Stepbrothers
Chapter Eleven
Loki felt his blood turning cold and something like lead pouring in his stomach. The atmosphere had turned from lovey-dovey to incredibly tense in a few seconds. Loki wished he could turn to that warm fuzzy feeling from seconds ago, just before he mentioned the card.
" The card, Thor." His voice was starting to tremble as Thor's expression was more and more confused, he hated it, "The card you left at my place at the wedding table, remember ?" It became event more weak and pleading. "Please... Remember ?"
Thor opened and closed his mouth. His thoughts in disarray.
Loki, I swear I never left any card at any place anywhere ! What the hell are you talking about ?!
Loki's heart seemed ready to jump out of his chest. He ran to his desk. In the top drawer, he had kept this precious item, away from any prying eyes. He found the cream envelope. He ran back to the bed.
Look, see ? Remember now ?
Thor looked at the envelope as if it was a snake or a bomb. He unconsciously shrank back. He didn't reach for the piece of paper.
Loki, I never saw this in my whole life.
Loki's heart sank in his chest.
I swear, Loki, I would remember if I ever did it !
Thor was panicking now. Loki's mind was going in every direction. If not Thor then WHO ?! He shoved the envelope into Thor's hand.
Please Thor, look at the card !
Thor looked at Loki then at the crumpled piece of cream paper. He carefully opened it, pulled out the card and looked at it.
Then he turned white, then green then blue, then gray... and his mouth opened like a dark crater.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! No, no, no, no, no, nooooo !"
Loki jumped out of the bed, while Thor threw the card far away and crawled quickly to the other corner of the room. Hiding his face in his hands, Thor started banging the back of his head on the wall on the same rhythm he was wailing :"NO ! No ! No !"
Loki was on the edge of also losing it.
Thor, PLEASE ! Stop it ! Stop it ! You're scaring me !
He went to Thor and held him in his arms to prevent him from hurting himself any more. Thor curled into Loki's arms like a very young child. He was mumbling gibberish in a very tiny voice that made Loki's blood curdle.
"No, no, no, no, leave her... Take me... Who's daddy's brave little soldier ? …. Little Mama's boy... I'll show you... Spawn of Satan..."
That's how Loki knew who wrote the card.
"It cannot be..." Loki murmured. "He's supposed to be in jail..."
Thor finally raised crying bloodshot eyes to his lover.
"'I'll never stop loving you...' : That's the last thing he said to us... After the trial... They were dragging him back to jail... That's his words..."
It took them a long time to pass the shock and calm down. Thor was still trembling and Loki's loud heartbeat was in his ears. They needed to think and think fast.
"He must have had a parole, an hearing, something... Wasn't he supposed to be locked up for almost 10 more years ?...
Thor's voice croaked.
With all that happened, Mom and I became careless. We took no notice... We were too happy, I guess. He was far away from our minds...
Loki bit his lip.
Or maybe... He might have escaped... There are ways... I haven't checked the news around the states lately...
He is the devil, Loki. He thinks he is some sort of messenger of God's words but he is nothing but a cunning demon. I should have known... Whatever means he employed, he found us. He will always find us.
Loki bit his thumb.
Thor, he went to the wedding... He managed to sneak his way into a private ceremony and depose his damn card...
He must have paid an extra to do it. That's easy and he is clever enough to do it smoothly.
But why MY place ?! Why not yours or you mother's ?
Thor breathed.
Loki, I never told you but there was a mix in places. Remember, you were sitting next to my mom and me next to your dad. In fact I saw that they got the labels wrong and mom's was on your plate... I put the labels back myself. He thought he was sending a message to mom to ruin her big day. It would have been a show, indeed, had she seen that piece of crap.
And it means I owe him my happiness for you to come to me, Thor bitterly thought. Great. Just great. Loki trembled. He was probably thinking the same thing.
That means he has been spying on us for... how long ? How could he be so thorough with our lives ? How could he get so much information ?
He must be in hiding, of course." Thor shrugged, "And we're not royalty or anything. No bodyguards, no secret, no nothing. Hell, your father's life is transparent for everyone to see. Everybody in the neighborhood knows Larry Laufeyson because everyone here is involved more or less with his company !
True that, Loki thought, a man who possessed at least a quarter of the whole town and was not over-thinking about his own powers would not be overly wary about his private life. Larry was not your usual mystery batman-like rich man. Loki had forgot how truly modest, behind the boisterous surface, his father really was.
But how could he do all of this and not being noticed ? Surely, you or your mom would have known him the minute he showed up... Or at least, sense him ! You've been on red alert for so long...
Well, maybe he wasn't physically near the house or the places we frequent. And then he just had to stay low and not make himself be noticed. He was handsome but not that much remarkable. It must have been easy for him to change to tune down his appearance. He could be anybody...
Loki shivered. He started remembering the guns in his father's safe. He wished his dad had trusted him enough to gave him the password...
That means that he knows. That means he is waiting for an opportunity to make his move. And that he probably knows...
That we are on our own.
Loki shivered again more violently. The sun was coming down outside and the street already looked dark. His old fear of monsters under the bed came back with a revenge.
First thing they did was to lock everything possible in the house. Even the attic. The house was big, they had to check thrice.
How about 911 ?
Thor, we cannot call 911 for nothing. And we'll be busted. He will know that we know. Right now, Thor, the advantage of surprise is all we got.
Thor picked everything that could be used as a weapons, the baseball bats of course, but also Larry's golf clubs (if anything happened to them, Larry would have his blood...), and Manuelita's beautiful set of kitchen knives Larry had bought specially for her use (those too would cause aggravations if impaired and it was much worse said in Spanish). There was also the toolbox, but the screwdrivers and the hammers could be only lethal during quick close combat.
Loki believed first and foremost in getting the safe passwords. He didn't know if those guns would be a better solution but they could be pretty persuasive. He tried searching his father's office but until now, with nothing conclusive. He thought about calling his father but..
We should tell the parents !
Thor, they are out of his reach. Do you seriously think he has the means and the money to follow them to the damn Caribbeans ? You want her here to put her into danger ? Your mom is safe where she is and I have reason to believe she remains the main target. I am not sure..." he gulped. "That your father wants you dead.
Thor blanched
Loki, really...
Loki groaned.
Thor, we got to think like him. What does he want ? What he believes is his, namely his ex-wife and kid. Who is stopping him ? Me and my father. Mostly my father. Can he really get everything he wants without shedding blood ? No, Thor, definitively no. He'll kill me and my dad first because either we are obstacles, or fiends, or we don't even count in his sick mind. And if you or your mom resist... He'll have to choose between you and her and he will definitively kill her.
Why !?
Thor was almost in tears and Loki hated himself for saying this.
You're the Son, Thor. You're his piece of eternity, his heir, his flesh and blood. His continuity. Your mom ? She's the betraying female. The ingrate Jezebel who has done her job of baby-making machine anyway. And she is not young anymore. She is damaged goods that went under another man. She is not as worthy of the trouble as she used to be when they were newlyweds. Most likely, if he can't have you both, he'll pick you and he'll kill her.
Deep inside his mind, Loki felt something was off... Something was telling him that he was not being thorough, that he was missing something important. He almost didn't notice Thor's desperate looks.
Can't we tell anyone ? Manuelita ? José ? Our principal ? A teacher ? Anyone ?
We can't for the same reasons. We don't have enough proof, they could be also in danger and we'd loose our advantage.
- So... we wait, right ?
Yes, Thor, we simply wait... And we try to get that password.
So they waited, but nothing happened that night, or the other.
So to avoid getting insane, Loki tried to investigate. He studied Olaf Odinson's photos but to no avail. He tried to transform them, make them look older, with hats or glasses, but it didn't ring any bell. He could be anyone and that was exactly the point. Loki also continued to search for the password. He tried to question his father, the way he wouldn't suspect anything. But it was complicated and Larry was chatty as hell. At least, they were safe in a golden place with the sun and the beach, far, far away from their son's predicament.
Until Thor came with an idea
I said NO, Thor !
But, babe... Like this we would be safe...
He was holding his cell phone.
The more the merrier, you know ?
And to Loki's dismay and resignation, Thor's stupid friends came back with their kegs, and their music, and their broads, and their noise, and their stupidity. Loki braced himself and bought himself new earplugs. He even taught himself an automatic smile and dumb nod to agree with everyone without engaging any conversation. The Casa Laufeyson became the place to be, unwillingly to one of his occupants. But Loki knew Thor was right. This constant coming and going in and out of the house must be a major hindrance, and not only for the neighbors.
They were safe, for now.
But what when the parents would be back ? It was coming closer and closer...
This kind of life took a wearisome toll on them. They had to maintain the rhythm of entertaining, cleaning afterwards and still living their life as upstanding high-schoolers surviving some crazy stalker. Just a simple life... They had to bribe Manuelita when she realized what was going on and placate the usually understanding neighbors. Luckily, nothing happened on their lawn.
Funny thing was, if Thor and Loki were too exhausted to be intimate, they started sleeping either in Thor's or Loki's bedroom. Like an already old couple. Loki found it comforting though Thor felt like a huge radiator. If he couldn't sleep, it was because the party had been loud and tiring and his ears were ringing. But Thor's gentle snoring usually helped, surprisingly.
That night, Loki was still not asleep. They had a very busy day. Exams and then party, but for once, it had not be as boring as it used to be for Loki. He actually had some fun... He also managed to find a clue about the password. Staying there while their possible salvation was locked behind layers of steel and Kevlar (yup, that kind of safe...) was frustrating but his father finally dropped something.
"Why Loki, to protect what's important, pick something even more important !
Larry was laughing out loud and killing his son's ears again.
What do you mean, Dad ?
Something you will always love !
Thanks Dad, real clear. Loki could have hit the wall, but it was better than downright nothing. Except that in this damn office, with his books covered in expensive leather, his statues, his priceless paintings... He wondered, what could his father always love ? Larry, kind, superficial Larry loved too much and too on the surface. He was too superficial for anything. Look at how fast he remarried, Loki bitterly thought.
Having failed, yet again, Loki had gone to Thor's bed. Still deep in thoughts. There was still the question of Olaf Odinson's possible new identity. Each time, he felt like something was off. That he had heard or seen something capital recently and he couldn't remember what.
He was missing something, he was definitely missing something.
Turning on himself next to Thor, he tried to review the late weeks.
The wedding, the parents leaving, the card, Thor, the first party, the gardener, the first night, the other nights, Manuelita, Thor's dumb friends, the card, the gardener...
It was something that had been said to him... But what ? He had talked to so many people these last few weeks. How could he remember all the conversations ? But at some point someone said something that made him tick on the moment but he forgot about it because he had his mind occupied by something else. It had appeared and then gone in a moment...
"You're my one and only. Stepbrother or not. That's all."
"Some people live the high life, go first and think later. I like this if you tell me !"
"In that case, let's invent some other words..."
" 'Honor thy father and thy mother ! ' "
"I WOULD SCREAM IT TO THE WORLD !"
" Love is such a rare treat. Once you have it, you must seize it with your two hands... And never let it go."
No, no, before that... What did he say exactly ?
"Don't talk of such things, boy ! "Honor thy father and thy mother" ! What would become of your Daddy and your new Mama if they can't see their boys anymore ?"
No.
"What would become of your Daddy and your new Mama if they can't see their boys anymore ?"
"If they can't see their boys anymore ?"
"... their boys..."
Loki felt like a hit in his diaphragm that left him standing up breathless.
Why did he say "their boys" ? How could he know ? How could he say that unless…. ?
"Thor ? Thor ! Wake up !"
Loki shook Thor. His heart was going wild.
"Huuh?!
Thor, quick ! Is your father albino ?
The sleeping figure blinked confusedly
Huh ? My father...what ?
Loki lost it.
I said, is your father …. !
Loki couldn't finish his phrase, someone barged in the room, slamming the door with his foot. He had a rifle, a long coat... It was dark but Loki recognized the gloves, the cap, the uniform...
"Unclean..." The gardener growled, " Unclean.. Whores of Babylon ! He who has lain with another man must die !"
