Deception (6 page)

It’s 5:03 P.M. and I’m
sitting in my van outside City Hall. I spent most of the day compiling my thoughts and creating what I think is a solid path forward. Frank didn’t find any flaws, but his opinion needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I need someone else with an opinion that matters to take a look.

She’ll be surprised to see me, I imagine, but this cannot wait until the weekend. I roll down my window by hand and wave at her as she exits from the building. She looks at me with uncertainty, but comes toward me anyway. She leans into the window. As she arrives and her blouse separates from her chest, I can’t stop myself from peeking at her exposed cleavage. Just seeing the clasp of her pushup jamming her breasts toward me makes my heart race.

I need to stay focused.

“What are you doing here?” she asks. “I thought we weren’t going to meet up until Saturday.”

“Things have changed. I came up with a full plan today. I have it all laid out at my place. I need to discuss it with you.”

Alicia looks behind her and whispers back to me, “You can’t come here anymore, Billy.”

I just stare back at her, showing her my dissatisfaction with her telling me what’s right and wrong. “Are you coming or not?”

She sighs before quickly tiptoeing around the side of the van and sliding in the passenger’s side. She jams her designer purse between her legs before she engages the safety belt. The sun shines on her legs, and I want nothing more than to reach over and feel them. They look like smooth butter, and I’m sure they feel the same way. Instead, I back out of the spot and glide into traffic, keeping my hands to myself. For now.

Thirty-two minutes later, we arrive at my house. I stop the engine and remove the keys from the ignition before turning to Alicia. “Frank’s inside, you’ve been warned,” I say.

She looks at me with concern. “Why do you say it like that? Is he dangerous? Last night you told me he was stable now.”

“He is. He’s just a little…different. Slow I guess.”

“Is he dangerous?”

I pause. “No.”

“You’re doing a shitty job of convincing me.”

“No, he’s okay. Just be cautious. You never know for sure how people with his disorder will react to meeting new people. He may go off the rails a bit, or he might be fine. I don’t really know for sure.”

“Well if he tries anything with me or if I feel uncomfortable, I’m out.”

I roll my eyes at her.

“I’m not kidding. I’ll turn right around and walk out the front door and you’ll never see me again. You need me more than I need you.”

I glare at her. “Are you sure about that?”

She says nothing and looks away.

I quickly change my tone. “Okay, let’s go.” I open my door and hop onto the paved driveway beneath. Alicia repeats as I do and follows me toward the front door.

Frank is sitting in his usual spot on the sofa with his feet on the table as we enter the house. He’s oblivious to the sound of the door as the high decibel level from the speakers on the TV fills the room.

“Get your feet off the table,” I holler, which startles him. He immediately drops his feet to the floor and jumps up.

“My feet weren’t on the table,” he says to me.

“I saw them, don’t lie to-”

“I didn’t see them on the table,” Alicia jumps in. Frank and I both turn to her. She approaches Frank and holds her hand out. “Hi, you must be Frank. Your brother has told me all about you. My name is Alicia.”

Frank smiles widely and takes her hand. He turns to me. “See,” he says, before turning his attention back to Alicia. “Hi. You’re really pretty.”

“Aww, thank you, Frank. You’re really handsome too.”

Frank blushes at her compliment. I study her as they release interlocked hands. The fact that she blatantly lied and completely discredited my authority pisses me off, but it was a nice gesture to win Frank over. I would never say it out loud, but it was a slick move by her. She smiles at me and I just shake my head with a small grin on my face. Her confidence helps me to justify my decision to even bring her here. I’ve always had the ability to judge people and their sincerity, and I still have it. This is going to be too easy.

I walk into the kitchen and retrieve the notepad from one of the drawers. I bring it to the table and open it up before sitting. Alicia notices and follows me to the table. She sits down across from me and tries to read my scribbles. Frank makes his way to the table as well and sits at the end, the three of us now in a triangle.

“Can I get you anything?” I direct the question to Alicia.

She shakes her head without looking up.

“Okay then, make yourself comfortable. We might be here for a while”

Back in the same
empty warehouse, the two-way mirror stares back at me as I sit in the same bolted down wooden chair. I’m not strapped to the chair this time, which is nice, although my hands are still loosely tied in front of me. The light has been left on for me, so I’m able to get up and pace. I walk the perimeter of the room, counting my steps as I go. One of the cracked pipes has a slow drip and a damp spot is forming below it on the cement.

Across the room, the bulky door squeaks open. To my surprise, Alicia is pushed in and the door closes behind her. I immediately run in her direction.

“Alicia, I’m relived you’re okay! Are you okay?”

She offers me an exhausted smile and nods.

“Where have you been?”

She points to the two-way mirror behind me. “There, in that room. They locked me in and left for a while. I’m not sure how long it’s been.”

“It’s been a couple hours at least.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw the time when I was in the van.”

“Huh?”

“They took me with them, in the van.”

Alicia’s face drops, and she turns a bit pale. “Oh no! What happened?”

“You don’t want to know.”

There is a pause. “I’m so sorry, George. I didn’t mean to get you involved.” She puts her right hand on her waist and grimaces. Her hands aren’t tied and I don’t see any blisters on her wrists, like I have.

“What’s the matter, is everything okay?”

“I’m fine, just a little uncomfortable.” Her clothes are loose and baggy, to cover her belly I guess.

I nod. “Sorry, I guess I’m not too sure how this all works.”

“How all what works?”

“You know, this baby stuff.”

She just looks at me and I can see in her eyes that this upsets her, but I don’t know why. I’m not sure what to say, so I say nothing. After a few moments, I come up with something to break the awkward silence.

“How did you get here? How do you know these guys?”

She opens her mouth to speak but is cutoff by the door thrusting open. Billy and Frank walk in, with Billy leading the way. Frank approaches Alicia from behind and grabs her arm, turning her toward him. He leads her out of the room. Billy stares at me silently for a few moments before speaking.

“Come with me.” Billy motions for me follow, so I do. He leads me down the hall to another room, this one much smaller than the one I was just in. It’s an old office maybe. Frank is sitting behind a table, playing with something in his lap. “Frank, let me have it.”

Frank hands it to Billy, who puts it on the table.

“What is that?” I ask.

“That is for step two,” Billy says.

“Okay, but what it is?”

“Take a look.”

I raise my hands, showing the knot keeping them together. Frank stands and comes around the table, then cuts me free, much like he did in the van. The blisters on my wrists are worsening and calluses are beginning to form. I reach for the table and grab the item. It’s a black hooded headpiece with two vents, one on each side, and a large square windshield of acrylic in the front. A few adjustable leather straps drape off the back. I think it’s a gas mask.

“What are you going to do, gas him out?” I ask.

“No, we’re not doing anything. You’re going to do it. And it’s not what you think it is.”

“It’s not a gas mask?”

“Well, kind of. It is technically a gas mask, but it only works for a certain type of gas.”

“And what would that be?”

“Carbon monoxide.”

It’s close to midnight
and Alicia, Frank, and I are exhausted from long hours of discussion. An empty pizza box rests on the edge of the table, surely leaving a grease stain on the wood beneath. The remains of a now empty six pack are piled inside. Frank’s head hangs off the back of his chair and his mouth open, snoring. Alicia has her head in her hands as she tries to put all of the pieces together. I’m mentally exhausted and could really use some sleep. I’m sure Alicia feels the same way.

“What do you think? Do you think it’ll work?” I ask.

We’ve spent the entire night discussing our options and planning out the best path forward. But I don’t feel like she’s completely on board yet, especially with the last part. It’s a little scary that Frank knows the plan in its entirety, but who’s he going to tell? I just need to watch him carefully going forward.

“It’s a lot to take in. I’m exhausted,” Alicia admits.

“You can take my bed tonight if you want. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

She smiles at me. “Thanks, that sounds nice. What about Frank?”

“He sleeps on the couch.” Alicia raises her eyebrows at me. “By choice.”

She nods. She seems to be putting off the question, so I press again.

“You never did answer the question. Are you in or out?”

Alicia stands and stretches before responding, “I can’t make a decision right now. Can we talk about it in the morning? I need to sleep on it.” She stands behind her chair, looking at me. I catch her hint and rise to my feet.

“Okay, well, I’ll show you where you can crash.” I make my way down the short hallway and lead Alicia into the bedroom. The bed is made and the floor is free of clutter, which seems to satisfy her. “Here you go. There is a bathroom down the hall and I’ll be in the next room over if you need anything.”

She looks at me and smiles. “Thanks, Billy. This is really sweet of you.”

“It’s no problem. Partners, right?”

She smiles again, but doesn’t acknowledge the question. “Goodnight, Billy.”

I nod to her and exit the room. She pushes the door closed, but it doesn’t fully engage. I hesitate, but decide to peek into the crack in the door. Alicia’s back is to me as she unzips her skirt from the rear, her backside protruding from underneath the lace as it loosens. She drops her skirt to the carpet and pulls her blouse over her head. My heart is racing from the thrill of the voyeur and I want to see more. I need to see more. She turns around and faces the door. In a panic, I scurry away and slide into the guest bedroom and quietly close the door. I can hear her close the door fully from across the hall.

I don’t think she saw me, but part of me wishes she did. There is nothing wrong with looking at a beautiful woman, and I’m not ashamed for her to know that I’m attracted to her. I remove my clothes and hop into the bed, which hasn’t been slept in for quite a while. The sheets are cool and crisp and fit snuggly on the pillow top mattress. I pleasure myself to the thought of Alicia being half-naked in my bed before falling asleep.

---

The familiar aroma of
grounded dark roast coffee beans wakes me. I pull on some pants and follow my nose into the kitchen. Alicia is wearing one of my t-shirts and some workout pants, both of which she must have found in my closet. The coffee pot is nearly full and she’s washing something in the sink. Frank is surprisingly awake already, and he’s sipping from a steaming cup. He notices me immediately as I enter the room.

“Mornin’, Billy,” he says.

“Morning,” I respond.

Alicia stops the water and places something in the dish strainer that rests next to the sink before turning to face me.

“Hi,” she says, smiling, “want some coffee?”

“Please.”

She fumbles around in some of the cabinet drawers above her head until she finds the cups. She fills a mug and walks over to me, handing it to me with two hands. I flash her a quick smile in thanks.

“I found some clothes in your closet, I hope you don’t mind,” she says.

“I don’t mind.”

She smiles at me again and walks back to the sink. I grab a pinch of sugar from the glass jar on the counter and add it to my cup. I take a small sip before placing the cup on the counter. It’s time to get down to business.

“So we’ve all had a night to sleep on it,” I continue. “What are we thinking?”

“I’m in,” Frank says.

Of course he is, the question was really directed to Alicia. Frank and I both look to her. She catches us staring and realizes she can’t avoid the question any longer.

“I guess you’re waiting on me, huh?” she says, trying to lighten the mood. It doesn’t work. “I think it’s a good plan that should work for the most part. I’m just not sure about the whole-”

“Mexico?” I interrupt.

“Yeah,” she says, “we barely even know each other.”

I nod in agreement. I hesitate before proceeding, “I’ll tell you what, I’ll leave it up to you. We can go forward with the plan as is, and if you really don’t want to do it when the time comes, we don’t have to. Okay?”

Alicia smiles widely and breathes a sigh of relief. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. We’ll figure something out.”

She walks over to me and pulls me into an embrace. She squeezes me with a heavy heart and I can tell she really means it. I’m not concerned about her apprehension. I’ll convince her to go forward with it when the time comes. One way or another, it’s going to happen, whether she wants it to or not.

“Thank you,” she whispers in my ear before releasing me. She backs up a couple of steps so she can look into my eyes.

“Does that mean you’re in?” I say.

“When do we start?