Breach (The Blood Bargain) (11 page)

“Is it safe to come in the kitchen?”  A familiar head poked around the corner.

“Yeah Mark, come on in.”  I’m sure my words came out in more of an “ea ark un on ii” due to the rag against my lips.  Still he seemed to have caught my meaning.  Mark stepped in the room dramatically, like the floor was covered in mouse traps. 
That had me stifling a giggle.  This is why Mark was awesome, he was ever the comedian.  He didn’t speak to me at first, rather helped himself to a few corners of bread off the counter.

“You screwed up.”  He spoke mid chew. Observation, not accusation.  I pulled the rag back, the bleeding had stepped off enough where I could talk without dripping all over the floor. “Yes I did.”

“Gonna fix it?”

I nodded. “Soon as I figure out how.”

“Good deal kiddo.”  Mark had called me kiddo since I met the guy ten years ago.  Even now that I was twenty four-almost twenty five-the name stuck.  I think I could be ninety and he’d call me that.  Well, by then I’d probably appreciate it.

He finished up his bread and gave me a pat on the shoulder.

“Hey I thought you were down the street fixing the Shannon’s flu?”  I asked him as he walked away. The Shannon’s were an elderly couple stuck in a house full of problems.  Last thing they needed going into winter was the inability to have a roaring fire.

“I was.”   He called over his shoulder as he walked away. I winced, knowing we had been that loud in our little tiff.  That meant the whole block likely knew.  I really hoped Zoe didn’t get pissed at me too, she was severely over protective of her little sister.  A normal trait with one’s only remaining old world family member.  I think Mark had the same concern, otherwise I doubt he would have bothered asking me if I was going to patch this up.  The guy usually minded his own business, not once did he give me a shred of flak for
Dimitri or Cole.  Never a word of advice about my Dad.  Just silly jokes and well-wishing’s.

I got all bundled up in a hurry; black down-lined coat, snow boots, fuzzy rainbow gloves, knit hat and a purple scarf.

My feet barely touched the floor on the way out the door.

“Where are you off to?”  A deep base called out right as I started to close the side door behind me, the voice surprised me so much I about slipped and fell on the top step.

“Coles.”  Dad popped his head around the corner with a frown, holding the side door open.  His reading glasses were dipping on his nose, an indication I had pulled him away from one of his spy novels.

“Don’t be long, lock down starts tonight.”

“I know Dad...”  I held my eye roll, then waited for him to dig into me about my spat with Candice.  If he’d been sitting in the living room, he would have heard every little word.

Instead he just nodded at me and disappeared out of view, quietly closing the door behind him.  Exhaling
sharply with relief that he had-for once-respected my privacy, I dashed out into the bitter cold.

The walk from my place to his was typically only a fifteen-
ish minute stroll.  Today if felt like an hour in Antarctica, each step a new agonizing and all together sluggish moment.  The wind had kicked up in a chaotic fashion, battering me from both sides in sharp gusts of cold that made my nose run and cheeks burn.  My toes felt numb despite the two layers of socks and boots on my feet. Still with all the hurt the harsh climate was putting my body though it didn’t touch the pain I felt in my chest.

In my mind I saw the crushed look on Candice’s face with each step I took, the exact moment when she realized her happy ever after was a lie.  A never ever after built by a self-absorbed man who had no long term commitments to her, and I had been sitting on that knowledge for months.

How would I have felt in her shoes?  How would I have felt if-

I wanted you to move in with me to protect you
.   Dimitri’s voice rattled around my head, the truth behind our cohabitation-safety form Antonia only-revealed while I was bedridden, drug addled and broken.  Yeah, I guess I did know how that felt.

I noticed I was now stomping in the snow, my cheeks wet-couldn’t have been from tears-from the blowing snow that melted against my face.

When Cole’s house came into view I was certain I looked like an absolute mess.  I paused two houses down and took a moment to wipe off my face using the end of my wool scarf. Composure regained, I approached Cole’s 1980’s spread.  It was very different from my place. Ours was a turn of the century throwback, there’s was a off-white suburban mass construction with a boxy design and windows that reminded me of eyes, a two car garage attached to the side.  The inside I imagined was beige carpeting, magenta countertops and probably a bit of sea green in there somewhere.

The garage door was half up, a large frame covered by a black coat, ski mask and topped with a hood, with an armful of wood was walking toward the garage from the side yard.

“Hey.”  I ran up to him, following him in the garage.  It was packed full of wood from side to side.

“I figured we’d have a few more days.”  He grumbled dumping his armful on top of a waist high pile.  It landed with a loud clack of wood on wood.

“Yeah, well weather is stupid and doesn’t care about our schedules.”

“Got that right.”  He stood up and cracked his back, looking down at me through his ski mask he asked in a quiet reserved tone. “How’d it go with the bloodsucker?”

“I don’t know, he’s a lot different that Dimitri was.”  Let me count the ways I was not going to tell Cole what had happened...

Taking his mask off he pegged me with a hard stare, the kind of x ray vision guys get when they’re concerned.  Apparently he didn’t like what he saw as his brow dipped into a frown.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re shuffling your feet.”

“Oh I ah-”

“-and your lip is busted.”  He reached out and put his thumb under the split in my lower lip.  Even though his touch was feather light I winced.

“You better tell me who did this, I’m going to put my blade through their heart.” The protective anger in his tone caused the corner of my mouth to kick up.  Leave it to me to find bloodthirsty vengeance adorable.

“No…no.  It wasn’t a vampire.  It wasn’t anyone you’re going to hurt.”

“What the hell happened
hun?”

“Candice punched me.”

“What the hell for?”  He looked utterly confused working his way to irritated.

“Because
…because I’m
such
an asshole.”  I threw my arms up in the air and started pacing.  He laughed, sitting on the pile of stumps he had just dropped off.

“Okay, not expected.  Why are you an asshole?”

“I told Candice about Ben and Sam.  Now she hates me, and she kind of hates you too. Sorry...that’s also my fault.  Which means Ben is prolly going to find out and he’s going to hate me too and probably you because she’s definitely going to say something and argh!”

“Why on earth would you go and do something like that?”

“Because...she wanted to move in with him. You know she was getting all serious and I didn’t want her to get hurt.”

“So you did the hurting.”

“I suck at this.  The whole friendship thing.  I really am a horrible friend to her, she was right.  I am a completely self-centered assface.”

“I thought it was hole not face.”

“You know what I mean!”  He stood up, walking over to me with a sigh.  Cole pulled me in for a hug, rubbing a circle into my back, while resting his head on top of my head.  On habit I put my arms around his waist.

“Look,” his voice was soft, utterly sincere, “don’t be hard on yourself.  All of us.  We’re not the most social creatures.  Not the way folks used to be.  It’s hard...even this many years out getting attached to someone.  Opening up.  You never know what’s around the corner...”

“Is that why you never tell me much about you.  You know, before?”  Now he was the one with the guard up, I felt his muscles tense, his voice shift into a curt professional tone.

“There’s really nothing to tell honestly.  I was insignificant in that world.”

“Well you definitely aren’t in this one.”  Nesting into his chest I held him tight, taking a deep breath into his coat, Cole reminded me of Dial soap, clean and fantastic.  Calming, clean and fantastic I should say.

“What am I
going to do?”  I whined, the sound muffled by the thick layers covering his chest.

“Tell her you're sorry and mean it.  Try harder to get to know her.”

“Are you...staying here for the winter?”  I asked, listening to the gentle thump of his heart.

“I should, keep my mother company and all.”

“But I’ll miss you.”  I blurted out, dropping my arms to my sides I took a step back.

He beamed, positively grinned from ear to ear.  In a rush he leaned down, tilting my chin up with his forefinger until our lips met.

It was moments like this that time froze; the world, the struggle, faded away until I was just a girl like thousands before me, standing in the pending winter with a boy who made her heart beat fast.

“You know...since you’re here.  We never had our dinner at my place.”

“No we didn’t.  I have to be home later though for my own house prep.”

“Would you like to stay for lunch?”

“With your Mom?”

“Yep.” 
I frowned.

“With me looking like this?”

“You look fine.”  He gently touched my swollen lip.  “Maybe a little dinged up, but she won’t ask.”

“So how about it?” 
Despite the fact that lunch with his mother scared me more than the undead, I couldn’t deny him.

“Alright.” 
With my consent, he led me through the wood maze to the door to the house.  It opened into a small linoleum landing pad that gave a view of the large family room decorated with oversized worn leather mauve sofas sitting on-I guessed it-beige carpeting.  Off of the living room there was a three step stair to a dining room just above us that connected to the kitchen.  A prelude to the open floor plan movement.  I could make out two grey haired women obsessing over what appeared to be a pot of stew on the fire.  From what I could make out they were in their early sixties, maybe late fifties, neither one resembled Cole.

“Hey Mom.”  Cole called out.  Neither woman turned around, maybe his mom was deaf?

“Just a sec.”  Came the quick reply from around the stair, not from the two in the kitchen.

A moment later Cole’s Mom turned the corner into view.  I did my best to keep breathing and ignore the pounding in my chest caused by anxiety as she approached.  I had never met my-
sorta-guy’s parents before, unless you counted Caius.  Which I didn’t. Further I had never met the mother of a man I had clearly put in death’s path on more than one occasion.

Proper reason’s for anxiety?  Yeah.  I think so.

“This is Liv.”   He announced with pride, while his mother stuck her hand out.

“Nice to meet you
Liv!  Cole’s told me so much about you.”  She bubbled happily, flashing a wide smile that revealed well maintained teeth in a neat little row.

As I shook her hand I found myself genuinely surprised by Cole’s mom.  When I think of parents, I think of my dad, my mom and the folks that ran around with them.  Conservatively dressed older folks with a lot of wrinkles and a keen eye.   Cole’s mom was nothing like that.

She was thin, muscular,  long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, wrinkle free and wearing the kind of thing I expected Candice to break out for a workout-black hip hugging sweats and sneakers-rather than a 40-something mother.

Perhaps I needed to rethink my stereotypes.

“Mom...”  Cole groaned from beside me.  My face flushed slightly, wondering exactly what he had said.  Always the quiet man when it came to personal items I never saw him as one to yak it up, especially with his mother.

“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Marshal.”  I responded in my very best pleasant-I’m a good influence-tone.

“Please, just call me Linda, no one has called me Mrs. Marshal in years.”

“Well come on in and have a seat!  Look at you two loitering about by the door like a pair of coat racks.  Sit!”  She practically shoved us up the steps to the dining room.  The two other women who had been helping with lunch made noise about having to prep this or that for the pending lockdown and disappeared out of view.  I was quite certain the real reason was to give us alone time.  Which in itself scared me.

I obliged her direction and parked it at the bleached oak table directly across from Cole. Linda did not sit with us, instead she made herself busy over by the stew pot, spooning out a few portions into bowls.

“I hear you’re on the council now.  Congratulations.”   She set the first one down in front of me with a smile.  I had to admit, for vegetable stew it smelled amazing. A rarity, when we made the dish it tended to smell like feet.

“Thanks, it’s a bit overwhelming at the moment.”

“I wish Cole would get into a job like that, I worry for him.”

“You know you shouldn’t.”