No Way

"You horses hindquarters." Karen told her partner.

"A horses hindquarters? Since when do you use language like that?"

"Since I have a bunch of children coming to spend a week and I need to control my language. That's as close to calling you what I want to call you and still be nice

about it."

"So if I were to, say, spray you with this hose, you wouldn't swear at me?" Jerry suggested, gesturing with the hose still running in his hand.

"No, I wouldn't, but I might get it from you and use it on you." She threatened from her side of the car.

"As if you could." Jerry scoffed.

Karen glared at him, hose and all. "I think I could, yes. Are you daring me?"

Jerry eyed her closely. She had rested her hands on the hood of the car and looked cute all wet and sudsy and damn if she didn't look sexy with her T-Shirt wet in the best places. He was trying to decide if he dared hose her down and take his chances on surviving the day or make nice and put the hose down.

Karen suddenly gave him a grin that made him wonder if he'd better run for cover. "I'll make you a deal. If you don't use that I'll show you something you'll really like."

Like a school boy with his first date, Jerrys thoughts went straight to his belt region. He tried very hard to keep that thought from showing on his face. "What's that?"

"Not that!" Karen scolded. Although he didn't honestly think she was entirely resistant to the idea. "It's in the barn."

"You are not going to give me that mule of yours, are you? Because I'll tell you right now I'd just as soon shoot him as look at him."

Karen laughed at him. She threw her soapy rag at him and ducked when he threw his at her. Jerry had tried to go horseback riding with her and had ended up on the ground instead. A battle of testerone had ensued between Jerry and the usually placid gelding and Jerry ended up walking back. Karen had offered her mare but been flatly turned down. She spent a good deal of time giggling at Jerrys expense and his ego was still smarting over it.

"I said you'd like it." Karen reminded him peaking cautiously out over the car at him.

"That's what you said about that ride. Or I should say walk."

Karen laughed ducking another flying rag. She didn't completely get wet, but she did when there was a flash of soapy water over the hood and it doused her across the back. She shrieked and leaped out from behind the car.

Jerry was laughing now. "Serves you right for laughing at me."

"Alright, alright. But it was funny." She conceded, holding the cold material away from her back.

"So was that. Are you alright?"

"I suppose you think I should still show you that surprise, don't you?"

Jerry shrugged. He wanted to see the surprise, he really did, but the surest way to get his volatile partner to find a reason to say no was to seem interested. "As long as it isn't that cart horse, I don't care."

"Ha. I have the last laugh. Come with me, but put that hose down first."

"This little bitty hose?"

"Yes, that one. I swear you will never get to see this if you don't. And I know you will really like this."

"I've seen what's in your barn and it isn't pretty." He warned. " This had better be good."

"Oh, quit your bi----complaining. I said you'd like it. Wait, maybe I'd better go change this shirt first."

"Ha, you'll have to do better than that on the swearing. I know what you were about to say."

"You aren't five years old. At least not physically."

"Oh, you are so going to get it for that comment."

Jerry reached for the hose again. Karen dived for the hose farther up and kinked it so the water stream fizzled out. "Playing dirty, Wesson?"

"Trying to keep from drowning, thank you very much. Are you going to play nice? I really am getting cold here."

Jerry nodded. His partner was indeed looking distinctly uncomfortable and he didn't want that to happen. "Truce?"

Karen nodded. "I'll be right back."

Jerry turned off the hose and stood back to look at his car. It sparkled in the sunshine. He wished his oldest brother, Mark, could see this. He only had a small connection with the man who had seemed so distant. There was a large gap in their ages and Mark was already almost grown in Jerrys first memories of him. Now Mark lived in Montana and the only things they really had in common was a genetic connection and this car. It had been delivered to his apartment by a hired driver after he received his uniform and first assignment from the Academy. A coming of age present the note with it had said.

Jerry had had it rust proofed and put a lot of work into making sure it stayed in as prime of condition as he could. A 1987 Camaro was a wonderful find, even if parts were a bit difficult to find because of the year. It was the one thing that he and Mark always had to talk about.

Karen came back out. She had changed her entire outfit, but she'd also put on a long sleeve shirt. She looked better. "You're too handy with that hose." She informed him.

"Sorry. I never thought I'd gotten you that wet."

"I'm susceptible to temperatures." She shrugged. "No, I told you I'd show you something special. Come this way."

Jerry was intrigued by his partners secretive attitude. She headed toward the barn, but it wasn't to the big doors as he'd expected, nor toward the walk in door that she used to feed the animals. She went to what she'd told him was an old corn crib filled with a bunch of junk. She pulled a key out of her pocket and pulled the flap of rubber back and opened a padlock. She started to swing open a huge door. Jerry hurried to help her. She smiled at him and let him finish. She put a large rock in front of it and gestured to the tarp covering a large something inside. "Here it is."

"I see that. Here is….what?"

"Help me pull the tarp off and you'll see."

The tarp was heavy. It had several inches of dirt on it. It was a heavy canvas from a military surplus store, if Jerry was any judge. There was a vehicle under here. That much he could tell. Between the two of them they managed to get it off and he stared at the ugliest truck he'd ever seen in his life. But it was huge, with massive tires and a mismatched collection of body parts that showed it's many ancestors. "What is it?"

He asked. Then realized that it might hold some special significance to his partner. "Sorry, I mean…"

Karen laughed at the look on his face. "It's ugly, isn't it? Jerry meet the Beast."

"The Beast? You named it?!"

"Yes, and be quiet with that or you'll hurt it's feelings."

Jerry just stared at the woman, appalled, trying to decide if she'd lost her mind completely. "Hurt it's feelings?!"

Laughing, Karen swatted his arm. "Come on, I'm not that stupid. I know it doesn't have feelings. I was a…oh, never mind. Want to see the inside?"

"I guess." He said doubtfully.

"Oh, chill. I'm not crazy. Wait'll you hear it run."

Inspite of it's disreputable looks, Jerry had to use the running board to get inside because it was so tall, and it seemed solid. The door closed easily and seemed solid enough. The interior was spotless except for the light layer of dust over everything. It had a monster gear shift with a lions roaring head as a knob and four wheel drive lever on the floor. There was no radio but aftermarket dials had been inserted where the radio had been.

Karen opened the drivers door and swarmed inside. She looked incongruous behind the wheel. She grinned at him. "Listen." She inserted the key and turned. It fired up first thing and settled into a throbbing purr of a well maintained engine. He could feel it through his feet. He put his hand on the dashboard and felt it there as well.

Karens grin grew wider. "Sweet, isn't it?"

"How…? Where…?Why….?" he wasn't sure which question to ask first. "Where did you get this thing?"

"Yes, it's mine. I inherited it, sort of. I dated a guy who owned this and used to take it mudding so it didn't matter what the outside looked like. When he left, it stayed with me and I just sort of inherited it. I've had it for a few years now."

"What do you do with it? You don't go mudding, do you?"

"Are you serious? Of course not. I usually keep it in here and start it every once in a while to make sure it stays running. It isn't even street legal. I just run it around the farm here sometimes when I feel the need for power."

"Are you feeling the need for power right now?"

"Some, I guess. Are you suggesting we go for a spin in it?"

"Sure, I mean you did fire it up and all. It'd be a shame to waste that effort to just let it set here."

"I don't usually drive it on the weekdays, because there's some neighbors who work nights and they complain they can't sleep if it's running. It is kind of loud."

"Oh, honey, they can lose sleep one day this week. We won't run it for long."

"I don't know." Karen hesitated.

"You can't just say "See, here it is now let's just leave it alone. That's too cruel."

Karen was weakening with Jerrys persuasion. "I did kind of want to show you how it runs."

"I swear. We can take it for a short drive and if the neighbors complain, I'll talk to them."

"Well." Her hands were on the steering wheel and she gripped it a couple of times, really wanting this, but nervous. She had only driven it a few times but it would be fun to walk on the wild side with Jerry. "Alright, but just for a short drive. I'm not ready to be strung up yet."

"Great. And maybe I can drive it too."

"Put on you seatbelt." She wanted to tell him not to push it, but she really couldn't blame him. She'd known he liked big trucks for quite awhile. Why else did she show it to him?

When they were buckled up, Karen put it into gear and eased it out of the building. The difference between the Beast and a normal truck was immediately apparent and next to Jerrys Camero it was downright spectacular. The car looked like a toy. The Beast purred in low gear past the house and barn out to the farm lane. Karen was being careful not to roll over anything, as the huge truck was wider than the other vehicles.

She shifted into second gear and picked up speed. The huge tires gave the truck massive amounts of ground clearance, but also magnified the bumps they encountered. Jerry was grinning and looking around eagerly for some place they could use the power he felt on the truck. Karen grinned and gunned the engine and drove up a small hill to the back of the pasture. It had small trees on it, but Beast didn't even slow down for those. She stopped the truck on the apex of the hill and pointed out the windshield.

"There's the road and the back of my property. There's a swampy area right before the road. There used to be a driveway through there, but someone was clearing stumps and hit a underground water source and flooded the area. Now it just keeps most people off the back section here."

"Have you driven through it?"

"No. I'm not that good of a driver. I marked it with posts painted blue on this side in case I ever need to, but it's not visible from the road."

"Do you want to do it now?"

"No. I don't want to get stuck."

"Then let me drive it. I won't get stuck."

"No. If we get stuck it's a long way back to the house and I'm not walking all that way. We'll, uh, do it another time."

"You're chicken."

The look he received for that observation could've turned the swampy area to an ice skating rink into in seconds. Karen's facial expression went to stone. She popped the clutch and drove along the hill top to the driveway and turned back toward the house.

"Karen, I'm sorry. That was the wrong thing to say." Jerry said realizing he'd stabbed her to the heart.

Karen didn't say anything. She just drove toward the house in stony silence at a rapid rate of speed.

If Jerry hadn't been so remorseful, he'd've enjoyed the ride, but he was angry at himself for hurting his partner. She had been trying to share something with him and he'd wounded her for it. If he could've taken it back he desparately wanted to, but that was only wishful thinking.

Karen pulled into the yard and slammed on the brakes next to Jerrys car. "Go home, Jerry." She told him coldly.

"No, I want you to tell me you forgive me. You know how my mouth goes off before…."

"GO HOME, Jerry!" Karen roared at him. She refused to look at him, but he saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes.

"You can't keep throwing me out of your life every time I hurt your feelings. We need to talk this out." Jerry yelled back at him.

Karen did look at him then. Her gaze was cold, vicious and angry. She threw the gearshift into reverse and backed the truck up with a squeal of tires. At 100 yards, she stopped and revved the engine, dropped it into first gear and roared toward Jerrys Camaro. She came within ten feet of the car and slammed on the brakes. The truck lurched to a halt within two feet of the car.

Shaking with reaction at her vicious intent Jerry met her eyes. "GO HOME, JERRY." Her voice vibrated with her anger.

"No, we need to….."Karen put the truck back into reverse and turned to see where she was going backward. "Alright, but this isn't over. We can't keep doing this. Every time you get angry…."

Deliberately, Karen let out the clutch and the truck started to move. "Get out!" she ordered in an low, cold voice.

Jerry hastily unbuckled his belt and reached for the door handle. "You're crazy, you know that?"

Karen didn't answer. He got out, nearly falling off the running board. The truck was moving before he could close the door. The Beast backed off and sat purring like a malevolent monster. Karen sat still as a statue watching him.

Jerry fumbled for his keys and shouted at her. "This isn't over, Karen. You need anger management classes."

The Beast began a slow menacing crawl toward Jerry and his car. He hurriedly got in and started it. The massive truck hadn't stopped it's advance. Jerry dropped his gearshift into drive and squealed his tires as she did a doughnut in her driveway and across her lawn on the way out.

Now he was as mad as she was. He'd never meant that comment to be so harsh, but damn was he supposed to watch his every word all the time around her. Maybe she didn't need to be carrying a gun with a temper like that. He deliberately raised a fair amount of dust on his way out of the driveway. It was childish, but he was just as mad as his partner.

In spite of the dust, or maybe because of it, when he got out to the main road he glanced back toward the house in time to see an explosion at Karens house. He slammed on the brakes and threw it into reverse. His tires squealed loudly as he backed up and rocketed toward the house. No matter how mad he was at her, he wasn't so mad that he wasn't worried about her.

The whole yard looked like a bomb crater. There was a hole in the back of her house and it was on fire. The Beast was in the building, nose first. At first Jerry didn't see Karen and he headed for the house but movement caught his gaze. Karen lay on the ground on her back. She was writhing in pain.

"Karen." He called and raced over to kneel by her.

She turned her face toward him and he saw horrible burns on her face. Her shirt was scorched on her front. She groaned and reached for him. He cradled her in his arms and pulled out his cell phone. "Oh, God, some one answer." He prayed.

"911, what is your emergency?"

TBC

The Beast will be back. It's essential to the story.