Page 14 of Vipers & Roses

“I don’t know. I was too fast escaping out the door,” he says flatly. “Trying to catch up with you, but you were gone.” He makes a zoom sound and uses his giant hand to mimic a car, boat, or other fast-moving object.

I snort and tip my head back and laugh.

“I caught up with you now, though,” he proudly states. “Persistence always pays off.”

“Depends on the girl you’re pursuing,” I hint that he’s barking up the wrong tree. Please don’t fall for me. I’ll only disappoint you.

His smile fades again as those blue eyes drill into my face as if trying to read my mind. “It never ends well for the male mantis,” he says, surprising me not only with his knowledge of insects but of how insightful he is.

“You’re right, it doesn’t,” I agree, avoiding his eye.

8

“Why did you say yes if you’re not interested,” Zara bellows as she walks out of the liquor store carrying the bottle of Famous Grouse Scottish whiskey for Dad’s birthday since I’m not yet 21 years old and ineligible to buy it. She’s colored her short spikey hair jet black and the tips purple and is wearing a lime green tee shirt that reads; I Shot the Sherrif, and then in smaller font, but I didn’t shoot the deputy.

I can’t let on my plans to get close to The Lion and seek out his schedule with the objective of killing him. No one can know because that would make them accomplices, and I must make this between two people: me and the rapist. It’s not anyone else’s business.

“Because he seems nice,” I answer truthfully because Cormac does seem nice, although a little intense. But then ‘intensity’ is part of the territory of elite athlete status. “It’s just a dinner. Don’t read into it.”

She hands me the bottle in a brown paper bag, and I slip it in my bag, then check my shopping list to avoid Zara’s penetrating stare, unique to this 5ft4 terrifying woman. I have never met someone who can kill a man or woman with one single look, but I’m glad we’re on the same side.

“He seems nice? Tell me about him,” she demands as we walk back to my car several rows down in the parking lot.

“He’s probably about 6 feet 4 inches, a swimmer, and wiped green aphid goo off my face,” I explain. My heart flutters a little as I reminisce about how sweet that was, although I’m unconvinced he did that to be lovely but because he didn’t want to be seen with someone with green sludge on their face.

“Congratulations you’ve finally found your Shrek,” she laughs like a witch, “Princess FiOna.”

“I think I’m the ogre in the equation, and he’s the handsome prince. Anyway,” now I’m getting cringey, “he needed a date, so I said yes.”

“And what are you going to do if he…you know,” she points to my vag, “wants to get it on.”

“I don’t want to think that far ahead,” I sigh as the emotions storm into my chest and feast on my heart. “And since when has the word sex been replaced with Marvin Gaye lyrics?”

“Okay. How long has it been since a man sexed you?” she teases as I unlock my old Corolla.

“Two years,” I stall until we climb inside. “I haven’t looked at another man, although I have been asked on dates.”

“You’re afraid of intimacy, so you say no to every offer that comes your way, apart from Shrek. Shrek will be the pioneer to break the cobwebs,” she states, pointing her short, stumpy finger at me. “I had hopes for you and Blake, but he’s,” she waves her hand about searching for the right words, “on the dark side.”

“How dark? I thought he was a mere small-time thief,” I encourage her to offload this particular subject.

“Is he still teaching you how to shoot a gun?” she asks curiously.

“You’re ignoring my question,” I bark hotly. “How dark is Blake, Z? LordVoldemort dark? Ted Bundy dark? Al Capone dark? How dark?” I ask eagerly.

“I can’t talk about his work life because I don’t know the entirety of it. I’ve only worked with him a couple of times,” she explains.

“Really? This is news to me. What jobs did you and Blake do together?” I sound demanding. Where did this come from?

“Come on, Rae. You know I can’t talk about this stuff,” she snarls impatiently. “Now, you answer my question. Is he teaching you to shoot your gun?”

I start the car up. “I thought I would watch a couple of YouTubes or something.”

She shoots me a sharp look. “Rae, don’t be stupid. Call Blake.”

“You just said he’s on the dark side,” I argue, raising my voice.

“You won’t see that side,” she yells back.

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