She’s a Runner

by B Amari

  Preferably before Dahlia got here and saw Calix chained to the floor and knocked out.

  Chapter 16

  Dahlia came in a timely fashion with what must have been an entire stores worth of merchandise. I had never seen so many clothes for two people in my entire life. What I saw go by as I stood there slack jawed, wasn’t exactly what I would have picked for myself. Looking more like it belonged on a runway show, or a trophy wife’s closet, but I wasn’t complaining.

  I'd at least know what it felt like to be on the uppity up one time, right? I was going to bamboozle the most ridiculously expensive outfit out of Andreas, for all the frustration he’d caused me. He could afford it.

  Andreas thanked Dahlia, gave her a huge-mungus tip, and shoved her my way. “You’ll be helping the lady today.”

  As it turned out Dahlia was a real sweetheart, shy but sharp, witty but firm. I liked her, and that was saying something because I didn’t like many women.

  She dressed me expertly, and was more than happy to help when I told her of my little side mission to run up the bill, picking out only the newest, best cuts, and most fashionable trends. I laughed out loud, and hoped Andreas hadn’t heard. She must work on commission.

  Feeling perfectly satisfied with my execution of the plan, and with the ease at which my partner in crime obliged me. I strode forward, from behind the mobile makeshift curtain Dahlia had set up, I twirled. “Whatcha think?” I asked to the room.

  Dahlia beamed. Silas smiled and nodded, but Andreas didn’t look moved. “Try on something else.”

  I frowned. Jackhole. Still, something inside me wanted to impress him. I went back behind the divider curtain and shook my head. Dahlia laid out another three outfits, all in the highest price range I’d ever shopped in.

  I tried them on, one after another, but the reaction was the same every, damn, time. “Well what do you want me to wear?” I challenged the giant control freak.

  “Oh whatever you want,” he explained without a care in the world. “I just wanted to see what you look like in all those outfits.” He winked at me, and then threw Dahlia another billfold tip. “We’ll take it all. Thank you Dahlia, I’ll return anything that doesn’t fit properly.”

  Dahlia nodded, but seemed hesitant. “What is it?” I asked, almost concerned.

  It was easier to focus on her than the fact that Andreas just dropped a phenomenal amount of cash on clothing I was probably never going to get a chance to wear, or be involved in the types of events one would wear them to.

  Her eyes grew wide as if she weren’t aware she was showing her emotions on her face. “Oh, it’s nothing really. I don’t mean to talk back, sir.” she addressed Andreas.

  “Oh please,” I huffed. “He’s really not that scary. What’s up?” I moved closer to her.

  “The male clothing,” she started, speaking directly to me. “I only brought a small selection. I didn’t know Mr. Drakos was looking to make such a large purchase. I don’t mean to pry, really I don’t, but did I bring enough? I’d hate to think I didn’t do my job properly.”

  I spun on Andreas. “Do all your staff think like this? Like you could squish them? We’re going to work on that Mr. Bossypants. You’re gonna give this woman a raise. She’s amazing, and you’d be a complete fucking idiot if you lost her because of your tempermental reputation.” I scolded.

  Andreas smiled at me. A real honest smile. “If that’s what you think, that’s what I’ll do,” he conceded.

  I turned back to Dahlia. “Hey, can I have your number?” I was adding Dahlia to my little black book. I bet she would make an awesome costume coordinator. If I ever got back to living on the run, and pulling cons.

  She was stammering about it not being necessary, and how she was just doing her job, ectera ectera, but I waved off her concerns. I glared at her with my most silly serious face. “Raise. Yes. Number. Yes.”

  She pulled out a card and passed it to me. “Thanks! You’re the best.”

  I plopped down on the sofa, as Dahlia packed up her divider curtain and spoke with Andreas off to the side. She left shortly after, and I knew I had to address the spending issue. Not only did he over shadow my little bit of mutiny fun, but he couldn’t buy me an entire wardrobe or two without strings. There were always strings.

  “Andreas, you’re going to send it all back. You know that right? I can’t accept this from you.”

  Andreas nodded. I knew what he was doing though. The old smile and nod. He was listening, but he wasn’t going to listen. I couldn’t put forth the effort to fight about it right now. I grabbed the couple outfits I really did like, and stuffed them in one of my bags.

  “For the record,” the voice purred behind me. I hadn’t even heard any footsteps. “I think you looked great in all of it.” Silas’ hand landed on my lower back as he pressed a chaste kiss to my temple. “I’ll be back. I have to go deal with the fire marshal, and the insurance men.”

  “See you soon.” I said in reply, trying to disguise the lust that was most definitely ramping up in my voice. I loved when he did things like that. If only it was all the time, and I didn't have to deal with the caveman.

  I turned to Andreas after Silas left, to find he was at his desk. I’d kept him to myself a lot lately as well, and he owned a multitude more businesses than Silas did. I felt guilt rush through me for monopolizing their lives.

  I spent the rest of the day going over Calix’s notes, and checking to make sure he was still breathing. He hadn’t woken up since he passed out the last time and I hoped that meant his body was working to repair whatever damage was sure to be in his noggin.

  When he finally awoke I took him a fresh pair of clothes, and a snack. Andreas took him to the bathroom and stood guard, only to return him to his single cuff.

  Silas returned some time after supper. He had missed a killer taco night, but I was sure he could throw something together from the sparse leftovers. Andreas and Calix liked them almost as much as I did. Almost.

  Sleep followed shortly after, my full stomach lulling me off to dreamland. It was a good thing that it had, I’d needed the extra, I’d been lacking energy so bad lately. I soaked up every moment of unconsciousness I could.

  It also seemed like I was going to have to get used to having half night sleeps.

  Glass shattering startled me from slumber, along with all the others. I jumped from my napping chair, blanket falling quickly to the floor, and scanned the room. I almost pissed myself. Okay maybe I peed a little, but I would never admit it to a soul if you tried to tell on me.

  Andreas and Silas both took action before I registered what was going on. I heard the pop and hiss of guns and dove for the floor. Behind the drop-lounge, the large viewing window was eviscerated, bars of the rebar railing falling to the floor, with nothing left to hold it up. Men, in what looked like mountain climbing harnesses, unclipped themselves from the metal like rope that they had propelled from the roof on. The clips fell to the floor with an odd ping.

  Bullets started to rain towards us, and Andreas dove for the floor with me, joined by Silas. In unison they flipped the couch, and then the coffee table, and shoved me behind the latter. The shots fired traded sides over and over, until I felt wetness spray on my face, and rushed back out from behind the table, scurrying between it, and the couch where the boys were.

  My weapons were on the other side of the apartment, what the hell could I do from here? I searched my own body, hoping my throwing knives were still on my legs, but as it was with the rest of my life, I was out of luck.

  Silas was holding his arm tight, while Andreas popped up over the back of the couch to fire off a shot once in awhile to keep them away. I leaned in to look, and Silas hissed. “Don’t touch it. It went clean through, I just need to tie it off.”

  Silas reached up and ripped the hem off of Andreas’ shirt while he was fending off the intruders. I would have laughed if I could at the responding face Andreas made, but I was too worried about the blood pooling out of Silas
’ arm..

  These two were outnumbered, out gunned, and almost out of ammo if I counted right. I had to do something.

  I whipped off the t-shirt I had worn as nightclothes, knowing full well I had on panties but no bra. Andreas and Silas looked at me like I had shot their dog, and took its place humping their legs, but I knew what I was doing. Kind of.

  I threw the t-shirt over the couch, the motion drawing the gunfire coming from the window.

  Fucking penthouses. Sure they were high off the ground but only one jump down from the fucking roof.

  I jumped up when I knew the guns were trained at my harmless distraction. The pull on my boobs really was a surprise. I suppose I’d never bounced them that hard. Fuck. Shaking off the surprise I hollered “Hey boys!” and dove back for the floor before they could train their guns on my body’s position.

  They really were quite slow for a band of secret society, cult-killing uppity ups.

  “What are you doing?!” Andreas whisper-yelled.

  “Distracting them. I’m going to crawl to that end of the couch and pop up again. Only for a second, and I’ll dive I promise.” I could hear the enemies footsteps behind our failing shield and knew I had to hurry. “You crawl to the other end. Take Silas’ gun, he has more ammo left. When I jump you shoot. We’ll switch and do it again. Hopefully we can lower their numbers, and stand a chance.”

  I looked over to Silas. He was losing quite a bit of blood. “Make it quick!”

  We pulled our little stunt and two things hit me all at once: Firstly, there had been at least six or seven members that had busted through the window. There were four now. Second, over by the bar, where our captive had been, was empty. The floor was barren of anybody, or any body.

  They took my fucking hostage!

  Of the ones left, one lay bleeding on the floor, curled in on himself, frozen. Another stood contorted, and unblinking. I knew what had happened there. Two more lay over top one another moaning, so they were injured but not dead.

  Andreas changed all that pretty quickly. Two shots and both men quit moaning, and went limp. He pulled out his cell phone and called someone to clean up the mess. When he hung up I punched him in the pectoral. I didn’t budge him. “You can’t just call in cleaners for this! This is like murder, and kidnapping, and dead girls who aren't dead.”

  “Don’t panic, this is what they do. They don’t ask questions.” He didn’t explain further. “We’ve got to get this cleaned up before I call Jacques over to get the facts while they're still fresh.”

  Andreas started to pace along the window, his figurative thinking hat was on again. “Where the fuck did the others go? It’s a long propel down, and I don't see them anymore.”

  I didn’t care. I mean yeah my curiosity would eventually latch on to the question, but I had one of my own. Why did they take Calix and not me? In that moment I swore I was going to get him back, and something cemented inside me. It felt right.

  Andreas bent and picked up one of the hand railings that had been secured through the glass, more for looks than actual protection, if I had to hazard a guess. He circled the Guild member that was still standing, frozen, unblinking. “So this is what happened to your prom date?”

  Andreas voice was raw, detached, hollow even.

  I couldn’t lie to him though, I needed him to see the truth. Silas too, but right now he was in rough shape. I’d take one of them knowing, for now, and be happy with that.

  “Yes. If you listen to his chest, his heart should still be beating, but if you try to bend his limbs they’ll break, maybe even right off. My prom date lost a couple fingers that way. He won’t sleep, or eat, or pee. He won't age, and his organs won't deteriorate. He’s frozen.”

  Andreas circled the man once more before drawing his arms back and smashing through the middle of the man’s torso with the hand railing. Bits and pieces of the man crumbled and fell to the floor. Blood in a very black coagulated form spilled around the chunks.

  I fought the urge to vomit and turned away. That was what I did to people insides.

  I couldn’t stand it right now, I couldn’t stand myself.

  When I turned back Andreas had made fast work of the other frozen man. He went to the counter in the kitchen and retrieved garbage bags and wash gloves, as if he’d ever washed a dish in his life, and came back over. He threw the gloves at me, “Here put these on. We need to clean up this part of the mess ourselves. I’m not going to be able to explain the apple crumble man desert lying on my floor. But for what it’s worth Little Minx, thank you for your help tonight, and… I believe you. Maybe not all that other mumbo jumbo, but this curse, this… power that you have. It’s real. I know that now. I still don’t know what to think, but I’m still here. I’m not going to go anywhere okay?”

  I nodded and started helping him throw away the man chunks. All the while my self loathing grew to disproportionate levels.

  “We can’t let Jacques know about this frozen thing, that it comes from you.” Andreas blurted. “He would drive himself mad digging for answers he may never be able to find. He’s had enough of that in his life.” Andreas hung his head and went back to work.

  I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to. We were on the same page, in sync, we were sympatico when it came to this issue. The fewer people who knew, the happier I would be.

  When Jacques arrived he collected all the evidence from our memory (sans magical curse), like what the attackers looked like, what they moved like, any weapons that got left behind, any markings we may have noticed. He examined the entryway, and the cuffs that had held Calix. He dusted around the elevator and the window for prints, and collected the bullet casings.

  When he was done his clue collecting, and decided he had enough to go on to try and find these fuckers, he sauntered quietly off to the side while we attended to Silas.

  He had been right, the shot was a straight through dealio. He knew how to handle the situation himself, and was now letting Andreas poke a needle and thread in and out of his skin.

  I didn’t want to watch, but morbid curiosity always won.

  Andreas looked up at me. “We’ll get the window fixed and I’ll hire some private security to be in place at all times, a team in the elevator, and a team on the roof for sure. I’ll make this place safe for you Medoe, I swear.”

  I hadn’t brought it up before but this was probably the best opportunity. “Actually Andreas, I’d like to leave town. This place can’t take much more of the damage I cause around me.”

  Silas made to protest but Andreas jabbed him with the needle getting a wince and a groan from him instead.

  “I know you guys want to keep an eye on me, but I was safer before I stopped moving.” I explained. They had to see this from my point of view.

  Jacques made himself known again then, melting away from the wall. “I gots a big ol’ house. Plenty of room for all of you. It’s outside the city, so you’d be moved, right? I mean… at least until you figure things out?”

  Chapter 17

  Jacques, the ever gracious host held the door wide and motioned for us to enter. A warm homey feeling hit you as soon as you walked in. All the colors were warm, and earthy, the furniture was rustic and definitely broken in, but not entirely matching. Light streamed in from the large windows all around the room and from the doors down the hall. A magnificent staircase ended in the middle of the room, ascending up and splitting off like a ‘Y’ until both sets of stairs reached the second floor wrap around banister. It was beautiful. All of it. Homeier than Andreas’ suits, and classier than Silas’ upstairs apartment.

  Not too hot, not too cold, but just right, like Goldilocks would have preferred.

  Andreas dropped his bags at the door and stormed through the house. Oookay, so I guess that meant Andreas had been here before, as he needed no directions. I heard the whine of a screen door opening and then slamming in procession.

  Jacques looked at me sheepishly. “He’s gotta tree out there, likes to beat on it w
hen things get hard.” he said in the way of an explanation. “I’ll go see what I can do,” Jacques offered.

  “Thanks Jacques.” I knew that Andreas was taking this badly. I remembered how he had reacted when the cafe had failed to be safe. I couldn’t imagine what kind of blame game he was playing in his head now, as the Guild had found a way into his secure penthouse. How could he have known they were idiotic enough to climb down from the roof, or escape through the elevator shaft with our captive, while we were distracted: Or that was my theory at least. People didn’t just vanish.

  I looked around the space and gravitated towards the large fireplace in the living room. A wingback chair was the only piece of furniture that occupied the area. I placed my things down on the old hardwood floors and made my way to the comfort I was sure the chair was going to provide.

  Sitting in the chair I felt like a giant was giving me a hug. I pictured Jacques sitting here, fire blazing, puzzling over a case. My imagination took over and painted him in a Sherlock Holmes outfit, his red curls sticking out under the edge of his adorable hat, pipe resting, waiting, in his hand.

  Seexxxyyy, a voice hissed in my mind.

  Excuse me, what?

  No. Normally my multiple personality mind fuck only chimed in when it made sence. That did not make sense.

  I shook the image and thoughts away as Silas came up on me from the side. “How’re you holding up?” he asked.

  “Probably better than I should be, but this has been my life for years. Maybe not cult-killers, but being on the run for sure. I just never dragged other people into it, so that’s hard.” I spilled. “I should be asking you. You’re the one who had to rebuild the cafe, and kidnapped someone, took a beating from Andreas, was forced out of another home, and now you’re staying in the home of a stranger again after a third attack and being shot. Normal people don’t see that kind of thing everyday.