by Kylie Parker
“It’s hard to find love these days.” Anna sighed. “Too much work, too many responsibilities.” Her conclusion brought a smile on his face.
“Wait until you have kids.” He said. “A few of my colleagues are in their thirties. Sometimes I’m sorry for them.”
“You shouldn’t be.” She disagreed. “Ok, raising kids is hard, but I’d love to start a family one day.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Anna.” Will requested. “Sure, the guys at work are tired all the time, but all they talk about is how cute their kids are. I want kids, too.”
Just when Will finished his sentence, Anna spotted a road sign. They were heading towards Cedar Hill. Anna could still recall the times when the two of them had driven there in his father’s pickup truck. The view of Joe Pool Lake from the forest on the east shore was breathtaking, with the hundreds of city lights around them. Under the stars, they would talk for hours, listen to music, dance or even have sex. Sometimes they visited that place with friends, but most of the time, Anna and Will went there alone.
“I should have known.” Anna’s voice had turned into a soft whisper.
“It used to be our favorite spot. How could I not take you there?” Will wondered.
“That was a long time ago, Will.” She spoke in a firm tone. “Things have changed since then.”
“Well, you’re right about that.” Will said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned; it’s that people don’t change.”
Chapter Fourteen
A few minutes later, on a hill overlooking Joe Hill Lake and surrounded by tall, eastern red cedar trees, Anna was starting to have second thoughts about her decision to go out with Will. She had recognized their spot. It was one of the many areas outside the city of Cedar Hill that offered such a fantastic view of the Joe Pool Lake, but they had chosen it for more than just that. Will had randomly picked it on the night of their first date. It was where they had first kissed. Nevertheless, as much as their surroundings reminded Anna of countless, happy, romantic moments with Will, she did not feel completely comfortable with him. She had moved on. The idea that she was betraying Jimmy crossed her mind. What had started out as a friendly meeting of two long lost lovers was quickly turning into a romantic date.
Will got out of his car and began to look for some bonfire wood, while Anna strolled around. Dried grass gave way beneath her weight. She had not seen the evergreen trees in more than seven years. As much as she liked them, Anna had not visited that place since she had broken up with Will. She stood more than twenty feet away from the nearest tree, but she would not get any closer.
“Looks like you’ve missed them.” He remarked, carrying a rather large pile of bonfire wood, passing her by.
“You know I love flora.” She smiled. “Yeah, I’ve missed them alright. But they remind me of our first date. I was so excited to be here that I kept touching them. They looked amazing. They still do.”
“For a moment, I thought you were going to say that you hated our first date.” Will laughed, easing the bonfire wood on the ground.
“Our first date was perfect in every way imaginable, Will. You know that. You had done everything right; you had said all the right things.” Anna’s voice was a little deeper than usual, with the hint of change behind it. “But it was a date between a couple of teenagers.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Will squinted at her.
“It means that both of us were a lot more carefree. You had all the time in the world to plan it. Things are not so simple now.” Anna stated, as Will lit the bonfire wood. The fire flared, rising three feet above him.
“I was expecting you to be a little more enthusiastic. Maybe this will change your mind.” Will said, before turning around. Anna wondered what he had in mind, as he made his way back to his car. But everything became crystal clear in a few seconds, when a very familiar tune filled her ears. It was the song that they had danced to at the prom. Chris De Burgh’s “Lady in red.” Anna was stunned to stillness. She could only watch, as Will slowly walked up to her, oozing with confidence, looking dead serious.
“Don’t tell me you forgot our song.” He said, as his fleshy lips curled into a slow, razored smile. Will offered his left hand. “Come on, Anna. For old time’s sake.” She did not speak. Instead, Anna gave him her right hand. Their fingers interlocked, before she put her right hand on her shoulder. With his free hand on her waist, they started dancing to Chris de Burgh’s love song. Anna traveled back in her mind, to the night of the prom. She had put on her favorite, red dress and Will looked more handsome than ever in a white tuxedo. They had had a wonderful time. Chris de Burgh’s melodic voice made her throat tighten with emotion, as Will pulled her closer…
I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance
And I have never seen that dress you're wearing
Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes
I have been blind
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me
It's where I want to be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget the way you look tonight
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side
And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away
And I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me
It's where I want to be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget the way you look tonight
I never will forget the way you look tonight
The lady in red, the lady in red
The lady in red, my lady in red
I love you
The song was fading out, when Will bent his head towards her.
“I still love you, Anna.” He whispered in her ear, holding her close, his voice ragged with emotion. Then, Will buried his face in her soft hair. But Anna was not prepared for this. The whole night felt like a mistake, right from the start. Yes, he was her first love, the boy who had captured a heart and she did like reminiscing about old times. As much as everything had moved her, she would not get back together with a hopeless romantic like him. Anna jerked back out of his hold.
“Take me home.” She urged, her voice commanding. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
“Why did you come here, Anna?” Frustration was lingering in his voice.
“We can’t do this, Will!” Suddenly, she raised her tone.
“Why? Is it because of the guy you’ve been seeing?” He inquired.
“Jimmy’s got nothing to do with this.” Anna dropped her eyes away from his intense stare. “You said it yourself. People don’t change. Do you remember why we broke up?”
“I think about it every day.” Will confessed. “It was one of the worst days of my life.”
“My friend Emily had played a joke on you, saying that I wanted to break up with you. You came by my house, crying like a baby, begging me not to leave you! You even threatened to kill yourself if I did!” Anna yelled.
“It was a mistake, Anna!” Will raised his tone as well. “I didn’t mean it!”
“It wasn’t just that, Will. You’ve always been too sensitive, you overreacted a lot. Anyway, like I said, it’s over.” Anna sighed. “Now please, take me home.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jimmy was a little sad not to see Anna that night, but he had not asked her out for a very good reason: He had a lot of er
rands to run in downtown Dallas. He would have to walk from one place to another under the blazing sun and all this activity tired him. Jimmy returned to his cabin late at night, exhausted and in desperate need of a shower.
The small wooden structure was on the left side of a gravely road. Something worried Jimmy, long before he even got there. The lights were on. For a moment, he believed that maybe Martin or Nicolas had come back from their vacation. But it was too soon and Jimmy had asked them to call first, as he didn’t like surprises. Wondering who it was that had visited him in the middle of the night, Jimmy approached his front door with caution.
He snuck a peek into the kitchen. The sight that greeted him made his blood boil in his veins. It was Ben Thomson, sat on a chair, having a beer, with his feet on the kitchen table. However, something else troubled Jimmy even more. Ben had found the large, gray bag that contained the money from the heist. It was on the right side of the table, next to his thigh. But even that didn’t deter him. Jimmy would confront Thomson, even if that meant getting into a fight with him.
“Come on in.” Ben urged. “There’s nothing like a cold beer on a hot night.” Jimmy noticed a tall glass, on the edge of the counter on the left. He stepped inside and tried to grab it.
“Nuh-uh.” Ben said, picking up his gun from the chair on his right. “Sit down.” He continued, waving Jimmy to the seat across from him.
“What the hell are you doing here, you psycho?” Jimmy’s voice roared like thunder.
“Relax.” Ben smiled up at him sarcastically. “I’m not here to fight you. But…” He paused, taking his eyes off of Jimmy. Ben looked down and to his right, fixing his gaze on the bag. “I must say; I’m very impressed. How did you rob that truck? I don’t think you did it alone. Why didn’t you kill the security clerks? Does Anna know that you put a gun to her head? I’m assuming you’re the one behind the other three heists, too. Am I right?”
“You can’t prove anything.” Jimmy returned the sarcastic smile.
“Oh, I will. I’ve done my research on you, Jimmy.” Ben said. “Born and raised in a San Antonio orphanage. Parents: Unknown. You tell people that you’re a realtor. There’s no realtor registered by that name in the state. And surprise, surprise… I find a bag with more than a million dollars in your place. You were smart enough to get rid of the bands. I didn’t find any weapons, though.”
“Do you have anything you want to say?” Jimmy couldn’t stand his unusually high-pitched voice or the smug smile on his face.
“Let’s make a deal.” Ben muttered. “You stay away from Anna. I keep my mouth shut about the robberies. If you don’t, I’m going to arrest your ass in a heartbeat and tell Anna everything.”
It was at that time that Jimmy comprehended the lengths that Thomson would go to, in order to keep him out of her life. If he arrested Jimmy, he would most likely be promoted. However, if his superiors discovered that he had found the man responsible for the three, bloody heists and let him go, his career would be destroyed. For Jimmy, this was a perfect chance to avoid arrest. Even though he did not know whether Thomson would keep his end of the deal or not, the idea of getting away with six murders and four robberies sounded very appealing. But Jimmy never allowed others to tell him what to do and he would definitely not let a cop destroy his relationship with Anna. He was not ready to give up on her and he knew that he could not rely on him keeping his mouth shut.
With his hands gripping the edges of the rectangular, aluminum table, he pushed it violently towards Ben. It hit him hard on the chest. Thomson was thrown more than five feet across the room. He landed flat and hard on his back. The FBI agent attempted to get up but, just when he leaned against his left shoulder, Jimmy pinned him on the floor with a knee in the middle of his chest. He pulled his gun out and pointed it at Thomson.
“Put your hands behind your head, motherfucker!” Jimmy snarled.
“There’s the true Jimmy Holden.” Ben taunted him as he complied. As much as Jimmy wanted to pull the trigger, he knew very well that he shouldn’t. Once again, he had to keep his cool and not do something that he would most definitely regret. He would also have to deal with Anna’s suspicion. However, Ben had to be punished somehow. Jimmy tossed his gun on the floor on the right. He clenched his fists. A tremendous right-left combination stunned Thomson.
“No, you psychopath. That’s the real Jimmy Holden.” Jimmy grumbled, as blood began to drip down Thomson’s left cheekbone. He then grabbed him by the throat. “You can believe anything you want. If you ever, ever go anywhere near Anna, I swear to God. I’ll kill you.” Jimmy did not allow him to verbalize. As soon as he finished his sentence, he loosened his grip on Thomson’s throat and grabbed his right wrist with both hands, before he got up. He dragged Thomson backward first and then to the left. Thomson’s body was finally out of his cabin. Jimmy took a step towards him and stopped on his right. He folded his arms across his chest, looking down at him, as if he was trying to intimidate him.
“Are we clear?” He spoke in a stentorian voice. Thomson nodded.
“Good. Now get the hell out of my face.”
Chapter Sixteen
Thomson’s threats had put Jimmy in an impossible position. The FBI agent had no evidence to back his story. The only thing that Thomson had found was part of the stolen money and most likely, he was bluffing, but Jimmy did not –and could not- know for sure. More than ever, he wanted to tell Anna everything about his past, although it could well mean the end of their relationship. But how could he do such a thing? Jimmy discovered that it needed a lot more courage to be honest to someone than threaten him or her with a gun. He kept twisting and turning in bed for hours, unable to sleep.
“That’s what it means to be an outlaw. You always have to look over your shoulder. You can’t enjoy the most important things in life. Love, family, children… And, even when you find someone worth hanging on to, the truth will come back to bite you in the ass. I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes, I’m jealous of the men that take their kids to school every day. Sure, they have to work their asses off every day for bum paychecks, but they have a family waiting for them back home. That’s got to feel good. I wish I could undo all the terrible things I’ve done, but I can’t. Damn it… Why does this have to be so damn hard?”
Even driving around did not help much. At least Jimmy enjoyed the quiet of the empty streets of downtown Dallas. He could hardly remember the last time he had seen the busy streets so lifeless. It was a welcome sight. At least, it helped him clear his mind.
“I would probably be on my way back to San Antonio and that fed would be dead if I hadn’t met you, Anna. Anyway, there’s only one thing left to do. I should have done this when we first met, but better late than never I guess. I need to see you.”
Upon finishing his last thought, Jimmy began to make his way back to Highland Park. He expected to feel anxious about the outcome of his conversation with Anna, but Jimmy had no illusions: That night, his short relationship with Anna would probably end. As one would expect at 5am, every light in her house was off. However, just when Jimmy got out of his car, the light in her front porch to the left came on. Anna came outside. Curious as to why she had been up so late, he walked along her fence and stopped on the corner, roughly ten yards away from the porch. Jimmy did not address her; instead, he hesitantly raised his hand in the air, squeezing his lips. His gesture drew her attention. Anna jumped from her seat, but did not speak, either. She flipped around, sprinted across her porch and ran towards her front door. Anna crossed the small, narrow pathway and went to the right. She stopped for the moment and stared at him, before running towards him. Anna literally jumped into his arms.
“Boy, am I glad to see you.” She whispered in his ear, holding on to him tightly.
“Jesus, you’re acting like you haven’t seen me in a month.” Jimmy remarked, alarmed by her behavior. “What’s going on?”
“Let’s go to the porch.” She suggested, leaning back. “You might want to sit
down for this.”
“After you.” Jimmy said with a sigh. Anna had once again proved to him that she was rather unusual. The first thing that most people would do if someone visited them at 5am was ask if anything was wrong. She did no such thing. Anna ran both hands through her hair as they reached her porch.
“Ok.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Yesterday, I said I had fallen in love twice. Do you remember that?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, today I ran into the man I was in love with, back in high school. He’s back in town.” Anna stated.
“So?” Jimmy shrugged his shoulders.
“He asked me out. I said ‘sure, why not?’ Please don’t hate me for this.” Anna begged. “I know I shouldn’t have gone out with him. He said he still loved me.”
“Do you still love him?” Jimmy was too sad to raise his tone. His voice was much softer than usual.
“No.” Anna’s reply was sharp. “You seem really cool with this.”
“I’m not, but you’ve done nothing wrong.” He explained. “Is that why you’re up so late?”
“Yeah. I thought you’d be…” She faltered. “Really upset.”
“Forget about it. No harm, no foul.” Jimmy said, as a faint smile formed on his manly face. “I’d like to thank you for the past few days. They were amazing.”
“Thank me?” Anna squinted at him. “You don’t have to thank me, Jimmy.” She smiled up at him.
“Actually, I do.” He insisted. “I haven’t told you the truth about what I do, Anna.”
His words wiped the smile off of her face.
“What are you talking about?” She inquired.
“I’m not a realtor.” Jimmy confessed. “I’m a robber. Me and my crew rob armored trucks. We robbed the truck you were driving the other night.”
“What?!” Anna exclaimed.
“It’s true.” He added, as she put her head in her hands.
