"Wow," Gohan breathed. "You look… wow."
"Very articulate tonight, aren't we?" Lindsey asked as she snapped the back on her chandelier earring. Her long, red dress swept the floor, the back open in a revealing cut that dropped dangerously low passed her waist. She wore the black diamond necklace from Yelena once more, pairing it with black earrings and fingerless, black lace arm warmers. She turned to him and said, "You look nice, yourself."
Gohan blushed. He never did care much for suits and ties, but appreciated her compliment. The charcoal colored Armani suit was the most expensive thing he had ever worn and he wondered exactly how it was that it had appeared in Lindsey's room, addressed to him, and it fit like a glove. Whoever had guessed at his size had done a spectacular job.
"We'd better go," she said. "X is waiting for us."
"Is all this formality really necessary?" Gohan asked as he followed her to the garage.
"More than you can imagine," she responded.
Xander was leaning against his gleaming GTO, looking extremely out of place in a black suit with a red tie. Without a word, Gohan slid into the back seat as Lindsey sat in the front and Xander started the car, its motor roaring obnoxiously.
"What's this?" Gohan asked, looking at the large briefcase sitting next to him in the passenger's seat.
"Payment," Xander said.
Gohan blinked and stared at the case again. He wondered how much money was in it. He wasn't used to such extravagant wealth and strict formalities. It was such a contradiction. When the house was in party mode, the members looked and acted like any normal group of people at a rave. But when things were serious, when it was time for business, they dressed and presented themselves in a way that reeked of money and opulence. Gohan had a hard time understanding how they could shift so easily between one personality and another.
Lindsey was staring out the windshield at the dark highway. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xander's hand in the seat next to her, making cryptic movements. She stared at it for a moment out of the corner of her eye, trying to understand what he was telling her.
He drew the letter R with his fingertip on the seat, then pointed at her. He then held out his finger and thumb as if holding a gun. She understood then. Looking up and briefly catching his eye, she turned to stare out the windshield again. Barely moving her arm, she used her fingers to carefully gather up the material of her skirt, revealing the pink 38 she had strapped to her thigh. She and Gohan had never had a conversation about firearms, but she doubted he would approve.
Xander tipped his head forward slightly, without looking at her, acknowledging he'd seen.
"So what exactly am I supposed to be doing?" Gohan asked nervously.
"Nothing," Lindsey and Xander answered in unison.
"You just stand there and look intimidating," Xander continued.
Gohan sighed and stared out the darkened window. The thirty-minute drive seemed to take hours. Gohan had never participated in any sort of business deal before and he was starting to feel very out of place already. He felt like he was part of the Mafia or something, dressing in fancy clothes and doing business deals that involved briefcases and trying to intimidate others. 'What a silly thought,' he scolded himself.
When they finally reached their destination, Gohan couldn't help but be impressed. The huge, white mansion leered at them in the darkness of the hot August night. The perfectly manicured lawn featured a huge circle drive, complete with a towering fountain in the center.
"Let's make this as quick as possible," Xander said in his deep voice. "In and out."
Lindsey nodded as she opened the car door. "Get that case, Gohan."
Gohan was surprised at the weight of it as he grabbed the briefcase and stepped out of the car.
A young woman with olive-colored skin and dark hair greeted them at the door. She led them through the massive entrance, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She finally opened a heavy oaken door and allowed them to enter.
"Mr. Dalessandro," Lindsey said politely, curtseying before the Italian who sat in a high-backed chair behind a large, polished wood desk.
Gohan thought he understood why the house was so big. A man that size needed the space.
Mr. Dalessandro looked displeased. "I do not-a know you."
"Mr. Dalessandro, you forgot me so easily?" Lindsey smiled sweetly. She spoke in Italian, "I thought you enjoyed my company."
"Ah, Leen-da-see," he said, finally. "You changed your-a hair."
"Mr. Dalessandro, there was a terrible misunderstanding," Lindsey began. "It was a simple error, really."
"I do not appreciate being-a lied to," Mr. Dalessandro countered, his moment of friendliness vanishing.
"There was no intentional lie," Lindsey responded. "An intern transferred the money incorrectly. I apologize for the inconvenience."
"In-a-convenience? It-a seems like mora than an in-a-convenience! Millions of dollars being misplaced? HA!"
"I understand your displeasure," Lindsey answered.
Mr. Dalessandro studied her for a moment. "You tell that-a Yorgi the deal-a is off."
Lindsey swallowed. "Mr. Dalessandro, please," she begged as a child asking for a toy, "Allow me to correct this hideous misunderstanding." A slight pout crossed her red lips.
He sighed. "You are-a very good. You are-a hard-a to say no to."
Lindsey batted her eyelashes.
The large Italian sat back in his chair, thinking. "You have-a way to fix-a this?"
Lindsey snapped her fingers at Gohan, who stepped forward and handed her the brief case. She turned back to the businessman who was eyeing her suspiciously. "If I may?" she asked. He nodded and she placed the case on his desk, pulling her skirt back to reveal the high slit and exposing her leg as she sat on the edge of his desk. She clicked open the case and spun it around towards him, revealing the straps of one-hundred dollar bills. She leaned over the top of the case, smiling at him. Her well-manicured nails traced the edge of the case. "Every last cent owed to you, love. I think this should cover it," she said in a low voice.
Mr. Dalessandro wasn't looking at the money.
"Sir?" Lindsey asked, tipping her head to the side.
He blinked and met her eyes. "Ah, yes. That-a should'a cover it."
"So our debt is settled?" she asked.
Mr. Dalessandro nodded.
"Thank you, sir," she said in Italian and slid from the desk. She spoke in English again, "We appreciate your time and cooperation." With that, she turned and left, swaying her hips a little more than was necessary, Xander and Gohan on her heels.
"That's it?" Gohan whispered as they made their way back through the marble hall.
"That's it," she answered.
"Why did I have to come for this?"
"Didn't you see those men in there? I need someone around to protect me," she answered. "If he'd been in a sour mood, who knows if they would have shot me or what."
"So I'm your bodyguard now?" Gohan asked as he got back in the GTO.
"Are you complaining about that?" Lindsey asked as she slid into the back seat next to him.
Gohan smiled, "I guess not."
"What am I, a fuckin' chauffeur?" Xander asked as the car roared to life once more.
Lindsey pulled a dollar bill from her dress, wadded it and bounced it off Xander's head. "Home, Jeffries," she said in her snottiest voice.
"I hatechu," Xander grumbled as he picked up the bill and shoved it in his pocket as Lindsey wrapped herself in Gohan's arms.
Once home, the trio made their way to Yorgi's room.
"He accepted," Lindsey told Yorgi.
He smiled slightly and nodded. "I knew he would."
"You need overdraft protection," Xander said, crossing his arms and trying not to smile.
Yorgi laughed. "Now, there is big party downstairs. We should go."
"Do I have to?" Lindsey asked.
Yorgi nodded. "It's about time you got back to life. No more hiding for you."
Lindsey sighed. "Fine. Just let me change."
Back in her bedroom, she flung the dress on her bed and removed the jewelry, placing it carefully on her dresser. She locked herself in the bathroom, steeling her nerves. She really didn't want to go party, but she didn't have a whole lot of a choice. She slid open the drawer of her vanity, pulling out the small box again. She wrapped her right arm with a length of rubber tubing and peeled back the heavy lace of the arm warmer. She rubbed her arm for a moment, frowning at the thin, long bruises on the inside of her elbow. Her right arm wasn't so bad, but she hated trying to stick herself left-handed. She couldn't shoot her left arm tonight, though, since she'd blown a vein in it the day before. She had a huge bruise in the crook of her left arm.
As the drugs rushed through her system for the third time that day, she suddenly felt confident and happy again. She rolled the arm warmers back up and threw on a black skirt that was entirely too short and a black tank top. She loosed her dreadlocks from the big bun she'd put them in at the base of her neck and flipped them around a bit, then headed for the dance floor.
"Where's Lindsey?" Sabriena yelled over the loud music.
"She went to change clothes," Gohan yelled back, leaning closer to her. "She'll be here in a minute."
"Wanna dance until she gets here?"
Gohan blinked. Sabriena had never asked him to dance before. "S-Sure."
She grabbed his hand and led him out to the crowded floor. She turned to face him, shimmying her hips, one hand in the air holding her red cocktail. "Do you think she'll be able to handle this?"
"I guess so," Gohan answered. "She's been doing a lot better lately."
The song faded as another started up.
"OPPA GANGAM STYLE!"
"Oh my god, I love this song!" Sabriena cried.
Gohan shook his head. "I'm gonna go get something to drink."
She didn't seem to notice as she and the rest of the people engaged in the most ridiculous dance Gohan had ever seen. He found his way to the main bar and saw Lindsey sitting there, smoking a cigarette and talking to Kolya.
"So that's how I came up with the theory that fish can drown," she laughed.
"What?" Gohan asked, laughing slightly.
"Gohan!" she cried and hugged him. "I missed you."
"It's been twenty minutes," he laughed.
"Twenty minutes too long," she said seductively.
"You're silly."
She grinned in response.
"I think I'm ready for something different with my hair," she said out of nowhere. "I don't think I look good with these dreadlocks. Do you think I look good with them? I don't think so."
Gohan blinked at how fast she was talking. "They're okay."
"See? You don't like them. Maybe I should go blonde. Do you like blondes?"
"I like redheads," he smiled at her, leaning his forehead against hers.
She laughed again. "Nah, I think you'd like a blonde."
"Where on earth would you get that idea?"
"I saw the way you looked at her," Lindsey said, suddenly seeming melancholy. Her mood had shifted as quickly as if someone had flipped a light switch.
"Looked at who?" Gohan asked, completely confused.
"You kissed her," Lindsey answered, resting her hand in her chin, her elbow on her knee.
"I didn't kiss anyone!" Gohan protested. "What are you talking about?"
"The girl in my dream," Lindsey mumbled.
"Your dream?" Gohan asked, blinking several times. "You're mad at me for something I did in your dream?"
"Just forget it," Lindsey said, hopping off the barstool and walking away.
"What in the world just happened?" Gohan exclaimed.
"Ah, women," Kolya said, throwing his arm around Gohan's shoulders as if their confrontation earlier that day had never taken place. "They all crazy."
Gohan stared at Kolya out of the corner of his eye, extremely uncomfortable with the closeness. "You don't say."
Kolya swigged on his bottle of vodka. "You want some?"
"I'll pass," Gohan said, stepping away from the tall Russian and following the path Lindsey had cut through the crowd.
He found her on the dance floor with Leelee, both of them bouncing from foot to foot, singing with the song, "HEYYYYY SEXY LAAADAAAYYY!"
"Can I talk to you?" Gohan yelled over the loud music.
Lindsey blinked at him. "Oh, hey!"
He shook his head once. She seemed to be back to being in a good mood. "Are we okay?"
"Of course!" she smiled, still dancing.
"What about your dream? I thought you were mad at me?"
"Oh, it was just a silly dream," she answered. "I'm over it."
"Well whenever you decide to start making sense again, let me know," Gohan said and walked away. What was the matter with her? How did she all of a sudden become a happy, party-loving person again when just a couple weeks ago she couldn't stand to be around anyone? He was completely and utterly confused.
"Hey!" Lindsey called after him. He ignored her. She chased him down. "HEY!"
He stopped and looked at her.
"What's wrong?" Lindsey asked.
"You're not making any sense. One minute you're all happy and fine and the next you're treating me like shit."
Lindsey blinked. It was rare for Gohan to curse. "Well excuse me."
"You're not excused," he said and continued on his path away from the party.
Lindsey stood where she was, watching him go. "Fuck you, too, then." She returned to Leelee who was gasping for air as the song ended.