...
The first thing Beth did when she awoke to realize she was reliving the same day was deny it and look for a reason for her confusion. She lay there trying to remember if she'd taken any prescription medicine with her bourbon the night before or if she'd hit her head. After a few seconds she realized she wasn't even sure what night before she was thinking about. If it was last night, well that felt like the evening she'd shot Rio.
The thought had her eyes clenching shut and hands balling up. Flashes of his shocked expression kept replaying in her head, his fingers touching the blood blooming across his chest. The sound of the gunshots still reverberated in her aural memory.
However, if she were thinking about last night by looking at the date and time on her phone, she'd had some drinks with Ruby. They surely hadn't been popping pills, which could only mean...
"I'm losing my mind." Beth huffed, rubbing her eyes while pushing herself upright. She just needed to shower and drink some coffee, she told herself. It had to be a dream.
She glared at the mirror before looking at her bloody palm. Beth had tripped over the bathmat seconds after she recalled doing it before. The only problem being the mirror hadn't been broken until she'd smashed her hand into it. She knew they hadn't replaced it before, the same one hung there for the last fifteen years. She'd hung it herself after finding it at a rummage sale.
"It doesn't mean anything." Beth spoke to herself in the mirror as she bandaged her palm. "Coincidence. That's all."
"And then I backed my car over him. And I wrapped him in a tarp."
-"Officer Hill said in his affidavit this morning that you put the body in the freezer."
"Does it matter?"
- "I'm afraid it does. How did -?"
"Electric knife."
Beth answered the question before he even asked it. She knew Turner was going to inquire on how she fit the body in the small meat freezer. The next several questions were also answered before they'd been completely asked, her head spinning with the meaning of it all.
She wasn't completely clear on what happened previously through the entire day but she clearly remembered shooting Rio. There was an aching pit in her gut from the images that she could recall.
Except for those few moments, there was a hazy to all of it. Most of the time she only remembered her previous experiences seconds before they happened. The idea that she wasn't quite sure how many times it had occurred plagued her through the rest of her day.
She had to fix things as best as she could. Beth wouldn't let the evening play out as it had, however many times she'd lived it.
After being released by the FBI due to Boomer's reappearance, Beth was on a mission. She needed to stop Rio from kidnapping Turner and essentially starting whatever funhouse life she was now living. Her first stop was the bar that they used to meet at, but it only led to her having a couple drinks. She left as soon as she began to get hit on, her head swimming a bit as the cold air smacked her. Beth then took an uber to the park and with an extra couple of twenties she got her driver to sweep through the neighborhood she'd seen him drop Marcus off at. Soon the sun was setting and Beth was near broke and nowhere near finding him. After a short stop at a liquor store for a handful of minis bottles of liquor, Beth headed to the loft in hopes she would catch Rio before he came to kidnap her.
Climbing the fire escape drunk was dangerous but it didn't stop her. Beth knew she should've stayed sober to deal with the train wreck of her life, but it was all becoming too much. She almost fell twice before she came to the window leading to his loft.
With a firm shove the glass frame opened and allowed her to crawl inside the cavernous space. She heard the soft grunt and sound of flesh hitting flesh before she saw them. Rio had Turner tied up and gagged, his body propped against the pillar as he brought another fist down on his face. Beth froze for a moment before her lips worked.
"Don't worry about picking me up. I ubered." She stepped towards the men, both of them seemingly surprised at her appearance.
"Elizabeth." Rio rasped, rising from the beaten body on the floor. "What're you doin' here?"
"Call it women's intuition." Beth quipped, circling around them to keep her distance.
Rio looked suspicious, his mind oblivious racing to find the reason for her sudden appearance. "Just in the neighborhood, yeah?"
Beth smirked, the alcohol in her system turning her a little reckless. "Obliviously."
"Right." Rio stepped closer, but she retreated with every step. "Leavin' so soon?"
Beth stopped as the kitchen island touched her lower back. "This isn't going to work."
"What would that be, ma?" Rio asked as he came within arms reach.
"You trying to get me to do that." She tipped her chin towards Turner who sat on the floor. "I'm not doing it."
"Haven't even told you what to do yet."
"Yeah, well, I'm not doing it." Beth snapped, her hands wrapping around the edge of the countertop behind her. "I'm not your puppet."
"Why you here, ma?" Rio's voice was strangely calm, but his eyes were determined. "You stalking me again?"
"No." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep some distance from his approach. "Maybe you're just not that smooth after all."
"Yeah?"
"Yes." Beth hissed at his look of amusement. "Maybe I just know your moves already. Maybe you should flip your game and try not being a manipulative asshole."
His large hands blocked her into the kitchen island, his broad shoulders and inked neck all she could see until she tipped her head back. It made her recall the daydream she had the last time she was in the very same kitchen, her body laid out before him to devour.
"Tha' right?" His voice dipped lower as he stared at her, the tension growing between them the longer he gazed. The air thinned to something tight and elastic in her lungs, the lack of oxygen making her dizzy. "You didn't think I was an asshole when you spread those creamy pale thighs for me, ma. Member you beggin' me for it."
"Shut up." Her cheeks burned as he filled her senses, the heat of his body and smell of expensive cologne turning her weak kneed.
"Why? You soakin' them panties, mami?"
"Shut. Up." Beth snapped, pushing against his chest. "I'm not here for that."
"Naw?" He cocked an eyebrow, his jaw rocking thoughtfully. "Why you here then?"
"To stop what you have planned here."
"How do you know what I got planned?"
"Maybe you have another rotten egg. Maybe someone with loose lips." She taunted as she ducked under his arm to escape his overwhelming presence. "Maybe you should focus on that and not this scheme you have to get my hands dirty."
Rio eyed her hard as he pulled out the familiar handgun from his waistband. "You're gonna take care of your mess, Elizabeth."
"I'm not doing it."
"He ain't leavin' you alone."
"I fixed it, he knows Boomer is alive."
"He knows your entire bag of tricks, darlin' what you do, who you are." Rio tipped his chin to the bound man. "He even knows what makes your garden grow."
He smirked at her in amusement as she glared back. "Oh. my bad. Yeah, I might've let that last one slip. Now, a guy like that can't let that slide. You know the sayin'-"
Beth felt her heart racing as the words spilled from her lips, "Cockle shells, silver bells, bodies all in a row..."
Rio froze mid step, his plump lip dropping open in surprise.
"I thought you hated snitches." She spoke before he could question her. "Remember Eddie."
Rio's eyes darkened at her hasty words. "You don't know shit."
"I know a lot. Maybe he should too." Beth's eyes tuning bright at his anger.
"You do that and you got a bigger problem than him." Rio's voice was colder than she'd ever heard it, the air around them humming like a thunderstorm.
"You think he's my problem?" Beth spoke the sentence, her head swimming with alcohol and deja vu.
"Ma, you got lots of problems." He reached out suddenly, grasping her wrist and yanking her closer.
"Fuck you."
"Nah," he licked his pouty lip. "Already hit it. Ain't worth the trouble."
Beth felt her temper burn bright, her free hand slapping Rio across the face. The shock of it moved up her arm, surprising them both.
She watched his head cock to the side as he regarded her, his jaw clenching before he licked the trickle of blood on his lip from her slap.
"You get one." His voice was a rough grind of consonants and vowels, the threat behind it ominous.
"Then what." Beth taunted, the booze she'd ingested at the bar and while climbing the fire escape still dumbing her fear and strengthening her recklessness. Her palm landed lower on his jaw the next time but wasn't nearly as hard. It didn't stop him from surging forward, his hand wrapping her neck as he pressed the gun under her jaw.
"Never learn, Elizabeth." He growled against her ear as he pinned her against the rough brick. "You keep thinkin' cuz I been in you, I ain't dangerous."
All she could do was claw at his hand as it tightened, the bite of his fingers pinching her skin as the cold metal bruised her jaw. Beth became frantic as he kept pressing, his dark eyes glaring down at her.
"You more trouble than you worth." The words were growled angrily but the pressure began to loosen on her neck. Beth gasped in a breath when his hands disappeared. She bent slightly at the waist and gasped sharply as she noticed the two men struggling over the gun. She hadn't realized Turner had gotten himself free until he'd grabbed Rio.
She was barely catching her breath when the gun went off, the loud ringing in her ear making her cringe. Beth startled when a hand touched her shoulder, her head tilting up to see Turner standing over her with Rio's gun. Her eyes jumped to the ground where she found Rio coughing up blood as he touched his chest. Red blooming across the surface.
"Go." Turner growled, his hand grabbing her bicep to yank her from the floor. "You owe me."
"But-."
"Go home." He barked, pushing her towards the front door.
I see a bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today
Don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
"No." Beth moaned as she sat up in bed, her hand grabbing her phone from the bedside table. She launched herself out of bed and across the bedroom before she knew what she was doing. Unlocking the patio door, Beth stepped out into the frigid air and chucked the device as far as her arm could throw. She watched it bounce off the flagstone and slide across the grass.
She glared at it while panting heavily, her mind racing from the night before. The evening still ended with Rio being shot, but by Turner's hand and not hers. Yet she still woke up to relive the same day.
Beth slumped against the door after going back inside, her eyes closing as she racked her brain for an escape from the hellish day. Pushing off the doorframe, she prepared herself for the FBIs arrival. Maybe she could change everything by doing something different in the morning.
"Gift from the D.A." Turner pushed the folder towards Beth. "It's what we talked about. Country club living, time for good behavior. All of it."
"No thank you." Beth replied, her arms crossed.
"No thank you?" Turner's tone became steely, his eyes darkening as she gazed back at him. Her nerves were frayed and trembling. She wasn't sure what would help her situation, but figured she would only find out if she tried all avenues. Maybe if she didn't confess, her day would take a different route. Maybe Turner wouldn't end up in Rio's loft and she could wake up to a new day.
"Yes. I've changed my mind." Beth spoke while sliding the file back towards the man.
"Do you think this is a game, Mrs. Boland?"
"No, but I can't confess to something I didn't do."
"You realize that I will still arrest you, I have witness testimony."
"Will you do it today?"
"This is your last chance. You won't get anymore deals."
"I understand."
"Okay, Elizabeth Irene Boland, you're under arrest for the murder of Leslie Peterson."
Beth stood with Rio's gun in her hand, her arm trembling as he grinned at her.
"Come on. Just like we practiced." His chin lifted encouragingly. "You got this, ma."
Her mind was racing at the choices laying before her. Her lack of confession did nothing but speed up her trip to the police station. She'd spent several hours being detained before they released her. As she exited she watched Turner pacing in front of Boomer and Miriam. He had finally arrived, giving Beth the reprieve she needed.
"Be safe tonight, Agent Turner."
-"That a threat, Mrs. Boland?"
"Just some friendly advice."
Beth grimaced at the memory, her eyes falling to the very man at her feet.
"Come on."
"I don't want to."
"Yeah, well you asked for help and this is me helpin'. Whatchu expect, Elizabeth?"
"I don't know." She muttered, shaking her messy hair from her face. "Not this."
"This is what you got, baby. Now do it."
Beth swallowed passed the knot developing in her throat, her hand tightening around the grip as she aimed the weapon at Turner.
"I'm sorry." The words were smothered by the loud gunshot and resulting moan of pain. Beth pulled the trigger twice more, her aim hitting the bound man in the chest and stomach.
The high pitch ringing in her ear was painful, the room fading in and out as she watched Turner die.
"There's my girl." Rio's voice was surprisingly rough and low next to her ear, the heat from his body framing her own. Beth felt him slide the gun from her grasp, his other hand gripping her hip. "You did good, mami."
"Now what?"
Rio slowly rotated her away from the dead body, "Now, I own you."
"W-what?"
Rio's hand sunk into her hair, his long fingers curling into a fist to tug her head back sharply. Her eyes fluttered before focusing on the camera on the ceiling.
"Say hi, mami. It's all on you now."
"No, it's not!" She shouted, her cheeks flush and chest heaving as she yanked away from him.
"Yeah. Yeah it is, mama."
"You put it all on me."
"You asked for it." Rio hissed, his dark gaze following her unsteady steps.
"You put everything on me! The money, the dealership." Beth's voice was wrecked, the tremble of it showing the emotional toll of living the evening over and over. She just wanted it to be done.
"Not easy being king, right?" Rio cut into the haze, the mocking tone frustrating and infuriating her.
She was so tired of everything being a big joke to him. Like she was a big joke.
"You put it all on me so it's never on you. Nothing's ever on you!"
"Yeah, well, now you got a bigger problem, don't you?" Rio kicked Turner's limp leg.
"You think he's my problem?" Beth scoffed loudly. "He's not my problem."
"Watch your tone, mami." Rio's demeanor turned icy, his gaze heavy and dark. "Now go home while I take out your trash. Again."
"I hate you." The venom in her words shot tension through the air, the cutting silence that followed stiffening her spine and jaw as she prepared for his full wrath.
"Go home, Elizabeth. You're done." Rio's eyes were sharp and spiteful. "It's over."
"I'm done."
-"Is that right?"
"No more cash. No more pills... It's over."
I see a bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today
Don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
Beth skipped baking and went straight for the liquor cabinet to dose her morning coffee. Her slippers scuffed along the wood deck as she plopped down into one of the deck chairs. She listened to the garbage truck picking up cans and the incessant bark of Mrs. Neidmyer's show dog. All of the sounds melding into a white noise. She knew she had to try something else to fix everything but she was quickly losing motivation. With every repeated day, every failed attempt at changing the outcome, someone always ended up shot.
"Nothing even matters." She muttered, taking a gulp of coffee laced with bourbon.
By the time the kids were on their way out the door with Dean, Beth was on the warm side of drunk. She searched the cupboards for another bottle of liquor when her cup ran dry but she came up empty.
Beth pulled on an oversized hoodie and called an uber for a ride to the grocery store. Turner and his men were going to arrive soon and she was not going to waste another day in interrogation. She had her mind set on drinking the day away while eating her weight in junk food. Her mental shopping list was several pages long when the black sedan pulled up to the curb.
Beth settled into the backseat without glancing up, her clumsy hands fumbling with the seatbelt.
"Need some help, ma?"
The voice jolted Beth out of her daze, her eyes jumping to Rio's in the front seat.
"You're not supposed to be here. Not yet."
"You drunk already, mama?" He looked her over with a raised brow. "What? Trouble in paradise?"
Beth released a bitter laugh, the alcohol making the weight of everything unbearable. "I don't live in paradise."
"No? Tell me all about it, mami. That hard knock life behind the white picket fences."
"You just think you know everything." Beth spat, her hand gripping her purse. "You don't know shit about me."
"Oh yeah, fill me in, Princess."
Beth ground her teeth before unloading a lifetime of baggage. "First off, I didn't grow up behind a picket fence. I lived in a shithole rental with my bipolar mother and a baby sister who was basically my kid at ten. My dad left when mom stopped getting out of bed. Annie was a month old."
She glared at him to keep from crying. "You don't know that after Jane was born I could barely get myself out of bed to take care of her. Ruby and Annie spent weeks keeping me from walking off a ledge. Drs said postpartum but Dean said it was all just in my head."
Rio was looking at her with a stoic expression, but she could see the tension in his jaw.
"That's when the affairs started." Her fingers twisted in the cuffs of her hoodie. "The girls don't know this but... I knew back then, I... didn't admit it to myself but when Amber happened I remembered."
Beth rested her head back and felt a tear escape the corner of her eye. "He was at a conference, at least, he said he was. Jane and Emma were both sick and had dr appts. I couldn't find the keys to the van and I knew he had a spare but I couldn't find those. I called to ask him where they were an a woman answered."
Beth blinked hard and sat up, wiping her cheek with her shoulder. She let the memory fall away.
"You don't know that not only was he sleeping around on me but he ran the family business into the ground, lost all our money, mortgaged our house three times over and spent the kids college funds. Which is why I robbed a grocery store and met you."
Rio's lip twitched at the revelation.
"You don't know that to get me to take him back he lied to me about having cancer. He had a doctor lie to me. Had our kids thinking he was dying so I'd let him move back home."
Beth felt the lump grow in her throat at the memory. "I actually cried over him, I felt bad for hating him, for being a terrible husband and it was all a lie. Then I finally find something of my own. Something I'm good at, he just crushes it. He... he actually told me that we each have things were good at, me..." Beth scoffed loudly. "I'm good at making sandwiches and he's the man so you know, he's good at the business."
"Carman ain't too bright."
"Then he just takes 'em from me." Beth ignored his comment, her true anger bubbling to a head. "I come home and they're just gone and he's.. he's holding them hostage like some big.. big man. Stealing kids from their mom. Giving me ultimatums. No money, no drugs or else no kids."
Beth bared her clenched teeth at the memory of how painful it was to be without her kids.
"You don't know that I spent my whole life getting stuffed into these... these roles, just crammed into these boxes and never getting to choose. I finally find something I'm good at, something that makes me feel something other than suffocated but it'll cost me the only good things in my life."
Beth finally glanced back at Rio who stared back at her with dark eyes.
"You think you know me, you think you got everything figured out but you don't. You don't know anything."
Beth climbed out of the car without looking back, her stride only slightly hindered by the bourbon.
Beth cradled the bottle of rum to her chest while shuffling down the snack aisle of the nearest convenience store. She grabbed two packages of zingers and a large Hershey bar. Her hazy eyes focused on the slurpy machine, the swirling shape drawing her in.
"Rum and coke anyone?" She giggled to herself, while filling the cup halfway before cracking the rum open.
"Hey." The clerk exclaimed from behind the counter. "I told you before, lady. You can't do that."
"Oh calm down. I'm gonna pay." Beth topped the rum off with more coke icee and then gathered up all her purchases. She gave the clerk a flawless smile. "Two packs of Marlboros, please and thank you."
"Beth, is that you?"
"Oh, hey Meredith." Beth forced a placating smile on her face as she glanced back at the fellow PTA mom.
"I didn't know you smoked." The blonde women whispered the word as though it were scandalous to even say it, let alone do it.
Beth handed over cash to the cashier as she replied, "I guess we all have our vices, right, Mer?"
She took a big swig of her rum and coke icee as the guy bagged her items.
"I wouldn't know." Meredith gave her a snotty smile. "My body is temple."
"A temple of collagen injections and saline implants." Beth's saccharine smile was a bit too bright to be genuine.
"We can't all carry your kind of curves around." Meredith retorted, her arms crossing under her perky breasts as she looked over Beth's curvy shape. "I just can't seem to keep that kind of extra weight on."
Beth glared at her a moment before grabbing her bag of junk food and alcohol.
"I bet that's why Dean had a wandering eye." Meredith jabbed as Beth reached the exit, her hand wrapping around the handle tightly.
"I s'pose you know all about wandering eyes huh, Meredith? You're wife what? number five for Jack." Beth had heard all kinds of rumors about the other women's husband, the man a serial groom with a long line of scorned women. "Tick tock, sweetheart."
Beth pushed her way outside with a triumphant smirk. She took a gulp of her drink while striding through the parking lot.
"Mrs Boland." Turner's voice killed her cocky grin instantly, the man standing with several officers nearby. "You missed our appointment."
"I guess the time got away with me." Beth replied, holding up her plastic sack. "I needed sustenance."
"I don't think Captain Morgan is in the food pyramid."
"I actually think My Plate is a better representation of a balanced diet." She took a noisy slurp of her drink before they could take it from her.
"Get in the car, Mrs Boland."
Beth felt her temper flare up at the man's demand, her spine stiffening up as she glared at him. "No."
Agent Turner stepped forward, his voice becoming harder. "Don't make this harder than it has to be. Get in the car."
"No." Beth repeated through clenched teeth as everything that had been brewing inside overwhelmed her. "No I won't get in the car. I won't confess to shit I didn't do and I won't let another man tell me what to do. So why don't you get in the car and fuck off."
Beth chucked the half empty bottle of rum at Turner, causing a chain reaction from the officers behind him. She could hear them yelling commands at her as she stepped away from Turner in an attempt to leave but she kept going.
The loud pop and resulting pain dropped Beth to the ground. She felt her body turn to stone as two officer tased her.
"Didn't have to be like this." Turner said as he crouched next to her head . "Elizabeth Irene Boland, you're under arrest for resisting arrest and the assault of United States federal agent. I'm sure I can find enough to add murder in the first degree."
Beth stood against the wall as they took her mug shot, her makeup smeared and eyes bloodshot. She wasn't sure who invented the taser but she hadn't their guts. Her entire body ached from the muscle spasming it had caused and the deep bruising from the prongs stung sharply.
"Turn right." A gruff officer ordered, before snapping her profile picture. "Go to your right and stop at the red line."
She was moved from one room to another where she was stripped searched and placed in a gray cell. Her buzz was slowly wearing off and now she was regretting her impulsive act of violence.
"Worst. Day. Ever." Beth sighed before a hysterical giggle escaped her lips, the irony of it hitting her hard.
"Oh my god. Worst day. Forever." She laughed until her stomach hurt and tears ran down her flushed cheeks. Slowly the laughter turned to sobs and the tears became bitter. Jagged hiccuped gasps tore her throat up as everything inside her broke up until she became cold and numb. Eventually, Beth scrubbed her face and laid down on the stiff metal bunk, closing her bloodshot eyes. For the first time since it all started repeating, she found herself looking forward to that horrendous wake up call.
I see a bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today
Don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
So, let me get this right." Annie gave Beth a speculative look, her brows raised almost to her hairline. "You're waking up every morning living the same day."
"Yes." Beth huffed with crossed arms and a frustrated scowl at having to repeat herself.
"Welcome to my life." Annie exclaimed, swiping the air dramatically. "Same shit different day, baby."
"No. Like, I'm literally living the same day." She leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of wine for a refill. Beth hadn't stayed in her house more than five seconds after the kids left for school with Dean. She'd grabbed her bag and hopped in her car to try and get help from the only person who might believe her. Ruby would probably try, but the science fiction freakshow her life had become was very far fetched. It would take some serious open mind thinking and Beth couldn't think of anyone more open to possibilities than Annie.
Annie squinted with her head cocked slightly, "Did you get into gangfriend's drug supply?"
"No, Annie. Come on, why would I make this up?"
"I'm not saying you don't believe it, I'm just saying..."
"What?"
"Well, you sound like a row short of a full box of Oreos."
Beth rubbed her face roughly and raked her fingers through her hair.
"Fine, I'll play along. So, what happens?"
Beth froze at the realization that she would have to tell her gory details of the worst moments of her life.
"Lots of things."
"Eh, Eh." Annie clucked her tongue at her sister and sipped her coffee. "You've got to give me something. Convince me your not just cracking up."
"I wake up and do everything like I planned."
"What plan?"
"I confessed to Boomer's murder."
"You confessed?"
"Yeah a few times and sometimes I don't but I still get arrested. Once I got arrested for assault against Turner."
Annie stared at her for a solid moment before deadpanning, "is that all?"
"No, I... I shot Rio and... I've shot Turner. Once, Turner shot Rio."
"Beth." Her sister stood up from the sofa, her colorful rainbow pajama pants swishing as she paced.
"Look. I know it's crazy but it's happening and I need help. I need to fix everything."
"And how am I helping? Is this gonna be a Back to the Future type situation? We do something or not do something and I start disappearing from family photos? I don't want to flap that butterfly's wings."
"What?" Beth furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Nevermind, I'm telling you it doesn't matter what I do, I wake up tomorrow and it's still today."
"Oh," Annie sunk back into her sofa. "Well in that case? I'm playing hookie and we're having a night on the town."
"It's 10am."
Annie jumped from her spot and grabbed clothing in a basket sitting on her coffee table. "That's plenty of time for us to find club ware."
"Annie."
"Hey, you've had some pretty shit months and you're telling me it doesn't matter what you do, so prove it. What do you have to lose?"
Beth stared at the skintight dress Annie had talked her into, the plush velvety fabric clinging to every curve and dip. She hadn't worn something that sexy since... well ever and now that they were steps from leaving for their night out, she wasn't too sure she had the guts.
Then she recalled their earlier conversation in the dressing room.
"If nothing matters, why not try to have a little fun." Annie exclaimed, her hands thrown up in the air as Beth complained about every dress she'd brought into the dressing room. "I mean, you said bad shit happens usually."
"If by bad you mean murder, then yes Annie, bad shit happens."
"Exactly, so like, live a little already, sis."
Beth sighed before exiting the bathroom. She found Annie applying more eyeliner at the bureau mirror.
"Annie, you put anymore of that on your eyes and you'll turn into a raccoon."
"Don't be jealous, Beth. Just because I can pull off cat's eye better than you."
"Well, that's just an outright lie."
"Yeah, you're right. You rock at it." Annie huffed, stuffing the eye pencil into her little clutch purse. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Shots, shots, shots." Annie was pounding on the table as Beth threw back two tequila shots in a row.
"Ugh." Beth grumbled at the scorch going down her throat and coating her tongue. "I'm gonna regret that tomorrow."
"No you won't." Her sister quipped causing Beth to throw her head back and cackle. They both laughed until their eyes watered.
"it's kinda weird." Annie began, taking a sip of her drink before continuing. "I believe you."
"You do?" Beth hadn't been too sure Annie would actually believe her but now that she did, she hoped she could help unstick her.
"I mean, like, you're a good liar but time travel is a little crazy even for you."
Beth rolled her eyes and sipped the pint of beer in front of her. "Gee, thanks."
"So, what're you gonna do?" Annie threw back another shot of tequila.
"I don't know," she sighed, her eyes scanning the bar for an answer.
"I know what you need." Annie clapped before jumping out of the booth. "Karaoke!"
"I see a bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today"
Beth sang what felt like her anthem, her head tilted back and words slurred after all the shots Annie kept handing her.
"Don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
I hear hurricanes a-blowing
I know the end is coming soon
I fear rivers over flowing
I hear the voice of rage and ruin"
She hated the song and couldn't stand that she woke to it every morning but Beth couldn't help but sing it.
"There's a bad moon on the rise"
When the music petered out, Beth stumbled down the steps to the bar area where Annie sat. She pointed towards the bathroom, weaving her way there. She giggled as she bumped into the door-jam as she avoid a group of women leaving. The bathroom was painted bright red and black stripes, the walls lined with band posters and graffiti. The black shiny floor led to three stalls, the metal barriers all hanging open.
Beth chose the middle one, her heels wobbling as she perched above the seat and did her business. Her head bobbed to the music piped in above her, the tinny sound nearly smothered from the thump of the bass outside.
The toilet flushed loudly, as she smoothed her skirt down and flipped the lock on the stall door. Beth stepped out with intent to wash her hands when she was grabbed from behind. A shriek escaping her throat as thick cotton was tugged over her head. She struggled as a heavy shape pressed her into the wall, a pair of hands yanking her wrists behind her back.
"Goddamnit." She groaned as her skin was pinched by plastic zip ties. "Can't I have a night off?"
The person clutching her bicep dragged her out of the bathroom and deeper down the long hallway. The music covered her growls and cries of frustration. Beth could barely glimpse her feet below the sliver of vision at the edge of the bag covering her face.
"I get it." Beth huffed as they shoved her into the alleyway behind the club, her ankles nearly buckling when tugged towards a dark vehicle. "No need to be so rough."
Beth scoffed as he ignored her, the alcohol thinning her patience and control. "Silent treatment huh? Rio tell you not to talk? Lap dog."
She felt the pause in their step before she was violently shoved into the trunk of the vehicle.
"I got you a gift."
"I'd ask what's wrong with you but I already know." Beth snarked while combing her messy hair off her forehead. "You're a drama queen."
"You're always saying I don't help." He smirked the way that made Beth's stomach tighten up with want. "That's me helping. This right here? That's your problem." He kicked Turner's foot before circling around to watch her reaction. "Take care of it."
"Been there done that buddy." Beth yanked the ties from her wrists and tossed it aside. "And it doesn't work out for you by the way."
"Oh yeah? How's that?"
Rolling her eyes, Beth crossed her arms over her chest and decided it couldn't hurt. "Well you're gonna give me your gun and we'll argue."
"Oh so you psychic now, ma?"
"Yes." Beth hissed at his smug grin and easy drawl. "I know all about your plans."
Rio's hooded eyes narrowed as she glared at him, his lean body stepping closer. "You think you know a lot, mama."
"I know it all." Her words were snapped through curled lips. "I know you like me under your thumb and this whole shitshow is some twisted power play."
"Ain't no power play, baby. I'm helping you clean up your mess." Rio sneered at her flushed cheeks and brilliant eyes. "He knows your entire bag of tricks, darling what you do, who you are. He even knows what makes your garden grow."
Beth slapped his hand away as he tried to grab her wrist, her feet stepping backwards.
"Oh. my bad. Yeah, I might've let that last one slip. Now, a guy like that can't let that slide. How does that saying go? Cockle shells, silver bells, bodies all in a row? Ain't that right, boss?"
Beth couldn't take the repetition any longer, the idea that nothing mattered was slowly driving her crazy.
"I'm not shooting him, Rio. Not again."
"Wha?" He started before shaking his head and shoving the gun into her hand."Come on. Just like we practiced."
Beth shook her head but grasped the handgun tightly in her palm.
"You got this." he flashed her a cheeky grin as he gestured towards Turner with his sharp jawline. "Come on. Do it."
Something deep and dark snapped inside her, a part that had begun to harden over the last handful of repetitive days. It was sharp and cold, the raw edges too deep and wide to smother any longer.
Beth stared at him with watery blue eyes and flushed cheeks, her body trembling with adrenaline as her hand lifted from her side. She pointed the gun at Turner for a moment as she spoke, "He isn't the problem."
"Put your big girl panties on and do it, Elizabeth. Clean up your mess." Rio growled, his eyes turning darker by the second. Beth couldn't take it any longer. It seemed as though she would never escape the torture of reliving the worst day of her life. She'd tried everything, the utter despair of realizing that no matter what she did, she'd always wake up to see the same day was too much.
All of those thoughts and feelings bubbled up as Rio snapped at her again, pushing her to kill the man bound at their feet.
"Killing him doesn't fix it." Her voice began to to shake under the strain of her nerves. "killing you doesn't either."
Beth didn't even realize the gun was pressed against her temple until she looked up at Rio's expression.
Rio's eyes darkened at her words, his jaw rocking as the gun rose to her own head.
"Whatcha doin', ma?" He drawled, his jaw tight. "You think you can escape this shit? Naw. Point it at who needs it."
Beth ground her teeth together and pressed the barrel harder against her skull. "I am." She rasped, blinking past the tears filling her eyes. "I do."
"Elizabeth." Rio's voice had turned softer but firmer. "Put the gun down."
"No." She snapped, stepping back as he approached. "Maybe this'll work. Maybe it'll all be over if I do it."
"That what you want?" He asked, his head tilting a bit as he looked her over. "You givin' up? You want all them babies to know their mama would rather be dead then watch 'em grow up?"
"It doesn't matter. I'll never see it." Beth growled, her teeth bared and cheeks flush. "You're doing all this to take me away from them anyways. You put it all on me. You always put it all on me. And this whole thing. You're just trying to pin murder on me."
"I'm trying to help you." He barked.
"No, you're tryin to get me on film killing an FBI agent." Beth shouted, glancing at the camera on the ceiling. "I know all about your fucking scheme Rio. I know everything about everything now and I know that you'll never fucking stop. So maybe this is it. Maybe this'll make you stop, maybe I can finally get some peace. Maybe you'll finally see you can't make me kill anyone but myself."
She watched his jaw rock, the sharp angle jutting out as he glared at her.
"Not fun, huh?" Beth spat. "Not having the upper hand for once."
"Oh, mama. I always have the upper hand." He took a step forward, his hand out. "Now give it over."
"No." Her voice was wrecked, the words merely a hoarse croak.
"Maybe." She murmured passed the lump in her throat, her finger curling over the cold metal tigger with grim determination. "Maybe it's the only way out."
"Elizabeth.." His voice was drowned out by the sharp crack of gunfire. She registered the loud sound and glimpsed Rio's look of surprise before things went dark.
I see a bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today
Don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise