Wanted (35 page)

Getting greedy now, huh Bonnie? I thought all you wanted was to be with Clyde forever. If everything works out according to the plan, once I do my ritual, you and Clyde will be together forever and Jack and I will head to jail. Then you'll be glad you're not inside of me, right?

Well… I'd rather be here than the waiting place, but as you'll soon find out, the waiting place is better than jail. But as long as Chestnut's by my side, I can be happy anywhere. Don't do anything sneaky now, like trying to bring Clyde back at the last second.

You don't have to worry about that. He's all yours.

I take a deep breath, ready to do what we came here for. “We're a minute away from the memorial, Jack. So the second we stop, we need to run for it, okay?”

Jack nods, but starts hacking away, holding his chest. Another blood-stained stream of saliva leaks out of his mouth. “I… I…”

Rufus holds up a hand. “You prolly punctured a lung. Don't try and talk, or it'll make it worse, y'hear?” Rufus licks his fingers and rubs the unkempt beard hairs alongside his mouth. “Same thing happened to my brother once. He jumped off the plow trying to save his dadburned cow from—”

“Ohmigod—just shut up and drive, will ya?” I watch as the clock turns to 9:03. “Where the hell is this place anyway? You said two miles!” If we don't arrive in the next minute, I won't be able to perform the ritual before the deadline hits. Despite the heat, thinking about sharing my body with Bonnie makes me shiver.

“See those people up ahead a piece? That's the spot you want.” Rufus slows the truck.

“Wait. Why are they here?” My voice sounds high and whiny, not like my own.

Rufus scratches his neck. “Lots of people come by this here rock—some shoot at it, some cuss, some even screw alongside it at night.” He smiles, revealing his rotting brown teeth. “Is that why you two is in such a hurry? You feeling frisky this morning?”

“Pull over!” I bark. “Now!”

He stops on the side of the road, ten yards past the shoddy-looking memorial. I knew from the picture that it wasn't much, but the blob of cement two feet wide by five feet high riddled with bullet holes is even less impressive than what I remember.

I glance at Rufus's clock one last time. 9:04. I bolt out of the car and whip open Jack's door. “Hurry! We only have a few minutes!”

As Jack stumbles out of the car, Rufus says, “You two mind if I watch?”

“Go get your fricking deer!” I slam the door and give him the finger, then turn my attention to Jack.

“Can you run?” I want to link arms with him and sprint to the death rock, but I don't trust that Bonnie won't try latching on to him.

He nods, glancing at me for only a second before starting to jog toward the rock.

My heart stops. Was that Clyde's soft hazelnut ones staring back at me? I stand frozen to the spot for a moment as he shuffles past me, holding on to his chest, coughing. “Come on… Monroe.”

Relief floods through me. Clyde doesn't even know my real name. The gold flecks must have been sunlight or maybe a reflection. Still. I need to double-check one last time before the ritual's done.

When we get to the memorial, two couples roughly our age are there, along with a ton of empty Lone Star beer cans by their feet. Sitting on top of the rock is a guy in an army jacket who has his arm slung around a black-haired girl who has a half-sleeve of tats, their legs dangling off the sides. The other couple, a body builder with an LSU t-shirt and a blonde bimbo, stand a foot away talking.

“Y'all here for the Bonnie and Clyde reunion party?” the army guy asks, handing the tattoo girl a fat blunt.

“Yep.” I kneel on the ground in front of the memorial, reaching into my purse to find something I can dig with. I think about using the butt of the gun but decide on the hairbrush. Would be just my luck to accidentally kill myself. I jab the handle of the brush into the gravelly ground again and again, not making much progress. I start pounding it into the ground as hard as I can, little clods of dirt flying up.

LSU guy steps forward, standing only a few feet away from my meager hole. “Why are you digging?”

It's not a deep hole, but it'll have to do. I almost say, “none of your business,” but don't want to start a fight. “It's for a love ritual, that's all. We'll be gone in a few minutes.”

I reach into my purse and grab the folded poem. An electrifying zing travels up my arm, making me drop it onto the ground. I'd forgotten Bonnie's ability to control me any time she's touching something that belonged to her. I'm about to reach in and grab the slugs when I stop. I can't afford to lose precious time hypnotized by a two-minute mind movie.

Jack has his arms crossed in front of him, but at least he's not making a run for the police station. “Jack, you need to grab the slugs out of my purse—quick!” I hold my open purse out to him. “They're in the side pocket.”

I hope you know what you're doing, because I don't feel Clyde's spirit here.

Just hang on, you will in a minute.

Jack reaches in and pulls the slugs out, brushing my arm. I wince, expecting Bonnie to yelp or grab on, but she does nothing. Jack holds the slugs out in his open palm while I remain in control of all my limbs.

Touch him again! I could have sworn it was Clyde.

I ignore her, not falling for any more of her tricks. Pushing my hair behind my ear, my hand trembling, I glance at Jack. “Now drop the slugs right there and I'll read the poem.”

Jack nods and tosses them into the hole.

LSU guy steps closer. “Hey, what are you doing? You're making me nervous.”

“Like I said before,” I say, fighting to keep my tone even, “we're trying to reunite Bonnie and Clyde. You know, for their anniversary gift.”

I grab the poem from off the ground as another icy sensation races up my arm. Fighting nausea as I unfold the paper, Bonnie competes with me for use of my arm muscles. I grip the paper tightly between my fingers, my hands shaking as I try to lay it flat on the ground. But when I try to release the paper, she won't let go.

Stop it, Bonnie! We need to read this so you can be reunited with Clyde.

Fine. I'll read it.

Bonnie starts reading aloud,
“You've read the story of Jesse James/ of how he lived and died./ If you're still in need;/ of something to read,/ here's the story of Bonnie and Clyde.”

“That's the poem!” The tattooed girl looks at her friend. “The one I told you about!”

“You like it? I wrote it!” Bonnie drawls.

“Funny.” The stoned blonde girl erupts in giggles at the thought.

“No, it's not. It's a dedication to my true love.
My
true love,” Bonnie barks before resuming use of my vocal chords.
“Now Bonnie and Clyde are the Barrow gang,/ I'm sure you all have read/ How they rob and steal;/ and those who squeal,/ are usually found dying or dead.”

Fighting to get control of my fingers back, I concentrate on pulling my elbows apart, hoping she'll drop the paper, but Bonnie grips it even tighter.

Damn you, Bonnie! You agreed to this—to being with Clyde in the waiting place.

I'm trying something else.

LSU takes a swig of his beer. “Read it louder,” he commands. “I like it.”

Bonnie continues reading—louder, faster. I pray she'll finish it before the time ticks even another minute.

“Anyone want a hit?” Army Dude holds in a lungful of smoke.

Jack shakes his head, his jaw set tight.

Bonnie rushes through the middle stanzas. She must be too delighted with revisiting one of her beloved poems to realize this ritual could mean the end of her, or else she doesn't really care about being with Clyde after all.
“If a policeman is killed in Dallas/ and they have no clue or guide./ If they can't find a fiend,/ they just wipe their slate clean/ and hang it on Bonnie and Clyde.”

“If they can't find a what? Let me see that.” LSU reaches out to snatch it from me.

Bonnie pulls it out of his reach and continues reading, louder, faster.

Jack steps between us. “Leave… her… alone,” he hacks out.

I attempt to scream, “Grab it, Jack! Take it from me!” but Bonnie won't allow me to speak. The closer we get to the deadline, the stronger she's becoming.

LSU laughs. “What are you going to do if I don't? Cough on me?”

Holding his side and wincing in pain, Jack reaches into my purse and pulls out the gun. “Or kill you.”

LSU's eyes bug out of his head. “Whoa! What the hell, dude? Put that away.”

I watch in total shock as Jack takes a fast step forward, jutting out his chin in a threatening gesture. “Leave!”

Clyde must have totally worn off on him, I think. Unless… oh my God. No.

Army Dude and his date slide off the rock in a hurry. “Man, total buzz kill.”

I keep stealing glances at Jack whenever I can, desperately needing to get a good look at his eyes or see some other telltale sign that will confirm which guy this is in front of me. But he stands with hands in fists staring at the four stumbling off toward their car, swearing and complaining.

A horrible, gut-wrenching thought occurs to me: Could
Bonnie
be trying to do a ritual to get rid of
me
instead of the other way around?

Bonnie laughs.
Who's the stupid cluck now?

Jack leans against the rock and casually crosses his ankles. The whole trip he was trying to run to the police, but now that I need him to pay attention and see what's going on, he's completely oblivious. What the hell? I try to stand up so I can kick Jack or do something to alert him, but the moment I do, Bonnie keeps my knees bent and starts reading even faster.

Stop this, Bonnie! This is
my
body,
my
life!

Not for long it ain't. Buh-buh-bye! Have fun in Limbo! Isn't that what you told me?

She shouts the final stanza, as if to drown out my screaming pleas, as she digs out the lighter.
“Some day they'll go down together/ they'll bury them side by side./ To few it'll be grief,/ to the law a relief/ but it's death for Bonnie and Clyde.”

She thumbs the wheel of the lighter, igniting the flame. She lights the edge of her poem. I watch the flames race up the sides.

Bonnie cackles.
Rest in peace, you little tramp,
and sets the poem into the hole.

The second her fingers—no,
my
fingers—are no longer touching something that belonged to her, I leap to my feet and reclaim my body, gloriously happy to be back in charge of my own limbs. “Goodbye, Bonnie Parker!” Making fists, I raise my arms up in a V. “Rot in Limbo, you annoying Clyde Barrow groupie.”

Whatever that is, you are one, too. But since Clyde's coming with me, it looks like I win after all.

Thinking of Clyde makes my heart heavy. In a way, she's absolutely right—but for the wrong reasons. While she liked the rush of loving a badass gangster who robbed banks for a living, I fell for the kind, non-criminal side of Clyde Barrow. He's probably pissed as hell that I betrayed him, not to mention completely freaked out as he watches his second chance burn to a crisp through Jack's eyes.

Clyde, where are you?
Bonnie wails, frantic.
Come with me now!

He'll join you in the waiting place in one second, I reassure her. Together forever, just like you wanted, the moment these final shreds of paper turn to ash. I'm vaguely aware of a car engine starting, followed by an old rap song about Bonnie and Clyde blasting from the windows.

I gather some dirt with my toe, ready push it over the fire and end our ritual. I fold my hands, praying that the wishes of the dead as well as the universe have been satisfied. With only a tiny corner of the poem left to burn, I deliver what I hope is the perfect eulogy. “Bonnie and Clyde, may you now be buried side by side, just like you always wanted.”

Jack grabs my arm—hard. “Hold up.”

Clyde!
Bonnie squeals with delight.
There you are!

I feel a combined rush of sadness and guilt, knowing Clyde is heading to meet her at that moment. Goodbye, Clyde, I whisper. It was cool getting to meet you. You're not as horrible as everyone thinks.

Jack seizes his chest. “Lord, grant his final request.” He leans over and spits a bloody mass into the hole. “Find it in your heart to let Jack Daniel… reside in heaven forever and ever.”

And with that, the last of the poem burns completely and he pushes the dirt over the hole with his toe. “Amen.”

“Yes! We did it!” I squeal, hugging myself.

Wait.

He said Jack Daniel.

I'm caught off-guard, zapped into the twilight zone. I can barely breathe as I turn toward the guy next to me, looking for a retraction. What I see is Clyde's golden eyes gazing back at me. “Clyde?” I whisper.

He nods, grimacing in pain. “You got that right.” He gives me a lop-sided smile, a bit of red saliva glistening on his lips. “It's me and you from now on, Twinkle.”

My head spins, blackness flitters at my consciousness. It can't be! How did I screw this up? I swallow hard. “Is Jack gone?” I lick my lips but my tongue is dry.

“As soon as the deadline hits, he will be. I did a ritual granting what I figured was his last request—going to Heaven.” He smiles, holding his chest. “Ain't that grand?” He looks to the sky and shouts, “Thank you, Lord!”

“I… I'm confused.” I rake my fingers through my hair as it all becomes clear. How could I have been so blind? So dumb? Jack would never have picked up that gun, would not have been brave enough to get rid of the stoners.

Clyde shrugs. “Let me help you out. Bonnie's last wish was to be buried together, but mine was to live forever.” He smiles at me. “Thanks for granting my wish.”