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#Post#: 2977--------------------------------------------------
Haunted by the Past - Chapter 22 - Misunderstanding
By: RampageSports Date: March 20, 2016, 2:59 pm
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Author's Note: The Spenser, Hawk and Susan Silverman characters
belong to mystery novelist Robert B. Parker. Mr. Parker is one
of my favorite authors, and his work is a major influence on the
the way I write. Whether I even come close to mimicking his
style is open to considerable debate, but I have chosen to use
his characters in this story as something of an homage. My goal
is to handle them as lightly as possible and to maintain them as
Mr. Parker created them. Any failure on that front is
completely my own.
[hr]
Haunted by the Past - Chapter 22 - Misunderstanding
Sleep did not come easily, but exhaustion eventually overwhelmed
me. Unfortunately, it also refused to loosen it's grip when I
needed it to. I woke with a start and tried to get my bearings.
Snow was in the forecast again, and the grayness that preceded
it offered me no clue as to what time it was. I turned to the
clock on the nightstand to see that it was almost nine. I was
hours later than usual.
My first thought was to call Danni, but it occurred to me she
may have suffered the same fate. Then, I thought to call Steph,
or maybe Emma, or Emily... or maybe I should just get the hell
up and get to work and worry about it later. I was the owner of
an MMA stable, not a member of the Secret Service. No one was
going to lose their mind just because I was a little late.
As usual, I could not have been more wrong, and Emma was waiting
for me in the lobby when I walked in forty-five minutes later.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"I'm sorry, Mom. Did I miss curfew?"
"Don't get f*ckin' smart," she snapped. "First you disappear
without a word yesterday. Then there's no sign of you this
morning. We've been freaking out. I've been calling you all
morning."
Determined not to have this conversation here, I continued into
my office. Emma trailed behind, while Spenser took up Hawk's
usual position in the lobby.
Dropping my purse on the desk, I fished out my phone. I knew I
had missed calls from Emma and Steph yesterday, but it was much
too late to return them by the time I discovered them. As for
this morning, I hadn't heard a thing this morning.
"Sh*t," I said. "I forgot to charge it. It's dead."
"No sh*t, Sherlock," she said. "It's been going straight to
voice mail. And that doesn't explain what happened yesterday."
Though the level of snark in her answers was nothing new, there
was an unfamiliar strain to her voice. It was the sound that
comes from stress and worry. A sound Danni and I had
unwittingly put there.
Emma began to stalk back and forth across my office — that worry
morphing into frustration and anger now that she knew disaster
had not struck.
"I'm sorry, Em," I said. "Yesterday was a little crazy."
"You get us all wound up with this fantastic, terrifying story,
then you both just vanish?"
"You're right," I said. "We..."
"Where the hell is Danni, anyway?" she cut in. "She's not
answering her phone, either."
"She's fine. She's on her way," I said, relaying the info Hawk
had passed along to Spenser.
Pacing steadily in front of my desk, Emma gave the impression of
a frenzied tiger walking the edge of her cage. Fascinating to
watch, but only from the other side of the bars.
"Where were you?" she asked.
"I could tell you," I said with a sigh, "but it's not going to
make you feel any better."
The tiger stopped mid-stride and fixed her deadly stare on me.
It was time to come clean with her, lest I become lunch.
"Why don't you take a seat?" I said.
"Why don't you start talking?" she replied.
"Emma," I said softly, "I already said you were right. I f*cked
up. Now, do I have to start singing to soothe you, you savage
beast, or are you going to sit and let me explain?"
Her eyes lost some of their fierceness as a small smile cracked
through.
"I'll sit," she said. "Just don't sing."
She sat and I told the story. There was a temptation to give
her the abbreviated version, but I forced myself not to give in
to it. Danni and I had made the decision to trust her with
this, and that's the way it had to stay.
Once I got started, she let me talk... interrupting only to
swear sharply at key points. She let loose with a stream of
epithets when I got to the part where I started the fight with
Rat Face, but still let me continue. The bit about Danni and
the gun brought things to a halt, though.
"What the f*ck were you thinking?" she asked with a mixture of
anger and concern.
"Look... it wasn't..."
"She could have been killed," she said. "You both could have
been killed."
"I know," was all I could say.
I had twice run through the events at the club with Spenser,
then spent the rest of the night replaying everything endlessly
in my head.
I knew there was no rationalization I could offer that would put
so much as a dent in the disgust I had for myself.
"How could you take Danni there?"
"I didn't take her anywhere," I protested. "She followed me."
"I warned you about that."
"I know. I just didn't think..."
"Don't think," she said. "Just listen."
No anger now, but there was a frustrated urgency to her words.
Once again, I felt like I wasn't understanding something I
needed to.
"Danni always puts herself last. Always," she said. "She will
do something stupid if you let her."
"I can't stop her, Emma," I said. "Maybe I shouldn't try, to be
honest."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"When I was in Boston," I began, "the hardest part for me was
the helplessness. I had no control over what was going to
happen to me. I just had to hold on and hope it worked out."
She shook her head slowly, looking even more frustrated.
"I can't do that to her," I continued. "I don't understand why
she's a part of this, but she is. She has the right to know
what's happening, and to fight for herself if she wants."
"That's what you're not getting," Emma said. "She won't fight
for herself. She'll fight for you."
"I know what you're..."
"No," she cut in. "You don't know."
Her anger was showing again, and I couldn't understand why.
Suddenly, I was as confused as she was frustrated.
"Is there something you're not telling me, Em?"
She shook her head again, agitated and uneasy. Repeatedly, she
looked like she was ready to say something, only to
change her mind at the last minute.
"You just need to be careful," she said finally.
She got up and walked out without another word, and I was left
as clueless and concerned as ever. It was clear she more on her
mind, and it's not like Emma to hold back when she has something
to say.
I briefly thought about chasing after her, but the sight of
Danni turning into her office caused me to instantly forget
everything else.
Ignoring Spenser and Hawk in the lobby, I followed behind her,
entering the office before she'd even gotten her coat off.
She looked as bad as I felt, which made me wonder a little about
just how I looked to everyone else.
She saw me and we handled the usual pleasantries without a word,
then got right to the topic she knew was coming.
"Long night," she said.
"I figured," I said. "Anything new?"
"Nope. But the sh*t they put on television at two o'clock in
the morning is something that has to be seen to be understood."
"Unfortunately, I have seen, and I understand it very well."
She nodded sadly as she settled into her seat. I took a guest
chair and considered what to say next. I felt the need to
apologize again for what had happened, and I was waiting for the
right words to come. The direct approach seemed best, but Danni
headed me off before I even got started.
"Hawk said we need to make changes, based on what we learned
last night," she said quickly, just as I went to speak.
Changes? I thought to myself. Changes to what?
What we learned? Despite Spenser's efforts to make me feel
better, I was convinced the only information gathered last night
was the fact that I was an idiot, and Powers was a psychopath.
Both things we already knew.
With nothing substantive to respond to, my mind somehow latched
on to the oddity lying just beneath the surface.
"For a guy who rarely speaks," I said, "Hawk sure has a lot to
say to you."
"Don't start this again," she said.
"I'm not starting anything," I said. "Just observing the
situation."
"We spend a lot of time together," she said. "We're not
supposed to talk?"
"That's a very good point," I said. "By the way, what exactly
constitutes a lot of time? Also, define together for me."
She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
"F*ck off," she said evenly.
"That's what I thought."
Truth is, I no longer cared what may or may not have been going
on between Danni and Hawk. If it took her mind off of the
larger problem for even a second, it was okay by me.
Clearly, she wanted to get off the topic, and I'd forgotten she
had the perfect way to turn the tables on me.
"By the way," she said, "Rampage?"
"Uhm... hmm."
"You named the place after your pit fighting nickname?"
"Hey, woah... pit fighting?
"Semantics," she said with a dismissive wave. "Let's talk about
that name."
I was spared further interrogation when Spenser and Hawk came
in, but Danni shot me a look that said the discussion was to be
continued at a later time.
"If you ladies can spare a moment," Spenser said.
"For you, sir, anything," I said.
We were all quiet for a good ten seconds.
"I'm waiting for the biting remark that follows," he said.
"Too tired," I yawned.
With Hawk now backed up to the other side of the common wall
between my office and Danni's, things were a little different.
In fact, with Danni behind the desk instead of me, it was as if
the now familiar scene had been flipped around, just to provide
a little variety.
"Based on what we learned last night..." Spenser began.
"Which is nothing," I interjected.
"... I think we can now safely assume Danneel is a legitimate
target," he continued, as if I hadn't spoken.
"That's not very useful. There's not much we can do about it,
considering we don't know why," I said.
"Which is why we focus and what we do know and what we can do,"
he said.
"Such as?"
"Well, I think we can also assume the reason Powers wants
Danneel out of the way is closely tied to the reason he claims
to need you alive. That gives me something to work with."
I failed to see how that information was of any use, but I kept
my mouth shut and tried to calm down. I knew my attitude I
wasn't helping.
"In the meantime," he continued, "we rethink our protection
strategy."
"How?" Danni asked.
"We will combine our resources," he said.
"What does that mean?" I said.
"Though Hawk will disagree," he said, "I believe it would be
wise to increase Danneel's protection."
Danni looked to Hawk, who shrugged.
"I be more than enough to do what needs doin'" he said, "but a
little extra help won' hurt, if it helps ol' Spensah sleep at
night."
Danni chuckled, and neither of them paid any attention to the
way my eyes bounced back and forth between them.
"Where are we getting this extra protection?" I asked.
"Major O'Rourke has been kind enough to assist us on that
front."
"Jesus," I said. "How can he spare all these people?"
"He can't. Which is why the officers currently watching over
you will now be watching over both of you."
"How can they do that?" I asked. "They can't be in two places,
at once."
"That's quite true," he said, leaving the obvious answer unsaid.
It only took a moment for it to sink in.
"Wait," I said. "You want to put us in the same place?"
"For the time being, yes."
"No," I said firmly. "She shouldn't have to..."
"It's fine," Danni said quickly.
I spun to face her.
"No," I said again. "I don't want this taking over your entire
life."
"He's right, and you know it," she said, nodding toward Spenser.
"That's why he's here, isn't it?"
"You know, I like you a little more every day," Spenser said to
her.
"Are you sure?" I asked Danni.
"I'm positive," she said, then looked past me to Spenser and
asked, "Where do you want to do it?"
"Your home is preferable," he answered. "It's more secure, the
neighborhood is quieter and the larger property is easier to
defend. The police can handle outside, while we handle inside."
"Done," she said.
"Are you sure?" I asked a third time.
"Did you hear me say done? That means I'm sure."
I narrowed my eyes in response to her commanding tone.
"There's no need to be a b*tch about it," I said.
"I know you," she said. "You'll keep asking for the rest of the
day if I don't put a stop to it."
I let out a dissatisfied "hmph," but didn't bother to argue.
"Fine," I said. "I just need to find a place for the dog."
"Bring him with you," she said.
"Are you..."
"Would you shut the f*ck up?" she interjected.
We eyed each other for a moment, but I knew there was no chance
I would come out ahead in this contest of wills.
"Fine," I said, "but I don't think you know what you're getting
yourself into."
"You'd be surprised," she said.
I just shrugged her off. She'd see soon enough.
Spenser, who had watched us with a bemused grin, leaned forward
to speak.
"Well, with that decided... I think... there is one other
matter."
"I can't wait," I said.
"Having one of us with you twenty-four hours a day and
investigating at the same time is not possible, the way things
are. We need more resources."
"More resources?" Danni asked.
"Ohhh," I groaned, "not Vinnie."
Spenser nodded.
"Vinnie," he said solemnly.
"Who's Vinnie?" Danni asked.
"Ohhh," I groaned again.
[hr]
Character Reference
HTML http://s19.postimg.org/x7gm9w22n/Richelle_100x120.jpg
Name: Richelle Winterfeld
Nickname(s):
Background: Owner of the RSI stable, former underground fighter
HTML http://s19.postimg.org/9av3z511b/Danni_100x120.jpg
Name: Danneel Harris
Nickname(s): Danni
Background: RSI stable leader, reigning DEF welterweight
champion
HTML http://s19.postimg.org/dsafuiy67/Stephanie_100x120.jpg
Name: Stephanie McMahon
Nickname(s): Steph
Background: RSI's fighter development coordinator, reigning SCQ
super heavyweight champion
HTML http://s19.postimg.org/cj46pxcov/Emma_100x120.jpg
Name: Emma Watson
Nickname(s): Dr. Watson
Background: Reigning FAC featherweight champion, training
partner and romantic partner of Tiffany Mulheron
HTML http://s19.postimg.org/j5quj3udb/Emily_100x120.jpg
Name: Emily VanCamp
Nickname(s): Em
Background: Reigning ESL lightweight champion
#Post#: 2979--------------------------------------------------
Re: Haunted by the Past - Chapter 22 - Misunderstanding
By: BadAssBunnies Date: March 20, 2016, 6:37 pm
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It's awesome how you introduce new character's. You don't
overwhelm the reader with too much at the beginning and
brilliantly bring them in as the story unfolds. That makes it
very easy to follow especially since it's time released. Can't
wait for the next chapter. You're correct, 2AM is the worst time
for viewing TV. Been there done that. Thank God for DVR's and
Netflix.
#Post#: 2980--------------------------------------------------
Re: Haunted by the Past - Chapter 22 - Misunderstanding
By: RampageSports Date: March 21, 2016, 8:19 am
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Hmm... and here I thought I was just making up new people as
needed as I went along. But your explanation makes it all sound
much more professional and planned, so we'll go with that. ;)
Actually, it was funny. Some of the characters I created ended
up having much bigger roles than I'd intended them to. It was
like, once they were created, suddenly I had new uses for them.
Thanks for the feedback... and for continuing to follow along.
:D
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