by Harper Steen
After a glance at her watch, Jennifer pointed frantically to her wrist. Liz was shocked by the time. They had planned to be back at Gray’s house by now. Quickly they said their goodbyes and headed for the door.
Liz and Jennifer were halfway across the bar when the heavy wooden door was thrown open. Gray appeared in the doorway with Chris on his heels. Between their threatening body language and their grimly pinched faces, they looked like they were ready to kill someone.
Glowering, they looked around the bar until they spotted the women who stood frozen in shock in the middle of the room, awaiting judgment. They crossed the room to Liz and Jennifer.
“What did you do to my car?” Gray roared. He didn’t seem to care that people were staring at them.
“We just borrowed it.” Liz shoved her hands into her pants pockets and shrugged. Nothing about her expression betrayed a trace of fear or remorse. Quite the opposite; she had the audacity to smile at Gray.
“Borrowed?” Her demeanor infuriated him. He yelled so loudly, he managed to draw the attention of every person in the bar. “It’s totaled!”
“Oh, it’s not that bad. Anyway, that’s why I left my credit card on your table—as collateral.”
“Are you saying that you planned to do this?”
“Well, of course we didn’t know how extensive the damage would ultimately be, but we knew it would be bad,” she admitted, eyeing Gray with defiance.
Gray pressed his lips together until they were just a thin line and he seized Liz by the collar of her leather jacket. With a powerful jerk he pulled her closer. Her face was only a few inches from his. Through his teeth he hissed, “This is going to cost you dearly! Very dearly.”
“Are you going to throw us out?” Jennifer’s voice pulled him out of his rage. She stood next to Liz, looking at Gray hopefully.
“That was what you were trying to accomplish?” Chris had been ready to step in and wrestle Gray away from Liz at any second, so that she wouldn’t be strangled. Now he looked back and forth between the women. “Unbelievable!” He grabbed Jennifer’s arm and dragged her toward the exit.
Gray wasn’t quite as considerate. He let go of Liz’s collar, pushed her in front of him so that she stumbled, and snarled, “Get your ass out of here!”
Liz’s and Jennifer’s new friends took this rough treatment as their cue. The entire group, which had been watching the quarrel quietly up until now, stood up and prepared to attack Gray and Chris.
“We don’t like how you’re treating the ladies,” Steven said to Gray.
“This doesn’t concern you. Who are you anyway?” Gray turned to him angrily. He’d had enough. It wasn’t enough that Liz intentionally totaled his car. She’d also picked up an entire bar full of suitors in the few hours she’d been gone.
“We’re their friends. You got something against that?”
Friends? Did they expect him to believe that? Gray snorted. Not for a minute did he believe these guys wanted friendship with Liz or Jennifer. Especially not this wanna-be gangster who was devouring Liz with his eyes. Gray wasn’t blind. He’d noticed the interested looks this guy and his buddies had directed at Liz and Jennifer the second he walked into the bar. They’d been impossible to miss, even while he was seething with anger and was busy yelling at Liz.
“What if I do have something against that? Butt out. This is a private matter and doesn’t concern any of you.” Gray glowered at the man, but the guy wasn’t easily intimidated. He didn’t even bat an eyelash. He crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head slightly and looked as though he was sizing up Gray’s ability to fight. “You will treat Liz and Jenny with respect!” he demanded, making the words sound like a declaration of war.
“Like they treated my car?”
“Your ride doesn’t matter. They saved two of our buddies’ lives, and we won’t let you treat them badly!”
“Did they save your friends before or after they totaled my car?”
“While they were totaling it, actually.” The guy’s laugh sounded like a muffled bark and his friends all joined in. After they’d quieted down again, he shrugged his broad shoulders and said in a nonchalant voice, “But that’s what happens when you race.”
Gray swung his head around to Liz again and stared at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head. “You raced? In my car?”
“I couldn’t very well take mine, could I?” Liz said defiantly.
Gray ran his fingers through his hair with one hand, took a deep breath, and swore loudly. This woman was driving him crazy. “Enough already! You’ve got to stop this, Liz. I’ve had enough of your childish behavior!”
Liz was sure that what she heard in his voice was resignation and she suppressed a grin. Now he would boot her out for sure. Her plan had worked. Feeling certain of her success, she snuck a look at Jennifer, who quickly lowered her own head in order to hide her delight. Gray and Chris seized Liz’s and Jennifer’s arms and pushed the women through the bar and out the door.
“So long boys!” said Liz over her shoulder to her fellow racers who had sat down again, and they shouted back their regards.
“It was really great getting to know you,” Jennifer called out and Chris gripped her arm even more tightly.
“The pleasure was all ours!” someone called out.
“Thanks again you two!” said another.
Several other voices called out from the corner booth as the door closed behind the departing foursome.
***
Gray opened the back door of a silver BMW station wagon, his second car, and shoved Liz roughly onto the leather seat. Jennifer was pushed in next, then the door was slammed behind them. Groaning, the men leaned against the side of the car and looked at each other.
“Are you going to kick them out now?” Chris crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the top of his sneakers. Chris really believed that something could develop between Jennifer and him, if only they could spend more time together. He fervently hoped that Gray wouldn’t throw the women out.
“No, I won’t. Bu they’re going to have to pay for the damages! Just look at my car.” With a helpless gesture Gray pointed in the direction of his SUV. His former prize possession. He’d own the brand-new Mercedes GL with the customized paint job and high-end interior for only a few weeks. After the women’s joyride, there wasn’t a spot on it that didn’t have a scratch or dent. The back bumper had fallen off and only the taillights’ shattered brackets were recognizable.
“It’s pretty bad,” Chris admitted. “What are you going to tell your insurance? And just what do you have planned for those two now?”
“I’m going to make sure that they can’t do something like this again. It’s time for more clearly defined fronts. Enough is enough. I’m not going to let them walk all over me anymore.” Gray grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest. Chris nodded approvingly as Gray pulled his cellphone out of his jacket pocket and dialed a number.
“Morning, Carlos! I know it’s the middle of the night, but could you tow my SUV?” he said after someone finally answered.
As Gray made arrangements for his Mercedes, Chris rubbed his eyes and thought back on the moment two hours earlier when Gray burst into his room and woke him with the words, “They’re gone!” Within seconds, he’d slipped into his clothes and hurried after his friend, who was already down the stairs and storming out of the house. They’d searched outside intensely, but in vain. Everything was quiet; nothing stirred. Unwilling to just sit around, twiddling their thumbs while they waited for the women to return, Chris and Gray had gone in search of them.
It was by sheer coincidence that Gray had stopped at Moe’s Tavern. They had thought they’d just step into the bar and ask if anyone had seen the women. Then Gray had noticed the totaled Mercedes in the parking lot. He and Chris had jumped out of the BMW, run to the SUV and walked around looking for Liz and Jennifer. It looked like the car had recently made the close acquaintance of a freight train. Several times.
>
It was when they heard Liz’s laughter coming through an open window of the bar that Gray had finally lost composure. He’d raced to the entrance like a steam engine, and Chris had followed, fully prepared for the possibility that he would have to stop Gray from spanking the women in public—even though, given their most recent idiotic move, a good swat on the seat of their pants was what they deserved. Fortunately, Gray didn’t lose his composure, otherwise they would have gotten into a bar fight with Liz’s and Jennifer’s new “friends.”
That would have been the icing on the cake, thought Chris. The evening was already plenty memorable, but that would have made it utterly unforgettable.
Chris sighed, ran his hand over his face and scrutinized Gray’s profile. His friend’s face spoke volumes. He was furious, seething with rage, but he managed to stay in control. The determined look in his eyes could only be about Liz. It was the same determination Chris felt when he thought about Jennifer. He almost laughed out loud when he thought about the motivation for their crazy stunt. Did they really think that if they provoked Gray enough, they would get what they wanted and Gray would show them the door? Liz and Jennifer had come to the right place if they were hoping to lock horns with someone.
Gray hung up the phone. “Carlos will be here in 30 minutes.” He and Chris eyed the pathetic remains of the SUV.
***
“I think we did it!” Jennifer whispered, bending closer to Liz.
“Yeah. Talk about the perfect night. We had some fun, got to save a couple people along the way and Gray’s going to give us the boot. What more could we want?” She rubbed her hands together at the thought of their imminent “release.”
Then they looked out the side window and watched the two men, who were now headed for a dark blue tow truck that had just driven into the parking lot. On the driver’s door was a bright yellow and deep red logo that read: Carlos Santiago Repair Shop. The door opened and a beefy guy in T-shirt and jeans jumped out of the cab. Judging by his appearance, he was Latino, so Liz guessed he was the owner of the repair shop. The BMW’s insulation was excellent and the men’s conversation sounded thoroughly muffled to Liz and Jennifer. All they could do was watch the scene unfold and wait to see what would happen. The reaction of the newcomer spoke volumes.
***
Carlos threw his hands up in stunned despair. The scrap heap in front of him left him temporarily speechless. “What did you do to it, Grayson?” He was dumbfounded when he found his voice again. His accent was even more pronounced than usual, heightened by his agitation.
“I wasn’t the one who did it. It was those two in the back of the BMW.” He pointed to the women who had the audacity to wave to the mechanic and smile sweetly. Gray would have loved nothing better than to shout at them again. No one could beat those two when it came to chutzpah, he had to admit.
“What did they do to it?”
“They drove it in one of those illegal night races you hear about.”
“Tonight? There was an accident and an explosion.”
“You already heard about it?”
“Who hasn’t?”
“Do you have any idea what happened out there?” Gray knew he wasn’t going to be able to get any information out of Liz and Jennifer.
“Well, sure. The race was organized at the abandoned strip mine, like usual. It sounds like two of the cars rolled right before the finish line. Both drivers were pulled out just before the cars exploded. I heard it was two women in the race who were their guardian angels.” He hesitated and looked over at Liz and Jennifer, who were still smiling charmingly. His eyes grew large and his expression more stunned. “It was them?” He turned to Gray taken aback.
“It was them,” Chris said dryly.
Shaking his head at the idea of so much recklessness, Carlos climbed back into his tow truck and moved it behind the totaled Mercedes. Then he secured it to the cable winch and pulled it up slowly. With every creak and sound of grating metal that came from the car, Gray winced as if feeling pain in his body. One of the dented license plates came loose and fell to the ground with a clatter. Gray closed his eyes in anguish and shook his head. Once Carlos had secured the car for transport, he came back over to the two men.
“Well?” said Gray. “Can you do anything with it, or is it a total loss?”
“I’m not sure yet. Once it’s on the lift I’ll be able to see whether the frame was damaged. From what I can see in the dark, there are a lot of scratches and dents, and the body is toast. You can tell that the lights have completely fallen apart. They really did a number on it. If I’m able to fix it, it’ll be expensive. Very expensive, in fact. It’ll take quite a while, too.”
At this bad news, Gray threw poisonous glances at the women who were still sitting in the backseat and appeared to be enjoying themselves tremendously. He couldn’t wait to laugh at their stupefied expressions when they realized that their plan had backfired. They don’t know who they’re messing with yet. He looked grimly at Chris, who was watching his facial expression attentively. Chris gave him a slight smile. “Are we going to teach them a lesson again?”
“You can bet on it!” Gray looked at his mechanic and long-time friend with a pinched expression on his face. “Let me know when you’ve got it all fixed, okay?”
“I will. But like I said, it could take a while.” Carlos raised a hand in farewell and got in his truck. Slowly he drove away, towing the battered, mistreated SUV behind him. Gray watched until the red glow from the taillights couldn’t be seen in the darkness anymore. He cursed himself for having bought the Mercedes. If he hadn’t, then Liz and Jennifer wouldn’t have been able to destroy it. Not in a million years would the insurance cover the damages. Even if it did, his premium would undoubtedly climb astronomically.
“Your reeducation plan hasn’t worked so far. What do you plan to try now?” Chris nodded over his shoulder toward the BMW.
“You’re right. I was too lenient with them. Time to hit them where it will hurt the most. Good bye, independence! They won’t be able to take another step without us knowing about it. I have a couple of nice monitoring bracelets from the research department that we can put on them. I’ll also have to relocate them so that we can keep a closer eye on them, especially so that they can’t get into more trouble at night. I’ll make sure that Liz and Jennifer pay us what they owe us.”
“Sounds good.” Chris turned toward the BMW and stared at the back of Jennifer’s head for several seconds before declaring resolutely, “Count me in!”
The men walked to the car, climbed in without saying a word and drove the women back home. When they arrived, they turned to Jennifer and Liz.
“Get out!” they said almost in unison. Liz and Jennifer climbed out of the car without protesting and stood waiting in front of the front door. Gray went ahead of them into the house, turned around and looked darkly from one to the other. “Up to your rooms and pack your things!”
The women didn’t have to be asked twice and they ran up the stairs to the second floor. Gray disappeared briefly into his office down the hallway and came back with two small, light-gray cardboard boxes that bore no markings.
“Here.” He handed one of the packages to Chris. “These are from a new test series. I tested them on Jeff a couple of weeks ago. They work perfectly.”
“They won’t put them on by choice.”
“You can’t even imagine how little I care! If we have to, we’ll restrain one first and then the other. They think we’re just computer nerds who analyze satellite images and who might have done a little time with a Special Forces unit after basic training, so we have an advantage. To them we’re just theorists, not combat specialists. Never in a million years will they expect that we’ve had the same training as them and are more than a match for them. Before either of them realizes what’s happening, the monitoring bracelets will be locked and secure on their wrists.” Devious smiles appeared on both their faces.
They climbed up the stairs at a leisure
ly pace and waited on the landing. After a while Jennifer and Liz emerged from their rooms with their packed bags and pets. They walked toward Chris and Gray and then stopped since the men didn’t make any room for them to pass. They looked back and forth between Gray and Chris, who raised their eyebrows at the same time.
“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Gray with a chilly smile. “I didn’t say you could go anywhere. I just told you to pack your things.”
“And what are we supposed to do if we’re not going?” Jennifer asked belligerently.
“You’re not leaving, just moving,” he explained with a sardonic smile. “To our rooms.”
“We certainly are not!” Liz shook her head so violently that her hair flew in all directions.
“You don’t really think we’re giving you a choice, do you? After what you just pulled, we have every right to supervise you more closely to make sure nothing else happens to you during your sick-leave. We can only keep an eye on you if you’re with us.” Gray’s eyes flashed maliciously as he added, “The whole time!”
“You can put that idea right out of your mind!” Liz turned to Jennifer. “Come on! We’re wasting our time here.” Jennifer nodded frantically and together they beat a hasty retreat back into their rooms.
***
Angrily Liz threw her bag on the floor, flopped back onto the bed and set Furball next to her on the bedspread. The tomcat immediately curled into a ball and fell asleep. She had really thought that Gray and Chris would throw them out after their most recent exploits. “Damn! Double damn!” She cursed the failure of the plan she’d thought was so infallible. She looked up in anger as Gray walked in without knocking.
“Apparently you didn’t understand me. This is no longer your room.” He picked up her bag and walked out of the room with it. She stared after him. It was suddenly clear to her that he had not only meant every word he’d said, he was now putting his plan into action. She ran into the hall and followed him into his room, which was the one right next to hers.
