“Pick what things up?”
The man shrugged. “No idea. Is there anything I can do fo-”
She stepped inside, and shut the door behind her before he could finish.
Already her mind was racing.
This is my chance. I should just get the fuck out of here while she’s gone…
Simone figured the soldiers would probably try to interfere, but she had a feeling that they wouldn’t be willing to shoot at her—Myra, almost certainly, would’ve forbidden that. They might try to manhandle her, of course, drag her back in the house, but they’d have to catch her first, and if she acted quick enough to surprise them…
Why not? It could work, and this might be the best chance I get. Leaving here might not fix all my problems, but staying sure as hell isn’t doing me any good.
The decision made, all she needed now was her purse, which had her car keys and phone inside.
She looked in the living room, then checked the dining room and the kitchen, but couldn’t find it, so she raced up the stairs and searched all over her bedroom.
She was down in the floor looking under the bed when she suddenly realized what was going on. That bitch stole my purse!
For a moment she was devastated—there was no way to escape without transportation. Then she remembered that the dealership had given her an extra set of keys when she bought the car back in Richmond.
But where did I put the other set?
She closed her eyes, sent her mind back…
And summoned a vague memory of dropping them into a mayonnaise jar full of loose change that she’d kept on the mantel in her old apartment. As far as she knew, they should still be in the jar, which would solve her problems.
Unless I lost it or left it back in Richmond.
There were a few boxes from the move that she had never bother to unpack, stacked away in the bedroom closet. Immediately she pulled one of them out, and plopped herself down in the floor beside it, started going through the contents as fast as she could.
Five minutes later, keys in hand, Simone shoved her feet into a pair of running shoes and quickly left the room. She took the stairs two at a time, then flung open the front door, and hurried out onto the porch.
She walked right past the soldier without even glancing his way, then rushed down the steps, and made a quick sprint to her car.
She opened the driver’s door, slid in behind the steering wheel, closed herself in.
The heat of the interior was stifling even though the sun was starting to get low.
She inserted the key into the ignition and turned the switch, but all she got was a pathetic clicking sound.
She tried again and again but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
Motherfucker!
She sat there for a whole minute, seething with rage, then she pulled the lever under the steering wheel to pop the hood, and got out to take a look.
She already had a suspicion of what she would find, and wasn’t surprised at all to see that her battery cables were cut.
That fucking slut!
Simone stood there for a moment, staring at her useless battery, a terrible anger rising up from the pit of her stomach, a molten-hot kind of feeling that quickly overwhelmed her.
She gripped the top of the hood with both hands, let out a cry of rage, and slammed it down as hard as she could.
Then she stood there, stunned and dizzy, staring at the result.
The hood was basically crushed. Her palms had embedded themselves in the metal as though driven down with the force of twin sledgehammers.
Holy shit…
She looked at her hands, bent the fingers, testing them.
They hurt a little, but nothing was broken and there was no bleeding.
Did I really just do that?
She looked down at the car again.
The two massive indentations continued to exist, defying all logic.
Then she felt something—a twinge of inexplicable awareness.
Someone behind me…
Simone whirled.
The soldier from the porch was standing there, looking at her with an expression of awe.
“What are you staring at?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “How’d you do that?”
“Haven’t you heard? I’m a fucking devil-woman. If you piss me off, I’ll breathe black stuff on you, make your guts set on fire. Then I’ll probably eat you.”
The guy said nothing but his expression made it clear he thought she was either deranged or on drugs.
Simone pointed at her car. “Did you know Myra fucked with my battery cables?”
“I knew.”
“What are your orders? Did she tell you to keep me from leaving here? Cause I’m thinking real hard about hoofing it.”
“Please don’t do that.”
“Will you try to stop me?”
He looked at the car hood, then shrugged and chuckled nervously, like he couldn’t really credit what he’d just seen. “You seem pretty strong for a girl, but I guess I’ll try.” He waved towards the woods.” My pals are out there. They’ll probably give me a hand if I need one.”
His tone was light, joking, but she could see a hint of real fear in his eyes.
“Do you know what I’m supposed to be?” she asked him. “Do you know why she’s paying you to watch me?”
He glanced away, spat. “Doesn’t really matter. I’m in no position to be questioning good money at the moment.”
“So you’ll do as you’re told, no matter what? Even if you’re breaking the law?”
“I’m in the business of breaking the law.”
“Which means you’re some kind of a hard-ass…” Her tone became mocking. “Your an ice-cold mothafucka, a big mean gangsta, and if I try to leave here, you’ll shoot me down with that scary gun. You’ll shoot poor little old me right in the back while I’m walking down the road.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You have a gun. You’re telling me I can’t leave. What do you expect me to think?”
“I think you’re gonna be reasonable and calm down.”
“You don’t know me too well then. Especially not lately.”
“Look, you have the wrong idea here. My job is to keep you safe. I can’t do that if you take off on foot.”
“So, you’re just guarding me?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m doing.“
She looked the guy in the face, tried to decide what she thought of him. She always trusted her gut instincts when it came to judging people and they almost never failed her.
Her gut was telling her complex things about this guy. He wasn’t a good guy at all, but he wasn’t a full-on monster either, or at least he didn’t think of himself that way.
He had a mean streak in him. He was dangerous, but he was also kind of normal, on some level.
And he was also obviously attracted to her.
Could she use that?
Maybe…
“What’s your name?” she asked.
He regarded her suspiciously and hesitated with his answer. Finally he said, “Bobby.”
“Last name?”
“As far as you’re concerned, I don’t have one."
“Fair enough, Bobby No-last-name. Do you wanna come inside with me and have a drink? It’s really hot out here.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think I’m supposed to go in the house.”
“It’ll be easier to guard me in the house than out here, and the only reason she’s making you stay outside is because it’s my house, and I told her to keep you guys out of my hair.”
Bobby flashed a skeptical look. “And now you’ve suddenly changed your mind?”
She shrugged. “I just don’t feel like being alone. I’m a little spooked with all the stuff that’s happened today. Feel like I’m going crazy or something. If you’re not gonna let me leave, then it might be nice to have somebody to keep me company in there.”
He s
tared at her for a long time, as if trying to read her intentions. Then finally he shrugged his shoulders. “If that’s what it takes to keep you from trying to walk out of here, then I guess the boss lady won’t mind.”
Simone smiled. “Then yes, that’s what it takes.”
- - -
Inside, the soldier stopped a few feet beyond the threshold, and just stood there with his arms crossed, seeming terribly uncomfortable, like he suddenly realized coming in the house had been a bad idea, an idea that might get him into lots of trouble, and now what he really wanted to do was go back out and sit on the porch like a good boy.
Simone gestured towards the furniture. “Have a seat. Make yourself comfy. What do you want to drink?”
“Just ice-water.”
“Want some booze instead?”
“What kind of booze?”
“I have some expensive rum and some cheap vodka.”
“You have beer?”
“Yuck.”
“Water’s fine then.”
“Oh jeez, don’t be ‘water’ guy. At least let me get you some Mountain Dew or something.”
“Okay then. Mountain Dew.”
She left him and walked into the kitchen.
As she opened the fridge, she noticed the cord for the portable phone—the only working land-line in the house—had been sliced neatly in two.
Un-fucking-believable, she thought. That bitch’s trying to turn my house into a goddamn prison! She probably messed up the Internet connection too.
Simone managed, after a few moments of effort, to choke back another wave of inhuman rage. Then she got the soda out of the fridge and poured the drinks: two glasses, one for her and one for the soldier. She added a generous amount of vodka to hers, and—after a moment’s hesitation—added a few splashes to his as well, even though he didn’t seem to want any. Fuck him. I bet he’ll drink it anyway.
When she walked back into the living room he was finally settling down on the couch. She went over and sat down right next to him, handed him his drink.
“Thanks,” he said.
She took a sip of her own. “I put some booze in it, hope you don’t mind.”
“I thought I told you I didn’t want any.”
She shrugged. “I think you can probably handle it.”
He took a sip, and as he tilted his head back she caught him checking out her tits again. With the thin material of the wife beater, and the lack of a bra, she supposed she was giving him a pretty decent view of her goods, which was just fine under the circumstances.
“So,” she said. “You’re a soldier, right?”
“I was. Now I do security work.”
“You guys carry a lot of guns for security guards.”
He nodded but didn’t offer an explanation.
“Are you a combat vet?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Iraq?”
He shook his head and took another sip. “Afghanistan.”
“Army? Marines? What?”
“Army.”
“I’ve always heard the marines were more bad-ass.”
“You heard wrong.”
“What’s your name again?”
He laughed. “You already forgot?”
“Yeah, sorry—was it Tommy?”
“Bobby.”
She sighed. “Well, at least I was close. I’m usually good with names.”
He took another sip and swished it around in his mouth before he swallowed. “You didn’t add much alcohol did you? Tastes almost like regular Mountain Dew.”
“No, not much. There’s a lot more in mine.”
“You’re a big drinker then?”
“Not usually. I’m kinda stressed right now.”
“Don’t seem too stressed to me.”
“I’m good at hiding it.”
They sat in silence for a few seconds.
Simone noticed a big scar on one of his forearms and tentatively reached out to trace the shape of it with her index finger. “Combat wound?”
“No—bar fight. Got cut with a broken bottle.”
“Did it hurt?”
He shrugged.
“My dad was a tough-guy like you,” she said. “Also in the army. He died though.”
“In combat?”
“No. Car wreck.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“I was just a little kid—hardly even remember him.”
“I guess that makes it easier.”
“In some ways… How did you go from being an army guy to working with these weirdos?”
There was a long hesitation, and for a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer. Then finally he said, “I got myself into some financial trouble, and then I did something stupid to get the money I needed, which got me into even more trouble. Now I work for whoever will pay me the most.”
“And these people are paying you a lot?”
“A hell of a lot.”
“I could pay you.”
He laughed. “Really?”
“Take me to a bank right now, and I can hand you 3,000 bucks.”
“So that’s your scheme? You wanna buy me? Not a bad idea, but unfortunately for you, they’re paying a lot more than 3,000 bucks.”
“I could give you 10,000 then.”
“How would you do that? Gonna raid Momma’s bank account?”
“I have my own money.”
“Really?”
“I’m kinda like you in a way. I got in financial trouble too, when I was in college, and I did some things to fix it. I did what I had to do.” She leaned in close, put one hand on his thigh, and gave him a very meaningful look. “I’m very good at certain things. In fact, if you can get me out of here, I might be able to give you more than just money.” She held his eyes until there could be no mistake about her meaning. “A lot more.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So, just to be clear, you’re saying you’ll throw me a fuck if I can help you escape?”
She shrugged. “Sure, if that’s all you want, but we could also do other things. If you have anything weird you want to try, I’m pretty open-minded. You’re not a bad looking guy—I wouldn’t mind spending some time with you.”
He burst out laughing. “You know, you’re really something. So let me get this straight—you’re offering me 10,000 bucks, and a roll in the hay?”
“Actually, it doesn’t have to be just one time… We could spend a few days together if you want. Who knows? We might even become friends once we get to know each other better.”
He looked her over very carefully, not even bothering to hide his frank assessment of her body. “I gotta admit, you sure are a peach. It’s gonna be hard to say no.”
She smiled playfully, leaned even closer, and whispered, “Then say yes… If you just say yes, then I could give you a little taste, right now…”
“A taste huh?” he replied. “That’d be real nice… I’d probably take you up on it too—you’re almost too sweet to pass up. But unfortunately, what you’re asking for is impossible.”
She pulled away from him instantly. “Why?”
“Lots of reasons, but mostly because it’s just too damn risky. The boss lady made us park all the vehicles way out in the woods on this little logging road. To get there we’d have to slip past all the other guys, and they’re watching this place from every angle.”
“You could tell them she ordered you to take me somewhere.”
“That wouldn’t fly. Craig—the guy in charge—would definitely be suspicious. He’d make me wait, and he’d call her to make sure everything was on the up and up.”
“You have a gun, you could fight them.”
“Yeah… Not gonna happen. You’re real cute, but I’m not ready to get myself shot just for a piece of ass.”
She nodded, took a deep breath. “Well, if you’re such a chicken-shit, I guess you’re pretty useless to me. Maybe it’s time for you to get the fuck out of my house.”
He grinned. “Can’t I at least finish my
soda?”
“Sure,” she said. “No point in wasting it.” Then, before she even realized what she was going to do, she stood, took her own cup and splashed all the remaining liquid into his face. “And if you’re so fucking thirsty, why don’t you have the rest of mine too?”
He sat there stunned for a few seconds, then raised one hand very slowly and wiped at his face. When he spoke his voice was low, dangerous. “You little bitch… You shouldn-”
“Get out of my sight, you fucking coward!”
And that was when she felt it again—the same feeling she’d had right before she breathed the black stuff on Chance, as if something was obstructing the back of her throat.
I could kill him right now, she thought.
The idea thrilled her.
He stood, fists balled at his sides, eyes blazing. She knew he was getting ready to beat her to a pulp, and she wasn’t afraid at all.
I hope he tries it.
The feeling of pressure behind her tongue grew, almost as if an egg or something similar had grown there, and she was just about to open her mouth to see if she could make the venom come out again, when suddenly, all the anger drained from his face, and an expression of profound astonishment sprouted there in its place.
He took a half-step back. “What the fuck? Don’t… Jesus—please don’t look at me like that!” He averted his eyes and his hand went to his pistol as he started backing away towards the door, obviously terrified and confused. “You just stay there,” he said. “I’m leaving.”
His reaction stunned her. What had he seen that frightened him so much?
Her wild fury faded instantly, and she felt the pressure in her throat decreasing along with it.
When he had put a few more feet of distance between them, he finally turned his back on her, walked very quickly to the door, and got the hell out of there.
As soon as he was gone, Simone hurried to the bathroom, and checked herself in the mirror over the sink.
She half-expected to find a monster looking back at her, but the image in the glass was the same familiar face she always saw. Which begged the question: what had been different about her just a few seconds ago?
Something. Another fucking mystery.
The last thing I need…
Feeling frustrated, she was just about to walk out of the bathroom when she noticed the bottle of TUMS sitting beside the sink, and that made her think, once again, of the weird vision of her father, and the note.
The DARK Trilogy: Titan's Song Chronicles Volume 1 (Books 1 - 3) Page 15