Death Sentence
Jun. 13th, 2009 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veiledndarknessTitle: Watching Him 6/?
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Billy/OFC
Rating: R
Summary: She sees everything, she’s watching him fall.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made and no harm intended.
AU follows storyline of movie somewhat.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
XX
For a moment, all she could feel was the press of his body to hers, his lips brushing over hers. And there was no panic, no fear. Beth shivered. She returned the kiss hesitantly, stunned by his move.
Billy moved his unharmed hand and curled his fingers in her hair, grasping the silky strands. He made a sound, low in his throat and kissed her again, the kiss more demanding.
She ducked back from him. "Billy...what...I..." she stuttered, two fingers touching her lips. Her handprint stood out on his cheek, a dull red, enhanced by the red flood of color in the chapel.
"I...I dunno," Billy turned away. She caught a glimpse of banked fear in his eyes.
"You..." she swallowed, her heart pounding, "You can't make me stay like this...this, that kiss...What are you tryin' to pull, huh?"
Billy leaned against the wall, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "I ain't tryin' nothin," he muttered. "Go if ya wanna, might as well get out while ya can."
She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering again. "Billy..." she sighed, "You can't order people like that. I'm not some gang member for you to control, y' know?"
"So go!" he fisted his injured hand and slammed it against the wall. Dust particles fell to the floor, the wall creaking from the slam. "Get the fuck out then!"
"Damn it, stop hurting yourself!" Beth shouted. She uncrossed her arms, her eyes alight with fury.
Billy pushed off the wall and advanced towards her. "The fuck do y' care if I hurt m' self, huh? Y' don't give a shit, no one does!"
"You brought me here," she reminded him as he loomed over her. "I was tryin' to go home, and...And I care, ok? I fucking care what happens to you, despite your goddamned death wish!"
He stared at her. "Why?"
Beth rested her hand to his hand, lightly touching the makeshift bandage. "Someone has to," she said. "You're so miserable, so angry all the time...someone has to take care of you."
"I don't need no one," he hissed.
Beth's lips curved in the smallest smile. "Yeah, you do. All of you guys do. Runnin' around, hurting people, doin' bad things, that's no life to live."
She moved her hand up slowly, cradling his reddened cheek. He hesitated only a second before pressing his cheek into the gesture. His eyes closed and his shoulders slumped. "Why're y' doin' this t' me?" he whispered harshly.
"Eight years is a long time," she said, smoothing her thumb along his cheekbone. "I see you, I know you, better than you know yourself an' you're drowning, Billy."
Billy opened his eyes, so blue in the dim light. He looked at her, the edges of panicky anger lingering on the surface. "Why do ya stay then?"
"After eight years, by now I know all of you boys so well," she moved up a little, on to her tiptoes. "And maybe I see something in you, something no one else does."
"There's nothin' good about me," he said bitterly.
"If I thought that, I woulda left years ago," Beth pressed up against Billy, her lips brushing his.
He whispered her name and kissed her, both hands plunging into her hair. Beth melted into the touch, feeling every inch of the possessive kiss, the heat from his body, and the fear that lingered in the background.
She returned the kiss, her hands sliding to his shoulders. They parted with a gasp of stunned air, neither scarcely able to believe this was happening. Billy rested his forehead to hers, sighing. "Beth..."
"Don't say it," she whispered, her skin tingling all over. "I'm not leavin'...I won't leave you."
"Y' should," he moved his hands down, holding her hips. "I ain't no good for nobody."
Beth silenced him with another kiss, her tongue meeting his after a moment. He groaned and lifted her up with his good arm, desire flooding him. Beth held on, looking up at the chapel ceiling as he lowered them to the floor.
X
Beth buttoned her jeans with shaking hands, her brown hair hanging in disarray around her face and neck. She closed her eyes, biting her lip at the sound of each inhale and exhale behind her. She smoothed her hair back from her damp skin, braiding it with quick flicks of her fingers.
Billy lay on the chapel floor still, his clothes rumpled, his eyes half lidded. He watched her, desire pooling in his stomach anew. "Rushin' an' regrettin' already, huh?"
She flinched and turned to face him, a guilty flush of color to her cheeks. "No, I...I need to get home. I start early, you know that."
"Beth..."
She knelt down next to him, her hands fidgeting with the sleeve of his black sweater. She traced one tattooed swirl, swallowing over the lump in her throat. "I'm not sorry. I don't regret anything."
"Coulda fooled me," he muttered. He grasped her wrist, tugging her in close. "Doesn't make ya like them girls before. Y' ain't nothin' like them. You're better."
Beth kissed him, her hand sliding along his cheek and down to his neck. He was so warm, she thought absently.
"I didn't bring ya here...tryin' t', y' know," he said between heated kisses. "Y' ain't the type for that kinda thing, Bethie."
She nipped his bottom lip and sat back, her lips kiss swollen. "I know," she said simply. "About the briefcase..." she looked over to the leather case, her stomach churning.
Billy rolled on to his side, digging out his cigarette case. He pulled one out and grabbed his lighter. With a sharp snap, he had the cigarette lit, the lighter tossed to the side. "What about it?"
"Return it," Beth tilted her head away from him, goose bumps creeping along her arms. "Give it back to him, Billy."
"T' who?" he asked, his eyes wary.
Beth let go of his hand and stood up, "To the boy's father."
She grabbed her purse and slipped it over her shoulder. "Do the right thing, for once? No more of this bloodshed.”
"Oh, I'll give it back," he snapped, the cigarette hanging from two fingers.
She tightened her grip on her purse. "Billy...Don't be like Bones. You're not your father."
He grunted and got up, sitting in front of the briefcase, his back to her. Beth swallowed once more and walked out of the chapel, tears prickling under her eyelids.
X
"You're late, Bethie girl," Sammy looked up from his newspaper the next morning, eyeing her; "You ain't never late or sick. You ok?"
Beth hurried around the bar ledge and tucked her purse under the locked cabinet. "Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled, "Woke up late."
"Rough night, hey? Here, drink some juice, put a bit a color into them cheeks," he said, pouring her a glass of orange juice.
She grabbed the glass and downed half of it. "I'm fine, I swear," she said. "I...I didn't sleep well."
"When the girlies say fine, they hardly never mean fine," he drawled, giving her a pointed look.
"Well this girl says she's fine, so that's that."
"Uh huh," Sammy closed his newspaper. "Does that kiss on ya neck have anythin' to do with you bein' 'fine'?"
Beth's hand flew to her neck, blushing hard. "I...Damn it!"
He chuckled and draped a towel over his shoulder. "That's some kinda fine. You go an' get ya self a boyfriend an' you don't tell Sammy? That's cold, Bethie, real cold."
"Shut up," she called over her shoulder as she looked in the mirror by the kitchen. She groaned when she saw the mark on her neck, a very visible, dark pink splotch. "He had to mark me one way or another," she grumbled, "Bastard."
"Who's he?"
Beth clasped a hand over her neck self consciously. "God, I don't even have any makeup to cover it! And never mind who, you nosy bugger!"
He snickered and winked at her. "Don't you have work to do?" she glared at him.
"Maybe," he shrugged. "Work in the back if ya wanna stay out here?"
"No!" she said, alarmed. "I...I'll fix up the back after I do the laundry, ok?"
Sammy's smile faded a little. "Bethie, you sure you're ok?" he asked.
"I...Yeah," she nodded and grabbed her apron off the hook by the bar. "Holler if you need me." With that, she disappeared up the wooden stairs, her footsteps echoing for a moment.
X
With each towel she folded, Beth felt her stomach churn. She took slow, even breaths, struggling to keep herself under control. "Why...Why did I let that happen," she whispered, closing the dryer door with a bang.
She could still feel his fingers moving along her back, tracing wide circles over her hips, the ticklish brush of his facial hair on her thighs...Beth bit her lip firmly. "Damn it..."
She scrubbed at her face, her heart beating painfully against her ribs. They'd do something; something was going to happen today, she was certain of that. And when they did, it would be one step too far. Beth lifted up the basket of towels and settled it on her hip, leaving the laundry room with quick steps.
Bodie brushed past her on the stairs, frowning. He had a cell phone tucked under his chin, muttering into the mouthpiece. "...The fuck are ya, dawg? We's s'posed t' meet up an hour ago!"
"Jesus, Bodie, I'm not invisible," Beth snapped as she passed him.
He closed the phone and blinked, startled. "Beth...Yeah sorry, girl, didn't see ya there."
"Obviously," she kept going, her legs aching with each step.
"You seen Billy?"
Beth froze on the top step, a hot wave rushing over her. "W-Why? How would I know where he is?"
Bodie cocked his head, looking at her. "He ain't here. I'm lookin' for him. Thought maybe ya seen him or somethin'."
She exhaled, relieved. "No...No, I haven't seen him," she lied.
"A' right, if ya do, tell the fucker t' call me, huh?"
Beth nodded, a blush creeping along her cheeks. "I will," she said. "And Bodie...don't let him do anythin' stupid, please?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Stupid as in...What?"
"You know what," she hefted the basket up higher on her hip. "It's enough blood, Bodie..."
"Don't be talkin' 'bout what you don't know, girl. Ya stick t' your job, we'll stick t' ours."
She pressed her lips together and nodded sharply. "Right, thanks for the reminder." She turned and walked down the hallway, suppressing the instinctive rage at his dismissal.
X
Beth stood in the middle of Joe's room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The room was cold, frigidly cold. She looked to the mostly bare walls, nothing but a few random posters tacked up here and there. She wrinkled her nose, tears stinging her eyes. She'd helped him put the posters up years before, teasing him and telling him ever so carefully that his taste in music was sub par.
"Hey Joe," she murmured, hugging herself.
With a sigh, she uncrossed her arms and began collecting his things. She packed away some of the clothes that he'd left there, the cds, ones full of angry music and melancholy lyrics, and his books.
Beth ran her fingers along the spine of one, a tear escaping. He'd loved his books. Joe had hidden them from Bones, knowing the wrath he'd face otherwise. She opened one faded notebook, tracing the scribbled words in his journal.
The words and thoughts were scrawled across the paper, messy with some badly misspelled. Neither boy had lasted very long in school; Bones had taken them out early on. She read a few sentences, smiling faintly as Joe rambled on about a scrawny cat that he'd found hanging out behind the bar when he was ten or so.
Beth closed the book abruptly. "I’ll keep some. No reason to throw them all out,” she said to the empty room.
The door creaked behind her, swaying just the smallest bit in the draft. She smiled, wiping at the stray tears with the heel of her hand. “Yeah, I know, cryin’ an’ being too girly for you,” she whispered.
She resumed cleaning out his room, packing away the evidence that anyone had ever lived in the small room.
X
“Bethie? Eddie’s here to see ya, girlie,” Sammy said, poking his head into the back room.
“Mhm, send him in,” Beth nodded absently, a clipboard clutched in one hand. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a flash of Billy’s fingers stroking her face catching her off guard. She blinked, shivering at the memory.
Eddie ducked his head as he entered the room, his large frame filling the doorway. “There’s the classiest girl t’ ever grace this bar.”
“Uh huh,” Beth rolled her eyes. “Eds, seriously, not now, ok?”
He crossed the room to her and leaned against the wall. He peered out the window before grunting, satisfied. “You ok? Sammy’s you been all different t’ day.”
Beth grimaced, the pencil hovering over one of the lines. “I said I was fine, I still am,” she said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you people have jobs? Isn’t there somethin’ else you could be doing?”
“I am, I’ll have ya know,” Eddie shook a cigarette loose from his pack, lighting it with a match struck off his thumb. “Waitin’ for Billy an’ his boys’t’ get back. Gotta report t’ Bones later an’ I got the boys their shipments. I’m killin’ time, is that ok wit’ you?” he raised his eyebrows.
Beth sat down on her step stool, one hand over her face. “I’m sorry, Eddie, honest. I don’t…I didn’t mean to be all bitchy on you.”
“S’ fine,” he quirked a grin at her, and inhaled deeply on his cigarette. “M’ worried ‘bout ya, Bethie. Sammy knows when shit ain’t right. He’s not stupid an’ he knows you got that upset look. Is it Joe? Ya wanna talk ‘bout him?”
Beth shook her head. “I’ll be ok. It’s hard…And we never talked as much as I do with you…but I still miss him. He was a sweet boy under all this gang shit.”
“Joe never woulda lasted,” Eddie nodded once, his eyes solemn and wise. “Never, no matter how bad Billy wanted him t’. Some jus’ ain’t right for it.”
She toyed with her pencil. “He wanted to be a writer,” she admitted after a moment. “He told me that once. I was puttin’ him to bed, he was so drunk…I think he was sixteen. He made sucha mess in the bathroom, kept apologizing to me. And when I put him in the room, he started whispering, telling me all sorts of things. In the morning…he wouldn’t look me in the eyes.”
Eddie flicked the cigarette over one hand, catching the ashes. “Drunk talk yeah, y’ say too much I think when the liquors got ya tongue.”
“I never mentioned it to him, I figured he’d be upset,” she murmured. “Eddie…Eddie, promise me you’ll talk to Billy. I’m scared to death for him.”
“Bethie…”
“Please,” she whispered, on the verge of begging. “He’s got the man’s briefcase…I can’t shake the feelings.” She closed her eyes, hot prickles of fear moving down her neck. She hunched her shoulders, shuddering. “He’s gonna do somethin’ so bad.”
“Briefcase...” Eddie echoed, frowning, “The man, as in the boy’s father?”
Beth nodded. “He had it with him in the chapel.”
Eddie’s head snapped up fast. “Hang on. He took ya t’ the chapel? The fuckin’ office?!”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Billy took ya t’ the office…Bethie, what did you do?” he asked, his voice strained.
Bethie averted her eyes. “Nothin’, I…I…we argued…I s-slapped him.”
He moved away from the wall, striding over to her. “Beth…did he hit ya? I swear t’ God, if he hit ya…”
“Eddie, stop,” she said, backing away from him. “I’m fine, Billy didn’t hit me.”
He moved fast, his hand pushing her hair back from her neck. Beth hung her head to the side, trembling. “Don’t…”
He touched the mark on her neck with his thumb. “Bethie, you didn’t.”
She pushed at him with one arm, her voice uneven. “Don’t. It…It just happened, ok? I never meant to…We…I care, I can’t help it, even when he treats me like I don’t exist, I still care!”
“There’s no happy endin’, Beth,” Eddie took a step back and took a drag on his cigarette. “He’s a Darley, he ain’t never gonna change an’ be what ya need, girlie. Don’t fool y’ self into thinkin’ he’s different from his daddy.”
Beth drew herself up, her back stiff with anger. “Billy is not his father,” she hissed. “Damn you for even thinkin’ it. He needs someone to believe in him!”
“Bethie, it ain’t easy, ok? Y’ think I wanna admit that he’s incredibly fucked up? I love that kid; he’s like one o’ my own, damn it! But I see him, an’ I know there’s not much good left.”
She glared at him and turned away. “I don’t care what you think. And…and what I do or don’t do is none of your fucking business, Eddie!”
“Ya playin’ with fire right now. You’re gonna get burned, Bethie.”
“That’s my decision, not yours,” Beth dropped the clip board and walked out, fleeing the tension filled room. She grabbed her purse and slipped it over her shoulder, ignoring the shouts from Sammy and Eddie behind her.
She ran into the street, choking on the furious tears in her throat. Too late, she felt the arms slip around her waist, Bodie tugging her off to the side, Billy brushing past them without notice. Bodie clamped his hand over her mouth, his lips close to her ear.
“Shh, don’t ya stop him, girl. This ain’t nothin’ for ya t’ see, so ya stay here an’ wait.”
Beth struggled in his grip, biting furiously at his hand. Bodie held on tighter.
“Stop, it’s gonna happen, ya hafta let it happen.”
She moaned, the sound muffled by his fingers. Bodie smiled, flashing a bright grin. “We gonna do right by Joe. Y’ go on inside now, clear?”
Beth sagged back against Bodie, tears dripping freely down her cheeks. He let go of her and nodded, “Inside now.”
She stepped backwards, leaning against the front door of the bar. Billy slid into his car, a gun tucked into the palm of his hand. She crossed herself, praying frantically.
“More blood spilled…” she whispered, the words carried on the light wind, unheard by the men as they left the parking lot.
X
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Billy/OFC
Rating: R
Summary: She sees everything, she’s watching him fall.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made and no harm intended.
AU follows storyline of movie somewhat.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
XX
For a moment, all she could feel was the press of his body to hers, his lips brushing over hers. And there was no panic, no fear. Beth shivered. She returned the kiss hesitantly, stunned by his move.
Billy moved his unharmed hand and curled his fingers in her hair, grasping the silky strands. He made a sound, low in his throat and kissed her again, the kiss more demanding.
She ducked back from him. "Billy...what...I..." she stuttered, two fingers touching her lips. Her handprint stood out on his cheek, a dull red, enhanced by the red flood of color in the chapel.
"I...I dunno," Billy turned away. She caught a glimpse of banked fear in his eyes.
"You..." she swallowed, her heart pounding, "You can't make me stay like this...this, that kiss...What are you tryin' to pull, huh?"
Billy leaned against the wall, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "I ain't tryin' nothin," he muttered. "Go if ya wanna, might as well get out while ya can."
She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering again. "Billy..." she sighed, "You can't order people like that. I'm not some gang member for you to control, y' know?"
"So go!" he fisted his injured hand and slammed it against the wall. Dust particles fell to the floor, the wall creaking from the slam. "Get the fuck out then!"
"Damn it, stop hurting yourself!" Beth shouted. She uncrossed her arms, her eyes alight with fury.
Billy pushed off the wall and advanced towards her. "The fuck do y' care if I hurt m' self, huh? Y' don't give a shit, no one does!"
"You brought me here," she reminded him as he loomed over her. "I was tryin' to go home, and...And I care, ok? I fucking care what happens to you, despite your goddamned death wish!"
He stared at her. "Why?"
Beth rested her hand to his hand, lightly touching the makeshift bandage. "Someone has to," she said. "You're so miserable, so angry all the time...someone has to take care of you."
"I don't need no one," he hissed.
Beth's lips curved in the smallest smile. "Yeah, you do. All of you guys do. Runnin' around, hurting people, doin' bad things, that's no life to live."
She moved her hand up slowly, cradling his reddened cheek. He hesitated only a second before pressing his cheek into the gesture. His eyes closed and his shoulders slumped. "Why're y' doin' this t' me?" he whispered harshly.
"Eight years is a long time," she said, smoothing her thumb along his cheekbone. "I see you, I know you, better than you know yourself an' you're drowning, Billy."
Billy opened his eyes, so blue in the dim light. He looked at her, the edges of panicky anger lingering on the surface. "Why do ya stay then?"
"After eight years, by now I know all of you boys so well," she moved up a little, on to her tiptoes. "And maybe I see something in you, something no one else does."
"There's nothin' good about me," he said bitterly.
"If I thought that, I woulda left years ago," Beth pressed up against Billy, her lips brushing his.
He whispered her name and kissed her, both hands plunging into her hair. Beth melted into the touch, feeling every inch of the possessive kiss, the heat from his body, and the fear that lingered in the background.
She returned the kiss, her hands sliding to his shoulders. They parted with a gasp of stunned air, neither scarcely able to believe this was happening. Billy rested his forehead to hers, sighing. "Beth..."
"Don't say it," she whispered, her skin tingling all over. "I'm not leavin'...I won't leave you."
"Y' should," he moved his hands down, holding her hips. "I ain't no good for nobody."
Beth silenced him with another kiss, her tongue meeting his after a moment. He groaned and lifted her up with his good arm, desire flooding him. Beth held on, looking up at the chapel ceiling as he lowered them to the floor.
X
Beth buttoned her jeans with shaking hands, her brown hair hanging in disarray around her face and neck. She closed her eyes, biting her lip at the sound of each inhale and exhale behind her. She smoothed her hair back from her damp skin, braiding it with quick flicks of her fingers.
Billy lay on the chapel floor still, his clothes rumpled, his eyes half lidded. He watched her, desire pooling in his stomach anew. "Rushin' an' regrettin' already, huh?"
She flinched and turned to face him, a guilty flush of color to her cheeks. "No, I...I need to get home. I start early, you know that."
"Beth..."
She knelt down next to him, her hands fidgeting with the sleeve of his black sweater. She traced one tattooed swirl, swallowing over the lump in her throat. "I'm not sorry. I don't regret anything."
"Coulda fooled me," he muttered. He grasped her wrist, tugging her in close. "Doesn't make ya like them girls before. Y' ain't nothin' like them. You're better."
Beth kissed him, her hand sliding along his cheek and down to his neck. He was so warm, she thought absently.
"I didn't bring ya here...tryin' t', y' know," he said between heated kisses. "Y' ain't the type for that kinda thing, Bethie."
She nipped his bottom lip and sat back, her lips kiss swollen. "I know," she said simply. "About the briefcase..." she looked over to the leather case, her stomach churning.
Billy rolled on to his side, digging out his cigarette case. He pulled one out and grabbed his lighter. With a sharp snap, he had the cigarette lit, the lighter tossed to the side. "What about it?"
"Return it," Beth tilted her head away from him, goose bumps creeping along her arms. "Give it back to him, Billy."
"T' who?" he asked, his eyes wary.
Beth let go of his hand and stood up, "To the boy's father."
She grabbed her purse and slipped it over her shoulder. "Do the right thing, for once? No more of this bloodshed.”
"Oh, I'll give it back," he snapped, the cigarette hanging from two fingers.
She tightened her grip on her purse. "Billy...Don't be like Bones. You're not your father."
He grunted and got up, sitting in front of the briefcase, his back to her. Beth swallowed once more and walked out of the chapel, tears prickling under her eyelids.
X
"You're late, Bethie girl," Sammy looked up from his newspaper the next morning, eyeing her; "You ain't never late or sick. You ok?"
Beth hurried around the bar ledge and tucked her purse under the locked cabinet. "Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled, "Woke up late."
"Rough night, hey? Here, drink some juice, put a bit a color into them cheeks," he said, pouring her a glass of orange juice.
She grabbed the glass and downed half of it. "I'm fine, I swear," she said. "I...I didn't sleep well."
"When the girlies say fine, they hardly never mean fine," he drawled, giving her a pointed look.
"Well this girl says she's fine, so that's that."
"Uh huh," Sammy closed his newspaper. "Does that kiss on ya neck have anythin' to do with you bein' 'fine'?"
Beth's hand flew to her neck, blushing hard. "I...Damn it!"
He chuckled and draped a towel over his shoulder. "That's some kinda fine. You go an' get ya self a boyfriend an' you don't tell Sammy? That's cold, Bethie, real cold."
"Shut up," she called over her shoulder as she looked in the mirror by the kitchen. She groaned when she saw the mark on her neck, a very visible, dark pink splotch. "He had to mark me one way or another," she grumbled, "Bastard."
"Who's he?"
Beth clasped a hand over her neck self consciously. "God, I don't even have any makeup to cover it! And never mind who, you nosy bugger!"
He snickered and winked at her. "Don't you have work to do?" she glared at him.
"Maybe," he shrugged. "Work in the back if ya wanna stay out here?"
"No!" she said, alarmed. "I...I'll fix up the back after I do the laundry, ok?"
Sammy's smile faded a little. "Bethie, you sure you're ok?" he asked.
"I...Yeah," she nodded and grabbed her apron off the hook by the bar. "Holler if you need me." With that, she disappeared up the wooden stairs, her footsteps echoing for a moment.
X
With each towel she folded, Beth felt her stomach churn. She took slow, even breaths, struggling to keep herself under control. "Why...Why did I let that happen," she whispered, closing the dryer door with a bang.
She could still feel his fingers moving along her back, tracing wide circles over her hips, the ticklish brush of his facial hair on her thighs...Beth bit her lip firmly. "Damn it..."
She scrubbed at her face, her heart beating painfully against her ribs. They'd do something; something was going to happen today, she was certain of that. And when they did, it would be one step too far. Beth lifted up the basket of towels and settled it on her hip, leaving the laundry room with quick steps.
Bodie brushed past her on the stairs, frowning. He had a cell phone tucked under his chin, muttering into the mouthpiece. "...The fuck are ya, dawg? We's s'posed t' meet up an hour ago!"
"Jesus, Bodie, I'm not invisible," Beth snapped as she passed him.
He closed the phone and blinked, startled. "Beth...Yeah sorry, girl, didn't see ya there."
"Obviously," she kept going, her legs aching with each step.
"You seen Billy?"
Beth froze on the top step, a hot wave rushing over her. "W-Why? How would I know where he is?"
Bodie cocked his head, looking at her. "He ain't here. I'm lookin' for him. Thought maybe ya seen him or somethin'."
She exhaled, relieved. "No...No, I haven't seen him," she lied.
"A' right, if ya do, tell the fucker t' call me, huh?"
Beth nodded, a blush creeping along her cheeks. "I will," she said. "And Bodie...don't let him do anythin' stupid, please?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Stupid as in...What?"
"You know what," she hefted the basket up higher on her hip. "It's enough blood, Bodie..."
"Don't be talkin' 'bout what you don't know, girl. Ya stick t' your job, we'll stick t' ours."
She pressed her lips together and nodded sharply. "Right, thanks for the reminder." She turned and walked down the hallway, suppressing the instinctive rage at his dismissal.
X
Beth stood in the middle of Joe's room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The room was cold, frigidly cold. She looked to the mostly bare walls, nothing but a few random posters tacked up here and there. She wrinkled her nose, tears stinging her eyes. She'd helped him put the posters up years before, teasing him and telling him ever so carefully that his taste in music was sub par.
"Hey Joe," she murmured, hugging herself.
With a sigh, she uncrossed her arms and began collecting his things. She packed away some of the clothes that he'd left there, the cds, ones full of angry music and melancholy lyrics, and his books.
Beth ran her fingers along the spine of one, a tear escaping. He'd loved his books. Joe had hidden them from Bones, knowing the wrath he'd face otherwise. She opened one faded notebook, tracing the scribbled words in his journal.
The words and thoughts were scrawled across the paper, messy with some badly misspelled. Neither boy had lasted very long in school; Bones had taken them out early on. She read a few sentences, smiling faintly as Joe rambled on about a scrawny cat that he'd found hanging out behind the bar when he was ten or so.
Beth closed the book abruptly. "I’ll keep some. No reason to throw them all out,” she said to the empty room.
The door creaked behind her, swaying just the smallest bit in the draft. She smiled, wiping at the stray tears with the heel of her hand. “Yeah, I know, cryin’ an’ being too girly for you,” she whispered.
She resumed cleaning out his room, packing away the evidence that anyone had ever lived in the small room.
X
“Bethie? Eddie’s here to see ya, girlie,” Sammy said, poking his head into the back room.
“Mhm, send him in,” Beth nodded absently, a clipboard clutched in one hand. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a flash of Billy’s fingers stroking her face catching her off guard. She blinked, shivering at the memory.
Eddie ducked his head as he entered the room, his large frame filling the doorway. “There’s the classiest girl t’ ever grace this bar.”
“Uh huh,” Beth rolled her eyes. “Eds, seriously, not now, ok?”
He crossed the room to her and leaned against the wall. He peered out the window before grunting, satisfied. “You ok? Sammy’s you been all different t’ day.”
Beth grimaced, the pencil hovering over one of the lines. “I said I was fine, I still am,” she said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you people have jobs? Isn’t there somethin’ else you could be doing?”
“I am, I’ll have ya know,” Eddie shook a cigarette loose from his pack, lighting it with a match struck off his thumb. “Waitin’ for Billy an’ his boys’t’ get back. Gotta report t’ Bones later an’ I got the boys their shipments. I’m killin’ time, is that ok wit’ you?” he raised his eyebrows.
Beth sat down on her step stool, one hand over her face. “I’m sorry, Eddie, honest. I don’t…I didn’t mean to be all bitchy on you.”
“S’ fine,” he quirked a grin at her, and inhaled deeply on his cigarette. “M’ worried ‘bout ya, Bethie. Sammy knows when shit ain’t right. He’s not stupid an’ he knows you got that upset look. Is it Joe? Ya wanna talk ‘bout him?”
Beth shook her head. “I’ll be ok. It’s hard…And we never talked as much as I do with you…but I still miss him. He was a sweet boy under all this gang shit.”
“Joe never woulda lasted,” Eddie nodded once, his eyes solemn and wise. “Never, no matter how bad Billy wanted him t’. Some jus’ ain’t right for it.”
She toyed with her pencil. “He wanted to be a writer,” she admitted after a moment. “He told me that once. I was puttin’ him to bed, he was so drunk…I think he was sixteen. He made sucha mess in the bathroom, kept apologizing to me. And when I put him in the room, he started whispering, telling me all sorts of things. In the morning…he wouldn’t look me in the eyes.”
Eddie flicked the cigarette over one hand, catching the ashes. “Drunk talk yeah, y’ say too much I think when the liquors got ya tongue.”
“I never mentioned it to him, I figured he’d be upset,” she murmured. “Eddie…Eddie, promise me you’ll talk to Billy. I’m scared to death for him.”
“Bethie…”
“Please,” she whispered, on the verge of begging. “He’s got the man’s briefcase…I can’t shake the feelings.” She closed her eyes, hot prickles of fear moving down her neck. She hunched her shoulders, shuddering. “He’s gonna do somethin’ so bad.”
“Briefcase...” Eddie echoed, frowning, “The man, as in the boy’s father?”
Beth nodded. “He had it with him in the chapel.”
Eddie’s head snapped up fast. “Hang on. He took ya t’ the chapel? The fuckin’ office?!”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Billy took ya t’ the office…Bethie, what did you do?” he asked, his voice strained.
Bethie averted her eyes. “Nothin’, I…I…we argued…I s-slapped him.”
He moved away from the wall, striding over to her. “Beth…did he hit ya? I swear t’ God, if he hit ya…”
“Eddie, stop,” she said, backing away from him. “I’m fine, Billy didn’t hit me.”
He moved fast, his hand pushing her hair back from her neck. Beth hung her head to the side, trembling. “Don’t…”
He touched the mark on her neck with his thumb. “Bethie, you didn’t.”
She pushed at him with one arm, her voice uneven. “Don’t. It…It just happened, ok? I never meant to…We…I care, I can’t help it, even when he treats me like I don’t exist, I still care!”
“There’s no happy endin’, Beth,” Eddie took a step back and took a drag on his cigarette. “He’s a Darley, he ain’t never gonna change an’ be what ya need, girlie. Don’t fool y’ self into thinkin’ he’s different from his daddy.”
Beth drew herself up, her back stiff with anger. “Billy is not his father,” she hissed. “Damn you for even thinkin’ it. He needs someone to believe in him!”
“Bethie, it ain’t easy, ok? Y’ think I wanna admit that he’s incredibly fucked up? I love that kid; he’s like one o’ my own, damn it! But I see him, an’ I know there’s not much good left.”
She glared at him and turned away. “I don’t care what you think. And…and what I do or don’t do is none of your fucking business, Eddie!”
“Ya playin’ with fire right now. You’re gonna get burned, Bethie.”
“That’s my decision, not yours,” Beth dropped the clip board and walked out, fleeing the tension filled room. She grabbed her purse and slipped it over her shoulder, ignoring the shouts from Sammy and Eddie behind her.
She ran into the street, choking on the furious tears in her throat. Too late, she felt the arms slip around her waist, Bodie tugging her off to the side, Billy brushing past them without notice. Bodie clamped his hand over her mouth, his lips close to her ear.
“Shh, don’t ya stop him, girl. This ain’t nothin’ for ya t’ see, so ya stay here an’ wait.”
Beth struggled in his grip, biting furiously at his hand. Bodie held on tighter.
“Stop, it’s gonna happen, ya hafta let it happen.”
She moaned, the sound muffled by his fingers. Bodie smiled, flashing a bright grin. “We gonna do right by Joe. Y’ go on inside now, clear?”
Beth sagged back against Bodie, tears dripping freely down her cheeks. He let go of her and nodded, “Inside now.”
She stepped backwards, leaning against the front door of the bar. Billy slid into his car, a gun tucked into the palm of his hand. She crossed herself, praying frantically.
“More blood spilled…” she whispered, the words carried on the light wind, unheard by the men as they left the parking lot.
X
