Chapter Fifteen
Red paused in her narrative and took another drink from the bottle. Hollis watched her, fascinated not only by the story, but by the whole surreal situation. He pulled back the covers, and instantly the gun was raised again. He held up his hands.
"Hey, can I take a piss? I'm not going to try anything."
"Fine. But leave the door open, and if I see you reach for anything other than your dick I'm blowing a hole in your back."
She didn't sound like she was kidding. Hollis got out of bed and backed away toward the bathroom. When he was inside, he turned away to go about his business. It was hard to say what he was feeling. Damn hung-over, of course. Scared shitless. But in an odd, detached sort of way. Those men who had shot up his friends and ruined his life by the lake so many years ago were taking shape in his mind. Becoming actual people, not just monsters. He wasn't sure he liked that very much.
Looking over his shoulder at the redhead, he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Not used to having someone watch me pee."
"You act as though I care what you're used to. I'm not used to holding a gun."
"How the hell is that the case? You lived with murderers. Sounds like you slept with all of them, too. Pretty backwoods, if you ask me."
Red said nothing for a moment, clicking her tongue against her teeth speculatively.
"You're missing the point. I was accepted for the first time somewhere. And I haven't even mentioned anything dirty. God, you low class men and your obsessions with the mating ritual. Is that really all that matters? Whether I tumbled into bed with my newfound friends? I didn't, you know. Not for a long time. They weren't like that."
Hollis flushed and grabbed a t-shirt from the floor, pulling it on. He picked up his jeans too, from where they lay in a heap by the door.
"They were garbage. If I'm about to die, then there's no reason for me to hold back, now is there. Point that gun at me all you want. The Tremor brothers were total garbage, and just because you were their whore doesn't make you special."
"I wasn't their whore. And I don't consider myself special. And I think you're garbage, Elmore. You've done nothing of value your whole life, and you sure as hell haven't impressed anyone. But the Tremors? Nothing like you. Even dead, they are more noble than you are. Now sit down, shut up, and listen. There's more. A lot more. And by God you will hear it all."
While Lester prepared dinner, Red scrubbed toilets, dusted away cobwebs, made beds and ran the vacuum. It wasn't particularly hard work, but it was time consuming. And somehow, it made her feel good. This was something she could do. This was something that wasn't likely to kill her or anyone else. The house was beginning to fill with the pleasing aroma of fried chicken and boiled greens, corn and potatoes, and she could hear Tsugi laughing somewhere far off. Grinning to herself, Red moved to the last room and swung wide the door.
Instantly, she stopped dead in her tracks. It was some kind of storage room, filled nearly to ceiling with shelves. And on those carefully dusted shelves were guns, boots, long machetes in canvas sheaths, flak jackets, goggles. All the tools of the bloody trade in which the Tremor family seemed to find their niche. She put down her bucket and rag, moving into the room. Silent and wide-eyed.
There was a chair in the middle of the bare wooden floor, bolted down.
There were manacles on it. Across from the chair, on the wall, there was a video camera set up, pointed at the chair. And below the camera a combination television/VCR, a stack of tapes sat beside it, recessed into the paneling. Red approached it and studied the titles.
Casperson, July 3rd, 1998.
Cruise, August 4th, 2001.
Willender, December 1st, 2001.
A list of names, on tapes. And a chair. And a camera. Red took a deep breath and selected one of the tapes, sliding it into the machine. She hit the power button and the screen flickered to life.
At first there was nothing. Just a little fuzz, and then the room behind her appeared. Only it wasn't empty. There was a man strapped into the chair, his shirt cut open and his pale sweating chest exposed. He was glaring defiantly at someone off screen. Red hit the volume button, turning the sound all the way down before the man spoke or screamed or in any other way alerted the people downstairs to the fact that she was currently watching one of their home movies. She looked behind her apprehensively, but the coast appeared to be clear. Not a sound. So she turned her eyes back to the flickering screen, leaning in close.
The man in the chair was yelling something, his mouth was working and he tugged furiously at the restraints that held him down. Darwin appeared, turning a wooden chair around backwards and taking a seat on it languidly. As though he were having a conversation with the man, just two country boys shooting the breeze on a sunny afternoon. Everything about the Tremor chieftain was relaxed, calm, unhurried. He spoke to the man, and the man spit on him. Darwin casually wiped his face with a laugh and nodded to someone on the other side of the room. That's when Jeeves appeared, a pair of bolt cutters in his hand. He leaned down behind the man in the chair and did something that made the prisoner shriek and struggle, thrashing his head.
A few seconds later he held up a severed finger, handing it to Darwin.
"Yew shouldn't be in here."
Red jumped almost a foot, scrambling back and bumping her shoulder against a shelf. She looked guiltily up at Jeeves, who filled the doorway. Good God, she hadn't even heard him approach. How could someone so huge move so silently?
"I was just going to dust the shelves."
"They don't need dustin'. Lester cleans in here every week."
He didn't seem angry, this giant of a man with the great sad blue eyes. Red swallowed hard and reached over to slap her hand on the power button, turning off the television. There was a very long moment of dead silence, and they looked at each other.
"Jeeves…"
He moved closer to her, and Red was again forcefully reminded of a giant grizzly bear. His muscular body blocked her escape route, blocked the view of the window and the chair and the shelving. Then he leaned down, those Heaven-colored eyes inches from her own. His voice was a deep rumble in his chest, nearly a growl.
"Don't look at videos that yew don't have permission to see. I like yew. I don't wanna have to suss yew up, understand? But I will if Darwin tells me to. An' then yew'll be the one in the chair. An' it will say 'Red, September 2010', an' Bandit will be an orphan an' I'll have to take care of him."
Red was shaking so hard her knees felt like water. Her bladder was about to give way, she had a knot of frost in her stomach that was unbearable.
"N-no, Jeeves. Please. I won't…I don't care what you do for a living…"
He straightened up, towering over her like a thunderhead over a sapling, and reached out to touch her face.
"Juss don't go wanderin'. Not until Darwin says it's alright. I ain't gonna tattle on yew. Now come on downstairs an' have some dinner."
After Jeeves prowled out again without a backwards look, it took Red a full five minutes of deep breathing to regain her composure. Finally, she grabbed her bucket and carried it out of the room, shutting the door behind her, and went into the bathroom. She tipped the dirty water down the toilet and flushed, still shaking. Her face was white and scared in the mirror. The more she was learning the more frightened she felt. She kind of wished she could talk to Tsugi. The beautiful Asian with her poise and sense of calm always seemed to have an answer and a rationale for everything these men did. Red couldn't picture her taking part in torture, but she could certainly see her downstairs placidly stirring a pot of something on the stove, tuning out the screaming from the second floor, waiting for the men to finish and come down to dinner.
She tucked the empty bucket beneath the sink and washed her hands. It was useless to stand here in this cheery yellow bathroom with such dark thoughts in her head. Useless and ultimately even dangerous. Jeeves wasn't joking around, that much was clear. Red counted her fingers a few times, slowly, wondering how she would cope with missing one. The thought was not a pleasant one. What was that man in the chair to her? No doubt he had done something atrocious to compel someone to put a price on his head. She wondered how much the going rate was, and whether there was a payment plan.
A door slammed downstairs, and Darwin's voice could be heard as he greeted his brothers. Red quickly descended the stairs and slipped into the guest room, changing into clean blue jeans and one of Lester's checked shirts. She fluffed her hair with her fingers, dabbed on a little more lavender oil, and touched up her makeup. Then she went out into the kitchen to greet the killer who made her heart flutter.
The look in those blue eyes was all she needed to tell her that the bath and the makeup had improved her sufficiently, and she felt a little better about herself even in the company of Tsugi, who was rubbing Jeeves's shoulders again. Red flashed a smile at Darwin and moved forward to boldly kiss his cheek. Why not? He put an arm around her waist and held her there, and Red caught the look that passed between he and Lester.
"I…cleaned. Upstairs, in the bedrooms and the bathrooms. It wasn't all that bad actually. Just some dust, a few spider webs. But nothing I couldn't handle. Is there anything else I can do for you? I'm not half bad at yard work, you know. I can even run a lawn mower."
"Like I'd trust you with a dull pair o' safety scissors." Lester grumbled before Darwin could reply.
"Oh come on! Where did your faith in me go?!"
"Yer assumin' I ever had any faith in ya. Set the table."
"No, Red an' me are gonna take a walk. We'll be back in a bit. Keep a couple plates aside." Darwin's voice made no room for disagreement. Tsugi moved to the cupboard, getting down the plates, and Darwin took Red by the hand to lead her out onto the porch and then into the yard. It was a thrill, the feeling of his calloused fingers closing over hers.
Cicadas buzzed in the warm underbrush. Everywhere was the smell of green things growing, the world bursting open with ripe fecundity in all directions. To a person used to city life, Red was dazzled by the wild tangled country world she suddenly found herself in. They walked down the dusty two-track in the mellow golden light of afternoon, holding hands, saying nothing. And in that silence there was a sudden easy companionship that Red had never really felt before. They ambled on about a half mile before the tall country boy at her side spoke.
"I need to go away for a bit. Couple days, to Tennessee on a job. Wanted to ask you if you'd like to tag along."
She was momentarily stunned at the offer. Did they even know one another that well? Was this some kind of dirty weekend request? Did she have to go, as part of her agreement? Did she even want to go? Was this 'job' a cold blooded murder? Would there be torture involved, like on the tape? Would she have to sleep with him? Or just next to him, like before. Did he want her? If she went, would that mean they were 'together', and the Blood Oath would take effect? Why was she even considering this? She would be an accessory to a crime, maybe a bunch of them, if she went. This was a really stupid, risky venture. Only a complete idiot would even consider it. Everything in her said no.
"Yes." She blurted out, and blinked. They had come to a dead stop. She turned to him, a look of surprise on her face. But then she repeated it. "Yes."
Darwin nodded once, slowly. His expression didn't change. "Alright then. We leave in a week. Pack light."
"I can't pack any other way. I don't have anything."
"Yeah, about that. You'll have to take a look at what I brought you from town. Told you I had a few errands to run. I'll show you when we get back." He smiled charmingly. "Anyhow, I realize that you're still real new here and you're probably wonderin' why I'm askin' you to go with me. I ain't worried about you makin' a break for it. You won't be allowed to go off on your own, and if you try to escape from me out there...might put a bullet in you," He winked, "I don't like headaches. You gonna give me any trouble?"
"No. I want to stay."
"Alright then."
They started walking again, Darwin slightly in the lead. Ahead, through a break in the fragrant pine trees, they could see the glimmer of a small lake. Loons called to one another across the water, and a pair of deer drank quietly at the edge. It was a tranquil, rustic scene. Darwin took her hand again and drew her around in front of him, looking down into her eyes.
There was silence. The country boy with the Heavenly gaze winked at her.
"You scared of me?"
"Yes. Should I be?"
"It's natural to be scared of someone like me, a Tremor, but you have no reason to be. Not unless you rub me the wrong way."
"I don't want to rub you the wrong way," Red said, looking at the ground. She found herself unable to meet those bright eyes. There was an awkward pause. "Darwin. I'm not going to be worthy of you in a hundred years. I'm useless. Your brother had it right. I'm not all that pretty. But I like you. I'm sorry about that first night. When I came in to your room. But I want you to know...that was the best sleep of my life. Beside you."
"The harder Lester is on you, the more he likes you. Yeah, he'll cut you up with that sharp tongue of his, but he'd take a bullet for you without a second thought. Every leader needs a loyal lieutenant, and he's mine. And despite what he told you, you're worthy of me. You're useful. You're beautiful, and if the best sleep of your life is sleepin' next to me, then you can sleep next to me whenever you want...because I like you, too."
Red's eyes stung. She wanted to hug him, just ease into those arms and tilt her face up and feel those lips on hers and forget all about right and wrong, legal and illegal, danger and safety. She wanted Darwin Tremor to kiss her and maybe pick her up and set her on a black horse and ride off into the sunset together. Like the cover of a romance novel.
But this wasn't a romance novel. This was real life, and there was tension here. Good tension and bad tension.
"Am I allowed to have a phone? Can I drive into town whenever I like?"
"You really want to? Woman stumbles through her life, gettin' into trouble all over the place. Winds up somehow trippin' and fallin' into Heaven. You wanna risk it all?"
She thought about that for a moment. Then slowly she shook her head.
"I don't need a phone. And I don't need to drive."
Something akin to triumph flashed through his eyes.
"Damn right you don't. Just stay put, do as I say, work hard for this family and you'll have a decent enough life. I came to the conclusion that you can be trusted, after Lester told me that you've agreed to all our rules and regulations." He caught the look on her face, and smirked. "Oh yeah. He relayed to me that you were briefed on all the little details of the family structure. I've known by brother all his life, and he ain't been wrong about a person once. He trusts you. Think I can too. But I'm still keepin' close watch on you durin' this trip. I do like a gamble though."
Red found herself smiling back. Just a little, but it was there. Her hand bumped against his, then slipped into it. He closed his fingers around hers and rubbed her palm with his thumb.
"Darwin, your family are animals. You're scary and dangerous and you're a murderer, you don't appear to have a whole lot of morals and I'm worried that you're going to be worse for me than any other man I have ever known. And I don't want to be anywhere else but here."
He lowered his head slightly, no less imposing even when he came down to her height a little more. Whiskey on his breath, honey in his voice, seductive death in his eyes.
"Looks like you already know me real well. I'm touched."
"Do…do those blue eyes work on all the country girls?"
"Pretty much."
"They're working on me."
He touched her cheek then, and pulled her to him in the warm evening air.
"I'm gonna kiss you now, Red. Long, slow, and deep. Not on the throat this time. Not on the forehead. Not on the cheek. This ain't payment bein' demanded from you, and it sure as hell ain't because I'm hard up for female company. It's because I want to. You alright with that?"
There was no breath left in her lungs with which to answer him. She nodded dumbly, her cheeks crimson. And Darwin eased one hand into her curls and held her tight with the other, and their first real kiss was everything he said it would be. Long. Slow. Deep. Gentle. Filled with promise and protectiveness, a claiming and a yielding. He leaned her back against the rough bark of a tamarack, the passion rising in them like a campfire suddenly sparking to life. Stunned by the feelings she was experiencing and by her own behavior, Red shakily wrapped her arms around him and clung to him as tightly as he held her. His tongue touched hers, she reciprocated, there was no holding back between them and no desire to end this perfect moment.
Finally, after long minutes, he broke off the kiss and rested his forehead on hers. Both of them breathing heavily, eyes closed.
"That was…..s-something." Red whispered. Darwin licked her lower lip, and she shivered.
"You're cryin'."
"I know."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I haven't been kissed that way in a long time. It felt good."
"Hah! Plenty more where that came from." He chuckled warmly, and his hand dropped to her breast.
That's when everything changed. Red suddenly felt anger rise up in her chest, something close to hatred. She twisted away, hugging herself, her face a mask of anguish. All the warmth that had been building in her chest and even tingling in her stomach faded in a hot rush of that terrible fight or flight impulse that drives every animal from mouse to man to respond to a threat in one of two ways. Torn between wanting to move back into those arms and wanting to run until she passed out, Red crumpled to the chilly ground and glared up at Darwin.
He held his hands up, looking surprised for the first time since they'd met.
"Goddamn, Red. Red! Hey now, relax! What the hell did I do? I thought you wanted that."
"I'm not a thing!"
"No one's callin' you a thing!"
"I hate sex!"
"Uh…ok."
"It's torture! I only do it when I have to!"
He was about to respond, anger now coming into his eyes too, but then he seemed to think better of it. Slowly, like a man approaching a pissed-off cat, he moved a little closer and knelt down. Red eyed him warily, tears streaming down her cheeks. Confused and messed up and broken and angry and sad. Wanting him to damn well fix it or walk away. Nothing between. He wanted to help her? He showed her kindness? He kissed her and opened those doors she'd been trying to keep locked? Fine. Then he could fucking fix it all. Because she had no other saviors. And this was it.
"I'm not gonna force you. Relax, girl. This ain't what you think. Look, I shouldn't have rushed it like that. I misread your signals again. You send some real weird ones, Red. I don't even know how to respond. But it's gonna be alright. Come on now. Hush."
She let him take her into his arms again, and her stiff muscles eased.
"I'm sorry." Red whispered, horrified at herself. She was more damaged than she'd realized, and it was terrifying. Darwin hugged her a little tighter, his stubble scratching her forehead.
"I can't promise to do everythin' right, Red. You're one real challengin' puzzle. Intriguin', but damn difficult. I don't know why I ain't just washed my hands of you yet, all this patience and kindness ain't in me. Not for a long time. Not since the early days with Tanya, and even then it wasn't like this. She was broken too, real bad. Tried to love her whole again but that didn't work out so well. I can't promise to fix all this. But I can promise one thing. I am gonna find the sumbitch who turned you into this scared, flinchin' wreck of a woman I got in my arms. You don't need to worry about him huntin' for you. Because I'll be huntin' for his ass first. And when I find him, I'm gonna skin him alive. That ain't a metaphor, either."
Red raised her face to look at him. And in that moment, she knew he would do it.
"Take me to bed with you tonight. Not for…you know. Just take me to bed."
He stood up, helping her to her feet, and together they started walking back to the house. To dinner and the fireplace and the family waiting for them. Darwin held her hand and didn't let it go.
"Better believe I will. That's where you belong."