Harley's Choice (2 page)

He did as requested and pulled me into a
hug. “Love you baby sis! Don’t let those bitches get the best of
you.” He tapped my chin with his fist and kissed my cheek.

“I won’t I promise!” We rode the elevator in
silence to the garage. As I walked to where I parked my car I went
over the check list in my head: luggage, check; e-reader and MP3
player, check; convertible Camaro, check- “Wait, WHAT!” My
brother’s laughter had me looking at him. “What is that?”

“You should see your face!”

“Never mind my face. That car is parked in
my spot. Where’s my jeep?”

“Sis, did you forget what today is?”

“No, today is the day I drive to
California.”

He rolled his eyes. “No little sis it’s June
twenty-third”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” my father and Kari stepped
out from around the corner.

“Aww, you guys!” We all gathered into a
group hug and I gave each one a kiss. “Wait, are you saying this is
mine?” I looked back to the car. It was grey and beautiful. I
walked closer to it. The interior was two toned with black and
light grey leather seats. The dash was lit up with a bunch of
lights. I couldn’t wait to hit the road.

“Yep, all yours.” my father stepped up next
to me. “Bryant told us a couple of months ago that you had your eye
on one and since this birthday will be spent facing old foes I
figured you could use something to arrive in style with.”

“Thanks daddy!” I gave him a hug and felt
the weight of the keys in my hand.

“Go, get outta here.” He huffed. Not one for
emotions, my father.

I ran to Bryant and gave him a hug. “Love
you baby sis.” He said into my hair.

I ran to the car and opened the door and sat
down. The smell and feel of leather was euphoric and I was elated.
“Oh, this is heaven guys! By the way what did happen to my
Jeep?”

“I took it to your house and it’ll be there
when you get home,” my brother said as he leaned into the car. He
started technical car talk, but I started the engine and drowned
him out.

“I’M SORRY I CAN’T HERE YOU!” I pointed to
my ear and laughed. He shook his head and backed away, he made the
universal sign for ‘call me’ I nodded and drove off.

The Phoenix sun was blaring down on me so I
decided to stop and put the top up. While I did that I played with
the radio and realized I could connect my mp3 player. Oh I was in
heaven now! I plugged it in, turned it on, turned it up and headed
for the I-10 and straight through to LA.

Three
hours later I rolled into Blythe, California and called my brother.
“Hey Bryant I made it to Blythe.”

“Took you long enough.”

“Shut up I had to get out of Phoenix,
remember?”

“How’s the car?”

“Oh it’s amazing, when I get back I might
let you drive it.” We laughed, like I could stop him if he wanted
to take it. My brother was efficient at burglary, breaking and
entering and vehicle tampering. He could do it all without leaving
a trace of him ever being there.

“I’m going to run through a place and get a
bite to eat and head on.”

“Ok, just be careful and call me when you
get there.”

“Yes
dad
!” I giggled, but stopped
when I realized he wasn’t laughing too. “What’s up Chuck?”

“I worry is all.” He let out a huge
sigh.

“You don’t act this when I leave for a job…”
the question underlining the words I spoke.

“I know, it’s just that I know school was
hard for you, and-”

“And I’m ten years old and wiser. I’m not
giving them an inch this time around. I’m a better person then they
are! I have always been so!”

“Well, tell Carson and Kyle hello for all of
us.”

I blushed, “does everyone know why I’m going
back?”

“Well considering they are the only ones you
ever hung around during school and all you talked about for those
six years, it’s no educated guess.” He laughed and I blushed. “I
love you sis.”

“Love you too bro.” I disconnected and found
something with a drive-thru, then reconsidered greasy food in my
new car so I parked and went in to eat. Fifteen minutes later I was
back on the road.

Eating’s no joke to me. Those commercials
that say ‘Don’t bother me, I’m eating’ fits me to a ‘T’. Kari
laughs at me all the time when we order in at the office. My meals
are huge and I eat fast. I had to learn to eat and eat quickly when
going through basic training – I just never stopped eating like
that, now, of course, that my body’s been trained for food and
rigorous workouts it all seems to even out.

Of course when I was away from the hell of
school I actually found out I had an appetite. Stress and nerves
cause my stomach to shut down.

As I got back onto the open road I realize
that my meal was now sitting in my stomach like a brick and I had
fear coursing thru me. I hadn’t felt like this since I went out on
my first solo job.

I flashed back to the first day of sixth
grade:

I sat next to Rebecca Stanley and I was so
envious of her hair. It was blonde and straight as a pin, not a
hair out of place. Unlike my own which was brown, frizzy, and
curly. So after class I walked up to her and said. “Hello my name
is Harley Shelton and I’d just like to say I love your hair.”

To which she replied. “Yes I know I have
beautiful hair, now get away from me you hairy skeleton.” The
giggling of five other girls echoed down the hallway.

“
No I’m sorry I think you misheard me my
name is Harley, Harley Shelton not Hairy Skeleton.” Had I been
older I might have realized the insult sooner but I was young, even
for a sixth grader, so when she delivered the next line I was
hurt.

“
No I didn’t mishear you.” And she turned
her back on me and the name stuck. The other five girls started
chanting Hairy Skeleton over and over. With only 150 kids in our
grade the name spread like wildfire I walked away with my shield of
books and my head down.

My anger festered from one class to the next
and I knew I had her in the last class of the day and was planning
on sitting on her and plucking out her hair one by one till she was
bald. But at the end of fifth period I was pulled aside and pushed
into a closet by Carson and there was where I first met them. Kyle
and Carson stood side by side and Carson leaned down and spoke
“don’t pay her no mind…you stick with us and we’ll go farther than
she ever dreamed.”

And just like that I was hooked. We three
did everything together. They were my knights and I was constantly
the damsel in distress. There was that time I was cornered by some
football players and was insulted to the point of tears. By the
time Kyle and Carson showed up I was straddling the biggest one
pounding on him. They pulled me off of him, with the threat that if
anyone told they had proof that they all had cheated on the last
science test. Kyle and Carson never left my side much after that.
The teasing didn’t stop, but no one touched me again either.

Being five foot and sixty pounds in sixth
grade was hard, it didn’t get much better, and by ninth grade I had
only gained twenty pounds. My knights called me their little
kitten. We would walk to school and back again. I grew but they
grew more. One summer, it seemed, was to be my year to bloom, and
the little buds I had leaving school blossomed into a full C cup
overnight – well not overnight, but close enough. When we went back
to school, I’d had hoped the teasing would have stopped, but weight
was not my friend, I may have had boobs but I was still knees and
elbows with not much in between.

When graduation came my knights were over
six feet and I had grown only two inches more. I had learned to
control my hair but Rebecca and her Pussy Posse still tormented me,
guys never paid me any attention and I was never on anyone’s party
list but I had Carson and Kyle and they stuck to me like glue and
we made it through, finally graduating.

Carson being the oldest kid in class being
nineteen at graduation, Kyle being a scholarship child and me being
the youngest made us outcasts of types. That’s what got us through,
that we three needed each other to beat off the rest. Of course
back then I wasn’t a threat to an ant much less any kid in my
class.

Now of course I could kill them all and no
one would see me coming, of course I don’t hold a grudge, it’s not
good in my line of work.

Then on my seventeenth birthday I was told
we would be moving. I spent the rest of the evening switching from
Kyle’s shoulder to Carson’s as I cried out my goodbyes. The goodbye
was horrible and horribly botched. We all confessed the love we
knew was there, but in the next breath we knew we could do nothing
about it. Carson, Kyle and I made a pact to meet here at the ten
year reunion and see where it led.

We never spoke again. My fault really, but I
couldn’t tell them much about my life. I mean how does one tell
someone they are in training to be an assassin? You don’t.

So I just had to hope they would be here. To
protect me and to, I hope, still love me. I may never have spoken
with them, but I never forgot them.

I
wondered how they looked and how they must have changed. I wondered
if they would recognize me. I hoped so. Would I be able to
recognize them? I hoped so. I never looked in on them, I didn’t
want to know. I didn’t want to know what they were doing; I didn’t
want to know if they were married or if they were dead; I just
simply didn’t want to know.

I pulled up to the hotel right at four pm
and pulled out the guest parking pass that had come with the
reservation and turned into the parking garage. I felt my breath
hitch and my skin crawl as I parked then I went to the trunk to get
my stuff and as I opened it I realized I’d be carrying a few extra
items. There was not only three additional birthday presents, there
was also a long package wrapped with standard brown packaging and
tied with a white string.

I saw that the box carried my dad’s personal
signature of a rose and a dagger. I smiled and put it under my
arm.

The rest I put into my suitcase which was
nowhere near full, in fact it only had a duffle bag and my
messenger bag. I don’t actually pack enough to fill up the large
suitcase. I have learned over the years that a normal single woman
usually packs more luggage than a small duffle bag and a messenger
purse, so I stick those items in the suitcase and carry the clutch
wallet and people pay attention less.

As I made my way to the reception desk I
thought about what my father would have packed for me. I dinged the
bell and was greeted by a professional looking woman with a big
smile. “Welcome, how may I help you?”

“Yes, I have a reservation.” I handed over
the confirmation and as she studied it, I realized I should have
dressed more…well more. I was wearing jeans, a tee and tennies. The
women walking around were dressed immaculate and made me feel
frumpy, but hell I just drove in from Phoenix, but still I think if
I had put on heels I would have fit in a bit better, but no one was
looking, so next time.

“Here we are. Harley Shelton room 527. Are
you here for the reunion?”

“Yes.” She nodded and handed me the key card
for the room and the packet for the reunion.

“You are a day early, you know that
right?”

“Yes, I do, but tell me, has anyone else for
the reunion checked in yet? I’m just so excited to see everyone
again.” I spoke with false enthusiasm, but she bought it.

“Oh I understand” she bubbled “and actually
yes, the fifth and sixth floors have been reserved for the reunion,
there are few people here already”

“Very good, thanks.” I took my key card and
paperwork and headed to the elevators. The ride up was thick with
fear, anticipation, trepidation, expectations, and anxiety – it was
a thrilling ride. My stomach flipped one way then another – then
the doors opened.

Nothing.

There was no one about, I didn’t see a
soul.

Thank god.

I mean I know I would eventually see people
from my past but I would like it very much on my terms, not just
coming off an eight hour drive.

I found my room number, sort of in the
middle of the hallway and as I stood at my door I looked left and
right then unlocked my door and entered the room, with one more
look out into the hallway I shut the door and threw the lock and
bolt home. I took a deep breath and then ran to the bathroom.

With the pressure in my bladder relieved I
took my suitcase and package to the bed and plopped down. I looked
at the box with an odd sense of love and disgust. I picked it up
and placed it my lap and ran my fingers over the design that my
father created thirty years ago and had made into a stamp. Yes,
that’s right my father adopted it as his signature so he didn’t
have to sign things like packages, envelopes and such.

I grabbed the letter opener off the desk and
went to town. On the inside of the lid was the letter, a pink
letter, dread filled my stomach. No, no he wouldn’t do this to me
now. He knew I was on vacation and we had a branch in LA for all
west coast hits. I slid my finger under the flap and ripped it
open.

It read:

My darling
daughter,

I knew you would be half
out of your nerves by now so I sent something along to help calm
you. Now don’t worry, you are not needed for any jobs there. We
have Delta for those. I just wanted you to know that I love you and
I worry, and I always think ahead.

Enjoy your
vacation,

Love Dad

I was officially confused. I placed the
letter on the bed and opened the package. There was Baby, my
Remington M24 .308 with synthetic stock…aww dad! I loved that man.
I pulled her out and placed her on the bed.

I went back to the box and saw another box,
smaller, with a tiny card attached.