to decide. We can’t sit on this dock in the sun forever.”
Penelope chuckled. “Too bad.”
Marshall looked at her as if he wanted to laugh, too, but he thought better of it.
“I’m sorry,” Penelope said. “I shouldn’t laugh. This isn’t funny. At all.” She scooted closer to Marshall and wrapped one arm around him.
The ladies were waiting on Marshall to take the lead. He had proven his prowess in physical combat, and they assumed his training had taught him strategy, too. He knew they were waiting on him. And he knew he was best prepared to figure out next steps. Further, he understood the cruel way life sometimes called you to fulfill a duty whether you wanted to or not. He had answered that call when he joined the Marines. He wasn’t about to walk away now. Not that he could if he’d wanted to.
“We have two choices,” he began.
“Right!” Hana said, happy for the direction.
“We can call the police.”
“I’m not opposed to that,” Penelope said. “You guys have security cameras out here, don’t you? Footage will prove that we were acting in self defense.”
“We do,” Marshall confirmed. “But we can’t be sure that Reggie hasn’t already destroyed the tape.”
Hana looked puzzled.
Penelope wasn’t surprised. “You think he’s in on this somehow?”
Marshall shrugged. “Not so much in on it as in the middle of it. I think someone is pulling his strings. Maybe blackmailing him.”
“Wow,” Hana mused. “The shit keeps getting deeper.”
“So, if he’s destroyed the footage…” Penelope said.
“And if he’ll contradict our version of what happened…” Marshall added. “Then we could be in a lot of trouble with the police. Reggie is well connected. I suspect he’d be able to make things go his way.”
“Damn,” Penelope said. She put one hand over her mouth as she thought about it all. “You know I can’t lie without the breathing thing. Maybe if we tell the police about that, they’ll believe me. I could demonstrate and everything.”
Marshall shrugged again. “I know, Pen. I think this is more serious than convincing the police.”
“You do?”
“Yes, just like you were saying earlier. If someone wants to silence us, they won’t play nice. And that will be a far greater threat to our lives than the police. Hell, we might be safer in jail, for that matter.”
Hana stood up and paced. She couldn’t seem to help it. She dragged her feet as she shuffled back and forth, chewing her fingernails.
“Hana, what is it?” Penelope asked.
Hana shook her head.
“You know you have to tell us,” Penelope prompted. “We’re in this too deep. We just murdered a man.”
“No,” Hana clarified. “You two murdered a man. I just watched.”
“That still makes you an accessory,” Marshall added.
“Just tell us,” Penelope continued. “I know you saw something last night related to Audrey’s disappearance. I saw something, too. And I assume that’s why the brute came after you. If he knows, someone else does. It’s only a matter of time before they send another assassin.”
“Assassin?” Hana asked.
“What else should I call him? That guy was a professional. No doubt about it.”
“Fine,” Hana said. “Whatever. This is so bizarre. It’s like an episode of The Twilight Zone right now. None of it feels real. I want out.”
“That’s how it happens sometimes,” Marshall said. “Life can turn on a dime. There will be time for bellyaching about it later. Right now, we have to buck up and deal with it. I agree with Penelope. You need to tell us what you know. Stop wasting time.”
Hana paced back and forth a few more times. She dragged her feet so hard, Penelope thought she might wear a hole in the dock. Finally, she took a deep breath and steeled herself for the inevitable discussion.
“I’m just going to say it,” Hana blurted. “I saw a man put something in Audrey’s drink. It was liquid, or maybe powder. Whatever it was, it dissolved right away. It was in a little flask.”
“Oh, no,” Penelope muttered.
“Then a little while later, I saw another man with Audrey near the pool. She seemed out of it. She was stumbling around. She could barely stand. But the man led her into the pool with him. He propped her up so no one around them realized how bad off she was.”
“Oh…”
“And then I saw when he let her go under. He moved in front of her to block the view, but I saw. I thought I was hidden behind one of the round columns on the patio, but he noticed me. We locked eyes. I froze like a deer in headlights, until right then, Cheryl showed up and asked me what I was looking at. She snapped me out of it. That’s when I went outside to call 9-1-1.”
“So that was you?” Marshall asked.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” Hana explained. “I wanted to get Audrey help. I was scared.”
“I get it,” Marshall said. “It’s just… dicey… because, well, you know.”
“I know!” Hana said emphatically. “I wouldn’t have called authorities if I’d thought there was any other way. Audrey’s life was in danger.”
Penelope lifted her hand to tousle the front of Marshall’s short hair. He kept a closely cropped haircut, much like what he’d worn as a Marine. “It’s an impossible situation,” she said. “We can’t blame Hana for calling for help.”
“I know,” Marshall said. “I hate that I’m involved in this. It was attractive in the beginning. Easy money. And it didn’t seem like anyone could get hurt. Now look at us.”
“I felt the same way,” Hana confirmed. “Reggie made it sound safe. And easy. Now we’re in a web of lies and deceit that I’m afraid we won’t be able to escape.”
“Lies?” Penelope said. “I know what happens here is secret, but I haven’t had to lie about it. I’m not sure I could…”
“We know,” Marshall inserted. “We know.”
“Yes, lies,” Hana confirmed. “I’ve lied. Lots of times. We try to do the lying so you don’t have to.”
“Gosh. I didn’t know.”
Hana sat back down next to Penelope, her appearance largely unchanged since the night before. Penelope marveled at how put together Hana looked while she was a torn-apart mess.
“Alright,” Marshall began again, his plan coming together. “I don’t know all that Reggie is into. I promise to tell you two everything I know. I’ve made up my mind though. I don’t want to be part of it anymore. It isn’t right. And now it’s turned deadly. I want to go to the police. But fi
rst, we need to do some investigating on our own. I want to draw out every last henchman who might come after us. When the police hear our story, I want to deliver all the bad guys, even if that includes Reggie. I love him, but I can’t be with him anymore. I can’t go along with his schemes anymore.”
“Aw,” Penelope said with a sigh.
“If I get out of this thing alive,” Marshall continued. “I want to sleep at night without worrying that someone is coming to kill me. And I want that for the two of you. Are you with me?”
“Absolutely,” Penelope replied. “I agree completely.”
She thought about the little blue house with a big yard and the puppies. She didn’t want assassins spoiling her dream life once it came to fruition. She’d help Marshall to root them out now. Then they could leave the shadows once and for all. Reggie’s high-end escort service would either go on without them or it wouldn’t. But Penelope was done. Just like Marshall. She wouldn’t allow her time and attention to be sold. And she wouldn’t recruit girls. Not anymore. She’d find honest work that didn’t exploit anyone. Even if that meant upsetting Cheryl, who had gotten her involved with Reggie’s service in the first place. Even if it meant that she went back to being broke. And even if it meant living within meager means, like her childhood. She’d figure something out. She’d find a better way.
8
The next morning, Penelope opened her eyes to see Marshall sleeping next to her. The finger injury she’d sustained struggling with the blonde man was barely noticeable now. She smiled as she remembered the events of the day before and how Marshall had come back to her condo in Rosemary Run to spend the night. He had told Reggie he was leaving, and he needed a place to stay. It only made sense that the two of them would stay together. In fact, it only made sense that the two of them would be together, an official couple. Like Hana had said, they’d been in love for years. Everyone had known it.
Marshall rolled over and stretched, smiling just as big as Penelope. His broad, long body filled up her queen bed.