by Connor Mccoy
But before he could turn around, he felt something jab into his back.
“Who the hell are you?” asked Guy Wickers from behind him.
Domino’s heart pounded. She wondered, as she pressed against the kitchen wall in the shadow near the door, if Terri Boss had seen her retreat into the house?
As Terri approached, Domino cursed herself for not taking Courtney in with her, but that would have taken up too much time. Terri Boss would have spotted Domino for sure. Domino gambled that Boss would come in, deal with whatever business she had with Courtney, and then leave.
And what if Terri spots you and takes Courtney hostage? It seemed like an outlandish outcome, as Boss couldn’t have suspected that Courtney had accepted Domino’s offer. But Domino knew Boss and Wickers were treacherous. They thought nothing of possibly killing a mentally challenged man. Why wouldn’t they go as far as harming a young teenage girl if it suited their aims?
Domino did her best to control her breathing as Boss stopped before Courtney’s workbench. If Terri doesn’t see me, I possibly could take a shot…
It was grim to think about. But she had to, in the event Courtney was in any real danger. So, Domino stood tight and waited.
Courtney’s heart raced. It had been racing before, when she first heard from Domino, but it had managed to calm down before Boss approached. Courtney wondered what Boss saw or heard. Her footsteps were pretty far away, and she approached from around the house. She couldn’t have seen Domino, could she?
Boss wore her usual sour demeanor. She didn’t walk with any urgency, as if she had sensed an intruder. Courtney stiffened up, trying to act natural.
Boss stopped short of the workbench. “Any problems so far?” she asked.
“Problems?” Courtney asked.
“With the canning,” Boss said.
“The canning? Oh, right. Uh, no, no. The jars are fine.” Courtney mentally cursed herself as she realized she was speaking too curtly and too quickly. She was bound to trip Boss’s suspicion antennae.
The woman glared at the stove. “Is there some reason the fire is off?” she asked.
Courtney looked down. She had turned off the fire so it wouldn’t burn with her gone. Damn. If she had heard Boss’s approach just a few seconds earlier, she probably wouldn’t have quenched the fire.
C’mon stupid, think of an excuse!
“I, uh, it seemed a little too hot. I didn’t want to burn the jars. I wanted to relight it, give it another try.”
Boss’s frown deepened a little as she inspected the four jars on the burner. Courtney, backing up a little, didn’t want to talk again for fear of saying something even more suspicious.
Boss didn’t touch or try to move the jars, as expected, since Courtney just had turned off the fire. Instead, Boss paid close attention to the lids.
“Well, it looks like you did okay with this batch.” Boss glared at the side door. “Why is that door open?”
Courtney spun her head around. The door was open because Domino had ducked through it. She must not have had time to close it.
“Did you have to go inside and get something?” Boss glanced at Courtney, who bristled at Boss’s glare this close up. “You know you’re letting in insects. That’s why we have the windows open, because they have screens.” She rolled her eyes. “God, of all the kids I could have ended up with—”
She stopped talking and looked down. Courtney followed her gaze.
For the first time, Courtney noticed a trail of dirty boot prints leading back through the doorway. Those were Domino’s! The prints were not very big or messy, but they were noticeable.
Boss studied them. My God, the wheels are turning inside that woman’s head. She knows something funny is going on here.
The woman suddenly spun around, lurching toward Courtney so fast that Boss almost knocked into her. “Was someone here?”
“What?” Courtney asked.
“Was someone here, right here, now, talking to you?” Boss glared back at the door. “Was it Lerner? Guy? No, I saw them out with the crops. They couldn’t have circled back here that fast.”
Courtney’s throat caught. She was in deep trouble. Boss was glaring at the door and the window close by it. What should she do, sell out Domino? Give away that Domino was here? And just when she was getting used to the idea that she might break away from Boss and Wickers.
Boss drew her gun. Courtney gasped. Her worst fears were coming true. A fight was about to break out and she very well could end up in the middle of it!
Domino clenched her teeth. No, no, no, go back. But Boss was staring right through the kitchen window, with her weapon in hand. Boss knew something was wrong. Domino could not fire her weapon now with Courtney so close.
Courtney, run, Domino silently pleaded. The teen looked petrified. She might not be thinking clearly.
Domino drank in every visual detail of Boss that she could. Domino’s firearms training helped develop her sense of people whenever they were handling or drawing a weapon. She could tell by how they held a weapon and how they moved with it whether they were amateurs who barely knew what they were doing, or experienced shooters who could aim and fire with confidence. Domino mentally hammered out a scale of zero for the worst shooters and ten for the best.
Judging by Boss’s stance and countenance, Domino pegged Boss at a six. She probably had had some recent training and maybe had fired off a few rounds. With the blinds down in the house, Boss’s vision would be hampered unless she stepped inside. Her aim would be slightly off unless Domino exposed herself.
Boss’s finger twitched.
Domino hit the floor.
Her training also had taught her how to detect the intent to shoot. Some people could fire almost instantly. Those were the nines and tens. Boss was not as confident. That saved Domino from sure death. Boss’s shots pierced the window. Glass shards rained down on her.
Outside, Courtney screamed. Domino hoped that Courtney would flee, because this was about to get ugly. Boss almost certainly had spotted Domino’s movement.
Domino scooted as far back from the window as she could before she dared jumping to her feet. She spun around and ran through the doorway into the dining room. At the same time, Boss charged through the open door, gun in hand.
Keep moving, keep moving, don’t give her a chance to pin you down. The thoughts raced through Domino’s head as she backed into the dining room. The windows were open, but the blinds remained down, shielding the room from much of the sunlight. This gave Domino some cover, but once Boss got inside the room, she still could spot Domino with little difficulty.
Domino had one clear advantage—she knew this house inside and out. Her mind effortlessly plotted how to use the house’s layout to get the upper hand. The dining room had a second entrance out into the hall, which reconnected to the kitchen. If she ran fast enough, she might make it around Boss and surprise her.
It was worth a try.
She rounded the wall corner into the hallway. Boss shouted behind her, “Who’s there?”
Domino ran faster. Damn! She didn’t want to expose her back to Boss. She reached the kitchen. Gun drawn, she sped inside…
But once she stepped foot in the kitchen, she found Boss inside, turned mostly in her direction. The woman had changed course back into the kitchen and didn’t pursue her through the dining room. Now the two of them were aiming their weapons in each other’s general direction.
“Stop!” Domino shouted.
At nearly the same time, Boss screamed back, “Put it down!”
“Bullshit!” Domino kicked as much rage into her voice as she could. She was pissed at this woman occupying her home and stealing her crops, but Domino also knew that a loud voice could intimidate an opponent. She hoped Boss would shrink back if given a good reason. “Drop it right now or I’ll blow your goddamn head off! Now!”
Boss stumbled backward. At the same time, she fired off a shot. The bullet, fortunately, missed Domino by a lot, impacting
the top of the wall over the counter about half a foot from Domino. The shot even sailed above Domino’s head. It didn’t have a chance of hitting her.
She’s more like a 5, Domino thought.
Boss was disoriented. Domino decided to push it. She rushed forward, her gun aimed right at Boss’s chest. “I’m not saying it again! Drop it now or I fill your chest with lead! You hear me?”
Boss’s eyes widened. The fear was there. Now, if her instinct for self-preservation took hold…
She dropped the gun.
“Alright.” Boss said, quivering, holding up her hands. “Alright! It’s down! It’s down! Now, who the hell are you?”
Domino cocked her head. “I’m the lady of the house.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jacob gritted his teeth. How did he not hear Wickers approach him? Goddamit! I wasn’t paying enough attention. I was trying to make friends with Arnie. Wickers must have seen me from far off and snuck up behind me.
“I said, ‘Who the hell are you?’” Wickers jabbed the gun in Jacob’s back for good measure. “I won’t ask again.”
Jacob tried thinking quickly. “Me?” he asked, “I’m your landlord. I’m here to collect on your rent.”
“What?” Wickers asked.
“You heard me,” Jacob said, “What? I don’t look familiar to you? You’ve been sleeping in my bed the past few nights. Surely you’ve seen my face in the pictures on the dresser?”
“Wait! You’re that guy? You’re the man who owns this farm?” Wickers could not sound more shocked.
“Yeah.” Jacob wondered what Wickers would do with that information. He figured he should be careful.
Arnie cocked his head. “Mister Guy? What are you doing?” Arnie’s eyes widened. “You have gun!”
“Just go back to your work, Arnie. This man doesn’t belong here,” Wickers said.
“Doesn’t belong here, my ass! You’re the one who’s squatting on my farm without my permission!” Jacob shot back.
Arnie didn’t leave the scene. Instead, he asked, “Mister Guy doing something wrong?”
“I’m not doing anything wrong, Arnie. Just get going and leave him to me,” Wickers said.
Then Jacob thought of something. Terri Boss wanted Wickers to shoot Arnie out in the crops, but Wickers resisted every appeal to do so. Jacob didn’t think much of Wickers’ ethics, but the man likely was not a cold-blooded murderer. If Wickers found the idea of shooting Arnie too distasteful, then Jacob had some wiggle room to work with.
“No, Arnie!” Jacob spoke up. “Stay. Actually, Mister Guy has come to play with us.”
“Play?” Arnie asked.
“Sure. Just put down that tool and come here,” Jacob said. Damn, I hope I’m right about this.
As Arnie threw aside his hoe, Wickers barked, “Arnie, no! Stop right there!”
“See that mud?” Jacob asked, looking down at the mud patch, “We’re all going to play in it! Even Mister Guy!”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Wickers asked.
“Now, jump into it!” Jacob cried.
Arnie let out a shout of glee as he belly-flopped into the mud. The weight and mass of the man sprayed mud all over Jacob and Wickers. Wickers did not anticipate the mud and yelped.
Now!
Jacob jabbed Wickers hard in the stomach, then spun around and tackled him into the corn stalks. The two men struggled hard, but Wickers’ thin frame could not repel Jacob’s muscular one. Jacob made sure to slam down Wickers’ gun hand against the ground, so the barrel was not aimed at him or Arnie.
“Let…me…go!” Wickers cried out.
“Not a chance, asshole!” Jacob retorted as he pinned Wickers’ gun hand even deeper into the soil.
Arnie’s shadow loomed over them. “Mister Jacob?” he asked.
“It’s okay, Arnie. Mister Guy and I are having a wrestling match,” Jacob said quickly. “Say, could you kick that gun out of his hand? Don’t pick it up, just kick it hard.”
“No, don’t!” Wickers cried.
But Arnie did not listen. Instead, he did as Jacob instructed, giving the gun a hefty boot. Wickers screamed as the kick struck his hand as well.
“Very good!” Jacob jumped off Wickers. As Wickers tried sitting up, Jacob slugged him good, knocking him into a daze. Wickers, lying on his side, groaned in pain.
Jacob panted. “There. See? I think we’re done playing.”
Arnie frowned in confusion. “Can we do it again later?”
Terri Boss glowered at Domino. Domino could understand. She had tied Terri to the chair and placed her outside on the porch by the cast iron stove. Even so, Domino had the feeling that Terri wore a scowl almost daily.
Courtney stood on the other side of Domino near the kitchen door. Every now and then she would peer nervously out to the fields or inside the house. Even though Terri Boss was now under restraint, the teen still was apprehensive about what would happen next.
Domino itched to leave her and help Jacob. With Boss tied up, she ought to. Was she worried that her captive had another card up her sleeve?
I’ll just bring Courtney with me. I won’t risk that Boss will get free and take her hostage. I should be able to keep her safe.
However, before Domino could tell Courtney her plan, the teen spoke up, but not at Domino. Instead, she asked Boss, “So, were you really going to ditch me?”
Boss’s frown faded a little. “How’d you find out?”
Courtney nodded at Domino. Boss’s scowl deepened again as she turned to Domino. “How the hell did you find out? How did you get inside the house? How are you even still alive?” She laughed in disbelief. “I never thought the owners of this house ever would come back.”
“I guess it’s your rotten luck, huh?” Domino asked.
Boss returned her gaze to Courtney. “Yeah, it’s true.”
Courtney smirked. “Hey, that would have been cool. I never liked being with you anyway.” She turned and walked around Domino to the edge of the porch.
Domino, however, was not done with Boss. “She may not show it, but she’s pretty hurt by what you were going to do. Don’t you feel anything for her?”
“She was dumped on us. We were expecting grown adults who could help us,” Boss said.
“Well, so sorry for you. Sometimes you have to make the best out of what life gives you,” Domino said.
“So, what are you going to do with me?” Boss asked.
Domino backed up toward the edge of the porch. “Guess it depends on how Jay made out. If anything happened to him…” Her hand brushed against the gun in her belt. “Just hope I come back in a good mood.”
She turned around, but before she could tell Courtney to accompany her to the crops, Courtney jabbed her finger to the fields, shouting, “I see Arnie coming! And I think that’s your husband, Miss Domino.” The teen squinted. “Is Arnie carrying Guy on his shoulders?”
Boss’s jaw dropped. “I’ll be damned.”
Arnie Lerner approached the porch with Guy Wickers slung over his shoulders. The giant beamed with a happy grin. Jacob, beside him, flung some loose dirt off his arms. “Hey everybody.” Casting a glance at Boss, he added, “Doms, it looks like you made your catch.”
“So, did you?” Domino laughed.
Courtney grimaced. “Did you three fall in the mud or something?”
Jacob took note of the mud on his clothing, picked up when he was wrestling Wickers. Arnie was especially caked with mud from jumping into it. Some of it had landed on the semiconscious Wickers. “We definitely got acquainted with Mother Earth,” Jacob said.
“We had fun,” Arnie said with a grin.
Arnie turned around, permitting Wickers to turn his head and look at Boss. Wickers didn’t say anything. He just shook his head and sighed.
Sheryl listened to Brandon’s latest lecture on what berries to look for in the woods. She had to chuckle. No, Sheryl, not everything that looks good to eat in the forest actually is. Brandon just had finish
ed talking about how yew seeds inside yew berries can be toxic. Before that, Jubilee had talked about how ivy berries can make your face and tongue swell up.
For a while she was afraid to touch anything out here until Jubilee assured her that she was fine if she asked them first. And if she was still unsure, Sheryl should ask Jubilee about it first and not Brandon. “He might try to prank you a little,” Jubilee warned.
Sheryl was grateful for her niece and nephew’s input into her surroundings. She was amazed how much there was to learn about the landscape around her. Jacob, you’ve done a hell of a job with these kids. And Domino, too.
She continued wondering if she had not been giving Domino enough credit as a mother. Domino and Sheryl were always likely to be very different people. Yes, that would be a given. But Sheryl suspected that Domino had respected her a lot more than Sheryl had respected Domino.
Once all this is over, we’re definitely going to be a family. I might as well prepare for that.
She looked up at the sky. The trees that towered overhead blocked a clear view of the sky, but Sheryl felt sure they were past noon now. Jacob warned her that it might be close to nightfall before they could come back for her and the kids. He simply didn’t know how this fight for the homestead would go.
Better not to dwell on that. “So, Brandon, tell me more about partridgeberries,” she said. “Those are okay to eat, right?”
A crunching of twigs interrupted their conversation. Sheryl’s hand flew onto her gun but she did not draw out her weapon. “Get behind me,” she said in a deathly whisper. Someone was coming from their right.
The footsteps, as they drew closer, seemed to divide between gentle footfalls and stomps. Two people must be coming. “Jacob and Domino,” Sheryl whispered, “please let it be you.”
A man’s hand pushed aside an overhanging branch. Sheryl’s heart quickened. That wasn’t Jacob at all. That was Arnold Lerner!
But seconds later, Domino pushed aside some remaining brush to reveal herself. Sheryl sighed. Domino seemed perfectly calm and in no distress.
