Yo all,
I'm sooooo sorry for the lack of update-i-ness, I've been at my cousins wedding the long weekend and had five tests at school last week. (The wedding was absolutely beautiful, held in the Botanic Gardens with their little girl as the brides maid xD)
Im sick, so it might be a little on the dizzy-ish side of stories, as I had a hard time reading what I wrote! Its actually around 1:33 pm here and Im off of school sick… gah, school.
DisclaimerI don't own them, the all magnificent Janet Evanovich does, though I don't mind baby-sitting them.
So without and further ado, here is Chapter Five: Snappy Back Bone.
I sighed in relief. Church was over today; I had lived through it and not fallen asleep, again with the relief.
Right now I was standing by Dani, who was talking to Gavin, a five foot nine inch male with light brown hair and blue eyes. He kinda creeped me out, don't know why, but I wasn't going to say that to Dani. Its almost like she loves him already, scary thought.
I saw Clair talking to Callen, a 33-year-old man with an attractive black head of hair, in an 'emo' style. I don't get it, it's just what Dani called it. He was a nice guy, works in the explosives unit of the police here, I've seen him a few times around town, twice for my blown up cars, but that's about all, even though it was only a couple of times, he was well mannered and well spoken. What the hell was he doing talking to Clair?
My phone went off, the theme to Charlies Angels, I made my way through the myriad of people and stood outside the closed doors, once again. I hit the 'talk' button.
"Sup?"
"Hey Lee, it's Jackie," no, duh, "I got told to call you into the office, Dom wants to see you about something."
"About something?"
"I don't know, Im out of the loop. Im loopless, like Cyan. Why cant I get a loop?" I rolled my eyes, we go through this all the time.
"You can't have a loop, you broke the last one." Jackie would have let out a whimper, but the doors were flung open, hitting me on the back and almost sending me hurtling to the grass in front. I scrambled not to fall over, and arms grabbed my elbows, yanking me back from my obvious almost-meeting with the ground. The hands that grabbed me dug into my skin painfully, making bruises that would show tomorrow.
"Lee? Lee, are you there?" I could hear Jackie calling over the phone, but I didn't reply, I was wincing over the to-be-made bruises. The person let me go, apologising for knocking me over, but not for gripping so tight, but that could be forgiven, I'd rather have bruises on my arms then have scrapes on my face.
It was Callen, trying to get away from Clair whose voice I could hear calling for him.
"Hey, Jackie, Im going to be there soon… just got to finish something first. See you soon." I pressed to off button on the phone and smiled at Callen.
"She hooked you in?"
"She drives me nuts, her laugh is so shrill. Please help me," he gave me one of those adorable puppy faces and I couldn't resist, kind of like Bob's big slobbery face that you just couldn't say no to… or you could, but it was really hard.
"Cal? Where are y – Oh there you are, I've been looking for you," Clair looked at me with such disgust, "and I find you out here with her. Is everything alright?"
"Yes, Clair, everything is fine," Callen took a step behind me, trying to hide I think but it didn't work with the five inch height difference, "I was just talking to Selene here, if you don't mind."
He gave me a pointed stare.
"Oh right. Yes, if you would please leave, we would like to continue in private." Good going Lee, make it seem like you were up to no good!
"But Cal, I was going to show you my new tattoo." Tattoo? Cal gave me a disgusted face and turned that face to Clair.
"No thank you, I don't like body art." Guess he really is Christian, doesn't even approve of tattoo's. Wonder why Clair likes him…
Clair stuck her nose up at me and sauntered towards Dani and Gavin. What is she up to? I didn't get a chance to follow her because Cal started talking to me.
"Thank you for that… Though you could have said something better." He gave me a look with his grey eyes, "I-"
There was a sudden moment, a sudden sound, a slap?
I turned to look inside the Church and found Dani and Clair in a big circle. It was Dani that got slapped. Fudge.
"What's going on?" I just shook my head at Cal, and trudged into the Church and motioned him to stay behind. He didn't listen to me, but stayed right beside me.
"Maybe if you didn't whore yourself out to the community then I wouldn't have made that crack." My, God, was that really Dani?
"Well at least I don't pretend to be a good little secretary but having little rendezvous with the stripper here." Clair pointed to Gavin. Gavin owned a club, the dancing sort, and is in no way a stripper or condone stripping… or at least in public I don't think. I'll ask Dani later.
I was going to step in, but Callen held me back, signalling to Dani.
"Stripper? I have proof that you gave ol' Louse Polsouski a lap dance on his death bed!" Everyone gave a collective gasp, the kind you normally only see in the movies. It was well known that Louse died of a heart attack while on his death bed, and that he owned about five different mansions in Queensland.
"You… Little…" Before anyone could do anything, though Im not sure they would anyway, Clair latched herself onto Dani, yanking her hair and stamping on her toes.
There were about five people trying to separate them, one succeeded in getting punch in the nose and the other four managed to get Clair off of Dani. Out of the two, I don't know which one came out worse. Dani was fairly unscathed, though her expression was surprised. Meanwhile Clair looked a little worse for wear, red face and scary hair, rage will do that to you… and you know, bombs too.
Everyone broke up, the four people still restraining Clair took her outside for some fresh air. Callen let go of me so I could go see Dani. I smiled at him, and he smiled back, nodding outside. I guess he's going to go see Clair. I think I frowned, but he was already walking outside. I shook my head to clear it and walked towards Dani, clicking my fingers in front of her eyes in hope that it would snap her out of her daze. It did.
"I did it. I stood up to Clair." And got a black eye in the process.
"Yeah you did, you got some back bone there Sugar, looks like me helping is really helping. You did well. Im proud to call you my friend." Suddenly she squealed and looked around, for Gavin I presume. He was standing near the table still, looking at the scene, shaking his head minutely.
"Go on, get him to take you to the office, Ill be there probably waiting." She didn't ask why, but kind of bounded back to Gavin.
As soon as I was out the Church door my cell rang again, displaying Vinnie's number. Why is he calling me? Only one way to find out.
"Hey Vinnie, what do you want?" No use in being polite, he's only a ferret.
"Have you talked to Dom yet?" Huh?
"No, Im on my way there now. Why?"
"Hurry up, Im getting antsy." He hung up on me. Antsy? About what. Guess I wont know until I talk to Dom. Another sigh.
Callen was standing by my car, leaning on the passenger side door. I know I frowned but continued walking towards him and my car, pulling out my keys from my purse as I went.
"Mind if I catch a ride?" I shook my head, signalling I didn't mind. "Just to the Bail Bonds Office. I have some business with Antonio." Would I soon know about this business? Or was this just a coincidence? I just nodded and hopped into the car while Cal got settled into the seat and put the seat belt on. Good little Christian knows his road rules too.
The ride was in silence, me wondering what could possibly be so important to call me in earlier then normal, and Cal just staring out the window I think. I parked in the back of the lot, where there was now a reserved car park for me next to Dani's, and beeped the car locked as I walked in the back door using the key I had been given for it, ushering Cal in behind me. I don't whether to call him Cal or Callen.
"Do you prefer the name Cal or Callen?"
"Either." Why is he suddenly not-so-talkative?
Then I noticed that Ton was in the waiting room, leaning against the cream walls, his black combat clothes standing out glaringly against the brightness of the office. He had his blank face on, looking towards the other side of the room. What was on the other side of the room? Dom, obviously. I did an internal eye roll but kept walking, and sat down on the leather couch. I found myself looking at Dom, his dark green shirt and his black slacks. Almost seems like an intervention.
"Lee, Cal, glad you made it."
"Made it to what, Dom?" I gave him my best questioning eyes, maybe I'll get some answers.
"There is still one more person." Hunh, they're having a meeting. Why am I here then? I just nodded and cuddled into the couch a bit more, making myself comfortable in the cold air of the office.
"Where'sJackie?"
"Getting lunch." Great conversationalist today, aren't we?
The front door opened but I couldn't see a thing, the sunlight was glaring in from outside.
"Tank, good you could come." Tank? Shit! Tank?! If he means…
"Bombshell?"
"Shit!" I wanted to make a dash for it, but Cal was in the way. I ended up tripping on my own feet and landing in his arms. Double shit. Only one way out.
"Hi," I gave him a little finger wave and prayed that the floor would swallow me. It didn't, instead I was lifted into the air by large hands, crushing me into a black covered chest. Wait, is Tank hugging me?
It took me a few seconds but I finally put my arms around what I could reach of him and squeezed once to let him know I wanted to be let down, I was losing feeling in my feet! He murmured a sorry and let me down softly and gave me a once over. If Tank is here, does that mean Ranger is here too? Or would it just be Tank since he's second in line? Is he still second in line or have things changed in the past few months? So many questions, so I just gave him a smile.
He stepped back and nodded to Dom and Cal, doing a manly handshake, the one where they pat each others backs, with Ton. I shook my head, things were becoming confusing, or more confusing then they were before.
The doors opened again, but it wasn't anyone else to add to the confusion, it was Jackie with what looked like fish and chips, a normal Australian lunch.
"In the conference room please Jackie," Tank gave Dom a confused look. Today Jackie was wearing skin tight pink pants and a black sleeveless tank top, his hair was in a poofy afro, he had cornrows last week and let them out yesterday. He nodded at Dom, looked at Tank, and turned panic stricken eyes to me – he knew what the Merry Men looked like, and Tank fit the profile to a 'T'.
I didn't know whether to shake my head telling him not to say anything, or to nod instead telling him things were all right. So I just shrugged and he walked to the elevator, the doors sliding closed behind him. Suddenly everything was quiet. Stupid silence.
I stood there waiting for the silence to end, wringing my hands together nervously.
Tank gave a sigh, which is a new feat for Rangemen, I've never heard one sigh before, "I wont tell anyone, Bombshell. You'll probably have to do it yourself." I was relieved, because there was no way I was going to Trenton anytime soon.
&&&
"No way! Nuh-uh. Not going to happen. Why don't you get Jackie, or even Clair? You could go yourself Dom?"
Dom sighed, giving me puppy dog eyes – or as close to it as he could get without seemingly begging in front of other males, "I am going, so is Jackie. I told Clair about three months ago that she couldn't go because she isn't qualified for it." I had a sudden flashback to three months ago, when Clair stalked out of the elevator muttering things, was this what that was about? She can go, I don't want to!
No, it wasn't going to Trenton, but it was close enough. Point Pleasant, about half an hour to an hour away from Trenton, Dom was thinking about setting up an office there and he wants Jackie and I – apparently, to start working there until they get more BEA's. The problem with this is that people would see me, pick up a phone, and dial my family, maybe Joe, not Ranger considering hardly anyone knows his phone number. But still, better pay.
"I wont do it, Dom. I have a good life here, and I love it. I have a house, a good job where I rarely blow things up anymore, and great friends! I don't have half the problems I used to have all because I moved here. Im not going anywhere near Trenton." Tank looked a little pained, Cal just looked so confused, and Dom just looked at me.
"Fine. I'll bring Clair, Jackie can stay with you and Dani to help run things around here. Antonio is coming with me. But, Selene, if I need you to travel there, can you please do it?" I sighed and gave a small nod. It was the best I was going to get. "Meeting adjourned."
Cal and Ton stood up and walked out the door. I didn't have to stand up because I was already standing from my little outburst.
"Stay a minute, Selene, I just want to talk for a minute."
I nodded while he closed the door. I leaned against the table and waited for him to say something.
He didn't say anything, but instead strode the two steps towards me and kissed me, a real kiss, with the sort of mouth probing only your doctor should be able to do.
"That isn't talking." My voice sounded a little breathy as I tried to catch my breath.
"I know. But I wont get a chance to kiss you for a couple of months, had to make up for it." I gave him wide eyes, but he took my hand and led me to the door, me fixing my lip gloss with my free hand along the way.
He pushed me slightly out the door that was just opened, but didn't let me get too far because he was still holding my hand, keeping me in place. He gave my hand a kiss, which I was getting used to now and whispered, "See you soon." To the back of my hand, looking at my face. He pushed me further out the door, and closed it softly behind me. I chose ignorance as the lesser of any evils such as confrontation and explanations when I tried to think about the kiss, it was wasting 42 muscles to frown about it.
They were leaving tonight, Ton, Dom and Tank, and I guess Clair too, so I probably wouldn't get a chance to see them again for a few months, a few years probably for Tank.
The office was full of laughing from Jackie and Dani when I walked in but it immediately stopped.
"Are you leaving?" I didn't ask how Dani knew about it, she was the secretary, it was kind of obvious.
"Nope, your stuck with me for a while longer." Dani started breathing again and smiled at me gratefully.
"Good, because I'm only just starting to stand up to Clair…"
"That wont be a problem. Clair's taking my place, and Ton is taking Jackie's place, for the Point Pleasant office. We get to keep this place up and running. By the way, got any new skips?"
"Yeah, just in. Grace Newmancy, Torquay, wanted for GTA and you guessed it, arson. You should probably be careful with that, we know your track record with cars and arsonists. Anyway, she's forty-five years old, and going through that stage. Take Jackie with you with that one. There's also two more, Dave and Umack." Dave was a druggy, a regular here – the one that reminds me faintly of Mooner and Dougie. Umack was a drunken disorderly and was also a regular and usually came without restraints.
I grabbed the files off her, chatted idly for a few moments, and then left with Jackie. We were taking his car, with him driving, in hopes that my car record doesn't include friends car's that I happen to be riding in. I really hate that sometimes. Alright, most times. Fine, all times.