JOE, BUBBLES & BUTTONS

by Benjamin J. Patterson

  Bubbles forcefully interjected, “if it's about the fucking money, Marco is going out right now to get girls to replace us and your money still rolls in... why force us to fight anymore. We have blood on our hands too so you don't have to worry about us going to any law enforcement. That shit would be real stupid on our part, don’t ya think...”

  Andre laughed.

  "That's the least of our worries. The thing is, you were born in the cage on the cameras and that's where you will ensure yourselves a long future or die. That is the nature of this business...I like you two but there will always be more and more and more just like you... "

  "You feel like that and you want us to satisfy your sick fantasies you fat muthafucka!" Bubbles was beside herself with anger and frustration. She hated them all and what they had forced them to do and forced them to become...almost less than human.

  Andre slammed his fist down on the table, "how dare you talk to me like that you stupid bitch!!! You should be on your fucking knees thanking me for sparing your lives even to this moment."

  A long hard stillness arose in the room as Bubbles, Buttons and Andre exchanged dirty looks. Joe sensed the tension, his instincts telling him to intervene before something fucked up happened but before he could.. act it happened.

  Bubbles got up as if she was leaving the kitchen. Hearing a fat fuck like Andre disrespect her and Buttons after everything they’d been put through, up to and including her becoming maimed, was more than she could take...she had definitely had enough!

  NO MORE...

  5

  On The Run

  The fire Marco had forged inside of Bubbles only stoked during intense combat but that all changed in one instance. Just as Bubbles crossed the threshold of the kitchen to the hallway, she bolted back to the table, grabbed a butter knife from the breakfast meal still smeared with butter and jabbed it so hard intro Andre's throat his flesh exploded open. His eyes burst open from the force of the death blow as his life blood erupted and gushed from the hole in his throat.

  Joe and Buttons froze in their conversation, their eyes widened and their jaws dropped at the sight of a blood drench Bubbles standing over the body of Marco's Chairman of the Board.

  Joe quickly grabbed Andre's side pistol and pointed it at Bubbles and Buttons...

  "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" Joe released the the safety, "BOTH OF YOU GET AGAINST THE FUCKING WALL! "

  "Calm down baby, I love you...I won't do anything to you and let anything happen to you," Bubbles said softly, slowly walk towards him while Bubbles stood motionless trying to catch her breath.

  "I SAID GET THE FUCK AGAINST THE WALL," Joe yelled, with a shaky hand and the pistol held high.

  "Ok, just be calm baby... no one is going to hurt you. Ain't that right Bubbles," Buttons spoke as calm as she could, while pulling Bubbles close to her.

  "I can't believe you killed him...he was my family..."

  In tears of anger and hurt, Joe walked toward Andre's lifeless body, while keeping the pistol trained on Bubbles and Buttons, and kissed him on his forehead, "rest my friend."

  Bubbles suddenly broke her silence, I'm sorry Joe..."I just couldn't take anymore. After losing my fingers and now have to worry about getting killed for not wanting to kill my best friend... I lost it. I killed him so shoot me if you want, just let Buttons go. " She sank into the nearest chair, trying tired for the first time in her life and just wanting the nightmare to be over.

  "We can all leave here right now and go away somewhere forever and leave all this shit behind baby," Buttons pleaded.

  With the back of his gun hand, Joe wiped tears from his face, turned and gazed at Bubbles and Buttons...

  “Only because I love her will I let you two go but you have to leave now and disappear. When Marco gets back, I will tell him what happened and he will do everything in his power to hunt you down and kill you both. And believe me, he will make it as painful as possible...”

  "What do you..."

  Before Buttons could finish, Joe held his hand up to stop her.

  "My love for you is the only reason you two are still alive, so while there is some left, I suggest you leave. I will instruct the driver to take you to the airport; you're on your own from there."

  Buttons slowly walked towards him. opening her arms to embrace him but he extended his arms outward, shaking his head no...

  "You'd best get as much as you can while I call the driver. "He then walked out the kitchen.

  Buttons stood watching Joe leave and began to cry. Bubbles put her arm around her shoulders...

  “I know and I'm sorry but we have to get our things and get the hell out of here."

  Buttons looked Bubbles in her eyes and slapped the hell out of her!

  "It didn't have to go this way... "

  The blow knocked Bubbles to the ground. Bubbles rose to her feet, rubbed her sore face and followed Buttons to their room.

  *********

  They didn't have many personal belongings but they did have a hundred thousand dollars saved between the both of them. Bubbles and Buttons quickly and quietly packed their things without exchanging one glance or whisper. Once they finished they quickly headed for the door. When they stepped outside, there was Joe standing in the snow flurries next to a limousine with the door open and a stone cold stare on his face.

  Bubbles headed for the car first. As she went to get in, she forced a quick hug on Joe and slid in. Buttons sadly made her way into the car. She was caught completely off guard when Joe grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into his then gave her a deep and passionate kiss melting her in his arms. He disengaged and looked deep into her eyes...

  "I'm sorry things turned out this way. "

  "Me too," Buttons exclaimed, as she eyed Bubbles sitting in the limousine. With a final wave goodbye, they drove away.

  ********

  Once Bubbles and Buttons vanished from sight, Joe went back into the house heart broken and distressed. Not only did he lose the first woman he’d ever loved but now he had to face cleaning up the dead body of his beloved friend Andre and even worst than this, breaking the news to Marco. As he stood in emotional pain over Andre's body, he pulled out his cell phone, his hand trembled as he dialed the numbers. The phone rang and Marco answered...

  "Hello? "

  While riding to the airport, the two women sat self-absorbed, not wanting any contact with the other. Regardless of what happened or how it happened, they were deep in this shit together and they both knew it. Along with the fact that they had to trust each other if they expected to survive.

  Bubbles decided to break the tension filled silence...

  "I know this shit is all my fault and I'm so sorry for everything. If you want, when we get to the airport, we'll go our separate ways."

  Buttons slowly turned her head, reluctantly facing Bubbles.

  “Yeah, you fucked up big time but... like I said before, we got into this mess together and we'll get out of it the same way."

  They forced smiles on their faces and hugged just as the limousine stopped. The driver rolled down the dividing window with a pistol in his hand, speaking to them in heavily accented English...

  “This is where you get out!”

  Neither had expected to be forced from the car at gun point so fear raced in their minds as they wondered if they were really being driven to the airport or some deserted wasteland where they would be left for dead or executed. Due to the intense snowfall, all they could see through the window was the appearance of a deserted building in a snow covered field.

  “Where are we...we were told we're going to the airport but this don't look like no airport,” Bubbles said, truly fed up with the whole game being played out in front of them.

  The driver removed the safety, "I said this is where you get out! "

  "Okay...okay... we're going," Bubbles said.

  They opened the door and stepped out into the frozen tundra with their things and started to walk towards the building. No sooner
than they were a few feet from the car, it took off, leaving them in the middle of nowhere.

  "If this is where it all ends, at least we're here together," Buttons said as they walked towards the building. They walked up to two metal doors that suddenly opened to the sight of a private aircraft hanger. There was a mid size plane sitting there with a guy standing next to it waiting. "Let's go... I...I ave a deed line," the guy barked in broken English.

  Bubbles and Buttons made their way onto the plane.

  "Where you go...now "the guy asked.

  "The United States... Florida" Bubbles responded.

  Before they took off, Buttons asked the pilot if she could use his phone to make a quick call. Of course, when he gave her his phone, she called Lil Joe.

  "Hello? "

  "Hey Joe... this is Buttons. I just wanted to call to say thanks again for everything, are you going to be alright?"

  "Why are you calling me from a Russian number?! You should be on a plane out of the country right now."

  "We are on the plane Joe, I just wanted to talk to you one last time and I hope the stupid actions of Bubbles don't get you in any trouble with Marco. "

  "Things are what they are now. I told Marco what happened and you know he now wants you two or your heads delivered to him. He has assassins all over the world and they all are now hunting for you."

  "Well just know I love you Joe and will always keep you in my heart. "

  "I...."

  Just as Joe was about to answer, the line went dead as the plane left Russian airspace.

  "Hello...hello...Joe?”

  Not receiving an answer, she looked at the cell phone and her heart dropped at the sight of no antenna bars. She handed the pilot his phone and asked, "how long will this trip take?"

  "You say you want go to Floreda in the United Sates then it take fifteen hours. There be sleeping quarters in back if you want sleep. "

  "Ok"

  Buttons went to where Bubbles was sitting and they went back to the sleeping area where they both just went to sleep. It was like a rest much needed after what they left behind but it was also rest to prepare for what was to come. They figured Marco was a powerful man with many resources but they really realized his capabilities when they arrived at an airport in Miami Florida.

  *******

  The plane landed at the Miami International Airport. The pilot woke Bubbles and Buttons and they picked up their things to exit the plane. When the side door opened, the two looked at each other with smiles of joy at being back home. They literally jumped off the plane and ran into the airport full of euphoria. As they reached the doors, they were approached by several police officers.

  "What's the problem officers?" Bubbles nervously asked.

  One of the policeman had two pictures in his hands, he raised them up and they were pictures of Bubbles and Buttons. The police officers then grabbed Bubbles and Buttons, placed them in handcuffs, put them in two separate police cars and drove to the Miami Police Department.

  When they arrived at police headquarters, they were ushered to an interrogation room by a column of police officers.

  "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING... WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING, Bubbles shouted as she struggled with the officers. The officers slammed them down in chairs, shackled them and left the room.

  "You think they... "

  "Shh.... Don't say anything until we find out something," Bubbles whispered to Buttons.

  Moments later, a woman and man dressed in suits walked into the room with folders in their hands. The woman grabbed a chair and sat at the table while the man closed the door behind them and leaned up against the two way mirror eagle eyeing Bubbles and Buttons.

  As soon as the woman sat down, she opened her folder and began to slam pictures of dead bodies on the table along with one of Andre.

  "We already have you fingerprints and witness statements so the only thing that can help you two monsters is a confession."

  Their eyes bulged and jaws dropped at the sight of the pictures; they both knew Marco had fucked them. Twenty-four hours had not even passed since they left and now they were back under his control, but how?

  Bubbles stiffened up in her chair, "we don't know a goddamn thing so if you're going to do something then just do it!"

  "Nothing from either of you. You do realized you two are being charged with multiple murder including the murder of a Russian government official. You are wanted by several governments of your victims and they all want to see you two dead...” This came from the woman; the man remained silent through out the entire interrogation.

  Bubbles and Buttons kept silent with poker faces...

  "We want a lawyer," Bubbles nonchalantly voiced.

  The woman read them their Miranda rights and quickly picked up the pictures. She got up from her seat and they left the room. A group of police officers then entered the room to escort Bubbles and Buttons to a room where they were stripped, searched and handed prison jumpers. They were then escorted to a waiting transport van and driven away.

  _____________________

  The Florida State Maximum Security Correctional Institute was alive with activity as they prepared to receive the two most wanted women in the known world..Bubbles and Buttons.

  News agencies from around the world flocked to the prison to report the capture of the reported international thrill killers, as they were dubbed. When the transport van arrived, a force of corrections officers had to usher the van through a sea of people and camera flashes.

  Once they were inside the prison, Bubbles and Buttons were lead to a private room where they were told they would meet with their attorney. Buttons turned to Bubbles with concern on her face, "how are we going to get out of this?"

  "I really can't tell you right now or at least until we find out how much they know. Then we can decide what to say and what to do. I know this shit is getting deeper and scarier but we must trust and stand with each other to keep our freedom and lives."

  “Ok...if you say so,” Buttons reluctantly answered.

  The door to the room they were in opened and a short nervous man in a suit quickly shuffled in. Bubbles and Buttons looked up at the awkward sight.

  "You our lawyer," Bubbles asked in disbelief.

  "Technically yes and no," the little man answered.

  "Huh...what the fuck is that supposed to mean," Bubbles asked.

  "It means I am a state appointed attorney but there's nothing I can do to help you two."

  "So if you can't help us why don't we have a lawyer who can," Buttons said.

  "There is no one that can help you. I was sent here only as a messenger."

  "A messenger...for who," Bubbles asked.

  The man pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number and put it on speaker. When the line picked up, a familiar voice answered, "Hello."

  "Marco, you son of a bitch, what have you done?!" Bubbles barked.

  "Hahaha....I've done nothing but inform a few people about your recent activities."

  "You made us fight and kill those women, so you’re just as guilty as we are," Buttons angrily voiced.

  "Me guilty...my fingerprints are not all over dead bodies and murder weapons and there is a video of you killing my friend Andre so what exactly am I guilty of?"

  "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS MARCO, I PROMISE YOU THAT," Bubbles viciously yelled.

  "No...you are not going to get away with this. I am here to give you two a choice...either return to Russia to face your crimes here or spend the rest of your life in prison there."

  "You can't do this to us Marco! You going to really let him do this to us?! What happened to the American justice system," Bubbles frantically said.

  "You have fulfilled your duties sir... they have made their decision to stay and I have no more to say to them." The phone then went silent.

  "Sir, sir...he must have hung up. All I can say ma'am is that you two pissed off the wrong people and there's nothing anyone can do to help you.”

  Th
e attorney went to the door, knocked and quickly disappeared behind it just as he had appeared.

  *********

  Bubbles and Buttons were told they would have to wait at least three years for a trial. Fortunately for them, their time in Russia made them fierce warriors and they quickly dominated the female inmate population. Two years in they became so powerful and dangerous they were put into solitary confinement. After a year in solitary they were finally told they were getting a trial.

  When their trial date finally arrived, they were escorted to a cargo van and shackled in to be transported to the federal court house. There were two guards driving them and as they drove a few miles from the prison the driver stun gunned the guard in the passenger seat and incapacitated him.

  "What the fuck is going on," Bubbles asked the guard driving. The guard just drove without responding until he reached South Florida. He then drove to a motel called the Outbound Motel.

  He got out of the van and walked over to a car parked in the lot with two men inside. The passenger of the car got out with a black gym bag, handing it to the guard. The guy then jumped into the driver seat of the van while the guard went to the passenger area of the van where Bubbles and Buttons was.

  "Please don't kill us sir....if you let us go we promise we will disappear and say nothing to anyone," Buttons pleaded with the guard.

  The guard gave Buttons a sideways look then released her and Buttons from their shackles. Stunned and apprehensive by the guards actions, they sat frozen to their seats. The guard then pulled his weapon from his side.

  "Get out the van quickly!" There was genuine urgency in this man voice.

  The guard spoke English but with a strong accent. Hearing his voice raised the hair on the back of their necks from the thought of the guard being one of Marco's assassins finally exacting his revenge upon them. They were reluctant to follow his orders until he made them a second time but more forceful.

  "I said get out of the van now!"

  "Okay, okay," Bubbles said as she moved and Buttons followed behind her. When they exited the van, the guy in the drivers seat immediately took off. The guard then handed them a motel room key, the black gym bag and his weapon. They took the key and the gym bag but they hesitated with the weapon.