Winston had revealed to John that Aalders was going to be at Club 9 the following night. After meeting back at the car, Delphi drove back out of town to a small grocery, and told John to look around while she shopped. John picked Delphi back up 20 minutes later like she had asked. She propped up a bouquet of daisies on her elbow, as she pulled out a bag of sour gummy worms. John gave her a look when she opened the candy.
"What?" She said as she took a bite. "Life is too short to not enjoy candy." Another bite. "Who knows, by this time tomorrow I could be dead." She laughed.
John did not.
"What did Winston say?" Delphi inquired.
"He just told me about the contract and Aalders."
Delphi's jaw clenched at the name, but then relaxed. "4 million is not too bad I guess."
John shrugged his shoulders.
"What's your problem with Aalders?" He said hoarsely.
"I thought that was obvious." Delphi said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"Why does he have your sisters?"
"I think you're better off not knowing." She told him. John did not like the sound of that. It was evident on his face. "Don't give me that look. I'm sure you've used that line a thousand times," Delphi jeered as she looked out the window.
"No, I haven't. I don't really talk to people." John grumbled.
"Surprise, surprise." Delphi retorted.
They drove in silence for a moment. "I think you're better off without him." John countered.
He could feel her look at him. It did not feel good. "I cannot believe you just said that to me. That was a total dad thing to say." She munched on her worms. Their conversation moved very quickly.
"I am not your dad." John said.
"I am very aware." Delphi cawed.
"That man is dangerous." John warned.
"Also very aware. But if you hadn't guessed, I tend to surround myself with dangerous people." She snorted.
"You're too good for him." John said ever so quietly.
For a moment, Delphi was taken aback. She had never been told she was too good for anything, but then perhaps feeling the need to defend Henry, or maybe just because their conversation was demonstrating how much John truly cared for her, she continued, "You don't even know him! Hell, you barely know me."
"Don't curse at me." John could feel her eyes roll, but it was merely theatrical.
They sat in silence for a while. John felt like she had gone to the grocery furthest away from the Continental. She claimed it was because she knew some people.
"What are the flowers for?" He asked.
"I like flowers." She said, as though that were clear.
Silence again.
Silence had become an old friend of John's. Alone. Quiet. Old. But since meeting Delphi, and especially being in her presence right now, silence felt strange. Delphi, on the other hand, had grown to like John's quiet demeanor. It calmed her. Reminded her of her father. And though she hated herself for it, she was trying to think of ways to convince John that Henry was in fact a good guy. But if she was honest with herself, she didn't know if he was good at all.
"I got the daisies for you. Though manly and rough on the outside, you seem to be basic and feminine on the interior." Delphi smiled simply.
"My wife liked daisies." He said. His voice lighter than expected. He hadn't spoken about Helen in a while.
Delphi did not respond right away. She felt the heaviness of what he had just revealed. "So does my sister, Cleo." She agreed. "They would like you too. Maybe Phoebe a little too much. She's into older men."
John smiled. It was a strange look for him. Like a vulture trying to upturn the edges of his beak. My wife would've liked you. She always wanted a daughter. John thought. Then he un-thought it and they started planning for tomorrow night.
Club 9 had three levels. Aalders owned the club, so Delphi making a public entrance was out. It was up to John to keep eyes on Aalders while she made her way through the back. John had never seen her in action, other than the brief stint back at her house. Nevertheless, he was confident in her ability.
So was she.
John tapped twice on her door as Henry answered and let John in. He wore a pale gray suit, white shirt, and thin black suspenders. He slid his jacket on over his shoulder holster. A Lionheart LH9 sat under his armpit.
The stance of the two men indicated that neither were quite fond of the other, but being that they were both in the same room indicated that they were quite fond of the red headed girl who was currently residing there.
Delphi wore, what John supposed, was a normal outfit for a woman attending a club. Her top split up the back revealing a long slender scar that ran the course of her spine. Again, he thought that she looked so out of place.
Henry thought she looked hot.
"You gonna to wear that?" John said gruffly. He did not like speaking in front of Henry.
Delphi, in the middle of tying her long hair up in a ponytail, turned towards John. "Yes. This outfit says, 'Look, I am a normal human trying to have a good time.'" She looked John up and down. He wore an all-black suit with a black shirt and black tie, complete with black shoes. "Your outfit says, 'I am here to kill people.'"
John moved to the window. He could see Henry watching her in the reflection, then quickly slipping out.
"Can you trust him?" John asked after Henry left.
"Do you trust me?" Was her only response.
John did. So he dropped it.
That entire evening Delphi felt as though she should send John away. Considering almost all the people she cared about were disappearing, it felt almost necessary to keep one in her dwindling group of friends safe.
Delphi had never had any trouble making friends. In fact, she was good at it. People liked her. What she was not good at was being vulnerable. It was easy to tell the friends she amassed all about her political opinions, or how she felt about a television show or fashion trend. It became difficult when they asked where she worked, or what she did. Explaining this part of her life was dangerous. It made her vulnerable.
She was not used to being vulnerable. It wasn't that she was not in tune with her feelings, or a more popular response, that she had no feelings. In fact, she did care. And she could show that.
But with John, it was different. They were so similar. So being vulnerable with him meant doing things that demonstrated she cared in a way that only he would understand. He grabbed his gun off the table.
She put her hand over his. "You don't have to do this." She smiled. She was confident that she could, and would find Aalders tonight. John was not a necessity in her plan.
John looked at her in surprise. He did believe that he had to do this.
"You and H-" she cut herself off, maybe now was not the best time to mention Henry, "You are dear to me. It is not worth it to get Aalders and lose you."
You're the closest thing I've got to family. John thought.
He holstered his gun. Delphi sighed.
Delphi left. And John waited.