She reached over and punched him hard in the arm.
“I had to in order for the burned bodies in it to burn again,” he said flatly, keeping his eye on the road.
“What bodies? Did you harm some woman and her child?’ Shanice yelled, as she began getting hysterical.
“No, someone else harmed them. I just borrowed their bodies,” he said with an eerie sense of calm.
“How do you borrow bodies? What kind of person are you?” Her voice escalated this time when she spoke.
“Stop it! It was either borrow a couple of bodies or use the actual ones,” he said to her.
Everything closed in on her. Stringing together complete thoughts had evaded her and all she could muster were the ideas that popped into her head. She screamed at him this time, “I can’t even! I only have one change of clothing. I am not on Xanax and fuck you again!”
“Hopefully,” he said to her with a wink. “I truly enjoyed our evening together.”
“So... I was a good lay, is that why you let me live?”
“I actually hadn’t decided one way or another. Once I saw you in the bookstore, you intrigued me. The Roger dude, just so you know, is a real live asshole,” he said as he rounded the street and merged onto I-75 North.
“It takes one to know one,” she said with a frown.
He sighed deeply.
“Shanice, this is not going to work if you keep insulting me. I have made a personal sacrifice, risked my life, my career, and everything that I hold dear to give you and the boy a second chance. Calling me names is just rude and ungrateful,” he reprimanded.
“It’s rude to show up on my doorstep like we are old friends. It’s truly rude to screw the mark you are supposed to kill. It’s even ruder to snatch me out of my house with nothing more than a pair of drawers and a toothbrush,” she said with piss and vinegar in her voice.
“Baby, if you had taken more than one outfit, when the police searched your house or the person who wanted you dead sent in his team to confirm your demise, it would be obvious that you were still alive,” he said gently.
“Don’t Baby me,” she scolded.
“Well, Sweetheart, this will be no way for us to start our life together with all this hostility between us. It will really dampen our wedding night too,” he said with a very large smile.
“Our what?” He was handsome she had to admit. The man was also very physically fit with the stamina of a 16-year-old. Making love to him was powerful. The draw to him was even more intense as she sat in the small space that he seemed to consume with his presence. Somehow, she’d turned into The Riddler and bombarded him with a series of unending questions that started with the wedding night comment followed by sixteen others before she caught her breath.
There was no way he planned to make the drive with her snipping at him like she was doing. It made him agitated as well as the boy in the back seat. He was still smiling when he looked over at her and pricked her with the needle in the vein sticking up in her neck.
“What the fucccccccccccc,” she said as she slapped her neck where the needle had stung the skin. It took less than a minute for the drug to take effect as her body slouched in the seat when Shanice passed out. He used his right hand to double check her seat belt to ensure the security of the restraint. In the back seat, Rocky sat up and looked at him then at his slumped over mother, his face begged for an explanation.
“Little man, your Mama, sure talks a lot,” he said to Rocky.
“Yes. Sometimes she talks to herself too,” the boy confessed. “Are we going to live with you now?”
“Will you be okay with that?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno. Can I have a puppy?”
“If you take care of it sure,” Man responded.
He looked into the rear-view mirror. The passing lights of cars zooming to their boring lives casted temporary shadows into the vehicle and reminded him of what was at stake. It did not stop Man from seeing the look of concern on the boy’s face.
“What is your question Rocky?”
He shrugged again. His eyes downcast in the seat. Worry covered his small face as he met the man’s eyes in the mirror.
“Let’s make a deal. You can talk to me about whatever is on your mind, and I will do my best to always give you an honest answer,” he told the boy. “Does that work for you?”
“I guess,” Rocky said.
“Okay, your turn. Tell me what is worrying you?”
It took several moments before he looked up to meet the man’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. A soft voice came out. “Are you going to be my Daddy now?”
The man didn’t flinch when he answered the question as honestly as he could. He actually smiled when he answered, “Only if your Mama says it is okay.”
“I think she is going to be mad at you when she wakes up,” Rocky told him.
“Rocky, that may be the understatement of the year,” he responded. “Get some sleep. I will wake you when we get to my house.”
As they slept, he played with a couple of thoughts. They would need new identities if she stayed with him, especially if she decided to marry him and allow him to adopt the boy. Marry me. How the hell did I get there? He knew how. The moment he felt her body against his, thoughts of Saturday night rushed into his pants and created the desire to have her in his bed forever. She didn’t deserve to be some live in. If anything were to happen to him, the land and funds in his account should rightfully be hers. He would take care of all of those things if she consented to share a life with him.
His mind went back to a job he’d done in Ohio. There he met an interesting fellow who was former CIA and doing some scud work on the side. They called him the Arch Angel. Gabriel. I think his name is Gabriel.
Mashing the button on his phone, he spoke into the device, “Call the Arch Angel.” He was going to need some pretty expensive paperwork. He eyed her sleeping form, slouched against the window with a trail of drool sliding down her lip.
“Yes, she is worth it,” he said softly. The man altered his course once he reached Atlanta, heading towards Tennessee. He would stop at an out of the way motel he knew for the night to get some sleep, then on to Ohio for the paperwork. After everything is said and done, he planned to drive his newly acquired family to his home in Blairsville.
He only hoped she would like it as much as he did.
Chapter 11- A Morning of Possibility
At the six-hour mark, he was a little under half way to Elyria, Ohio, where the Arch Angel was waiting for them. The weight of the day caused his eyes to start drooping. A bed was required with at least six more hours of sleep before driving the rest of the way for the needed documents. To his surprise, the boy wasn't sleeping but awake and engaged him in conversation about all the things he wanted to do. For a five-year-old, some of the ideas were not that far-fetched. This too impressed Man. It tugged at his defrosting heart that many of the items on Rocky’s list were the things in which a father did with a son.
The kid had won him over.
I am so screwed.
His mother had sexed feelings into him and now, this kid made him want to be a father to not only Rocky, but a few more.
“Jesus. Mary. Joseph. Peter. Paul and Mark,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Ms. Hester said you shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” Rocky said to him.
“I’m not. I am simply having a conversation with the man upstairs,” Man retorted.
“I hope you are saying a prayer for us too. I need some more clothes. All my pants are too small,” he said softly. “These shoes have a hole in them right under my toe.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” Man said as they rolled into Tennessee. His aim tonight was to sleep it off in the small town of Farragut right off of I-40, then make their way to an off the beat motel just outside of Turkey Creek. His dad, Chris Mann, used to take him there in the summers for an annual fishing contest. Fond memories came from the small rooms which smelled of
too much lavender and rosemary. It was his hope the rooms would be the start of a fond memory for Shanice and the boy.
Right at the six-hour mark, he pulled into Wally’s Sweet Spot. Old Wally himself, still awake and still alive, greeted him at the registration window. His old eyes glanced over in the vehicle and spotted the sleeping pair.
“Lord, Hammercy on these old eyes. Hey Man! What do we have here? Is this your woman and boy?” He asked.
“Yes sir, but they are sleeping. I am hoping the room in the back is free so we can grab 40 winks before we head to Ohio tomorrow. We are driving up to look at some land,” he told the old timer.
“Sure thing Man. I do declare, how long has it been, five, six years since I last saw you in person?” Wally wanted to know.
“Yes sir, right about that. Rocky is five, so it’s been a minute, since I have come through these parts. I am showing off a bit to my girl there, some of the places Dad would take me. I guess, I’m trying to make some new memories with the boy,” Man said softly.
“I understand. Your dad was a good man. How is your Ma?”
“She is doing great Mr. Wally. She’s down in Alabama with her sister,” he half lied about everything that came out of his mouth.
“Good, good. Ellie still serves breakfast from 6-8 am. If you come after 8 you ain’t getting no grub,” he told him.
“Yes sir, we will make breakfast then be on our way,” he said handing him a fifty for the room.
In exchange, Wally handed him a key. Man drove the vehicle around back to the room whose windows faced the lake. It was his favorite room to wake up in outside of his own home. The sunshine reminded him of possibility as it streamed through the windows in the mornings.
It was the same feeling he got when he woke up next to Shanice that previous Sunday morning. His life felt full of possibility. Cutting the engine and headlights, he slipped from the driver’s side to open the door to the room. He entered the space to be greeted by the faint scent of lavender and rosemary, just as he remembered. The two beds were covered in Ms. Ellie’s hand stitched quilts. The bed furthest from the door, he turned down the covers. Returning to the car, he picked up the boy and his pillow first, took him inside, and settled him in the bed. Removing the shoes, he saw the hole in the toe. “I’ve got you little man,” he told Rocky, half covering him with the quilt.
Next, he brought in Shanice and placed her on the bed beside the boy in case he woke up during the night. He brought in their bags and secured the door by blocking it with a chair. Man made quick work of washing his face, brushing his teeth before stripping down to his undies and clamoring a very tired body into the empty bed; he was more tired than he realized. His favorite piece, a Ruger 9mm, slid under the pillow just in case something untoward were to occur.
Two sighs later, he headed towards Sleepville. Everything in his soul wanted to put Shanice in bed next to him. However, her current state of mind as well as the drug he’d given her would make the lady wake up even angrier at him than she already was. That was the last thing he needed. To get through this next phase, he required her compliance. If push came to cursing and shoving, he would let them go. He wanted her to have options, but a few items needed to be addressed. There would be no real need to split hairs on the matter.
She was already going to be pissed when he told her should was going to have to cut hers and the boy’s hair. Her hair color would have to change as well as her name and the boy’s. I wonder if Rocky is just a nick-name or short for something else?
“I’ll worry about that in the morning,” he mumbled, sinking deeper into a much-needed slumber.
************
The cools ray of the sun poked through the curtains like a silent voyeur observing the makeshift family in a slumber. The boy was up first, and he was hungry. He bounced on the bed with Man and sprayed him with five-year-old morning breath. Shanice, a little sluggish, woke a bit slower.
“Where are we?” She asked rubbing her aching head. Man was more concerned if the dosage her gave her to make her sleep would also give her a case of explosive diarrhea.
Rocky was happy to respond, “Tennessee at the lake. It’s pretty Mama. Look!” He tore back the curtain allowing the full force of nature’s lighting to stream into the room. Both Shanice and Man reacted like two vampires and threw their hands up over their eyes.
“Mister! I’m hungry. My tummy’s all rumbly like its crying FEED ME,” Rocky said.
“What time is it?” He asked the boy.
Rocky looked at the clock, “The numbers say six three and a zero. It’s time to get up, get ready, and get moving. We need some food. Did I tell you I was hungry?”
“Okay, you told me. Let me use the bathroom, and I will take you to get some breakfast while your Mama gets showered and dressed,” he said to the over-exuberant child.
“Do you need to poop?” Rocky asked him.
“No, not right now. I just have to pee and brush my teeth. When I am done, you need to brush your teeth and wash your face too,” he said gently.
Swinging his legs from the bed, he remembered the gun under the pillow. He hid it behind the bedcovering as he lifted the pillow as cover as he slipped the weapon in the night stand drawer. Not thinking, he stood and stretched to his full six feet, forgetting about his morning state of wakefulness. Shanice spotted it as well as the boy.
“Whoa! You have a big pee-pee! Will my pee-pee get that big too? Why is it sticking out like that? Is it broken or something?” Rocky curiously asked.
Man grabbed the pillow and covered himself.
“Rocky, find your shoes and toothbrush while I get myself ready,” he told him.
“Hey Mister? Can we do some fishing this morning before we leave?” Rocky wanted to know.
“Sure, but we have to get a move on with breakfast,” he replied. “Good morning Shanice.”
She mouthed back at him, “Fuck you killer.”
The man looked back at Rocky, spoke to her softly, “tempting, but not enough time to give it my best. Later maybe?”
“Aren’t you the funny man so early in the morning,” she chided, rubbing her head.
His body was half way in the bathroom and half out as he peered around the door jamb. “We have a lot to discuss and work out today. It fares much better for all of us if you aren’t so fucking bitchy. I spared your lives, at least act a little appreciative. If you don’t appreciate what I have done, I can hand you a few bills and leave the two of you right here and go on about my life. However, and let’s make sure you understand this, I feel something for you which is what I am acting on. Don’t change my mind Shanice,” he told her and closed the bathroom door.
The water in the sink started as she heard his stream hit the water in the commode. Rocky pulled his backpack onto the bed and looked for his toothbrush. He dressed quickly and ready to clean up when the man came out of the bathroom.
“Rocky?” Shanice said.
“Hurry up Mama. We have a lot to do today,” her son told her.
“Okay,” she said, wanting to know more about last night. Her head was fuzzy, but she felt rested. Whatever he’d given her made her sleep like a baby. She didn’t like the idea of being drugged. Yet, he had a point. He could have killed them, but he didn’t. I feel something for you. He’d said that.
I feel something for you too. The draw to him was as powerful today as it had been on Saturday night. If the circumstances were different, a life with him wouldn’t be horrible. Based on the current circumstance, she might not have a choice but to accept a life with him. What kind of man is he outside of being a killer for hire?
He was quiet when he returned from the bathroom. He encouraged Rocky to get cleaned up. As soon as the boy left the room, he stripped down to his skin, changed his underwear and socks, and then dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a clean tee. Shanice watched him from the bed. The powerful body that had given her so much pleasure a few nights before as well as the sight of his nakedness sent a rush feeling t
o the juncture between her thighs.
“I can feel you watching me,” he told her, his back still to her.
“You do have an amazing body,” she told him.
“All of this is yours if you want it,” he said, looking over his shoulder at her.
She didn’t have time to answer as the boy bounded out of the bathroom, ready to roll. Rocky moved the chair from the door and was about to head out when Man stopped him. “Hold on buddy, I have to give something to your Mama before we head out,” he said.
Reaching inside his backpack, he pulled out a small black velvet bag. In it were four golden rings. Man slipped one on his finger, and he held the others as he reached for her hand and tried on the three for the best fit.
“Appearance is everything,” he said as he held her shaking hand and slid the ring onto her finger.
“After you shower and dress, breakfast is being served over in the main hall. Follow the path. We are going to grab something, and I am going to show Rocky how to bait a hook. I think we will sink a few lines for about twenty minutes, but by eight, we have to be on the road,” he said.
“Okay,” Shanice replied.
The man stood still in the door. He waited for an obscenity to be hurled at him, but she said nothing more. The door key was put in his pocket as he and Rocky, hand and hand, set out for breakfast.
By the time Shanice reached the main hall, they were at the lake. Mrs. Ellie Sweet told her as much. “That boy sure loves his Daddy. He was talking a hundred miles a minute, and Man answered all his questions, just as patiently as Chris used to answer all of his,” Ellie volunteered.
“So, is that what you guys call him, Man?” She asked.
“Well, it’s their last name, M-A-N-N, Mann, but we always called him little Mann, which over the years became just plain old Man,” Ellie told her as she served her a plate with enough food to feed two lumber jacks.
“Lookee there! Your boy has caught his first fish!” Ellie exclaimed looking out the window and pressed the dish cloth to her breast. “I will never forget the first time Man caught his first bass, Lord, the time does fly.”
Blind Date (Venture, Georgia Book 3) Page 7
