Tanked: TANKED (21 page)

“You’d never have kissed me or touched me if I didn’t feel it too.”

“Then what’s wrong? Why can’t we just take it one day at a time?”

“I live, eat, and breathe the job.”

“Okay…”

“In the beginning you’ll find it exciting, then when I’ll have to miss dinner you’ll be mad and when I can’t take you to the movies or go on vacation. You’ll start to resent me and the thing I love to do.”

Once again, I let my mouth fly away with itself, “Is that what your wife did to you?  Is that why you two were having trouble?  Tank, I’m not her and I’m sorry you lost her the way you did, I really am. But you can’t put me in that same category.  You know what I think?  I think you’re full of excuses.  Don’t worry about it. Clearly I’m not important enough for you to try. I had it all wrong.” I push passed him and suck in a breath and press back the fear as I walk into the place of the attack.  I quickly walk through the lobby into the kitchen and down the stairs.  I pack all my belongings as fast as I can, I grab Prima and put her in her pet carrier and get out of there.  I know he’s watching me. I can feel him. My heart wants him to stop me and to at least try to talk to me but he doesn’t and that really pisses me off.  I turn back around to the house, shoot him a bird, climb in my car and drive away. 

CHAPTER TEN

Moving on with life

I sit out in front of my house and just stare at it.  It feels like I haven’t been home in months instead of a little over a week.  Prima is the only thing making noise and it’s loud and annoying, “Yeeoou.”

I sigh. “Yes, I know we’re still sitting in the car.”

“Yeeoou.”

“No, I’m not afraid to go inside.”

“Yeeoou.”

“I just don’t know what I’m doing is all.”

“Yeeoou.”

“With anything. What was I thinking?”

“Yeeoou.  Yeeoou.”

“Alright, Alright, maybe I’m a little scared to go inside.”

“Yeeoou.”

“Yes, I’m fully aware how stupid I look sitting in a car having a conversation with a cat who I know is not answering me. All you want is out of that stupid box.”

“Yeeoou.”

As I roll my eyes and open the door to the car slowly, headlights turning onto my street catch my attention and I’m glad to see blue lights sitting on top of the car when it pulls in behind me in the driveway.  The door opens and a figure steps out.  I can’t fully see his face but I recognize his voice when he says. “I came by to check on you.” I know it’s Hunter.

“Did
he
send you over here?” He’s silent then shrugs his shoulders guiltily which I take as a yes. “What a dumbass.”

Hunter scratches his forehead. “You guys having a lovers’ spat?”

I laugh before I realize it. “Nope, nothing like that.”

He shrugs again. “If you say so. Do you want some help carrying in your bags?”

“Nah, I’m alright.  You go ahead and get back to work.”

He hits a button on his watch and it lights up neon blue. “I’ve only got about forty-five minutes left on my shift, as long as no major emergencies happen. I’m good.”

“Won’t you get in trouble?”

He shakes his head. “The chief wants us to check on you regularly. Peacock is doing pass down. I’m good.”

Relief engulfs me that I won’t have to be alone. “Actually, then yes I would love some help.”

We unload my bags and I let Prima out of her carrier. She sniffs around and goes right into the living room and jumps in the old recliner. I think she’s just as happy as I am to be home.   Hunter sits on the couch and I go to see what I have left in the refrigerator to drink.  I get us both a soda and then move Prima so I can sit in the recliner.  She moves over to the couch and lies down with her back to me.  I roll my eyes and take a sip of my soda.
Dang temperamental cat.

He pops the top of his soda. “I’m just hanging out, if I’m in the way let me know, I can go if you’re ready to go to bed.”

“No, you can stay as long as you want. I’ll be up a while. I just feel bad I’m keeping you from your job.”

“Riding in a patrol car that somebody threw up in earlier or sitting on a very comfortable couch in the peace and quiet.  Which would you choose?”

“Ewww. They puked in your car?”

“That’s nothing.” He waves his hand.

I shake my head. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

He smiles then looks down at the soda he has resting on his leg, the room falls deathly silent, I start to ask him if he wants to watch some TV when he says, “You know I really had no idea right?”

I know immediately what he’s talking about and my heart takes a dip, I don't want to keep thinking about it. “Yeah, I know,” I say quietly.

“I mean I just left you with him and went on into work. Fed you to him on a platter. I didn’t see Tank’s vehicle but I saw Cootie’s so I thought Tank had sent him even though I knew Tank was supposed to be there to take the next shift. It just didn’t seem out of place.  I keep thinking if I had only called Tank.”

“It’s alright.”

“No it’s not; it was my… all of our jobs to protect you, including Cootie’s. There was confusion all the way around. Peacock was supposed to have that shift but he had called in sick half way through then I took over…”

“I’m a bit confused on why or how Cootie had two vehicles there?”

“Right now it’s just speculation but we think when he took you he was going to claim that he was knocked out and taken as well.  But he’d somehow escaped.”

I shut my eyes at how well he apparently had this planned out and he was going to kill me. I swallow the lump in my throat. “Well, I’m fine. I made it out alive,” I say trying not to sound too upset.

“Barely.”

I try to tell him it’s okay, but apparently he needs to get it out since he keeps going and going. I guess he feels like he needs to apologize because he does six more times. I, on the other hand don’t want to talk about it, and I think I’ll be alright if I never talk about it again for the rest of my life. I sit quietly and listen to him talk. Sometimes it’s hard to hear what a good guy everybody thought Cootie was because I know he had me fooled. 
As a matter of fact, is it really safe for me to be sitting here with him? I mean, I thought I could trust Cootie and I couldn’t. Can I trust Hunter? Stop McKinsey, you can’t think this way.

He frowns like he heard my thoughts. “I’ll go. I’m sorry to be honest, I guess I just don’t want to be by myself right now and I don’t feel like driving out to Weasel’s.”

Why would he drive out to Weasel’s at almost 6:30 in the morning?
I look over at him and say, “I know exactly how that feels not wanting to be alone. I’m actually really glad you’re here.  But, why would you drive out to Weasel's this early in the morning? I thought it was a bar.”

“It is a bar and across the street his wife runs a little hole in the wall restaurant, called Momma Weasel's. Some of the best biscuits and gravy you’ll ever eat.”

Why have I never heard of this place?
“Where is this place, I’ve lived around here my entire life and never even heard of it.”

“It’s way out on highway 105. When you get to the caution light, take a left and it’s a mile or so down the road.”

I shrug my shoulders and also realize he’s being a bit vague. “I guess I still don’t know where it is, I thought they said it was out of town. How can you have a business like that out of town? I mean how many people will drive thirty plus minutes to eat in the middle of nowhere?”

“The ones that know about it would. It’s a motorcycle club and also a pit stop along the way for other motorcycle clubs.  Most of us at the station ride motorcycles so we like to go out there and hang out.  Outsiders aren’t really welcome; you have to know somebody to be able to walk in the door.  Out of sight, out of mind type deal. ”

A secret biker club in Skeeter?
“So you ride a bike?”

“Yeah.”

“And Tank?” He grins and then nods.  This intrigues me but it also bothers me. I have a lot more questions but I’m also tired of talking and my head hurts. “Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

“Yeah.”

“You haven’t got a girlfriend or wife that’ll come after me do you?” I say it like I’m kidding but I’m being absolutely serious. I can’t take anything else right now.

“No, I’m definitely single,” he says as he stands and begins to unbuckle his belt and unclip things off his belt so he can remove it. I look back away to the television as I feel a slight pang of fear in my chest at what he’s doing.  He put his belt with all his stuff on the coffee table then sits back down on the couch and lies back against the couch pillow.  I feel foolish but I also think I have a right to have a little fear. 

I surf through many movies trying to find something that isn’t a romantic comedy, shoot em’ up, or a horror film.  He sees
Benchwarmers
and mentions he likes that one. So we spend the next hour and a half watching a movie about nerdy kids reliving their dream to be cool athletes. 

When the movie ends the sun is shining brightly through the windows and we are both yawning.  I know eventually I’ll have to sleep again in the dark but right now when I wake up I want to be able to see everything.  I sit up, stretch and he does too.  He rubs his eyes then stands and begins to gather his stuff.  “I have a spare bedroom that Jessie stays in all the time. You’re welcome to crash here if you want.”

“No, I don’t want to overstay my welcome or make your neighbors talk.” He smiles at me.

“You’d be doing me a favor.” I say sincerely.

He blows out a puff of air. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’ll get a couple hours before I head home.”

I show him where Jessie’s room is then go into the kitchen to feed Prima.  I realize I left all my stuff in Tank's kitchen and then smile when I also realize I left the dirty litter pan.
Serves him right
.   I grab a can of cat food and open it, empty the food into the dish, then throw the can away.  I gaze at the trash can then grab it and put it under the kitchen sink where I will keep it from here on out.   I wash my hands then flip the light off.  I grab my bags and roll them into my bedroom.  I frown. It’s a complete mess; clothes are still on my bed where I had piled them when I was leaving to go stay at Tank's but I’m too tired to worry about them right now. I rake them off into the floor, make sure I leave the door cracked for Prima, throw my glasses on my nightstand and crawl into bed fully clothed.

I don’t remember falling asleep but apparently I did. I sit up and look around when my alarm clock starts blaring music.  It scares me because I’ve always had it on the alarm mode.  I slap the alarm silent, and grab my glasses then see the note that’s hanging from the alarm clock.

Thanks for the nap. You were sleeping too good to wake you up.  I set your alarm so you didn’t sleep all day.  Call me if you want to get some lunch.  -  Hunter

I get out of bed and stand, looking around my room. Everything feels different.  I feel at home but it doesn’t feel the same. Something still feels off. After I use the restroom and complain to myself about my neck having more definite bruising, I go room to room looking for anything that reminds me of that whole situation.  I grab the potted plant and the iPod docking station and sit them out on the front porch.  At first I was going to throw them in the garbage but I remember the cameras were still inside and then remember how big Alexander was and how upset he got about his stuff. 

My mother is the first to show up unannounced. She hugs me with one arm, the other hand is carrying two bags of groceries. “You look terrible,” She says after looking me over.

“Thanks Mom.”

“Oh, McKinsey, I don’t mean the bruises. I mean you look like you haven’t slept and you look like you’ve lost some weight.”

“I haven’t slept really. I took a nap and I haven’t really been hungry with everything going on.”

“Well, you’re going to eat something now.  I’ve brought some stuff. I figured I’d make us lunch. How about a BLT sandwich? I stopped by the produce stand and got some of the prettiest ripe red tomatoes.” Her voice fades as she walks into another room. I sigh and shut the front door. I can hear her already busying herself in the kitchen. “Will Tank be dropping by?” she covertly asks.

I walk to the kitchen door and lean against the doorframe. I know from her tone she’s already talked to him but I play dumb. “No ma’am, I don’t need his services anymore so why would he need to be here?”

She pauses a moment then begins placing pieces of bacon in the frying pan.  “Okay, I just wanted to make sure I cooked enough.”

“No ma’am, I’m not expecting company.” As though on cue, three knocks sound at the door and my heart hits my stomach.
If she invited him over here with her constant meddling self I will throw myself on the floor and scream
.  I turn to answer the front door but stop and stand staring at the door,
after I eat lunch I’ll be calling a home improvement store and having a new door installed with a peephole, even if I have to charge it to my credit card.
  I jump when another three knocks sound.  I open the door slowly and peek out.  I relax in relief when I see Ambrose, and I know he notices me relax when he gives me a sympathetic smile.  “Alex and I are here to take the cameras down. It won’t take long. A lot easier to take it down than put them up.” He winks at me.