More Than Darkness
24
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This is a crossover smutty story featuring the character of
Tess/Salida ie Tess' Voice in Neon
More Than Eyes Alone Can See, and More
Than Life, annds/nds/Jeffrey from Merrie's OUATIM fic on ff.net, Darkness
Rising. This story will make some sense, probably, if you read it without
having read either of our stories, but it'll make a hell of a lot more if you
just read them. They're all worth reading, we promise. Anyway, on with the
show.
Rated for what has happened, and what might happen.
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Salida leaned forward in her seat and looked out the window;
there was nothing to see but blackened ruins and overgrown gardens.
Sands hesitated,
and Jeffrey answered. “Ten years.
on, let’s look around,” he said, not sharing Sands’ reluctance to look over the
remnants of the mansion where they had once lived.
“Is it safe?”
Salida asked, eyeing the mess warily.
“If anything was
going to fall, it would have already,” Jeffrey said with a shrug, getting out
of the car.
Salida didn’t know
what she thought about that, but she followed her husband anyway, sticking
close as the got closer to the burned out shell of what used to be someone’s
home. Of what used to be Sands’
home. “Were you around when this
happened?” she asked Jeffrey.
“Not the way I am “Why are we looking “I don’t know, Sands still didn’t “If you’re asking “Let’s just go,” “No. “Jeffrey? Jeffrey sighed. Salida didn’t “Where do you want “What?” she asked, “Fine. Salida climbed out Sands watched her Salida appreciated Taking a deep “I’m having “You’re insane,” “So? “Fine whatever. The young waitress – “Anything to drink?” “Umm . . . can I “Yeah.” “I’d like some “Sure do. “Coffee?” Sands The waitress “How can you Sands rolled his “So it would seem,” Salida simply shook Sighing, she curled Both men “Sorry about that, “What makes you Sands didn’t know Salida sighed, but “He better fucking “Fine,” Sands said Salida “Fine, fine. It was Jeffrey’s “If you stop and Sands smiled “I know. After the events Salida finally “Sorry, vixen,” “Whatever,” Sands Salida shrugged, “You done?” Sands “You didn’t eat “No, that’s Jeffrey smirked in Salida held back a “If you’re done, Salida sighed, but Sands let her, and ****************************** “Wake up sunrise, we’re here,” Sands said after pulling up Salida moaned and “You can stay here “Just tell me which “509,” he said, “Don’t get “Fine,” Sands said “I won’t let him She nodded, knowing Salida watched them She then went It would pay to be Sands nursed the single glass of double malt scotch that he was “Finish your Sands sighed and Together the two of Salida heard the Quickly toweling “As ordered, here “So I see,” she “We need to talk, Sands sighed, but Salida still didn’t “Look at me, vixen. She turned, slowly, “Yes,” she “No you don’t. “Because for a Her last mark “Because when you “I needed time to Salida looked up at “Why didn’t you go “Because . . . “That fucking threw He let his harsh Trembling still Jeffrey did as she She nodded against Jeffrey moved them She nodded, wanting Finally they were Jeffrey joined her Salida laid still “Salida, I love “I’m sorry,” Salida ****************************** He was coming at her ****************************** Jeffrey was woken up forcefully by a bloodcurdling scream His yelling didn’t Sitting bolt “I’m here vixen. “Y-you’re alright?” “I’m fine, vixen,” “You . . . I . . . “It doesn’t matter, She shook her “Don’t. She looked at him “Just lie there, Jeffrey was just “I’m awake. “I need you,” she “You have really However, his remark “I can fucking Salida did as he Jeffrey tried to Salida shushed him “That, I can “I love you too,” He opened his eyes “I know,” she Jeffrey didn’t have Salida responded The kiss grew Salida could feel “Sit up,” she God he wanted to The moment she’d Jeffrey was just Jeffrey immediately “I asked him . . . “You fucking what?!” “Jeffrey,” she “It would bring him “You understand?” “I think so. Salida squeezed him Jeffrey rolled her “I’m sorry, lover,” “Don’t get fucking “I don’t know,” she “Alright,” Jeffrey She shook her Once she was ****************************** Jeffrey cracked a single eye open, cursed at the bright He started with Salida could feel Jeffrey could feel “Jeffrey,” she Jeffrey wanted Salida’s leg asked, looking up at her with a confused frown on his face. “Too bad. Jeffrey rolled his “Mmm,” she hummed Jeffrey took each However, Salida “I’m fucking fine. “No you’re not,” “And how exactly do “I’m complaining Jeffrey muttered “I know better than Jeffrey smiled “I love you,” she He accepted her Salida felt herself Hearing her moan After several Jeffrey hesitated, Salida let the Jeffrey moaned Once Salida had Her lips twitched Jeffrey’s face “Oh sweet fuck,” Once again tangling No man could hold Salida sighed, and Jeffrey sighed, Salida made a face, “Sorry. “Well good morning She shrugged, Jeffrey frowned as Salida made a vague Jeffrey sighed. “You think you She actually “If you say so, “I’m not inclined “I’d offer to drive Both men looked at She shook her head Jeffrey couldn’t “I don’t,” she “I’m going to “Not in my fucking Jeffrey ignored him Salida shook her “Thank God,” Sands “You’re no fun, “Nope,” she shook “The bar is “Yeah, we’ll She nodded. “Fine,” Sands said ****************************** The two men didn’t come out for a long while, a towel “I’m sorry,” she “It’s not your “Well, I haven’t “I suppose that’s Jeffrey gave her a “I fucking “Well, what would “Well, since color Jeffrey pondered Without saying a Both men gave her a “We’re fine,” Sands “I’ll make a deal “Alright. “Hold on a fucking “Yeah, well so am “What is there to “Do I have to call Grant “Go ahead,” Sands “Fine.” “And where do you “Test me.” “Fine,” he said “Fuck that. “You wouldn’t,” “Yes, I would.” Salida stepped in “Fine,” Sands Jeffrey was tempted She just nodded, “Then lets fucking Salida followed “Get in,” Sands She did as he told ****************************** “Would you just fucking calm down?” Jeffrey asked, with a Salida had fallen Sands looked at the “Don’t even fucking “Mmm,” Salida “Not that I was Salida stretched, “Fucking cops,” Salida braced Sands just stared “Step out of the “ “Of course, Salida almost The first state She groaned and The second trooper, She nodded, and Jeffrey’s face was “License and Jeffrey pulled out “The glove box,” Salida nodded, and Reaching across the Jeffrey took the papers
today, but yeah, I was there,” Jeffrey said with a nod.
around?” Salida asked as they wandered under exposed beams and over ominously
creaking floorboards.
really,” Jeffrey commented offhandedly.
Sands still owns the land, but he’s
never done anything about it,” he said with a shrug.
say anything, merely looked around, imaging the house how it had been rather
than how it was now. He could remember
the pieces of priceless artwork lining the walls that his mother had so treasured,
the smell of the books in his father’s study.
for hours, ignored beryoeryone and simply listening to the servants as they
went about their chores. He could
remember the sound of his parents’ screams as the house had burnt down around
them. He shuddered.
Salida.
whether I’m afraid that this place is too unsafe for rats to live in, much less
for people to be in, the answer would be yes.”
The wind was brisk, and it was stirring up debris around their
feet. “Not to mention it’s kinda chilly
out here.” She hugged herself, trying to
stay warm. The sun was nice, but she
didn’t like the wind at all.
Sands said evenly.
do is go insi
inside. If you want to stay out here, so
be it.”
and she didn’t want to see the two of them go heads to heads again.
twisted childhood for another day,” he said somewhat snidely.
rubbed at his bandaged hand absently, still looking up at the ruined mansion.
car, waiting for Salida to join him.
linger, only pausing to throw one last look over her shoulder at the mess
before getting into the car. Sands started
the engine and drove off, ignoring whatever Jeffrey was talking about.
wondered what would cause someone to murder their family in such a way.
that, and her family had been horrible.
to eat?” Sands asked when the mansion was many miles behind them.
had shaken loose in him. Some things
were better left well enough alone, and the murder of his parents had been one
of them. They fucking deserved it. Don’t
even start thinking that they didn’t, you fucking pansy, a cold voice
seethed within his mind, sounding eerily like his dead father.
addressed her, hoping that she hadn’t anyway while he had been lost within the
cobwebs of his own mind and past.
coming back to herself. “Oh . . . I don’t
know. A café or something?
highway,” he said without looking at her.
meaningless topic or another, but Sands ignored him, not saying a further word
until they were pulling up in front of the old fashioned diner.
of the car again, yawning as she did so.
Shutting the door behind her, she stretched, once again watching as the
d tud turned black around her. She fell
back against the car, trying to mask the movement as something else.
falter, but didn’t say a word. Jeffrey
hadn’t seemed to have noticed for a change.
does she think she’s going to get away with not seeing a doctor?
she was fine – but he knew Jeffrey wouldn’t buy it.
said, purposefully turning his back on her and walking inside, giving her the
chance to recover.
what Sands had done, even as she tried not to resent her husband.
be wavering between ignoring her and acting as if things were normal.
tonight, and she didn’t exactly look forward to it.
breath, she followed Sands, sitting across from him as they were seated in a
small booth by a waitress who looked like she was still trying to finish high
school. Salida looked around at the
farmhouse decor, and decided that this small café was run by a family.
fucking eat something, vixen,” Jeffrey asked, staring at her, the worry that
had never really left coloring his expression once more.
pancakes. I can’t remember the last time
I had pancakes,” Sands said, with a mildly astonished expression.
Jeffrey said with a confused frown at Sands’ order.
I think it could be proven that I was insane,” Sands said with a roll of his
eyes.
sticking a cigarette into the corner of his mouth before addressing Salida.
back.”
whose nametag said she was Ann – set down glasses of water in front of Sands
and Salida before asking, “Are you ready to order?”
grilled cheese sandwich.” Her menu said
that that was today’s lunch special, and it sounded good.
get a glass of warm milk?”
Sands and Jeffrey.
pancakes. Blueberry if you have them,”
Sands asked.
down Sands’ order in her pad.
asked, looking down to hide Jeffrey’s grimace.
black coffee, Jeffrey couldn’t stand the stuff.
furrowed a brow at Sands’ actions but shrugged it off and returned with a
steaming cup of coffee a minute later.
fucking drink that stuff?” Jeffrey asked with a grimace when the waitress had
left again.
eyes. “Like this,” he said, taking a sip
of the bitter, but surprisingly good coffee before wincing a little as it was
hard to hold the cup with his injured hand.
that Jeffrey?” he asked, gesturing down to Jeffrey’s broken hand and his own
cut one.
Jeffrey said dryly.
her head and didn’t comment. Even though
she was here, she didn’t quite feel as if she belonged here. It was like
observing one’s husband when he’d still been a bachelor or something.
up in the corner of her side of the booth, simply watching her surroundings and
waiting for either the food to come, or her companions to start talking to
her. She reached up to scratch her cheek
and hissed as she pressed too hard on her bruised cheekbone.
immediately turned to her upon hearing her wince.
though he didn’t feel it, and Jeffrey only looked annoyed.
to start another argument with Sands right now no matter how much he might have
wanted to upon being reminded of what he had done to his wife.
sunrise. But in all fairness, you did
ask for it,” Sands said with a slight shrug and a wince.
making a delightfully screeching chorus in the back of his mind but he paid it
no attention. The pain helped keep him
clearheaded.
think I was complaining?” she asked softly.
“You hit like a girl, Sands. I
think the men that work for Tessa’s family could teach you a thing or two
because I’ve definitely had worse.” She
gave him a smile – it was weak and fake, but it was better than nothing.
whether to laugh or feel a bit sorry for her so he did both.
again, sunrise. I was beginning to worry
that you’d lost them down the toilet along with the rest of your meals the past
few days,” he said, sitting back and trying to take a drag on the cigarette
that he was annoyed to find unlit still.
his mangled hands, he turned to Salida.
reached over and took the lighter, holding it steady as Sands lit his
cigarette. She then flicked the lid
closed and pocketed it. “I hope you’re
not planning on trying to drive all the way back home today.”
not be. That’s a long fucking way.
want to sleep in that sardine can of a car, either.”
with a roll of his eyes after giving Salida a brief nod of thanks for the lit
cigarette. “We’ll stop at a fucking
hotel if that’s what you want.”
shrugged. “Well, it’s either that or
risk becoming road pizza. Your body’s
gone through a lot of physical stress today.
You’re going to need sleep. Go
ahead and get two hotel rooms if you want, but I came to make sure you got back
to Aida in one piece.”
wryly.
turn to roll his eyes.
buy yourself one,” Salida replied, turning her head so she could observe the
rest of the café . . . of course, she and Sands and Jeffrey were the only customers.
awkward conversation could come up.
happily at the large plate of pancakes front of him, forgoing the butter, but
practically drowning them in syrup. Jeffrey
just watched as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
wincing a little as holding the fork sent a lance of pain straight up Sands’
arm a little, but watching Salida as they ate.
of pancakes for him to admit that they were rather good, he finished his
chewing and spoke to Salida, noticing that she was somewhat hesitant to begin
her lunch. “Are you alright?
with a frown.
days.” Gingerly, she took a sip of
chicken broth from her soup, pleased to find that it wasn’t too greasy.
loose her lunch right away, she started eating her meal slowly, alternating
between bites of soup and bites of sandwich.
Every now and then she’d take a sip of her milk; unbeknownst to her, she
left a mustache behind.
that had already transpired today, it was just the thing they needed to lighten
the mood. Both men took one look at
Salida’s new mustache and started laughing, neither one able to regain eno
bre
breath to explain what they were laughing at.
own stubble covered upper lip and laugh all the harder.
laughing at Salida anymore, but just as a response to the whirlwind of emotion
they had both been feeling. That emotion
had to be expressed somehow and laughter was a sight better than crying or
killing large groups of people.
figured out what they were laughing about, and wiped her mustache into a
napkin. She then continued eating her
meal as if nothing had happened, deciding to ignore this as a reaction to
stress and nothing more.
Jeffrey said, the occasional laugh slipping past his defenses as he looked at
her. “My fucking emotions seem to be all
over the place today. I blame it on
Sands.”
said, the laughter still in his voice as well as he snubbed out his cigarette
before taking a swig of coffee. “Cigarettes
and black coffee may not be the best combination in the world, but they’re
certainly interesting,” he said, pulling a face before turning back to his
pancakes.
and looked back at her food. She’d only
eaten about half of it, but she got the feeling that if she didn’t stop now,
she might be sorry later, so she pushed it away after sneaking one last piece
of chicken.
asked after finishing off the last pancake.
very much. Maybe we could get something
to go for later?” Jeffrey asked with a shrug, happy to see her eating again at
least.
alright. I’ll eat something tonight,
whenever we stop. And would you please
stop looking at me like I’m going waste away before your eyes?
you.”
spite of her words. “You’re just going
to have to deal with it. You’re the only
one I care about enough to hover over when you’re sick.
your own body well enough to know your limits, alright?” he compromised.
snort at that, not quite believing him on either count.
care for me, but he’s still pissed. And
there’s no way he’ll trust me if I lose another meal.
angled her body so she could look out the window.
let’s go,” Sands said, throwing down enough money for the bill and tip on the
table before rising out of his seat. “We’ve
got a long way to fucking go.”
didn’t argue. She followed Sands out,
and got back into the car. After
fastening her seatbelt, she reclined her seat as much as she was able, and
settled in to take a nap.
concentrated on getting as many miles closer to
Orleans
******************************
to a decent sized Marriott hotel.
stretched, but didn't really protest.
She was ready to get out of the car.
She was feeling tired, grimy, and a bit unsettled, but not actually
nauseous. Yet.
if you want. I’ll go get some rooms.
the registration desk and booking two conjoined rooms.
keys to find her leaning against the car.
room is mine and I’ll stop inflicting my presence on you,” she mumbled, not in
the best mood after waking up.
handing the room key after locking the car.
something to dull the pain a little. Alcohol
was as good a cure as any, he supposed.
drunk. And when you’re ready, come up to
my room. I brought a shot of
Vicodin. You’re going to need it.”
with a slight glower.
fucking get drunk. I’ll see you in a
little while, vixen,” Jeffrey promised her.
she was going to need to talk to her husband eventually, but glad he was going
to get a bit lubricated before she did.
leave, then went into the gift shop – much to the annoyance of the clerk who
had been about to close up – and bought two t-shirts.
upstairs and found her room, entering it with a sigh of relief.
straight to the bathroom and started filling the tub.
did, sighing as the events of the day came crashing down on her.
hours before, she’d been laying in her husband’s arms, content.
she started to wash herself. The water
started to cool as she did, so she emptied half the tub while running more
water into it. She then settled back to
wait until she turned into a total prune before getting out.
relaxed when Sands and Jeffrey came up.
allowing himself, not talking to Jeffrey in the thought that they had argued
enough for one day. Jeffrey surprisingly
was doing the same so the two men sat at the bar in relative silence.
fucking drink already. I want to go up
to see vixen,” Jey gry grumbled, fully aware that they had been sitting there
for quite a while and becoming more and more impatient as time passed.
knocked back the rest of his drink in a single gulp, savoring the way it burned
down his throat. It wasn’t the best way
to enjoy such a drink, but he wanted to avoid a scene with Jeffrey while in
public. The bandages and jagged cut
across his jaw was drawing him enough fucking stares as it was.
them rode up the elevator to the 5th floor and Sands went into his own room and
gave it a quick look through before opening one of the doors between his and
Salida’s room and knocking on the other.
knocking, and roused herself before she fell asleep.
off, she slipped on the larger of the two t-shirts, and wrapped a dry towel
around her waste. Decided that was as
good as things were going to get, she went and answered the door, silently
letting the men in.
we are. And I only had one fucking
drink,” Sands said dryly, walking into the room which was a mirror image of his
own. It wasn’t as lush as he was used
to, but it still wasn’t cheap, and he supposed it’d only be for one night so it
was bearable.
murmured, going to her small bag of belongings.
Digging through it, she pulled out a capped syringe and a
to clean the area, she quickly gave the men the shot.
back in her bag to be disposed of later.
She paused for a split second before turning around, and in that second,
she became aware that one of them was standing right behind her.
wanted to say.
vixen,” Jeffrey said slowly. “Sands,
could I have some fucking time alone with my wife?”
knew it wouldn’t be long before they started to feel drowsy from the
painkillers, so it was pointless to argue.
later,” he said and left.
turn around. She found herself suddenly
and totally unable to face her husband.
All his accusations from earlier – every facial expression, every fleck
of guilt and doubt – they all came back, leaving her trembling where she stood
and just waiting for him to pour out his wrath.
At least it won’t last long, she
thought dismally. He’ll be too sleepy to rampage soon.
I’m not going to fucking yell at you.”
as I might fucking want to.
but still couldn’t raise her head to meet his eyes.
his tone of voice, and it didn’t exactly give her any hope that this would end
pleasantly.
I am with you right now, vixen? That
wasn’t a fucking rhetorical question.”
whispered, fighting not to shrink away from him.
split second, I was willing to turn you over to your worst nightmare to save
you – but more myself – more pain.
Because I refuse to admit that I’m sick.
For being here when you’d rather have me far away.”
she didn’t, he’d do it for her.
against herself gave him pause. “Why do
you think I’d rather have you fucking far away?”
saw me at Sands’ apartment, you seemed rather unpleasantly surprised and asked
what the fuck I was doing there. And you’ve
left me mostly to Sands’ company since we left DC.”
fucking think. That’s why I didn’t talk.
Despite what you may seem to believe at
the moment, I truly don’t want to fucking fight with you.
deny that. I still do.
that you didn’t go through with it. Why?”
him, startled by the question and not understanding what he was asking her.
through with the deal you had made? You
said it yourself, you didn’t want to see me fucking hurt and that’s why you . .
. did what you did. But then you
stopped. You changed your mind and threw
the deal in Sands’ face, not knowing what the consequences would be.
did you change your mind?”
because I thought I might have a chance . . . we might have a chance . . . a small one . . . if I did.
lose you. And that would kill me.
turned and discreetly wiped away the tears that’d been gathering on her
eyelids.
me. I was just starting to convince
myself that all we have together was a lie – that I shouldn’t be surprised that
you were betraying me – when you stopped.
come between us. It didn’t kill you,
Sands didn’t kill me. We’re both fucking
fine. But know this,” his voice changed
from the even but loving voice of her husband to the cold, emotionless voice of
the killer that he was. “That was your
one chance. One. You attempt to betray
me again, and that’s it. We’re over.
terms stand. I don’t take kindly to
betrayal.”
words sink in before reaching over as gently as possible and lifting her chin
up so that her eyes met his. “But I’m
not mad at you, vixen. I love you too
fucking much for anger against you to last very long, and if you don’t know
that by now, then you haven’t been paying attention.”
trying to somehow force this image and the icy voice a killer into the same
man. For a brief second she panicked –
wondering what she was doing, and why, and why was she alone in a room with
this man – but she forced herself to calm down.
She wasn’t going to betray him again, so she had nothing to worry about.
from overwrought nerves, she tucked herself against Jeffrey’s chest, shivering
convulsively. “Please.
wanted – as they both wanted – and held onto her tightly, never wanting to let
go again. “I love you, wife mine,” he
whispered into her hair.
his chest, whispering, “I know.” Her
arms slipped around his waist as she clung to him, trying to find some sort of
emotional solid ground after such a long and tiring day.
over to the bed and they both sat down on the edge before he pulled away from
her slowly. “I just want to get out of
these fucking clothes before the painkillers take effect and I’m too tired to
move. Then I’m all yours vixen.
you want,” he promised seriously.
nothing more than some sort of safe harbor at the moment.
which was luckily a button down – before kneeling to take off his shoes and
socks. Jeffrey tried to push her hands
away when he tried to get his pants off, but the task of finding the pull on
his zipper proved to be a little too difficult.
both ready to sleep. Salida dropped her
towel, revealing that her shirt came down to nearly mid-thigh, before climbing
under the blankets.
and pulled her flush against him, enjoying the warmth and smell of her.
touch her before whispering that he loved her in her ear, his voice beginning
to grow a little slurred. He could no
longer feel any of the various afflictions the past few days had caused him,
which was good, but he could hardly keep his attention on his wife, which wasn’t.
as he touched her, not really responding.
She wasn’t really in the mood at the moment, not to mention he’d be
unconscious soon. It was enough for
right now just to be close to him, to smell him, to be able to touch him.
chest. “Tell me that you love me
again? Please?
anyone did.
you. I love you, Salida.
mantra until his voice faded and he was claimed in a drug-induced sleep, his
lips slightly parted in mid-speech.
whispered in return as she curled closer to her husband’s warmth.
into sleep after him.
******************************
with a knife, murder in every line of his body, but it was his eyes that
captivated her: he was begging with her.
Begging her to do what she didn’t know, but she knew that if she could
only figure it out, everything would be alright.
wanted, what he needed, drawing a blank time after time after time.
from her husband’s attack . . .
own hand. Jeffrey ran into it.
piercing his heart. As his blood gushed
over her hand, hot and sticky, she met his eyes, her heart chilling at the
relief in them.
again. Jeffrey, don’t leave, she begged
him. His only response was to close his
eyes. His knees buckled.
grating against bone.
******************************
from someone – his mind was still too sleep fogged to remember who that someone
was, but whoever they were, they were important – and he sat up in bed quickly.
The pain that followed was no less that
agonizing, but that didn’t matter. “Vixen!”
he shouted at the writhing and moaning woman next to him, in the grips of what
looked to be one fucking horrible nightmare.
again, shaking her to wakefulness.
help matters, and as Salida woke, she threw herself away from him, narrowly
avoiding ending up on the floor.
upright, her head twisted around distractedly, her eyes darting as she tried to
place her surroundings. She wasn’t at
home. She was in a hotel – another hotel
– with Jeffrey and Sands. She’d been
dreaming – she hoped she’d been dreaming.
She brought her hands up, examining them in the dark, turning them
palm-up and palm-down as she searched for any evidence of blood.
clock on the bedside table revealed they hadn’t been asleep for more than four
hours. He ran a hand over his face
wearily in an automatic gesture and cursed at the pain it brought before moving
over to Salida. “I’m here.
she asked, her hands running over his bare torso, searching for any hint of
blood.
he said, frowning as she seemed to be searching him for something.
confused frown.
there was blood,” she explained brokenly.
The nightmare was already fading, but she remembered that she’d had it
before. “It was worse this time.”
vixen. It wasn’t real.
despite attempts by certain parties to the contrary.”
asleep. Bastard,” he muttered before
turning to look at her with a sigh. “Are
you going to be able to get back to sleep, vixen?”
head. “But that’s alright.
most of tomorrow away. You get your
rest. You need it.”
out of bed.
said slowly, sinking back down upon the pillows and spreading his arms slightly
in invitation
uncertainly, rubbing the bridge of her nose before nodding.
her head on his chest, taking comfort in the sound of his functioning heart and
lungs. She tried to relax against him,
tried to make her muscles unknot, but only had moderate success.
reassuring yourself that I’m alive and not fucking going anywhere, and I’ll
catch a few more Z’s, reassured that you’re still here and not getting into any
trouble. It’ll work out for both of us,”
Jeffrey could hear his voice begin to slow again and knew it wouldn’t be long
before he was back asleep. “I love you,
Salida,” he whispered again.
about to fall asleep, when he heard Salida breathe into his ear, “Jeffrey?
Please, lover.”
whispered again, her lips trembling against his skin as her hands started
stroking his least injured arm and chest.
fucked up timing sometimes, vixen,” he said with a sigh and a bit of a laugh.
seemed to make her wilt. “I’m sorry,”
she whispered as her hands drifted away from him.
morning,” she murmured, slamming a lid down on her need.
it when Sands was with Aida, when Jeffrey wasn’t there to comfort her?
sleep later. Come here, vixen.”
told her, settling back down against him.
Her fingertips resumed their careful exploration as she started brushing
her lips over the skin of his neck and shoulder.
her lips ran into the band of gauze around his neck.
muffle the hiss that escaped his lips as even the gentle nudge was enough to
hurt like fucking hellfire, but he was certain she had heard it anyway.
fucking want with two fucked up hands, but other than that . . .”
with a finger over his lips as her own moved to the safer territory of his
shoulder. “All I need,” she whispered, “is
to feel your arms around me. I want so
much more, but I’d be content with only that.”
So saying, she raised herself up on her arms and rubbed her nose against
his, letting her anxiety seep away as she focused on the moment.
manage,” Jeffrey said with a small grin, wrapping his arms around her and
refusing to acknowledge the pain that accompanied the movement as the gauze
rubbed at the cut on his arm. He smiled in contentment as she gently nuzzled
the uninjured side of his face and neck and took a deep breath of the scent of
her hair. “I love you, Salida,” he
whispered again softly, closing his eyes.
was just enjoying her presence, and keeping his eyes open seemed a bit
redundant.
she whispered, almost desperate to make him feel the truth of it.
slipping from her eyes, she kissed his lips softly, over, and over, and over.
again at the sensation of her tears on his face.
around her gentle kisses. He hated to
see her cry. “Everything’s alight.”
whispered. “I was just so afraid.
the words to comfort her. He didn’t know
what to say. As much as he wanted to
deny it, there would always be that worry that the world they had carefully
built up around them would come crashing down upon them.
now. Fuck
words. With that thought he took her
head in his hands and kissed her slowly but forcefully, the passion of the kiss
building as it deepened. He would show
her it would be alright even if he didn’t necessarily believe it.
eagerly, letting his forcefulness overshadow her own growing desire.
wanted her, still desired her. And in
turn, the strength of his kiss slowly caused her own arousal to grow until
their tongues were battling for control of the kiss.
deeper still as his hands moved down her body, and he cursed himself silently
that he wasn’t able to touch her with more than Sands’ right hand and the tips
of his broken fingers. He needed to
touch her. The knowledge that he couldn’t
only made him want to more. He was
filled with a sick kind of desperation then, and he hated it.
caused all this. He had broken his own
hand. He had been the one to go for the
broken piece of the mirror. It was all
his fault. He kept kissing her though,
left with nothing else.
her lover’s impatience growing, so she moved her hands from his body to the hem
of her t-shirt. She slipped it off
quickly, throwing it down on her side of the bed, ready to be put back on when
they were done.
whispered, not quite returning to his embrace even though she could see he
wanted her too. “A sitting position will
keep you from trying to put weight on your arms.”
reached over and turned on one of the bedside lamps.
eyes.
fucking touch her. The dim light of the
nearby lamp lent her a somewhat angelic beauty, although he knew his vixen was
no angel. He did as she had asked and
merely let his eyes take in the sight of her.
would probably be fucking better off without you.
cut within his mind. He tried to ignore
it, but felt the slightest part of him agree.
wouldn’t have to fucking put up with any of this, he thought, glancing down
at his battered and bandaged body. He
wanted to promise her that this would be the last time something like this
happened – that he and Sands went head to head with violent results – but it
would have been a lie.
climbed back onto Jeffrey’s lap, Salida brought her lips to his again, kissing
him with soft passion. She needed, but
for now, just this simple contact was fulfilling that need.
her want all he could give . . . but for now, kisses and the sensation of skin
against skin was enough to soothe her fear and guilt.
starting to trail his lips down her throat when she groaned, thinking of one
thing she might want to tell him before Sands could use it as ammunition
against her husband. “Jeffrey?” she
asked softly, trying to ignore the heat shooting through her.
you before Sands does.”
froze, tension filling his lean form before pulling back to look at her.
he hadn’t fucking asked.
that if we weren’t speaking in three week’s time . . . I asked him to kill me
if we weren’t speaking by then. If I
hadn’t take care of the job myself.” She
bowed her head, waiting for him to say something.
Jeffrey yelled, not believing his ears.
fucking done to me? Any at all?
growled, wanting to throw her off of him and pace the room in this sudden
unexpected anger. And he had thought
they were making up.
begged. “Please, I wasn’t myself.
morning. I thought
how your confrontation with Sands ended, you’d leave.
love me anymore. Not after what I’d
done. And he agreed, but he didn’t sound
as if he relished the prospect. Please
don’t be mad,” she whispered. “I’m
telling you this, aren’t I? And it’s
because I love you and I don’t want Sands trying to twist it to his own
advantage somehow. I don’t want you to
be hurt by something I said when I was depressed.
as her fingers dug into his upper arms.
He wasn’t going to rid of her without a fight this time around.
no pleasure, but he’d do it,” Jeffrey muttered to himself in a kind of daze.
about then, but he said it. I think he
was trying to toy with me,” he muttered.
cooled a little. “You can fucking let up
on your fucking death grip, vixen. I’m
not going anywhere.”
she asked, letting her fingers relax a little.
“You understand why I had to tell you?”
with a slight shrug. “Thank you for
fucking telling me,” he muttered under his breath.
now and attempted to let go of it. “I’ve
fucking fought enough with you in the past twenty-four hours to start again
now,” he said with a wearied sigh.
tight, and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
her need die down. She was starting to
feel sleepy instead of needy, and she groaned silently, wondering what Jeffrey
would do if she tried to beg off. For
tonight it really was enough to be in his arms.
eyes at her apparent want to just sleep again.
mood swings, remember?” he said wryly, but didn’t move out from under her.
she murmured. “I don’t know what’s
wrong. I just haven’t been able to tell
up from down lately.”
mad at me for asking again, but are you sure you maybe shouldn’t see a fucking
doctor?”
admitted. “But if I’m not feeling better
by the end of the week, I’ll make an appointment to see someone, alright?”
conceded. That was probably the best he
was going to get, so he would live with it.
sleep, or are you going to change your mind again?”
head. “No, I think I’m done.”
and reached for her shirt. The last
thing she wanted to wake her up in the morning was a fight between Sands and
Jeffrey because Sands had woken up first.
dressed again, she poked Jeffrey’s shoulder, a silent request for him to turn
onto his side. He shook his head and
rolled his eyes, but did as she asked.
She settled behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his
body. Kissing his shoulder, she murmured
a goodnight.
******************************
sunlight, and immediately closed it again, shifting slightly in the bed.
fuck itself before opening both eyes and taking note of his surroundings.
else – and there was a limp arm across his side – hopefully Salida’s.
movement, turning over to lay on her back with a quiet murmur.
wickedly. His entire body hurt like a
motherfucker, but that didn’t matter. He
could deal with it. What did matter was
his wife lying completely unawares while he was awake and poised to do
mischief.
gentle kisses, kissing every inch of her body that he could reach before
lifting her shirt up slowly and taking a moment to marvel at her completely
naked body underneath before leaving a trail of gentle kisses along her
collarbone and in-between her breasts. Each
kiss was something akin to torture as the movement pulled at the cut along
Sands’ jaw, but he paid it no mind. The
end result will have been worth it. He
moved his lips to her right nipple, still moving as gently as he could, licking
around the slowly hardening peak with leisure.
nature would allow him this morning. He
needed to savor her. He needed to
reassure himself that she was still there.
her body fighting to settle on some sensation between arousal and
exhaustion. A full night’s sleep had
only made her more tired, but still, the automatic response to the lips dancing
over her skin was hard to ignore or defeat.
Caught in cisicision, she frowned, even as one of her hands moved across
the blankets, trying to find her husband.
her stir – and let her – but he didn’t let it deter him.
buzzing with arousal before he gave in and served both their needs.
his touch nothing more than slightly teasing.
to her other breast awkwardly, balanced on his elbows instead of his hands.
treatment, smirking slightly as her searching hand found its way to his hair.
attention, he moved his searching mouth to the sensitive curve of her neck and
began kissing and sucking at it gently, kissing the underside of her smooth jaw
– a clear rastrast to his stubbly and bloodied one.
turning his attention back to her neck and shoulders.
moaned, her voice caught between irritation and arousal.
back so she could meet his eyes. She
looked at him for a long moment before pulling him down until their foreheads
met. She sighed and closed her eyes, but
shifted enough so that she could place a light kiss on his lips.
nothing more than to deepen that kiss and speed things up a little, but he
refrained and moved his mouth away from her neck and down to her stomach and
sides, ghosting kisses along her stomach and the line of each rib.
slightly, but there was no tension in it, so he let it be.
before he let himself get too carried away he forced himself to move down and
kiss the length of her smooth legs.
twitched away at the feeling of his stubble on her skin, but a faint smile
appeared on her face. “Do you have a
match?” she asked softly and a bit wryly.
have any matches,” he said, not understanding what she meant.
your face.”
eyes and smirked at that. “I think my
face is beat up enough without adding a fucking friction burn to it,” he said
wryly, gesturing at the long cut along his jawline
that he fucking hoped wouldn’t scar. Just
the thought of having to shave over it made him wince.
still curious, vixen,” he said with a smirk before leaning over to continue his
kissing journey over her body, moving to her arms.
noncommittally. Closing her eyes again,
she tried to focus on the sensations running through her.
should make Jeffrey lay back before he d hud hurt himself, that she should take
control, but she knew that the moment she had too put effort into their
coupling, she’d either loose interest or grow nauseous.
digit of both of her hands into his mouth slowly, sucking on each before
letting them go. It fucking hurt like
hell to tighten his injured face to suck at her fingers, but he managed.
that wouldn’t force him to speed up his pace considerably, he moved to her
mouth, coaxing her lips open with the gentle press of his tongue.
sensual, but hatieatience was beginning to wane.
the bolt of pain that went up each arm and the passion of the kiss increased
and with it, his pace.
seemed to feel the grimace. Tearing her
lips away from his, she tried to protest.
“Stop, you’re hurting yourself.”
slowly. The truth was, the pain was
warring with his building arousal, but he was holding it off.
she contradicted. “And I didn’t ask you
to stop. Just to stop hurting yourself.”
you fucking expect me to do that, vixen?” he asked with a sigh.
for you,” she whispered, giving him a quick kiss.
on your side. Then you won’t have to
hold yourself up.”
under his breath, but did as she asked, not admitting to himself – and
definitely not to her – that he was thankful to take his weight off of his
hands. “Now what?
while I’m at it?” he asked a bit irritably, opening and closing his mouth
slowly to work his pain-stiffened jaw.
to ask for the impossible,” she said wryly.
Stripping off her shirt, she moved over until her chest was pressed
tightly against his and his arms were wrapped around her.
or conversation a moot point as started to slowly worry at Jeffrey’s lower lip.
slowly at her actions before kissing her upper lip and the tip or nor nose,
moving his fingertips along her spine slowly, savoring even that fleeting
touch. If he didn’t think she’d get fucking
pissed at him, he’d tear off the cast right now and touch her anyway, broken
fingers notwithstanding.
murmured before kissing the corner of his mouth.
various parts of his face before returning to his mouth and slowly pressing the
tip of her tongue against his lips.
gentle invitation without hesitation, and sighed a bit in contentment as their
passion was rekindled. This kiss however
lacked the gentleness of its predecessor; this one was filled with need and
desire. All of Jeffrey’s frustration at
not being able to touch her was funneled into the kiss, and that made it even
more passionate.
giving way to her husband’s ardor; as her hand slipped down to his hip, her leg
moved to hang over his, bringing their lower bodies into close contact.
feeling of his hardened arousal rubbing against her.
only spurred him on further. He knew he
was being somewhat selfish, but he needed
this. All he had done for the past few
days was worry about her and get himself beat up and this was a welcome
sanctuary to the realities of just how fucked up life could be sometimes.
letting his hardened length rest in-between her legs.
allow her control over him. Such a
notion surprised him more than a little, but it was how he felt.
lose himself in his wife’s touch, so that was what he did.
moments of things not progressing past intense kisses and wandering hands,
Salida pulled away, looking her husband in the eye.
was wrong.
not entirely knowing how to explain how he was feeling.
thereby give up his control, he also wanted to show her without a doubt that he
wasn’t upset with her anymore. That he
didn’t blamr for for thinking about betraying him if not actually going through
with it. “I trust you,” he repeated,
trying to reinforce his meaning, hoping that she would understand.
impact of his statement sink in before movio kio kiss him.
so that she could rest her palm on the small of his back while her other hand
moved up to cup the back of his head, her fingers combing through his
hair. Still kissing him, she tilted her
hips just a bit, allowing him to slide into her.
more aligned before pressing her hand against his back, making him slide into
her more deeply.
against her mouth at the sensation of their bodies joining, but didn’t stop
kissing her as long as she was still kissing him.
kind of brainless sycophant, simply lying there and taking whatever she gave
him without thought or comment, but he would allow her to lead the way.
Jeffrey as deeply inside her as she could get him in this position and without
help from him, she paused, breaking the kiss.
After several moments of heavy breathing as she tried to catch her
breath, she let her eyes focus on Jeffrey’s face.
to do something.
in a parody of a smile before she hitched her left leg up around Jeffrey’s
hip. She moaned as she felt him move
inside her, but quickly opened her eyes again.
Moving her hand to cup his cheek, she took a deep breath and tightened
her inner muscles around him, holding them like that for as long as she could.
twisted in pleasurable agony as she let her muscles relax before once again
making them contract around him.
Gripping him tightly, she flexed her hips, pressing her pelvis against
his before pulling back. Her eyes
slipped shut as she concentrated on giving him what he needed.
Jeffrey moaned, helpless under the exquisite torture she was putting him through.
He wanted nothing more than to roll them
over so that he was on top of her and fuck them both breathless, but he wouldn’t.
He would let her have her control over
him as he had wanted.
to allow her this? Jeffrey didn’t
really believe he was up to such a radical change from his ingrained
personality at the moment, but it if would be like this all the time, he’d
certainly give it some thought. He
reveled in her attentions, feeling . . . well, loved.
with himself. Then, all semblance of
coherent thought passed beyond the veil as she drove him closer and closer to
the edge.
her hand in Jeffrey’s hair, Salida pulled his head back, nibbling on the
delicate skin under his jaw and chin.
She was breathing heavily as she tried to keep up the motions of her
lower body, now swiveling her hips in small, not-quite circles.
him close to her as she started undulating against his body, doing all she
could to make him come. She wanted to
see that, to hear him call for her as he found release, as he found comfort in
her body. But she needed him to come
soon, before her desire cooled.
out against such a gauntlet of sensation, and Jeffrey came fast and hard with a
gravely yell that vaguely resembled Salida’s name, arching his entire body
against hers, bearing his neck at the moment of climax in a gesture of absolute
trust. He remained in that position, his
body arched away from hers, his mouth opened slightly from the tail end of his
yell, breathing heavily as he waited for his heart to stop racing.
to face her, burying his face in the crook of her neck and holding onto her
tight, his entire body trembling minutely.
started stroking her husband’s back, humming some meaningless tune under her
voice. She couldn’t say she’d found much
physical pleasure in what they’d just done, but this more than compensated for
it. Utterly content just to hold her
husband, she didn’t even tease that he was trembling.
was enjoying this too much to risk that.
feeling a swell of blissful contentment pass through him as well.
all day, safe each other’s arms, and tell the rest of the world to go fuck
itself. But he knew it wouldn’t last.
of his mind and knew that the other man would want to get back home to his . .
. wife, as soon as possible. With a sigh
and an irritated grunt he pulled away from Salida's embrace.
but pulled the sheets up to cover herself.
Rolling onto her back, she moaned as her stomach did an annoying little
flip-flop. Was this never going to end?
muttered, cursing Sands’ very existence.
to you too, Jeffrey,” Sands said with a roll of his eyes having heard Jeffrey’s
curses. “And good morning to you,
sunrise,” he said, glancing over at her slowly before looking at her fully when
he saw that she wasn’t scrambling to get dressed.
closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths.
he saw what she was doing. “Still
feeling fucking sick?” he asked with a weary sigh.
and go to the doctor, but he would give her the week that she had asked for.
noise, neither confirming nor denying that she was.
muttered. “As long as I don't move too
quickly, I think I’ll be fine.”
hated to see her like this, but there was nothing else he could do.
could make it to the car?” Sands asked, glancing at the clock for himself.
lot of miles to cover.”
laughed – an honest to goodness laugh – at that.
hour. Or even less.
Flash,” Sands said quirking an eyebrow and shaking his head slightly at her
reaction to his statement. He then
winced as the full variety of hurts and ills covering his body made themselves
known to him as well. “Fuck, I should
have just stayed asleep,” he muttered under his breath.
to fucking argue with that,” Jeffrey acknowledged.
so you both could, but there’s just one little problem with that,” Salida
murmured, holding onto the sheets as she moved to sit up against the
headboard. “I don’t know how to drive.”
her as if she had said her head was on backwards.
incredulously a mere second before Jeffrey could ask something along the same
lines.
gently. “Nope.
years. And I never bothered to stay
around when she was.”
seem to wrap that around his brain. “What
the fuck do you mean you never learned? Everyone
knows how to fucking drive!”
pointed out calmly. “Why do you think I
walk so much? Aside from the desire to
exercise?”
fucking teach you how to drive,” Jeffrey said with a firm nod.
car,” Sands warned.
and went on. “We’ve got a long fucking
drive ahead of us, what better time to learn how to fucking drive?”
head. “I don’t think so.
other cars coming at me. Especially not
now. There’s no way I’ll do it.
fine, but it’ll be in an empty parking lot or something.”
muttered under his breath, visions of twisted metal and broken bodies flashing
through his mind. Not to mention that
there was no fucking way he was going to let anything happen to his car after all the trouble they were taking
to get it back to
vixen.”
her head. “A real wet blanket, that’s
me.” And she wasn’t all that upset about
it either. Reaching for her shirt, she
asked, “I could probably get something to eat here, right?”
attached to a restaurant downstairs. It’s
bound to be open at this time of day. I’m
going to take a shower. If you’re not
here when I’m done, we’ll find you.”
fucking need you to re-dress our battle wounds,” Jeffrey said with a slight
scowl.
or something on our way out. I’ll wait
here for you to finish your shower.”
with a nod before disappearing into the bathroom.
******************************
wrapped securely around their waist and wet hair hanging limply on their
shoulders. They didn’t look happy.
water stings on cuts, sunrise? Well, it’s
a fucking lot,” Sands muttered, gesturing to the variety of now slightly
weeping wounds.
murmured, getting up off the bed where she'd been laying.
she didn’t want to wear at all for some reason – she picked up her bag of stuff
and motioned for Sands to take a seat in a nearby chair.
fucking fault. How are you feeling,
vixen?” Jeffrey asked, taking a seat in the chair she had directed them
to.
thrown up yet. I’d say that’s an
improvement.” Turning on a nearby lamp,
she studied the wounds. Personally, she
thought Tess had been optimistic about not stitching the wound on Jeffrey’s arm
– not that she’d had anything to do it with – but she didn’t say anything about
it. She took out her box of butterfly
bandages and a small jar of antibacterial/numbing cream.
closing the cut with three bandages and wrapping it in some gauze.
way, then gave them several Aspirin. “That’s
all I can do,” she told them, leaning back into the seat she’d drug in front of
theirs.
all we can ask for. Thank you,” Sands
said slowly.
kiss on the forehead in thanks and rose to his feet to get dressed.
clothes from your place before we left, Sands,” Jeffrey said, looking down at
the wrinkled and slightly bloodieotheothes from yesterday with a grimace.
remembered to get clothes. They’d have
bitten you in the ass before you noticed,” Sands said wryly, grabbing the small
bag of clothes literally at their feet and setting it open on the bed.
you like me to wear, vixen? Let me guess,
I’ve got black, black, and more black.”
is decided, my only advice is to wear something what won’t rub too badly
against your cuts.”
over that and pulled out a lose-fitting long sleeved button up shirt.
himself, pulling it on but not buttoning it.
clean pair of boxers after throwing the wet towel in the vague direction of the
bathroom. He managed to pull on a pair
of black cotton pants and buttoned them with some difficulty, but the shirt
buttons were giving him trouble. He
cursed as his hands didn’t seem to want to do what they were told, but didn’t
ask for help.
thing, Salida stepped in and started doing up the buttons.
any farther today than you did yesterday.
Yes, you got a good night’s sleep, but if we were home, I wouldn’t be
letting you out of touseouse.”
petulant look. “Fuck that,” Jeffrey said
immediately.
agreed with a frown, the mere thought of being housebound ticking him off.
with you,” she sighed. “You take things
easy, and the first thing I’ll do when we get home is search through the phone
book for a doctor.” She didn’t want to,
but she didn’t want to die on the highway because they were pushing themselves
too hard either.
you’re going to see one? Or are you
trying to get off on a fucking technicality?”
minute, who said I agreed to this? Sure,
it’s all well and good that sunrise is getting a doctor, but why should I go
along with this? We’re fine,” Sands
insisted again.
I,” Salida muttered. “Yes, Jeffrey, I’ll
go see one. Sands, what will it take to
make you listen to reason?”
reason with? We’re fucking fine!
going about life as normal. So what, we’ll
have a few fucking scars. It’s all
superficial.”
and tell her you aren’t cooperating?” Salida asked, raising her eyebrows.
your fight yesterday.”
said with a lift of his chin in defiance.
him. “Better call Grant and tell her why
we won’t be home until tomorrow then.
Because if you can’t promise to take it easy, then we’re not leaving.”
fucking suggest we stay, sunrise?” he asked, not looking down at the phone he
had cradled against his chest in his arms because he couldn’t hold it properly.
“Check-out’s in . . . fifteen minutes.
evenly before rising his feet and throwing the phone down on the bed.
come along, or say goodbye to her. Because
I am fucking leaving and as things stand, you have to fucking come with me.”
Jeffrey asked, not believing Sands’ stubbornness.
supposed to be the fucking more reasonable one?
fucking call kitty. Tell her lledlled
you. How would you fucking like that?”
Sands hissed.
before things could get out of hand. “Listen.
tired or something, either pull over and catch a nap, or let Jeffrey drive. And
if you’re both too tired, then we pull over for the night.
necessary, I don’t want you to just discard the idea.”
muttered under his breath. “Are we going
to fucking go, or are we going to argue about this more?”
to argue more, but he withheld. “You
ready to go, vixen? If he won’t stop,
suddenly a little shaky because of how fast things had escalated.
the one they’d had yesterday . . .
wistfully.
go,” Sands said evenly, grabbing the bag of clothes and walking out the door,
still fuming along the way.
slowly after making sure she had her own bag.
Once they’d reached the lobby, she made a quick detour to grab a box of
cereal from the continental breakfast that several employees were starting to
put away. Looking around, she noticed
that Sands had already left. Shaking her
head, she walked out to the parking lot, rolling her eyes to see he was waiting
impatiently in the car with the motor running.
said succinctly.
her, holding back a sigh of irritation.
It wouldn’t help, and it might make matters worse.
eyes, already prepared to go back to sleep.
At least if she were asleep she wouldn’t have to deal with a pissed off
Sands or her pissed off stomach.
glower as Sands gripped the steering wheel tight enough to hurt even without
his already mangled hands. “What’s your
fucking problem?” he asked as Sands took a turn at speed.
in the rearview mirror. “Nice job,
asshole.”
asleep some time before. At the sound of
her husband’s voice though, she stirred, and turned her head to look at him
sleepily. “Where are we and what’s
wrong?”
mirror and scowled as the lights became brighter as a second cop car joined the
first as a matter of routine. He
evaluated his options.
think about it,” Jeffrey warned. “We’re
in
we’ve got fucking cops on our tail,” Jeffrey said evenly.
hummed, not quite awake yet. “You didn’t
kill anyone while I was asleep, did you?”
aware of. They’re probably fucking on
for speeding. Sands has been driving
like a madman for the last few hours now.”
unclench the wheel, still speeding along just as fast as before, glaring at the
mirror. If looks would kill the two cop
cars would be a pair of twisted balls of flaming glass, flesh, and metal.
noticing that Sands wasn’t making an effort to slow down.
supposed to slow down when the cops are trying to pull you over?
affect our ETA just a smidge.”
Sands growled before slamming on the breaks.
cop’s part, such an action would have caused a major altercation.
herself with a hand on the dashboard as she was thrown forward in her
seat. She groaned as her seatbelt
suddenly became rock-hard against her chest and her stomach protested
violently. She just barely managed
losing her small breakfast, and silently cursed Sands for it.
straight ahead, murder in his every gesture, and Jeffrey knew that they could
be in fucking trouble if he didn’t take control of things fast.
boots on the pavement, and was certain the man had a tense hand on the gun at
his hip. Such a thought made him
immediately aware of the weapons on his person – the gun he had no permit or
license for in the glove box and the long knife at his side – and knew he was
fucked.
car, sir,” the trooper drawled, leaning over the open widow gauge the situation
reflected in his mirrored sunglasses.
officer,” Jeffrey said, cutting Sands off and giving Salida a quick glance.
laughed as panic and Sands’ driving got to her.
This better do some good, or I’m
going to be pissed, she thought as she wrenched the door open and stumbled
out onto the shoulder. Letting herself
fall to her knees, she bent over and lost the meager contents of her stomach
into the grass.
trooper was focused on the man before him, but the second saw Salida stumble
out of the car and out of sight and immediately took action, coming around the
back of the Porsche with his gun dawn. “Stay
right where you are, Miss!” he yelled.
fought the urge to flip him off. Taking
a deep breath, she pushed her hair out of her face and spat out some stomach
acid. “I’m fine, Jeffrey,” she called,
glaring at the cop, daring her to stop. “Thank
you for pulling over.”
upon seeing what she had been doing, holstered his gun somewhat sheepishly and
asked, his young face tinted with worry, “Are you alright, miss?”
slowly got to her feet. Turning back
towards the car, she met Jeffrey’s eyes, trying to assure him she was alright.
creased with a mixture of anger and worry, but he no longer felt the urge to
blow the young cop’s head off for pointing a gun at his wife.
turned back to the officer.
registration?” the trooper asked his face unreadable behind the mirrored
glasses.
his driver’s license and handed it to him before turning to Salida.
Sands supplied with a glower, wanting to take the cop’s shiny badge and jam it
in his throat.
climbed back into the car. Opening the glove
box, she pulled out the registration, her eyes widening at the sight of Sands’
gun. She quickly shut the glove box
before her helpful officer could see
it.
car, she handed the registration papers to Jeffrey though the open door, trying
to look pitiful for the benefit of the cop on that side who was watching her
out of one eye.
from her with a nod before handing them over to the cop looking over his
license.
name is . . . Sheldon. She called you
Jeffrey,” the cop said, his tense posture not relaxing.
Jeffrey’s side.
“I hate that
goddamned, fucking name,” Sands muttered under his breath coldly.
“Pardon?”
“I said, it’s my
middle name. See right there. S. Jeffrey
Sands. That’s me,” Jeffrey tried to
reassure him, promising himself that if he made it out of this alive he was
going to beat the shit out of Sands.
“And what happened
to your face?”
“Uh –”
“We fell,” Salida
supplied quickly. “Jeffrey doesn’t like
to talk about it because he’s such an outdoorsy guy and I think it embarrasses
him.” Blushing, as if she were really
too shy to be talking to strangers, she continued, “We were hiking up in the
hills, on one of the maintained trails, and it was getting late so we decided
to start heading back. We were a long
way away from our car still, so I suggested we take a ‘short cut’ and umm,
ending up tripping over a branch.
Jeffrey tried to catch me, but we both ended up falling.
“All this was due
to a hiking trip?” the cop asked with a frown after going over the registration
briefly.
Jeffrey shrugged,
and inexplicably, the cop let it go.
“Do you have any
idea, how fast you were going?” the cop asked after handing Jeffrey back his
license and registration.
“Pretty fucking
fast,” Sands muttered. Unfortunately,
the cop heard this time.
“Don’t be smart
with me son, or you’ll find yourself feeling real dumb, real fast.
“My wife was about
to be sick,” Jeffrey said, trying to sound cowed despite Sands’ words.
definitely going to beat the shit out of him.
fucking pointed a gun at her. If he
thought he could get away with it, that fucking cop’s life would be forfeit.
After that, there
were no more questions. The cop “gifted”
him with a ticket for an inordinate sum for speeding and restless endangerment
before heading back to pat patrol car and driving off, the second car following
him.
When the cops took
off, Salida collapsed with relief in her seat, breathing a silent thanks to
whichever deity had been responsible for that miracle.
ticket and without blood being spilt was most definitely a miracle in her book.
Once the cop was
well out sight, all hell broke loose. “You
fucking inconsiderate bastard!” Jeffrey yelled at the top of his lungs.
just fucking happened? I’m going to
fucking beat the shit out of you!”
“Fuck you!
Jeffrey and Sands
were pacing across the ground quickly, exchanging threats and curses at one
another as cars passed by, their passengers utterly bewildered by the scene.
other apart again since slicing each other up, and now was just as good a
excuse as any to start going at it.
This was the last
straw for Salida. She honestly couldn’t
take it anymore. She climbed out of the
car after removing the keys from the ignition and the gun from the glove
box. Sticking the gun into her pocket
and pulling her t-shirt down over it, she watched the men, feeling her anger
building with ever syllable that came out of their mouth.
bastards!” she screamed. “Stop being
fucking drama queens and fucking use what remains of your shriveled and
desiccated brains, you fucking divas!”
Both men halted,
utterly astounded at her words, in effect doing as she had ordered without
having time to think about it.
“You are both so
fucking spoiled,” she continued
ranting. “Nothing fucking happened and
you’re ready to die over it!
gets what they want a hundred percent of the fucking time.
you don’t even have to fucking pay since no one fucking knows where we live – and
you’re . . .” She ran out of words and
just screamed, utterly furious.
to all intents and purposes as if she were prepared to walk home.
Jeffrey took a
moment to collect himself from Salida’s tirade before running after her.
“Away from you two
fucking hotheads,” she seethed. “I
refuse to put up with this anymore. It’s
childish. You’re like two fucking
toddlers going up against each other over the last fucking cookie.
already.”
“We’re fucking
done. I promi
sternly.
“We’re fucking
done.” For now. But there will be a
next time. There always fucking is.
was thinking. “Fine.
“Just get back in
the car, vixen. We’ll fucking stop
somewhere. Clear our heads, alright?”
Jeffrey tried to convince her.
“
clearing my head,” she growled.
“Come on, vixen.
home, I will. But you’re still fucking
sick and I want you to come back to the car.
what you want.” Jeffrey knew he couldn’t
really promise such a thing when he knew Sands wouldn’t cooperate, but he had
to try.
“Thanks for the
effort, lover, but I’m fucking pissed at you both,” she ground out, picking up
her pace a little.
“Then be fucking
pissed. He’s not leaving,” Sands said
matching her pace. “What the fuck do you
want from me?”
“I fucking want you
both to stop trying to maim and
disfigure each other until you’ve at least healed from this round.
think. Getting fucking arrested wouldn’t
have gotten you to see Aida any faster, now would it?” she asked caustically.
Sands opened his
mouth to say that he wouldn’t have gotten himself arrested, but he faltered.
Salida twirled
around and stared at him, a frown on her face.
She then stuck out her hand and demanded, “Give me the knife, Sands.”
“Why?” he asked
warily, his hand on the hilt.
“Because I don’t
fucking trust you or Jeffrey at the moment, but I know he’ll give it to me to
make my pissy mood go away.”
pavement. When he still hesitated, she
added, “Not to mention that I’ve got the fucking keys to the car.”
“Just give her the
fucking knife.”
Sands
half-attempted to scowl at Jeffrey before pulling the knife from his belt and
placed the sheathed blade in her hand. “Now
what, sunrise?”
She took the knife
and put it in her other pocket. Handing
over the keys, she glared and wrapped her arms around herself.
will fucking make you regret it.”
“Fine,” Sands said
turning to walk back to the car.
“I’m fucking
driving until you calm the fuck down,” Jeffrey told him sternly as they walked.
argue but withheld, feeling Salida’s eyes on the back of his neck.
Salida shook her
head as they started again, Jeffrey being the instigator this time.
the next town was a mile away. “That’s
it, I’m fucking walking,” she muttered, starting out.
Jeffrey whipped
back around to look at her. “What?
didn’t fucking do anything!”
“I just need time
to my fucking self, alright?” she asked.
“This is just too fucking much. I’ll
meet you in the next town, and then you can fucking baby me all you want, but I
am walking.”
“I can’t fucking
talk you out of this?” the moment the question had passed his lips, he knew it
had been futile. “Fine.
She nodded, truly
needing the time to settle her rampaging emotions.
“I’ll meet you at the first gas station off the exit, alright?”
“Fine.
alright?” Jeffrey asked with a sigh.
“I will.
“You’d betteuckiucking not,”" he said, cracking just the hint of a smile on his battered
face. He nodded at her before turning
and walking back to the car. His eyes
were on her the entire time as he passed, but he didn’t stop.
Salida kept
walking, watching as Jeffrey and Sands passed her; she noticed they were
driving more slowly than they had been.
Shaking her head, she moved closer to the shoulder and concentrated on
ignoring the cars that whizzed by. She
wasn’t happy that things had come to this, but she knew she’d done the right
thing. Perhaps it’d buy her a bit of
silence for the rest of the day.
She supposed she’d
have to wait and see.