Chapter 2: Enter: the One Eyed Viking Bitch
As the plate whizzed by his head, Bill made a small adept movement to avoid any splattered food. Still as the plate and it's contents slammed into the shelving behind him, a good spray of the soup managed to end up on Bill's shirt....the one he had so adamantly had been opposed to sweating in moments before.
Still, Bill didn't move nor look down. His focus was fixed completely on Beatrix. He didn't say a word in reply as she got up, mocked him quite effectively and turned her little ass around and pranced out of his living room. His lips were pressed together in an angry line. His eyes an equally angry shadow under his down turned brow. Bill was truly at his angriest when he didn't say anything. A man of words without words was a scary thing.
When Budd entered, Bill didn't even look at him...his gaze remained transfixed on Beatrix's exit route...now ringing with her last "Fuck off" to Budd and the loud slam of the door.
Finally, Bill blinked...his white knuckled hands uncurling from around the edge of the bar. "That woman," his voice was icy cool, "Is a fucking cunt." His chilly gaze finally turned on Budd, "What the hell are you doing here anyways?"
Budd looked rather hurt by his brother's words but he was just putting on a dramatic effect. Seeing the cold glare he pulled it down a notch. He knew when it was appropriate to step on hot coals and if he tried to today he'd be burnt. He shrugged his shoulders. "Do I really need an excuse to visit my brother?" He wove a hand to dismiss his words. "Nah, I was just checkin' up on ya and that Elle gave me a buzz an hour ago." He slid onto the bar stool and made himself comfortable whether it was welcome or not.
"Elle told me she called me cause you were rather pissed off that she botched off that job. I told 'er she deserved it." He paused chuckling lightly and adjusting the rim of his hat to point down. "Anywho, she told me to tell ya that she's gonna be flying in later this afternoon. Said she would be on time for that shin-dig tonight. But, the question, why I'm here? I was in the area and thought I'd deliver the message personally." A pause. "Startin' to think that was a bad idea."
"Yes well...." Bill turned and busied himself with another glass. Halfway through he stopped, "Why the fuck am I playing bartender?" Irritably he put the bottle down in front of Budd and strode around the living room.
"Elle was too chicken shit to call me herself." He picked up his Hanzo sword, "She had that Spanish speaking fuckhead..ah...Leonard call me instead. But she calls you.....well, that's somewhat degrading." He glanced over at Budd, "This is the second time this has happened this month.....it won't happen again." He placed the sword back on its ornamental resting place; a forced looked of complacency on his face. Elle was sneaky but unlike Beatrix she would scrape and beg for mercy for her wrongdoings.
Bill turned back to Budd. He was always somewhat annoyed at Budd's whole "shit kickin' cowboy thing." There was always something condescending about his attitude towards Budd and when he was angry it always seemed to be magnified. He would relish in insulting Budd as much as possible......pathetic way to make oneself feel better, but sometimes that's all you had.
"And as far as this....."shindig" is concerned.....I'm not going...I hate that kind of shit. You can take Elle and Bitch Kiddo if you want but try and not get too drunk like you always do.......it's really embarrassing. Besides," a glint of humor lit up Bill's face, "...if you get drunk Elle is likely to take advantage of you....." He waved a hand with a snort, abandoning that line of thought.
"Anyways," Bill resolved himself to sit down at the bar next to Budd. "I've got better things to do........"
Budd snatched up the bottle of Scotch Bill had set down. He took a slug before turning in the chair to face him. Bottle in hand Budd pointed a finger. "Hold on just one second there, Bill. There is no way in hell I'm taking those blonde bitch's to a party all alone," he reassured in all seriousness. Budd and Elle didn't get along that well, Elle and Bea, ha, yeah right.
"Those two have been at one another's throats for the past month, more so than usual. And I don't wanna be there to break 'em up if something starts and you know something is gonna. Fuck, I don't even wanna go if Beatrix decides she's gonna perform a nice little gore fest for the guests." Budd shook his head slowly, a brow rose. "Come on, Bill. What better things you need to do than go to a party with your Vipers, hmm?" He lifted up the bottle again and took a swallow, eyeing his brother over the rim.
Bill frowned grumpily. "I dunno, I was thinking about getting as stoned off my ass as I possibly could and then re-categorizing my comic book collection." He said this facetiously, but there was allot of truth in it as well. He folded his arms, seeing Budd's point. Bill truly did pity the poor sap that got stuck in-between those two women.......well in a violent situation ....which, unfortunately was all that was going to happen.
"Alright, fine....," he gave in, "but I'm not going to be happy about it....nor am I going to be charming or even remotely friendly to any of those small time junkies." Raul always had good food and good looking women at his parties.....there was some incentive at least.
Secretly, Bill wished that Beatrix would do something violent.....which was very likely to happen anyways. "Goddamnit, I hate it when you talk me into doing stupid shit Budd." Budd, even when they had been very young, had always had this ability to talk Bill into things that he was very adamant about not doing in the first place. On the hand, it was nearly impossible to talk Budd into something....he was a stubborn bastard.
Bill watched his younger brother guzzle away at his bottle of Scotch. He had no idea how Budd managed it. He pulled a disgruntled look but said nothing. Instead, he returned to his train of thought.
"When Beatrix returns......keep her away from me. There are some Columbian guys coming to do an exchange. You and Beatrix keep an eye on them from a distance. I'll do the talking......I don't trust these guys one bit. If they try any shit, take them out....I could care less....as long as their money is good."
Budd took pride in being able to talk his older brother into just about anything. Although Bill always would have the upper hand against Budd. Budd did after all work for his brother. They still had the whole boss and worker aspect to look at. Budd tipped the nearly empty bottle of scotch in Bill's direction before swinging it to land on the counter with a contented thud.
"THAT..I can easily do," he replied, his expression mellow tone. Keeping Beatrix away from Bill would be relatively easy considering how pissed off she had appeared earlier, she most likely wouldn't want to be near him either. He slid off the stool; hands came to his waist near the brim of his jeans, thumbs tucked to the inside. "Really Bill, you can get just as drunk at this here party as ya can being home alone. The only difference being you'll have others to get stoned with. That's half the fun." Budd was never ashamed of his drinking problem. He could be noted as one of the more civilized drunks in the world. "I'll go get my stuff outta the truck and get my shit together for those nice Columbian guys." He made a turn for the door and strolled out in a casual manner.
The noonday sun was already damn hot. The Columbian's had insisted on doing this little exchange outside in the large dessert-like lot next to Bill's place. Bill had simply smiled and gone along with it. Alright, if they wanted to play little games that was fine...he would play his own.
Normally this sort of thing was no big deal. In fact, in this modern day and age most people, well...sophisticated people at least, preferred to simply wire money. But these jack offs liked to think of themselves as true rebels.
And as Bill had often said....he was all about old school. This certainly qualified.
For a few minutes Bill and the four Columbian's had a conversation out in the open...dry dust whipping around them, their hair and jackets blowing violently in the wind. The Columbian's spoke a slightly different Spanish dialect than what was spoken in the states and Mexico. There were some communication issues and for a few moments the conversation seemed to heat up, then suddenly Bill laughed loudly and the five of them strolled over to the indistinctive black sedan parked nearby.
Bill cast a glance over his shoulder, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Budd and Beatrix stood a few yards away. Initially, the Columbian's were not very happy about their presence but Bill had argued his case well enough and they had finally complied.
The whole thing stank and Bill was grateful for the 9mm he had holstered at his side. The Columbian's didn't seem to mind him being armed, since they themselves were just as obviously armed. This fact only made Bill more suspicious. He'd seen this kind of thing countless times.
The tallest Columbian, presumably the leader of this bunch, opened the trunk. He pulled out a large suitcase. Rounding the car, he placed it on the hood. While the man was unzipping the case, Bill took the opportunity to cast one more look at Budd and Beatrix. Just a quick glance, but it was enough.
The tall man spoke in his Columbian dialect, "See man....all right there....20's unmarked."
Bill faked an impressed expression. "Mind if I take a look?"
""Yeah...ok sure....go ahead."
While the exchange was made Beatrix and Budd where a few feet away hanging by the truck. Beatrix had a 9mm of her own swaying idly in her hand while she leaned causally against the hood of the truck. Budd was on the opposite side, holstering his revolver, his other hand to his pocket.
"So, Bea, how things goin?" He had brought up casual, friendly conversation as they watched Bill review the money since there was nothing better to do. Beatrix glanced over to him, peering through the darkened lenses of her sunglasses. She was still pissy from earlier but after treating herself to some cheap fast food she felt considerably better. Also, taking to the fact that she had no confrontation with Bill since earlier that morning. "It's going," she replied. Her gaze narrowed on one of the Columbian men taking note of suspicious activity. Idiot.
Taking his precious time, Bill leafed through the bills. He knew they were real the moment he looked at them but this tactic always bought more time to check everything out. This was usually when amateurs like these got antsy and gave themselves away.
"Alright man....all good, alright?" The tall guy shuffled a bit.
Bill made some "Mmmhmm," noise to buy more time. He could easily see two of the guys flanking him out of the corners of his sunglasses. There was more shuffling and shifting.
"Hey....ok that's enough man...," the leader's voice was impatient, "..."I thi- "
There it was a flash on the right. It happened quickly, like it always did. Bill dropped down on one knee and with a one swift motion he upholstered the 9mm and brought it upon the man on the right, who at the moment was the most immediate threat. Throughout all of this Bill remained entirely calm....he was more than confident in his own abilities as well as those of Budd and Beatrix. No doubt, they were already on it.
"You know, I love your brother but...damn...I sure can hate him sometimes too."
Budd chuckled. "Yeah, well, what he sees in you I'll never know." He smirked in her direction.
"Mm..I tend to ask myself the same question." She returned the smirk. "Hey, Bea--" Budd trailed off, his hand falling down to the revolver that unsheathed. Blue eyes followed her comrade's and she gave a tight nod pushing off from the truck. "Gotcha."
Both began a deadly stalk across the desert sand over to the gathered. Beatrix immediately rose up the 9mm, poised to shot, the second she saw Bill pull his own weapon. Both Beatrix and Budd knew that Bill was more than capable in taking out the gathered thugs but they wouldn't have much of a job if Bill did everything.
Budd came up to the one on the left that had been shifting uneasily. Placed the gun to the man's back, he exchanged a 'howdy' before blasting the man.
Beatrix decided to have her own fun with this. She needed some fun and this would cool off her pissy demeanor. The second the gun shot went off Bea noted that the suspected leader took the distraction as an advantage to grab the cash. Bea met him at the case and put her heeled boot down to close the lid. "Isn't it bad to go taking something that isn't yours?" She questioned the Columbian in an overall teasing note. Gun was held out to aim at his head, the other hand placed to her hip, her appearance rather haughty. The man cursed at her in that foreign tongue but she didn't take it personally.
Silence lingered between the two, staring down at the case of money. Beatrix wasn't called Black Mamba for nothing. She caught the reflection of an approacher from her behind in the Columbian's glasses. She immediately wiped around, in the process having taken out the hidden dagger from her waist. The blade contacted instantly with the man's chest, crimson blood spilling. To not waste time, she turned her head, gun pointed, she blasted the lead Columbian in the head. His limp body falling down against that case of money. Good thing it was closed or the money would be ruined. Beatrix casually pushed the dead man's body off the dagger and let the bloody mess slip to the desert floor.
She grinned wide in pure satisfaction as hand slipped to replace the dagger to her pocket. "Thanks, I needed that," she said in a venomous tone to the dying man on the dusty ground.
"Stupid motherfuckers!" Bill kicked the nearest body with the toe of his boot. He laughed and placed his hands on his hips...flashing a grin, albeit a triumphantly sadistic one, at Beatrix.
As always Budd and Beatrix had done themselves right. Bill was a firm believer in keeping people on their toes, himself included.
"Ya know, I don't know what the hell these guys were thinking.....that was pathetic." He scowled down at the bloody mess. As quickly as he had welcomed the attack, he dismissed it with a wave. "Eh, Budd grab the money.....Kidd-" Suddenly, Bill's expression changed as he caught sight of a familiar red Corvette veering into the driveway.
Only one person could drive that crazy and still be alive today.
"Ah," Bill pushed his sunglasses up nonchalantly, "Looks as if Miss Driver has returned home........."
"Bill! Please! I just...I just don't know what to say!" Elle Driver, dressed in her usual sharp blacks and whites, with matching eye patch, stood on the patio. Her bright red lipstick matching oh-so-perfectly with her nail polish. She was not a small woman; in fact she was rather tall in stature and had something of an intimidating appearance. But, at this moment she seemed to be shrinking into herself. "I-I...thought everything was cool ya know......."
Standing across from her, Bill stood with his arms crossed...sunglasses perched on his head. His expression was completely unreadable. Beatrix and Budd stood behind him each with their own opinions of the situation.
"You thought everything was cool....and?" Bill promoted, still completely flat lined.
"And.....and...." Elle pursed her large lips, "......I don't know what happened." Her arms flailed in the air, blonde hair seeming to frizz out with the motion. "I.....freaked out! There were so many.....and damn....," she suddenly took a few long strides forward, and in a show of desperation she threw herself at Bill....hands grasping onto his jacket collar, "Please Bill...I'm so sorry! It won't happen again....I know I said that last time...but I really mean it! Baby, I'm so sorry...." she placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Please......." she cooed, her voice velvet.
Throughout this pathetic attempt, Bill's expression remained unchanged. Slowly, he pulled Elle's hands of his face. "Why don't you come inside, calm down....and we'll have ourselves a little talk. Just the two of us." This sat somewhere between an invitation and a demanded death sentence.
Without even waiting for Elle's reply, Bill strode into the house.
Elle bowed her head slightly, "Yes Bill," she mumbled. She began to follow him but suddenly changed direction and headed straight for Beatrix and Budd.
"Thought that was pretty funny huh? Pretty sad and pathetic?" She spat, blue eye glaring daggers at them. "Take that nasty honky grin off your face Budd!" She opened her eye widely when she said his name. 'And you....." she looked at Beatrix. This time the eye narrowed. "..........bitch.....fuck off." She turned a long middle finger under Beatix's nose.
With that Elle spun on her high heeled sandal, and round ass waving, she followed Bill into the house.
Beatrix raised both slender brows as Elle walked off. A smirk played across her face as she found that whole display really amusing and the middle finger was anything but threatening. "Oh, that woman.." Budd began shaking his head. As words came out he slipped into a patio chair. Beatrix took the one next to him. "I sure do hope Bill gives it to her. She deserves it." Budd and Bea exchanged sadistic smiles before positioning themselves comfy in the chairs staring out the distance. They didn't have much to talk about and both were rather tired from the ordeal. Time to relax and enjoy the words from inside the house.
For sometime there was utter silence from inside the house.
Then, the sound of something breaking....glass most likely. Next, Elle's voice....loud and screechy. But it was hard to tell what she was saying.
Elle again, but understandable, "Well..DAMNIT Bill!"
Bill's raised voice, but hardly as loud.
Elle: "You know me.....NO WAY.........," Then her voice dropped....perhaps even a sniffle.
Very obviously Bill: "You're really testing my patience here Elle......" Something about Beatrix.
Another screech from Elle that sounded vaguely like "BITCH!'
Then complete silence for a few more minutes.
Finally, the front door opened. Bill walked out, arm wrapped around Elle's shoulders. She looked rattled but also somewhat smug. She leaned over and whispered something in Bill's ear in a very intimate manner. Bill laughed, tightening his grip on her shoulder. Beatrix and Budd had been straining to hear the conversation from their patio chairs. Exchanging curious glances to one another between moments of silence and screaming. The second the two emerged they sat up, Budd putting on a casual demeanor.
Elle cast a nasty glance over at Beatrix that looked like it belonged in a junior high school. Thus was the strange and often unpredictable life with Bill.
Bea caught the nasty eye contact given from Elle and returned it with her own snide expression. The conversation that had happened between the two was an all out mystery but it was no mystery to Beatrix that Bill had to bring her name into the discussion. Was it his own cruel way of getting back at her for this morning? She wouldn't be surprised if it was.
Silence had loomed over the deadly group. It was Budd whom was the first to break it. "Well," he began, patting his thigh before rising to his feet. "It's gettin' late and I believe I have a party to get changed for." He tipped his hat as he turned to stroll back inside. The last thing Kiddo wanted was to be alone with these people. So, she followed suit and rose to her full height not soon after Budd's departure. Somewhat hasty steps were paused as she came up along side Bill, the side Elle wasn't on. She exchanged a cold glare before asking in a blunt tone, "What time?"
Bill turned from his rather close conversation with Elle. His expression turned snide when he looked at Beatrix...as if the two of them were sharing some sort of inside joke... perhaps a very bad joke. He completely disregarded her glare as if she was being a silly child.
"Eight......I'll take you." It wasn't a question. He dismissed her with a simple head turn.
Elle pursed her lips....but wisely said nothing.
Those little whispers and pursed lips caused Beatrix's blood to boil. As much as she wanted to snap a smart ass remark to the 'couple' she just scowled and turned on her heels to leave. They could share their inside jokes without the 'butt' of the joke being present.