Alrighty, here's the latest. Thanks so much Indigo and everyone else who's kept me going with reviewage and awesome fics and everything else. I'm leading into some twisty territory here, and the twisted will progress in the next few updates. To be honest I'm feeling quite frightened. But yeah, here goes.
Take as you will and please, if you're reading, please review and lemme know if you're loving it, loathing it, utterly befuddled by it, please? (I ain't too proud to beg.)
Laughing lightly, shaking his head in disbelief Brody moved Carrie's hand off of his arm. Feeling the urge to sit he did so in the middle of the dock.
"What's so funny?"
"Even taking a long weekend doesn't distract you one bit, does it? You're still in that mode."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about just now. Look at you. You soften me up, get me to smile, play good cop, then go in for the kill with more questions. Accusations. Theories. You are always working, aren't you?", he said, more awestruck than annoyed.
"God help Farrah when she's a teenager and breaks curfew for the first time. You'll sit her down, get her talking. She'll be begging to be grounded in minutes."
Snorting Carrie sat down across from him, crossing her legs Indian style. Smiling deviously.
"Well since you're such an expert on my tactics, are you going to cooperate?"
"You still have your theory. Convinced without a doubt that something is wrong."
Smile fading her eyes narrowed.
"It's not a theory. It's obvious something is wrong when you feel cutting me out is your only option."
"Carrie, I didn't cut you out in the woods. I was trying to get you out. Get you the fuck away from them! That's all you saw from me."
"No, it wasn't. I saw the look in your eyes in the clearing, Brody. I saw what you-"
"Jesus, Carrie what did you want me to do? Use my words?"
Shaking her head, clearly annoyed, she sighed.
"Look, I told you I didn't mind that you jumped to defend me. Not after those fuckers saw Farrah and I was too worked up to even see straight."
"What the fuck did they do to Farrah?", Brody asked, stormy eyed.
"They scared the shit out of her when she ran into the clearing. She started yelling at them about crushing wildflowers. They yelled back so I ran in after her. All the assholes were trashed. On a normal day dealing with them would've been fun. But with Farrah there, I was so on edge I couldn't breathe. I panicked. Protecting her came first. Protecting myself became an afterthought."
Nodding in understanding, all Brody wished was that he'd jumped into the fray sooner.
"That's why I'm glad you were there. I'm not upset about what you did, Brody. It was the way you did-"
"What, I should've used a tree branch instead of a rock?"
Getting an eye roll combination ice glare, Brody sighed, gave her an apologetic look.
"I saw you in the woods after you helped me up and we got the fuck out of there. I saw your eyes. And I didn't..."
Trailing off she struggled to think of the way to say this that would hurt the least.
"Look, do you remember at the community center when I had my..."
"Yeah."
"You told me that I wasn't me. That you didn't recognize me. Well today in the clearing I didn't recognize you."
When he looked down, away from her Carrie sighed and reached over, held his face.
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"No, don't apologize, Jesus." Moving her hand off his cheek, but still tightly holding it he met her gaze.
"Tell me why I shouldn't then." Carrie said. Her voice was gentle but her eyes were laser focused on his as he spoke.
"Our first weekend here you asked me about Tom Walker. I told you I killed, thought I killed..."
"Yeah. ", she nodded, before things clicked and she nearly gasped.
Ordinarily this was the part of the interrogation she craved. When the truth came out and motive and means were unveiled and she had her subject right where she wanted them. Broken, turned, ready to play ball.
Right now though all she felt was guilt accompanied by mild nausea. Finally this morning made sense, in a horrible sort of way.
"I had to beat him to death. But not before they showed me the proper way of doing it."
"Brody..."
"They held me back. They made me watch them while they beat the shit out of him. And today I had to watch that..cocksucking, piece of...come after you..."
His voice broke and his hands went to his face but she peeled them away, rested her's there instead.
"Shhh, it's okay. It's all over now and I'm fine. Farrah and I are both fine. I promise.", Carrie assured, but when she went to move closer, hug him, he nodded and moved her hands away.
"Okay. I..I'm okay."
"We're okay.", she corrected as he stood up, helped her up.
"Do you believe me?"
He gave her a small nod as his supposed answer, but it didn't feel like an answer at all. Nor did his smile that looked like the ones he'd force onto his face when he was in front of a camera, that he'd practice making in front of his bathroom mirror.
"Brody..."
Tightening her grip on his hand, Brody squeezed it back but then dropped it. Nodded for her to follow him.
"C'mon, we should get back to Farrah."
...
Holding a bag of ice against his throbbing face, nursing his beer Lee sullenly sat at the bar, looking to Steve who was polishing off his second cheeseburger. Apparently being disarmed and taken down a few pegs by a woman gave his friend an appetite.
Lee on the other hand was still half doubled over, thanks to that damn kneeing directed at his groin.
"Chin up, man.", Steve got out between bites.
"At least we're not eating supper through a straw like Jon tonight."
"I guess. But the nerve of that blonde bitch.", Lee grumbled before hearing a throat clearing behind him. Turning he saw a set of crutches supporting an old friend.
"Who are you idiots badmouthing now?", the man asked as Steve got up, helped him get situated on the bar stool beside him.
"A crazy broad that attacked us in broad daylight. Jon's stuck overnight at General 'cause of the whole thing. Got concussed or some shit.", Steve answered.
"Well c'mon. You knew one day that White Nation shit would catch up with him. Get his ass kicked. He knows better than to bring it up around me. You should've just left him to rot."
"Hey!", Lee slurred, swayed as he tried to stand up.
"That's my..my friend you're talking about and I'll be damned if you-"
"Easy..easy.", Steve coaxed, helping him sit back down.
"How much as he had?"
"Too much.", he muttered.
"But what would you expect after his ego got busted. Getting his ass handed to him by that goddamn blonde."
"She was tiny too...and all skinny, like who the fuck taught her to throw down like that, I don't-"
Trailing off, dumbfounded Lee swigged down the rest of his beer, nodded to the bartender for another.
"Well tiny or not she must've had some big balls, taking on the three of you by herself. What did you do to provoke her?"
"We were just gonna do a little hunting and she got all in our faces, hollering about her property, us trespassing on it.", he mumbled.
"Where did you guys go?"
"Bear Lake. Near all those old cabins.", Steve said.
"You know all those owners of those get twitchy and pissed when you bring guns there. You want to hunt you go to the other side of the lake. Even my nephew knows that and the kid's a goddamn pothead."
"We weren't even shooting! Well, 'cept when Jon decided to test out his new gun.." Lee recalled.
"Damn bitch got it away from him then chucked it in the woods."
"She wasn't having any of your shit, was she?"
"I tell you, all those tricky moves of her's. Must've been a fucking cop or something." Steve shrugged.
"Good enough of one to get her picture with the President.", Lee slurred as Steve looked on in surprise, along with his friend.
"What did he say?"
"The...the blonde. Don't you remember? She got all that press at the White House, after that Abu Na-something or other got killed."
"Wait, you sure that was-"
"Course I'm sure. I only recognized her 'cause I thought she was hot. Turns out she's just fucking mean.", Lee whined.
"Well since you know her so fucking well, what's her name?"
"Started with C think. I dunno, my head hurts.", Lee groaned, nodding for more ice.
"Carrie. Her name was Carrie.", the bartender piped up. Rolling her eyes as she refilled his ice pack.
"She ran into that mill to catch that terrorist. They promoted her to be basically in charge of the CIA. You sure chose the wrong woman to tangle with, guys."
"We weren't tangling, we were just..."
"Hey, the more you move your mouth the more your face will hurt.", the bartender warned.
"Well wish we could place that ginger fucker that ran in to defend her, helped her out.", Steve muttered.
"Wait you just said it was only her."
"No she had that kid with her...", Lee mumbled, adjusting his ice.
"A kid ran in and helped her?"
"No, not the kid. Some tall redhead in a baseball cap. Camo print. He's the one who beat up Jon."
"Wait, a camo print..."
"Yeah.", Steve said, frowning at the look on his friend's face.
"You know a guy that likes camo caps?", he laughed.
"Shut the fuck up."
Pulling out his cellphone he frowned, scrolling his messages while Lee looked over his shoulder.
"Say, who's Mike? You got a boyfriend..."
"Knew there was a reason I quit hanging with you fuckers."
Scoffing, standing up, he ordered a drink before grabbing his crutches, maneuvered over to a small table not far from the bar.
"Aw, c'mon back, bud. We were just."
"Shut up!"
"Hey man, c'mon back." Steve said, warily looking on as the bartender brought a shot over.
"Look you know what you get like with the booze, you shouldn't-"
"Leave it, Steve. I'm fine."
"But-"
"Hey, you want to be fucking pals again all of a sudden? Tell me what that camo cap guy looked like."
"I...I don't remember, man. Tall, red hair, that's all I got! We were all drunk. Jon probably got the best look at him and he's hopped up on pain meds right about now."
Sitting at the table, looking on as his friend drained the shot, scrolled through his messages, Steve tensed up, wondering what he was looking up or conspiracy-theorizing about now.
"Look the last time you got all worked up like this, things weren't good. What are you all freaked about no-"
"You sure that blonde from the CIA you saw up at Bear Lake, that her name was Carrie?"
"Yeah. Lee was sure anyway.", Steve shrugged, looking two stools over to see his friend slumped over asleep on the bar. Then turned back to see his other friend had gone red in the face, swearing under his breath.
"Shit..mother fucking..that son of a-"
Slamming his phone down, after he went to get another drink Steve moved over, quickly thumbed to the text he'd been looking at. Squinting to read what "Mike" had told him.
"Still digging up stuff on Brody? Jess just told me he took off for a weekend with some CIA woman, Carrie? May be worth looking into. Call me tonight if you're sober."
Quickly flicking out of the message Steve noticed the phone background. It was a crinkled photograph of his friend back in his military days, with a group of men dressed in olive and khaki, all wearing camouflage print caps.
Hearing footsteps Steve shoved the phone away from him, standing to help his friend sit back down.
"Hey slow down there, will you?", he snapped, seeing him drain the shot.
"You shut up. And go get Lee over there home, I got some business to take care of, calls and shit."
"Calls? Look man, I don't like where this is headed."
Met with a glare he swallowed hard.
"Okay. Just do me a favor L. Let that nephew of yours know what you're up to. If he's not stoned have him give you a ride home."
"Fine. Now will you leave me the fuck alone?"
"Okay. Okay."
Shaking his head Steve walked over to the bar, tried to help Lee to his feet.
"C'mon man let's go-"
"Wait, what about...what's he doing?", Lee frowned, looking towards the small table.
"Nothing, taking care of some business he says."
"Lauder? Taking care of business? That's never fucking good.", he slurred as Steve nodded in agreement, helped him out the door to his car.