by Stacy-Deanne
“Come on, Bruce.”
He laid the top sheet on the bed. “What the hell do you want me to say? You gotta make that decision. It’s your life.”
“Don’t be an asshole. I need some advice.”
“Jeez.” He tucked the sheet in the corners. “Take it then.”
“Why?” She chewed on her thumbnail. “Why do you say I should?”
“Well hell, then don’t take it. Look I don’t know.” He sat on the bed. “Do you want to know if Nick’s your father or not?”
“I know he’s not.” She looked at her fingers. “I think this is some game he’s playing.”
“Okay fine well then take it and prove it if that’s what you believe.”
“You say that like you think he could be my father.”
“He could be right? You can’t ignore the shit he had at the station.”
“So you think I’m Victoria? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Hold on okay?” He raised his hands. “You asked for advice now you’re charging at me.”
“I’m sorry.” She played with one of the rubber bands from his dresser. “This is just so painful.”
“I know.” He went to hold her but backed off. “You can stay as long as you want. You can paint all you want, relax, anything.”
“Thanks. Bruce?” She lay on her stomach on the bed and kicked her legs up. “What’s it like having a real family?”
“You have a real family.”
“No I mean that shares blood.” She watched him like a newborn baby. “What’s it like?”
“Hell you’re closer to your family than I am to mine. Shit you know how it was with my dad.” He scooted up in the bed. “Shit we barely got along. Always getting on me about making mistakes but hell they were the same mistakes his ass made.”
“What about your momma?” Dylan rolled over and put her arms behind her head. “I know she abandoned you but don’t you ever think about her?”
“Shit she left when I was three. I don’t even remember her. Wouldn’t know her if she walked up to me.”
“But didn’t you wonder about her at all? I mean you had to.”
“No.” He scratched his head. “Not really.”
“How could that be? I thought about my real parents even though I was happy with my adoptive family.”
“I never thought about her much. I mean, sometimes I wonder if she’s still living. But other than that I don’t care. The bitch left her kid. Why would I wanna know her?”
“Ever wondered if she thought about you? Maybe she wanted to come back.”
“Please. That bitch ain’t thought about me once.” He scratched behind his ear.
“You don’t know that.”
“Well she’s had decades to come see me if she wanted to. She knew where I was. So fuck her.”
“See?” She propped up on her elbows. “I wish I could be like you.”
“What do you mean?” He took his Nikes off.
“You see things so differently than others. You don’t brood over the sadness or depression of something that happened. You just go with the flow and cut folks who do you wrong out of your life no questions asked.”
He shrugged.
“But me, I’d be sad. Most people would be sad. But you have a different way of looking at things and I admire that. That’s what I like about you. It’s easy for you to let go.”
“Not of everything. Some things I can’t begin to see my life without.”
“I’m just so tired of all this shit.” She closed her eyes. “It’s so peaceful here.” She propped her leg up and moved her knee from side to side. “I’ve missed this so much.”
Did she miss him in particular or just being able to relax without someone jumping down her throat?
Seemed like it had been a million years since the first time they met. He’d gone to the art museum with another chick on a first date. She’d been an artist too and he’d hoped to impress her with his false knowledge of art so he could fuck her.
But at the museum he’d found the most enchanting piece of art he’d ever seen in his life. It bewitched him at first glance. Michelangelo couldn’t have painted something this remarkable. This work of art wasn’t hanging on the wall or propped on a platform.
This work of art was just as alive as he was. She walked around the museum with some dude and Bruce forgot about the other chick and why he’d been with her. Once he saw the girl with that short green hair, giant smile and bright eyes it was too late.
Shit he didn’t believe in love at first sight but with one look he knew he and Dylan would be together.
He lay back. She hummed beside him.
That day he’d declared his mission of wooing the chick with the short green hair. He vowed to win her heart no matter how hard it would be.
And he had.
Zoë arrived at Steven’s five minutes after he called. He didn’t speak just gestured for her to come inside. He obviously hadn’t invited her over for lovemaking or a glass of wine.
They went into the living room. He didn’t take her up to his bedroom or light candles like he had before. He didn’t tell her how beautiful she was or that he wanted to make love to her. His eyes didn’t hold the passion of an encouraging lover but the glare of a cop.
What was going on?
“How come I get the feeling you didn’t invite me over for a little nightcap huh?” The red teddy underneath her dress couldn’t have seemed sillier now. “Am I wrong?” She unbuttoned the first two buttons of her dress.
He sat on the arm of the couch. “We need to talk.”
“What do you wanna talk about?”
He scratched his arm. “Are you really in love with me?”
“I am falling in love with you, yes.”
“And you want this to grow into something more than what it is?”
“I think I’ve been clear about that.” She sat on the table.
“And you trust me right?”
“Of course I do. Steven what’s going on?”
“And I assume you want me to trust you too right?”
She kissed him so hard that their lips made a suckling noise when she pulled away.
“Does that answer your question?” She opened another button. “If not then maybe this will.”
“No.” He laid his hand on her chest. “This isn’t happening okay?”
“Did I do something wrong?” She touched his cheek. “I love you, Steven. Nothing else matters.”
“I need to know more about you and I mean it.”
“I don’t get this attitude but I’ll play along.” She closed her dress halfway. “I’ve been as honest with you as possible but if you don’t believe that then ask away.” She crossed her legs.
“I wanna know the truth about you and Billy Curtis.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
“I…I told you the truth.”
“We both know you didn’t.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You remember when I went out of town a few weeks ago?”
“Yes. You went to some law enforcement seminar in Chicago.”
“Guess again.”
“Well what did you go there for then?”
“Bree and I went to Chicago to find out answers about you and Billy. We spoke to his friend Kael.”
“Why would you lie to me?”
“Because I asked you to be honest about Billy and you weren’t.”
“The fuck I wasn’t! I told you he was bothering me and that I didn’t want anything to do with him. He tried to rape me and I shot him in self-defense.” She touched his knee. “I thought you believed me.”
“I did at the time.”
“What changed? Oh right.” She snapped her fingers. “You said you went to Chicago with Bree right?” She got up. “Yeah I see now.”
“Zoë.”
“Let me guess. This bitch is planting lies about me in your head and you’re dumb enough to believe her?”
“This ha
s nothing to do with Bree and I’m not about to play these games with you anymore.”
“You’re the one playing games. You go off to Chicago behind my back and ask questions about me? How could you?”
“I wanted the truth and obviously you weren’t telling it.”
“I didn’t lie about anything. I thought you were on my side.”
“You might as well just admit that you and Billy were more than just drinking buddies.”
“I don’t have to listen to this.” She went to the door. “Call me when you wanna listen to reason and not before then.”
He held the door closed. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“What the hell is the matter with you? Why are you treating me like some criminal you hardly know?”
“Just cut the shit okay? It’s over, Zoë. You can say what you want but I know you’ve been lying.”
“She’s turned you against me hasn’t she?” She caressed his cheeks. “This is Brianna’s fault. Can’t you see she’s jealous?”
He knocked her hands down. “Why did you give Billy money?”
Fuck.
“Did Kael tell you that?”
“What do you think?”
“Before I knew how warped Billy was I wanted to help him out. I didn’t say anything because I thought if I told I’d given him money that people would try to say his death wasn’t self-defense. I thought people would twist things.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why did you go to Chicago in the first place?”
“You mean the very first time?”
“Yep.” He kept his spot between her and the door.
“I just like to go places to get away you know? I thought Chicago would be interesting to see. I ended up at Kael’s bar and met Billy there. It turned into this other shit and I got in over my head. That’s the absolute truth, Steven.”
“Hmm well Kael paints you to be some femme fatale who seduced Billy and gave him money to do something for you.”
“That’s a crock of shit. What the hell does Kael know? He never liked me from the beginning and I don’t know why.”
“So you gave Billy money to help him out?”
“Yes. That’s all it was. He had a ton of bills and was whining about his financial situation. I had the cash and I felt sorry for him that’s all. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it. It put more ideas in Billy’s head about us but I just felt so bad for him.”
“And you really expect me to believe this story?”
“It’s the truth!”
“I get the feeling you wouldn’t know the truth if it were between your legs.”
“Oh!” She slapped him. “How dare you speak to me like that? I love you, Steven. Please don’t treat me like this.”
“Ever heard of Kenneth Brockman?”
She almost threw up over them both. “No.”
“Oh well uh, he was believed to be Jim Klein.”
“Klein?”
He clapped. “And the Oscar goes to Zoë Peron for Best Actress.”
“Stop it! I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Oh you know. Jim Klein was the man responsible for Elle Givens’ baby being kidnapped. Surely you haven’t forgotten those clippings Nadia had of all this.”
“What the hell does this have to do with me? You’re acting crazy.”
“Kael wasn’t the only person Bree and I spoke to in Chicago.”
She lifted her head.
“We talked to a cop who is investigating Kenneth’s, Klein’s murder.”
“Murder?”
“Oh yeah he’s dead. The police believe Billy had something to do with Klein’s death.”
“Get out of my way!”
“No.” He pulled her from the door.
“Let go of me, Steven!”
“I want you to admit it.”
“Let me go.” She smacked him. “Let me go, Steven!”
“Tell me the truth. Did you have something to do with Klein’s murder?”
“God you’re crazy.”
“Answer me.” He pulled her into the living room. “Is that why you gave Billy that money?”
“No! Why would I be involved in something so horrible? I didn’t know what Billy was up to.”
“Were you at Nadia’s the night she died?”
“What? Are you crazy? No.”
“You’re a liar.”
“No.”
He held her tighter. “All this time you’ve lied about everything to everyone but you won’t get away with it anymore, Zoë. You were at Nadia’s weren’t you? Why would you hide that?”
“Steven.”
“Answer me damn it. What the hell is going on with you?”
She drifted to that dark horizon in her mind that held her deepest sins and gave her the courage to act them out. That place where vulnerability didn’t exist or have power over her.
That place she’d lived all her life.
“Please don’t do this, Steven. I care about you so much.”
“Then be honest with me. See I know your big secret.”
She shivered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your Nick and Elle’s adopted daughter aren’t you?”
“Oh my god.”
“Zoë?” His fingers stiffened on her arms.
“Oh no, no, no.” She flattened her hands against his chest. “You know don’t you?”
He took a long breath. “Know what?”
A tear fell. “That I’m the killer.”
Dylan checked the clock by Bruce’s bedroom. She didn’t remember dozing off but she’d been asleep for at least twenty minutes.
“Bruce?” She went downstairs. She smelled her paints from the living room.
Bruce stooped in front of her easel shirtless and barefoot. His jeans hugged his tight ass.
He hadn’t turned on the overhead light, just the desk lamp on the table in the corner.
A Three Stooges episode ran on the television in mute. Bruce seemed oblivious to everything except the easel.
“Bruce?”
“Shh.” He waved a dark-blue palm.
“What are you doing?” She peeked around him. He pushed her back, leaving blue fingerprints on her gown.
“Look what you just did to my gown. What are you doing in my paints?”
“Shh. I got it.” His ass moved from side to side as he finger-painted odd shapes on the canvas. He’d mixed several of her paints together to get the unique blue.
“Bruce?” She yanked up one of her brand new paints he’d opened. “How could you?”
He put dots around the edges of the canvas. “What?”
“Oh you know what!” She punched him in the back.
“Oww!”
“You ruined my paint! Look at this!” She seized the bowl of mixed paints. “You got my army green in here with the black? You know how much this stuff costs?”
He dipped his fingers in the white. “You didn’t have the blue I wanted.”
“Don’t dip your fingers in the white when you got blue on your hands!” She dipped blue streaks out of the white paint. “Are you a complete moron?”
“Just go on back to sleep. I was trying to surprise you.”
“Oh you surprised me all right.” She covered her paints. “You messed up my paint.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Bullshit.” She shoved him from the easel. “Just get away from my stuff. This isn’t anything to play around with.”
“Hold on.” He laughed. “I was just trying to do something nice for you.”
“Oh this is nice?” She followed him around the room throwing baby punches to his chest.
“Hey, stop.” He laughed with his arms up. “Cut it out, Dylan.”
“And you think it’s funny? You’re gonna buy me new paint.” She punched his arm. “I don’t care what you gotta do.”
“I was trying to be nice and paint you something!” He laughed. “I was trying to be nice.”
She followed
him into the kitchen. “You’re an asshole.”
“Oh come on.” He turned on the sink and poured dishwashing liquid on his hands. “You can’t see the compassion in this at all?”
“Well I guess I can’t.”
“No good deed goes unpunished right?” He washed his hands. “So what do you think of my masterpiece?”
“It’s not funny. You’re like a big kid sometimes.”
“So I opened your brand new paints. Wow.” He threw the dishtowel on the counter. “Come on. You’re a little flattered aren’t you?”
She turned so he wouldn’t see her smile.
“Hey I really was trying to paint you something. I thought it would get your mind off things you know? I wanted you to wake up and see it.”
“Well I’m glad I was asleep already or that thing would’ve given me nightmares.”
“Fuck you.” He threw the towel at her.
She laughed. “Okay I do appreciate the gesture but you still owe me some new paint.”
“And you owe me an apology.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Tell me you’re sorry or I’ll tickle it out of you.”
“I don’t have anything to apologize for.” She stood behind the table. “You should apologize to me.”
“No apologize for being a bitch when I was doing something nice.” He chased her around the table.
“Stay away from me!” She laughed. “Bruce! Wait!” She zipped from around him and went to the sink.
“Apologize.” He wiggled his fingers. “Or I’m gonna tickle it out of you.”
“You wouldn’t.” She waved a wooden spoon. “I’ll hit you.”
“I don’t think so.” He threw the spoon in the sink.
“Wait, Bruce!” He tickled her stomach. “Stop!” She fell on the floor. He tickled her underarms. “Ha, ha! Leave me alone!”
“Apologize!” He tickled her sides. “Apologize or I’m gonna tickle you to death.”
“Ahh! No!” She tried to keep his hands from under her neck. “Ha, ha, ha! Wait! Stop!”
“Come on.”
“Okay!” She coughed. “Stop it!”
“I didn’t hear an apology yet.”
“I’m sorry okay!”
“For what?” He tickled her waist.
“For…oooh….hoo…hoo!” She crawled up in a ball to combat his hands. “For you being such a…a terrible painter!”
