Chapter Eight
David "Someone broke into the house. I found out. They didn't see me coming." Calico spoke coldly, not caring about a single thing she said. Anya's face twisted into a frown. "You said you didn't kill anyone." ".that is true.for a while." "Oh, come on, Calico! What's wrong with you?" "What do you mean what's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Anya kept her temper somewhat better than her paranoid, delusional, whacked out, short, dark friend. "Nothing I'd reveal to you." "Same here." Her voice was slightly softer. She was calming down, a little. "What aren't you telling me?" Calico, thinking quickly, lied. She composed a story in a moment; one that was threatening, and even remotely believable. "I was framed, okay? Someone wanted me to do something, and I refused.so they sent some guy to kill me tonight." After a long, silent pause, she continued. "I handled it." "I see. So handling it is basically dragging the body over to David's place, huh? Wow, I wish I could 'handle' things as well as you do." Anya outraged. She was too smart to lap up that obviously made-up tale. Instead of playing along, she turned on her heel and left swiftly. The hall was dark, so she seemed to dissolve into it.
* * *
Alex sat up hesitantly. He seemed well aware that I had borrowed his firearm and had it loaded as a precaution. Slowly, a hand reached up to rub his forehead, where a black and blue bruise had risen. "You look terrible." I spoke, laughing to myself. "Here, let me help you." I extended my left hand to help him to his feet. Noticing my gesture, Alex accepted my hand. "No.let me help you!" With a strong grip on my hand, he jerked me down to the ground and retrieved his gun to hold it, ready to fire and blow off my head. Knowing he'd shoot me if I tried anything, I tentatively tried something.
In a powerful movement, I brought my knee into his ribcage. In satisfaction, I listened to the cracking of bones that told me at least one rib had been broken, maybe two. The sound was satisfying to my ears, and was accompanied by Alex's low moan of pain.
"I'm sorry! Did that hurt? Let me help you up." I put my hands under his arms and dragged him to his feet. This movement stretched muscles and sinew across the broken bones painfully, as I'd intended.
Sitting Alex up, I spoke again. "I think the ball's in my court now.Care to see how I'll play?"
* * *
Nicole got home from driving. Immediately, she checked the messages, curious about what I had to say about her earlier call.
A female voice came on, for some reason Nicole didn't know at the moment. "Hi." It started, almost at a whisper. "You don't know me, but I know you." It trailed off, almost disappearing completely. "I thought you'd like to know something. Alex betrayed you, your trust. He blackmailed David, your lover-don't ask how I know about that-and almost killed him tonight. I know how this sounds, but you have to be careful. Don't trust anyone.not even yourself. Be very careful if you want to live."
The shooting had made Nicole mistrustful. After hearing that one message, she suddenly became very paranoid.
There was another message on the machine that played. It was from Alex. "Hey, it's me. Are you there? Hello? You're gone, okay. Look, I just wanted you to know that I have an.appointment I completely forgot about until now, and I'll be gone a while, and will come home late. Don't wait up."
Nicole was shaking. Fright had taken her, and she didn't know how to cope with it. "I won't." She murmured softly, voice trembling. Thinking quickly, she made a choice. At the time she didn't know that it was a bad one, but she packed up and got back in the car, after deleting the first message. When Alex got home, she didn't want him knowing she knew. Then she went to the place she though of as her home away from home.my apartment. She walked in to see me standing at her injured husband's side. Oh-I forgot to mention this, but Alex had pulled out another gun while I reclaimed the fallen one. We were pointing the weapons at each other; both ready to fire.Nicole didn't have exactly the best timing imaginable, did she? In fact, it was most inopportune.
David "Someone broke into the house. I found out. They didn't see me coming." Calico spoke coldly, not caring about a single thing she said. Anya's face twisted into a frown. "You said you didn't kill anyone." ".that is true.for a while." "Oh, come on, Calico! What's wrong with you?" "What do you mean what's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Anya kept her temper somewhat better than her paranoid, delusional, whacked out, short, dark friend. "Nothing I'd reveal to you." "Same here." Her voice was slightly softer. She was calming down, a little. "What aren't you telling me?" Calico, thinking quickly, lied. She composed a story in a moment; one that was threatening, and even remotely believable. "I was framed, okay? Someone wanted me to do something, and I refused.so they sent some guy to kill me tonight." After a long, silent pause, she continued. "I handled it." "I see. So handling it is basically dragging the body over to David's place, huh? Wow, I wish I could 'handle' things as well as you do." Anya outraged. She was too smart to lap up that obviously made-up tale. Instead of playing along, she turned on her heel and left swiftly. The hall was dark, so she seemed to dissolve into it.
* * *
Alex sat up hesitantly. He seemed well aware that I had borrowed his firearm and had it loaded as a precaution. Slowly, a hand reached up to rub his forehead, where a black and blue bruise had risen. "You look terrible." I spoke, laughing to myself. "Here, let me help you." I extended my left hand to help him to his feet. Noticing my gesture, Alex accepted my hand. "No.let me help you!" With a strong grip on my hand, he jerked me down to the ground and retrieved his gun to hold it, ready to fire and blow off my head. Knowing he'd shoot me if I tried anything, I tentatively tried something.
In a powerful movement, I brought my knee into his ribcage. In satisfaction, I listened to the cracking of bones that told me at least one rib had been broken, maybe two. The sound was satisfying to my ears, and was accompanied by Alex's low moan of pain.
"I'm sorry! Did that hurt? Let me help you up." I put my hands under his arms and dragged him to his feet. This movement stretched muscles and sinew across the broken bones painfully, as I'd intended.
Sitting Alex up, I spoke again. "I think the ball's in my court now.Care to see how I'll play?"
* * *
Nicole got home from driving. Immediately, she checked the messages, curious about what I had to say about her earlier call.
A female voice came on, for some reason Nicole didn't know at the moment. "Hi." It started, almost at a whisper. "You don't know me, but I know you." It trailed off, almost disappearing completely. "I thought you'd like to know something. Alex betrayed you, your trust. He blackmailed David, your lover-don't ask how I know about that-and almost killed him tonight. I know how this sounds, but you have to be careful. Don't trust anyone.not even yourself. Be very careful if you want to live."
The shooting had made Nicole mistrustful. After hearing that one message, she suddenly became very paranoid.
There was another message on the machine that played. It was from Alex. "Hey, it's me. Are you there? Hello? You're gone, okay. Look, I just wanted you to know that I have an.appointment I completely forgot about until now, and I'll be gone a while, and will come home late. Don't wait up."
Nicole was shaking. Fright had taken her, and she didn't know how to cope with it. "I won't." She murmured softly, voice trembling. Thinking quickly, she made a choice. At the time she didn't know that it was a bad one, but she packed up and got back in the car, after deleting the first message. When Alex got home, she didn't want him knowing she knew. Then she went to the place she though of as her home away from home.my apartment. She walked in to see me standing at her injured husband's side. Oh-I forgot to mention this, but Alex had pulled out another gun while I reclaimed the fallen one. We were pointing the weapons at each other; both ready to fire.Nicole didn't have exactly the best timing imaginable, did she? In fact, it was most inopportune.
