Change Happens Pt. 04

My best friend wasn't a throwaway, but she had made her choice, and I had to live with it.

"What now?" I asked.

"That's up to you," the man replied. "As I said, it all depends on your husband, you aren't even a blip on their radar, for now, the higher he gets, the bigger blip you become."

"If you get involved then we can't help you, this is the last time we will talk about this," Aaron said.

I nodded my head in agreement as they left me there, sitting in my chair. "Do you have to go?" Steven asked. Again I nodded with tears in my eyes. Slowly he walked me out back and helped me get in the truck. It was much worse than I had ever thought.

I didn't know where to go, I drove for over an hour, going nowhere at first then I passed by Doug's and Fran's house, there was no one there, I could tell by the tracks in the dirt road someone left in a hurry maybe a day or two ago. I bet it was Doug trying to getaway. I hoped for his sake. He did get away so he could live with the pain.

I ended up knocking on Ray's door.

"I told you it would be open," he said as he let me in.

I let it all out as soon as I entered.

"She's not dead," Ray said as he gave me a drink.

"They beat her up pretty bad, but she isn't dead, I convinced them to let her go, she is back home with her parents," Ray said. "You are not allowed to contact her. Is that understood."

I was just glad to hear she wasn't dead. "Are you sure?" I asked.

Ray gave me a look that could break stone. I nodded and took a swig of my stiff drink. "You are one of them?"

"Used to be, I earned my exit, and they leave me alone, once in a while, I throw my old weight around and get things my way sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't," Ray shrugged.

"What about me?" I asked. "Can you make sure they don't..."

"You are untouchable, not only because of me, but a few others have seen you and well, having a body like that has it's benefits, as long as you do the right thing," Ray said.

I smiled through my tears. "I will, as soon as he gets home, you have my word," I nodded.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What are you doing up?" Jeff said as he turned on the hallway light and found me in the living room. The two dogs by my side.

"I am holding their releases," I said, making sure he knew they were not tied down or being held back. "I press a button, and they will both be on you in seconds."

"Robin, you are..." Jeff said as he looked around the corner.

"Upstairs," I said as he knew he was looking for the hallway gun behind the picture frame. "That one also," I said as he looked for the shotgun under the hallway mat. "Let's cut to the chase, all the guns are upstairs, even the ones that you thought I didn't know. Ray helped me look for all of them. Right Ray?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ray said from the stairs.

"What's this about?" Jeff said as he looked at me.

"I had a visit today from Aaron and someone that wouldn't give me his name, I also stopped by your job," I said as I looked at him.

The lightswitch in his brain finally clicked on. He smiled "And you think they will let you get away with this," Jeff said with that brazen smile that made me sick now.

"She is untouchable. You know that you aren't," Ray said.

"You bastard!" Jeff said

"I have been called worse," Ray said from the darkness of the hallway.

"So, this is what is going to happen," I said. "You will take the rest of the night to clear out your things. In the morning, we will go our separate ways, say our goodbyes, and whatever happens, happens."

"You're not going to ask why or how?" Jeff smiled.

"Oh, how I wanted to, how I had this whole conversation played out in my head, but no matter the question or the answer it still comes back to one thing, you lied to me, because of you, my best friend is gone and I can never..."

The two dogs started to growl and pull on their releases. I held firm as they strained to get free.

"Fran talked too much, she had to get the last word in, never shutting the fuck up, she had it coming," Jeff shouted back at me.

"And Doug?" I asked.

"He didn't have the stomach for it, even though it was his idea in the first place, one dead body and he was throwing chunks, they knew he wouldn't make it," Jeff shook his head.

"You make me sick," I nodded.

"What about you?" Jeff asked, "You're so naïve, that you thought any of those quick schemes could make me that much money? When was the last time you saw a mailed paystub? Pulling the wool over your eyes was easy."

"What wool, Jeff, that you're what a little peon?" I asked.

Jeff took a few steps forward, and I motioned for the dogs to be released.

"For now, I am, but I will make it, I have already impressed a few of the big dogs and..."

The lights in the living room and kitchen flicked on, and Aaron and the other man and others looked at Jeff. "That is all we needed," the man said.

"You bitch, you fucking bitch!" Jeff said.

I got up from the couch. "He's all yours," I said as Ray, and I walked out.

"What will they do now?" I asked.

"You didn't turn him in, he talked, now they will see what he does, if he turns informant they will find out eventually, if he doesn't and goes to jail without saying a word, he will get some respect but not enough to earn him any help inside," Ray said.

"And me?" I asked.

"You're a free woman," Aaron said as he handed me a piece of paper. "A quick divorce, just like you asked," he said as he walked back inside.

"Aaron," I said.

"Yeah?"

"Give him hell for me?" I asked.

"Absolutely."

"What are you going to do now?" Ray asked.

"Nothing, going to wait until they leave, then take a shower," I said, sitting on the bench outside. "Will I be able to get back to normal?"

Ray sat beside me. "Fuck normal, you will live, and maybe be better off, that's the good thing about change, you never know how it will affect you."

"Agreed," I said as I looked inside my house at the shouting and raging.