by Ali Vali
"Got any coffee?"
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"I brewed a fresh pot just for you."
"Thanks." He took a sip and sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "This is the best cup I’ve had in months."
"Anything beats jail coffee Byron, so there’s no need to butter me up."
"I’m not buttering you up Mikey, just complementing you on your coffee. Is there any luck you are this good with breakfast too, honey?" Bryon put his feet up on the table and wiggled his eyebrows at his brother.
"Fuck you Byron."
"Ah come on, lighten up will you. I’m just playing with you. Let’s see if these losers left any money or credit cards in the house. If they did we can go out and have a little fun."
"I say we get out of here now. These people won’t be back for a week, which gives us a head start somewhere else. We could ditch the car once we are miles from here and the cops wouldn’t even know where to start looking." Mike thought he should give it one more shot before he left on his own. There had been no sign of his father for a couple of days and he knew the old man wouldn’t begin to know where to find them, and Byron was spiraling out of control. Going to jail for what he was up for already was one thing, but he wasn’t about to add the death of an innocent baby to his wrap sheet.
"Mike, you know I’m not leaving here until I settle some scores so quit your whining. I want to see the look on Desi’s face when I take away from her the one thing I wanted more than anything." Byron pulled open a large locking blade he had found in the garage toolbox outside. The owner kept it well sharpened and clean, almost like he had left it for what Byron had in mind.
"He’s just a baby Byron. You can’t hurt him."
"He was supposed to be mine. I can’t forgive the bitch for that. Desi betrayed me in the worse possible way. Unlike you, I’m a man, and this is what men do." Byron threw his coffee cup across the room and watched it shatter into pieces and the black liquid drip down the white wall of the kitchen. Mike looked at him and wondered what had happened to both his brother and his father in jail. The smallness of the cells seemed to have pressed in on the two of them and killed what little sanity they had going in.
"I don’t want any part of hurting a little baby Byron, you can forget that. I’m not saying I agree with what Desi did, but she made her choices and I can understand it. I am ashamed of the fact that I’m not a man like you." Mike’s watered at the memory he was reliving.
"At least we agree on something little brother."
"No, I’m ashamed of the fact I never stepped up and helped mama. Jesus, he killed her and you want to be like him? What kind of sick shit is that? Maybe, just maybe a real man is someone who doesn’t get his kicks out of beating the crap out of women." Mike’s tears ran down freely now as he thought of all the times he looked the other way when his mother walked into the room with a black eye and split lips. How many times had he seen Desi in the same condition?
"You’ve never been married, man. You wouldn’t understand. Sometimes you have to keep women in line just so that they know who’s boss." Bryon saw that something changed in his brother when his shoulders slumped and he turned away from him. They sat in silence for the rest of the morning listening to the driving rain outside.
"I want out of this." Mike broke first and confessed his greatest desire.
"Don’t worry about anything, I’ll take care of us."
"That’s what I’m afraid of Byron. What you don’t understand is that this time, there’s no fixing it if you kill someone. They’ll find us and they’ll fry us when they do."
"Nothing has happened that I can’t fix."
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"Well that’s a comforting thought."
"I’m telling you, three four days tops and we are out of here."
"Steven, you did notice the rather large tree limb sticking out of the roof on your way in?" asked Harry. Rachel walked in from the front of the house just as the towel fell away from the contractor’s hair, and the man found the hairdresser’s fingers running through the wet strands almost immediately.
"I could make you look even better if you come by and see me."
"He doesn’t have time for that, he has to fix our roof so get your fingers out of his hair. Speaking of which, answer my question." Harry shifted Jack to the other shoulder and turned her glare on Steven.
"Yes I saw the hole in the roof and I have a crew going up there as of right now. We’ll cut up the tree limb and get rid of it and then start on the repairs. I figure by this afternoon it won’t be raining in your attic if it’s still raining outside. I pulled my best guys off a couple of different job sites around the city so have no fear Dr. Harry, you are in good hands with Steven." The contractor turned his attention to Desi’s attractive younger sister and turned the talk back to his hair. "Forget what the grumpy one with the hole in her roof said, I am available to you anytime."
"Unless you are a very butch woman under all those work clothes, I would forget the flirting Steven," Harry chimed in from the table, earning her another slap to her anatomy from Desi. She turned her glare to her partner and Desi just winked and ignored her.
"Don’t even think about it Harry, I went through childbirth thank you very much, so your dirty looks aren’t doing a thing for me. Now give me your son and let me get him ready for his day." Desi reached over to retrieve Jack and Harry noticed the dark circles under the small blondes eyes. With all that had been going on, the last thing they had needed was a tree limb falling through their roof. During the night they had slept with Jack between them in an effort to keep him warm, which had resulted in Desi keeping an eye on him all night long. Probably thought I was going to roll over him or something, thought Harry. Desi swore Harry ran a marathon every night in her sleep since she moved around so much.
"I’ll come with you to help." Harry pointed to Steven as she followed Desi out of the kitchen. "And you, stop trying to pick up my sister-in-law and get on my roof. It’s a lost cause anyway."
"Well don’t make it sound like I’m so undesirable Harry. If I was interested, Steven looks like quite the stud muffin." With Rachel’s’ comment the contractor snorted into his coffee cup and walked out side. Rachel then turned her charms and attention on Harry. "Though, the real stud muffin in this kitchen is you Dr. Harry."
"Keep this up and you will never get to spend any time alone with your nephew, runt. Help your sister up those stairs while I fix us something to eat." Harry pulled out a tray and started to put breakfast items on it.
"I’ll have my eggs over medium." Rachel put in her order and left before Harry could tell her anything else.
"Rach don’t make me hurt you. I can mess with Harry all I want, but she’s off limits to you." Harry could hear Desi’s admonishments to her sister as they made their way upstairs.
"How’s she doing?" Roger took the opportunity to talk to Harry now that Desi had left the room. His initial meeting with the small blonde had steeled his resolve to bring her ex-husband to justice. Roger and his partner had volunteered for the assignment once they had heard the entire Simoneaux family had escaped.
"Desi is a strong woman Roger. She’s had to be to get to this point in her life. A life I might point out that hasn’t shown her a great deal of fairness, but she bore it all with the same grace she has shown for everything else she tries." Harry leaned against the counter and looked at the man she had first met after coming out of Desi’s surgery. Roger still looked like he slept in his clothes, but Harry could tell he still cared about what happened to Desi.
"Doc, that’s something you have a lot to do with. The woman I saw here this morning is a far cry from the one I saw in that hospital room all those months ago. I’m glad to see you two are doing well."
"I’ll be honest with you Roger. We would be doing a hell of a lot better if Byron and Mike were back where they belong. De
si cooperated with the system throughout all the arrests, the trials and everything else you asked of her. What I want now is to see the system give her the same thing back. Desi and Jack are now and will always be my priority, so if I see either of the Simoneaux brothers on this property, I will drop them on sight." Mona patted Harry’s back after her comments. Both Roger and his partner had nodded their heads as she had been talking. If the two remaining members of the convict family met the same fate as their father, the two police officers would close the file without a problem.
"I don’t blame you for feeling that way Harry. The baby and Desi should be your first priority, but you do realize that I want the same things you do and will do everything I can to see that those two bastards don’t come anywhere near this place." Roger had come to care about the two women who seemed so perfect together. He was still a little pissed with the Angola authorities who had let the scumbags he was looking for just walk out the back door of the place.
"We have quite a few people out on the street looking for these people doctor, don’t worry about that," Oscar added. Roger’s partner reached across the table and poured himself another cup of coffee.
Upstairs Desi and Rachel poured water into the small baby tub in the bathroom and stripped Jack down for his cleanup. Harry had left the heater in the bathroom on so the baby wouldn’t get sick with the chill present in the rest of the house. Rachel held her nephew and wondered what it would be like to have one of the little guys around.
"How do you like motherhood so far sis?"
"I get less sleep than I used to, my body looks like hell but I would recommend it to anyone. After Harry and I got back together there was nothing I thought that could make me happier, but I was wrong. Sharing Jack with Harry is the ultimate in happiness." Desi took Jack and lowered him into the warm water wanting to finish before he got hungry and fussy. Rachel looked on as her sister ran a soft washcloth along Jack’s legs. The clinking of dishes in the other room alerted her that Harry was finished in the kitchen. She hoped that whatever else the police had to say was encouraging.
"Come on buddy that sounds like your mama out in the other room with breakfast." Desi lifted the baby out and handed him to Rachel who was waiting with a warm towel. In a few moments they had him diapered and dressed in a flannel outfit. When they stepped into the bedroom, Harry was striking a match to light the fireplace.
"You know Desi, you could make a fortune if you could clone her." Rachel was impressed with the breakfast setup by the couch and the coziness of the fire. Serena was wonderful to her, but she didn’t have quite the romantic streak in her that Harry did.
"Nah, having a corner on the market makes her all that more valuable." Desi handed the baby back to her sister so that she could reward her big baby with a kiss.
"Where’s your barrister this morning runt?" asked Harry.
"She’s got pleadings all morning so I won’t see her until late tonight. She was telling me a very disturbing story Harry dearest. Would you care to elaborate on it?"
"What story is that?" Harry tried to act dumb not wanting to get another lecture about not turning Tyrell in when she had the opportunity. Now that she had Stephen working on their problem she was planning to drive into Charity and see if Dianna had settled in for the surgery the next morning before heading across town to a full afternoon of surgeries at Mercy.
"You helped one of those creeps stay free?"
"Come on Rach, it isn’t like I helped the guy escape. I had Serena look into his past crimes and what he was serving life for and I can’t say that I wouldn’t be in the same position he is if the same thing had happened to Desi. Besides, after introducing his head to the top of the desk where I was sitting at I don’t think he’s willing to mess with me again. I’m going to try and help his sister tomorrow and then we’ll see what happens with Mr. Lagrie."
"But he was the one that helped Byron get back into town Harry."
"Harry’s right Rachel, what’s done is over and no one can go back and change it. But it’s Harry’s job to try and help his family now. Byron and Mike won’t hurt us, I promise." Desi rubbed her hand up and down Rachel’s back. She knew her sister remembered what living with Bryon was like and the conversation they were having centered completely on fear.
"That’s right runt, I won’t let anything happen to you. You are my family Rachel, and I will protect you like I will Desi and Jack."
"I just get scared sometimes. He was so angry when they dragged him off to jail. Having his jaw wired shut prevented him from saying anything, but you could just tell by the way he looked at you Harry that he would kill you given the opportunity. I just don’t want it to come down to that."
"It won’t sweetheart. The thing you and your sister never saw in the man is that he is a coward. All men who beat on women are, but I’m not your average woman. If he has the cojones to walk back in here, his jaw will be the least of his problems." Harry took her son from Rachel in one arm and hugged the small woman to her side with the other. Harry winked at Desi over her sister’s head getting her partner to smile. Seeing that her sister was doing better, Desi looked down to see what Harry had brought up for them to eat. Looking at Harry’s plate her smile disappeared and her right brow when up instead.
"What is that?"
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"Looks like someone’s left themselves open for trouble."
"What do you mean?" Byron looked at his brother like he was crazy. The gapping hole in roof across from where they were standing was their ticket into the house. With so many workmen around it would be easy for the two of them to blend and get in.
"Wake up stupid, we just act like we belong there and we get in through that hole you see there. See Mikey, it’s like God wants us to go in there and get Desi back." Byron looked on as the man with a large coffee mug in his hands called up orders to the dozen and half or so workers crawling along the roofline. Three of the men had chainsaws and they were making good progress on the large tree limb that had caused the damage.
"You are crazy if you think I’m walking into that yard in broad daylight." Mike had gotten up that morning and foraged through the closet in the master bedroom for some clothes. The man to whom they belonged to was a little taller than he was but thank God they weren’t swimming on him. In the closet by the front door he had found a pea coat that had come in handy after the temperature had dropped overnight. Mike had cut his hair with a pair of scissors he had found, but had opted to keep the beard. Looking toward his brother, he could see that the prison food had put more than a few pounds on him and the pants and shirt he was wearing under the jacket he had taken were a little tight.
"That’s why it will work little brother, no one is expecting us just to drop out of the sky. The attic was damaged and you know there has to be easy access to the house from up there. We go in, hang out for the day, and tonight when no one’s expecting it, BAM we go in and take care of business." Byron pounded his fist into the palm of his hand to make the point.
Mike continued to look at his brother and decided this would not be a good time to tell him that he had decided the previous night to leave town without him. The younger Simoneaux had come to the conclusion that Bryon, just like their father, was too much of a liability to his freedom. His plan was to take the car the couple had left behind and drive himself back to Angola. The only money Mike was going to take from the house was enough to buy a steak dinner somewhere along the way.
"I’m not going with you Byron. If you decide to do this, you are on your own. You have to accept that the girl doesn’t want you anymore."
"She would still need me if that big freak hadn’t come between us." Byron was struggling to keep his voice down considering that they were standing fairly close to the fence surrounding the property.
"The big freak, as you call her, is who she wanted all along. I’m thinking marrying you was the last thing Desiree wanted to do, and I think she woul
d rather die than to come back to you." Mike turned around and started walking back to the house they had spent the night in; it was time to get going.
"If that’s what you think, then that’s the way it’s going to have to be. I’ll give her the choice and if it’s not what I want to hear then she will be joining mama." When Mike heard what Byron had said he stopped walking and turned back around to face his brother. Byron was already scaling the wall and was close to the top. It was time to make a decision that could change his future forever.
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If he were caught now he was sure the authorities would put him in the hole so long he would forget the color of the sky before they let him out. A quick scan of the area showed no cops so he walked forward with a confident step trying to act like someone that belonged there.
There was so much activity around him that no one looked his way as he got closer to his goal. The man he was following made steady progress toward the same destination, but again no one noticed either of them.
Tyrell stepped into the elevator in the lobby of Charity behind one of the numerous maintenance people working in the building. The older gentleman with a tool belt strapped to his waist pressed the button for the eighth floor then turned and looked at Tyrell. The escaped convict cocked his fist in case he had to make a quick get away as the man continued to stare at him.
"What floor you need man?"
"Sorry. Seven, please." The man turned back to the panel, punched the number Tyrell wanted and never gave his fellow passenger another look as he stared up at the readout watching the floors progress upward.
Tyrell stepped out onto the floor Dianna was on and walked with his head down toward the room she was in. He had waited until she was finished with the tests they had run that morning before coming to see her. Dianna had wanted him to stay away until at least she was done with her surgery, but Tyrell had wanted to come and offer her moral support.
