by Brook Wilder
“Okay,” Matt said, pouting. Junie mirrored his pout, reaching her hand out to him and squeezing it.
“I promise, we’ll be back in no time,” she said, her eyes fixated on his.
“Hey, Matty,” Aiden said, patting him on the head. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Thank you,” Junie mouthed to Aiden as the mother and son duo made their way back to the house. Aiden shook his head, mouthing back an “it’s nothing” to her. Junie breathed a sigh of relief, marching across the yard and heading down the driveway. Getting to know Aiden was like jumping in with her eyes closed, but it was a risk she was willing to take.
CHAPTER 10
Junie had just dropped Aiden off at the bus stop when she noticed Amy’s car parked in her driveway. She narrowed her eyes at the dusty black Toyota, and when she noticed that Amy was still in there, hunched over the steering wheel, she popped the door open and peered inside. “Amy, what are you doing here? It’s seven AM,” she said, her eyebrows furrowed. But Amy didn’t answer her. She cocked her head towards the house, motioning for her to lead the way.
“I need to talk to you,” she said, her lips barely moving.
“Alright,” Junie said, raising an eyebrow at her. Amy slid out of the driver’s seat and locked her car, following her sister into the house. “So, what’s this about?” Junie asked, turning to her.
“I was at the supermarket a while ago … I heard things,” she said, her eyes darting back and forth frantically. “I overheard this man talking on the phone… he was whispering, actually, but he brought you up.”
“Amy, what did the man look like?” Junie asked, her head cocked to the side. She was suddenly worried. Who could possibly be talking about her, and to whom?
“He was standing behind the shampoo shelf, and all I could see was that he was huge,” Amy said, spreading her arms out to her sides. Junie knew straight away that the man Amy saw was Jon-Boy.
“Oh,” she said, her eyes dropping to the floor. “And what did he say?”
“Wait, do you know him?” Amy asked. “Come on, Junie, you have to be honest with me, here. Something is fishy.”
“I’m not sure,” she lied. “Just tell me what he said first.”
“He was saying things about an operation, but not that kind of operation,” Amy said, shaking her head so frantically that her earrings were dangling back and forth like chandeliers in an earthquake. “Not your kind of operation,” she continued, glaring at her.
No shit, Junie thought to herself. “I know,” she breathed. “I know everything.”
Amy looked at her sister like she was a crazy person. “What do you know?” she asked. Her eyes were boring into Junie, who suddenly felt the need to sit down.
“Just take a seat,” she said softly. “I’ll explain everything.” Amy rolled her eyes and pulled a chair, slumping down on it and spreading her legs out in front of her.
“There, I sat,” she said, folding both arms across her chest. “Now, please, just tell me what’s going on. What’s your relationship with this man?” There was silence. “He was wearing a biker’s jacket, for Christ sake!”
“He’s one of the Rebel Disciples,” Junie said after a long pause. Another bubble of silence suspended itself in the air. Junie could feel the walls closing in on her, and for some reason, she felt the need to run. “A while ago, after the whole daycare incident, I teamed up with them to stop the Mercenaries… they were the cause of all of this,” she said.
“Are you fucking insane?” Amy asked, rising to her feet. Deep down she wished Junie would deny that it was her, but she already knew from the start that what she heard behind that shelf was no coincidence. “Are you seriously going to involve yourself with a biker gang? I can’t believe you!”
“Listen, just listen to me,” Junie said, holding her hands out in front of her. She hated having to confront Amy about this, but she knew she had to. For some reason she just never thought she would find out, not like this. “Wait, what did you hear Jon-Boy say over the phone?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“That’s all you care about? How I found out?” Amy asked. “Alright, fine, I heard him say he’s got a nurse called Junie working with him, and that, if shit goes down, she’s going to step in and save the day..”
Junie clenched her eyes. “Alright, remember how I told you about Aiden?”
“And I explicitly told you to stay away from him? Yes, I remember,” Amy said, sitting back down and crossing one leg over the other.
“Well, he has a plan to eliminate the Mercenaries, the people who were responsible for the daycare incident,” she said, sitting down next to her. “And I’m going to be a part of it.”
“What are you going to do, exactly?” Amy asked.
“I’m responsible for patching up the injured,” she replied. The air was so dense that Junie thought her head would explode.
“So that’s all they want you to do, nothing else?” she asked, clenching her jaw. Junie knew her sister was just waiting for her to falter, to make one mistake just so she could pounce on her. She contemplated whether or not she should tell her, but Amy was her sister. She was never used to hiding things from her.
“No,” she said finally. “I’m going in there, to distract them.”
Amy’s jaw dropped. “Going in where, and to distract who?” she asked, holding onto the armrests of her chair. Junie looked over and she was clawing at the fabric, like a cat waiting to pounce. “Junie, answer me.”
“The operation’s not going to be easy, okay? They’re going to need someone to distract the Mercenaries… otherwise we’re all fucked.”
Amy shook her head violently. “Who’s we?” she asked. “Junie, can you hear yourself? Is there something going on between you and Aiden?”
“This isn’t about Aiden,” Junie said, suddenly furious. “This is about Matt… I have to protect him, and the only way I can do that is by joining forces with those people.”
“You want to join forces with a fucking biker gang?” Amy asked, stomping her foot against the floor. “Junie, do you want to get yourself arrested?” There was silence. “Why don’t you just let the police do their job?”
“The police are idiots!” Junie yelled.
“And who fed you those words, huh? Was it Aiden? Since when do you think like that?” Amy asked, the veins of her neck looking as though they’re about to pop. “Junie, I hate to say this… but if you don’t drop this whole thing, I’m going to go to the police.”
Junie felt her heart drop to her knees. The first thing she could think of was Aiden, and how he would be affected by all of this. It finally sunk in how much she cared about him, how much she wouldn’t let anything happen to him, even if the person getting in the middle of all of that was her sister. “I’m not going to let you do that,” she said. “Amy, I know you think this is a bad idea… but I’m really, really going to need you to trust me on that one.”
“What, do you think this is some kind of game?” she snarled. “You’re collaborating with the very people who killed your husband!”
“Will you stop bringing this up already?!” Junie yelled, slamming her hand against the coffee table. “You think this doesn’t hurt anymore? You think this is easy?” There was a pause. Amy didn’t really know what to say. “Those people, the ones who killed my husband… they’re going after my son now. Don’t you read the news?”
“Junie, stop exaggerating, they’re not going after Matt. They’re just going around harassing people because of biker related scenarios that we know nothing about!” she said.
“No, you know nothing about them,” Junie said, her nostrils flared. “I’m just going to need you to stay out of it.”
“Alright,” Amy said, shifting in her place. “But I just want you to know one thing… if you don’t stay away from this Aiden, I’m going to go to the police, and that’s my final decision.”
Junie opened her mouth to speak but no words came o
ut. She wanted to smash something, but deep down, she knew she couldn’t blame her sister for acting the way she did. She had no one to blame but herself, but she wasn’t backing out. She had to do what she thought was right.
“I think you need to go now,” she said after a long pause, and when Amy clearly looked offended, she didn’t bat an eye.
“Great to know where I stand for you,” she said, already turning around and making her way for the door.
Junie watched as she swung it open and stepped out into the yard, but she didn’t go after her. She didn’t really know what to say. She knew she wasn’t going to change her mind, and neither was Amy. The two of them had always been stubborn like that, just like their father. Junie slumped down on the couch and held her head in her hands. Now what was she going to do? Amy was going to go to the police, and what did that mean for Aiden? Junie couldn’t stand the thought of him being away from her. She wondered if she was falling in love with him, and if he felt the same way about her. But she decided she wasn’t going to think about this right now. She had bigger things to worry about. “Okay, I know what I’m going to do,” she said to herself. She got up and peered out the window, and when she made sure that Amy was gone, she swung the door open and marched out.
Aiden heard a knock at his door. “Hey,” he said, opening up for Junie. She looked like a mess.
“I need to talk to you,” she said, stepping inside. She didn’t even think about it. “I’m sorry to barge in on you like that… it’s just-”
“Don’t apologize,” Aiden said, grabbing her hand and leading the way to the TV room. The two of them sat side by side, Aiden eyeing Junie as she clasped her hands in her lap and rocked back and forth nervously. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his head cocked to the side.
“My sister Amy visited me today,” she said after a long pause. “She overheard Jon-Boy talk about the operation at the supermarket … and she came over to interrogate me about it.”
“What the fuck?” Aiden said. “What did she hear exactly?”
“Apparently he was being very explicit about it… much so to the point where my own sister put two and two together,” she said, her eyes wide as a set of plates. “Then she came and confronted me about it.”
“Oh my God,” Aiden said, leaning back in his seat. “This is a disaster… who knows if anyone else heard him?” The two of them sat in silence. Junie wondered if she should go on.
“That’s not the worst part,” she said finally. “Amy threatened to tell the police if I don’t back out of our plan.”
“Well, shit,” Aiden said, holding his head in his hands. He really didn’t know what to say. “No, we gotta figure out a way to keep her quiet,” he hissed. Junie just stared at him. He wondered if what he said was too aggressive.
“I don’t know,” she said after a long pause. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she’s too hard-headed to listen.”
“She probably thinks I’m some kind of a monster,” Aiden said, rather to himself. “Alright, well, we need to think of something, otherwise we’re screwed.”
“We’re already screwed,” Junie said, rising to her feet. “What should we do? You tell me.”
“There’s nothing to be done!” Aiden said, throwing his hands up in the air. “What are we going to do, tie her up to the bed?”
“No, no,” Junie said, shaking her head frantically. “Although…”
“What?” Aiden asked, his lips curving to a smile. “Do you like the idea of being tied up to a bed?”
Junie felt her cheeks getting hot. Aiden was just staring at her, his lips slightly parted, his eyes travelling up and down her face and neck. She could feel a warmth radiating through her, but she ignored it, trying not to let Aiden’s ways get to her. “I might,” she said, despite herself. “But not in a sick kind of way.” The two of them sat in silence. A million thoughts were rushing through Junie’s mind; for a moment she thought she would kiss him again. Her relationship with Aiden was such a rollercoaster to her; she didn’t know where any of this was going. One second they’re talking about the operation, and the next, they’re thinking about tearing each other’s clothes off. More often than not, Junie thought about getting serious with him, but she didn’t want to set herself up for disappointment. After all, Aiden was in a biker gang, and that didn’t really resonate well with her. She couldn’t get Amy out of her head; maybe she was right. Maybe Aiden really was a bad person. What if he was just using her to get what he wants? What if, what if, what if.
“Fair enough,” he said finally. “You definitely look worried.”
“That’s because I am,” Junie said, her eyes fixated on the floor tiles. “Aiden, what if all of this doesn’t go well, what are we gonna do? What am I gonna do?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his head tilted to the side. “I think your sister got to you. Those are just your nerves talking, Junie.”
“What if something happens to you?” she asked. “I’m never going to forgive myself.”
“I’m never going to forgive myself if anything happens to you.”
Junie let out a frustrated sigh. She flipped her hair to the side and started tugging at its ends, her eyes darting back and forth frantically. The truth was, she just wanted to throw in the towel. Amy’s words got to her, she couldn’t deny that. Suddenly it dawned on her that maybe this wasn’t a good idea, after all. All she was trying to do was protect her son, but what if this all backfires?
“I’m getting cold feet,” she muttered, not looking at Aiden. Her eyes were swelling up with tears.
“Hey, hey,” Aiden said, walking over to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. “Don’t be like that… we have a solid plan, remember?” Junie didn’t answer. Deep down, she didn’t believe she could do this. She didn’t even think she could pass her nurse exam, for God’s sake. “Junie,” Aiden said again. “Do you trust me?”
“I do,” she blurted out. “I do.”
“Then I want you to trust me on this one… I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said, his eyes locked on hers. Junie let out a sigh. She knew she trusted Aiden, despite the fact that she barely even knew him. She didn’t know what it was about him that made her feel so secure, but she decided she was going to trust her gut when it came to him.
“Alright,” she breathed. “And what about Amy? What are we going to do about her?”
“I think you and I can come up with a plan,” Aiden said. “It may not involve tying her to the bed… but I’m pretty sure I have something up my sleeve…”
CHAPTER 11
Junie woke up with a strange sense of confidence. Aiden had this weird way of making her feel like everything was going to be okay, that all her worries were just fragments of her imagination. She wondered if their plan would work, but she decided she wasn’t going to think about it until it was time. She had called Amy to set up a meeting with her, and despite her reluctance at first, she finally agreed to meet with her at a cafe downtown. Junie spent a considerable portion of last night trying to gather her thoughts, to decide, even jot down, what she was going to say to her, but it was no use. This whole plan wasn’t about her, it was about Jon-Boy. She got up and threw her feet off the side of the bed.
“This is definitely going to be interesting,” she muttered as she put on her fuzzy slippers and staggered to the bathroom. “Oh, God,” she said, massaging the bags under her eyes. She had never felt so drained in her life. Today was the day; she had never dreaded anything more. But first, she needed to meet up with Amy.
She picked her phone off the bedside table and dialed Aiden’s number. “Good morning,” she said. “I’m going to pass by Amy’s house right now… I’ll let you know how things go.”
“Alright,” Aiden’s voice came through the other end. “I’ll be waiting.”
Junie hung up and sprang for her closet. She threw some clothes on, dropped Matt at his school bus and ran back to her car, sliding into the driver’s seat and pulling out of the drivew
ay. The entire drive there, she couldn’t stop thinking about Amy. Her entire life, Junie was never intimidated by her sister. But it looked like there was a first time for everything. Besides, she had good reason to worry. For all she knew, Amy could be plotting her visit to the police station right now.
Junie pulled over in the driveway and dialed Amy’s number. “Hey,” she said. “I’m outside.” Not so long after, the front door gaped open and Amy stepped outside in her knee high boots. She strutted down the driveway, a blank expression on her face. Junie held onto the steering wheel, but she didn’t look at her sister. She pretended to fumble with her phone.
“Hello,” Amy said, sliding into the passenger seat. “How’ve you been?”
