Perfect Betrayal

by Season Vining

  “Check them out,” she said.

  Reese looked over and grinned at the fighting couple. “Wow. They’re really going at it.”

  “Yeah.”

  Suddenly, the woman in the car reached over and slapped the driver. Before the girls could react, the couple’s car was drifting into their lane. Reese slammed on the brakes, but it wasn’t enough. The other car clipped her front fender with just enough force to send them spinning. Taylor’s fingers clawed into the door as they swung around, and by the time the car came to a stop, they were facing the wrong direction on the highway.

  Both girls screamed when they noticed oncoming traffic hurtling toward them. Despite a loud grinding sound, Reese pulled the car over onto the shoulder and parked it.

  “Holy shit!” she shouted. “What the hell?”

  “They didn’t even stop,” Taylor pointed out, one hand resting over her furious heart. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so. You?”

  Taylor nodded. Reese climbed out of the car, and Taylor followed. They both stood assessing the damage. Part of the front fender was bent in so much that it was rubbing against the front tire. There was no way they could drive it.

  Reese called the police before calling her brother to let him know they weren’t going to make it. He offered to come help, but she insisted that they had it under control. Both girls climbed back into the car to wait.

  “This sucks,” Reese said.

  “It’s okay. We can get some sun while we wait.”

  “Who are you? And what have you done with the real Taylor Hudson?”

  “Ha ha. I’m just happy, Reese. I know it’s a strange concept.”

  “I don’t know what got you to this blissful place, but you better hold on to it,” she said.

  “I intend to.”

  “I saw Beau at the Boulevard yesterday. He’s a mess, Tay. He said you gave him the boot. Said you picked the maintenance guy over him.”

  Reese turned to Taylor and waited.

  “It’s not like that. I finally decided that we both deserved more than meaningless sex. I want something real.”

  “I’m pretty sure Beau was willing to give you more. He’s a great guy.”

  Taylor sighed and finally faced her friend. “I don’t love him. Not that way. It would have been really easy with Beau, but it would have been boring. Why are you suddenly Team Beau?”

  “Because I’m a big fan of his father,” Reese answered simply as she tapped on her diamond earrings.

  “What?” Taylor yelled. “The guy you’ve been seeing is George Upton? Are you kidding me?”

  Reese nodded and chewed on her bottom lip. “He’s great, Taylor. He’s so good to me. It’s not all crazy monkey sex. He actually listens when I talk. He’s so inquisitive and wants to know everything about me.”

  Taylor couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her hands fluttered in front of her chest as she tried to comprehend what this meant. But when she looked at Reese, all of that disappeared. The look on her face was sublimely happy. It was a look that Taylor recognized.

  “I guess we all have our secrets, don’t we?” Taylor asked.

  Reese didn’t respond. She just leaned back in her seat and stared out at the road ahead of them as traffic whizzed by. Taylor thought their conversation was over, but after a few minutes Reese spoke again.

  “So, you were never going to tell me—your best friend, by the way—that you’re fucking the maintenance guy?”

  “Why? So you could pass judgment on me? Or him? No, thanks.”

  “Come on, Tay. Don’t underestimate me like that.”

  “And we’re not just sleeping together. There’s something else there, Reese. I don’t know what it is, but it’s amazing.”

  “Do you love him?” Reese asked.

  “Maybe. How on earth would I know what real love looks like? Or feels like?”

  Taylor pulled down the visor and studied herself in the mirror. Did she look like a girl in love? She didn’t know. All she knew was that Levi invigorated her. He made her feel transformed and like anything was possible. He ruled her thoughts and her body in a way that made her question if she could ever belong to anyone else.

  Reese shrugged. “I know I said some terrible things before, but if he’s what you want, I can accept that.”

  “I’m not looking for your acceptance,” Taylor snapped, flipping the visor up and folding her arms across her chest.

  “Sorry, that came out wrong.” Reese offered an apologetic smile. “If that guy is responsible for all this ooey gooey goodness coming out of you, then please keep him around.”

  They both laughed and it felt like they were kids again, making up after a silly fight over who got to play with Malibu Barbie and who had to play with Ken.

  The cops took almost forty-five minutes to arrive, wrote the report, and told Reese where she could get a copy of it.

  “What about my car?” she asked the officer.

  “That’s your responsibility, ma’am. You can’t leave it here.”

  Reese huffed. “I guess I can call AA or something,” she said.

  “Your car is not an alcoholic. You mean Triple A,” Taylor corrected.

  “Whatever, smart-ass.”

  Reese was on the phone for a while, pacing the shoulder of the highway and kicking rocks into traffic. Taylor leaned against the hood, checking her phone. Triple A confirmed the girls’ location and promised to be there within the hour.

  19. stacks on stacks and retribution

  Levi woke early on Saturday morning, full of nervous energy. He spent his time packing up the last of his apartment. He made two trips to different Goodwill stores to drop off his furniture and other belongings. When all was said and done, the only thing left was one large suitcase and his father’s guitar.

  He sat on the floor in the empty space and looked around at the almost white walls and beige floor. He rubbed at the indentations where his old couch had been for the last three years. Levi lay back on the carpet and stared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and mouthed the words of T. S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men, each line a metered measure of his departure from this life.

  We are the hollow men

  We are the stuffed men

  Leaning together

  Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!

  Our dried voices, when

  We whisper together

  Are quiet and meaningless

  As wind in dry grass

  All these things would soon be gone and he would be homeless—wealthy and homeless. Countless poems floated through his head, followed by songs he knew by heart. None of them seemed to make a difference. None of them soothed his aching heart.

  Around eleven, Vanessa, the weekend Hudson housekeeper, called. She was in a panic because the washer wouldn’t start. Levi smiled into the phone and promised that he’d be there as soon as possible. His adrenaline kicked in as he sent a text to Kyle indicating their game had begun.

  As he drove across the city toward the Hudson home, Levi’s anxiety seemed to grow exponentially. By the time he was sitting before the pretentious iron gate, his insides were practically vibrating. After parking behind the garage, Levi sat quietly for a few minutes, trying to calm himself and his thunderous pulse. He cleared his head and focused on his objective.

  Wearing the uniform he’d never have to wear again, Levi found Vanessa in the kitchen.

  “Hi, you must be Levi,” she said. She held her hand out and Levi shook it once. “I’m Vanessa.”

  “Nice to meet you. Well, let me have a look at the washer for you,” he said.

  “Thanks. I didn’t know what to do when the damn machine wouldn’t even power on. So I called Mandy and she said to call you because you were on call for weekends. Sorry to bother you on your day off.”

  “No problem. All part of the job,” Levi said.

  “I’m the only one here today, so I’ll be busy doing other stuff. If you need something, just page me,” Vanessa said
, pointing to the panel on the far wall.

  “Will do.”

  He went into the laundry room, pulled out the washer, and tinkered around a bit. When twenty minutes had passed, he stepped back into the kitchen. Levi spied Vanessa moving around in the foyer, so he headed toward that side of the room to place his call.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi. This is Levi Russo, head of maintenance at the Hudson residence.” Kyle laughed on the other end of the line. “The washing machine has completely gone out. We’ll need a replacement. Maytag Commercial Energy Advantage, eighty pound, soft-mount, front load.”

  “Blah blah blah,” Kyle said.

  “Can we get that today?” Levi paused. “Great. By two o’clock will be fine. Thanks.”

  Vanessa stepped into the kitchen, a duster in her hands. “It can’t be repaired?” she asked.

  “No, sorry. The replacement should be here in a few hours, though. I’ll wait and make sure it’s installed correctly.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to stick around on your day off, Levi. I’m sure the delivery guy can do it.”

  “I don’t mind.” He gave her a smile and she seemed to relax.

  “Okay.”

  Vanessa left the room and disappeared into the basement. Levi crept to the linen closet on the second floor and pulled down as many sheets as he could find and slid them under Taylor’s bed. He pulled his earpiece out of his pocket, turned it on, and placed it in his ear. His mic was already turned on.

  “Are you guys getting me?” he asked.

  “Loud and clear,” Crystal answered. “I’ve rerouted all cameras during the heist. They are looping a few seconds of video while we’re there. We’re approaching the south side of the house now. What’s our entry point?”

  “Taylor’s balcony. There is latticework beneath all that ivy.”

  “Copy that.”

  Levi made sure the balcony doors were open before heading back downstairs. He entered the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the fridge, swallowing most of it down in one pull. Vanessa flitted in and out of the room while he nervously waited to hear from his friends. The seconds ticked by, each one matching his pulse.

  “We’re in,” Crystal said. “Moving the bed now.” He exhaled and threw his water bottle away. “Sliding the panel away. Kyle’s getting to work.”

  Levi stepped into the laundry room and propped open the chute door. He sat on top of the broken washer and waited. After three minutes of silence he heard a muffled sound in his earpiece. He pressed it harder into his ear.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “The damn housekeeper is upstairs, Levi. I can hear her in the hall.”

  “Shit.”

  He hopped down and ran to the intercom panel in the kitchen. “Vanessa, could you come to the kitchen please?” Levi asked.

  Everything in the house was quiet. His gaze stayed glued to the kitchen’s entryway. Levi pressed the button again. “Vanessa?” His voice echoed through the empty rooms.

  A short scream sounded out.

  “Fuck!”

  Levi sprang into action. He took off running, across the kitchen, through the foyer, and up the stairs, preparing to do whatever it took to handle the situation. His friends were quiet in his ear, and he knew that wasn’t a good sign.

  “Vanessa?” he called out at the top landing.

  “In here,” she answered from Taylor’s room.

  Levi rushed inside, his eyes searching the room. Everything seemed to be back in place. It all looked normal. Vanessa was coming in from the balcony.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, trying to slow his labored breathing.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. There was a damn pigeon in here. Scared the shit out of me, and him.” She pointed to two spots of bird poo on the floor. “Taylor must have left her balcony doors open.”

  “Oh.”

  She bent down and wiped up the mess with a rag from the pocket of her apron. “Stupid bird.”

  “Could you come downstairs for a minute? I need your help with something.”

  “Sure.”

  “Where are you guys?” he whispered halfway down the stairs.

  “Pardon me?” Vanessa asked.

  “What was the size?” Levi replied quickly. “Was it a big bird?”

  She answered him, but he couldn’t hear a thing with Crystal laughing in his ear.

  “We were under the bed,” she said. “Back to work now.”

  When they were in the kitchen, Vanessa turned to him and waited expectantly. Levi searched his mind for some way to keep her busy. He rubbed at the back of his neck and shuffled his feet.

  “I feel embarrassed now, but I was just wondering if you could make me some lunch? I was about to eat when you called and now I’m starving. Mandy always does it for me during the week and I don’t feel comfortable going through the fridge.” He punctuated his request with his signature crooked smile. It worked like a charm.

  “Oh, Levi, that’s no problem. Don’t feel embarrassed. I’d love to.”

  He sat at the bar, his knee bouncing up and down with nervous energy.

  “Stacks on stacks, baby,” Crystal said excitedly. “We’re in.”

  Levi exhaled and smiled up at the ceiling. After all their hard work, their efforts had paid off. The safe was real, the money was real, and they’d be rich.

  “Coming your way,” Kyle said in his ear.

  A soft thud was heard and Vanessa’s head popped up. “What was that?”

  “Just me,” Levi replied. “I kicked the cabinet.”

  He connected his shoe with the wood in front of him and was relieved when it sounded similar. Satisfied, Vanessa continued to make his lunch. She slid the sandwich in front of him and dusted off her hands.

  “Well, it’s not a Mandy original, but it’ll do,” she said.

  “Aren’t you going to eat with me?” he asked.

  “No, hon. I need to go dust Taylor’s room while she’s out.”

  Levi choked on his sandwich.

  “Are you okay? Can I get you some water?”

  He nodded emphatically, his mind struggling to come up with a way to stall her.

  “Last one,” Crystal said through the earpiece. “We’re closing up and heading out.”

  Vanessa set a glass of water in front of him. “Well, I’ve got to get back to work. Did you need anything else?”

  “No, I’m good. But you might want to start with the gym in the basement. I heard Mrs. Hudson complaining about it yesterday afternoon.”

  She nodded and left the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, Levi hurried to the laundry room.

  A soft yellow sheet sat at Levi’s feet, its corners tied up like a sack. He could barely see the bricks of cash through the material. The sight made a grin spread over his face. He closed the chute door and leaned against it, imagining how this money, these kind of resources would change his life.

  After a few minutes, he had to ask. “How much?”

  “A little over twenty million,” Crystal answered, out of breath.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah, I know. We’re down the trellis now. Prepare for phase two.”

  Levi waited a few minutes and snuck back up to Taylor’s room. He told himself it was to make sure everything was back in place. But in all honesty, he just needed to see the space one more time.

  The bed was returned to the middle of the room and everything looked normal. The smell of the room was way off, though. Levi couldn’t smell Taylor’s shampoo or perfume anymore. It was the stench of metal and money. He ran his fingers over the white fluff of her bed, remembering exactly what her skin looked like against it. He glanced at the double doors and remembered their open conversations and the way the sunset painted her face.

  “Levi, we’re at the gate.” He blinked out of his memories.

  “Buzz the house. The housekeeper will let you in.”

  Levi headed downstairs, where he found Vanessa watching the delivery truck through the fr
ont window.

  “Hi,” he said, startling her. She spun to face him. “I’ll take care of the installation and let you know when it’s ready.”

  “Thanks,” Vanessa said. “The gym looked clean to me. Maybe Mandy got to it before she left yesterday. I’m so behind on my work. I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.”

  Levi nodded and she left the room. He entered the laundry room and opened both doors, creating a wide enough entry for the new machine. He watched as the team used a pallet jack to move it onto the lift gate and lowered it down to the driveway. They worked together and wheeled it to the back door and into the laundry room.

  Levi detached the old machine and, with their help, slid it away from the wall. Crystal and Kyle cut out one side of the huge box and then the three of them moved the new machine into place. They loaded the old one onto the pallet jack and started filling it with the bags of money.

  “It’s not all going to fit in here,” Crystal said.

  “We’ll load the rest into the empty cardboard box. Let’s bring this to the truck,” Kyle replied.

  While they hauled the full broken machine away, Levi worked to install the new machine to the wall connections. It had a special kind of hose attachment and he would need a different wrench to connect it.

  When Crystal and Kyle returned, they loaded the empty box onto the pallet jack, pulled the remaining sacks of money from the laundry chute, and started placing them inside.

  “Is the Boss really in the truck?” Levi whispered. Kyle and Crystal both nodded silently. “I need a different wrench from the garage. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay, we’re almost done here,” Crystal answered.

  Levi walked out the door and got only about six steps before he heard something that made his stomach drop.

  “What the fuck is going on here?”

  Taylor, his brain screamed.

  * * *

  After taking a taxi home from the dealership where Reese’s car was towed, Taylor had been exhausted. Walking up the driveway, she’d seen a large delivery truck parked near the house. She entered the kitchen and heard voices coming from the laundry room. When she’d peeked in, she’d found a guy and a girl pulling sacks from the laundry chute and loading them into a huge cardboard box.