Severance Pay (Chapters 55 Through 60 Of 78) free porn video

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE "I'm sorry about all that. I didn't know he planned on doing all that ... stuff." My father, Mister Restraint. Patty had to work real hard to get her mom to agree to come to my house to help us get ready for the dance. Actually, to help me. Patty doesn't need any help but I didn't want to ask her to help me too. At first, Ms. Conner said she'd be glad to help then my father said I couldn't go over there to get ready. He wouldn't say why. I knew this was going to be trouble but Patty said she'd handle it. It took her awhile and she wouldn't tell me what she said ... or had to promise ... but her mom finally agreed. They brought all their stuff to my house at 5:30 in the afternoon and went straight to my room. We had to get to the dance early because Ms. Conner was a volunteer and they all had to be there at least two hours before the dance started. My hair and makeup didn't take nearly as long as the last time because Ms. Conner already knew what she wanted to do. Patty said she made her dress because she couldn't find anything in her size that didn't make her look like a pre-teen. It was silver, soft, sparkly, hugged her curves down to her knees and had a slit just short of her hip. Definitely not a pre-teen. As nice as my dress was, I felt a little jealous. We packed everything up and headed downstairs to find Father waiting for us ... with two fully equipped professional photographers. "Ladies! Ladies! Come down!" he shouted, smiling broadly. "Father, what is this?" "How could I let my beautiful daughter and her lovely friend go to her first dance and not document it for posterity?" We reach the bottom of the stairs and I walk over to him while Patty and her mom wait at the foot of the stairs. "Father, please ... don't embarrass me." "Embarrass? Parents take pictures of their children all the time." I pull him aside, moving us away from everybody. "You didn't," I whisper. "You've never taken pictures of me before." "Actually, I did ... before you're mother died. I used to take quite a few pictures." "Why'd you stop?" "I ... I don't know. Things changed. It didn't seem to be as ... important." "So, why not take them yourself now?" "I gave away all my old equipment, besides, everything is digital today, all about computers and pixels. If you want the job done right, you hire an expert. These two come highly recommended." "By who?" "Enrique." Of course. I look over at Patty and her mother. Ms. Conner is clearly upset. Patty is holding her hand as she glances at her watch. That's it! Time! "Father, we can't stay for pictures. Ms. Conner needs to leave for the dance now. She's working and has to be there early. There's no time." Father also looks over at the Conners, then steps towards them. "Are you certain? It won't take long, I promise. It's just that Gretchen is so lovely tonight, so much like her mother. I just wanted something to preserve this moment." Patty takes her mother's arm and turns it to see her watch. They both check the time and then look at each other's face for a few seconds, like they're communicating telepathically. Finally, Ms. Conner closes her eyes and sighs. "I suppose we can spare a few minutes, but only a few." So that's how I find myself apologizing while we speed towards the YWCA, ten minutes late. "I'm really sorry Ms. Conner. He never said anything to me about pictures. It was good of you to pose with us. I know you're not fond of my father." "Gretchen ... you have no idea ... it's not your fault, sweetie. I know you would have said something if you had known." "Besides," added Patty, "they should be some good shots. I'd like copies. Maybe make a poster for my bedroom." "Like hell you will," Ms. Conner snorted. "Why not, Mom? We don't have any real nice pictures of us, not recent ones anyway. You look good and so do I. It seemed that they took almost as many pictures of us as they did of Gretch and her dad." "They didn't take that many of me but they did take quite a few of both you and Gretchen." "Got a case of the Green Eyed Monster there, Mom?" Ms. Conner laughed. "In your dreams, Patricia Taylor Conner. Just a matter of quality over quantity." They kept riding each other all the way to the dance. * * * *** * * * *** * * * The photographers have provided me with several pictures of both Conner and Gretchen. Escaban can forward them to his men's phone so that they can clearly identify the target. This is not the time for mistakes. Not only must the police not discover who killed Conner, but Hobbes must also never know the truth, at least until I can replace him. I pick up my radio. "Tony Escaban, report." It took almost a minute for him to respond. "Yes, Mr. Cardoza." "You took too long to answer. Report to my office." "Yes, Sir." When he arrived, Escaban was panting. Good. This is serious business. Sliding my cell phone off my desk into my hand, I dial his number. "I'm forwarding several photos for you to forward to your people at the dance. They're of both Conner and Gretchen Hobbes." "I've already done that, Mr. Cardoza." "Yes, but these show what they look like tonight. They will be easier to spot." His phone beeps several times. "Yes, sir. Anything else?" "Your people understand their job?" "Yes, sir. Take Conner from the dance, kill her using knives, sexual assault is optional, make sure the body is bloody and found and that they aren't caught. Ms. Hobbes is to be left alone and not harmed in any way. I told them that if the appropriate opportunity didn't present itself, they are not to take any unnecessary chances. A little extra damage is acceptable, but, again, under no circumstances are they to be caught." "Excellent. You are certain they can do it?" "It isn't too difficult. Three men, one girl." "You would think so ... but there is something about Conner ... she is surprisingly resilient." "That's why there's three of them." "Let's hope that's enough." * * * *** * * * *** * * * Luckily, the volunteers were just starting their meeting when we all walked into the gym. Mom hurried over to where the others were standing while Gretchen and I took a stroll around to check things out. I had expected to run into the guys doing set up but it looked like everything was already done. It was all a lot nicer than the other dance. More tables and chairs. Balloons in nets along the ceiling. Bunting and streamers along the walls. A bunch of colored lights and a disco ball suspended from the scoreboard at mid-court. Certainly more elaborate than dances when I was in high school. The food area also was bigger. Gretchen was impressed. "This looks nice! I thought you said your friends would be here." "I assumed they would. They must have done all this earlier today or yesterday. You're right, it's nice. Wonder what's on the menu." We wander over to the food tables, our heels loudly clicking on the floor until we reach the tarps. The banquet tables are lined up in one long row, covered in white tablecloths with a red skirt hanging along the front all the way to the floor. There's several food warmers with lids but they're only holding hot water right now. There's nothing out to snack on. "We could go back to the kitchen, see if we could find something?" I suggest. "Nah, I'm fine. Don't want to get in anybody's way. Raul doesn't like it when someone interrupts him while he's working." "Really? I never noticed that when I'm there." "That's because he likes you, dummy. You're special. Everyone treats you differently. Father, the teachers at school, Sister Carmela ... everybody. You're Patricia Conner, the Golden Girl." "Shut UP! I'm not special ... I just play the angles, that's all." "Don't be modest. They all recognize that you're different. You see things others miss. You do things others can't. You solve problems that others ignore. Everywhere you go, things change." "For the better?" "I think so, though Enrique may disagree. He's the one person who doesn't like you." "The ONE person? I can think of lots! Caitlin McBride and her group. Aelia Ridgeway and the entire St. Agnes basketball team, plus their fans. There's quite a few people not exactly fond of me." "Well, the ones who matter are fond of you. Me for instance." "I appreciate that but you're still gonna have to meet some guys tonight." "But WHHYYYYYY?" "'Cause you promised." * * * *** * * * *** * * * Sitting in a "borrowed" car outside the Y, I'm glad all three of us have checked out the place over the last two days. I want to make sure we all know the layout. Teak couldn't understand why it was necessary. "Three of us, one of her ... it's too easy, man," he rumbled. "'Kay, it's too easy, but gettin' her out of there without us gettin' caught ... that won't be easy. What if she struggles? What if she screams? We get seen, we get caught, we get killed. I got big plans for my future and they don't include fucking this up." Julio shook his head. "Still don't see why she needs to die." Crap! Not again! "We been through that, Julio. Ain't any of our bizness. We're just soldiers looking to move up. You wanna' move up, man?" "Yeah ... course I do." "Me too, so this is what we gotta do. This is our chance to stand out, to be recognized, get some respect." "She's a girl. Don't get no respect doin' girls." "She's a JOB! I don't care what anybody else thinks, I only care what Cardoza thinks!" Teak leans forward between the two front seats of the car. "Calm down, Billy B, we know. We ain't happy but we know. Question is, 'xactly how we gonna do it?" "I'll go in once the crowd shows up, find her and keep an eye on her. If she leaves anytime, I'll call ya and we go get her." "What if she don't leave?" asks Julio. "Then we follow her home, grab her off the street." "What if she got someone wit her?" "Then we take care of them and then grab her." "What if she's got a lot of people wit her?" "Then we don't do nothin', fool." "What if we can't keep her quiet?" I pat my hip pocket. "Got a little smack here. It'll take the edge off, but three dudes with knives ought to be more than enough to keep her in line, like 'Baby, keep your mouth shut or you'll lose an eye, quick'. Know what I mean?" Teak sat back. "Yeah, that'd keep me quiet, though the smack'd be nice. Where we doing it after we got her?" "Raphael's got a place for us, down by the docks, been abandoned for a couple of years. We can wash the mess straight into the water." "Sweet." * * * *** * * * *** * * * Gretchen and I were sitting at the team's table when people returned to the gym. Mom was with them ... and so was Coach Tobey. Both of them walked quickly towards us. "Hey! Deadeye! How you doing?" he shouted. I got up out of my chair, striding towards him as he threw his arms open, dropping down to my level. We hugged each other briefly. I felt something hard and wide pressing into my stomach. Stepping back as we release each other, I look down towards his waist. "I'm fine Coach ... what the heck is that?" "This? It's my championship belt." "Belt? It looks like a hubcap." "Don't dis the belt. You're just jealous." "It doesn't go with my outfit. Heck, it doesn't go with any outfit." "What you talking about? This is stylish as hell ... 'scuse my French, ladies." "That wasn't French," said Gretchen. "I know, I'll explain later. Coach Tobey, this is my friend, Gretchen." "Well, aren't you a beauty! Any friend of Patricia's is welcome here. I have to tell you, I knew it was you before I ever saw that video. As soon as I got in the building, there was this buzz about a small girl who hit an impossible shot. 'Has to be Conner,' I said to myself, right then and there. Still, I couldn't believe my eyes! God damn shot was beyond impossible ... 'scuse my French." "Does he know what French is?" asks Gretchen. "He does," I answer. So that's what tonight's going to be about. Nuts! I might have expected it. I really should have done something more normal. A three quarter court shot, anything but what I did. It was pretty darn cool though. "Thanks Coach, but it was just a lucky shot. I was still woozy from that pick, I didn't know what I was doing." "Bullshit! 'Scuse my French." Gretchen starts to say something but I wave her off. "I've seen that look in your eyes before, that wicked, evil look just before you do something unbelievable ... though, I can't say I've seen you that angry before. Thank God." "Well, you can think what you want Coach, but I was there and I say it was a lucky shot." "I was there too," said Gretchen, "and he's one hundred percent right." Coach reaches out and shakes her hand. "Smart girl. I like her." Great. Time to change the subject. "The gym looks very nice. Who did it?" "A bunch of the ladies thought it up. Me and my boys helped, but so did a lot of others. This is the biggest one of the year, takes a lot of hands. Here comes one of the honchos now." Coach whistles loudly, getting everybody's attention. He points towards one of the people staring at him in surprise. "Becca!" he calls out, motioning with his right hand for her to come his way. She pauses for a moment to say something to the two other women with her, then she quickly walks towards us. She looks younger than most of the other volunteers, more like late twenties or early thirties than parent age. Dyed blonde hair with a stylish amount of dark showing. Tall but well built, in shape, a confident, efficient aura about her. "Is there a problem, Coach?" "Nah, I just wanted you to meet some people. This is Jessica Conner, her daughter Patricia and Patricia's friend, Gretchen ... you didn't tell me her last name, Patricia." "It's ... Hobbes," Gretchen says quietly. The woman is staring intently at her. "Gretchen Hobbes," Coach continues. "This is Rebecca Robinson. She volunteers here at the Y, teaches some classes on design." "Fashion design. Gretchen, where did you get that dress? I've never seen anything like it!" "We got it at 'Sofia's' but it was damaged. Patty fixed it for me. She did all this." Gretchen sweeps her hand across the panel I added. "She also made the one she's wearing." Robinson looks over at me. "Really? You did all that?" "You should see what she did with our school uniforms," Gretchen added. "I'd like to, I really would. What made you think of adding that panel?" "I had the fabric which matched her shoes." Gretchen stuck out her foot. Robinson nodded her head. "I thought about just shortening the hem slightly and adding a strip but it didn't feel right. I figured, go big." "I'd say you made the right choice. Extraordinary! You have a real talent!" "Thanks. It's just a hobby." "Oh, it could be so much more! If you could come to one of my classes, I can show you things that might change your life!" Coach chuckles. "Good luck with that." Robinson's taken aback. "What do you mean?" "I've been trying to get her to join my team. This is the girl who beat all my boys ... ALL of them." Robinson's eyes go wide. "THIS Girl?" "Yep. She's also the girl who hit that basketball shot to beat St. Agnes." "HER?" "That's right. You'll have to get in line. A lot of people want a shot at Patricia Conner." * * * *** * * * *** * * * Lots of people keep stopping by our table to talk to Patty. At first, it's mostly the parents who are volunteers. The men want to talk about the St. Agnes game, the women ask if she's going to play the piano again. Apparently, she played several songs the last time she was here and people loved it. She introduced me to everyone who came by. The women all complimented me on my dress, the men just complimented me ... if they said anything at all. They all looked though, some looked real hard. Sometimes it was a little uncomfortable. "Get used to it," Patty said. "Why should I? Why should I have to get used to the way some men look at me?" "I guess you don't. It's up to you. You dress the way you want to, some people may react in ways you don't like. You can either let their reactions dictate how you live or you can ignore their reactions and do what you want. Your choice." "You make it sound so simple." "It is." "What if someone isn't as confident as you, as comfortable in their skin as you are?" "Fake it." "What?" "Who says I'm so confident, so comfortable? I got problems, just like everybody else." "Such as?" "For one, I'm barely five foot tall." "You're four-ten." "Thank you, Miss six-two." "I'm just saying it's no big deal." "I like the way you phrase that." "Huh?" "Never mind. I know you've got problems in your life and you know I've got them in mine. How a person handles their problems is their choice. Sometimes, if you don't feel confident, you can fake it, act confident. Do it long enough and you can become confident. It's worked for me." It sounds crazy. It IS crazy ... isn't it? * * * *** * * * *** * * * We've been here almost an hour and a half and kids are starting to show up. Terri and Javier were a couple of the first ones to arrive. I was glad to see them, they're a major part of tonight's plan. I pull her aside shortly after they come in. "Terri, I need your help tonight." "What with?" "I brought Gretchen here so she could meet some nice guys." "Looking like that? They'll be lining up out the door and down the street. What's the prob?" "I said NICE guys. This is her first dance of any kind; it needs to be a good experience. I don't know a lot of people here so I need you and Javier to help me screen likely candidates." "You mean, like matchmakers?" "I'm not looking to marry her off, just meet a few half way decent guys and get out of here not hating the entire male population." "You dream big, Patty. You really do. Of course I'll help, so will the other girls. It'll be fun! So Jane Austin! How we dealing with her Dad, who he is?" "We're not highlighting it but we're not hiding from it either. She is who she is. The name of Hobbes carries baggage she's got to learn to deal with ... at least for now." "When won't it?" "I'm working on that." "Really, just you or do you have a PR firm on retainer." "Just me for the moment. Good idea about the PR firm though, maybe later. For right now, she's just Gretchen, our teammate." "Okay. I better get back to the table before Javier does something I'll make sure he'll regret." * * * *** * * * *** * * * The other girls totally got into the matchmaker thing. Terri, Katie and the rest of the girlfriends of the team quickly began to review the history of every eligible guy they could spot. They limited themselves to guys who weren't already dating someone because they all knew how they'd feel if somebody tried to fix up their boyfriend with a girl who looked like Gretchen. Hot tar and feathers wouldn't be enough. In half an hour, they had six good prospects. "Okay, here's the list, one through six," said Terri. "First, Franklin Kirby." "Where's he at?" I ask. "Over there, by the fire hose, two tables to the left. The guy in the blue shirt." She sighs, "Just like his eyes." I finally spot him. Yowzaa! He's gorgeous! I can't see how tall he is because he's sitting down but everything else looks perfect. The hair, the teeth, his chest ... those blue eyes. Damn! Makes me squirm just to look at him. "No good," said Javier between forks of pasta. The guys had gotten tired of waiting for the girls to finish rating other guys so they went to the buffet and loaded up. "Why's that?" asked Terri. Javier finished chewing and swallowed. "Because he's gay." "NOOOO!" cried Katie. "He can't be!" "'Fraid so," replied Javier as he returned his attention to his half- full plate. "How do YOU know?" demanded Katie. "Just look at him. If he wasn't gay, he'd be dating a dozen girls. Besides, I know the guy he IS seeing. They've been together for like three months. Cute couple." "Alright," said Terri. "Number two, Gary Hubertz ... or is he gay too?" Javier swallows again. "Not that I know." "Good, where's he sitting?" I ask. Javier points to his right. "Over at the basketball players' table. Green shirt. He's just standing up." I see him. Not bad. No Franklin Kirby but not bad. And he's tall enough, at least 6' 5". Gretchen's heels are only about 3" so she tops out around six four or five. He'll do. "Good, now we need to get them together." "Easy," grunted Javier. "Cruz, go over the ballers' table and tell Gary Hubertz to come over here." "What if he don't want to?" asks Cruz. "Tell him a girl wants to meet him. That should do it." "Gotcha!" As Cruz works his way through the crowd towards the other table, I reach over and tap Javier on the hand. "Where's Eric? I haven't seen him yet." "Oh, Eric, uuhh yeah ... Eric. Uuuhh, ya see, Eric ... he's got this part time job at a restaurant and won't get here until later." "A job? Good for him! Work's hard to find out there! How much later?" "Like ten or so." That won't give us much time to talk but that's okay. I spot Cruz coming back to the table, Hubertz following close behind, smiling and scanning, looking for the mystery girl. The one sitting nervously beside me. "Patty, I don't know if I can ..." "Hush. We'll just invite him to sit down and talk awhile, take it from there. No pressure." When they get to the table, Cruz moves aside, leaving Hubertz standing next to us all, clearly uncertain about what's going on. I stand up and take his hand. "Nice to meet you Gary. I'm Patricia Conner and this is my friend, Gretchen, Gretchen ... Hobbes." Gretchen slowly stands up. I watch Gary's face as his eyes follow her the entire way, gradually widening in total shock as his breathing stops. She can do that to a person. I give his limp hand a shake, stirring him back to awareness. "Kinda takes your breath away, doesn't she, Gary?" "Oh. My. God! ... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said ... but you're so ... I'm sorry ..." I pull him down into the seat next to Gretchen as she sits back down, red faced. I hurry around to an empty chair opposite them and sit too. "Don't worry about it Gary, it's a common reaction. I hear you play basketball. Who for?" "Uhhh, St. Joe's during the season and then for the Y in AAU." "So ... a Catholic boy." "Yeah." I nod towards Terri slightly, congratulating her on her choice. She accepts with a smile. "You know, Gary," I say, "Gretchen plays basketball too." "You do? Who for?" "Saint ... Saint ... Ann's," Gretchen says quietly. "St. Ann's. They're pretty good this year." "Thanks. We are." Gretchen smiled. "What's your record?" she asked shyly. "We're undefeated, but, you know, it's still early." "Undefeated. That's pretty good too ... even if it is ... early." I look around the table and notice every girl there is hanging on each word being said. Better put a stop to that. "Nothin' to see here ladies. How 'bout a little privacy." The girls nod and begin to move away. "Gary, we haven't eaten yet, have you?" "No, I was getting ready to when Cruz came over and ..." "Great! Great! Would you like to eat with us?" "Sure! That'd be awesome!" "Wonderful! Let's go, I'm starving. Coming, Gretchen?" "I am kinda hungry." Gary hopped up and pulled Gretchen's chair away as she stood up. She smiled at him, looking ever so slightly up at his eyes. I was right, just about an inch or so taller than her. Good. "You guys go on ahead. I'll be right behind you." As Gary and Gretchen walked away, I stopped next to Cruz. "Eric's supposed to be here around ten, right?" "Who told you that?" "Javier. He said Eric has a part time job. In a restaurant." "Yeah, yeah ... he does." "If you see him before I do, let me know." He glances over at Javier, then back to me. "Sure thing, Patty. You got it. Right away." I pat him on the shoulder. "Easy man. It's not an emergency or anything." He gives me an uncertain smile. * * * *** * * * *** * * * It's been almost two hours and not one opening! Everywhere the bitch goes, she's got people with her. If it's not all those girls when they go for more food or the bathroom, it's those fucking steroid cases. I thought Escaban said she didn't have bodyguards. The few times it's only been one person, it's been Hobbes' daughter. Looks like this may be a waste of time. At least I've got a nice seat, good eats and lots of eye candy around. Teak and Julio are stuck outside. * * * *** * * * *** * * * I split my attention between watching Gretchen and Gary out on the dance floor and the big clock by the entrance doors. It's getting closer to ten. Gretchen said she wasn't interested in dancing, even though Gary asked. I ended up asking Terri to loan me Javier for a couple dances to show Gretch it can be fun. She hasn't missed one since then. I have to say, the girls may have picked a winner in Gary. He's a nice kid; polite, seems to be smart, and, after getting over some initial shyness, is an interesting conversationalist. He's done a good job of drawing Gretchen out. She's actually stopped looking to me for reassurance. Terri takes the chair next to mine, Javier the one next to her. "So ... how's it going?" she asks. "Better than I thought. You did good with Gary. Gretchen's really enjoying herself." "It's a talent. I was talking about your clock watching. And door watching." "What?! I'm not ..." "Don't try and deny it, Patricia. You've been nervous all night." "Well, if I have, it's been about Gretchen." "Like hell. You think you're the only one who's observant? I've been watching you for months. When you've got one of your schemes cooking, you're the ice queen. Ever since Gretchen started dancing, you've been nervous as a cat. What gives?" "Nothing." She gives me a look of disbelief. I hold out my hand, flat, palm down. "See. No shakes. Nothin' going on here." Terri flops back in her chair. "Humpf" Just then, Gretchen comes back to our table, leading Gary by the hand. They're both smiling and glowing from the exertion. I pull a chair out. "Have a seat." Gretchen pauses. "What is it?" "Ummm Gary wants me to sit with him over at his table, so I can meet his friends. I told him I had to ask you if it was okay." "I don't know. I told your dad that I'd be responsible for ..." Terri touches my shoulder and leans close to my ear. "Easy up a little. Nothing's gonna happen in here." She's right. This is exactly what I hoped would develop. Still ... I need to make sure Gary's aware of who's in charge. "Okay Gretch, if that's what you want. Gary, you need to know that I promised Gretchen's father that I'd bring her home safe and sound. I'll be very upset if something happens to her, you understand?" He looks down at me from all his six-five male attitude and smiles. "Sure. No problem." He doesn't understand. "I don't think you quite do. Javier, you want to explain it to him?" "Sure thing, Patricia. Gary, my man ... you know all that shit that was goin' round this place this past summer bout a girl who whipped our asses in the practice ring?" Gary's smile stretches into a big grin. "Oh yeah! We all thought it was funny as hell." Javier jerks his thumb at me. "She's the one who did it. You couldn't pay me to piss her off. Besides, me and the boys think of Gretchen more as a sister than a friend, ain't that right Cruz?" Cruz nodded his head in agreement. "Absolutely." "So, ya see, Gretchen's got a lot of guardian angels around here." Gary's grin is gone, replaced a look of serious concern tinged with fear. Gretchen's enjoying the show. "Now do you understand?" I ask. "Yeah, I got it. Be good." "As gold. You two go have fun." Gary hurries away, gently pulling Gretchen with him. She looks back at me, blowing a kiss and wiggling her fingers. As they disappear into the crowd, Cruz stands up. "She's a sister that I'd love to ..." "Careful with what you say next." "Just saying that if it don't work out with Hubertz, I'm next in line." "Actually," said Terri, "you were sixth on our list." "SIXTH?! What the fuck you talking bout?! I'm the best damn ... Hey, there's Eric." I jerk my head around towards the double doors at the far end of the gym. I can't see anything over the crowd so I jump up on my chair. Now I can see him, standing part way in the door. I start waiving my right hand wildly in the air, trying to let him know where I ... we are. He ducks partially back out the door but steps right back in, walking into the gym ... with a beautiful girl holding his arm. CHAPTER FIFTY SIX "That's one mean friend you got there, Gretchen." "She's not really mean ... well, she is mean sometimes ... not mean exactly ... she's hard to describe. If something needs to be done, she'll do it, even if some people would call it a mean thing to do. But she only does it to help people." And punish them if they try to hurt her or her friends. "She acts like she's your mother or something." "She's not my mother, she's my BFF. Patty feels responsible for me. She had to make a lot of promises to my father to get him to agree to let me come here tonight. If Patty makes a promise, she takes it seriously. I know. The stories I could tell you about Patricia Conner." "Really? Like what?" * * * *** * * * *** * * * A girl. A beautiful girl. Why the f ... f ... fuc ... FUCK DIDN"T SOMEBODY TELL ME??!! I turn and stare down at both Javier and Cruz. "Did you know about this?" I ask as calmly as possible. They both step back. "Now, don't get mad, Patty," said Cruz. "Yeah, Da'Pee, it's not our fault," added Javier. I hop off the chair, walking towards them. They both step back again, keeping their distance. "You didn't think I might be interested in knowing that Eric is dating some ... cute girl." "We didn't think it was any of our business, right Cruz?" "That's right. And it ain't like you been around much or anything. He waited for you but you never came back." "Hey, I'm busy! I got school and ... basketball ... and other stuff." "So what, we all got that shit. You make time for what's important." Terri jumped between us, hugging my shoulder. "Shut up, Javier! You don't know all the stuff Patricia does, all the things she has to take care of. I couldn't do it! All either of you had to do was give her a heads up. Is that too much for one friend to do for another?" Cruz and Javier look guiltily at each other. Cruz finally speaks up. "We didn't know what she might do. We didn't want to get ..." "Beat up," finished Javier. "Hey Guys! What's up?" We all quickly turn to face Eric and his ... girlfriend, fake smiles on our faces. At least mine is fake. "Nothin', man," said Cruz, slapping Eric's outstretched hand. "Took ya long enough." Eric and Javier clap each other on the back and bump chests, then he turns to the girls. "Claudette, this is Terri Hughes, Javier's girlfriend. Terri, this is Claudette DesCartes." Terri reaches out to shake her hand but DesCartes gives her the old double handshake, grab with the right and cover with the left. "I am sooo 'appy to meet you, Terree." Great. A French accent. "Nice to meet you too, Claudette." "I've saved the best for last. Didn't know you were gonna be here, Patty." "I mentioned it to Javier and Cruz, guess they forgot to tell you about it. There's a lot of that going around." "Guess so. Anyway, Claudette, I'd like you to meet the one and only ... Patricia Conner." I step forward, my right hand out. DesCartes goes for the double again but I quickly catch both her hands with mine, push them down slightly as I step closer, rapidly kissing her on both cheeks. "Bonjour, Claudette." I release her hands and fall back. She slowly raises her left hand, with long, thin fingers, and lightly touches where I kissed her. "Oh my! Just like home. Bonjour, Patricia." Five two, I'd guess, slender but not skinny, dark skin, dark hair, exotic eyes. Probably Caribbean heritage with a little Asian thrown in. Moves smoothly, sultry. Most likely flexible as heck. I feel like a Midwestern farm girl. "No, you don't get it," said Eric. "You know that girl I told you about, the one who can do all those things. This is HER!" I thought, for a moment, I saw anger in her face, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by a good imitation of awe. "No! It can't be 'er! She is so petite!" "Why thank you, Claudette. You know what the say, surprising things come in small packages." "I thought the saying was good things come in small packages." "That too. Have you guys eaten yet? The buffet's kinda picked clean." Eric waived his right hand. "We're good. Ate at work before we got here. You're looking really good, Patty. Really good." "Patricia makes her own clothes," said Terri. "Mon dieu! So talented!" Javier started rearranging the chairs. "Let's all just sit down, take a load off. You guys gotta be tired." "Just for a moment or two. Eric and I came to dance!" She gave a little shimmy that would cause any man's dick to perk right up. "Go ahead and sit, Claudette. I'll get us something to drink before we start. Then I can tell everybody how we met." I drop into a chair. "Wonderful. Can't wait to hear it." * * * *** * * * *** * * * They're out on the floor, dancing so close you couldn't get a tissue between them, her hands around his waist, thumbs resting on his back pants pockets, his placed on her pert, cute bottom. It's a slow, romantic song. Thank God they aren't serving booze. I'm a nasty drunk. Terri's sitting next to me, sharing a bowl of pretzels. "I can hate her, if you want. It won't be hard. Javier's been paying more attention than he should. Not like he did to Gretchen but I can forgive him that. I mean, it's Gretchen! Even I think twice when it's Gretchen." She's just saying that to cheer me up. It helps. A little. "No. Javier's right. It was my fault." "He's smarter than he looks." "Well he'd have to be, wouldn't he?" "True. Why didn't you do anything about Eric?" "I don't know. It just wasn't a top priority. I wasn't even sure I wanted to." "Until tonight." "Yeah," I sigh, "until tonight." We keep watching them dance while we slowly work our way to the bottom of the bowl. "Terri, you don't have to stay with me, you know." "That's okay, unless you want to talk to Gretchen instead." I glance over at where Gretchen's sitting. She's with a bunch of guys and girls, laughing and talking a mile a minute. "No. She's enjoying herself, which is why we came in the first place." "So tonight is just about her?" "Mostly." "Nothing for little Patty Conner?" "Apparently not. It's probably for the best anyway ... in the long run, we're all better off." "That's crap and you know it." It suddenly hits me. I can't watch Eric and Claudette out on the dance floor anymore. If I have to see them for ten more seconds, I'll freak out. I need to talk to someone who knows me, who understands me. I need my mother. Right now. "Look, Terri. I gotta find my mom. Will you stay here and keep any eye on Gretchen for me? I won't be long, I promise. Everything's going smoothly anyway." "Sure, I'll relieve you, Captain. Where's your mom at?" "I don't know ... but I see Coach Tobey over by the exit near the kitchen. He'll know where she is." I stand up and start to reach for my purse then decide to leave it here. "You sure you're cool with this, Terri? I don't have to ..." She waives her hand dismissively. "Go. Find your mom. Have a good cry. You need it." "Thanks a lot." "Besides, what could possibly go wrong?" * * * *** * * * *** * * * I grab the phone. "Wake up boys! She's on the move and she's alone! Looks like she's headed for an exit, the one by the kitchen ... wait, she's stopped. Damn it! Bitch, if you don't ... she's talkin' to this old dude ... still talkin' ... FUCK YEAH! They're going outside! Get over there as fast as you can!" Time to show what we can do. Time for some fun! * * * *** * * * *** * * * "Thanks Coach, I appreciate this a lot." "That's okay, we should be able to find her pretty quick, though she should be way on the other side of the building. It'd be faster if we go through than around." "I'd rather do it this way, if it's all the same to you. I needed to get out of there. The air will do me good." "The air I understand, the ground maybe something else." "What are you ... nuts!" My stiletto heel sinks into the dirt. It rained yesterday and the ground's still soft. "I see what you mean. We'll get to pavement soon enough." "Here, take my arm, that'll help." He's right, it is easier. We're just about to reach the loading dock for the kitchen when I hear someone coming up behind us, fast. I look back over my shoulder in time to catch the glint of a knife. I hop up and push off Coach with both feet, throwing him out of the path of the running man and me towards the concrete around the dock, where I land on both feet but barely keep my balance. Darn shoes! The man stops between us, squatting in an attack position, a six-inch knife in his right hand. "Old man! Get over here right now or I cut the girl's throat! You hear me? NOW!" "Coach! Run for it! Get help!" Coach Tobey starts to edge my way, moving slowly, carefully. "Listen son, we don't need any trouble here. No one's gonna do anything stupid. Just take it easy." He's doing exactly what the guy wants, get us together so he can control both of us. The Coach is coming to protect me. Blasted male chauvinism! "Coach! Stop! I can take this guy! Go for help! Run!" "Don't listen to her old man! You keep on coming this way." "NO! COACH! RUN!" He keeps sliding my way as the guy starts to circle away, giving Coach Tobey room to move closer to me. "Stay calm Patty, let me handle this. No one's gonna get hurt. What do you want, son? Money? Drugs?" "I want you to shut up and keep moving, old man." The guy's standing on the grass, no way I can get to him wearing these heels. The concrete around me is littered with broken glass, mostly beer bottles. So much for going bare foot. By now, Coach is only five feet away from me. We've got the elevated loading dock behind us and the jerk with the knife in front of us. We still have the advantage, two against one, if Coach would just work with me. "Listen, Coach. Stop right there! We can take this guy. I know how to deal with knives, trust me, I've done it before." He keeps moving towards me. "Now Patricia, don't you do anything crazy. I can't let you get hurt. I'm the adult here, let me handle it." "I thought you said that if there was trouble, you'd want to be behind me." "Honey, I was just kidding around. This is serious. Everyone just needs to stay calm." It's too late. He's standing next to me and we're pinned against the dock. Wonderful. The guy just stands there, knife in his right hand, looking out towards the street. Maybe he hears something. I strain to listen, cocking my head to one side. YES! There's someone running this way. They heard all the commotion. We're gonna be okay! Coach hears it too. All three of us are watching to see who comes around the corner of the building. It's two guys. I don't recognize either of them, but from the look on the first guy's face, he does. We are so screwed. As they sprint toward guy one, each of them pulls their own knife. Now it's three armed guys against a middle aged Don Quixote and me. Coach steps in front of me. "There's no reason for anyone to get hurt here. Let's all be calm. What do you want?" Guy one flicks his knife towards me. "We want the bitch." "What?" "We want the girl, old man." "What for?" "What do ya think?" Coach glances back at me, fear in his eyes but a look of determination on his face. Oh no. He turns back to confront our attackers. "I'm afraid I can't allow that." "You gonna stop us, old dude?" "You'll have to go through me to get to her." OH GOD NO! The misguided fool is going to get himself killed trying to protect me! I grab his arm. "Don't Coach, they'll kill you. Just let me handle this, please!" "No way. You're my responsibility. What would I tell your mother? My boys? My wife?" He gently pushes me back behind him, shielding me. Guy one steps closer, his friends spreading out behind him, left and right, following him. "That's the way you want it, we gonna bring it, old man." Desperate for a weapon of some kind, I search everywhere. Not a stick, pipe, piece of metal or rock bigger than gravel to be seen. Even the broken glass has been pulverized by truck tires until there's not a piece big enough to grip in your hand. As they slowly approach, Coach turns left and right, trying to anticipate who'll strike first. Just then, I catch a reflection from one of the lights over the dock. Yes ... yes ... OH GOD THANK YOU, YES! I run around in front of Coach and drop to my knees, facing him. I claw at his championship belt, trying to get it out of the belt loops. "Patty! Stop it! What are you doing? Stop it!" One of the guys behind me starts laughing. "Looks like the little whore wants some cock. Maybe she gets horny when she scared! I got some for you right here, bitch!" he says in a deep baritone. He'll pay for that. I finally manage to loosen the belt, whipping it free from the Coach's pants as I stand, knocking him off balance. Before he regains control, I hit him with my shoulder, pushing him towards and past our attackers, who are so shocked, they just stand and watch as he stumbles past them, eventually sprawling face first on the ground about ten feet behind them. As he scrambles to his feet, I begin to whirl the belt in a circle above my head, the heavy metal buckle at the end, the sound of it cutting through the air getting louder as the speed rapidly increases. "COACH! RUN! GET HELP! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF! PLEASE! GET HELP!" He just stares at me for what seems like minutes then, finally, grabs the waist band of his pants with both hands and sprints toward the building, quickly disappearing into the shadows. My attackers look back and forth between themselves then turn towards me as I settle into a steady rhythm, the belt singing as it slices the air above me. "Well boys, it's just us now ... let's dance." * * * *** * * * *** * * * As soon as I reach a dark spot, I spin and hit the ground, waiting to see if any one followed me. They hadn't moved, their attention focused on Patricia. What the FUCK was she thinking! I had things under control ... well, not under control, but at least I was going to make it hard on them, maybe buy some time. I may be old but I know a lot of tricks. They may have eventually got me but it would have taken some time, time that Patty doesn't have now. I can't leave her alone! But I can't go charging back in there without a plan or a weapon of some kind. Unfortunately, there's nothing around to use. We keep the whole place too fucking clean! The first guy steps toward her. "What the fuck you think you doing, bitch? Think we be afraid of a belt?" "Don't know, don't really care. Your clock is ticking. My friend's gone for help. You got two, maybe three minutes before the shit hits the fan. All I have to do is hold you off that long." "Fuck this shit! Teak, get her." The biggest one of the three eased closer to Patty, darting forward in sharp moves, trying to time the belt as it swung by his head. Patty was moving too, up on her toes, changing the angle of the rotation, making it hard to predict where the buckle was going to be. "Quit fucking around with the bitch, Teak!" shouted the first guy. The big guy turned his head to say something back. I saw it before he did. Actually, he never saw it at all. Patty lunged at him, smacking him in the side of the head with the speeding buckle. She didn't hit him square in the head, that would have stopped the belt, leaving her vulnerable. It just clipped him, but it did it several times, hitting him in a different spot on his head each time as he spun around. He dropped to the ground with a thump and stayed there. I know a knockout when I see one. Patty swooped down and scooped up the knife he dropped with her free hand, the belt circling her head the entire time. As soon as she got the knife she skipped back away from the unconscious boy, smiling. "One down. Who's next? Tick tock." The other two never budged, they didn't have time. Patty moved as quickly as I've ever seen a human being move. "What the fuck was that?!" the third guy said to the first. "We gotta get out of here! You know what goes down if we get caught. I ain't waiting around to be arrested for this shit. I ain't gonna die!" "Julio, shut up! We got this. All we do is ..." he stopped, looked over at Patty and waived his hand at his partner. "Come here." The two moved closer, still blocking Patty from leaving. They huddled up but kept a close eye on her. They were arguing with each other but only for a few seconds. When they broke, each one went to nearly opposite sides of Patty. If she'd been wearing regular shoes, she could have run for it and they'd never caught her, but not in those heels. It looked like they were going to try to attack at the same time. Patty figured it out too, picking up the pace on the circling belt. "Better hurry guys, you haven't got much time left." "Shut your mouth," the first guy growled. "OOooowww, big man. Make me, Chuckles. Remember, I've got a knife too now." "Chicks don't know shit about knives." "We know were a guy keeps his balls and dick. A few pokes in that area can do a lot of damage." Even I cringed when she said that. The guys went back to trying to time the belt but they were squatting lower, like they planned to go under the belt. With Patty being so short, that was going to be a neat trick. "When we get you, bitch, I'm gonna fuck ya blind, ya got that? Blind!" "I hear you. Tick tock, Chuckles." "Yeah, you're gonna be mine. You'll like it too. Ya'll gonna beg for more. I'm gonna GO!" Both of them dove low and tried to scuttle towards Patty as fast as they could but she was ahead of 'em. She jumped back away from the first guy, angling the belt down, aiming for his head. He stopped and backed off. Problem with that is it left an opening for the other guy, who charged forward. Patty spun away but, as she did, she slid her left hand up the belt as she pulled it down with her right, stopping the spinning, then she immediately snapped it down, whipping it around the guy's neck. She pulled him forward, keeping him off balance and stumbling. He couldn't stand up but tried to hustle forward, all bent over, to get some room to get upright but Patty wouldn't let him. She pulled him along, swung him around her ... head first into the concrete wall with a loud, hollow "thonk". He ran into that wall so hard ... it may have killed him. And Patty's now holding two knives. She quickly takes up a defensive position in front of the first guy. "Two down, Chuckles. You don't have much time left or many options. These two ... they're mine. Someone put you up to this and I want to know who. They're gonna tell me. You think they won't dime you? They will once I'm done with 'em." "Who the fuck are you?" "Me? Just a little Catholic schoolgirl, nobody special." "Fuck that shit!" "Whatever. You can run, but I got a feeling whoever hired you won't be happy about that and you won't last very long out there. You could try to kill me, but you've got about forty five seconds before a pot load of people come rushing out here to save me." "SAVE YOU?!" "That's what they'll be thinking. Only you and I know different. Even if you do manage to kill me, which you won't, by the way, you can't get your two friends out of here in time to avoid being caught." "What you saying, bitch?" "I'm saying that your only chance to get out of this alive is to tell me who sent you. You tell me that and I'll go head off the rescue mob, give you a chance to get your buddies safely away. No one will ever know this happened. What do ya say?" "I say ... THIS!" He charged her, wildly swinging his knife in front of him. She easily avoided the attack, lightly floating away, staying ahead, but he was backing her into the corner of the loading dock and wall. Time for me to move. Pushing up off the ground and grabbing my pants, I start to run just as Patty's back reaches the corner. He swipes left and right at her but she dodges each swing. When he tries to slash her from above, she deflects the blow with her forearm and spins out of the corner, driving her spiked heel into his kidney. He's tougher than I thought. He didn't scream. He did stop fighting and doubled over, clutching his side. Patty grabbed his left hand by the wrist, pushed it up against the wooden edge of the loading dock and drove a knife through the palm of his hand all the way to the handle, pinning him to the dock. Now he screamed. She backed away as he returned to swinging the knife at her, tears rolling down his cheeks while he cursed. After a few futile swipes, he threw the knife at her but it hit the ground before reaching her. He turned to try to pull her knife out of the loading dock but the pain was too great and he had lousy leverage. "Sorry Chuckles. See ya' in hell." She turns and starts to walk away. "Wait! ... wait ... I'll talk ... I'll talk." She looks at him over her shoulder. "That was a limited time offer. You're screwed now." "Come on! They'll kill us!" "Not my problem." "PLEASE!" She slowly turned back towards him and strode within five feet of the bawling thug. "Who's the bitch now?" "What?" "Who's. The. Bitch. Now." "I don't understand." She spins on her heel. "Wrong answer." "I AM!" She rushes towards him, gettting in his face. "Say it." "I'm the bitch." "Remember that. Who sent you?" "Get me off this thing first." "Yeah, right. Who sent you?" "How do I know ..." "You don't. Who sent you?" The thug hesitated then gave up, slumping against the concrete behind him. "Hobbes, Raymond Hobbes." Patty was shocked. "You sure?" "Yeah, it was Hobbes." "How do you know it was Hobbes? He do it in person?" "No, he sent somebody. The guy's name was Escaban." "Escaban?" "Yeah. We weren't supposed to know it but Raphael let it slip." "Did Escaban say Hobbes wanted this done? Think carefully." "He said some other dude was told by Hobbes to get it done. Cardoza." "Enrique Cardoza?" "He just said Cardoza, I swear!" Patty stalked away, right past me, her heels sinking into the ground. "Let him down, Coach." * * * *** * * * *** * * * What went wrong? How did Hobbes finger me? Or did he? This isn't his style. There's no way he'd have a group of punks like those guys deal with an undercover cop. Not with just knives. They thought they were after a teenage girl. Hobbes would have no reason to have me killed if he didn't know what I am. He loves me. Well, not actual love but he likes me. I saved his business! I'm helping him with Gretchen! If he didn't know I had betrayed him, there'd be no reason for him to hurt me and if he did know I'd betrayed him, then he'd have done a lot more to punish me. Besides, after that display at his house today, I'd like to think that my radar is sensitive enough that I'd have noticed that something was up. Hobbes didn't have anything to do with this. I'd bet my life on it. If it wasn't Hobbes, then who was it? The obvious choice is Cardoza. Escaban is his messenger boy. It'd be just like him to use Escaban to arrange this, but again ... why? If he'd discovered what I am, he'd go straight to Hobbes and I've already been through that scenario. If he didn't go to Hobbes ... he's doing this on his own, not using Hobbes' resources. He'd only do that if he doesn't want Hobbes to know! What does he get out of my death? Why now? I need to think about this. Sitting on the smoker's bench outside the kitchen door, head down, I can hear Coach Tobey shuffling through the grass, heading my way. I slide over just as he arrives and he plops down next to me. Neither of us says anything right away. "They gone?" I ask. "Yeah, I got the one guy's hand wrapped in a towel just as the first guy you knocked out came to. They both carried the third guy away. He's alive but may have a fractured skull, hit that wall pretty hard." "Good riddance to bad rubbish." "Amen. Why'd you let them go?" "Found out what I needed to know. Calling the police just complicates things." "So ... you know what all this was about?" "Maybe." "I see ... sorry I wasn't able to help ... just couldn't leave you alone out there." "That's okay, Coach. As long as they thought you went for help, it forced their hand. That helped a lot. I was more interested in getting you out of the way. They'd have killed you. You know that, right?" "Yeah ... I do. They'd have had to work for it though." "I bet they would have. I appreciate the thought ... I really do, but I couldn't have that on my conscience ... too much bad stuff up there already." We sit silently for a few moments. "Patricia ... you mind if I ask you a question?" "No Coach, go ahead." "Who the fuck are you?" "'Scuse your French?" "Not this time. I don't care what you look like; no seventeen year old girl beats three gang bangers armed with knives using only a God damn belt!" "Yeah ... but it was a championship belt." "Be serious girl! I want to know who, or what you are." "What if I can't tell you?" "Then you can't be coming around here anymore. We can't have this kind of trouble anywhere near the Y. We struggle to keep this place an island of peace and hope in a sea of despair. Trouble makers aren't welcome." "TROUBLE MAKER?! I was defending myself out there! They attacked me, remember?" "I was there ... I saw it. I saw the fucking impossible. You could have beat those boys senseless. Dressed like an angel wearing spiked heels and using my old belt. You could have killed them. You MAY have killed one of them." "It was harder than it looked, Coach." "No doubt. If they had been smarter, or more experienced, or had the vaguest idea of who or what they were dealing with, they could have given you some trouble. But, somehow, I think you'd have come out on top, no matter what. They came looking specifically for you, Patricia. For YOU. This was no accident. Even if you didn't start trouble, you attracted it. Until you can either explain it or convince me it won't happen again, the Y can't afford to take the chance." "Just like that? You're tossing me out?" "Girl, you think this is easy for me?! You saved my life, for Christ's sake! You're one of the nicest, most talented, most ... I don't know what you are, I only know you aren't who or what you say you are, you can't be." "You're saying a girl can't be as good as I am?" "Look me in the eye and tell me, as God is your witness, you're just a seventeen year old girl who goes to Catholic school and likes to play basketball, do martial arts and sew fashionable dresses in her spare time. You tell me that." In the old days, I'd have tried. I'd have sucked it up, put on my best smile and laid it on thick. Tonight, right now, I just couldn't, not to Coach Tobey. He would have died trying to protect me. Besides, there's bigger battles to fight before today is done. I stand up. "Do I have to leave now?" He seems surprised. "No ... no ... not now. You can finish the night. Do you still need to see your mother? Wait ... is she really your mother?" "Coach, if I'm not telling you about me, do you think I'm gonna answer that question?" "No, I guess not." "Before we go find her, I want to say two things. First, what happened tonight has to stay between you and I. No one else can ever know. Ever. It's a matter of life and death." "Yours or mine?" "Maybe both." "Okay, deal. What's second?" "One day, if I can, I'm coming back here and tell you what you want to know." "Patricia ... I hope to God damn heaven you do. 'Scuse my French." CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN "So ... we're done." "Not necessarily, Mom." "Someone just tried to kill you, Patricia. I'd say we're done." "The questions are, who tried to kill me and why. Until I know that, I'm not pulling out." "How do you plan on finding out without dying?" "Because, I'm pretty sure that it wasn't Hobbes, it was Cardoza, and he's doing it on his own." "Pretty sure?" "Very sure ... almost positive." "Big jump there. What's the new evidence?" "Nothing ... I just don't want you backing out on me, not now." "Again, what's your plan?" "When we take Gretchen home tonight, it should be fairly easy to tell if Hobbes is surprised to see me. If he reacts normally, then it wasn't him." "Unless he's a scheming, unapologetic, sociopath." "He's not. I've met a few in my prior jobs. They're more like Cardoza." "Assuming you're right, it's not Hobbes, what can you do about it? You've got no proof of anything. If Cardoza tried to have you killed, why would he stop now? We have to face facts, Patricia ... this changes everything. We are out of time." When Coach Tobey and Patricia found me, it was clear they were upset. Coach was not his usual jolly self. She gave me a very brief description of what happened with Coach adding the details she omitted before he hurried back to the dance. What little they told me was terrifying. And now she's considering doing nothing, acting like it never happened. Slumped against a wall, hugging her bare arms tightly to her body due to the chilly night, she seems so frail and fragile. At one time, I would have risked anything, everything, to get Raymond Hobbes. But not now ... not her. "We're so close, Mom! You're right but ... it's almost done! Or nearly done." "What exactly is so close? Getting the information Lipsomb needs or your plan to transform Raymond Hobbes?" She doesn't want to answer. Eventually, she sighs. "I can get to the servers by the end of next week. It's all in place. Tippett's going to Las Vegas Thursday to spend a long weekend at a big conference for hackers and security specialists. It's like Woodstock for those guys. Once he's out of town, my window of opportunity opens." "And the other?" She sighs again. "Not yet. I'm getting closer but I need more time. This is more important than those computer files. It's Gretchen's chance for a future." "Everyone has a future, honey." "You know what I mean." I did. "I understand. You tried. You tried harder than anybody could have expected. Harder than I've ever seen anyone try before. Harder than Hobbes deserved. Sometimes ... you don't win." "I've lost before ... but this time ... the price she's gonna pay." "Maybe we can help her." "Maybe. It's gonna be bad, Mom." "I know, honey. Look, if you promise me that you'll wrap this up as soon as reasonably possible, I'll go back to Hobbes with you tonight, give you a chance to find out what you can." "Really? You certain about that?" "You said you were almost positive it wasn't Hobbes." "More like pretty sure." "Terrific. What I'm saying is I trust your judgment. We go back tonight and you decide if it's safe enough to hang around another week. If you want to give it a try, I'm in. If you don't, we go back to Daniel and tell him we're done. Fair enough?" "More than fair." "Coach said you two were already on the way to find me before you were attacked. Why was that?" "It was nothing, certainly in comparison to all this." "Had to be something, enough to chase me down and leave Gretchen alone." "Terri's watching her for me." "You don't delegate well. What was it? Come on, tell Mom all about it." "I was upset about something." I don't say anything, just stare at here, eyebrows raised. "Really minor stuff." I don't budge. "This guy, my friend Eric ... Spikeman, you met him." "I remember." "Well, Eric showed up late ... with a date." "And that upset you?" "Nobody told me about it before he came waltzing in with this exotic beauty on his arm. Javier and Cruz knew about it and they said nothing. NOTHING! I was completely blindsided! Standing up on my chair, waiving my hands like an idiot! He rolls in with Miss Oh so Cultured. You think either of them would have mentioned something but noooooo, they just left me hanging out there!" "So you were upset because your friends kept information about another friend secret?" "Yeah, that was it, absolutely." "... and you felt betrayed ..." "Exactly." "... by your friends ... and Eric." "See? It was nothing ... particularly when you compare it to almost being killed. Right?" "Oh I understand. Completely. Why'd you have to see me about it?" "I just couldn't take it anymore, those two, dancing like that." "Cruz and Javier?" "NO! Eric and Claudette!" "Claudette? Is that her name?" "Yeah, Claudette DesCartes. Some name, huh? What ever happened to Betty or Sally or ... or ..." "Patty." "Yes! Exactly! I knew you'd understand. I have to get back to the dance, been gone too long. God knows what they've been doing. We'll stay in the gym until you're done and then we'll take Gretchen home and see what we'll see." "How's Gretchen doing?" "Okay, I think. She's enjoying herself, dancing, having fun. When I left, she was sitting with the AAU basketball team and their girlfriends." "Was that wise?" "Terri's got her eye on them and she's more than trustworthy. Besides, Gary was warned about what would happen if he crossed any lines. He seems to be a good kid." "And you're okay with Gretchen seeing this boy and his friends?" "Why not? It's the only reason I'm here tonight. Gotta go. See you later ... and Mom?" "Yes?" "Thanks. I appreciate all your help." "Your welcome, sweetie. One last thing, what's your setting?" "Blue twenty five. Why?" "No reason, just curious. I'll see you and Gretchen in the gym." "Right. Later." She turned and hurried away, heels clicking as she strode down the sidewalk, hips swaying, tight bottom undulating, hair bouncing. Poor girl. She has no idea how far gone she is, not consciously anyway. * * * *** * * * *** * * * "Took you long enough! It's almost midnight!" "Sorry, Terri. Took longer than I thought to find her then she asked me all these questions. You know how parents are." "God, do I know. Gretchen's out dancing with Gary, nothin' funny has happened since you left. I'm grabbing Javier and getting out there before midnight." "What happens at midnight?" "They drop all those balloons and everyone kisses their boyfriend ... sorry, I forgot about ... you know." "No problem." "Patty, are you okay? You look real ... serious or somethin'." "I'm fine, you go find Javier, give him something to remember the night by." Terri laughed and winked at me, then hustled off, leaving me alone at the team's table. Most of them were on the dance floor, even those without dates. I think I'd heard that some of the balloons had gift certificate attached so it was also a prize drop. Hope they have enough people to prevent fights. No wonder Coach had to get back here when he did. It's pretty easy to find Gretchen and Gary, they stand about half a head taller than most everyone else out there. She really does seem to be enjoying herself. I'm glad. Maybe these happy memories will help her get through the crap that's coming. Can't see Eric and Claudette. Thank God. Damn you Cardoza! Why now? "Hey Pee." Cruz pulls out the chair next to me and sits down. "Hey Cruz." "We cool?" "Sure, we're cool." "Good. We just didn't want to get in the middle of anything." "And you didn't want to get beat up." "That too. You wanna dance?" "No thanks. You might be expecting something at midnight." "You bet I would. Girls say I'm a damn good kisser." "And yet,