Gloria's Inn

by Robin Alexander

  Even in the darkness I could see Adrienne weighing her options. I know it was selfish but I wanted him to kill me first. I did not want to see him harm her.

  “Run Adrienne! Run and warn the others!” I cried as he pressed the knife harder against my throat.

  “Don’t be stupid Adrienne! You know I will kill her if you do. I have nothing to loose. Do you want to witness what that assassin will do to your precious Iris, and the rest of your friends?” Hank pressed the knife harder against my throat, and I could feel the blade cutting into my skin.

  I closed my eyes and yelled at Adrienne. “Run Adrienne!”

  I heard a strange noise ring out into the night, and I felt my body sink down as Hanks unconscious form collapsed to the ground. Adrienne grabbed me and pulled me into her arms, where I kept my eyes clamped closed afraid to open them. Then I heard the strange noise again, and three more times after that.

  “Oh God Iris.” Adrienne moaned.

  I opened my eyes to see Iris standing over a very dead Hank. Blood dripped from the wrought iron skillet she often used to cook in. We were all three covered in crimson splatter marks, and I was reminded that we didn’t pay Iris nearly enough.

  “Drop the skillet lady!” A male voice shouted. I looked up to see Chris aiming a nine-millimeter at Iris. “Drop it now!” He yelled.

  Suddenly all the things Hank had said about Billy rang through my head. We were still in deep shit. Faster than I ever thought I could manage I grabbed the branch that Adrienne had been holding and hit Chris behind the knees sending him to the ground with a thud. Adrienne was on him in a heartbeat trying to wrestle the gun from his grip.

  I heard footsteps’ running toward me and instinctively I knew it was Billy. With all that I had left in me I swung around with the branch and caught him across the jaw. His feet flew out from underneath him and he hit the ground in a heap.

  Iris had joined Adrienne in the fight for Chris’s gun and was working his lower body over good with the skillet. We looked like a modern day version of the key stone cops. I stumbled over to Chris and stomped his wrist into the ground with my foot and he released the gun.

  “I will splatter your brains out all over the ground if you move another muscle!” I shouted as I aimed the gun as his face. He froze and stared back up at me confused.

  “Adrienne find Billy’s gun, and Iris go call Colie.” I said as I stared into Chris’s eyes with murderous intent.

  Adrienne found Billy’s gun and stood guard over him. Chris stared up at me and tried to reason with an obviously crazed woman. “Hayden we are DEA. We were sent here to follow Brandon Fallon.”

  “You’re lying!” I spat at him. “You were working with Fallon, and I am not going to let you harm anyone here. Matter of fact I may start shooting your toes off one by one because of what you are.”

  “Hayden I swear, we are DEA. Look inside my wallet, you will find my credentials.” He said as he slowly moved his hand closer to his body.

  “Did you get confused when I told you not to move a muscle? I was not joking when I said I would blow your brains out! “My nerves were beginning to fray and I actually toyed with the idea of shooting him in the leg to show him I wasn’t farting around.

  “Hayden.” Adrienne’s voice was smooth and calming. “I think he is telling the truth, look at this.” She handed me Billy’s wallet, and there inside was his ID.

  “What if this is fake and we surrender to them? I am not moving a muscle until Colie gets here and then he can take over. I glared back at Chris. “That is if they don’t do anything stupid and I have to unload this gun into them both.”

  Iris came running across the yard yelling at the top of her lungs. “Colie is on the way, and he says not to hurt the policemen!”

  “I still glared down at Chris. I had come too close to getting killed tonight and I was reluctant to relinquish the weapon. Shelby and Myra were running behind Iris and stared wide eyed at the two men sprawled out on the ground before us. Their expressions grew wider when the noticed the weapons we had trained down on them.

  Shelby approached me slowly. “Hayden your hurt. I need to take a look at that cut.”

  “Nobody is looking at a damn thing until Colie gets here!” I managed to yell out. “Only when he gets here will I put this gun down! Now everybody stay back.” I ordered.

  The doctor in Shelby rose to the surface. “Can I at least take a look at Hank and Billy?” She asked timidly.

  “Yes.” I answered as calmly as I could muster.

  She knelt down over Billy and felt for a pulse. He was out cold but alive. She moved over to Hank but didn’t even bother to check his the mortal injuries were obvious. “What the hell happened to him?” She asked as she stood.

  “Old Faithful happened to him.” Iris said with a grin. “Gloria told me to always take care of her girls. When Adrienne found me tonight the first thing I grabbed was my skillet, and I kept my promise.”

  Colie arrived shortly after with several men who identified themselves as DEA agents. I handed the weapon over to them and allowed one of them to lead us back to the bar where Shelby tended the cut on my throat. Adrienne sat beside me holding my hand as we answered all of the questions he asked us.

  We were questioned over and over until the sun began to rise. The remainder of the guests had already filed into the bar to see what the commotion was about and was questioned as well. We allowed the agents to use our bar as a makeshift command center for their investigation.

  After the interrogation we were allowed to return to our cottage and get some rest. When I went into the bathroom I was shocked at the reflection staring back at me. I was wild eyed with exhaustion. My blonde hair was filled with sand and twigs. There was a nasty looking gash across my throat, that I was surprised did not need stitches. I looked and felt like hammered shit.

  Adrienne had already turned the shower on while I stood there gawking at my reflection in the mirror. We showered together not wanting to be separated for even a minute. I didn’t remember falling to sleep, only being led to the bed. When we finally woke up it was late in the day.

  “Hayden did I dream what happened last night?” Adrienne asked groggily. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked at my neck. “No it was real.” She said as she stared at the cut across my throat.

  “Nope it wasn’t a dream, but now it is all over, and we don’t have to worry about Hank anymore.” I said as I ran my fingers through her hair.

  We got up and showered and went straight to the bar. Iris had taken a short nap and got up early and had been cooking for Colie and the DEA agents all day. Our staff tended to all our guests in our absence assisted by Myra and Shelby. A lump rose up in my throat as I considered what type of people I was surrounded by.

  Sitting at one of the tables were Billy and Chris. Billy was sporting a bruise that dominated the right side of his face. He glared and Adrienne and I as we walked into the bar. Snickers could be heard amongst the group of agents.

  “So

  is it safe to assume you two are not lovers?” I said with a smirk as I approached their table. Billy continued to glare at me, and Chris spoke up.

  “No, Miss Tate I thought I made that clear last night.” Chris responded in a very snide tone, which immediately pissed me off. Had they made their presence known we would have never endangered ourselves or stuck our noses in their business.

  “Well Chrissy boy had you made it clear before last night you might not have gotten an ass whooping with a skillet.” I retorted. The agents surrounding us laughed openly.

  “We were conducting an official investigation, that you should not have involved yourselves in.” Chris said through clenched teeth.

  “We would have never gotten involved had we known about you two. Although, we wouldn’t have put a lot of faith in you since you lost the man you were investigating the first night you arrived!” Adrienne gently tugged at my arm trying to calm me down. Other agents stepped in between us and made me go to my corn
er. I was seething with anger, because of the position they had put us in.

  “Come sit down Slugger.” Shelby said as she pulled my chair out. She put a plate of food in front of me but I was so angry I couldn’t eat. Adrienne did though; she went ate her plate like a woman who had not eaten in a year.

  Shelby put an arm over my shoulders, and gave me a smile. “Calm down my friend. I think you two punished those bums enough. Have you noticed that Billy is being uncharacteristically quiet? “

  “Now that you mention it, he didn’t throw in his two cents the whole time.” I said glancing over my shoulder at him.

  “I think you may have broken his jaw. He wont let me look at it and barely speaks at all. He hasn’t had a bite to eat all day.”

  I began to feel bad for Billy. True he was an ass, and decided to make a vacation out of his investigation, which nearly got us killed. Still I felt a little sorry for him. It must have been very emasculating for him to be bested by a trio of women armed with a skillet and a stick.

  I also noticed that Chris walked with a limp. I think Iris must have really done a number on his knee. I could see the bruising on his wrist from where I had stomped on it. I would have hated being in either of their shoes. For their negligence they may both find themselves in a desk job real soon.

  The one bright spot in all of this mess was that Iris and Colie seemed to really hit it off. He followed her around like a lost puppy. She doted on him every chance she got. We got a kick out of watching them exchange glances and a smile when they thought no one was looking. They reminded me of two teenagers.

  There was more questioning, and statements to be signed. We learned that when Brandon Fallon was dispatched to the island the DEA already were moving in on the men who controlled his organization. They were arrested the previous morning for a list of charges not the least of which was murder, and Brandon Fallon’s death had yet to be added to them.

  We still had to prepare for the departure of our guests, minus two who I personally would love to send packing. The evening was a flurry of activity. When we were finally able to sit down and take a break it was two am. Shelby and Myra joined Adrienne and I and we all did some serious damage to a bottle of spiced rum.

  “I still cannot get over the fact that I didn’t know Billy and Chris were DEA.” Adrienne confessed as she rubbed her glass against her forehead. “Well I never professed to be totally accurate.”

  “There weren’t very good agents, if that helps any.” Myra said with a smirk.

  “They weren’t even really good at being gay either.” Shelby added with a laugh.

  “I propose a toast.” I said as I raised my glass. “To Iris, the woman who wields a skillet like Xena wields a sword!”

  The following evening when all of the guests were gone we threw a party for the staff, and even invited Colie. Iris was the guest of honor, and allowed me to have dominion over the barbecue. We ate and danced and partied like there was no tomorrow. A weight had been lifted off of our shoulders and a feeling of peace and contentment settled back over the Inn.

  The DEA agents left us finally taking with them a bruised and battered Billy and Chris.

  I did bring myself to utter a half assed apology for the thrashing we gave them. Neither of them seemed impressed. Billy simply grunted his goodbye, which was the nicest conversation I had with him since we first met.

  My heart was broken the day Shelby and Myra left for home. They assured us they would be back soon and promised to keep us updated on their progress. Shelby would have to begin the tedious task of getting her medical license transferred over, and they would both have to campaign for funding.

  “One morning Adrienne and I sat leisurely in the bar sipping our coffee. Adrienne looked up at me with an odd expression. “Hayden go get the cordless phone your mom is about to call.”

  I did as she ordered. I never doubted her ability again. When I sat back down at the table the phone rang in my hand before I could set it down. “Hi mom.” I answered and listened as she began to instantly rattle off complaints about me not calling her.

  “Hayden your dad and I have been talking and we want you to come home for Christmas. Your brother and his wife have already agreed to come, and we want you here too. Are you taking care of yourself hon.? I am sure your regular since they mostly have only fruit over there, but are you getting any protein? Have you been taking care of your teeth

  ?”

  I set the phone down and lit a cigarette. I could hear her voice steadily coming out of the phone like a buzzing bee. I sighed and took a sip of my coffee before putting the phone back up to my ear. Adrienne watched in amusement.

  “Mom

  I

  listen

  mom

  sheesh. I put the phone down again and continued to smoke and sip my coffee. The buzzing continued to pour out of the phone and when she stopped for a breath I picked it up quickly. “Mom I will think about Christmas okay? I love you too, bye.”

  When I set the phone down I looked into a pair of beautiful blue eyes. “Yes.” She simply said.

  “Yes what?” I asked in confusion.

  “Yes I will go home with you for Christmas, but I can tell you right now that I do not like your brother.” She said with a smile.

  I patted her hand. “That’s okay my love. I don’t like him much myself, and don’t get me started on that wife of his. Her name is Wanda, and she has these big eyes and

  Are you sure you want to put yourself through that?” I asked when her eyes rolled up into her head.

  “I have to go with you to make sure you will come back to the island.” She batted back playfully.

  “You don’t have to worry about that my love. You are stuck with me for life.” I said as I kissed her.

  We delayed the next batch of guests coming to the island so that we could recuperate emotionally and physically. We cleaned out Hanks old shack and threw away nearly everything in it. The rest we gave to whomever wanted it. As for the shack, I burned that bitch to the ground.

  Iris and Colie became a hot item. He spent many an evening at the Inn dinning with Iris and us. I saw a vibrant side to her I didn’t even know existed. When Adrienne and I forced her out occasionally Colie would take her out on his boat or shopping in Nassau. We had gained another member to our family.

  I was glad that she was going to have someone with her when Adrienne and I went to the states in a few months for Christmas. I planned on bringing back many gifts for my new family. I had already gotten my gift and she would be going home with me to meet the parents. That’s another story in itself, and maybe when I get some spare time I will tell you all about it.

  There is one part I forgot to mention. The entire time we were interrogated we never mentioned the half million dollars to Colie and the boys. The only money they found was what Hank had uncovered and was trying to leave the island with. The rest of it well lets just say that Cat Island has a mighty fine medical facility being built right now. It’s about time that drug money got cycled back to the community.

  Aunt Gloria had always said that things happen for a reason. She was right. The people of Cat Island would reap the benefits of Hanks actions for a long time to come.

  Adrienne and I spend most of our days playing with our grandchildren. Saber found himself a beautiful mate, a cream colored longhaired kind of girl. He and his beloved sleep at our feet each night and all six of their children. They don’t call this place Cat Island for nothing.

  The End

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

 

 

  Net