Chapter 17 -- Deal or No Deal
When I woke the next morning, Leslie was still wrapped tightly in my arms, as if neither of us had moved at all. I gently withdrew my arms, careful not to wake her. I climbed out of bed and stared back at her sleeping peacefully as small rays of sunlight snuck through the blinds. She was beautiful at that moment, more so than I remember noticing in a while.
I made my way downstairs and found that Mindy was already awake. She was seated at the dining room table reading the newspaper. She was sipping a cup of coffee and chewing on a piece of toast. I notice there was a fresh pot of coffee made, so I helped myself to a cup and joined her at the table.
"How long have you been up," I asked her as I seated myself across from her.
"About a half an hour," she admitted. "Yesterday sucked."
"You will get no argument from me on that," I agreed.
"What are you going to do," she asked me pointedly without looking up from the comic section of the newspaper.
"Everything I can," I told her.
Before Mindy could respond, the telephone rang. We looked at each other and then at the phone with great surprise when it did not ring a second time. We both assumed that Leslie had answered it, which now meant that she was awake. We sat there in silence for several moments until Leslie's footsteps on the stairs confirmed our assumption.
Leslie made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. When she reached where we were seated in the dining room, I couldn't help but smile at her as she was still wearing her bathrobe. She was adorable, though the anxious look on her face pushed that thought out of my head quickly.
"That was Nikki on the phone," she informed us, sounding somewhat winded. "She and Monica are coming over. She said it was IMPORTANT that you still be here when they arrive."
I was surprised by this and not sure what to make of it. I nodded casually and sipped my coffee as Leslie turned around. She headed back through the kitchen and we heard her feet on the stairs once again as she returned to her bedroom.
Mindy continued reading the paper and eating her toast as we waited in silence. I watched her obsessively, thinking the entire time about what an adorably charming young lady she was. Leslie returned several minutes later, now dressed in an orange tank top and denim shorts. Her attire was quite plain yet she was still eye-catching. The doorbell rang and Leslie moved to answer it quickly. When she returned she was followed by Nikki and Monica. I got up to greet them before we all sat at the table. They wore anxious and urgent expressions on their faces as well.
"We have a problem," Nikki announced.
"What would that be," Mindy asked, again without looking up from the paper.
"They have a new target they want to acquire," Monica said softly.
Mindy picked her head up from her paper and focused intently on the lovely redhead seated across from her. All of us had our eyes firmly locked on Monica now as we waited.
"Do you know a lady named Donna-Lee Markson," Monica asked me.
Just hearing her name I felt like I had been hit by a truck. A knot formed in my stomach and my blood began to boil. I placed my hands firmly on the table and used them to push myself to a standing position. I picked up my coffee cup and moved around the table slowly, knowing all of them were now watching me.
I slid open the glass patio door and stepped outside, closing it behind me. I walked a few feet from the door and stopped. I took a long sip from my cup and finished what was left inside it. I then turned and fired the mug straight into the ground as hard as I could. It exploded on contact, leaving ceramic fragments all over the patio. I turned around calmly and opened the sliding door again. I stepped back inside calmly, knowing that all eyes were on me. I continued to move methodically.
"I owe you a new mug," I said to Leslie as I made my way back to my seat.
Leslie nodded simply as I moved past her.
"Are you ok," Nikki asked me.
"No, ma'am, I am very much not ok," I replied simply. "I cannot let this happen to a good person who did not ask for it and does not deserve it. If they go after Donna-Lee, they will be impacting my family and that is absolutely unacceptable. I have no choice but to find a way, anyway, to stop them."
"Brooke told me that you and this person have some history," Mindy offered.
"We have exactly that, history," I confirmed. "But this isn't about history or old feelings. Her father and my uncle Phil have been like brothers for over 30 years. This is going over the line, even for those two cunts."
"What are you going to do," Leslie asked me.
"I am going to do exactly what I am supposed to do," I answered. "I am going to play the hero. Monica, thanks for the heads up. I really appreciate it."
I got up again and headed back outside. Once the door was shut behind me, I pulled out my phone and dialed quickly. I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the ringing line to be answered.
"Good Sunday morning, kid," Bill picked up.
"I need your help, Bill," I said as my voice cracked.
"What's the problem, kid," Bill asked, sensing my despair.
"They are going after my family," I informed him, desperation filling my words.
"What," he questioned. "What are you talking about?"
"Monica just informed us that Kylie is now scouring my hometown for new targets for their game," I laid out for him.
"Oh boy," Bill sighed. "Ok. We have some work to do."
"We need leverage," I suggested. "Any kind we can get."
