"Better to be strong than pretty and useless." ― Lilith Saintcrow
~oOo~
The weekend for the set up came as quickly as we could prepare for it.
While the girls prepared the rat, I was going over the plan in my head about the many ways this could go right and go wrong at the same time. Kitty will go undercover as a stall vendor her clay knickknacks at the famers market this weekend while Aria goes undercover as a customer, trailing behind the rat and the informative. I will be with Lily; walking around and just keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble. Hopefully, there will be no surprises.
"Everything will be ok." Lily said as I readied for our outing. By now Aria would have the rat on stand-by while Kitty readied her stand at the farmers market.
I sighed and made sure my gun was well hidden as I put my leather jacket on. My hair was up in a high pony tail, my ear piece was in, and I was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and my jogging shoes. Bringing Lily is a risk but not bringing her would send flags in the air should I run into anyone.
"I hope so. Remember what I told you?" I asked her.
"Stick close to you and if anything happens start running." She said and gave me a hug. That helped settle my nerves but only a little. When the time came we locked the front door and headed to the farmers market. We parked a block away before walking down to see how Kitty's stand looked. Of course she had her miniature figurines of dragons with a personality twist. Lily and I both have one at the house actually. Mine is holding my mask and Lily has hers holding her stuffed animal when she was a baby.
"Nice set up. Think you'll get money this time around?" I asked her and she glared at me.
"That's if you don't send a cow my way." Last mission she had to set up shop I may or may not accidently let a cow loose that destroyed her stand. I think I still owe her money…maybe not.
"There's no cows around, you ninny." I said to her. "You all set?"
"Aria is bringing him now. They're two blocks away." She told me and I nodded, tapping my ear to signal her to make sure her ear piece was in. She tapped her ear too and we gave her a smile before we left to look around.
"Rat is in the area. He's heading towards the meeting place now, walking Brad Street west to your location to the bench near the ice cream cart that's sitting next to the pie stand. He's holding a newspaper in his hands." Aria said in my ear.
"Does he know?"
"As far as he knows, I only helped him up from the curbside where he passed out from drinking too much." Aria said and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Nice job on him Kitty. Doesn't remember a thing."
"I wasn't trained for nothing you know!" Kitty said.
"Girls, focus. Spot any suspicious persons coming and going. Eyes sharp." I said to them and the chatting went dead. I browsed a fruit stand before looking in the direction where the rat would be coming from. He turned the corner after a minute and I told the girls that the rat was on his way.
"Mr. Christmas!" Lily shouted and turned to let go of my hand.
"Fuck me." I muttered before shaking my head.
"Is that?"
"Notify me if anything happens."
"Oooo! The boyfriend has appeared from the grass! Will she run or fight?!" Kitty said and I rolled my eyes before turning around with a questionable look on my face. Lee wasn't alone however. Standing beside him was a man of noticeable size unlike Lee. Only his ears were funny looking, maybe an injury?
"Hello Autumn. Surprise seeing you here." Lee said with a knowing smirk on his face. I smiled at him and walked towards him. Lily was attached to his leg, trying to get his attention for something or another.
"I didn't figure you to get your fruit and veggies from venders? Or the type to even come here at all. Who's your friend?" I asked him.
"Autumn, this is my friend Toll Road. He…works with me." Lee said and I smirked on the inside.
"It's nice to finally meet you. Lee hardly talks about his friends. I was starting to think he didn't have any." I said with a smile and Toll Road started to laugh before slapping Lee on the shoulder.
"Oh, this man? Yeah we go back some ways." Toll Road said and I smiled.
"Is that so? I may have to invite your friends over some time Lee, maybe they can give me some dirt on you." I winked at my next door neighbor who shook his head. "Are we still on for next Friday?" I asked Lee who was suddenly really close to me.
"Of course." He said in almost a breathless tone. I bit my lips, trying to keep my acting up but this man…something was banging in my heart to say yes to everything this man says but my mind keeps telling me to keep my guard up.
"Sooo, will this involve me getting fancy or are you taking me to some greasy spoon with cheap beer?" I asked him and the man laughed again. We looked over to where Toll Road was having a conversation with my sister before going back to each other.
"How about we get the fancy stuff out of the way then I'll try and see how much you can hold." He smiled this bright smile at me but I gave him a look.
"Are you saying I can't hold my beer?"
"You drink beer? I figured you the fruity wine cooler type." Lee said and I rolled my eyes.
"I can so drink you under the table." I challenged him.
"Is that challenge?" He stepped closer and I smiled this time.
"Name the time and place." I said to him but before he could get to answer Lily stepped between us. She kept tugging at my leg so I crouched down in front of her. She didn't say anything but point in the direction where the meeting place would most likely take place. I notice that the rat had taken his place and was simply waiting for no doubt a man with a dark look on him. I kissed Lily on the cheek before standing up again.
"I'm hungry." Lily said, trying to play pretend so that we get back to looking for our mystery man.
"What would you like then? Kitty may have something for you or we can go look at the other stalls." I told her and a smile came across her face.
"Kitty!" She raised her hands high with excitement.
"Kitty?" Toll Road asked and I chuckled.
"That is her actual name and she has a stall here in the famers market. She makes little figurines that match the owner who buys them. We told her we would come visit her stall again after we had some time to look around. Would you like to join us?" I really couldn't just blow him off after we saw each other. He would feel like I was advoiding him or something. I need to just get a little bit closer…just until I'm introduced to my father…
"Yeah! Please, please, please!" Lily chanted, tugging on Lee's pant leg.
"Lily, stop tugging." I scolded her but Lee just chuckled, picking my sister up so she sat on his shoulders. "Now you've done it. You'll never get rid of her now Lee." I told him as I stepped closer to the two. Lee smiled that smile at me and I felt my inside turn but it was mostly the butterfly effect.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. It just means I have all the ladies falling for me." I shook my head and Lee turned towards his friend. "You're the one who wanted to go for a ride. Should we go get this little lady something to eat?"
"We can't have her going hunger now can we?" He smiled really big and together we walked towards Kitty's stall. Just before we reach it my phone went off. I excused myself to answer it, seeing it was Aria calling me.
"It seems you have a problem." Aria said on the other end and I groaned.
"Don't get me started. This wasn't planned."
"Do you have a backup one? The rat is supposed to meet the informant in the next few minutes and your boyfriend isn't helping." Aria said.
"You don't think I know that? I'll just have to keep them busy while we're here and you'll just have to pay extra attention on the rat. Keep me posted and alert me if anything major goes down." I told her.
"Got it. Have fun." She teased before hanging up. When I returned to the others, Lee questioned me with a look and I shook my head.
"Nothing to worry about. My friend Aria just called to let me know that our plans for later are cancelled." I told him and Kitty looked at me funny. "Bad brother and parents."
"Ah." Kitty said and went back to her pottering wheel.
"What's going on?" Toll Road asked.
"Our friend Aria's little brother is sick with cancer. Her parents are dead beat and only make things worse when they visit." I explained.
"Aria's the only one who pays the bills in that family and her parents just mooch off her whenever she gets her paycheck. Aria's been working since she's been in high school." Kitty said as the clay spun in her hands.
"Aria's life is a very touchy subject for us." I told them with a smile before changing the subject. "You wouldn't have anything in your cooler for Lily do you?"
"Strawberry jelly and bananas with the crust cut off." Kitty said with a smile, wiping her hands really quick before reaching inside for Lily's sandwich. "Just the way you like it." She turned to the boys. "Would you like something to drink boys? I have bottled water?"
"Sure, thank you." They said with a smile and gladly took a bottle each.
"So Kitty, this is a hobby of yours?" Toll Road asked.
"Yeah, I set up shop wherever I can. I work with Autumn at the diner but on my slow days I barely make enough so I sell my figurines. Autumn was my first customer actually." Kitty smiled and I shook my head.
"That's only because I felt bad." I told her and the look of pure murder crossed her face. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." I told her but I knew I would get strangled later.
"How long have you two known each other?" Lee spoke this time. We looked at each other and smiled.
"What is it? Almost ten years now?" Kitty asked me.
"I believe so. Gosh, has it been that long? When was the last time we celebrated?"
"Three years ago before we moved?" I asked her.
"Didn't you two just move in a month or so ago?" Lee asked me and Kitty chuckled.
"We've been friends for years, almost like family so when these two decided to move, so did I. I had nothing really holding me there except these two." Kitty explained.
"Kitty moved ahead of us while I sorted things out. She's the one who found us the house and the awesome job at the diner." I said and she shrugged her shoulders.
"It was the quickest job I could find for you. It's not my fault there's good jobs with bosses who won't try to get into your pants." Kitty said and Toll Road looked at us funny. "Our boss is a perv."
"He makes our uniforms one size too small, flirts with us all the time, and tries to feel us up in the storage room when we bend over. One of these days, that man will lose his hands." I told them.
"She'll be mostly likely the one who does it." Kitty said and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah right. Jail is the last thing I want to be in Kitty." The four of us chuckled while Lily sat on the small stool eating her sandwich. She looked so happy with jelly on her face I just shook my head at her.
"You're as bad as Lily with her pottery; you have jelly all over your face." I said, taking Kitty's slightly used rag to wipe Lily's face with. I looked over my shoulder to see the gentlemen behind me. "Do you two have plans later?"
"None that I can think of. Do you?" Lee turned towards Toll Road and the man shook his head. "Why do you ask?"
"The famers market closes at four so we were thinking of going out to eat today. Would you boys like to join us?" I asked them and Lee's smile caught me off guard.
"Care to hang out with the ladies Toll Road or would you rather go sit in your apartment alone again?" Lee teased and the other man playfully shoved him.
"I'll go, if you ladies don't mind." He said and we smiled at him.
"Of course not, I'm just glad to get know more about Lee's friends." I told him but before anyone could say anything my worst fear echoed in the small farmer's market.
Pop. Pop.
"Get down!" Everyone dropped to the ground, my body covering Lily's while Lee's covered mine. Kitty feel to the ground as well, Toll Road falling close near her as a man in a leather jacket sprinted away from the scene.
"God damnit! He killed him! The informant wasn't who he was!" Aria yelled in my ear and I winced at her yelling. I looked in the direction where the rat's body lay lifeless. Lee got off of me and went to see what was going on but I stopped him, handing him my hand gun. He gave me a funny look but I shook my head, telling him that I'll explain it later. Lee and Toll Road went off to see what was happening.
"What happened?!" Kitty hissed we got to our feet as well.
"Apparently, we were out thought by the bastard himself. I thought you said we weren't followed."
"We weren't followed. Something must've happened before then. The rat has been locked up since we got him." Kitty said as we watched as more people got around the body.
"Well something happened. Call Aria to find out what happened and tell her to find out where the rat was before we arrived at his house. We need to know everything that man did." I told Kitty.
"What are you going to do?"
"Buy my way out of having a gun. Pack your things up then head towards my truck. I'll meet you there." I told her as Lily and I made our way towards Lee. When he spotted us coming near he stepped away to stop us from getting closer.
"You don't want to see this and neither should Lily." He said, handing me the gun before picking Lily up like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Where did you get a gun?"
"After mom got sick I got a little bit paranoid about safety with Lily. The move didn't help so I started carrying around my gun just in case. I'm kind of glad I did. What happened? Was someone shot?" I put on my more worried look as Lee took my hand, leading us away from the scene.
"Yeah, but the police will handle it. Let's get you ladies away from here. Where's your friend?" Toll Road said and I pointed to where I parked the truck.
"I told her to get her things and meet us at the truck; her hands wouldn't stop shaking." I said and we moved briskly towards the truck. "Shouldn't we wait for the police?"
"You didn't see anything did you?" Lee asked me.
"No, I only heard the shots." I told him and looked at Lily. "Are you ok Lily?"
"I'm scared. Mr. Christmas can we go home?" Lily hugged his neck tighter and I couldn't figure out of Lily was faking it or not.
"Yes sweetie, we can. I'm just sorry we can't go out." He said as we reached the truck. Kitty's belonging were already in the back and she had a worried look on her face, unshed tears in her eyes as she threw her arms around myself.
"Oh my god! What happened?!" She said as she clung to me.
"Someone was shot. Looked like someone got angry at the man and shot him." Toll Road said.
"Why would someone shoot someone in broad daylight? Are they nuts?!" Kitty exclaimed and I tried to 'calm' her down.
"Let's just get out of here and go home." I said and turned towards Lee. "You wouldn't still like to come over do you?" I asked Lee and Lily's grip tightened.
"Please Mr. Christmas, don't leave." Lily said and Lee patted her on the back.
"I'm not going anywhere. You go with your sister and we'll meet you are your house. We'll even go and pick something up to make there okay? That way we can still hang out together." Lee said and Toll Road backed him up on it as well. I took Lily from Lee's arms and the boys said that they'll go to the store to get stuff for hamburgers since I didn't have anything for them.
On the way home Kitty retold me what Aria had said to her while she waited for us at the truck. Everything went according to plan but something happened. Her line of sight was blocked by a few bystanders before she heard the rat say something like 'no it can't be' before the shot went off. We wouldn't know exactly until we got back the listening device Aria had planted on him yesterday. When we got home we had enough time to get changed and get the kitchen ready for when the boys get here.
When they did get here the atmosphere was a little bit better. Kitty and I put on our faces and Lily's attention was elsewhere thankfully. Toll Road and Kitty were talking in the living room with Lily while Lee and I were in the kitchen cleaning up after we had our burgers. Lee came up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders causing me to jump since my mind was elsewhere. He asked if I was alright and I just said that today just shook me that's all. Lee asked if I would like it if he stayed a little bit longer but I told him that I shouldn't keep him and his friend.
"You sure?" Lee asked me and I nodded my head.
"Kitty is staying the night so we should be ok. Would you like to come over for coffee in the morning? Lily would love if you came over. I think she has a crush on you." I said with a smile.
"You think so? Well, how does her older sister feel? Should I expect some competition?" He smirked, leaning rather close to me.
"I highly doubt that but we'll see what happens with our date coming up." I chuckled and he took one of my hands to kiss it.
"I guess Toll Road and I will take off then. I'll see you tomorrow morning." He said, leaving the kitchen. He gave Lily a large hug before the two men took off. Kitty and I smiled at them as the door closed.
When both men disappeared so did our smiles.
"What are we gonna do now Autumn?" Lily asked from where she leaned over the back of the recliner.
"I don't know Lily." I turned towards my sister. "Are you alright? No pretending."
"Yeah, sweetie, are you sure you're alright?" Kitty asked her.
"I'm ok. That was scary though. No more field trips for me." She said and I petted her hair.
"You're gonna be sleeping with me tonight. I know you'll be having nightmares tonight." I told her before turning towards Kitty.
"So is it square one again?" Kitty asked me.
"No, now this just means that someone's hand was better than ours. Next time the cards are shuffled; the hand will be ours. After our breakfast with Lee tomorrow I need you to watch Lily for me."
"Where will you be going?" Lily asked me.
"To the library. I need to go check out a book." I told her and kissed her forehead, telling her that she should go get ready for bed.
"Are you sure that she'll be there? Last time I heard about her she was in China." Kitty spoke up but this time it was quieter so Lily wouldn't hear.
"I don't know but we'll see. She's our best hope to finding out more information. Or else I'll have to call out the hounds." I said to her.
"The last time you called them out you mean business." Kitty said and I nodded my head.
"I do mean business. My mom doesn't have much time life and now that the right is gone, my leads to find that bastard are slipping through my fingers. I'm not letting him get away, not this time." I told her.
"We'll find him Autumn. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried, I'm pissed." I told her, taking out my phone to make a call.
~oOo~
A/N: I really didn't like this chapter but I hope you guys do. Please, review and let me know what you think!
