“Don’t worry Gavin you’re safe for now she had just laid down for a nap before you pulled up” Charley told him smartly before turning to her husband, “I’ll be back in a little while will you be ok”
“Yeah babe I got it don’t rush” he leaned in and kissed his wife and she left.
“I guess she’s still ticked off at me huh” Gavin followed Charley’s departing back with his eyes.
“That would be putting it mildly my friend but don’t let it worry you, you know how Charley is with her stray pets and charity cases” he walked over and picked up his remote, “Come on take a load off”
The two of them sat watching the race and talking, they both had great interest in fast cars and motorcycles. Charley wasn’t back yet and Gavin was feeling rather mellow after about a six pack and was stretched out on the couch as Kev relaxed in his recliner, both where zeroed in on the television .
Eddy woke up and wondered down to the family room after finding the upstairs rooms empty. Kev and Charley spent a lot of time in the downstairs room and she figured she would find them there. She went down the steps slowly one at a time keeping her hand on the railing for support. She felt so weak and her legs shook as she walked but she refused to stay in bed like an invalid. From where she stood she knew that Kev was down here, she didn’t see Charley but she couldn’t see the whole room from her vantage point. She was beginning to step into the room when she heard two voices and she recognized both of them.
“So how long has she been here anyway?” Gavin asked Kevin
“Best part of a week I guess” Kev responded
“How long is Charley going to keep her here?” this from Gavin
“Don’t know man she’s still pretty weak, she was pretty bad there for a while Gav, besides like I said before you know how she is with her charity cases she’s like a dog with a bone, I just sit back and let her do what she’s going to do” Kev told him
“Yeah well you know how these people are, better watch out or next thing you know she’ll have Charley so snowed that she’ll be moved in, hell she has it a hell of a lot better here than in that shit apartment, and what about those clothes.” Gavin said
Kev chuckled, “That apartment was pretty bad”
Gavin laughed as he started sitting up, “Did I tell you what she does for a living, I mean Christ no wonder I thought she was an easy piece” he sat and began to stand when he saw her.
“Awe Jesus” he muttered, and Kev turned and followed his gaze
“Do na call Jesus Gavin, call someone ya know” she told him from the doorway
He took in everything about her; she was pale as a ghost with dark circles under her eyes that looked sunken, her lips bloodless and dry. Her bones protruded at the joints and she looked like a brisk wind would snap her in two and blow her away, her hair looked dull and lifeless and she walked with a limp moving slowly as if her legs may give way at any moment.
CHAPTER 4
Eddy was wearing what looked to be a pair of Kevin’s pajamas with the waist cinched tight and the arms and legs rolled up. She moved into the room and stood on the other side of the coffee table across from Gavin looking at him for a moment before beginning to speak, and when she spoke it was with effort, her voice was dry and horse.
“Please won’t ya tell me Gavin Blackhawk what I ever done to ya to make ya hate me so?” she asked him without expression and with flat eyes.
“Eddy I didn’t mean…”
“Oh I’m sure ya did na mean for me ta hear ya, but I did na ask ya that” She swayed a little, “I thought you were special Gavin, aye I did, and ya made me feel somthin I had na felt before so I gave me self to ya but it was na easy for me.” She took in a deep breath, “I did na ask ya fer nothing after but ya bustled me off without so much as good bye, a real wham bam thank ye ma’am to be sure” she laughed humorlessly, “I never tried to fool ya, in fact you fooled me pretendin to be the model and then ya put the moves on me, I did na regret what we did together until now, I didna know that ya were such a cruel mon. You find me home and me clothes amusing and I guess they told ya that I can Na read a lick so ya can laugh about that as well”
“I wasn’t laughing at you Eddy” he spoke without looking at her
“Yer a liar Gavin Blackhawk on top of everything else, You asked me why I got drunk at that bar, it was due to ya and the way ya treated me, all the posin I done for the students and never felt ashamed but YOU” she pointed at him, “In just a few hours made me feel like a whore, made me feel ashamed worse than Liam O’Grady ever made me feel and I don’t know why” she spoke beseechingly now, “Can’t ya just tell me why you’ve treated me so shabby Gavin, what did I do to deserve it”
Gavin had never in his life felt the way he felt right now and did not know what if anything that he could say that would fix what he had done.
“Well then if ya have nuthin ta say I will tell ya that I never wish to see ya again Gavin so you don’t have to worry about me free loadin off yer friends any more and I will na go to their bar either, if I see ya on the street I’ll go the other way and I hope one day some one will come along and knock ye from yer lofty perch” she moved to stand in front of Kevin.
“My apologies to ye Mr. Donnelley for intruding on yer house hold and takin advantage of yer wife, I hope I didn’t cause any embarrassment to you or yer family, I’ll be leaven now as soon as I collect me things and I’ll be sure to show ya my thanks once I get home” she turned and headed slowly to the doorway and up the stairs, neither man tried to stop her. And after changing into her own cloths she quietly left the house once again walking home but at least this time she had her shoes.
Eddy finally got to her apartment just as it was getting dark having had to stop and rest several times along the way, she undressed showered and went to bed. The next morning she went to the her freezer and took out a foil wrapped package marked cube steak and removed a stack of cash, counting it out carefully before burying the package once more. She placed the money in an envelope and sealed it before leaving the house. She walked to bar and grill which she now knew was owned by Kevin and Charley and knocked on the door knowing that they were not yet opened. A middle aged man opened the door a crack and announced that they opened at 11am. Eddy handed him the envelope and asked him to give it to Mr. Donnelley when he came in and then she walked back home.
When Eddy got home her place had been ransacked, she ran to the freezer and breathed a sigh of relief when she found her money was still there.
“I’ll take that precious darling” an unknown voice spoke from behind her and she spun around.
“Who are you?” she demanded haughtily
“Oh let’s not make this personal sweet thing, I’ve hit every apartment here in this miserable building this morning and came up with squat, I thought I’d leave here empty handed to until you showed up, now give me the money”
“Nay it’s my money, I worked for it I did na steal it” she backed away
“Do you think breaking into all these places in one day is easy, uh-uh it’s hard work and now it’s time to get paid so give it up and I wont hurt you” the masked figure stepped closer
Grabbing the handle of a heavy skillet Eddy lifted it and swung; she made contact but not with much force in her weakened state. A fist slammed into the left side of her face and she bobbled, the second punch knocked her out.
Tom sat watching the girl’s apartment, he had followed while she had walked to the bar and back and watched now as a young fella ran from her apartment wearing a ski mask and jumping into a black Ford Escort and Tom jotted down the tag number and called Gavin.
Gavin pulled his truck in behind Tom’s and went to speak to him and collect the information he had gotten on the black car. As Tom drove away he walked across the road and went to Eddy’s door, the screen was shut but the main door remained open and he stepped inside.
He found her in her room stuffing her few meager pieces of clothing into a duffle bag, there was an alre
ady filled backpack on the bed.
“Going somewhere?” he asked
She stiffened but did not turn, “Why are you here Gavin is it your life’s mission to plague me”
“Are you going somewhere?” he asked again
“Aye” she answered
“Where are you going?”
“Everywhere, nowhere, I don’t care Gavin why you can na leave me alone I do na know, you’ve made my life a misery and I can na take much more” Her voice ended on a broken sob and her shoulders shook
He placed his hands on her shoulders to console her and she shrugged him off violently and turned to him, “Nay do na touch me”
“What the hell happened to your face” he barked as he tilted her chin for a better look, her left cheek was swollen and bruised down to the chin and her lip was split and still seeping blood, “Did whoever broke in here do this to you”
“How do you know that?” she looked up at him as the tears began to slowly run down her cheeks
“It’s not important; now tell me where you were going Eddy”
She shrugged, “It does na matter just away from here, the thief took the rest of me money and the rent is past since I was sick”
“How much money did he get?”
“40 th… “She began and he cut her off
“Eddy I’ll give you $40 for your rent, you don’t have to go anywhere” he said patiently
“Forty dollars ya say” she laughed almost hysterically, “Forty dollars Gavin” tears poured from her eyes, “You should learn to listen some time; the amount of money taken from me is 40 thousand dollars na forty!”
At first he frowned and gave her a look that said ‘yeah right’, then he considered what he had learned recently and was less doubtful.
“Aye I can see ya do na believe me, go hifreann leat!” she picked up her bag and slung her backpack over her shoulder and it nearly knocked her down in her weakened state, “Stay here with yer thumb in yer arse if ya want I’m goin”
Eddy turned to the short hall but Gavin grasp an arm and swung her back and she bumped up against his chest, “We need to talk” his face was inches from hers and her heart pounded, fissures of heat traveled down past her belly, and her breath came in small pants, “Nay Gavin leave me be” she struggled and he pushed his weight against her pinning her to the wall.
“I want some answers from you Eddy and I want them now” he demanded
She increased her struggles and though he held her with ridiculous ease she didn’t give up, it wasn’t until a knee made contact with his groin that he loosened his hold and she made it to the living room before he grabbed her and threw her down on the lounger and came down on top of her.
Placing a firm hand on each side of her face he lowered his mouth to hers, “I know how to make you listen, how to do anything I wish” and his lips came down with brutal force, savaging her mouth as she fought. He had one leg thrown across both of hers and one hand held both of her wrists over her head while the other held her head still. When she cried in pain he recalled her damaged face and eased up becoming softer, gentler, and more persuasive.
He kissed her with consummate skill, molding and nibbling with his lips and teeth, and thrusting with his tongue until she moaned with desire and began moving beneath him and he ground himself against her where she wanted it the most and she cried out, “A ghra mo chroi” kissing him back with a passion that threatened to consume them both.
His mouth moved down her neck and one hand up her sweater, the other down the front of her pants, seeking, finding, exploring until she cried out as her hips rose up, tremors shaking her tiny frame, and then he was inside of her, thick, hard, and hot and she came again before he began to move, then with the flexibility that would amaze a gymnast he flipped her over onto her stomach and plowed into her from behind as he held her around the waist and pulled her to her knees He pounded into her until she began to come again and he let go and followed her coming so hard he could feel it all the way to his toes.
Gavin fixed his clothes and sat at her feet and lit a cigarette drawing in deeply, she was crying softly with her face buried in her arms and he felt a twinge of guilt at what he’d done but knew he’d do it again. There was something about this tiny woman that boiled his blood firing both his passions and his temper to the highest point.
Eddy sat up and adjusted her clothes and reaching over took his cigarette and drew the smoke down into her lungs before exhaling, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes taking another draw before handing it back to him. Lord she was tired, tired in her body and in her soul, tired of running, of being chased, tired of not having and of going without, tired already of loving and not being loved. She took the cigarette from him again and went to the bathroom. After she cleaned up she went back out to the hall and picked up her bags, she looked around one final time to see if she’d left anything of import behind and laughed inwardly at the thought, she didn’t own anything of importance, not even herself.
“Wherever it is that yer takin me we need to go now” She spoke to him but looked at the floor, and then she walked out the door without looking back.
Eddy tossed her bags into the bed of the truck and climbed inside refusing his attempt to help her, she sat as far from him as possible with her forehead on the window glass, “Why can I na resist ya Gavin Blackhawk” she muttered with her eyes shut, and a few minutes later she was asleep.
Once he’d parked in Kev’s driveway he looked over at Eddy, she looked rough, and young, and beautiful, and broken. He knew he played a big part in the last and he knew it would be worse before all was said and done.
Eddy woke as he opened the door and refused help getting down from the truck and fell when her left knee buckled. He started to catch her but then figured if she could be stubborn so could he and he watched her fall. She followed him into the house, “Why are we here Gavin”
He did not turn or stop, “In case I need an interpreter”
Gavin led Eddy down to the Donnelley’s family room. Charley had prepared snacks and drinks and was sitting on the arm of Kevin’s chair, Gavin sat on the couch and not wanting to be that close to him Eddy sat in the recliner opposite Kevin’s and immediately realized her mistake when she looked up and all eyes where on her. She lowered her eyes and toyed with the fraying cuff of her sweater.
“Eddy” Gavin spoke, “I think it’s time you filled us in on what’s going on”
When she said nothing he continued, “Charley has just brought to my attention that you left them an envelope at the bar, and envelope containing five thousand dollars, where did that money come from Eddy?”
Eddy looked up then, her expression fierce, “I did na steal if that’s what yer thinking, I earned every dime”
“What about the 40 thousand you claim was stolen from you today” he asked in a disbelieving manner
“Pog mo thoin” she replied
Gavin glanced at Kev, “She said to kiss her ass Gav” he told his friend
“Teigh trasna ort fien” she said as she looked at Kev, “Titin gan eiri ort”
“Gurab amhlaidh duit” Kevin said to Eddy and she turned her head to gaze out the double glass doors that led outside.
“What was all that” Gavin asked
Kevin sighed with a frown, “She told me to go fuck myself and then she, never mind it wasn’t nice so I told her same to you”
“I say everybody take a deep breath, relax, and have something to eat and drink” Charley suggested, “Eddy please eat something you need to get your strength back, and I want to tell you that I am sorry about these two yesterday and what they said, they had no right talking that way and when I found out that you had left, walking, I could have murdered both of them”
“And yet here she is alive and well” Gavin said in a mocking drawl
“Shut up Gavin” Charley spat
“Ya can na fault a man fer speakin his mind” Eddy spoke up, “That’s all they done yesterday, but I thank ya fer lookin out
for me when I was ill and that money is fer ya time and expense I’ll na be takin it back”
Charley spoke softly but firmly “We won’t take your money Eddy, what we did we did out of kindness…”
Eddy stood and looked at the three people in the room, “Do na stand there and tell me what ya did and did na do, I heard every word that was said yesterday” she walked around and waved her hands “Oh look at Miss Mary Hicks who dresses from the Goodwill, her apartment is a dump and her cupboards are bare, she has no shoes on her feet and she’s daft she can na read or write, poor thing would perish if not fer our charity, we’ll keep her like a pet and teach her to do tricks, poor ole culchie” She stopped in front of the glass doors, “I did na ask ye for anything and I wont be beholdin to ya”
Scrapper Page 5