by Melissa Good
Kerry smiled at her. "You can't. You just have to either trust us, or not. But if you look at the facts, I think you can see the truth. You're not stupid."
Michelle's nose wrinkled and she rubbed her face with one hand.
Shari flexed her hand, then let it drop to her side. "All right," she finally said. "You're right. I'm not stupid, and I've been saying something stinks around here for a while now. I just thought it was you." She regarded Dar coldly. "But over the last day, I've started thinking something smells even worse than you do, and if I have to put up with you to find out what it is and kick its ass, then I will."
A frosty silence fell. Kerry broke it by leaning over and sniffing Dar's neck delicately. "Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I love the way you smell," she remarked.
Dar puffed a bit of air into Kerry's bangs. "Thanks." She took a breath, letting her jangled nerves relax a bit. "Now that all the bullshit's over, I suggest we go somewhere not out in a public parking lot and figure out where we go from here."
"Good idea." Michelle finally chimed in. "Nothing south of the Mason Dixon is neutral territory, so why don't we go find an anonymous dive with enough table space to have a meeting." She faced Dar. "I'd ask your other half to pick a spot but the last time sucked."
Kerry had the grace to look mildly abashed. She clasped her hands behind her back, and gazed off into the sunlight.
Dar remained silent for a moment. "Not smart to go far," she commented. "I know a place about ten minutes from here. It's quiet, and there's space to work."
Shari looked suspicious, but Michelle nodded. "Sounds all right," she agreed. "Directions?"
"Just follow us." Dar laid a hand on Kerry's back. "It's our place."
"Ah." Michelle murmured. "Isn't this just one of life's bowls of cherries?" She took Shari's arm as they followed. "And what kinds of pits are we getting ourselves into, hm?"
Shari snorted, but kept her mouth shut.
"SO." KERRY GLANCED sideways at her beloved, if sometimes obscure, partner. "This was a good idea, right?"
Dar looked into the rearview mirror to where Shari and Michelle's car was parked right behind hers on the ferry. "I have no idea," she admitted. "It's just...Ker, if we're going to really do this, cooperate with them, I think we need to get all the bullshit out of the way first."
Kerry groaned. "Haven't we been getting bullshit since Orlando?"
The ferry rocked under them a bit as it traversed Government Cut. Dar tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel of the Lexus and watched the choppy water ahead of them. "Yeah, I know." She sighed. "But listen."
"I'm listening." Kerry tucked her legs up under her and leaned on the center console, resting her head against Dar's shoulder. She barely kept herself from checking the rearview mirror, where she was sure her comfy position was being noticed behind them.
Dar nuzzled Kerry's hair, nibbling at a few strands, and planting a kiss on the top of her head.
Kerry waited for a few seconds, then she cleared her throat. "I'm listening," she repeated.
"Huh?"
"Dar."
"Oh. Yeah. Sorry," Dar said. "The way I see it, the only chance we've got to turn this thing around is to take away their big ending."
"Huh?"
"They want this big ultimate finish, right?" Dar stopped speaking, as she felt Kerry's breath against her ear. "Ker?"
"Yeees?"
"Are you listening to me?"
"Every word, hon." Kerry reassured her. "They want a big finish. You're right. They figure we'll dog and cat fight to the very end, scrambling to get everything done."
"Right."
"So we're... going to do what?" Kerry asked, as the ferry nosed up to its dock and the ramp started to lower. "I mean, we are done, right? So do we win by default?'
Dar let her head lean against her partner's. "No, because we haven't shown Quest anything."
"So?"
Reluctantly, Dar straightened up. "Time to roll." She put the Lexus in gear and steered it carefully up the ramp and through the solicitous water spray that removed the salt from the front of the vehicle. "Let's see how it goes with them," she said. "I've got sort of an idea, but it's still raw at the moment."
"I like raw." Kerry remained where she was, even though the car was now in motion. "Tell me what you're thinking, Dar. I hate having to sit there wondering what's going on."
Thus prompted, Dar cleared her throat. "Michelle told me they can't figure out how to get their satellite up. She wanted to pay me to do it."
Kerry started giggling.
"Yeah, it was pretty funny." Dar chuckled along with her. "But it gave me an idea...what if we all decided to help each other?"
"Um."
"We've got no power. She's got no satellite. From what I hear, Mike's network backbone won't come up. Instead of fighting, what if we all worked together?" Dar asked. She turned into their complex, rolling down the window and pointing at a visitor's spot as she headed for her own.
"You mean make it a tie?" Kerry's brow creased. "How does that work out, Dar? Who wins?"
"No one." Dar turned off the engine. "Kerry, remember this is all a farce. Who really loses are the television people. They're the ones driving this."
"Hm." Kerry opened the passenger door and hopped out. "Okay. Yeah, I lost track of that. I'm still in that 'win the bid' mode." She waited for Dar to come around the side of the car, and then they both waited as Shari and Michelle came up the drive to where they were standing. "Go for it," she added, softly. "I'll be in there hanging with you."
Dar put a hand on Kerry's back, her thumb rubbing her shoulder blade. "I'm counting on that." She straightened a little as their two adversaries approached.
"Okay," Michelle said, briefly. "We're here."
"Inside." Dar turned and headed for the steps. Kerry stepped back and gestured Michelle and Shari forward politely, following them as they all trooped up to the door.
Dar coded it open and walked inside, pushing the door back to allow the rest of them to enter. "Watch out for the dog." She cautioned as Chino bounded up to greet them.
"Ugh." Shari backed up rapidly. "I'm not into dogs."
Ah. Now doesn't that just figure? Kerry continued inside the condo and sat down on the loveseat, allowing Chino to squirm around and greet her. "C'mere Cheebles. Who's my sweetie?" She ruffled the Labrador's ears.
Dar closed the door and stood there a moment, apparently trying to decide which of her few social skills she'd try to engage next. "Siddown." She compromised between practicality and grudging politeness. "I'll put some coffee on."
Michelle and Shari took a moment to look around before they took spots on the couch next to each other.
It wasn't a comfortable moment. In fact, Kerry could seldom remember being so uncomfortable in her own living room. She sat back and regarded the two women, watching their eyes roam around the space in wary curiosity.
They'd worked very hard to keep the entire situation out of their personal space, and now they'd brought it right into the center of their private world, and Kerry suddenly realized she hadn't been prepared for it. "So."
"So." Michelle rose to the social occasion. "Nice place." She peered at the walls. "Someone takes decent shots."
"That would be me." Kerry sprawled out a bit on the loveseat. "Thanks," she responded graciously. "I like our cabin down south better, though. Less busy." She smiled. "But the view's nice here."
Shari looked like she'd swallowed a lemon. She edged back as Chino wandered over to investigate her, and jumping as the dog sat down and barked. "What does it want?"
"Relax." Michelle advised her. "I don't think that kind bites."
"All dogs bite." Kerry cheerfully contradicted her. "But Chino's pretty peaceful, unless you piss her off."
"Like you?" Michelle inquired, with a smile.
Kerry considered that. "Something like that," she agreed. "Yeah.
We can both be bitches when we have to be."
Shari got up and moved away from where Chino was sitting. She circled the room, examining the art, and the pictures on the entertainment center. "Guess old Dar is lucky you took her in," she commented, giving Kerry a bitingly sarcastic smile over her shoulder. "Nice of you."
Curiously, Kerry didn't find herself getting angry. She lifted her hand and rotated her finger in a circle. "Other way round." She disagreed. "This is Dar's place."
"Not anymore." Dar entered from the kitchen. "You own half." She barely spared Shari a glance as she perched on the arm of the loveseat. The scent of brewing coffee wafted into the living room. "CIO's of multinational corporations don't live in two room rentals."
Shari turned and regarded her. "Oh, right. I forgot you weren't white trash anymore."
Dar's eyes narrowed. "Go to hell."
Michelle sighed audibly. "Okay, tell you what." She put on a voice very much like that of a game show hostess. "Dar, I'm sure...in fact I'd bet on the fact that you have some boxing gloves somewhere in a closet here."
Dar's brow creased. "And?"
"Get them." Michelle stood up. "Because we're going to have you two put them on and just get this adolescent whore bitch issue between you out and over with because I am over it!" She yelled the last three words at full volume. "Grow the fuck up already!"
Silence fell when she was done. Chino sneezed, and trotted over to press herself against Kerry's leg.
Shari remained where she was, staring at Michelle in shock.
Kerry slowly turned and studied Dar, looking her over from head to foot. "Well." She finally broke the silence. "I think Dar's about as grown up as she's going to get in this lifetime, so I guess I'd better go get the gloves." She patted her lover's knee. "This won't take long, sweetie." Her impish grin took any sting from the words. "Try to aim away from the big screen, okay?"
Dar shifted and took a seat on the couch next to Kerry. "Nah." She extended her legs, crossing them at the ankles. "Michelle's right. Let's be grown-ups for a change." She tipped her head back to look at Shari. "So, sit down and let's save the insults for later."
Kerry got up. "I'll grab the coffee." She disappeared into the kitchen.
Shari stubbornly remained standing for a bit, examining the pictures on the shelves. Then she went back to the long couch and sat back down. "All right." She didn't look at Michelle. "Let's get this over with. What's your scam, Dar? Just lay it out."
"Okay." Dar extended one long arm along the back of the loveseat. "Here's the deal. None of us is finished with this goddamned charade."
"Not what I heard," Shari interrupted, but in a mild tone. "Michelle said you were done."
"We are." Dar agreed. "But we can't demo anything because we have no power."
Shari nodded. "Bad luck."
Dar shrugged. "Bad luck? At this point, knowing what I know I'd be surprised if it was any kind of luck. My guess is someone on the ship was paid off to throw a wrench in."
Michelle got up, a restless energy emerging. "You really think so?"
"I do." Dar stroked Chino's fur. "I think the goal was to keep everyone even to the very end, then have it be a horse race to the finish."
Michelle paced around, pausing at the entertainment center to look at the pictures also. "Quest." She turned. "He told us explicitly not to ask or try to stay on the ships when they left. Did he tell you?"
"No." Dar shook her head. "Never said a word."
"Wait." Shari leaned forward. "What did you have to give up to stay on?"
"Dinner," Dar replied.
"What?" Michelle turned and stared at her.
"Dinner." Kerry returned from the kitchen, bearing a tray with a coffee pot, cups, and a plate of cookies. She set the tray down on the table and knelt next to it, fixing cups for herself and Dar. "That's all they wanted. A good meal and some alcohol."
Shari sat back, ignoring the coffee service. "Mike said he could have sworn someone cut his fiber," she said.
"And Albert told one of my guys they were making great progress until someone broke into a container and stole some switches," Michelle added. "Holy hell."
"Mm." Kerry handed Dar her cup and sat down next to her. "It's been like that. One step forward, two steps back."
"And all of it with those damn cameras..." Michelle added. "You could really be on to something, Dar."
"Gee, thanks." Dar replied. "Glad those several billion brain cells ILS pays a premium for turned out to be good for something after all."
Shari fell silent. She edged forward and took a cup, keeping her attention on the coffee as she poured herself some.
Michelle tapped her thumbs together pensively. "Okay," she finally said. "So let's put the cards on the table. I thought it was a little strange that the filming people latched onto us, but I wasn't about to turn away that kind of publicity. They wanted angles, I gave them angles. They wanted controversy I gave them that, too."
Shari snorted a little.
"So now we're caught." Michelle got up and walked over to where Dar and Kerry were sitting. "Either we blow you off and play their game, and look like idiots when they reveal everything, or we cooperate with you in some unknown plan of yours that might, or might not be, on the level."
"Not only that." Dar smiled. "You're going to help us get the rest of them onboard too."
Michelle put her hands on her hips. "Maybe Kerry should get those gloves," she remarked. "I've got a black belt."
"I've got a shotgun," Kerry countered. "So why don't we table the issue, and hear what Dar's got in mind, because frankly, I've had it up to here with being manipulated." She held a hand up near her forehead.
Shari snorted again and shook her head.
Michelle turned and selected a sugar cube, placing it between her teeth and crunching it. "All right." She agreed. "Let's hear it."
Dar leaned back, and smiled.
"YOU ARE INSANE," Shari said. "I always knew that, but you've just proved it. How in the hell are we supposed to pull this off?"
Dar had left the cozy sanctuary of the loveseat and was pacing back and forth near the sliding glass doors. "The filming people are expecting a showdown," she repeated for the third time. "That's what they've based this whole deal on. David and Goliath. A battle for the bid with Quest dangling either carrots or daggers over our heads."
"Yeah. So?"
"So, what we want to do is turn the story around and make it what we want. Not what they want." Dar said.
"Do we?" Michelle was munching on some pretzels Kerry had brought out. "Wouldn't it be easier just to play along with them? If it's all bogus, who cares?"
"Sure." Kerry had taken over the loveseat and was laying across it with her feet up. "It would be a hell of a lot easier even if we all left the pier, and let them wander around looking for us and wondering where we all are."
"Now, I like that idea," Shari said.
"Actually, so do I," Michelle agreed. "I bet they're looking for us now. Wonder if anyone saw us leaving together."
Dar inspected the late afternoon sunlight gilding the water outside. Was it a better idea to do as Kerry said? It got them out of the situation, and hell, she didn't even have to go back out there. The idea of Quest and the television team standing there bewildered actually really did appeal to her.
Hm.
"Yeah." Dar leaned on the glass. "But it really doesn't get us any satisfaction, does it?" She turned and faced them, her hands behind her back. "After what Quest put us through, don't you want to see him get his?"
Michelle leaned back. "You want to hear the absolute truth?" she said. "Sure. I'd like to see him dumped into the ocean off that pier, and wave bye-bye as he floats out to sea."
Dar crossed the room and perched on the arm of the loveseat. "So then the plan is we get everyone together." She ticked a finger off. "We find out what needs to be done, and do it." She ticked another finger off. "We coordinate it so we all finish at the same time."
"Okay." Shari folded her arms. "So let's say we do that. We all fi
nish. Then what? How does that get back at Quest?"
"He's counting on there being one winner, and the rest losers. If we all win, he has to pay for all four jobs," Kerry said, quietly. "And that has nothing to do with the filming. That's in the contract."
Shari looked at Michelle. Michelle looked at Shari. Both of them made identical thoughtful grunts.
"And, if we all work together, the filming people don't get their story. That means..." Kerry smiled. "I bet Quest doesn't get the publicity he was banking on."
"Exactly." Dar ruffled Kerry's hair, bemused by the fact that her partner had picked up on her plan without even knowing the details beforehand. Kerry looked up at her, lifting her eyebrows slightly. Dar grinned, and winked. "Nice summation."
"Thanks." Kerry's eyes twinkled. "Do I get a cookie for that?"
"Absolutely." Dar got up and headed for the kitchen, glad to be out of the intense scrutiny at least for a moment. She figured it would take a while for Michelle and Shari to decide what to do, so she took her time rummaging in the cupboard for just the perfect cookie to bring Kerry.
She had a lot to choose from. Dar gazed at the selection Orange Milanos? Traditional chocolate chip? Some grahams and milk?
"Hon?" Kerry appeared at her elbow and circled her waist with both arms. "Whatcha doing?"
"Picking cookies for you," Dar replied. "Did you give our guests some space?"
"Uh huh," Kerry said. "I sent them out onto the porch. You think they'll go for it?" She rubbed her cheek against Dar's shoulder blade and exhaled, enjoying the pleasure of the feel of Dar's body within her grasp.
Dar selected a bag of key lime, white chocolate, and macadamia nut cookies. She closed the cabinet and turned within Kerry's arms, draping her own over her partner's shoulders. "I don't know," she said. "Still a lot of hard feelings there."
"Mm."
"I was tempted to just go with your idea."
Kerry chuckled softly. "As I was saying it, so was I."
Dar gave her a quick hug, then stepped back. "Milk," she said. "How about we go sit on the couch and make a spectacle of ourselves when they come back in."
"How about I hide a dog biscuit in the couch where Shari was sitting and watch the fun when she comes back?"
