180 Degrees-Tae & Vicky's Tomorrow 04

"Snow storm."

She spoke the code word nervously and then listened as the other person disconnected. Snow storm...it was how they'd met. They'd agreed on the code word because who else would know it? Who else would think of something so...boring? She stared at the phone in her hand, knowing she was violating her agreement with the government, knowing she was risking her life and Tae's life yet again...

When the phone vibrated in her hand, a blocked number appearing on the screen, she almost cried with relief. She pressed the button and brought it up to her ear.

"Baby? You okay?"

The words, asked in that deep, raspy, sexy-as-all-hell voice, were her undoing. She sank to her knees as the trembling she'd held at bay all day consumed her, tears choking her.

"Tae..."

A choked whisper, the only word she could get out as she tried to force herself to calm down, as she listened to Tae's instructions to breathe deeply, as she tried to pull herself together.

"Babe, what happened?"

"Dylan," she choked out.

She met with icy cold silence as she tried to get more words out. And then the words rushed from her as she filled Tae in. When she was done, Tae said nothing, absolutely nothing, for quite a few seconds.

"Tae?"

"I'm here baby...get rid of the phone."

And just like that, she disconnected the call. Vicky wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. She was probably expecting Tae to drop everything and come rescue her, as usual. And maybe that would happen...but did she want it to? Tae would come to resent her eventually if she, like a child, always needed assistance. God, should she have handled this on her own? She couldn't even tell if Tae was angry or not. She had that iciness in her voice she always got when she was preoccupied, or worried...or pissed.

As these thoughts plagued her, she returned the piece of wood to the floor, re-positioned the carpet and pushed the sofa back in place. Then she made her way to the bathroom, removed one of the tiles, behind the toilet, reached into the small hole she'd dug into the sheetrock, and removed a second burner phone. There were two others hidden in the apartment, all with numbers only Tae had. When she turned it on, again, she was relieved it still had a charge. If she stayed here, she would have to unearth the other two and charge them. She hadn't done so in about a month. And she would have to replace these two...

She was sipping on an ice cold shot of vodka, poured from the bottle she kept in her freezer, when the second phone finally rang. When she answered, she said nothing at first until she heard Tae say their code word.

"I'm sorry I had to call you," she offered quietly.

Tae sighed, "baby, I told you that most likely you would. Why do you think I gave you the phones? Where's the first one?"

"I broke it into pieces like you told me."

"Good. So...we have an idea."

She waited, holding her breath.

"We want you to agree to do it."

The words chilled her. "You want me to agree to kill your grandfather?"
A pause, "yea baby, I do. It will buy us some time. Do you think you can do that?"

She swallowed...if she couldn't convince them, she would be dead.

"I—...Tae...I don't want to meet with him alone again."

"You won't baby. I'm sending down a friend. She's going to be with you day and night until you're with me again, okay?"

Not the words she wanted to hear, but comforting words nonetheless.

"The marshals won't like that," she offered.

She could hear the anger and frustration in Tae's voice, "you mean the same fucking idiots who let that asshole stroll into your office today? Don't worry about them."

"You're going to tell them about Dylan?"

"No, they'll move you if I do. And like I said, I want you to agree to their proposition. Convince them that the only thing you want is to be with me and for this all to be over."

Vicky didn't say a word. Thatiswhat she wanted.

"It's okay baby. You're gonna be okay, all right?"

She nodded, knowing Tae could not see her. "I miss you so much."

And then she could hear the warmth in that husky voice, the love and comfort she so desperately needed, completely unseating her.

"I love you," Tae reminded her softly...tenderly. "You're going to be okay, I promise. Try to get to some sleep. And toss the phone."

Seconds later she was crushing the second phone with a hammer.

*

Tae disconnected the call and looked over at her grandfather.

"Relax Taegan. Jari will take good care of her."

Tae ran trembling fingers through her thick, silky hair, closing her eyes. The mention of the tiny, shapely, completely surprising Puerto Rican bodyguard/assassin did calm her a bit. And she knew she could not go to New Mexico herself. She knew it...although every fiber of her being wanted to be on a plane already.

"He walked right into her office. He could have put a bullet in her head."

"Taegan, it's taken care of. She did the right thing. She handled it and then called you. Calm yourself, Cariña."

Tae took a deep breath. She could have lost her. She could be flying down to claim a body right now. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. It would serve no purpose for both of them to panic. If she could just convince herself not to take care of it herself...no, she couldn't. Not this time.

***

Vicky didn't get much sleep that night. Not that she was expecting to. And she forced herself to go through her morning ritual as if nothing had changed. She knew the marshal would stop by to check on her at 7am, as usual, so she busied herself with paperwork until then. When someone knocked on the door at 6:40am, she frowned, hesitating before approaching the door. The marshals tended to stick to a schedule, they weren't usually early...

"Who is it?" She called from a few feet away.

"Snow storm."

The "friend" Tae was sending down to keep an eye on her. She sighed, rushing to open the door.

"Hug me as if we're old friends."

The woman ordered and Vicky did as instructed, pasting a huge smile on her face as bent down to hug the compact stranger, welcoming the woman inside and closing the door behind them.

"Lock it."

She did, turning to take in the woman. She was small. No more then five feet. And she was very attractive, with creamy, flawless honey-brown skin, curvy hips and long dark hair that hung down to her waist. She wore pricey sneakers, tight designer jeans and a top that highlighted perfectly shaped, perky breasts and a flat tummy. She hardly looked like someone that could protect her...until she removed her sunglasses. Her eyes were a very dark brown, almost black...and cold. Vicky saw no emotion in them. The woman raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Victoria Longman?"

Vicky nodded.

"I'm Jariana. Everyone calls me Jari. Tae's father was my Godfather. While I'm here, you will do everything I ask without question. I'm here to save your life, so this is important. You understand?"

She had a thick Spanish accent, her mouth curving around the words in a way that would have been damn sexy if Vicky wasn't freaking out. So she just nodded.

"Youcanspeak, right? They didn't say you were mute."

Vicky swallowed, "I can speak. I'm just a little—"

"Yea, I can imagine."

She watched as the small woman took in their surroundings, quickly moving through each room. After a few minutes, she returned to stand in front of Vicky.

"I want you to move into the guest bedroom for now. There's only one window in there and it faces the front of the building. It's much less likely for them to try anything with so many potential witnesses."

It wasn't a question, so Vicky didn't respond.

"Why don't you do that while I handle the marshal?"

She said it seconds before there was a knock on the door. Vicky raised a brow, but instead of worrying about how she knew the marshal was about to arrive, she went to gather some clothes and toiletries from the master bed and bath. When she was finished, the marshal was already gone. Vicky only briefly wondered what Jari had told him.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and change and then we'll head to your office. I'm your new security guard, okay?"

When Vicky looked her over with a surprised look on her face, the woman offered a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "people will only question it ifyouquestion it. Sodon'tquestion it."

And with that she disappeared into the master bedroom, carrying a bag Vicky hadn't even realized she'd brought in with her.

*

The day went well. I had mentioned hiring a security guard a few times, so no one was surprised when I introduced Jari. If they were a little taken aback by a tiny female security guard, I simply didn't indulge their doubts, just as Jari had instructed. If they were surprised the new security guard seemed to be located primarily in my office, I still didn't indulge them. I just went about my day as if things were normal.

Jari was silent most of the time. Watching me without watching me and on her smart phone most of the time. Her presence made me long for my own silent protector...the one that was currently 2,000 miles away. But I fought down that longing, occupying myself with work instead.

The parents of the child who had been taken into custody appeared around 1pm to yell and blame me for the state's decision. It was odd. I watched as Jari stood, moving into position behind them as they continued to point their fingers in my face, screaming and gesticulating. It took me a moment to realize Jari was just about ready to take them down before I shook my head in her direction. If I couldn't deal with irate parents, I should probably quit my job. Still, it was nice to know she was on top of things.

There were no other surprises after that. Just a day filled with the regular tedium. I locked up at 5:30pm and then stopped by a local pizzeria to buy a pie for dinner. There wasn't much chitchat. In fact, Jari had barely said ten words all day. Still, I felt better with the woman close by. Certainly safer then I would have felt alone or with the useless gentlemen who had been parked across the street before. They were gone by the way, which didn't surprise me at all.

And I didn't really want to think about tomorrow. Tomorrow Dylan would appear in my office and ask me to agree to kill someone who had saved my life. Not that it mattered if Don Carlos had helped me or not in the past, I couldn't kill anyone...could I? If my life really depended on it, if Tae's life depended on it, could I kill someone? I shook off the frightening thought, praying it wouldn't come to that.

*

I was surprised I could sleep, but somehow I managed to. In the morning, I dressed with care for some reason. A long cream skirt, a black turtle neck, thick rose quartz jewelry around my neck and wrists...I felt like I needed the extra power looking nice would afford me. Jari was dressed in clothes very similar to the previous day, the same pricey sneakers, a different pair of formfitting, expensive jeans and a different flattering top. The woman could probably wear a garbage bag and look down right sexy.

My stomach was in knots, so I didn't eat. Jari raised a brow, but didn't say a thing, as I put eggs, bacon and toast in front of her and only poured orange juice for myself. I sat across from her in silence as she ate, trying to calm myself down. This woman was here to protect me. Everything would be okay. I was just pretending to agree to work with Dylan and his merry band of assholes. Of course, if he didn't believe me, he would probably kill us both. I toyed with my half-filled glass, totally preoccupied by the thought.

"Señorita, do you trust Tae?"

The question was asked abruptly and I was startled from my thoughts. Jari was staring at me with those cold, dark eyes.

"Of course," I answered without hesitation.

"Then trust she would not send someone incompetent down here to protect you. And trust that she will have me killed if I let anyone harm you. So, try to relax."

I nodded, but I had been left with marshals and private security in the past that let me down. So, I was far from absolute conviction.

"My first kill was at 13," she continued, watching me carefully, "an asshole, like your ex-boyfriend, who thought he could rape me because he was a friend of my father's. I grabbed an ice pick and held it up to his eye. He thought it was cute. Didn't think I could do any real damage. I put all my weight behind it...shoved it into his eye. It took him almost 20 minutes to die...and I watched. I felt little remorse. I sat with him until my father arrived and then explained what happened. My father was relieved, not disappointed, not angry. He bought me my own gun when I was 16."

The story was so shocking, I couldn't think of anything to say.

"So, do not worry. I will not hesitate to kill anyone who I believe means you harm, okay?"

She didn't wait for an answer, standing to get her jacket. I slipped into my own trench coat, her words still on my mind as she led the way to my Ford.

When I arrived at work, I was able to put Dylan out of my mind. We had a leak in one of the classrooms, a very sick child in another class, and a scheduled fire drill. By the time lunch rolled around, I wasn't thinking about Dylan, the Netas or death threats. So when I walked into my office some time later, and Dylan was sitting in one of my guest chairs, I wasn't sure how to react. Unfortunately, Jari was nowhere to be found. So much for her promises, I thought, as I closed the door behind me.

"I only have a few minutes Dylan, we seem to have back-to-back problems here today."

I sat down behind my desk, trying to exude calmness and confidence even though my heart was racing and I could feel my hands trembling slightly.

"What if I said no?" I asked abruptly, hesitantly, avoiding his gaze.

"Then I stand up and leave."

I looked directly at him then, "except you know where I am now."

He shrugged carelessly. I stared at him for a moment longer.

"Dylan, you know me. Ican'tdo this. Don't make me do this."

He ignored my desperate plea, simply watching me. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, I sighed heavily.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" I asked curtly.

"Everyone has a choice Vic."

I closed my eyes tightly, wishing him away, before I opened them.

"Fine."

He smiled, slowly, attractively, a smile I'd never seen before. Then he stood, approaching my desk as he reached around his back.

"You know Vic, I think you're full of shit."

I saw the gun, pointed directly at me, and I froze. A million thoughts ran through my mind...a pair of intense, grey eyes lingered...

But a second later I heard two soft pops, hardly loud enough to register, and the nasty smile on Dylan's face shifted. Suddenly his face reflected surprise, maybe even shock, before he dropped, hard, to the cute rug I'd bought to cover the damaged hardwood floor.

Jari was standing in the doorway of the closet in my office. We used it to store office and art supplies. She moved forward, quickly checking for a pulse, then going to lock my office door while unscrewing and pocketing what could only be a silencer, replacing the gun from where ever she'd retrieved it, all before I took my next breath.

"He was going to kill me," a choked whisper...was thatmyvoice?

"No. I told you I would not let him."

She was pulling at the body, struggling with his weight (he was slim, but tone).

"Señorita, we need to roll him up in the rug and put him in the closet.Ahora."

A pause on my part...uncertainty...and then I was moving forward to help her pull and tug him to one end of the rug, grunting and straining as we rolled him and the rug forward, sweating as we struggled to drag him, and then prop him up, before forcing the closet door closed. We were both sitting on the floor beside the closet door, breathing heavily, when a knock sounded on the office door. I quickly glanced over to where the body had dropped. There was a reddish-brown stain on the floor.

"Give me a sec," I called out, making my way to my desk and locating the Lysol wipes I kept in my bottom draw. Moments later, and about 10 wipes later, I was opening the door.

"Another sick kid in Ms. Halbry's class. He threw up twice already. Should I call his parents?"

Lizzie, asking a normal question about a normal problem...there was a dead body in my closet...Dylan's body...

"Uh...umm..." I couldn't think. I had just rolled up a body in a rug and shoved it in a closet. There was a body in my closet...Dylan's body...Dylan's dead body...

"Uh...let me head down there first. I'll be there in a few minutes."

I closed the door in her face, turning to Jari.

"I can't do this."

"Yes, you can. Go, check on the child."

I stared at her for a moment, not sure what to do next...and then I opened the office door and headed toward Ms. Halbry's classroom.

*

For the next few hours I wondered what would happen next. Some clandestine trip to the closest river to dump the body? To an incinerator? Or would we stop at Home Depot and buy shovels? How would we get him into my small car? Would we get pulled over? And if we did, would the cop notice how bizarre I was behaving (bizarre behavior was a given)? Would he see blood dripping from the trunk? Would we be arrested?

These thoughts kept running through my mind as I went on with my day. We had to call an ambulance for the second sick child. He was burning up with fever. Finally the plumber arrived to address the leak. Lizzie asked about the missing rug, but I told her I'd spilled something on it and had it taken to be cleaned. I would buy another one just like it tomorrow...if I wasn't in jail.

Two late-arriving parents forced us to stay until 7pm that evening. I was absolutely and totally exhausted. My brain was so fried I could barely form a sentence when Jari asked what I wanted to eat for dinner. I believe I said something like I would never be able to eat again.

As soon as I got home I took a piping hot shower, trying to wash away...any part of what had happened. I pulled on a pair of jeans and an oversized, old, very soft flannel shirt after. It might have belonged to Dylan at one point, which I thought was kind of...sick. Still, it was comfortable and that's what I needed right now.

I was waiting for her to suggest that we go back to the office once we both had a chance to rest a little, but she'd gone into the master bedroom and had not come out for a while. I finally knocked on the door, jumping when she opened it immediately, as if she'd been waiting for me.

"Uh...don't we need to take care of—" I started hesitantly.

She smirked, "not an issue. Get the third phone."

I was so relieved I would not have to deal with Dylan again that it took me a moment to realize what she'd said. The third phone. Tae. I rushed past her, grabbing my desk chair and carrying it to the walk-in closet. Inside, I stood on the chair, then on tiptoe, reaching up to push aside one of the ceiling tiles. I left the chair in the closet and hurried back to the guest bedroom,mybedroom now, closing the door just as the phone rang. I pressed the button to answer, but didn't say anything as instructed.

"Snow storm."

That voice...that deep, husky, sexy voice...

"Tae," I breathed, my voice distorted...trembling.

"Baby, you have your bag ready, right?"

I didn't like the sound of that question although a part of me knew it was coming. We'd killed Dylan. Which meant he hadn't reported in. And they knew where I was...

"Yea."

"As soon as we're off the phone, babe, okay?" She ordered in a no-nonsense voice. But she didn't wait for me to answer, "you okay?"

Was I okay? Was I okay? How could I answer that? I'd witnessed a murder today. The taking of a life of a man I once knew...a man I'd once loved, or thought I loved. And then I helped roll his body up in a rug and shove him in a closet. And then...then...I'd gone back to work. Like it happened every day. And yes, I'd thought about it. But I hadn't called the police. I hadn't told anyone at work. I'd just...I'd just...no, I was not okay. I wasreallynot okay.