Chapter Ten: Show Me How to Lie (I'm Getting Better All the Time)
"Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off,"* Rebecca sighed with a smile as she fell into the oversized reading chair in the living room of the B&B, Abigale lowered her newspaper and coffee, quirking her eyebrow at the agent as she kicked off the six inch stilettoes she had been wearing for the last nine hours.
She groaned as she slowly relaxed into the cushions, her back cracking in protest at first, but the relief to be off her feet greatly over shadowed it.
"Dare I ask how your night was?" Abigale spoke when Rebecca's make-up painted eyelids began to slip closed.
Rebecca snorted, rolling her head to look the forensics agent. At first, she had ben envious of Abigale and Leena, they had received normal nine to five jobs. And despite the night she had, she found herself changing her mind, suddenly glad she got the assignment she did.
"I kicked a pimp in the knee." She sung smugly, "And that was before I broke his nose."
"What?" Abigale chocked on the coffee she tried to sip.
Rebecca went on to tell Abigale how, after seeing the confrontation between the young girl and her pimp, she rushed in.
She stepped between the two, Killian immediately dropping Candy's arm. The girl seemed so surprised and grateful as the older woman stepped between the two.
"What's going on?" Rebecca kept her voice sounding slightly amused as she looked over her shoulder at Candy then back to the man, "Domestic dispute?"
"This ain't none of your business!" Killian barked at her, taken slightly aback at having a woman be at eye level with him, overcompensating instead by puffing his chest out.
"You like beating up on girls, Killian?" Rebecca sneered at him, "I've heard about you, more of your girls ending up in the hospital than anyone else's. You're not compensating for something, are you?" she let her eyes trail down to Killian's pants before smirking.
"Why you little," he made a move to back hand Rebecca.
She caught him by the wrist a few inches form her face, "Big mistake." She shook her head before bringing her foot up, thrusting it at Killian's leg, she felt a crack radiate upwards as she connected with his knee.
He cried out in pain as he fell to the pavement on his other knee, but before he could react, Rebecca swung her own hand, her knuckles breaking Killian's already crooked nose, his head snapping to the side.
He swayed for a minute before crumpling to the ground, groaning up to the street lights.
"What the fuck?" his voice was nasally and blood was pouring down his cheeks.
"Listen here, Zekey," Rebecca put her heel into the dip between his collar bones, digging enough to make him choke, "I'm going t obe running here for a while. So if you see me, or one of my girls, you look the other way. Otherwise not only will I come back and kick your dumb ass, I'll make sure to do it in front of those powerful friends of yours. I mean, what's worse? Getting your ass handed to you by a girl infront of the men who hold your balls in their hands, or giving up this little life of yours, hm? Retire somewhere nice with the money you've collected from your girls. I think you're done."
She spun on her toes and strode away.
"Holy shit!" Candy scrambled to catch up with her, "You are a total bad ass!"
"Thanks," Rebecca quircked an eyebrow.
"So, um, are you, like new around here?" Candy dodged around other working girls, wishing people just moved out of her way like they seemd to for this woman she didn't know, "What's your name?"
"Becks," Rebecca answered, figuring it was better to use her nickname, "And yeah, I decided to take my business elsewhere."
"So, are you a working girl too, or…?"
"Listen," Rebecca came to a sudden stop, turning to face the girl, "Candy, was it? Look, you ask a lot of questions, but since a beat down usually puts me in a good mood, I'll answer yours. No, I don't turn tricks. I run a service though. At least I used to. The girls who work for me, I'll get them in better shape. They make more then those walking the streets, and they'll have it a lot safer."
"What, like a club?" Candy tilted her head.
"Not yet," Rebecca shrugged, "Like I said, I'm new to town. I have to build a base first. Recruit some girls. Hey, you wouldn't know of any looking to change it up, would you?"
"Uh, I know I am!" Candy laughed, "Since you just told my guy to skip town, I can think of a few others who'll be interested I think."
"Fantastic," Rebecca smiled, glad she could think on her feet this quickly, "Step into my office and we'll go over the specifics…" She tilted her head towards the club they'd stopped in front of.
At some point during her recounting of the night, Leena and Claudia had joined them in the living room. Claudia was rumpled in her pajamas, but listening with rapt interest, hanging on to every word of Rebecca's story. Leena sat, put together and ready for her day, with a small smile and the every so often shake of her head.
"Candy is right, you are a total bad ass." Claudia declared, and Rebecca just shrugged.
They glanced up as Steve walked through the front door. He stood in the foyer for a moment, looking lost, before turning and joining the women in the, he grabbed a pillow as he collapsed on the couch, laying sideways and pulling his knees up in front of him, his head on Claudia's lap. There was a haunted look in his eye as he stared off into space/
"Jinksy?" Claudia asked, brushing his short hair off his forehead, "Everything okay?"
He shook his head.
The women looked at one another, concern for their fellow agent dominate in them, "What happened?" Claudia asked softly.
"I had to," he swallowed, "I had to tackle a guy…"
"And?" Now they were just confused, "Doesn't that just come with the job?"
"He was two hundred pounds," Steve continued, "And naked… and high on hallucinogens. He was all sweaty and… and…" Steve shook his head, "I think I hate my partner. She's the devil, I know it."
Claudia had to bite on her knuckle to keep the laughter from spilling over her lips, Rebecca was having a similar problem, pressing a pillow into her face to muffle the sounds. Abigale simply shook her head and turned to the next page of news.
Leena was the only one to show any sympathy, patting his head lovingly as she walked to the kitchen, "I'll go make you some chocolate chip waffles."
Rebecca struggled to her feet, "I am going to go take the world's hottest shower, and then fall into bed." She declared before moving for the stairs.
Jack was the next one to come home, he immediately fell into the chair Rebecca had vacated. He looked questioningly at Steve, opening his mouth to ask what the hell was wrong with him, but Claudia shook her head sharply at him, and Jack figured he was better off not knowing anyhow.
"So, Jackie Boy," Claudia said instead, tilting her head at jack's black eye, "How was your day, and if you beat Becks' or Jinks' stories, you get a gold star."
Jack leaned forward a bit, reaching into his pants pocket, pulling out an untidy wad of cash, dropping them on the table between them, "Well, I sold all of my product, and I got my eye on someone to be my inside man."
"And the, uh," she gestured to his face.
"Oh, that's how I met him," Jack explained, "I was selling on his turf. We got into a scuffle, and when I kicked his ass, he decided maybe he and I were better being friends. I told him I was new to town, selling the last of my stash, but that I was looking for a new connect. He said he'd see what he could do."
"How do guys do that?" Claudia shook her head, "How do you get in a full on fist fight with another dude, and both of you come out on the other side dude bros for life?"
Jack shrugged, smirking at the redhead, "Girls let their emotions get in the way of everything."
"Wow, that," Claudia shook her head, "That is the most misogynistic thing you've said this week."
"And it's only Wednesday," he swiped his nails on his shirt before looking at them.
Their laughter was interrupted by the door opening once more.
Pete walked through the living room, wanting nothing more than to scarf down what ever food he could get his hands on.
Jack, Claudia, Abigale and Steve stared at him, slack jawed. He was half way through the living room before he notice the attention. He slowed to a stop, slowly lowering his foot to the ground.
"What?" He demanded.
"Dude is that glitter?" Claudia demanded, looking at the vast amounts of sparkles covering Pete's black shirt.
"And you have some… paint on you." Abigale added, eyeing the lip imprints made with effervescent paint decorating Pete's neck.
"Dude," Jack snorted, "What the hell happened to you?"
"I don't want to talk about it." His face flushed red as he hurried towards the kitchen, the room erupting in laughter behind him.
The only one who hadn't trudged back to the B&B as soon as they were able was Myka, and that's because she felt like she had some where better to be.
They were wiping down the counters in companionable silence. It was nearing five am, and the club had been closed for about thirty minutes. There were other people cleaning tables and the floor, but Emily didn't trust anyone behind her bar. She knew where everything was, and it was exactly how she wanted it.
Cleaning the bar was a small price to pay for knowledge that no one would move anything. She had told Myka she could leave, but Myka smiled and asked her to hand over the other damp dish rag. They each started at opposite ends of the bar, slowly moving in ward.
"You did pretty well for your first night." Emily spoke up when they were little more than two feet from each other.
"It was only an hour," Myka shrugged, "And I think the fact that I didn't drop anything with the only thing that makes it a success. I didn't understand half the drink orders…"
"Whoa there, Myka," Emily laughed, putting her hand on Myka's arm, "First things first, my dear, you need to learn how to take a compliment."
Myka blushed as she grinned adorably, "Right, I'll be sure to work on that."
"Until then, how about you and me go get some breakfast." Myka was having trouble listening to what she was saying, far too distracted by the way Emily's lips brushed against one another as they formed words.
"What?" Myka blinked, blaming her nonexistent attention span on her exhaustion.
Emily's eye brow quirked as a salacious grin spread across her face, "You, me, a booth at the diner? You do eat breakfast where ever it is you're from, right?"
"Breakfast?" Myka repeated back the word, "Yeah, of course." She cleared her throat, her face growing hot.
"Aces," Emily smiled before lifting the section of the counter on a hinge, "After you then."
Myka was mentally kicking her own ass as she allowed Emily to lead her out of the bar. Myka blinked against the sun that she found waiting for them. She hadn't thought to grab a pair of sunglasses before leaving, she honestly didn't think the sun would be up before she got home.
Emily was distracted watching Myka adjust herself to the blinding light, her own ogling hidden behind her sunglasses. She had known Myka was beautiful from the moment she first lay eyes on her in the club. But that was in the dim, smoke filled club. Here in the daylight, Emily's heart thumped a bit faster.
They walked to a diner Emily had never bothered to get the name of, but one that she had visited often, having become attached to the routine it afforded her.
"This place looks a bit different in the daylight," Myka commented as she looked around, watching taxies and cars blur past at speeds she knew could not be legal.
"Of course, wouldn't want the reputation of this respectable business city to be sullied by drunkards." Emily grumbled, and Myka could sense real heat behind the words, "So while the officials allow a bit of leniency while the sun is down, when it comes back up, everyone is expected to play their parts."
"How long have you lived here?" Myka asked, trying ot pin point where all the animosity was coming from.
"I moved here from Wisconsin eight years ago," Emily got a faraway look in her eye for a moment, the smile still plastered on her face no longer reaching her eyes.
"That explains the funny accent." As soon as the words came out of Myka's mouth she wanted to take them back with a shotgun.
"Funny accent?" Humor returned to Emily's face as she smirked at Myka, "You think I have a funny accent?"
"Well, yeah." She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the heat spread over her face, "I mean, I couldn't quite place it, it's so different than what I'm used to hearing."
"Oh? And to where do I attribute your funny accent," She mimicked Myka's voice.
Myka laughed, but she scrambled to remember her cover, "I'm, uh, Canadian."
"I'm terribly sorry," Emily laughed.
Myka shrugged, taking the joke as retaliation for her pointing out Emily's accent, "Hey, it happens to the best of us."
They were still chuckling when they arrived at the small, retro styled diner, and Myka held the door out for her companion this time.
The hostess greeted Emily by her name, something Myka made note of, there was real fondness from the older woman as they smiled through pleasantries. They were brought to a back booth, the hostess leaving to get them coffee.
Before Myka could open her mouth to start a new conversation, a man dressed in a busboy uniform, compete with a grey tub half filled with dishes, stopped by the table.
"Hey, uh, Emily?" He was smiling, but something about the way his grey eyes darted from Myka back to Emily, the slight waver in his voice, made the greeting come out sounding like a question, "Didn't think I'd see ya today."
"Wolly," Emily smiled up at him.
"Who's your, er, friend?" He smiled down at Myka, and it was an infectious grin that Myka reciprocated easily.
"Wolly, this is Myka," Emily sighed, realizing no matter how long she glared, the man wouldn't take the hint and walk away, "Myka, this is my friend, Wolly."
"It's nice to meet you," Myka offered her hand to the busboy.
Wolly wiped his hands on the apron strung around his waist before shaking Myka's hand, "Pleasure's mine."
"You are absolutely gorgeous," Wolly spoke brazenly, "How is it you become acquainted with our… Emily?"
"Wolly," Emily snapped, "Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"Right, then, hint taken," Wolly nodded and stepped back, "I'll see you later Em. Myka, I do hope to see you around." He winked.
"I'm sorry," Emily turned to her, "He's…"
"English," Myka tilted her head, as she watched him leave. There hadn't been much international travel to the United States in the last ten years, it had become rather odd to run into someone who wasn't American in everyday activity.
"I did notice," Emily smirked, a hidden joke in her eyes, "I was going to say best friend, though. Boundaries tend to be ignored by Wolly."
"I know the feeling well," Myka nodded, thinking of her own friends, "I moved here with a few friends, and none of them seem to respect the sanctity of a closed door."
"Tell me Myka," Emily leaned forward, "How on earth did you end up in Univille, South Dakota?"
"I…" Myka took a breath, "I made a few mistakes, mistakes that were quickly catching up to me. And I had to get out, start fresh."
"See, I knew you were too perfect," Emily laughed, "I see your flaw is a dark past then?"
"Something like that." Myka took a sip from her coffee, needing a barrier suddenly between her and Emily's searching eyes.
"C'est la vie," Emily shrugged before relaxing back into the chair, "But I see your past is a touchy subject, so let's do the small talk madness through our breakfast instead."
"I'll give it a shot," Myka nodded with a smile, "Small talk has never been my strong suit." She admitted.
"Nonsense." She waved a hand, "Where shall we start…"
They spent the next hour talking, without realizing much time was passing at all. Plates disappeared, and drinks were refilled all without notice. They spoke about inconsequential things, nothing of great importance by anyone's standards. But it was still the best conversation Myka could remember having in a long time. And, as promised, all topics concerning their pasts were avoided.
Not really a bad first date… Myka found herself thinking before ohysically shaking the thoughts from her head.
No, she couldn't get involved with Emily, not as more than a friend or boss. She had a job to do. And even if she was one of those people who could easily juggle their relationship and work, then came the decision on whether Myka would tell her just what she really did for a living? How much would she tell her, if at all? Would she be willing to put that on another person?
She really had to stop this thing before it got started. She couldn't let herself get lost in the dark eyes watching her with so much curiosity and humor. She couldn't let herself daydream about running her hands through the long dark locks that now cascaded around her shoulders. She had to stop watching Emily's lips move so intently while imagining what they tasted like…
Myka suddenly stood up from the booth.
"Is everything alright?" Emily pulled back, started at the flash of panic in Myka's eyes.
"Yeah," Myka made a show of stretching, "I just… I've been up far too long. I need to get home and get to sleep if I'm going to be at work on time. My new boss seems like a real hard ass." She smiled as Emily too stood up, pulling several bills from her back pocket and dropping them on the table.
"I'm sure you want to impress your boss." Emily allowed, her smile a bit sad now that their time together was coming to an end.
Wolly waved from the back as Myka and Emily stepped out. Myka returned the wave shyly, suppressing a yawn. Now that she mentioned sleep, she seemed to realize just how tired she actually was.
They stood facing each other for a moment in front of the diner, neither really knowing how to leave this, "I suppose I'll see you tonight then?" Emily offered the nervous looking Myka.
"Yeah, I'll be there." Myka nodded, taking a step back, refusing to give in to the urge to kiss Emily right then as she smirked, "Bye." She gave an awkward wave, that Emily found unbearably adorable, before quickly turning on her heel and walking away.
"Myka," Emily called out, waiting for her to turn to face her once more, "Come by the club an hour or so before it opens. That way it'll be just me and you. So I can show you a thing or two behind the bar." She winked before continuing on her way.
"I am in so much trouble," Myka groaned to herself, unable to take her eyes off Emily's retreating figure.
AN: *In which I shamelessly use my favorite Panic! At The Disco song title as well as The Offspring.
