by Marnie Perry
Into the phone Rosie said simply, ‘right,’ and switched off the phone.
He looked at Guildy, ‘they’re here, let’s go.’
Guildy smirked, ‘shall I tie her hands and gag her first, we know how slippery she can be, we don’t want a repeat of the Hennessey débâcle do we?’
Adela’s skin became clammy at his words and a chill went down her spine, but to her relief Rosie replied, ‘no, not yet, we might meet someone and we don’t want to attract attention. Wait till we’re on the boat.’
Guildy looked disappointed. He wanted to punish her for her words to him earlier and for ruining his specially made expensive suede jacket, but he saw the sense of what his partner said.
He moved towards Adela, but to his and the other men’s complete amazement she stood and rushed at him pushing him away so that he staggered back, then she threw her arms around Lando and her voice high and terrified pleaded, ‘help me, Mr. Lando, please help me, don’t let them take me, please do something.’
Lando was dumbstruck, he had never expected this. She had seemed so calm and in control. Although he knew it was a veneer to cover her real feelings, which must have been terror and helplessness, he never expected her to lose it like this. She had gone to pieces earlier but that was only to be expected after what she had endured, plus he was the only one to witness her distress. But she seemed too proud and dignified to crumble in front of these men. She had one arm around his waist the other around his neck and with the hand that circled his waist she stuck her nails into his hand, really hard. Guildy had his hands on her arms trying to disengage them from around Lando’s neck and waist, but she clung on even tighter begging, ‘Mr. Lando, I’m sorry I made you angry, please forgive me and help me now, I’m begging you.’
His heart did a somersault at her words but he said sharply, ‘lady, pull yourself together, don’t go to pieces in front of these two deadbeats.’
Still she clung to him until Guildy yanked her arm from around Lando’s neck saying, ‘if you don’t let go and calm down woman I’ll knock you unconscious. Still she clung with her other arm around his waist and continued digging her nails into his palm. God, but she had sharp nails they were like talons.
Suddenly she grasped his fingers and closed them over her own, no not her fingers, something sharp and metallic. With sudden clarity he knew what it was she had pressed into his palm, the key to the handcuffs, how the fuck had she…? Then he knew, when she had become dizzy and spilled the water on Guildy’s jacket then tried to wipe it off. Only she had not become dizzy and had not been cleaning off the water but had been searching his pocket for the key. She had been so quick because she had immediately gone for the left hand pocket noticing as he had that Guildy only had three fingers on his right hand and would favour his left. She had retrieved the key and waited for an opportune moment to give it to him. He should have known better, he should have guessed that she would die before she panicked in front of these two bastards. His admiration and respect for her at this moment was endless.
He watched as Guildy pulled her away and twisted her arm up her back until she cried out and tears filler her eyes. Unfortunately Guildy had chosen her already injured arm to hurt.
Lando wanted nothing more right then than to sink his fist into the man’s stomach then pound his face with his fists until his features were nothing but pulp. But he controlled himself and used the opportunity while they were distracted to move the key between his index finger and thumb and twist his hand to put it in the handcuff lock. He was about to turn it when
Rosie looked over at him and demanded, ‘tell her to calm down, Lando and behave herself.’
Lando looked over at Adela still struggling in Guildy’s arms and it took all his willpower to feign indifference. He shrugged, ‘I ain’t got no influence with her, man. She ain’t my woman.’
Rosie turned to Adela, ‘if you don’t stop struggling right now Guildy will break your arm, and it’ll be a very uncomfortable ride for you to where we going.’
She instantly became quiet and still except for the rise and fall of her chest from her exertions. Rosie let out his breath as though he had been the one fighting then said, ‘don’t do that again, woman or you’ll regret it.’
She gripped her shoulder and bowed her head as though beaten and Rosie pulled his gun from his holster and turned to Lando. But as Adela and Guildy watched, he unexpectedly lurched to the side, his face pouring with blood as Lando faster than anything Adela had ever seen swung the handcuff still attached to his right wrist into the side of Rosie’s head. He then grabbed the gun from his hand as he hit him again; this time with his other hand and Rosie went down. Guildy had stood shocked and amazed as his partner sunk to his knees then fell onto his stomach out cold, but now swung Adela in front of him at the same time reaching for his weapon. But Adela was quick too, she opened her mouth and sunk her teeth into the hand with only three fingers and bit down so hard she drew blood. He cried out and pushed her away, she dived to the ground giving Lando a clear shot, he didn’t waste it and Guildy went down a bullet in his shoulder.
But Guildy wasn’t done yet; he reached down and pulled a gun from an ankle holster. Lando didn’t fire again but leapt on him knocking the gun from his hand. And then did what he had wanted to do from the moment Guildy had kicked Dante and he had heard the dog’s ribs crack. Lando told himself that it was for Dante and it was, at least some of the blows were, but they were mostly for the woman, for the way Guildy had spoken to her, for the way she had cried out when he had twisted her arm, for the way he had taken such delight in hurting her.
Adela sat on the floor horrified at what had just happened and what Lando was doing to Guildenstern. She knew the man deserved it for what he had done to Dante and Lando and probably hundreds of other people too. But she couldn’t sit and watch a man, even a monster like Guildenstern being beaten to death, and that was what Lando was doing right now. She was about to call out to Lando to tell him to stop when a movement to her left caught her eye, it was Rosencrantz reaching behind him and pulling out a gun. She screamed in warning, ‘Mr. Lando, look out.’
Lando stopped pounding Guildy’s face and turned to Rosie who was pointing the gun directly at his face. He was too late to get out of the way so all he could do was stare down the barrel of Rosie’s Sig. He had heard that your life flashed before your eyes when you were about to die so he expected to see his childhood spent here in this cabin with his grandparents. Then his time at the police academy, his first arrest, his first shooting. His marriage to Adrianne. His time in prison and his return here. But mostly Adrianne’s face when the bullet from his own weapon had entered her heart. But he saw nothing except the round black hole at the end of the barrel of Rosie’s gun and all he could think about was the woman and what would happen to her when he was dead.
He wanted to close his eyes but couldn’t. He didn’t know what to expect, pain perhaps, then nothing. They did say that you never hear the bullet that kills you, but like the life flashing thing that wasn’t true either because he heard the sound of the gun being fired like an explosion in the stillness.
He did close his eyes now wondering why there was no pain, no strange sensation, no nothing. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Rosie face down on the ground a hole in the back of his head. He looked at the woman who was as white as death and staring over his shoulder at the door as though transfixed. Before he could turn to see what or who it was she stared at so intently and so fearfully a voice said, ‘Miss. Faraday, it’s real nice to see you again.’
Lando turned around so quickly his neck cracked and found himself looking at the man he had seen in the woman’s cabin but with blue eyes and black hair. Hennessey.
Lando dived for the gun he had dropped but Hennessey’s foot was there first. He said, ‘not yet, Mr. Lando, there are some things we have to sort out first, please stay where you are.’ He pointed his gun in Lando’s face to reinforce his words before bending to pick up the gun.
He looked at Adela, ‘you look very pale, Miss. Faraday, which is not surprising knowing your hatred of guns and all they entail.’ He was obviously ignoring the fact that her state of shock was due more to his presence than anything else.
She said not a word just looked at him with fear but there was loathing there too. He winced as he took in her cut and scratched face then bent down to take her arm saying, ‘come on, let me help you up.’
She recoiled for him as though he was contaminated but he only gave a rueful smile, ‘I don’t blame you for your reaction, I’d hate me too.’ He turned to Lando, ‘maybe Mr. Lando will assist you, he’s been doing an excellent job so far.’ He looked down at Guildy’s battered body as he said this.
Lando, his eyes never leaving Hennessey’s stood up slowly and walked over to Adela. Putting his arm around her waist he helped her to her feet. He could feel her trembling through his fingers. When she was upright he guided her over to the table and sat her in the chair she had previously occupied, then stood partially in front of her as though shielding her from Hennessey. Hennessey grinned and said, ‘it’s so nice to witness that male protectiveness towards the female of the species. We’ll make a gentleman of you yet, Mr Lando.’
Lando ignored that and turned to look down at Rosie’s body then back at Hennessey. He said, ‘you run out of innocent people to kill, Hennessey, and now stooped to taking out your own kind?’
Hennessey chuckled, ‘well for one thing, I never did kill innocent people, Mr. Lando. And that piece of crap ain’t my kind.’
‘That’s a matter of opinion,’ Lando returned.’
Hennessey didn’t seem to take offence at Lando’s remarks rather he seemed amused by them. But when his eyes alighted on Adela’s white face and shaking body he became serious and said, ‘we should move these two into another room out of Miss. Faraday’s sight, she’s probably seen enough of them alive without looking at them dead.’
Lando was surprised by Hennessey’s thoughtfulness but guessed it was all a front. He said, ‘the bedroom is otherwise occupied by more of your friends, I’m running out of space to put them.’
Hennessey frowned not at the jibe but with consideration. He looked around and Lando said, ‘there’s a space under the house, that’ll have to do.’
Hennessey nodded and indicated that Lando should drag them over to the crawl space. He said, ‘I have to admit I’m impressed, Lando, but then I was from our very first meeting.’
Lando didn’t consider that worth replying to and just then Adela stood up and made to move towards the bedroom but Hennessey caught her elbow and said, ‘please stay where you are, Miss. Faraday, we need to talk and you won’t be safe out there.’
He knew what she was thinking as she cast her eyes towards him, that she wasn’t safe anywhere with him around. She said calmly and quietly, ‘I’m not going to run away; I’m just going to check on Dante.’
Hennessey’s brow puckered, ‘Dante?’
‘Mr. Lando’s dog, he’s been hurt.’
‘Oh yes, of course, the dog.' He waved his gun towards the bedroom, 'okay, go on, but stay away from the window.’
Adela walked away but stopped when Hennessey said, ‘and Miss. Faraday. Please don’t do anything stupid, for Mr. Lando’s sake.’ She didn’t look at him but turned her head slightly in his direction and inclined her head before leaving the room.
Hennessey went around the room picking up the weapons that had been dropped by Lando and the two men but kept a close eye on Lando as he dragged the two dead men across the room and dropped them down the hole into the crawl space.
As he shoved Guildy in Hennessey said, ‘you sure got a temper, Mr. Lando.’
Lando didn’t look at him but closed the little door on the two men and said, ‘never could tolerate folks who’re cruel to animals.’
Hennessey raised his eyebrows then looked towards the bedroom door as though suddenly understanding, ‘bastard hurt your dog, huh?’
Lando didn’t answer that question but asked one of his own, ‘why’d you kill Rosie?’
Hennessey shrugged, ‘why not?’
Lando rolled his eyes and Hennessey laughed, ‘I should have thought it was pretty obvious why, Mr. Lando, he was about to kill you?’
Lando looked at him with suspicion and Hennessey said, ‘would you rather I’d let him kill you?’
‘Might have saved you the trouble.’
‘Oh it would have been no trouble, Mr. Lando. But don’t take it too personally; I’ve wanted to do that since I first laid eyes on those two motherfuckers.’
Lando eyed him with scorn, ‘don’t tell me Glissando paid you to do me as well as the woman.’
Hennessey gave a short laugh and picked up the key to the handcuffs which he handed to Lando who, after giving him a distrustful glance, unlocked the other cuff from his wrist. Hennessey said, ‘now that’s one of the things we gotta talk about, Mr. Lando.’
Lando frowned but before he could reply Adela came back into the room and ignoring Hennessey said to Lando, ‘Mr. Lando, Dante really needs a vet, his breathing is very shallow. I think his broken ribs are restricting his breathing.’
Hennessey didn’t attempt to stop Lando as he moved swiftly past him to the bedroom. Adela said to his back ‘I’ll get Dante some water.’
Hennessey told her, ‘get some for yourself too; you look as if you need it.’
Adela ignored him but did as he had said anyway. He nodded towards a bag he had thrown on the table, ‘there’s clothes and shoes in there for you.’ She looked towards the bag astonished that he had thought of that, but then he thought of everything didn’t he. She wanted to tell him to stick the clothes, but the temptation to change into something clean was too much. Still, she wouldn’t thank him, why should she? It was his fault she had no clothes in the first place. So she said nothing and he picked up the bag and waited for her while she drank some water then fill a bowl for Dante. He stepped aside to let her precede him into the bedroom.
Lando was kneeling by the bed checking Dante’s bandages but looked up briefly when Adela put the water on the bed next to Dante’s mouth saying, ‘come on boy, try to drink some of this, there’s a good dog.’ Dante raised his head and sniffed at the water but then lay back down again as though the effort was too much. Adela almost cried.
Lando said, ‘one of the broken ribs has punctured his lung.’
She had suspected this but still put her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry, ‘we have to get a vet, Mr. Lando.’
Before he could reply Hennessey said, ‘sorry, that won’t be possible.’
Adela turned on him, ‘for God’s sake, you have what you came for…me. Let’s just leave and let Mr. Lando fetch the vet to his dog.’
Hennessey regarded her a trifle sadly and shook his head, ‘it’s not that, Miss. Faraday, I’m not unsympathetic, it’s just not safe to leave here yet, not for you and not for Mr. Lando.’
She frowned in confusion but also with suspicion, ‘but those men are…are dead now.’
Lando stood up, ‘the guy who’s bringing the boat,’ he turned to Hennessey, ‘he’ll show up before long.’
Hennessey said, ‘guys actually, well they were guys, now they’re just alligator food.’
Lando arched his eyebrows and Adela shook her head at the casual way he talked about ending someone’s life.
He said, ‘you disapprove, Miss. Faraday, of me no doubt, but what about your friend here? He kills three men yet you don’t look at him with contempt and loathing.’
‘That was different; he was defending himself…and me. And anyway, I’m not going to justify Mr. Lando’s actions to you of all people.’
Hennessey chuckled, ‘you used to defend me like that too.’
She looked away obviously disgusted with him and Lando said, ‘if not the two men with the boat then who?’
He hesitated looking at Adela as though still remembering when she had defended him. Eventually he answered, ‘well for one,
the feds, those in Glissando's pay, will see you and know something has gone wrong. They’ll detain you for questioning then you’ll be no use to Miss. Faraday or your dog. Plus, when you don’t show up at the rendezvous point they’ll send more men, there are several here in town and some waiting a few miles into the woods. When they can’t get their friends on the phone they’ll come here in force.’
Lando said, ‘you’ve been in town?’
Hennessey nodded, ‘not as myself of course,’ he grinned, ‘small town folk are so easy to fool. From old inane sheriffs to overly friendly waitresses, they see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear.’
Adela couldn’t help it, she said, ‘I think most of us are guilty of that. But then you’re an expert in fooling people aren’t you, Mr. Hennessey.’
The smile slid from his face, ‘there are some people I get no pleasure out of fooling, Miss. Faraday.’
The seriousness of his tone surprised her but she eyed him with mistrust, ‘if you’re so good at disguising yourself perhaps you could back into town, maybe disguised as a halfway decent person, give yourself a real challenge.’
Hennessey looked taken aback at her sarcasm as did Lando; she was certainly hiding her fear of him very well. She knew of course why he was here, she must be recalling in vivid detail the ordeal she had suffered at his hands, yet she was standing up to him and treating him as though he was a naughty boy who had gotten up to mischief once too often. He would have laughed if he had not been so consumed with worry for Dante and he had to admit, her too.
Hennessey glanced at his watch, ‘I have a guy watching Glissando’s men, he’ll call me when they make a move.’
