by J. H. York
He stood up with the DVD and envelope in his hand and started to walk to his player. The doorbell rang and he stopped. Looking at his watch he frowned. He walked toward the door, and called, “Who is it?”
As he got nearer there still was no reply. Evan reached the door and looked out the peephole. Standing on his porch was Lindsey.
3 CHAPTER THREE
Bethany slid the fat envelope across the bar table to the gentleman sitting across from her. She smiled a crooked smile as he picked it up. Looking inside the man quickly ran his fingers through the cash, counting it with surprising speed. He looked up at her with dark eyes and grinned a hesitant smile.
“Seems ta be a lil' extra in heeya.” He said with a heavy Charlestown accent.
Bethany frowned slightly. I never could stand the way these simpletons talk around here.
“Yes...just in case there is a little “extra” that needs to be done. If she happens to end up in the Charles River, you have the cab fare back to your ...apartment.”
The man nodded and started to put the money into his jacket pocket when he paused. “How you know I live in a apaatment?”
A look of unease passed on his face as Bethany cocked her head to the side and looked him up and down. He was a stocky man, balding with five o'clock shadow on his jowls. The Sculley cap he wore covered his balding head but not his stocky neck. He looked like he had spent a hard life doing heavy manual labor, and had bull like strength. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer though.
“Call it a lucky guess. Charlestown has plenty of apartments...” Bethany replied as she held her drink up in front of her mouth to take a sip.
Taking her drink she watched his face as he processed her words. He was clearly wary, as he should be.
Setting the drink down she smiled, “Or that I know who you are, and where you live.” Shrugging she continued her icy stare into his eyes.
“Whichever helps you sleep well at night. I suspect that,” she pointed at his pocket, and the cash envelope inside of it, “will help you sleep a whole hell of a lot better.”
Holding her stare he took a good pull of his beer. He set the bottle down gently on the bar napkin on the table in front of him and looking at the beer he started chuckling softly.
“Ya fackin' rich types...All da same.” He looked up at her and cocked his head to the side. “Been doin' side jobs since I were 16. Been ta Walpole several times, and held my own wit' all of dem. Think 'cause I work steel I don' watch da news...huh? I know who you...are...too....” Grinning he sat back in the booth and crossed his arms over his ample chest.
Bethany didn't flinch. She held his stare with her own. Truth is she expected this, had actually planned for it. “Good...then I was correct in assuming we didn't need introductions when you sat down at the table.”
She held up her hand and motioned for the waiter. Catching his eye she pointed at both drinks. Nodding the waiter went to the bar to fetch them. They sat in silence, staring at each other. Bethany knew this drill. Another pissing contest...whatever. I'll speak first and give him the satisfaction. In the end I'll get what I want and that is all that matters.
A few minutes passed as they sat, and the waiter brought their drinks over. Setting them down he looked at both of them, and asked, “Anything else folks?”
Still looking at the man sitting across from her Bethany shook her head. “No ...just the check please.”
Nodding the waiter turned and strode away.
Bethany held up her drink, smiling. “To your health...” she toasted.
He clinked his beer bottle against the rim of her glass and nodded. “Ta yaaas as well.”
They both took their sips and placed their drinks down.
The waiter brought the bill and Bethany handed him cash without looking at the check. “Keep it...” She said dismissively.
“Thank-you!” He exclaimed as he hurried away with his generous tip. Chuckling the man across from Bethany asked, “Ya always dat generous then?”
Taking a drink from her glass Bethany stared at him with her icy blue eyes. Nodding she smiled without humor. “If I get good service, I reward. Now...let's go over some details.”
******
“Well...this is quite a surprise.” Evan said as he stood with his door open looking at Lindsey Chamberlain as she stood on his porch. She stared up at him, her blonde hair pulled in a ponytail. She was wearing a “Red Sox” T-shirt, and a pair of tight jeans. “Yeah...after today I kinda needed to get out of that empty house...and since you're the only friend I have I thought maybe you'd like to go watch the game with me. Get a drink...relax...you know?” She shrugged and waited, blue eyes intently staring into his.
“Um..sure...why not?” Evan said.
Nodding she turned and waived to the car that was at the end of the drive. It honked and then drove off. Smiling Lindsey looked at Evan. He stood to the side and she entered his house. “Who was that?” Evan asked as he closed the door.
He quickly slid the envelope and DVD into his back waistband while Lindsey walked into the living room, looking around curiously. Turning and smiling she said brightly, “Uber ...I asked him to wait until I found out if you were gonna go or not. Nice place...smells good, clean. Not a typical bachelor pad.”
Grinning slightly Evan shook his head. “Thanks...I'm glad it meets your approval.”
She had walked over to the bookshelf and was looking at the pictures on the top shelf. She laughed lightly at Evan's joke and the sound seemed to brighten the room.
Despite himself Evan looked at her shapely butt in her tight jeans. “Lindsey...” He began, but she interrupted him.
“Evan, the game is already on, but you're not going out like that. So hurry up and get changed!!”
Evan shook his head and laughed quietly. A real spitfire, this one. “Yes of course...” He started to walk to his room. “Help yourself to a beer...” He said as he passed by her.
He couldn't help but take in her intoxicating smell. Slight hints of honeysuckle and grapefruit emanated from her long hair.
“Thanks!” She said and started to the kitchen, looking around as she went. Evan closed the bedroom door slightly as he entered. Quickly he pulled out the DVD and envelope from his back waistband and put the in the top drawer of his dresser, under the multitude of socks that were there. As he fished around in his dresser for a suitable “sports bar” shirt, he heard his refrigerator door open.
He found a “Red Sox” shirt and pulled it on. Grabbing a pair of jeans from another drawer he quickly put them on. He picked up a cap and pair of “chucks” and walked out of the bedroom. Lindsey was standing in front of a picture on the wall, sipping her beer. The picture was of Evan turning a double-play for the Red Sox. He was in mid-air throwing the ball after tagging second base. The Toronto Blue Jay that he had tagged out was sliding, trying to take him out. It was a great action shot, and one Evan had always liked.
She turned and looked at him. “That's you?” She marveled.
Chuckling Evan sat down in the arm chair to put on his sneakers. “Yeah...many moons ago.” He slid on his “Chucks” and began tying the laces.
“What happened?” She asked and turned around to look at him. He finished tying his shoe laces and looked up at her. Shrugging he stood up. “Injuries...ankle once, and then a knee.” He put on the baseball cap and adjusted it a bit. “But hey...I still look good in a ball cap.” He held out his hands in a “what do you think” gesture and smiled.
Laughing Lindsey held up her thumb. “You still got it old man.” She said and quickly drained her beer.
Evan raised his eyebrows in surprise as she guzzled the beer down.
Finishing she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and belched loudly. “I'll just throw this in the trash and we can go...” She said and skipped into the kitchen.
4 CHAPTER FOUR
Lindsey chose the dive bar just down the street from Evan's house to watch the game. “It's in walking distance, and I don't wan
t you driving drunk.” She had reasoned as they walked to the bar.
“Lindsey...you're a Chamberlain now. We don't have to walk...or drive drunk...or take “Uber”, even. One phone call and Marcus or one of the others will take us wherever we want to go.” Evan had countered.
She laughed quietly and shook her head. “Yeah...I guess I forgot that I'm not Lindsey from Cali. Any longer. I'm Lindsey Chamberlain, majority owner of an empire that I don't want, or know how to run.”
They walked in silence as Evan tried to figure out what to say. She had a point. This was not who she was, and this life had been sort of thrust upon her before she had time to adapt to being a Chamberlain. They got to the bar and walked up to the entrance.
“Well...I guess you don't have to “jump right in” do you? We can ease you into your new status.” He grinned at her as he opened the door.
She started to walk past him and smiled up at him. “Well when I do “jump in” expect waves...catch my drift there fella?”
The sounds of the game were carried over the speakers throughout the bar, and it was the only thing on the televisions. They both walked toward the bar and found stools on the corner where they could view several TV's. The Sox were up 2-0 in the bottom of the 3rd inning, so they hadn't missed too much of the game. Ordering their beers, they sat watching the game in comfortable silence. Evan looked around and saw that there were about ten people other than them in the bar. Lindsey was the only female. Obviously the others had noticed and were unabashedly staring at her fine figure. I hope that there isn't trouble...don't feel like fighting tonight. Evan tried to ease his anxiety by taking a sip of his beer.
He looked at Lindsey as he did so, and immediately felt better. She was intently staring at the screen, but wasn't watching the game.
Evan noticed her eyes moving and concluded she was watching the “scroll” that was under the game broadcast. “Checking for the Giants score are we?”
She nodded without looking at him and then sat still for a second. A grin broke across her intent face and then she relaxed. She looked over at him as she reached for her beer.
“They're up 5-1 in the 6th with Jones pitching. Game ovaaaa.” She said mocking the accent of the region.
Evan laughed and sat back leaning up against the bar. They sat for a minute, then Evan felt the need to talk. “So listen...I know that things are hard right now, but I'm gonna be there to help you as much as I can. I can only imagine the difficulty that you're experiencing. But we're not that bad of a family once you get to know us.”
Lindsey took a long drink from her beer and looked at Evan. Her blue eyes pierced into his soul, and he wondered if she knew it. “I know Evan...I know that you understand...some of the things I'm going through. I know that you are not bad. You're a player, and a “bad boy” maybe...but not a bad person. You have a good heart...it just hasn't met it's match.” She looked down for a second and then looked back into his eyes.
He let her talk because he felt that she needed to get something off of her chest.
“Trevor is ...fragile...I think. Something happened in his past that has caused him to latch onto Bethany. They're having sex, right?”
Evan was stunned at the words that were coming out of Lindsey's mouth, and the matter of fact way that she was talking. Without waiting for an answer she continued. “They're not blood, technically, so I guess...” She shrugged took a sip of her beer and continued, “ But listen to me very carefully now. She is a BAD woman. Do you understand? She is EVIL. I don't mean that in a movie type of way. I mean that in a real deal Holyfield way. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants...whatever it may be. And I think that in this case she wants the estate and the business. Which puts us...BOTH of us...at risk.”
******
Two weeks had passed since the reading of the will, and the proceedings that followed. It had been a long two weeks for Bethany. On one hand she had gathered a lot of information from her “friend” who had sat across from her at the bar that day. His name was Jeff Shea. He had followed Lindsey, as Bethany had asked. It was apparent that Lindsey did her own thing and didn't have very many set patterns. Except one… She was an avid baseball fan, and liked to go to dive bars to watch the games. She had become attached to one particular bar, Shea informed Bethany. And she had begun keeping company with one Evan Chamberlain as well, he had told Bethany.
This had not come as a surprise to Bethany. “That little whore has been making eyes at him since she first got here...” She exclaimed out loud to the empty room.
She was at home, pacing as she processed the information that Shea provided. For some reason Bethany felt a pang of jealousy. Evan and she had always seemed to be at each other’s throats. On the rare occasion that he showed her some kindness or extended an olive branch, she accepted it with hesitation. As if he were up to something. Maybe she was over-thinking things.
One thing she knew for sure was that the paperwork for the estate and the enterprise had been finalized, as were the updated wills of Evan and precious Lindsey. That is what I have been waiting for... She thought and a slow grin spread across her mouth. She picked up her gun and felt the weight in her hands and it made her smile. It also made her wet, and she felt her pulse quicken. Her phone began to ring and it snapped her out of her trance. Looking at the caller ID she saw it was Trevor. She reached down and hit the decline button and the phone went silent.
Poor Trev...He's been going crazy for the last two weeks. The truth was Bethany had been so wrapped up in her own dealings that she had scarcely spent time with him. But this was a critical time...a delicate time. There was planning to be done, and that required all of her concentration. Not one detail could be missed because the slightest slip would mean disaster. So if that meant leaving him out of the loop, then so be it. She set the weapon down. There would probably not be any need for it, but she really did like holding her gun.
Everything was falling into place, and Bethany smiled. Just a bit more time...There was a knock at the door and she grinned even bigger. She put the gun back in the safe and looked at herself in the mirror. The black sheer nighty she was wearing opened in the front. Her bra-less breasts stood perky and her hard nipples made two little tents out of the lacy material covering them. The black panties and garter combination had a couple of pink lace bows to add a dash of color. Her black heels completed the outfit. She lowered her head slightly and looked at her self in the mirror admiring her piercing eyes and long black hair.
Turning she swished toward the door and looked out the peephole. The redhead standing in the hallway was a familiar sight. On occasion Bethany would call out for some “service” and tonight was one of those nights. Meghan was Bethany's favorite girl when she decided to go down that path. Opening the door Bethany smiled. Meghan grinned as she took in Bethany in her lingerie.
“Come in darling...” Bethany murmured.
5 CHAPTER FIVE
Evan sat back on his couch, stunned. His TV screen went black and the DVD player stopped. His father had just revealed shocking facts about Lindsey and Evan was having a very difficult time processing the information he just received. Standing up he slowly walked over to the entertainment system and ejected the DVD. He placed it back into the envelope that he had pulled it out of, and numbly walked to his bedroom. He placed the DVD into his safe and closed it up.
Walking to the kitchen, his head swam. He was supposed to meet Lindsey in a few hours to go to the bar and watch the game. They had become close over the last few weeks, and Evan could feel a growing need to be near her more and more. Does this change things? Of course it does...Holy shitttt...
He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. “Wow...just...Wow...” He said out loud as he popped the top off of his beer.
Taking a long pull from the bottle he walked out of the kitchen. Evan felt like a ton of bricks had just been dropped on him. Everything that he thought he knew about Lindsey had just been wiped away. Okay...just calm down. I mean this just changes
things a little...
He sat down on the couch and started thinking backward. “Come in and meet your new family.” That was the first time that Roger had said anything about Lindsey, or with Lindsey present.
Standing up Evan paced as he drank his beer and replayed the history of Lindsey “Chamberlain” in his mind. “The way dad acted that day...” he said aloud as he paced.
He felt that when he was trying to work things out saying them aloud always helped. Thinking of his father and Lindsey's reaction to Bethany's accusation of their marriage. The family had been so preoccupied with the circumstances of the marriage that they hadn't observed the reactions...the clues...that revealed the truth.
Now as he continued to replay everything he wondered how he could have overlooked it. “It was right there,,, right in front of us, and yet we didn't see it. We were blinded by what we wanted to see...” Evan murmured. The separate bedrooms...the lack of “fire” in their marriage...the wording that was used...”JESUS! I feel so stupid!” Evan exasperated to the empty house. Then another thought crossed his mind. It was of his dad, laying on the bed, mangled and bloody. He had said, “Evan...you gotta take care of her. Lindsey. Look after her. Keep her safe.” At the time Evan had wondered if his Dad had been confused due to the accident.
