by Terry Towers
“You two have been stuck in the house for two days and you need to get out, if not for you for him.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder and to the back seat where Austin was watching a movie with earphones on. Personally, I hated cartoons, but being a kid Austin loved them. The earphones were a compromise that would allow me to keep my sanity while making him happy.
“Yes,” she lowered her voice despite Austin having earphones blocking out our voices, “but Gabriel is out there, looking for me and so I don’t think being out in a public place is such a good idea.”
“It’s two hours outside the city and I’m pretty sure it would be the last place you’d run into him or his men.”
She gave me a dubious look, but I was confident. Six Flags was the last place I’d expect to see Gabriel. And if they were there, I’d take care of them early. The fact was that this very well could be the last day I would be with her and Austin. I’d come up with a plan after tracking Gabriel and his crews’ movements and tomorrow would be the day I executed it. I knew that after tomorrow, life would seriously change for her. She’d be the widow of one of the biggest drug kingpins in the country and I may or may not be a part of that new life, that was still on the table.
Our future was still undecided. Just because we had sex didn’t mean things could restart with us. If she felt my life six years ago was too extreme to raise a child in, then raising one where his father was a contracted killer would be doubly so. Bottom line was that I wanted this day. Hell, if I were to admit it to myself, this day was more for me than them. I wanted to know what it was like to be part of a family. I wanted to lose myself in the illusion of being a father and family man – even if it was just a façade.
“Look, if it makes you feel any better, he’s waiting for a shipment today so he and his staff will be preoccupied with the arrival. Six Flags is the last thing on his mind.”
“How do you know this?”
“It’s my job to know, Robyn. Do you think I agreed to work for him without knowing exactly what I was getting into?”
“No, I suppose not.” She sounded uncertain, which bothered me. I needed for her to be confident in my ability to protect her.
Then tell her what you really do for a living, a voice in the back of my mind urged.
Fuck that. No way. I’d rather keep her in the dark about what I do than have her scared of me, or scared for our child. Yes, she might suspect, but she didn’t know for certain. Ignorance is bliss, isn’t that how the saying goes?
“Ohhh, look Mommy!”
It was the first we’d heard from Austin since we left my place and the sudden sound of his voice startled me for a split second. I looked into the rear-view mirror to see where he was pointing. I followed the line of his tiny finger to see the very top of a rollercoaster. The little guy had some damned good eyesight to have spotted that. It was still quite some distance away.
“That’s a rollercoaster, pal,” I said.
“Cool!”
“Very cool.”
“I wanna ride it.”
Looking over at Robyn, I gave her a smile.
“That one might be a little scary for you, honey. It’s for grownups. But I bet there are ones that you’ll like better.”
“I’m not a baby, Mommy.” He crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his chin up and gave her a look of outright defiance.
“What your mother means is that they only allow tall people on it. And you have to be over twelve years old.”
“Oh.” His lips turned pouty. “I’m not scared.”
“Of course not, pal, you’re the bravest five-year-old I’ve ever met. I know you’re not scared, but it’s the rules.” I glanced over at Robyn to see a wide smile on her face as her eyes shifted from Austin to me and back again.
“There’s all kinds of rides and cotton candy.”
“Good. Are we there yet?”
“Soon pal,” I answered.
~*~ TT ~*~
Robyn
The Kids Palace Playroom. Our final stop before the long two-plus-hour drive home. Well, Constantine’s place rather. After leaving the apartment, Austin and I were more or less homeless. After this was all over I’d have to give some serious consideration to what I was going to do for living arrangements. Constantine wouldn’t want us hanging around forever.
Constantine had been right, we’d spent five hours at Six Flags and no Gabriel and none of his goons. Maybe I was being overly paranoid. It took a couple of hours to start to chill out to the point where I was actually starting to have fun myself. So far Austin was having a blast. He’d ridden every kids’ ride twice and now we were at the final stop, the Kids Palace Playroom. The playroom was basically a place to drop your child for a half hour to hour while the adults got a chance to enjoy the rides.
“Before you get paranoid, I’m going to tell you not to worry. He’s fine; nobody here is going to hurt him,” Constantine whispered in my ear.
“I just need to put a bracelet on your son’s wrist and one on yours, Sir,” the young female attendant at the entrance of the Play Palace said to Constantine.
Looking up at Constantine, I waited to see if he was going to accept being called the dad or not.
“Sure,” Constantine said, sticking his arm out.
“Okay, your bracelet matches your son’s. When you return, the person working will match them up before releasing him back to you.”
“Thanks.” Constantine grinned, a hint of redness colouring his cheeks.
The girl, who I would guess to be about eighteen and way too good-looking for her own good – and I’m pretty sure she knew how hot she was – looked from Constantine to Austin and then back again. “You look just like him. Your eyes are an amazing shade of blue.” She blatantly ignored me as she stared up at Constantine.
Oh brother, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the ridiculous attempt at seducing my man… Okay, perhaps he wasn’t my man, but I was with him. Like, hello, back off sister! For all she knew Austin was our child, not just his but OURS, which of course he was.
“Yeah, I think we have it,” I butt in. Crouching down, I gave Austin a quick hug. “Are you sure you’ll be fine here for a little bit?”
Austin groaned out loud, rolling his eyes at me in pretty much the same manner I had moments before. “I’m not a baby, Mommy.” Not waiting for me to respond, he ran from my embrace and into the play park, where a dozen other children were already playing, several in the ball pit, some in the maze, others sitting quietly and playing with an oversized train set among about a dozen other activities.
“We’ll be back in twenty minute, half hour tops,” I informed little miss flirty as I took Constantine’s hand in mine, proving my claim on him.
The other woman smiled at me, but it was fake. She didn’t like me, I could see it in her eyes. Tough luck, lady. “He’s in good hands, you two have fun.”
“So what was that all about?” Constantine asked as we walked away, lowering his voice so the attendant couldn’t hear.
“What?” I looked up at him through my lashes, attempting to appear innocent.
He lifted our linked hands, though he didn’t release his hold on me. “Ummm, the little display with the attendant. Staking your claim so to speak.”
Ooops. Busted. Not like I’d been discreet about it though.
“I didn’t like her, she was flirting with you with me right beside you. What kind of tramp does that?”
“I thought she was quite pleasant.”
I huffed. “You would.” We headed toward their feature rollercoaster. I loved coasters and it had been a long time since I’d been on one. When we were teenagers we’d frequently go to Coney Island to hit the rides.
“What’s that supposed to mean? When we were together I never had eyes for anyone but you.”
“Things change.”
He chuckled. “Do you think I’ve become some sort of pussy-chasing playboy over the years?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know. “How would
I know? Most men are.”
“Not all men are.”
“Then you’re celibate?” I cocked my head to the side and eyed him.
A roar of laughter erupted from him. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Ah-ha! Exactly. I bet you have a half-dozen numbers on your contact list that you contact depending on if you want a redhead or brunette.”
“Don’t forgot forget the blondes.”
“I thought you didn’t care for blondes.”
“Ya, gotta spice it up once in a while.”
“Ugh.” I nudged him with my elbow, but didn’t release his hand. He made a show of groaning and doubling over.
“Oh please, I didn’t hurt you.”
“It’s my rib.” He gasped, stopping and releasing my hand to place it over his bottom rib. “I broke a few ribs and they’re still healing.” He sucked in a breath and groaned, his free hand shooting out and grabbing the rail of the ride beside us. “Oh god it hurts!”
The smile faded from my lips as I watched him, his face contorted into a look of pain. Oh shit, maybe it wasn’t a show after all! I’d seen his body naked a couple of times and it was littered with bruises and scars; what if I had hurt him? “Constantine, I’m so sorry.” I placed a hand on his shoulder while attempting to pull up his t-shirt with the other hand to see the damage I’d caused. “So so so sorry, I didn’t know.”
The look of pain that was in his expression a moment ago vanished and was replaced with a wide smile and a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Got ya! You’re too fucking easy, baby.” He straightened as he laughed. He laughed so hard that tears had sprung to his eyes.
“You’re such an ass.” Balling my hand into a fist, I gave his shoulder a jab. “That wasn’t funny.”
“Oh I beg to differ. It was pretty hilarious.”
“I was concerned.”
He shrugged. “I thank you for your concern, my lady, I really do.”
“Condescending ass, I was sincerely concerned about you.” Without waiting for a reply, I walked ahead of him and got into the fast lane. Constantine had insisted on getting the FLASH Passes and I was glad he did; the regular line was backed up at least an hour.
“I’m sorry. That was mean,” he said, jogging up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his front. “Forgive me,” he whispered against my neck, sending a shiver through me and igniting my arousal.
Dirty bugger, he knew what that did to me. Two could play at this game. I rubbed back against him, ensuring that my ass brushed against his crotch. Sure enough there was a stirring in his jeans and a thick ridge began to harden against me.
“Next!” the attendant called out as the line moved forward and we were ushered onto the ride.
“This is exciting. I haven’t been to a park since I was with you.”
“No kidding.”
I shook my head, my hair whipping into my face with the movement. “Nope. I’d forgotten how much fun they were.” Admittedly, it had been so long, I’d forgotten what fun really was. “Gabriel had been very controlling. People would be envious of me, but they didn’t know the truth.”
The ride jolted forward, ending my pity party.
~*~ TT ~*~
Constantine
I could only guess what she’d been through being with a monster such as Gabriel. Sure, I was also a monster, but it was a different type entirely. The men who met my wrath were deserving of it. The world was a better place without them. Though I suppose most killers justified it one way or another.
I enjoyed the ride, but what I enjoyed even more was seeing the look of joy in her face as she screamed and laughed through the loops and lifted her hands high in the air during the dips to heighten the anti-gravity sensation. This was how I remembered her from my past, optimistic and carefree.
The ride ended too quickly, but despite it ending there was still happiness gleaming in her eyes. I was happy that I could give this day to her. Taking her hand, I led her to the next ride.
By the time the thirty minutes was up we’d managed five rides and my stomach was beginning to grumble. Amusement park food wasn’t the best; I was only able to stomach a hot dog. There was a nice little restaurant about ten minutes away, which was where our next stop was going to be.
The closer we got to the play park, the quicker she walked until she was on the verge of jogging. “Whoa! Where’s the fire?”
“I don’t see him.” She pulled her hand from mine and went into a full-out sprint.
“He’s fine,” I called after her, picking up the pace and meeting up with her at the play park. I scanned the play area and couldn’t see him.
“He’s gone!” She looked up at me, pain and tears filling her eyes. “He’s taken Austin!”
Chapter 19
Robyn
“He’s gone! He’s gone, Constantine!” I swear I’d never been as scared as I was right now. My entire world felt like it was crumbling around me and I was finding it difficult to breathe. Austin was all I had; without him life wouldn’t be worth living.
“Just hold on a second. Relax.”
“Relax? He’s gone, Constantine! Gabriel’s taken him!” It was getting harder to breathe, so hard. I began gasping for air, clutching onto Constantine for support.
“Is she okay?” I heard a woman ask, but the voice sounded far away, like I was underwater and attempting to hear someone above the surface.
He replied but his reply was muffled.
My knees were feeling weak and they came away, causing me to fall to the ground. Someone’s hand was on my shoulder, gently nudging it. I looked up, a veil of tears clouding my vision to see Austin standing before me.
“Is Mommy okay?” He was addressing someone else, but his frightened eyes were focused on me.
“Austin?” I was elated as I wrapped my arms around him, showering his face with kisses. “I’m so happy. So happy to see you.”
“What’s wrong, Mommy?”
“Nothing.” I sniffed and swiped at my nose with the back of my hand, not exactly dignified, but I didn’t care. My world had been torn away and given back in the matter of a couple of minutes. “Where were you?”
“I had to pee. That girl took me.” He pointed to the woman who had been flirting with Constantine earlier. I no longer hated the woman.
“Oh.” My face reddened as I began to look around us and discovered that a small crowd had gathered, all looking on. Constantine was reassuring them everything was fine and so the crowd was slowly beginning to dissipate.
Constantine’s hand on my elbow helped me to my feet. “Everything is fine, Robyn. He’s fine.”
I couldn’t believe I’d reacted so badly. I prayed for the crowd to disappear quickly because my embarrassment was intense; I wanted the ground to open up and eat me whole. “I just…” I looked over at the play park and then down at Austin. “I couldn’t see him and I just thought…”
“It’s fine. Everything is going to be okay.” He pulled me against him and I buried my face into his chest, while keeping hold of Austin’s hand. I needed to know he was still okay. While what had just transpired was an overreaction, I knew the scare would stay with me for a very long time.
“This whole thing…”
With an arm draped over my shoulder, he guided me away from the play palace and toward the exit. “This whole thing will be over soon. I promise.”
I knew what he meant by being over. He was going to take Gabriel out and anyone else who stood in his way. You would think that after being with the man for a few years that I’d feel remorse about what was about to happen, but I didn’t. He’d sent a man to kill me. He physically, emotionally and mentally abused me. The man destroyed lives – lives of those close to him and those of strangers. He thought he was untouchable.
But he wasn’t. No one was…
~*~ TT ~*~
Constantine
“Did you have fun, buddy?” I asked, looking down at Austin as he gobbled down a slice of pizza.
He nodded. Once the slice was chewed and swallowed he replied, “Lots of fun. Can we go again sometime?”
“Of course we can.”
“Thank you. Want to know more about kangaroos?”
I laughed. “Maybe later.”
“Okay.” He smiled and dug into another slice. Boy, could he ever put the food away for a little guy.
I looked across the four-person table to see Robyn staring at me with a peculiar look on her face.
“What?” Grabbing my napkin, I dabbed at the side of my mouth. Was I wearing pizza sauce?
She shook her head and cast her eyes downward to her untouched slice of pizza. She’d barely spoken since the episode at the play park and hadn’t had a thing to eat or drink. I didn’t like seeing her like this.
Looking over at Austin I saw he was busy with his pizza and juice. He wasn’t paying us any mind so I switched seats so I was closer to Robyn. Capturing her chin in my hand, I forced her to look up at me and there were tears in her eyes.
I didn’t need to ask her what was wrong. She was at the end of her rope and perhaps her sanity when it came to this situation. She needed release from Gabriel. Until this was settled she’d see him in the shadows. Even after I finished him off I wouldn’t be surprised if she continued to look over her shoulder and see him in the shadows at every turn.
“I took care of his minion. I’ll be taking care of him tomorrow. This is almost over.”
She sniffed. “What if it’s not? I’m not sure I can protect him. Maybe I should have worked with the feds,” she said in a whisper so Austin couldn’t hear.
Ensuring my voice was as low as hers, I responded, “There are no what ifs, Robyn. You’re doing the right thing. I told you I’d take care of this and once I’m done you’ll be free.”
“And then what?” Her eyes searched mine and I knew that the topic had shifted slightly and she was now referring to her and me. What would become of us once it was all said and done?
I gave her a sympathetic smile as I grabbed a napkin and wiped her nose. Between the rides, the near breakdown and now this she was beginning to look like a hot mess. But she was still beautiful to me. She’d always be beautiful to me.