Hearts Of Fire
Chapter 5: What You Bring With You
Emerald stretched before opening her eyes, the sheets soft and warm against her skin. There was a little sting in her hip when her legs flexed but it was of no bother; she'd had far worse wounds in her life. When her eyes did open, she looked over in drowsy peacefulness at the sunlight coming through the lace curtains.
"God," she thought, "I haven't slept through a sunrise in so long." She closed her eyes again and grinned in contentment. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt truly rested. Em had thought she might be able to relax in the wonderful little country hideaway she'd found, and she was right.
Throwing back the sheet and blanket, she slid from bed and slowly made her way to the bathroom. A quick look in the mirror showed that the night's sleep had done her good. The dark circles under eyes were almost gone and there was a hint of pink in her cheeks. She shed her light nightgown and pulled the dressing gently from her hip. The wound was only slightly reddened along the suture line. Once she had cleaned it carefully with soap and water Emerald dressed it snugly again. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she brushed her tangled hair, pulling it into a high ponytail and then padded back across the hall to her bedroom. She pulled on a pair of lilac pedal pushers with a matching sleeveless top and then threw a simple oversized white men's shirt over it, rolling up the sleeves to her elbows. Slipping on her flats, she took the Colt from where it rested on the nightstand and slid it into the back of her waistband and flipped the white shirt down over it. Next, she tucked the brass knuckles carefully into her bra and lastly, the switchblade into her side pocket. After her encounter with Ace Merrill the previous afternoon, she thought "better safe than sorry". The pistol might be a bit much, but the boy was dangerous, and she didn't know his habits yet. The switchblade and knuckles were just a common part of her everyday wardrobe; to her, tucking them on her person was the same as putting on pants.
Em's mind slid smoothly away from the hood and his friends as she moved to the kitchen to enjoy a light breakfast. As she ate, she ran through a list of things to do in town and after cleaning her dishes, she headed out to the garage and was soon heading out on the gravel towards town. Lighting up a Camel and blowing smoke smoothly out the window, she flipped on the radio. Hopefully this trip would be smoother than the last.
Ace Merrill was at his uncle's auto shop/gas station by seven that morning and Pop had put him to work at once changing a set of brakes on a station wagon that had seen better days. As he worked, his mind turned back to the girl. He had barely been able to think of anything else. What a mean little spitfire. Hell, she was beyond mean. She was feral. And she'd had the audacity to pull a blade on him. On him. And then give him orders about those damned kids. What the holy fuck? He knew he'd have to find out more about her. She'd had groceries which meant she was living somewhere in Castle Rock. He'd thought briefly of having one of his boys follow her to see where she lived but he didn't trust one of them to not fuck it up. He'd find out soon enough, he supposed. And then…Well, they'd have a little talk. Ace found himself remembering the way she'd looked as he'd walked up to her, slim and trim but with curves in all the right places. Her face was more than beautiful, framed by all that long black hair. What had really gotten to him though were those eyes. He'd never once seen eyes as beautiful as hers, that unusual brilliant green. He wondered what they would look like without all that anger in them. Turning his mind back to his work, he fleetingly thought how he'd like to see those eyes looking up at him, darkened with want. "Yeah, right. She's so fuckin' mean she's probably got a padlock between her legs." Ace smirked then, picking up his wrench and pushing thoughts of the girl from his mind.
Emerald made the Five and Dime her first stop, picking up some personal essentials and browsing the make-up counter. She found nail polish in a dark red that appealed to her and purchased it though she rarely wore the stuff, and surprised herself by finding a lipstick that matched it. It was likely no one but her would ever see herself wearing it, but it made her feel good to make a "girly" purchase now and then. In spite of her toughness she indeed was a young woman and not an unattractive one, she'd been told. Dressing to the 9's once in a while was a delightful pleasure; it was just simply not warranted often in her world.
Leaving the Dime Store, Emerald threw her bag into the truck and then strolled down the sidewalk, enjoying the morning sun and the peacefulness on the street. A few stores down, she popped in Dick's Sporting Goods, the bell over the door giving it's little ring as she entered.
A middle-aged man came from the back of the store, smiling pleasantly.
"Can I help you, young lady?"
Putting on her best "nice girl" smile, Em replied, "I hope so; I need some ammunition."
"We've got ammo for sure. What do you need?" the man asked, moving behind a counter over to one side of the store.
"Six boxes of .45 ACP, three boxes of 12 gauge slugs and one of double aught buckshot." Emerald answered.
"Whoa there, someone's doin' some serious shootin'." The man turned to the shelf behind him and began to pull down boxes.
"Just a little target practice." Em replied coolly. "Do you by chance have any paper targets?"
"Sure do, Miss. I'll throw in 10 for free, how's that sound?"
"Sounds great. Thank you." Emerald smiled. The man took a stack of paper targets from under the counter and proceeded up the aisle to the cash register. Once her purchases were neatly bagged, she thanked the man again and headed back to the truck. He watched her go with interest, wondering at how such a small girl would be able to shoot a 12-gauge, let alone one loaded with slugs.
After finishing her business at the sporting goods shop, Em drove to the liquor store near the end of Main. She grabbed two six-packs of Rheingold and after placing them on the counter, asked for three pints of Jack Daniels. The man behind the counter looked dubiously at her.
"You got any I.D., young lady?" he asked.
"Of course." Emerald replied, giving her best winning smile. Reaching in her pocket, she pulled out her newest counterfeit card, obtained shortly before her move and which had her age come out to be 23. "I'd like a carton of Camels as well, please."
The man looked closely at her license and after doing the math, handed it back to her. He reached for the cigarettes, placing them on the counter, and then spoke again. "You can get a bigger bottle for less than the total of these pints."
"I know." Emerald replied smoothly. "I like to have a little here, a little there, you understand." She smiled again, charming the man completely. After paying she inquired of the clerk, "I'm new in town. Could you tell me if there's an auto-parts shop about? And a place to fill my truck up?"
The man smiled back and answered right away. "'Course. You can find both of 'em at the same place. 'Pop's'. Go on down Main and take a right at the second stop sign. Just a couple blocks down that way on your left, Miss. Let me help you out with this."
Em let the man carry her purchases to the truck and place them in the bed for her. He was completely charmed by her beauty and gave her a small wave as she backed out of her parking spot and headed up the street. She was grinning and thinking how easily men could be captivated as she turned the corner the man had indicated.
There was a faded sign that said "Merrill's Auto" on the roof of the low building and for some reason the name sounded familiar to Emerald but she couldn't place it immediately. As she rolled to a stop in front of the gas pump, an older but spry man in gray coveralls came out to greet her as she stepped down from the cab.
"Good mornin', pretty lady. How can I help ya this mornin'?" he grinned.
"Fill 'er up?" Emerald raised an eyebrow to him.
"You got it, doll." The man moved to remove the gas cap and put the nozzle in.
"I need some oil and some parts, too." Em replied.
"You're at the right place. Let me get the windshield for ya and we'll go inside and see what we can do for ya." the friendly man smiled.
Emerald leaned against the side of the truck and as the gas pumped she watched the occasional car that went by or a younger one now and then on a bicycle. When the tank was full to the rim, the man replaced the cap and turned to the pretty young girl.
"Come on in, Missy, and let's see what we can do for 'ya." Emerald smiled and preceded him into the worn but tidy front area. The pleasant old man said, "Now what do you need in the way of parts?" as he went behind the counter.
"A breaker plate and springs, plus points and plugs for the Ford."
"Ah, let's see. '49?" he asked, looking in a grease smudged black inventory book on the counter.
"Yessir." Em replied.
"I got plugs that'll do, but the points and the plate and springs I'll have to order from Lewiston. Let's see, today's Friday." The man frowned a bit as he looked up at the ceiling in thought. In a moment, he brought his head down, his bright blue eyes making contact with hers. "I'll order 'em today and you can have 'em by Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest."
"That sounds fine. You can hold on to the plugs and I'll pick up everything together. Thank you, Mr.?" she asked, holding a small hand out over the counter.
"Oh, I ain't no 'mister', little lady. Just call me 'Pop'." He took her hand and shook it firmly.
"All right, Pop." Emerald smiled sincerely. "I'm Emerald Stevens. I'm new in town and I'll probably be pestering you from time to time."
"Ya got somebody at home who likes doin' his own work?" Pop asked with a grin.
"No. I like to do my own work." Emerald said with a smile.
"You? A pretty thing like you knows motors? Are you kiddin' me?" Pop asked with a doubting look.
"Would you like to quiz me about vacuum circuits and ignition timing?" Em came back at him, still smiling.
"Well, I'll be darned." Pop said. "I never knew a woman who could tell a windshield wiper from a distributor cap. How 'bout that? How'd you learn?"
"I spent a lot of time hanging around my big brother and his friends growing up. Eventually they got tired of having me underfoot and told me if I was going to be there, I needed to learn and be useful." she giggled, thinking of her brother fondly. A sudden emptiness and longing to see him came over her and she sighed heavily. It hadn't been that long since she'd seen Dominic, but she missed him terribly. They'd been there for each other on a journey through hell and had walked out the other side hand in hand. "One day." she thought. "One day we'll be together again in a place far away from here without a worry on our minds."
Pop caught the faraway look in Em's eyes and pulled her back gently. "Sounds like a good man, takin' care of his little sister."
"He's the best." she smiled, her face clearing.
"What else can I do for 'ya today, Emerald?" Pop asked with a grin.
"You can call me Em. And if you have it, I'd like a case of 10 weight and a case of 5 weight oil. Filters for the Ford and for a '57 Chevy big block 427."
"Jeezus, little girl. What in the world are you gonna do with that much motor in this little town?" Pop exclaimed.
"Drive it like I stole it." Emerald grinned back. The old man laughed with her and shook his head.
"I'd sure like to see that!"
"I'll bring her by sometime and let you have a look." Em grinned.
"Anytime, doll. Open six days a week." Pop smiled at the small black-haired young woman before him. "What a pretty little thing. And full of spice." he thought.
"What's my total?" Emerald asked, pulling out cash from her pocket.
"Let's see, $2.70 on the gas, oil's 4 even for the two cases, and let's see, the parts'll run ya…" Em waited patiently for him to flip through the book in front of him and find prices. "Seven-fifty. How does $14.20 sound for everything?" Pop looked at her, an eyebrow arched.
"Sounds fine." Emerald handed over a 20 dollar bill and waited while he made change. He then turned toward the door that led to the car bays in the back.
"Johnny! Grab a case of 5 weight and a case of 10 weight for this lady." Pop yelled.
"Ya got a spout, Sis?" he asked. Emerald paused, trying to remember if she'd seen an oil spout in the shop and couldn't rightly remember.
"We'll get ya one, just in case, no charge." Pop said and yelled again toward the door. "Throw a spout on top too, John." He then pulled the filters off of their respective shelves and handed them to Em.
Emerald smiled in pleasure at the kindness of the man and reached out to shake his hand again. "Thank you, Pop. I appreciate everything."
"You're welcome, little sis. Where can I reach ya when your parts come in, or do ya just wanna stop by?"
"I'll just stop by next week." Em smiled. She valued her privacy, and though she was sure the man wouldn't call her unnecessarily, she chose not to give out any more information than absolutely needed.
"It's a date, then." Pop smiled. "My nephew'll be out in a minute with your oil. You take care now, 'ya hear?"
"Yessir." Emerald gave him a little wave and headed back out to her truck, feeling warm inside. Having a good relationship with the auto-parts man in town would make her life so much easier, and he was such a nice man. She opened the driver's side door, tossed the oil filters inside, and then leaned nonchalantly against the seat, waiting for Pop's nephew to load her oil. After a minute, she turned and leaned in over the seat to lay down the bag containing the Jack she'd bought earlier so it didn't tip over on her drive home. Just as she was straightening to turn back, a voice she recognized came from beside her.
"Well, well, well. Long time no see, sweetheart."
Emerald finished straightening herself and turned slowly, laying her eyes on none other than Ace. Ace Merrill. "Damn it all to hell." she cursed herself. Why hadn't she remembered the name? It was just her fucking luck, she thought.
The two locked eyes, and Emerald refused to drop hers, instead tilting her head to one side to let Ace know he was going to have to make the first move.
To her surprise, he moved to lift the two cases of oil over the back of the truck and sat them down in the bed gently. He then removed the metal oil spout from a side pocket of his coveralls which were turned down at the top and tied around his waist. He held it out to Em and she simply looked at it for a moment as if it were a snake that might bite her. Finally she took it and, without looking away, tossed it on the seat of the truck.
"I knew you wanted to see me again, sweetheart." his deep voice purred, his blue eyes bright in the morning light. "How'd ya know where to find me?"
"It's purely accidental, I can promise you." Emerald said, fighting to keep her tone even. She would not make a scene in front of Pop. She would not.
"Hmmm." Ace cocked his head back as if he didn't believe her, his lips curled in a smirk. "Where's the party?" he asked, gesturing with his head to the back of the truck. For a moment, Emerald didn't know what he was talking about and then she remembered the beer.
"I like to keep stocked up." she replied calmly. She would let Ace lead this conversation. Like before, she'd give him the opportunity to take it in whatever direction he wanted until he took it too far.
Ace was looking her over from head to toe, and she let him. He could look all he wanted, as long as he didn't try to touch. To her surprise, he raised his eyes to meet hers again and asked quietly, "Are you okay?"
Emerald looked at him, one brow arched in question. She couldn't help but give a smartass answer. It's just how she was. "The state says I'm not certifiable, but opinions vary." She watched his eyes narrow a little and then to her further surprise, one side of his mouth quirked up.
"I'm sure they do." He took a small step forward and reached out a calloused hand, greasy from work. He pointed to her hip and let his hand drop.
"Are you all right?" he asked again, his eyes still locked with hers, blue against green.
Em paused before she answered, his question taking her by surprise. "How weird." she thought. "He fucking sticks me and then wonders if I'm okay." Her subconscious spoke up then. "He didn't stick you, dumbass. You stuck yourself."
"I'm fine. A few stitches; no big deal."
Ace's breath caught in his throat. He knew the blade had pierced her but had hoped it hadn't done as much damage as he knew was possible.
"Look, I…I never meant to stick you. I'll pay for the doctor…"he said, but Em cut him off sharply, a little snarl in her voice.
"If you didn't mean to stick me, then you shouldn't have pulled your blade. Never pull it if you're not going to use it. And there was no doctor. I'm perfectly capable of throwing a few stitches in. Though if you want to make it even, you do owe me a half-pint of J.D. I used for medicinal purposes."
Ace stood stock still. "You stitched yourself?" he asked incredulously.
"It's not brain surgery, Merrill." Emerald shot back at him, a smirk on her face now.
He was shaking his head a little in wonderment and Em made a decision. The town was small. She liked her little house in the country. With Ace, it was either going to be either peace between the two or an all-out war, which she didn't need. She would try for peace. If it didn't work, so be it. She could handle it either way.
"Look…Ace Merrill, I'm Emerald Stevens." she said, holding her hand out to him. Ace looked at her suspiciously and then took it. His hand was rough on her own, and large, but it was warm, and something about touching him gave her a funny little feeling in her gut.
"I get that this is your town, but I need to be here for a while, Ace. I'd rather just stick to my own business and not get into a whole 'thing' with you. Why don't you come out to my place this afternoon and we can talk? Maybe come to some kind of understanding?"
Ace looked at her with eyes that were steely, but after a minute he nodded his head. "I don't get off until 3."
"That's perfect." Emerald replied with a small grin. "The Johnson farm southwest of town. You know it?"
"Yeah." Ace answered, a little surprise in his voice. "The old man used to let me fish that pond once in a while, as long as I picked up my beer cans."
Emerald's grin grew into a smile. "They're a nice old couple." She let her face become serious again. "Just a few things…."
It was Ace's turn to lift a brow and he waited, wondering what she was going to say.
"Come alone. None of your gang, crew, buddies, friends…whatever they are. And know this…" Emerald reached a hand under the white shirt and around to the back of her waistband. She withdrew the Colt and brought it into Ace's view, holding it casually to her side. His eyes widened only a little as she spoke. "Whatever you bring with you, Ace, is what I'm gonna meet you with. Understand?" She turned the gun slightly in her hand. He looked at it then back to her face.
"Yeah. I understand." His face was neutral and his lips curved slightly upwards. Em didn't feel any fight in him, but you could never be sure about people like Ace, she thought.
"Good. I'll see ya later, John." she said with a huge smile that was more for effect than a reflection of her mood.
"Johnny, leave that pretty thing alone and get back to work!" Pop's voice came from inside the shop.
Ace backed away slowly, finally turning and heading back in and Emerald climbed in her truck, starting the Ford up and rolling smoothly out onto the street.
"Well, this'll be interesting." she thought to herself. "But whatever happens, happens." She then turned onto Main and was headed back out of town toward her little home, thinking of the things she wanted to get done. She tried to push Ace Merrill out of her mind as she lit a smoke and turned the radio up. He'd looked good, though, in his overalls and smudged white t-shirt. He'd looked good.