Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by Bohannon, Hipsy

  "I gotta let you go. I love you but I can't keep you. This can’t work. I can't give you what you need. I'm not the right one."

  Able’s words were whispers, as he looked into her confused hazels. He thought he knew what he wanted, he thought it was her, and it was. He wasn't sure when he had realized the truth but it was out there now. His lips had spoken, out loud, what his heart, had been refusing to let his mind, believe. Penny wasn't his, she never was, and she never would be.

  He watched as her lip began to tremble, her eyes filling with tears, but only one, slipped down her cheek. He kissed it, licked the salt, and apologized with his eyes.

  "Okay, but just for tonight, can I be yours?"

  She requested in a cracked voice, pulling him into her arms.

  She had no right to be upset with him. She had always known what this was, hell, it had been her idea, no commitment, just fun, right? She always knew it couldn't work, she just hadn't realized, how much of her, had been hoping that it could. She refused to let go, she couldn't, not just yet. Able seemed to except that, gracing her with a little nod before leaning in to kiss her lips.

  Able poured into her mouth all the tragedy that he felt inside. He loved her more than he loved himself, so, he had to let her go. He had to let her be happy. He was never gonna be man enough to love her. She deserved more than even his, absolute, best.

  Cole loved her, he had always loved her. He, would give up everything for her, Able knew he would. All he had needed was a little push. Able knew, he, had given him that. Penny deserved the best man, and that was Cole, hands down. He had his shit together. Able on the other hand, wasn’t much more than a child in a well-built man body. Penny needed a real man, inside and out. She needed a real hero, not a sidekick, at best.

  So, Able would take her, one last time and no doubt, regret it for the rest of his life. He knew he would be kicking himself later, but this, was what was right. He gave her everything he had, one last time. He let himself have this, let himself fill her with his

  heartbreak as he shuttered and shook over her body.

  No words were spoken as they each got redressed. No heartfelt ‘It was fun while it lasted’ or lies about ‘no hard feelings’. They locked eyes here and there, neither, saying all the things that needed to be said. It was done and over, simple or as not simple, as that was.

  Able collected the cash, stuffing it back into the envelope, before following Penny toward the door.

  "Please take this, it's yours." He pleaded again, grabbing her hand, and pulling her back to him, before pressing it into her palm. Penny just shook her head, no, hitting him with one of her ‘drop you in the dirt smiles’ before pushing it back his way.

  “Some things, are priceless.” She mused, before leaning up to kiss his cheek. Then just like that, she was gone.

  Chapter 28

  T he next day, found Cole and Able sharing the very same table at a press junket for the Brother’s in Murder movies. The pair hadn't even bothered to look at one another, while they posed for pics with fans and signed autographs, not four feet, away from each other. They skirted, questions about the fight, giving the answers that their P.R. people had come up with. They fake smiled, fake laughed, all while telling the same, tired ass stories that they had been telling for years. They acted, it's what they were good at.

  "Alright, you're up!" Cole announced pointing to a man in the crowd.

  These things were all so boring after a while. Just a bunch of the same questions over and over again. They wanted to know about behind the scenes shit and when the next film would be out. After a while, it all just kind of blurred together. Able and Cole, both could answer the damn questions in their sleep, at this point.

  "So the fans really want to know, what's the deal with Penny Lane?"

  The second her name, rolled off the fat man's tongue, Cole and Able’s eyes both narrowed, their jaws flexing. Cole was quicker to recover, he had always been better on his feet when dealing with the press. That’s why Able always let him take the lead when answering the harder questions.

  "Penny who?" Cole questioned as if he didn’t have a clue. He wasn’t sure how the press had gotten a hold of Penny’s name, but he wasn’t happy about it in the least.

  "You can cut the act, we know there's no movie. The fight was real. So just spill it Conners. What's the story with the stripper?" The balding man challenged, giving Able and Cole, both, a look that said they weren’t fooling anyone. Cole's eyes shot to Able, a deadly look filling his features. In return, Able shook his head, his stunned look telling Cole he wasn’t the one who had let the cat out of the bag.

  "Sorry man, no clue what you're talking about…. next, ya, you over there. What’s your question.” Cole tried to play it off, pointing at another reporter.

  "I think we’re all with him. Come on guys, it's all over social media." The next man informed while the crowd all started to nod, some shouting out demands for the juicy gossip.

  It was Able’s turn to react first. Phone in his hand, he signed on to Twitter. It was going wild. He clicked on the first video link he came to, with a paused image of Penny. His eyes went wide as the video flashed through. It started with a mob standing around, what he recognized to be Penny’s apartment door. Loud banging was sounding off and then, just like that, she opened it wide, only to immediately, have a hundred cameras pointing in her face, all snapping pics. Her, slamming the door shut, in their faces was the last image before the video went dead.

  "Cole!” Able yelled, trying to be heard, as the crowd in front of them, started to get a little out of hand, all wanting the answer to the question that was, Penny Lane.

  Making his way over, Cole glared at his former friend, who was looking ill, and pointing at the phone in his hand. He looked on, to find a video playing out. This one, was of Penny and T.J., trying like hell, to get out of the apartment and down the stairs to the exit. From all directions, cameras were being pushed in their faces while, question after question was being hurled their way. Reporters asking, way too personal of things, while fans screamed out nasty comments. Mostly about her splitting Able and Cole up and about her being the whore that ended the Brothers in Murder franchise.

  T.J., always the man, was screaming at them to ‘back the hell up from his mother’, all while, pushing people back, left and right, trying his hardest to clear them a path. Penny stood behind him, looking absolutely horrified as she tried to shield her face.

  Cole, didn’t need to see anymore, he bolted out of the room on a dead run, with Able hot on his heels.

  Penny’s day had started off bad, very, very, bad.

  "Who in the hell is knocking at this hour?" She growled, stumbling her way to the door with T.J., right behind her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  “Maybe it’s the publishers clearing house guy. He owes me money!” T.J. grumbled, behind her.

  “It’s never gonna happen, buddy, give it up.” Penny groaned, with the shake of her head, as she opened the door.

  She assumed, that it was just Cole, being lazy, and not using the key, she knew for a fact, he still had. She couldn’t think of anyone else that would come around this early in the morning.

  It wasn’t Cole, though, instead, it was a hundred strangers, all pointing cameras her way.

  The questions, seemed to be coming from everywhere as she tried to shield her eyes from the bright flashes that were going off all around her.

  "You broke up the brothers, you whore! Which is

  it gonna be, Cole or Able? How did you meet them? Have you guys ever had a threesome?”

  "What the fu…”," was the only thing she got out of her mouth before a hard tug from T.J., sent her stumbling back inside, just before the he slammed the door shut.

  "What the fuck was that!" Penny shouted, looking horrified.

  Taking a deep breath, a very guilty looking T.J., walked over to the bookshelf in the living room. After moving a few books, he pulled out his iPad.

  "Mom, I thi
nk there's something you need to see." He informed, jerking his head for her to meet him on the couch. She didn't even bother to question where he had gotten the device. She already knew, and right now, she needed answers that only, it, seemed to offer.

  T.J. quickly found the link to Able and Cole’s fight. As soon as the video started, Penny’s eyes went wide. She watched on in horror, as two men that she cared deeply about threw punch after punch, into each others bodies.

  "How did Cole find out?" She questioned, more to herself than to T.J..

  "They’re best friends mom, or at least, they used to be." T.J. informed, pushing more buttons on the iPad.

  Penny watched on as Cole and Able laughed and joked through interviews, watched as clips from a movie played with both men being featured, side by side. Worst of all, there was even one of her and Cole at the gym. Of their dance and of way too much more, for her to want to see. Her head swam as video after video played out. A good few hours passed as T.J. caught his mother, up to date on the history of the situation at hand.

  How could this be, how could they not tell her, either of them? What kind of, sick game, was this, and what in the hell, had they gotten her into? The crowd out front, proved that it was something, she wanted no part of.

  "Why would they do that?!" She cried out, as her mind raced through, everything that had happened.

  “I'm so sorry mom, I should have told you. I didn't realize that, this, is what would happen, I swear I didn’t. I thought it was just a game, Cole was playing. I didn’t even tell him I knew." T.J. pleaded, in a guilty tone, dropping the iPad, to wrap his arms around his, devastated mother.

  He cried right along with her, knowing that he had followed Cole blindly and that it had ended up hurting the person, he loved more than anything in this world, his mother.

  "Are you guys okay, where are you?!' Cole yelled into his phone, already boarding the plane that would take him back home to Cali. He needed to get back and fast. This whole thing was turning into a huge fucking mess. All he had ever wanted to do, was to keep Penny and T.J. out of the spotlight, and now, here they were, thrown right, smack dab, in the middle of it.

  "None of your business, you dick!' T.J. snarled into the phone. "I deserved that, but T.J. you have to listen to me. I need you to get you and your mother, over to my house, immediately! It’s safe there, you know the gate code. Get there as fast as you can, I’m on my way!” Cole instructed, his eyes on his phone. The video call was killing him. Seeing T.J.’s, pissed off face, was killing him but he wanted to see him, he needed to lock eyes on him.

  "No, it's not safe there, and neither, are you! You ruined everything, you and that jackass, Able! Mom, won't stop crying, and people, keep throwing stuff at her, wherever we go. Your fans are all assholes, and so are two. Stay the hell away from my mother, both of you!' T.J. warned, glaring at Cole's through the screen.

  “Little man, you gotta believe me, I never meant for this to go down like it did, none of us did. I still can’t figure out how they found you guys.” Cole said, pleading with his eyes.

  "How they found us, was one of those psycho fans of yours, tracked us down after that fight. She used image recognition tools on that video of you and mom, screwing, and then linked it to a video of Able, at the club mom works at. It was crazy, this stalker bitch went, straight, spy gadget. I'll send you the link to her site. She put mom on blast, saying she ruined both of your stupid, careers!” T.J. Informed with the roll of his eyes.

  He’d been following it all this entire time. He knew all the sides and didn’t much care for any of them. He never did like the games grown-ups liked to play. They never made any sense to him. Why hurt someone, just to hurt them or love them, but not be with them? It didn’t add up.

  "T.J., I'm sorry, but I need you guys to get to my house. I need you guys to be safe until I can get there."

  "I don’t care what you need and neither does mom. You blew it, man. Stay away from the both of us, and tell that pornographer friend of yours, that he better not even try to come near us or I’ll kick his ass worse than I did the last time! I saw his little pictures, and I’m not freaking, happy! Mom isn’t, either. She doesn't want to see you or him, ever again, and neither do I!”

  "I know you're pissed man and you deserve to be, but I can't stay away from you, alright? I can't do that. There's something you don’t know, and now, is not the time to tell you. But I promise you, I will, as soon as I get back. I can't lose you, okay, not now.”

  "Why, because you're my dad? Who cares, I still want you to stay away from us!”

  Cole's breath caught in his throat. T.J. knew, but how?

  "How long have you known?"

  "God, you people act like I'm stupid or something. I figured it out years ago. I just let you two keep going on with your little game. What did I care, you always treated me right. I figured you’d come out with it when you were ready but screw that. You're not my dad, okay. You’re just Cole and I don’t even wanna know a Cole anymore. What you two did to mom, was messed up. I don’t want you around her or me. Just go away and for good this time! We don’t need you, anymore!"

  Cole slammed his head against the phone as the call went dead. He was fucked. He finally knew he had a son, but now, T.J. wanted nothing to do with him. He let out a heavy breath, leaning back in his seat, waiting for the plane to take off.

  "Did you find them? She's not answering my texts." Able’s voice sounded off just as his body came down hard in the seat beside Cole’s.

  "What the fuck are you doing here?" Cole questioned, looking over to glare at his former best friend.

  "Cut the shit man; now's not the time. I get it, you hate me, that's fine, whatever. I just wanna know she's safe okay, then you can have her back." Able bargained, glaring right back in Cole’s direction.

  "Have her, back? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I bowed out, she's yours now. And bravo, it looks like you're doing a bang-up job at keeping her."

  "What the hell are you talking about, you, bowed out? Fuck you asshole, I bowed out! I broke it off with her, two days ago." Able shot back, looking confused and angry.

  "And just, why in the hell, would you go and do a stupid thing like that?” Cole questioned, looking equally baffled.

  "Because, I just wanted her to be happy.”

  "Fuck you, that's why, I, left her! I knew how much she dug you so, I stepped. Don’t try to be the fucking hero here, man!" Cole spat, giving Able’s shoulder a hard shove.

  "You're the one, trying to be the hero, asshole!" Able corrected, giving him a shove in return.

  A day later, found both the men walking out of, yet another, police station, covered in more bruises than they had been sporting the day before. Apparently, getting into a fist fight, right before a plane takes off, is a no-no. It pisses air marshals, right the fuck off and then, they get taser happy. They were nice enough to cuff them, before, they dragged both their asses off the plan, like a couple of terrorists. TMZ got a nice little snippet for their show. Though, most of the video was gonna have to be bleeped out. As it was just a good five minutes of Cole and Able, screaming obscenities and threats, at one another, as they got dragged through the crowded airport.

  "Stay off my fucking plane, asshole! Oh, ya, and away from, my, girl, as well!" Cole barked as they excited the jail.

  "Go fuck yourself, fuckhead, I'll get a private flight! I sure do wish I could stay and chat with you, but, I’m super busy. I’m headed off to Cali, to get my girl back. I was stupid to think you were the right one for her. If you loved her, you would have never walked away from her. I gave you another chance and you blew it!" Able spat right back.

  "You walked away from her too, smart ass. I, gave, you, chance and, you blew it. Penny’s back to being mine, just like she’s always been!"

  The pair glared at one another, until their rides came, then set off on a race, to see who could make it back to Cali first.

  Gone girl, girl gone, either way, Penny was just gone. Ther
e wasn’t a single trace of her, anywhere in sight. Cole found the apartment, empty, drawers cleaned out, and beds stripped down to their mattresses. Both T.J. and Penny’s phones, appeared to be disconnected. GPS tracking wasn’t touching them, wherever they were.

  "She's gone, boy. I already told ya that, every night this week." Ace shrugged from behind his desk.

  “I know, but I gotta find her! Ace, I know, you, know something. You gotta help me out here, man!" Cole pleaded as he leaned over Ace’s large desk.

  Ace shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh, before locking eyes with Cole, once again.

  "Ya know, I was always rooting for you and her, but then you went and fucked it all up. You and your little picture happy friend there. You two played her like a fool, and went and turned the whole damn world against her. Fighting over her like a bunch of animals, for everyone to see. Then came the jackals, damn press ate her alive. She couldn't even leave her house without those animals, nipping at her, every step she took. They followed her everywhere. She couldn’t work because of them. You two left her with no choice, she got out while she still could." Ace summed it all up, eyeing the man, he had always had a fondness for.

  Cole reminded him, of his own son in so many way’s, but thank God, not in others.

  "I know I fucked up, but if I can't find her, I can't fix it." Cole tried again.

  "Maybe she doesn’t want, you, to try to fix it anymore. Cole, you're old enough to know, that when a woman's had enough, she's

  had enough and there ain’t nothing that can be done about it, once she’s made her mind up.”

  "She's got my son Ace, I can't lose him, too. I swear on my my life, I’ll leave Penny alone, if that's what she wants, but I can't lose my son, I won’t."

  With another shake of his head, Ace let out a heavy breath.

  "I can't help ya, I'm sorry about your boy, I am, but I still can't."