by Brook Wilder
Another pause. Amy was pacing back and forth anxiously, her hands clasped behind her. There was nothing she hated more than fighting with her sister. “I trust you,” she said finally. “I may not understand your decisions, but I trust that you’ll do what you think is right.”
“Thank you,” Junie said, her eyes swelling up with tears. “Thank you, thank you.” She went up to her sister and hugged her tight. She buried her face in her shoulder, taking in her scent, the scent she had missed so much. She held onto her and wouldn’t let go, thinking that, if she really wanted to fix things with Amy, then she really needed to make it clear that she cared about her. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“Don’t be,” Amy said, brushing her fingers through her sister’s hair. “You take care of yourself, okay? And I’m here to help… if you ever need anything.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Junie said, pressing her forehead to Amy’s. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”
“Oh, I sure hope so.”
CHAPTER 13
Junie had a hard time falling asleep. She hadn’t talked to Aiden since the last time the two of them saw each other; the truth was, she was growing a bit worried. Ever since he got that phone call, she had been doing nothing but thinking about him, about this whole operation, and jogging her memory for what could have possibly gone wrong. She thought about every move, every detail. It was true she wasn’t actually in the middle of it, but she was keeping an eye out the entire time. Not because she was worried someone would come out of there with a bodily organ squirting out blood, but because she was worried that someone would be Aiden. She got out of bed and looked herself in the mirror; she couldn’t even recognize who she was. She had bags under her eyes like she had been crying for hours, but she knew it all boiled down to her sleep deprivations. Her legs were aching, but she attributed that to running up and down the hill where the bar is nested. In fact, her whole body ached, but that, she could only attribute to the amount of stress she was put under. She couldn’t stop thinking about the future, and what would happen to her and Aiden after this. It was driving her crazy. She decided she was going to pick up the phone and call her.
“Hello?” she said, cradling the phone to her ear. Aiden picked up after just one ring.
“Hello,” he said. “How’ve you been?”
“How have you been?” she asked, clutching the phone in her hand. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“Why have you been worried about me? I’m okay,” he said. “I’ve just been trying to pull myself together, come up with an alternative plan. So far, I have none. I feel like we’ve hit a dead end.”
“No, we haven’t,” Junie said, shaking her head frantically. “I just thought of something.”
“Well, don’t say it over the phone.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Junie walked over to Aiden’s house and his door was already open. In a way she felt like they were living together. Maybe not in the way she would have liked to, but he was probably more involved in her life than anyone else.
“Aiden,” she said. He turned around to look at her, and the minute their gazes met, a sheer delight seemed to split his face from ear to ear.
“Hey,” he said, dropping the book he had been reading and walking over to her. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Whenever he would look her in the eye for a second too long, Junie would purse her lips and look away. Aiden wondered if that meant something. “You drive me crazy sometimes,” he said again.
“If I drove you crazy so much then why didn’t you call me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“I’ve been wallowing, to be honest,” he said. “I’ve been talking to T, trying to figure out a loophole… that way, we can figure out what our next course of action will be.”
“I have… a suggestion, but I don’t know how you’d feel about it,” Junie said, taking Aiden’s hand and dragging him to the couch. She sat him down and looked at him, her fingers tracing circles around his thigh. Aiden shivered at the sensation. “My sister, she had a boyfriend… he was in the Marines. I remember how she used to complain about him going on and on about detonating buildings, she thought he had nothing else to talk about.”
Aiden chuckled. “And that’s why she broke up with him?”
“No, he was just too clingy,” Junie said, rolling her eyes. “But anyway, I think we should get in touch with him, he might be able to help us.”
Aiden rose to his feet again and started pacing the room. Junie thought he would dig a hole in the ground dragging his feet across the carpeted floor. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he left his head to hang low. “And this guy… do you know him well enough to trust him with this kind of information?”
“We were pretty close when he and Amy dated,” she said, gawking at him as he continued to pace. “He doesn’t even need to know anything… I’m just going to try and pull the information out of him.”
“How long have he and Amy been broken up?” Aiden asked, collapsing on the couch again.
“Like two years,” Junie said, shrugging.
“So you just want to call this guy up and be like “Yo, I need you to give me a detailed manual on how to detonate a building full of people because, you know, I’m just interested in stuff like that”?”
Junie pouted and then pursed her lips. “Well, I feel like an idiot now,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “What do you think we should do?”
“Junie, does Amy have a good memory?” Aiden asked.
“Sharp as a tack.”
“Do you think she would remember stuff like that from two years ago?”
“I don’t think she was all that interested to begin with,” she said. “But, she did care about the guy… I think she pushed herself to like the same things he liked for this to work out, but then it never did.”
“So, if we were to assume that Amy remembers at least some of what her ex told her, do you think we could get her to help us?” he asked.
“I highly doubt it,” she said. “But I can try to talk to her.”
“Are you sure it’s not going to cause any problems between the two of you?” Aiden asked, a worried look on his face.
“Well, what do you want me to do?” she asked. “I’m torn here… I want to help you, but I don’t want to piss her off again, either.”
“Maybe it’s better if you just don’t bring this up with her again.”
“But what about our plan? Are we just going to drop everything?”
“We’re going to have to come up with something else, it’s not worth compromising your relationship with your sister.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help… believe me, if there was anything else I couldn’t done, I would’ve done it,” Junie said, resting her head on his lap. He smoothed his hand over her hair, and she held onto him, as if grabbing onto the edge of a boat to stop from drowning.
“Junie,” Aiden said, tracing his thumb along her jawline. “There is nothing else you could’ve possibly done, do you hear me? Nothing.”
“Okay,” Junie whispered, her eyelids feeling heavy as ever. She rolled over and drifted off to sleep, only to be woken up by the sound of an anchorman yelling through her TV.
Ten children terrorized at local elementary school on Barner Street, sources say the Mercenaries biker gang are responsible. Junie flinched awake. When she turned to look beside her, Aiden was gone, and she grabbed the remote off the coffee table, her hands shaking as she turned up the volume.
That’s the school Amy works at. “Aiden, Aiden!” she yelled, not taking her eyes off the television set. It wasn’t long before Aiden came barging in.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. He averted his gaze to the headlines as they flashed across the screen, and immediately, he recognized the school as Amy’s. “Holy shit,” he said. “Go call Amy.”
“I’m dialing her number… hello? Hello, Amy? I just saw the news, what the fuck happened?”
“You won’t believe what happened, Junie, they threatened to kill us!”
“Who did? The Mercenaries? Talk to me!”
“Yes, the Mercenaries!” Amy said, her voice trembling. “They broke into our classroom with their dog masks, they were chasing the kids around!”
“What the fuck? Did they harm any of them?” Junie asked, her eyebrows furrowed. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Those people were sick; she knew she had to get rid of them.
“No, the kids are okay,” Amy breathed. “What’s weirding me out is that these people don’t seem to have a specific intention… they just go around harassing the kids, it’s sickening!”
“The most important thing is… are you okay? Do you need me to come over?” Junie asked, already making her way for the door.
“Please.”
Junie was there before her sister could say Mercenaries. She had told Aiden to stay behind, and when she pulled over, the first thing she saw was Amy, seated on her doorstep. She hugged her knees to her chest, and when her eyes landed on Junie coming up her driveway, she rose to her feet and rushed to her. “Oh, thank God you’re here!” she said, throwing her arms around her sister. Junie could feel the tears soaking up her collar, and she smoothed her sister’s hair over, trying to get her to stop sobbing.
“It’s okay, honey, it’s okay,” she whispered into her ear.
“I’m going to help you stop them,” Amy said ominously. There was a pause.
“Help me stop who?” Junie asked, her eyes fixated on her sister’s.
“The Mercenaries.”
***
“Junie, are you sure this is a good idea?” Aiden asked, looking at her through heavy-lidded eyes. “I’m already reluctant to drag you into this with me, let alone your sister.”
“Aiden, she’s the one who volunteered to help in the first place; she feels very strongly about it,” Junie said.
“What’s wrong? You’re being weird.”
“I really don’t think you should be involving yourself in all of this anymore,” Aiden said, his eyes dropping to the floor. Suddenly Junie felt incompetent, like she had done all of this for nothing.
“Did I do something wrong?’ she asked, frowning. “I’m not really sure why you’re being like this.”
Aiden shifted in his seat and took Junie’s hand. “That’s not what I mean,” he said. “You didn’t do anything… I just don’t want you going on missions or learning stuff about blowing up buildings or exposing yourself to these people. It’s not your place.”
“It’s not my place to protect my son? To honor my husband’s death?” she asked, her nostrils flared. She looked at Aiden with livid scarlet eyes, but she didn’t move.
“I never said that,” Aiden said, turning away. He had never seen Junie so mad before. “Junie, I care about you more than anything and anyone… I don’t want to see you get hurt, I don’t know what I would do if anything were to happen to you.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me as long as you’re with me,” she said.
“But how can I promise you that?!” Aiden asked, slamming his hand against the table top. Junie jumped. “I’m going to stand by you, no matter what happens… you know that. But that doesn’t mean nothing is going to happen to you… Junie, if anyone touches a hair on your head, I don’t know what I would do.”
Junie’s lips curved to a smile. Aiden’s eyes were boring into her, like they were searching for something, something even she couldn’t understand. Suddenly it dawned on her how much he cared about her, how he would do anything to protect her. Her eyes slid down his body, his were still on her, and she leaned in close to him and pressed her lips to his. He kissed her passionately, and when she pulled away, she mouthed an “I love you” to him.
“I don’t want you to worry about me,” she said out loud.
“I don’t think you understand how hard it is not to,” he breathed.
“Don’t take this away from me,” she said again. “Let me have this, just let me have this.”
Aiden nodded. He was staring at Junie through heavy-lidded eyes; all he could think about was how much he wanted, no, needed her. “I have a suggestion,” he said after a long pause. “How about we lure them away from the city, away from everyone and everything… that way no one can get hurt.”
“And what does this have to do with me?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“I’d rather you stay in the city.”
“I’ll think about it.” There was silence. “What else do you have in mind?”
“I’m thinking we should have a shootout… and then blow that motherfucker up.”
“So you’re good with my plan?” she asked.
“Your mind’s a goldmine,” he said.
“You won’t regret this.”
“Now, come over here.” Aiden leaned in again and kissed her. She held onto the couch cushion and thrust forward, pressing her lips to his as hard as she could. The fire was boiling up inside her; being with Aiden was like going down a slide, not knowing where you’ll end up.
“Let’s go upstairs,” she hissed.
“Let’s.”
***
“So, is that what they use?” Junie asked, staring at the bundle of red dynamite on her computer screen. It was bound by black wire, and Junie could almost swear she had seen something just like it in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
“Yes,” Amy said. “I’m positive.”
“And do you know how they make it?” she asked, her head cocked to the side.
“Junie, Darrell spent ten whole months coming home to me with a huge grin on his face because he discovered a new way to make dynamite… I’m pretty sure I’ve memorized it all.”
“Woah, no wonder people get arrested for shit like this all the time,” Junie said. “It’s crazy how information like this has become accessible to almost everyone.”
“Which reminds me,” Amy said, the silver of her eyes flaring as she gazed at Junie. “A lot of this information we can find online, you know, just in case you don’t trust my memory of two years ago.”
Junie chuckled. “Well, that’s reassuring,” she said. “Meanwhile, do you think you can get your hands on the supplies?”
“I have a pretty good idea where to get them,” Amy said, looking somewhere over Junie’s shoulder. Her lips curved to a smile, like she had just come up with some diabolical plan. “In fact, I’m going to go check it out right now.”
“Are you sure now’s the right time?” Junie asked, her eyebrows furrowed. “It’s still daylight and I don’t think you should be going to places like these before sundown.”
“Why? It’s not shady or anything,” Amy said, already rising to her feet. She seemed confident--a bit too confident--about her visit to that store, or market, or whatever it was. Junie eyed her as she threw her handbag over her shoulder and headed for the door.
“Wait, wait,” she said, running to her. “You seem a bit… too enthusiastic, don’t you think?”
“You know, Junie, just days ago I would’ve never thought I’d be doing this. I never thought I’d be on the same page as you, let alone help you stop a freaking motorcycle gang. But now I understand… I understand the fear, the humiliation of being stuck not knowing what to do to save the ones close to you. And I’m not going to stand for it, I’m not going to let this happen again.”
“Okay,” Junie said, her eyes dropping to the floor. She could tell how passionate her sister was about this, but she could also tell she was being reckless. Is that what Amy had been trying to tell her all along? And if so, was Amy dancing past the point of no return by volunteering on this mission? “I trust you, okay? Just be careful,” Junie said finally. “I don’t want you getting into trouble.”
“Don’t worry,” Amy said with a smirk. “If I go down, you’re going down with me.”
Junie chuckled, but deep down, something was tugging at her, telling her to stop her sister from walking out that door. But like Amy
, she felt stuck. She opened her mouth but no words came out, and she found herself nodding passively as her sister disappeared behind the door. “Oh, God,” she whispered to herself. “This isn’t going to end well.”
***
Aiden was on his way to Junie’s when he noticed he had a flat tire. He drove all the way to the mechanic, got the tire fixed and drove back. On his way back, he couldn’t stop thinking about Amy, what her involvement meant in all of this. It was trouble enough that Junie was involved; now he had to take care of her sister, make sure nothing happened to her. He let out a sigh, trying not to let his thoughts distract him from the task at hand. Junie’s house loomed clearly in the dark landscape; the air was so foggy that Aiden almost felt like he would suffocate in his car. Driving through the mist felt like driving through a wall, and when Aiden finally found a parking space, he breathed a sigh of relief. He parked a couple of blocks away and got out of the car, the heel of his shoe clicking against the concrete. His phone was in his hand, his car keys jingling in the other.
