MASK: Legacy Saga 2: Death Becomes Her
Chapter 3
Author's Notes: Well, loyal fans, we're just as excited to see this story continue as you are, so here is another chapter for your enjoyment. The plot is beginning to unfold, so keep reading and reviewing!
Special Disclaimer: I only borrowed the lyrics from Trace Adkins "This ain't No Thinkin' Thing". The song itself is copyrighted by him and the respective songwriters.
With that said, on with the story…
Brad Turner stood in his driveway that same evening, looking proudly upon his daughter as they exchanged a final goodbye before she headed home. They had taken the afternoon to spend some much needed quality time together and catch up on some of Annie's more recent accomplishments that didn't involve MASK or the PNA. Of course the subject of the most recent one came up, and though she seemed too shy to admit it, Brad knew deep down Annie was just hiding the fierce thrill of pride he knew that bust must have given her. And he couldn't help one last tease about the issue.
"I suppose you'll be sitting in the Commander's chair before too long."
Annie looked up at him with a scowl, but he could see the amusement dancing behind her eyes. She double-checked that her travel box was securely in place before replying. "That's pretty doubtful, Dad." She couldn't help cracking a smile. "Matt's bottom is glued to that chair pretty well, and I'm sure that Cody would have a few choice words to say if I upped him in the chain of command."
Brad snickered softly as he reached over and pulled Annie in for a tight hug. "Well, at any rate, I'm really proud of you, Red."
"Thanks, Dad," Annie said shyly, returning his hug. "But I couldn't have done it without your influence."
"Be sure to include that in your acceptance speech when you get that big commendation you've earned."
Annie laughed and punched him playfully before she picked up her helmet and hopped onto her bike. "You just ALWAYS have to get in on the spotlight, don't you?"
He smirked, then turned mildly serious as he asked, "You headed home?"
A small flush crept into Annie's cheeks as she smiled sheepishly. "Ummm…that depends on what you mean by 'home'…"
"Home…as in your apartment." A light bulb went off in Brad's head just as he asked, "Did you move and get a new roommate or something?"
Brad's expression and tone of voice radiated complete innocence, but deep down he was forcing himself to remain calm. He watched Annie's face go through several shades of red, before it settled on the color of deep scarlet.
"Well, lately…that is… when I'm actually 'home'… I've…kind of…been staying with…Scott."
"Uh huh." Brad folded his arms across his chest and gave his daughter his most discerning look, trying to figure out exactly what that meant. "Sounds like things are getting relatively serious."
"Ummm…it's been pretty serious for a while now, Dad…" Annie's blush disappeared, to be replaced by slight disapproval as she caught Brad's intense stare. "By the way, that's getting just a little bit too personal, and don't look at me like you aren't fishing, because I know you are."
"Well if it's that serious, I'd better see a ring on that left hand pretty soon."
"DAD!"
"I just want to see you do things the right way, Annie, and not make the same mistakes I did."
"No offense, Dad, but my relationship with Scott is on a whole different level than yours and Vanessa's." He's not a wanted terrorist for one thing. Annie kept that thought to herself to keep the discussion between her and Brad from becoming too heated.
"Guiding principles are the same, Red. And if it makes you feel any better," he added with a semi-amused grin, "I plan on giving Scott the same lecture. Just because he's Matt's son doesn't make him above my wrath when it comes to you."
"Do you think you could wait at LEAST a day or two before embarking on a fatherly rage of righteous indignation?" Annie sighed deeply. "I'd rather like to enjoy my first few days of vacation before you scare Scott to death."
Brad laughed, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before she pulled on her helmet. "All right, get outta here. I'll try to curb my violent tendencies for the time being. Take care, honey."
Annie leaned over to give Brad one final hug. "I love you, Dad, even if you are sometimes overbearing and overprotective."
She started the bike and pulled away before Brad could retort.
The sound of his bedroom door opening jolted Scott awake. He bolted upright and nearly knocked the miniature lamp off his bedside table in an attempt to turn it on while half asleep. Having done so, he turned his head toward the now open door to see a figure silhouetted in the doorframe.
"Annie?" he asked groggily, half-remembering she was staying the night with him.
"Scott…can I…can I come in?"
The pleading and almost plaintive sound of her voice woke Scott fully and he took a moment to look at her closely before he replied. She was wearing one of her old, oversized T-shirt as her sleep wear, and not much else to speak of, but it was her expression that concerned Scott more at the moment. He could see the tears forming in her absolutely haunted eyes, and only after he noticed that did he notice that she was visibly shaking.
"Honey, what's wrong…what happened?" He asked softly as he motioned her over and slid back to make room on the bed.
He never got a coherent reply. In the next instant, Annie was wrapped up in his arms, crying and clinging to him with an odd hunger he'd never experienced from her before. Unsure exactly what to do, he simply rubbed her back and stroked her hair while he whispered comfortingly in her ear.
"Ssshhh, it's okay, honey, it's okay. I'm here…I'm here, and whatever happened, it'll be okay. Shhh…"
It took a few minutes before Annie stopped shaking completely. When she tilted her head to look up at him, Scott pushed some of her wet, unbound hair out of her face and wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. As he looked deeply into her eyes, he saw the same emotionally intense look he remembered from years ago, when they had shared their first true kiss in the back of Firecracker. Instinctively, he leaned forward to kiss her, then stopped himself. If something was seriously wrong, he wasn't about to take advantage of the situation.
"I…had a really bad nightmare," Annie confessed quietly, almost as if she had read his last thought. "I dreamed that something happened to me. That was enough to scare me to death, but it wasn't everything…"
Scott held her tighter, resisting the urge to simply kiss all her fears away. "Go on," he prompted softly.
Annie pushed another batch of wild hair out of the way nervously, sitting up straighter as she continued to give him that intense stare. God, Annie, stop staring at me like that, I'm not going to be able to control myself much longer.
"I…umm…" She faltered for the right words, then she just plunged ahead in one large breath. "I realized that I was holding a lot back…from you. I know that you know that I love you, but I don't think that you realize exactly how much I love you, Scott. And I know that there aren't enough words in the dictionary for me to express it to you…" Here her voice turned very husky as her stare deepened, "…and right now I would very much like to express it to you…"
"Annie…I don't think right now is…"
Brad's going to kill me… was Scott's next thought as Annie cut him off with a kiss more passionate than any they had ever shared previously.
"That's right," she ordered him, "This ain't no thinkin' thing, so don't think. Don't analyze. Just chase away all of my fears and bad dreams and insecurities and…"
Scott took his turn to cut her off as he returned her kiss with equal force. "Not only will I chase away your nightmares, Annie," Scott replied, "but I will build you only the best dreams…"
Scott's deep brown eyes met Annie's intense green before their lips joined, followed closely by their bodies, their hearts, and their souls.
This ain't no thinkin' thing, right brain left brain.
It goes a little deeper than that.
It's a chemical, physical, emotional, devotion,
Passion that we can't hold back.
There's nothin' that we need to analyze.
There ain't no rhyme or reason why.
'Cause this ain't, this ain't, no thinkin' thing.
Annie woke up alone the next morning, half dazed and more than a little confused when she found herself in Scott's bedroom. She got up and pulled on her discarded T-shirt while still trying to convince herself that she had just woken up from a really realistic dream. Her illusion shattered as she padded out into Scott's kitchen, still half asleep, and found him standing there in a pair of shorts, flashing her the most dazzling smile she'd ever seen
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he greeted Annie as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I thought I was dreaming," she mumbled as she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.
He chuckled. "So did I when I woke up, but there you were, the best dream I ever had. And remember, you're only allowed good dreams from now on." Scott kissed the top of Annie's head as he added, "You can go back to sleep if you want."
"I don't want," she murmured sleepily. "Not without you, anyway."
"Ahh, the true nature of the beast is revealed," Scott teased with a laugh.
"You created a monster," Annie agreed with a slightly tired smile.
He poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her with a grin. "Maybe some coffee will help."
"It will…for now."
They traded equally wicked smiles before Scott set about making breakfast. Annie padded over to the kitchen window with her coffee, narrowing her eyes when she thought she saw a figure moving between the trees outside. She shook it off, determined not to let THAT ruin what could otherwise be a very good day. She sipped her coffee, letting her thoughts meander onto different subjects. Before she could stop herself, she'd spoken one of the more absent ones aloud.
"While I'm home, we should just get the rest of my stuff from Jess and make my stay here officially permanent, especially since I already confessed everything to Dad yesterday."
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Scott's voice held some slight agitation, "I thought WE were going to do that."
"WE were," Annie admitted as she turned away from the window, "but he kinda weaseled it out of me, as usual."
Scott looked at her in disbelief as he cracked some eggs. "You told me you weren't going to let him do that to you this time."
"I wasn't…but when he asked me if I was heading home last night…"
"…You said: 'Yes, Dad, I'm going straight home.' No passing Go, no collecting $200.00…"
"…No, that's when I told him I was staying with you…"
"Great, just great," Scott snorted as he stirred the eggs in the frying pan a little too vigorously. "You do realize you just signed my death warrant, don't you?"
"I couldn't lie to him, Scott!" Annie defended herself. "And I couldn't stall and tell a half truth, either, because then he would have known I was lying and proceeded to grill me even harder."
"I know." Scott sighed with a half grin. "So how long do I have before he marches over here for 'THE TALK'?"
"He promised me he'd wait a few days before he pronounced your sentence."
"Well, at least I can enjoy my breakfast then. One of my last few meals before I become a dead man."
"I'm sorry, Scott."
"Don't worry, Annie," Scott's eyes sparkled mischievously as a sly grin appeared on his face, "Somehow, I think you'll be able to make it up to me."
"Oh, I plan on making your wait VERY worthwhile," she purred seductively as he turned back to his cooking.
Rax ran down the hallways of Contra World Headquarters grumbling, "Why do I have to go play secretary? Oh yeah Vanessa on her stink'n coffee break, too high and might to do lackey duties." He halted in front of a steel door and knocked on it.
"Come in," Jon replied looking up looking over a stack of plans irritated. "What do you want? I ordered not to disturbed."
Rax threw a cell phone to Jon, "Got an important call for ya. One of our clients says he's doing some sort of job for ya and wants a little insurance."
Jon looked at him puzzled, "Did he really? Is that all he said?"
"Just requested for you, no one else," Rax added and shut the door behind him. Instead of returning to his duties, he placed his ear up to the door curiously listening in. Miles Mayhem had given him strict orders to find out what his son was up too. Naturally Sly Rax wouldn't care for anybody but himself, but the challenge appealed to him.
Jon redialed the last number on the cell phone with curiosity, "This Jon…who's this?"
Charles Casanova replied in a loud half nervous voice, "Charles…I have concerns about our business proposition."
"What's to talk about you still owe us a shipment of goods? You don't make good on that contract living will be rather unpleasant."
"I…I'm already aware of my contract," He gulped lightly. "I would never question my best customers, but if I'm going to make good on that hit I want a little reinforcement on my next shipment."
Jon's eyes perked up slightly, "A hit?"
"Yeah you know on that High Mountain Ranger."
"You mean the red head High Mountain Ranger?
"Yeah that's the one…the moment I got my backup I'll go ahead with the hit as promise. The boy's all ready set up just waiting for the signal." A small wicked smiled develop on Jon face as he rubbed his chin at the possibilities. Charles voiced some confusion over the phone, "You still with me?"
"Of course excuse me something rather amusing just crossed my mind. You said you'll kill the girl, if you get back up. Give me time and location I'll have a few of my slackers around here give you a little assistance. After all I don't want to interfere with our business proposition."
Rax slowly moved away from the door adding the clues together, "High Mountain Ranger…Red head…Hit…Kill. That only means one thing." He raced back down the hallway towards Vanessa's room and burst into the room. "HEY VANESSA!"
"DO YOU KNOCK!" She shouted having just woken up from a nap.
"Eh only if your higher up in rank," He joked, "I got information you don't and you want."
"HA you have information I want. That will be the day."
"Oh lets say…your daughter has somebody itching to take her out."
She turned him coldly and starts to push him out of the room, "I already know about that. She's a big girls she'll work out her own problems."
"What if I told you Jon ordered the hit," He managed to weasel in before she pushed him out he door. "I heard him over the phone, as soon as he sends reinforcements to his client, the hit goes thru."
Vanessa stood there stunned at his word. All this time she figured it was an open empty rumor; nobody would be stupid enough to go after her daughter. That would be asking for some serious trouble. Nobody but Jon Mayhem, he'll do what ever he wants…when he wants…to get whatever he wants. "When are the reinforcements heading out?" Her voice turned serious.
"Oh now your interested. I couldn't hear him over the phone, my best guess is over the next 24 hours." Vanessa grabbed her mask and headed straight towards the garage. Rax ran along next to her attempting to keep up, "There's no point in telling her she won't listen to you!"
"I know she wont, but her father will," She got into to Manta and speedily took off leaving Rax in the dust.
He shook his head with disbelief, "Ye ain't gonna make it in time and you know it."