Page 14 of Atonement

6

Tuesday

9 p.m.

One thing Magnoliasaid Sunday burns, grabbing ahold of every last space in my mind, and threatens to never let go as we sit side-by-side in my car and wait.

“...you’ve stuck your hands' places they don’t belong.”

It’s a truth I’ve been trying to outrun for seven long years.

We’ve been sitting here close to an hour now, and I still can’t get the venom from those words out of my mind. I look down at my fists, clenched tight in my lap, knuckles white as memories resurface and I find it utterly impossible to stop thinking about all the blood my hands have spilled since then. All the life I’ve taken. All the life I can never give back. The life I'd give anything to replace. Anything to resurrect. No matter what I was asked to sacrifice in exchange.

“He’s going to fuck it up, I know it,” Magnolia’s whisper breaks through my self-pity, pulling me back to the present as I glance over at her in the darkness. “Fucking Timmy. Why’d our only hope have to be a spineless computer freak who wouldn’t know the basics of how to tug on his own dick to get off?”

A grin spreads across my lips because she just pegged him perfectly. Shrugging my shoulders, I look back straight ahead and wait for our signal as the quiet threatens to bring back with it the nightmare I’d give anything to escape. Unfortunately for me, that requires luck. Something I haven’t had when it comes to outrunning our demons. Something, I’m hoping finally changes. That is, if Timmy follows through for us tonight.

“What?” I force a laugh. “Did you actually think this mission could be accomplished any other way? With a man instead of a boy?” I wait for her response. For the quick wit of her addictive tongue. When it doesn’t come, I go on. “Real men have already mastered the games boys can’t stop playing, Mags. We grow tired with the sport; move onto more - amusing conquests. A man’s too busy ruling his world. Taking his place as a King. Boys, well they’re still trying to figure out what world they fit into and losing at the games that keep them there. Our friend Timmy is a prime example.”

She turns and looks at me and I can’t help but do the same, staring back in the eyes of the one woman who will always hold more power over me than she knows. A woman that can call bullshit on every word I’ve just said because I’ve gladly lost every game we’ve started since the day we met just to keep her in my world. And what’s more, I’ll go on losing, even just for a chance, and even if she never lets me back into her heart. Her eyes cast down between us as the air becomes almost too thick to breathe, the pull between us too strong, like always. It’s an invisible wire that’s always had us more tangled than free.

“How’s that going for you,” she whispers, as her soft eyes look up and hold mine. “Constantly losing the game that’s keeping you here?”

I swallow harshly as my teeth grind together with such force I swear they’ll break. “I know what world I fit into, Sweetheart,” I snap. “If you’ve forgotten your place in it, I’ll be happy to remind you.”

She closes her eyes as a sinister smile spreads across her dark face, the pull between us beginning to snap as reality sets in. “Mm, broken promises, mediocre sex, hell on earth tormenting me daily.” Her eyes open as fire fills my veins. “I think I’ll pass, Ace.”

Before I can respond, motion across the lot catches my attention and has me quickly moving to exit the vehicle. With my hand on the door handle, I look back at Magnolia and say, “Mediocre sex my ass, Mags. Your pussy’s never been owned more than when I’m the one fucking it. That’s a certifiable fact.”

Climbing out of the car, I slam the door and leave any bitchy reply she can think of inside the vehicle with her, where it belongs, instead of pulling me down into hell like she always intends. The cold night air is a welcome contrast to the inferno raging inside me. A fire that I notice slowly begins to simmer as I look back in the car and see Magnolia at a loss for words.

Finally.

But before I can enjoy the break in her armor too long, motion across the way catches my eye again; this time Magnolia notices too as she exits the car and we both take a couple of calculated steps to meet up at the front of the hood.

“One more signal and we’re going in,” I whisper with bated breath, knowing Magnolia’s right. Timmy is going to fuck this up, and when he does, it’ll mean more innocent blood spilled on my hands that I could’ve tried to stop.

We wait, holding our breath as the venom we’ve just spread between us inevitably seeps in. The tension between us threatens to smother us. The past will always pull us back into hell the longer we leave shit unsaid. It’s a dangerous threat to our control, our ability to finish the job, a brewing disaster that needs to be dealt with. But now is not the time. Wrapped up in thought, I almost miss the third signal a second later, but it catches both our eyes, and we quickly take off towards the back entrance.

“Fucking Timmy,” Magnolia seethes just as I press the button on my earpiece and speak into the mic.

“Cut the hallway and rear cameras at building two.”

“10. 4,” our man responds. One of four actually, sitting in the van across the street and backing us up because we all feared Timmy wouldn’t be able to get through this one tiny task without screwing it up somehow. “Camera 3 is down. Camera 4, 5 & 6 disabled. You’re good to go.”

Using our stolen IDs to enter the building, I keep my hand rested on my gun and go first, Magnolia follows directly behind me, waiting for me to signal she’s in the clear. With a brief nod, I move out of her way and let her take the lead as we quickly walk down the bright hallway.

When we reach the end, she glances around the corner and rolls her eyes.

“You're up, Ace. Looks like my show’s been given an intermission until later,” she sighs in annoyance as she falls back against the nearest wall.

Well, shit, I wasn’t expecting this, but with all the underlying fury running through my veins, I’m game to put on one hell of a performance. I quietly put my gun away for the moment, run my fingers through my hair and flip a switch in my head as I take a step around the corner.

The pretty little receptionist sits quietly behind her desk. She’s here way too late and catching us both off guard. Lifting her head, she bashfully smiles, obviously nervous, before sitting up in her chair and glancing at the phone on her desk. I can tell she’s wondering if she needs to call security. See if I’m authorized to be here, because, in reality, no one is. But as she looks back up, and her cheeks flush an adorable shade of pink as I come a little closer, my bets on the fact that little Goldilocks here won’t say a damn word as she quickly glances back down into her lap. Her flushed, flustered demeanor is a dead giveaway. Taking a few more steps in her flustered direction, I know there is no way in hell she’ll be picking up the phone to out me, authorization be damned.

“Excuse me,” I smile, but she still doesn’t lookup. “Miss, I’m sorry, but I think I’m lost.” Her eyes finally flutter up to mine, a darker shade of pink dusting her cheeks as I take my final step to her desk and flash her my deepest, sexiest grin. “Do you think you can help me?”

My question startles her, and she looks behind each shoulder wondering if she’ll get caught, or worse, if maybe this is a setup. When her eyes find mine again, she clears her throat and sits up a little straighter.

---