Road Trip: Chapter 1
Dropping the gear into neutral, I pulled the emergency brake. Next to me, Danny turned toward me raising an eyebrow at the bills I'd taken from my wallet.
"Would you mind?" I asked partly debating saying more, but not wanting this to be any more awkward than it already was. "I'm a bit too memorable."
"I have my wallet, Renée," Danny said. "Keep your money."
"This isn't the kind of place where people expect you to use a credit or ATM card, Danny," I argued wryly, waving the bills at the motel.
Proving he got my point, Danny looked at the building with something akin to disgust. But if that was for the building itself, or the kind of motel was debatable.
"You know, I'm sure we could find something else."
"It's late, we're both tired from driving non-stop all day, and I don't know about you, but I could use a chance to move about. Not to mention shower." I argued. "Besides, no trails."
"This is rather excessive. Isn't it?" Danny asked.
"Maybe," I answered. "But when you're dealing with someone like Creole Bennie, you do things his way, or you don't do business at all. It's the way it is."
"And you're sure we have to involve this particular person? There has to be better ways to do this. Other thinkers or something we can look into."
"Sure, we could take that risk," I answered. "Might even find something after days of looking, then deciding on which option would be best. Of course then there's whatever delay there is in either results or convincing the person to help. Unless you personally know a really powerful thinker?
Danny shook his head, deflating slightly, confirming my choice.
"Then Creole Bennie is our best shot at getting answers. He's not someone I like, but he's someone I trust to do what he agrees to do. And like I said, when doing business with Bennie it's his way or just don't show."
"Right," Danny mumbled with a twitch to his eye. Reluctantly, he took the money, exited the jeep, and headed for the night clerk.
I blew into my cupped hands trying to warm them while I watched Danny talk to the clerk. The trip so far wasn't bad, though I was more exhausted than I was willing to admit. The farthest I'd personally driven on my own was during my second foray into Baton Rouge. I wasn't very comfortable behind the wheel back then but it was a necessity of the job. However there was a mind numbing boringness to long trips like this that seemed to eat at you. At least it did me. Something about these long never-ending roads, the more experienced drivers going faster and more recklessly than I was comfortable with, and finally the fact the radio was broken, all lead to a monotonous ordeal that I felt I had to press myself through.
While Danny wasn't the most talkative companion, he had his moments. It was still all kinds of awkward. I wasn't the sharing type, not for truthful details, but he was fairly persistent and constantly found ways to rephrase questions I wouldn't answer in hopes that I would. Then there were the questions he half expected me to ask and when I didn't, he would. So far we had yet to find common ground for anything and every conversation had ended in an uncomfortable silence before either of us tried to bring up a different topic to make the miles go by easier. Then we'd stop for food and a bathroom break and it would be another thirty miles before either of us worked up the guts for another fruitless attempt at conversation.
So awkward.
It didn't help that I wasn't willing to share and he seemed almost desperate for any details he could get. He didn't push, thankfully, but it was still mildly annoying.
Finished, Danny started walking back. Red in the face and clenching his left fist tightly looking like he was muttering something to himself. Apparently trying very hard to keep his temper under control from whatever his conversation with the clerk was. Exiting the car I took a moment to stretch out finally.
Still looking on the edge of a fit, Danny stopped on the other side of the jeep before looking away quickly grunting, "Room 112."
Keeping my face bland, I nodded. Grabbing my traveling case while Danny grabbed his bag. Locking the doors I followed him to our accommodations for the night.
Despite the outside appearance, the interior was fairly clean and I was happy with the fresh looking sheets and blankets on the two beds inside. It was always a crap shoot when using these kinds of places.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Danny took the one closest. His daughter or not, he was still an older man and I -despite my made up appearance- was still a teenage girl. Judging by Danny's oddly quiet attitude since we arrived, I wasn't the only one who felt uneasy with the implications. Seeing the two separate beds, and his reaction to what I suspected his conversation with the night clerk was like, slightly eased the unpleasant feeling that had been building inside me as the night deepened.
"Did you want the bathroom first?" I asked, setting my own case on top of the other bed.
"No thank you, Taylor," Danny answered automatically. My eye twitched but before I could say anything he winced, visibly. "Sorry, Renée. I really am trying."
"I know," I sighed. "Just keep in mind, Danny, that we're likely to find out I'm not your Taylor. Despite how much we look alike. It would be better if neither of us get too attached before we know for sure."
"I guess we'll see when we meet with your villain friend."
"Business contact. A reluctant one on both our parts, I'll add," I replied chuckling a bit at his sullen tone. "And I guess we will though villain is a strong word to associate with Creole Bennie."
"And what would would you use?"
"Scoundrel," I replied dryly. "Or hermit. Don't get me wrong, he's not a very nice guy. He drinks a lot of his own homemade and hates people. Cross him, and he'll kill you without any regrets. The only reason he even lets people come to him is that it keeps him from having to go into town for things he wants or needs."
"Sounds like a villain to me," Danny mumbled.
"Technically by that narrow view, so am I," I blandly said.
Danny winced.
Shrugging I went back to my unpacking, "Most people look at me, see my eyes and the first thing they think of is demon or devil. Villain isn't much of a stretch from there. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people freeze or actually turn and run when they see me. How many times I've been called 'abomination' or 'freak'. Most of the times with some kind of biblical reference. And that was before I ran with a gang."
"Tay, Renée. You know I don't think that, don't you?" Danny asked obviously avoiding the last tidbit I revealed.
"Only because you think I'm your daughter," I answered back, sighing. Finished with gathering what needed. "Your first reaction to me was more honest."
"That's not true…"
"Viewpoint Danny. Mine is not less important than yours," I said, cutting him off. "Maybe I'm too loose with mine, but I have a unique perspective. I can understand why Bennie retreated into the bayou. If my power worked like his, I'd have done the same thing."
"A-Annette used to follow that kind of thing," Danny said, looking at the draped window, and purposely not at me. "Did his powers do something like they did to you?"
"It's more that they don't come with an off switch. At least, that's what Bogget said," I corrected. "But mostly it's probably that Bennie didn't really like people even before his powers forced him to see the dirty laundry of everyone he touches."
I watched him frown in a sort of abject sympathy as he thought through the implications of a power like Bennie's. We'd touched on it a little bit on the trip, and I could see Danny mentally reviewing his own comments while factoring in the new perspective I'd offered.
"I can't imagine what that would be like. People can be very ugly to each other for the most petty of reasons. But that still doesn't excuse villainy, Renée."
"Maybe," I answered with a shrug. "I'm going to a shower and change."
"...alright."
Entering the bathroom with my necessities, I locked the door. Biting my lip for a moment before taking on of my cards altering it slightly before sliding it into the space between the door and frame. Letting go, it innocently sat there in complete contrast to the trap it was. Just in case. I'd been wrong before.
Once finished with my shower and dressed in a shirt and sweats, I paused hearing Danny's voice. Removing the card and lock, I eased the door to listen.
"...rt. No. Ah, that should be fine. Have Derrik take three extra with him tomorrow. Robert said he thought he saw some Merchants in that area yesterday. I don't want them anywhere near that site."
I heard a shuffling of papers before Danny sighed. "I know. No, late tomorrow maybe? It's a long way and when was the last time I left Brockton Bay for anything?"
"Yeah, she knows. It was her idea. Seriously. Yeah, she's special like that. I know, she's been really supportive and it's not like any of us have had time to really adjust before it came to this. I don't know. Maybe?"
"Honestly? I have no doubts. She's...different. Very different but… Hmm? I can't explain it, I just know."
Closing the door quietly I toweled my hair dry in here to give him time and privacy to finish his call. Funny, I didn't think he had a cell phone. I wondered who he was talking too. Sounded like someone he worked with. Maybe a subordinate? Or that guy he called before we left to let know he would be gone a few days?
That was probably it, though that last part was concerning. Hearing him still talking when I finished I went ahead and started applying cleanser to my face. He was a grown man and if he didn't want to listen to reason and chose to get his hopes up, that was going to be on him. I tried to warn him. If nothing else when the bad news came, I'd take him into one of the more..interesting areas of New Orleans. Penny could probably help with that. If anyone knew about that kind of thing, she did.
Finished with my routine, I couldn't think of anything else to delay walking back out there. Packing up my things I opened the door making it obvious.
"...hang on a second," Danny asked. Turning to me as I stepped out. His eyes moved over me quickly and he blinked several times before he turned around. "I'll call you back. Yeah, take care of the guys for me and thanks for understanding."
Danny hung up. I bit my tongue instead of snapping at him for using the landline. He probably didn't know that these places always kept records of all outbound calls for a variety of reasons. Instead I sighed, mentally adjusting my plans for tomorrow for the delay I knew this was going to cause.
"Sorry but I needed," Danny apologized before I cut him off.
"It's fine. Shower's free."
"Okay," he said slowly obviously knowing that something wasn't fine. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," I replied. I guess it wasn't a total loss. It just meant we were going to need to spend a day in town before heading out into the bayou. The phone record probably wouldn't be that big a deal, it wasn't like it meant anything except that someone called Brockton Bay. But then again, Bennie was fickle like that and the idea of wasting a trip into the dark corners of the Louisiana bayou to find out he moved locations would be the icing on an already crappy cake.
"Yeah, it's fine," I repeated, packing away my things and setting out tomorrow's clothes with my makeup case. "Just in the future, if you're on a trip where you shouldn't leave any kind of trail, remember to not use landlines from stop and go motels? It sort of self defeating. You could have used my cell phone. I change out the sim every other day when I'm on a job and I have plenty left."
"Ah," Danny mumbled sheepishly. "Sorry, this is my first spy mission."
What irritation I had crumbled under my chuckle. Shaking my head I smiled at him letting him know it was alright. "Well, next time you'll know better."
Satisfied with my arrangements, I climbed into my bed trying to get comfortable. Danny meanwhile moved about, obviously getting ready for his own shower.
That uneasy feeling in my gut was still kinda there. When Danny moved passed heading for the bathroom I decided that it was probably better if I just dealt with it.
"Hey, Danny?"
"Yes, Renée?"
"You seem like a fairly stand up guy," I said. Keeping myself facing the wall.
"Thanks. I do try," he returned with a soft chuckle.
"I just wanted to you to know, that I see that. I know that this whole thing, it can't be easy for you but you've been really good about everything. Especially the things I know you're not comfortable with. People generally don't make this kind of effort. Not for me and not just because of my eyes or the fact I can explode them in a hundred nasty ways. Not without wanting...something."
He made no audible reaction but the utter lack of sound spoke louder than a gasp would've. Hours on the road, and the subject of my powers had actually never come up.
"So," I hesitated but knowing I had to say this. If only for my own peace of mind. "If you try touching me tonight, when I break you, it will be quick."
"Good night, Renée." Danny said. Not even slightly offended or anything either. He almost sounded, well, proud.
"Good night, Danny." I whispered back, flipping a card from a deck I had hidden under my pillow at the light switch and plunging the room into darkness.