The Obsidian Collection

by Rebel Adams

  “Good behavior, my ass.” Ruby got back into her bunk and continued grumbling to herself while Abigail drifted off to sleep.

  Despite thinking she wouldn’t she sleep until the next morning, she cracked one eye upon the sound of Ruby shadow boxing in the corner of their cell. It was the day; they were letting her out! She sat straight up and gasped, scaring Ruby, who went into a fighting stance and looked up at her.

  “Damn, Priss, you have to watch it when I’m in the zone.” She went back to swinging at the air in front of her and ducking an invisible opponent. The sound of keys opening the door at the end of the long row of cells made Abigail’s heart jump into her throat. The guard was coming for her; each clank of the keys on his hip was one more step closer to her freedom.

  “Ruby come here, you have to tell me bye.” Ruby had told her she never said good-bye, and never would. She kept on boxing in the corner while Abigail begged; never stopping her workout even when the keys turned in the cell door and the bars slid to the side.

  “See you later, Miss Priss.” That was all she got, and she had to take it. Hoping she wouldn’t see Ruby again unless it was on the outside, she let the guard lead her down the row. There were well-wishers along the way along with a few haters.

  “Bitch, you won’t make it a month, you’ll be back.” Abigail didn’t look up; she kept her eyes straight ahead on the door she would soon be entering to leave jail behind forever. As she approached the booking desk, she had a momentary flashback of being a terrified twenty-one-year old in platform heels and a mini-skirt. Those clothes were exactly what she was getting back now, along with the wallet, which had one card in it and ten dollars. She was going to look like a streetwalker on her first day out in clothes too small for her. A great way to start the next chapter of her life.

  There was only one person she could call to come and get her, and he would drop everything to do it. She had called her brother Billy the day before and told him she was getting out. They only allowed her to use the phone because she was leaving. He had been surprised, but told her he would be waiting when she was released.

  As they opened the door of the jail and let her stumble out into the world, wobbling on high heels after years of flats, it hit her. She was free.

  Billy Rivers stood in the middle of the parking lot with a bouquet of pink flowers for his sister. He lived in Florida and had driven all night to be there when she was released. His matching blond hair blew in the Arkansas wind and the Toyota Tundra he now drove supported his tall frame. His days of fancy cars and shameless theft were behind him. He had become a legitimate businessman, and made a decision on the drive to get her; she wouldn’t drag him into anything when she got out.

  Why she had gotten herself arrested in Arkansas he would never understand. His business in Florida hadn’t allowed him to make the drive as many times as he wanted to. He hated to think of his sister stuck in jail because of that prick, but she made him promise to leave Sellers alone, so he did. Bastard only cared about himself. Abigail walked out the door and stopped to look up at the sky, smiling. He was happy for her, and then he wondered why she had worn those clothes to a bank robbery.

  “BbbbBBEEEEEE!” She ran towards him as fast as her heels would let her and jumped into his arms. He spun her around a couple times, smashing the pretty flowers on her back. When he let her back down, he handed them to her.

  “Welcome back to the world, little sister. What do you want to do first?” Abigail smelled the flowers and grinned at him.

  “Find Benton.” She walked with purpose towards his car as he rolled his eyes.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Heading back down to Florida was a good feeling for Abigail. It was where she grew up, where they had a family once upon a time. Now that it was just her and Billy, she was so grateful her older brother still wanted to be in her life. She knew how much he hated Benton, but she needed to make her case to him so he would help her.

  “Billy, it would be so easy for you to track him down. Just trace what he did from the time he left me to now.” Abigail was watching the scenery beside the road with new eyes; it seemed like decades since she had seen anything except bars. Bars on the windows, bars on her cell, bars in the yard. There were so many cold metal bars to look at in jail. There weren’t any bars out here; she could go anywhere.

  “Abigail, I’m a legitimate business owner now. I can’t do the old shady hacks like I used to. My clients respect me as an upstanding citizen of Clearwater.” He sat up a little taller in the driver’s seat, causing her to laugh.

  “I still can’t believe you moved to Clearwater, the traffic alone would drive me crazy.” Their father had raised them in Dunedin, which was nearby, but not as congested. The town had a village feel to it, and while their father was out being a drunk fisherman, the town looked after them. She couldn’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else, but Billy wanted to move to a place where his business would thrive. There were so many people in and out of Clearwater, and people always needed a private investigator. Billy was good at what he did, although it consisted of him catching cheaters, a lot. A married man who brought his girlfriend down to Clearwater for a “business trip” better hope his wife didn’t find Billy’s number.

  “It’s nice, you’ll see. The traffic is barely even noticeable anymore. People trust me to handle their problems. If I start falling back into your messy ways, it’ll be no time before I’m back on the street or in jail. I can’t handle that right now. I have a kid on the way, you know.” Abigail remembered his last letter had told her she would be an aunt soon. It was a happy time for their little family, but right now, she had bigger fish to fry.

  “I know, just do this for me, B, and I won’t bother you for anything else semi-legal. I promise.”

  “You really promise?”

  “Yep, find Benton and I am out of your hair.” She ruffled his hair and watched as he scrambled to fix it. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I know.”

  As they were stuck in nose-to-nose traffic on the highway right before the exit to Billy’s house, Abigail fought the urge to say ‘I told you so.’ How she longed to go home and see Dunedin. There were so many places she missed and wanted to see again. Finally, after twenty minutes, they made it onto their exit.

  As they approached Billy’s house, he was preparing her for the state it was in.

  “Lila is nesting, she redecorated twice last week. I’m letting her do what she wants for now. It isn’t much, but I’m saving to buy us a bigger place.”

  “Billy, I’ve been in a jail cell for ten years, wherever you live is going to seem like a freaking palace, I promise.” He smiled and whipped into a short driveway with a two story, robin blue house with one of the shutters falling off. They were painfully close to their neighbors in what could only be described as a vacation home.

  “We plan on renting this out to tourists who want to visit the docks when we move. It’ll be a great way to make a little extra money,” Billy informed her. She nodded looking around at the wind chimes hanging from the porch and the beach towels blowing in the wind. Inhaling deeply, she took in the salty sea air and felt close to home.

  “It’s nice, Billy. It seems cozy.” Walking in the front door, she noticed it was all one big room. The kitchen and living room were together, and the bedroom and bathroom were off to the sides. She could see the whole house from standing at the front door. Lila was sitting on the couch and looking very pregnant. She started to get up when she saw them coming in.

  “Don’t you dare get up,” Abigail said, rushing over to hug her sister-in-law before she could stand. She had always liked Lila even though they had only met a couple of times.

  “You are still just as pretty, Abigail, and in such good shape. I’m pretty much a whale at the moment.” Lila rubbed her belly and laughed.

  “No, you aren’t, you are beautiful. Billy, tell her she’s beautiful.” She held Lila’s hands and smiled. Her sister-in-law was one of t
he nicest people she had ever met. There had only been a couple of instances when Billy brought her with him, and Abigail had instantly loved her.

  “I tell her she is every day, sis. She doesn’t believe me.” Billy sunk into a recliner and propped up his feet. He was tired from the drive, but glad to have his sister home with him and out of that depressing place.

  Abigail almost cried when Lila told her she would get a towel and everything she needed for a bath.

  “I’m sure after that long away from a private bathroom, a bath would be quite the luxury,” Lila said as she struggled up from the couch, belly first. Watching Lila waddling into the bathroom, Abigail couldn’t help but think how cute she looked. She laid out some bubble bath and a towel, turning the bathwater on. She showed Abigail the shampoo and soap and left her to enjoy the bathroom.

  Sinking down into the water beneath the bubbles, Abigail was in heaven. There was something to be said for not bathing in a big room with women on every side of you. The colorless tile on the floor and the endless spray of lukewarm water and steam was a frightening place in prison. It was good to be able to clean the day’s sweat and the jail’s stink off you, but it was scary. The shower was where inmates were the most vulnerable in jail. It’s best to get in and get out so you were in less danger of getting into a fight, or worse.

  Billy and Lila talked quietly together about names for the baby, and how it must feel for Abigail to be free after all those years.

  “We take so many things for granted. I will never say this place is like a prison again.” Lila nodded, looking around the small house.

  Billy frowned, “You never said that.”

  “Well, I thought it. It doesn’t matter, Billy. You are focusing on the wrong part; we are lucky to have this place. When we move we will be lucky to have our new place. I just don’t want to take anything for granted.” Billy smiled, knowing where she was coming from. Abigail exited from the bathroom in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt Lila had lent her.

  Billy could relax because she wouldn’t ask him about Benton anymore while his wife was around. His little sister was persistent though, so it would only be a matter of time before she was on him again. It would take some work—calling people he hadn’t talked to in a long time—but he could do it. Truthfully, he wished she would let the man go; he had never brought anything to her except heartache.

  “All right, guys, this old pregnant lady has got to go to bed.” Lila pushed herself up off the couch and headed towards the bathroom, leaving the siblings to get back to business. Abigail walked over and grabbed two beers from the refrigerator, popping them open before handing one to Billy.

  “I know what you are going to say, but don’t you just want to relax for a few days before you see him?” Billy took a drink from his beer and let the chair down.

  “It’s been long enough, Billy. You two don’t want me to hang around this place, anyway. There isn’t enough room and you know it.” He nodded at his sister’s words and set the beer down on the coffee table.

  “It might take a couple days, even if I work through the night.” Abigail nodded and relaxed back onto the couch. Billy grabbed his laptop from the bedroom and started the long process of tracking down Benton.

  “What name was he going by when you were arrested?”

  Abigail thought about it for a minute; it had been awhile since she thought about that night. They were holed up in a hotel down the road from their target. They had cased the bank for a week and knew when the shift changes were on the vault, knew who had to open it, and knew the tellers by name. It would be an easy job for the lovers who had pulled off many more complicated robberies all over the U.S. They hadn’t been in Arkansas for long, but they were fitting in perfectly. Benton was in the shower while Abigail lounged in lingerie on the bed, looking over the floor plans of the bank.

  She was wearing the gorgeous diamond and emerald jewelry he had given her the night before, and happier than she had been in a long time. There was something exciting about the fact he had stolen it for her even though he could afford to buy it. Hearing the shower shut off, she sat up and lounged back against the pillows.

  “Hello, Mrs. Daniels, you’re looking lovely.” He climbed onto the bed, dragging his lips along her jaw line and up to her ear while his hand traveled up her stomach and over her breast.

  “Mr. Daniels, you naughty man.” Abigail closed her eyes and allowed him to move his lips down her body as she tangled her fingers in his hair…

  Billy brought her back to the present and out of her memories.

  “Sis, what name was he going by?” He asked. She shook the memories away and focused on Billy as his expression told her he was already getting frustrated.

  “Alan Daniels.” She had been Tia Daniels, and they were playing a married couple from Tennessee looking for a loan for a new home in Arkansas. She stretched out on the couch and leaned back to wait for her brother to ask other questions. The questions never came, and she drifted off to sleep.

  “Wake up, dum-dum.” Billy thumped her lightly on the nose. Abigail sat straight up, ready to cut a bitch. It took her a minute to realize she wasn’t in prison any longer.

  “Don’t do that, Billy. Jesus. I almost punched you, or tried to claw your eyes out.” She rubbed her eyes.

  “You’ve always been scary in the morning, but prison made you a lot worse.” She ignored his insult and looked over at the papers spread around him. He had been busy. When he was on a roll, he used to move the printer in the room with him, and sure enough, it was on the floor beside his chair. Her heart rate sped up and she leaned forward on the couch.

  “What is it? Did you find him? Where’s Lila? What time is it? What’s happening?”

  “Calm down. It’s after one and you just woke up. Lila went shopping. I found him, but you aren’t going to like it.”

  “What? Why? Is he in jail?” Billy was shifting his weight from foot to foot and avoiding eye contact with her. She always thought he might end up going to prison anyway. Bracing herself, she grabbed Billy’s arm. “Just tell me!”

  “He’s the mayor of Alkapine, South Carolina, and he’s married.” Billy moved away from her after he said the last part.

  “He’s what? Are you sure?” Several things popped into Abigail’s head. The first was he had never wanted to get married; he always told her they would grow old together with no papers needed. As many times as he cheated on her with his favorite strippers, she had always forgiven him. He never committed to any of them except for her. They were his outlet; he told them all his secrets and paid them to stay silent. Things he had done which he wouldn’t even tell her, he told his strippers. His reasoning for cheating was always because he wasn’t able to be a monogamous creature.

  Most women would say she was insane for staying, but she loved him. It was always something she could pretend wasn’t happening. Now he was married? What could this woman have to offer, which was so much better than her? She realized Billy had been trying to get her attention for a while as she flashed back to memories of Benton.

  Billy handed her a picture of Benton with his wife. It was a picture of him after he won the mayoral race, with his wife by his side, so it would have been around three years ago. This version of Benton was clean cut and put together. He looked like a mayor, and it was a strange thing to see. He always used to keep a beard and longer hair.

  The woman beside him was a petite brunette lady in an expensive looking dress. She was pretty and obviously a lot younger than him. This woman had to be the target; she must have money. The only way Abigail could see Benton marrying a woman with brown hair was if she had money. This was not a good situation. Any plan she had for her life after prison had always included them being together and starting some type of legitimate business. The fact Benton had a wife was kind of throwing a wrench in her plan.

  She was wide-awake now, pacing back and forth across the floor in front of Billy’s pile of papers.

  “I have to go and see him.
” She stopped pacing suddenly.

  “Why would you do that? He has moved on, Abigail. I think it’s best if you restart your life here, or move back home.” Billy nodded encouragingly.

  “No, he doesn’t love this woman. When he sent me the last few letters, he was working on a heist, something that would take him a way for a while. He wasn’t expecting me to be out for another five years. Benton probably planned on being divorced by then.” She was nodding now, clasping and unclasping her hands.

  “You look like a mad scientist right now; think about how crazy that sounds, Abigail. The man who supposedly loves you, whom you went to jail for, is married, and he was just planning on it being over. You would never have found out, how is that a healthy relationship?” Billy knew how her sister could be when her heart was set on getting something. When they were younger she wanted a doll from the toy store, but they didn’t have the money. She spent the whole summer looking for loose change until she had enough. This was kind of like that; only her goal was unattainable.

  “No, I have to see him. I have to know what this sham marriage is all about.” She wouldn’t believe otherwise until she got to the bottom of it. Deep down she knew he could have moved on, but when you hold on to something for years it can be hard to let it go, at least that was what she thought to herself.

  “It seems to me, if he wanted to be with you he would be with you, not married. I think you are going to get hurt, but you’ve never listened to me before so I know you are going to go anyway.” He sat down in the chair as a show of defeat.

  “I’m going to need a fake ID and all the necessary paperwork to become someone else. I probably should dye my hair.” Abigail had started pacing again.