Chapter 47:
The door to the bedroom flew open slamming against the wall.
"Rise and shine chillins'" Came the cheerful voice of Tbag.
My eyes immediately opened and I bolted upright. He was too cheerful and I needed to see one glimpse of Susan just to make sure everything was alright. She was standing in the hallway, visibly shaken, but otherwise seemed alright. I took notice that she was in different clothing than the previous night and I gave her a sympathetic look. She stared blankly ahead trying to get sight of her children. Tbag barged into the room and pulled me to my feet. The mere sight of that was enough to bring Zach and Grace tumbling to their feet as well. They had hoped it was all just some horrible nightmare that this monster hadn't invaded their home and they were safe with their mother.
Too bad the nightmare was real.
"How did everyone sleep? I know I rested unfitted and today is a beautiful day to be living." He said grinning.
No one answered him. I looked at him with my head turned to the side trying to figure out what put him in such a good mood. It seemed obvious to me that neither Susan nor her kids wanted anything to do with him, but he acted as though he won them over. A growling sound stirred from behind me, and at first I thought one of the kids actually started growling at Tbag, but I realized it must have been one of their stomachs. I didn't look behind me trying to figure out which one it was because I felt the pain of hunger too. I tried to move past Tbag to make my way to the kitchen, but he quickly intercepted and towered over my frame.
"Off in quite a hurry this morning, Laneykins."
"We're all starving, so I am going to get something to eat, your highness." I said bowing my head in a dramatic fashion. Then I quickly side stepped him.
"Don't get cute with me." He warned after I was nearly down the hallway.
Ignoring his comment, I made my way down the stairs and through the other rooms to get to the kitchen. I was aimlessly opening up different drawers and cabinets looking for something and nothing in particular. I was just trying to keep my mind busy. In the back of one of the pantry there was a bag of mini donuts. I reached for them tearing off the strip and shoving one into my mouth sending the powdered sugar flying. I swallowed and followed that up with two more. I let myself relax and actually taste the food. We spent so much time running and on the lookout that we were eating merely for survival, not savoring the moment. It seemed sad to me that I was finding so much enjoyment out of powdered donuts.
The shuffled footsteps behind me brought me out of my daze and I turned to face them with the bag still in hand. Kneeling down right in front of Grace I handed her the bag. She looked unsure at first, but slowly reached in and put a small one in her mouth. I looked over to Zach, but he bluntly brushed me off and moved to the refrigerator for something for himself. It's not everyday everything you thought you knew about the police wasn't exactly the truth. Hopefully he just needed time to process the information. Nothing about me, or what I did, changed the fact that I would do everything I could to keep them safe. It was then that I noticed that Tbag and Susan were nowhere to be seen. A quick flight of panic rushed through me.
"Where's your mother?" I asked them trying not to raise their suspicions.
"Her and Teddy are still arguing upstairs." Grace said glancing in that direction.
I followed her gaze. "Arguing?"
"Mom was having a friend over today for lunch," Zach explained, "the lady is welcoming us to the neighborhood. She doesn't think it's a good idea for her to still come over considering."
"Well, no that would be a horrible idea, but then what's the argument about?"
As if to answer my question, Tbag came merrily strolling into the kitchen with Susan trudging behind. By the look on his face, whoever this friend of Susan's was going to be stopping by. Tbag probably couldn't wait to show off his family. He clapped his hands together as if to draw everyone's attention towards him.
"Looks like we have some work to do around here, family." He said. "This mess needs cleaned up and we have to figure out what to do for food."
I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. He had surely lost his mind. In no way, shape, or form was it a good idea to bring someone over here in our situation. I could think of about one hundred ways that this could backfire. Without responding, I marched across the room getting ahold of Tbag's arm and pulling him away from the others.
"You are aware that this may be the worst idea you have ever come up with?" I seethed.
"Depends on how you look at it, Laneykins. It is far more suspicious to cancel the plans so suddenly." He responded nonchalantly.
"Like hell! You just want the chance to show off because if somehow this woman buys into the charade that that makes it more real."
"We knew this would happen eventually. I think it will be helpful to bring some normalcy back in our lives."
I stared at him trying to break through his delusions. How could he not see the bigger picture?
"Have you thought this through at all? First, you nailed the damn door shut so she can't even get in. Next, why would the three of them in there even go along with it? All they have to do is scream bloody murder. And, you don't think this woman will find it strange you show up with another woman to Susan's house?"
Tbag didn't even seem fazed. It was completely maddening how blasé he was acting about all of this. He had already assumed he has won. Before I did something I was going to regret (like punch him in his stupid nose) I started to move away from him. Silently, but quickly, as he usually does, his arm came forward locking around my waist holding me in place. Our hips were touching and I looked up at him.
"You've known me for how long sweet Laneykins? Long enough to know that I always have a plan." He growled.
We both remained silent just looking at each other for a moment. He was staring in my eyes begging for my help. Whatever he was planning wasn't going to work if we didn't work together. I was going to have to plunge my hands a little deeper into the filth I helped create. In that moment, Susan and her two kids joined us in the other room and gasped at our compromising position. Tbag tried to save face by giving me a hard shove to side and consequently into the wall. A pained grunt emitted from me as I tried to steady myself.
"We all need to get one thing straight here." He addressed us with a dripping smile that slowly vanished. "I am the one who is in charge here." He pulled out the gun swinging it back and forth as he continued.
"If I say that I want us to move to Timbuctoo, convert to Shiites, and live in a mud hut that's what would happen."
"Don't be dumb." I stated and was rewarded with a hateful stare.
"All I'm asking for is a little cooperation from everyone here. If you play nice, then I play nice."
At that attempt at a subtle threat, he instantly had the teamwork of Susan and the two kids. I released a loud exhale in annoyance, but didn't protest. Tbag slipped the gun away and clapped his hands together twice.
"Let's get to work." He chanted.
The rest of the morning was spent in tiresome work. The house needed cleaned after the scuffle from the previous night and Tbag was busy removing his nails from the front door. It was leaving damage, though, around the frame. The kitchen was steaming at the preparation of several different food items. Tbag prided himself in being from the south for that automatically gave him the cooking abilities equivalent to a God. Even I had to admit, against my better judgment, that whatever it was did smell delicious. I tried to sneak in there a few times to steal a small bite, but he was always close by to halt my efforts. One particular instance, I nearly ripped off a tiny piece of chicken, but he was instantly moving me outside of the kitchen.
"You're behaving like a Neanderthal," he sneered, "does the FBI not teach their prodigies about manners?"
I didn't respond verbally, but rather made a face of disgust at him. I wondered if he was going to use that same southern charm to insult whoever the guest was going to be. It may be a short afternoon after all. Tbag ushered me into the opposite room, but didn't return to the kitchen. Rather, he remained stationary just studying me. It was unnerving.
"Laney, don't take offense to this, but you look awful." He admitted.
"Well gosh, I'm sorry I haven't had the time to take care of myself. I've been a little preoccupied as of late running halfway around the damn country. Plus the psychopath I'm travelling with has given me more bruises than I can probably count." I retorted placing my hands on my hips.
"Yes, well we really don't want our guest thinking you are some battered homeless woman we took in off the streets do we? So go upstairs and stay up there until you make yourself…presentable." He punctuated his last word and slipped his tongue through his teeth.
I was fuming as I stormed up the stairs. Who was he to judge me by my appearance? He didn't exactly look as though he was ready to be entering a beauty contest anytime soon. Had no one bothered to tell him how ridiculous he looked as a blonde? I was so busy trying to think of insults to throw back at Tbag, I nearly ran right into Susan who was busy folding up some laundry. I muttered a weak apology. She looked surprised to me up here in the first place.
"Tbag… er… Theodore told me to come up here to make myself presentable." I repeated through gritted teeth.
"Well you do look as though you just came out of the boxing ring." She said trying to diffuse the tension.
Even I had to admit, that earned a smile out of me. She led me back into her bedroom where she gave me permission to use her shower and pick out any clothing I would need. I smiled at her with gratitude, thankful she was being kind to me when she had no right. I hurried into the bathroom and let the door shut and lock. I wish that I had time to enjoy myself and relax because the bathroom looked immaculate, but we were on a tight schedule and Tbag wouldn't appreciate dawdling. I quickly shed out of my clothes and washed myself clean. As the steam filled the bathroom and fogged the mirrors, the scent of mangos filled the room. I guess Susan preferred a more tropical smell. The water had turned the bandages on my shoulder soggy, but I couldn't find anything bigger than a Band-Aid in the bathroom to cover it with. I knew I would need a shirt with thick enough straps to cover the wound because frankly it looked grotesque. I needed a doctor. I thought that if this meeting went well maybe Tbag would take me to a hospital.
I wrapped the towel tightly around the rest of my body and unlocked the door to the bathroom. I gently opened it and took a sneak peek outside to make sure that Tbag wasn't waiting for me. I quickly moved into Susan's closet so I could pull something out to wear. The problem was that Susan and I weren't the same size and not exactly the same style. Down in the bottom of a dresser drawer I pulled out a pair of red shorts. I quickly slipped them on and realized they were actually a pretty good fit. I then settled with a white floral top that was almost longer than the shorts. Combing my fingers through my wet hair I stepped out of the closet to notice Susan standing by her bed. She was smiling at my choice in attire.
"I haven't worn those shorts in ages, but I could never bring myself to get rid of them." She admitted.
I smiled shyly and shrugged my shoulder. For some reason, I always felt uncomfortable around Susan. The way she looked at me always made me feel as though she wanted to tell me something, but never would. Then every time she saw me interacting with Tbag she gave me this incredulous look. It was as if she still believed that Tbag and I were acting as partners in crime.
"So." I said awkwardly. "Who exactly is this person coming over?"
"Some woman the neighborhood put in charge of welcoming any newcomers. She seems friendly enough, but at times is a bit much."
"Should fit in nicely with Tbag then." I said with a smirk.
"Why do you call him Tbag?" she asked curiously. Of course, she had always known him as Theodore or Teddy.
"Well, that was his nickname in…in prison. I'm guessing because of his name Theodore Bagwell."
She didn't reply but moved quickly around the room trying to find something to distract herself. I bit my lip and had half a notion to return downstairs, but something kept me rooted to the spot. It was an urging desire I had to find out if she had any beef with me. However, I didn't want it to feel as though I was confronting her either and make her fearful. In truth, I was just curious as to what was going through her mind. I moved slowly inching my way closer to the bed where she was currently sitting. Silently, I sat down right on the edge of the bed.
"Is something on your mind?" I asked so quietly I wasn't sure she would be able to hear me.
Then we made eye contact, and I knew she had heard. She was busy trying to put her thoughts into words. I waited patiently allowing her the time she needed to build confidence and comfort.
"When we first met, you promised me that you would not let anything hurt my children." she began.
I remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"I believe that you don't want any of us to get hurt, but I also know that you know that this can't go on much longer. He is a loose cannon, and I fear that the moment he realizes this won't work, he will explode."
"I intend to keep my promise, Susan. If he does explode, I won't let him hurt you or the kids."
She smiled. "I'm not sure with all of your injuries that you would be able to stop him, but I think there is something else you can do. You can change his mind before it fails."
"I've tried on several occasions to talk him out of this, though. Every argument I bring, he finds some excuse to worm his way out it. It's the way his mind justifies the actions he takes."
"If words won't work, then maybe something else will." Susan said quietly.
Now she lost me. What was I supposed to do, beat him senseless until he changes his mind? She said it herself that my injuries took away some of my physical prowess. Besides, he had the only weapon, and I wasn't afraid to admit that I was terrified of being shot. Susan must have sensed my confusion, because she smiled again very sheepishly.
"I've seen you two together. While he is completely manipulative, you seem to be able to stand toe to toe with him, and not let him completely control you. And he is always watching you. Even when you think he isn't. He tracks you constantly. I think he is terrified of letting you go, and if words fail I think you could use his wants to your advantage."
My mouth suddenly felt very dry. The way Susan spoke made it seem obvious the way that he and I interact, something I always believed to be very fuzzy. Even when he was with the woman he claimed to be the love of his life, his pull to me was still there.
"Are you suggesting that I seduce Tbag?" I whispered in surprise. "That is a sure way to get myself killed."
"What I'm suggesting is to make yourself a little more available to him, and it might ease his fantasy about all of this." She explained waving her arms around.
I bit the inside of my cheek, really unsure of what I was supposed to do. It was essentially putting myself in harm's way on purpose in the hopes that he would bite. I wondered how difficult it would be to actually make this work. Tbag already knew that I was attracted to him on some level, so it wouldn't all be fake, but how far would things have to go. I couldn't, no wouldn't, take things past kissing. A guilty feeling rumbled in the pit of my stomach and I felt like I at least owed it to Susan and her two kids to try and help them out of this situation.
"I suppose I could turn on the charm a little and see what happens, but I can't promise you this will work." I choked out.
I didn't even wait for her to respond before I quickly exited the bedroom. It was getting warm, and I needed to get out of there before I made more promises to do things I really didn't want to do. How was I supposed to even accomplish this? I never actively flirted with Tbag, our chemistry (for lack of a better word) was natural. We quipped off one another with ease. I thought that I could perhaps pretend he was Tweener, but as soon as Tbag opened his mouth that plan would fail. Oh god, what about Tweener and if ever found out about this? It would crush him. Somehow, I managed to find my way down the stairs even if fazed by my thoughts. I took a sharp turn, and ran smack into the very person I was trying to avoid.
"Now that's much better." Tbag said with grin placing both of his hands under my elbows for support.
He mistook my furrowed eyebrows as a sign of a problem. In fact, he caught me so off guard that I was trying to muddle through my thoughts trying to make sense of what was happening.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a husked voice.
I racked my brain for something, anything, to say that wasn't what was really going through my head.
"Nothing." I said dropping my gaze to the floor. "Just my shoulder has really been hurting."
Quickly, Tbag gripped my elbow and shoved my around until my back slammed against the nearby wall. Great, I was trying to figure out what I must have said that set him off. He was searching my face for a sign of something, but then he moved his hand to slip the strap of my shirt off of my shoulder revealing my wound. I was trying to steady my breathing as he took two fingers and brushed them against my wound.
"Ouch." I said with a scowl trying to shrug away.
He smirked. "Mr. Mafia really stuck you didn't he? We should be keeping a running tally on who inflicts the most damage on you."
"Not funny." I said through gritted teeth still trying to move away.
Now I had lost all sense of motivation to be more approachable. What I really felt like doing was kicking his knees out from under him and knock his teeth out.
"I could use a doctor." I said in an attempt at a sweet voice. It came off more sarcastic.
"And I could use a million dollars… ahh wait I already have that. Just wrap it up and I'm sure you'll make a full recovery until the next time you do something to aggravate me."
He started to move away, but I quickly grabbed a hold of his hand that was resting on my shoulder. The movement caused me pain, but I hoped my wincing added to the moment. I wish I had the ability to muster up tears on command, but unfortunately I just hoped to look really sad.
"Please." I said in almost a whimper.
His fingers started to trace circles on my shoulder, and it seemed to have the effect I was hoping for. I slightly moved my thumb against his palm. He wasn't going to say that he was giving in, but I knew that I had him. Grinning, I leaned forward on my tip toes and pushed forward so my lips brushed against his ear.
"Thank you." I said softly.
Before he could respond, I turned my face and planted a small kiss on his cheek then turned and walked away. He was stunned as he remained planted against the wall with his hand rubbing against his cheek. I smirked to myself at a job well done. Perhaps there was some truth to what Susan had said. And that seemed fairly harmless to where I could pull it off a few more times. I didn't have time to be too impressed with myself, though.
There was a knock at the door.