As his breathing stabilized, Victoria looked up with relieved eyes. She had never seen Huck break down like he had today. She was so used to him being so resilient that she mistook him as being invincible. As Huck dozed off, Victoria gazed upon his peaceful slumber. She scooted away, and flinched in pain as she accidentally placed her palm squarely on a small shard of broken glass. Victoria quietly cursed, then carefully got up while massaging her hand. Victoria looked up to the bar counter, where Gustavo quietly stood with an unreadable face. She nodded with great appreciation.
“Thanks for calling me. Sorry about, uh, making such a mess.”
“If you’re really sorry, buy some beer tonight.”
Gustavo glanced at the unconscious Huck, his brow wrinkling. “Now…how do we get him up without rolling him onto more glass?”
Victoria and Gustavo worked together to hoist Huck up, and half-draged/half-carried the man to a booth. After laying him on his stomach, the two slowly picked out the shards of glass that were stuck in the backside of the thick grey hoodie. To Victoria’s surprise, Huck quietly snoozed away during the entire procedure, not rousing even slightly during the entire process. After the last shard of glass was pulled out, the two of them stood up and stretched with a groan. Gustavo reached into his apron and pulled out a bandaid, handing it to Victoria. He nodded to her hand.
“Your palm got cut, right?”
Victoria graciously took the bandaid, placing it over the tiny cut. “Thanks, Gus.”
As Gustavo grabbed a broom and dustpan, Victoria moved quickly to move the barstools out of the way. While sweeping, the bartender nodded to the blond woman. “How’s the wound?”
She frowned. “My hand? It hurts a bit, but its more annoying than anything.”
The bartender shook his head, continuing to sweep. “No, the one on your leg. What is it, a gunshot wound? Knife stab?”
Victoria flinched, looking up bashfully. “...Did Huck tell you?”
“Nah, just an educated guess. Not many injuries you’d try to hide from Ally.”
Victoria flexed her leg casually. “It was a gunshot wound, but it’s good now. My leg stings here and there, but only when I’m really tired. For the most part though, I’m ok.”
Gustavo stopped sweeping and looked up, mildly surprised. “Damn. You healed fast. Gunshot wounds healed slower while I was in the army.”
The prostitute chuckled, flexing a pathetic bicep. “What can I say, I’m just built different.”
The bartender rolled his eyes and continued sweeping. “Hun, you’re built like a stale biscuit.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow and grinned. “So, I’m rock hard dough?”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Ah, bite me. I thought it was clever.”
The two chuckled lightly, forcing a positive atmosphere in the bar. After all the glass was cleaned up, Gustavo dumped the shards into a bucket and looked up with a more serious look in his eyes.
“So…what do you think about Huck?”
Victoria pursed her lips, glancing at the booth behind her. “I…don’t know.”
Gustavo grabbed a mop bucket and began to slowly mop the floor. “You think what he’s doing is correct, or do you think what he’s doing is just ‘righteous murder’?”
She sat down on a bar stool, her head in her uninjured hand. “I…All I know is that without Huck, I wouldn’t be here. I can’t answer your question without bias.”
He shrugged. “Fair enough.”
The barkeeper quietly continued to mop the area, and Victoria pondered his question. After finishing mopping the floor, Gustavo cleared his throat, causing Victoria to look up.
“By the way, don’t you need to go pick up Ally soon?”
Victoria froze, looking up at the clock hanging on the wall, mentally cursing. She hesitated, looking between Huck and the clock. Gustavo waved her off.
“Relax. I’ll keep an eye on him. I’ll message you after he wakes up and leaves. I’ll make sure the bar is closed until he does.”
Victoria bit her lip, but nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Gus.”
“Mm.”
Just as Victoria got up to leave, Gustavo pulled out an umbrella from behind the counter, handing it over. “Wouldn’t want little Ally to get wet, right?”
Victoria took the umbrella with a thankful smile. “You’re a lifesaver, Gus. Seriously. What would I do without you?”
Gustavo winked, the scar above his eyebrow flexing. “What would you do, indeed. Now hurry up or you’re gonna be late.”
Victoria quickly stepped out of the bar, her flip-flops slapping against wet concrete. She contemplated using the umbrella, but decided the air resistance would only slow her down. So, the prostitute ran through the rain with surprising speed, her golden hair shimmering across Blackerd town.
...
Victoria caught her breath under a tree, her leg stinging in pain. She pulled out her flip phone to check the time, relieved to see she had made it with two minutes to spare. Damn was she fast. If it weren’t for her newest leg wound, she could’ve ran for the olympics. Well…no. Victoria hated running, but she was still darn pretty fast.
The schoolbell rang, and children scrambled out of the building wearing hoods and wielding umbrellas. Some of the more tougher children displayed their strength by walking out with no rain protection. Among all these bold kids was a little bob of sunshine, bouncing around amongst the crowd. Victoria raised her umbrella, waving over to her younger sister. An audible squeal rang out from the crowd, and Ally ran over to her older sister with a blinding smile.
“Hiya Vicky!!!”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6P6BvcKvFA
Victoria laughed, holding her sister in a tight embrace. “Hey, sunshine! How was school?”
Ally grinned. “A boy said he liked me! I like him too! We’re good friends now!!!”
Victoria winced. “Oof. Yikes. Uh, well, good for you! Let’s head home!”
The sisters huddled under Gustavo’s umbrella, and Ally enthusiastically told many stories to her older sister. The stories themselves were fairly uninteresting with very little substance, but Ally’s enthusiasm alone brang much joy to Victoria’s day. After today’s events, Victoria could use a shot of happiness and positivity.
The two of them walked home, and both went out of their way to jump into every single puddle possible, laughing at the size of the splashes. As they walked up the driveway, the two of them shook off what water they could, with Victoria holding a finger up to her mouth to “hush” her sister about today’s events. Ally giggled, repeated the action, and nodded. The pair stepped into the house, with Olivia getting up from the couch to quickly look at Victoria.
The disorderly girl coughed. “You, uh, still feeling good?”
Victoria feigned wooziness. “Oh no, my head feels sooooo bad!”
As Ally chortled, Olivia panicked, unsure of what to do. After a few seconds, Victoria chuckled and waved her off. “Nah, I’m messing with you. I’m good, thanks though. Just got hit by some rain.”
Olivia let out a sigh of relief. “Oh. Oh, thats good to hear. Go wash up before Dante yells at you guys for tracking water in the house.”
Victoria winked to her sister, and the two quickly dashed off to their room to grab clothes. The pair then hurried off to the bathroom to take a quick shower. As they exited, Dante stood, wearing a crusty bathrobe, folding his arms. Upon seeing Ally, Dante softened his expression and unfolded his arms.
“Why’d you guys shower?”
Victoria forced a smile. “Rain, you see, made us wet. So, we decided to wash off the water.”
Ally laughed, and Danted pursed his lips. “Mhm.”
He looked down at the younger sister and nodded. “Sorry, Ally, but could you wait in your room? I need to talk to your sister for a sec.”
“Ok Mr. Donny!!!”
Ally waddled over to her room, and Dante nodded to the kitchen. “Let’s talk in there.”
Victoria’s smiled faded, and she nodded. Dante and Victoria silently walked over to the kitchen, sitting in their respective chairs. After making sure Ally wasn’t in the room, he sighed.
“Fucking…damn. She’s exhausting to deal with.”
Victoria smiled warmly as she flipped Dante the bird. “Up yours, douche.”
The kingpin grabbed a few papers and slid them over to the woman. She took the papers and scanned it’s contents, mildly confused at the descriptions. Dante cleared his throat.
“So, majority of bounty hunters have moved to Maplewood, according to my guys. There are still a few in the Ghetto, but because they’re massively outnumbered, they’re forced to stay hidden and act more passively. You should be able to more safely go out again.”
Victoria pointed to her leg. “Still wounded.”
“Fuck you, I don’t care.”
“Well, fuck you too. Damn.”
Dante waved a few other papers in his hand. “If you begin working again, I’ll give you this.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Ah, yes. Paperwork. The biggest bargaining tool. How could I resist?”
Dante raised an eyebrow, then began to read the first sentence of the paper. “Joel Lee, fifteen, has turned himself in regarding the case of the Mapl-”
Victoria lunged at the paper. Dante pulled the papers out of reach, cackling as he did.
“I knew it. Knew you couldn’t resist news and information on your boytoy.”
Victoria grit her teeth. “Scum.”
Dante waved the papers. “Honestly, you should be grateful. Normally, you wouldn’t even be granted access to this information. Hell, there’s nothing stopping me from just forcing you outside. However, tell you what. Go out and work for me again, and I’ll intervene with the brat’s case myself.”
She froze, unsure if she heard him correctly. “What?”
“Prostitute yourself, and I’ll see it that Joel’s case is resolved my way.”
“But…why?”
He put the papers down on the table, but Victoria was too confused to reach out and snatch them away.
Dante looked at Victoria with a bored expression. “The brat earned my respect. He’s more of a man than half this stinking town. Plus, it’d be a damn waste to see such a brilliant mind rot away in jail.”
A lump of worry formed in Victoria’s throat. Dante never complemented people without reason. “What…do you plan to do?”
Dante smiled, causing a chill to run up Victoria’s spine. “None of your business. Now, do we have a deal?”
...
After her discussion with Dante, she returned to her room where Ally was doing her math assignment. Her brow wrinkled as she stared at a problem. Victoria peered over her sister’s shoulder, a small grin creeping across the corners of her mouth.
“What does that problem say, Ally?”
“Five x three.”
“Not x, Ally. That’s a multiplication sign.”
Ally looked up and tilted her head with a puzzled expression. “Mulplasion?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8EL5jM5U4
Victoria chuckled and ruffled her sister’s hair, her hand stiffening as she winced, forgetting about the glass cut from earlier. “Crap…Multiplication, sweetie. Well, I guess it’s easier to say ‘times’, so its five times three.”
Ally shook her head, looking at the clock. “Nuh uh! It’s four thirty!”
“No, sunshine. I’m talking about the problem. Different meaning of time.”
“Oh, ok!!!”
“So, what does five times three mean?”
Ally blankly stared at the paper as she tried to remember today’s lesson. “Uh…three fives!”
“Good girl! Now, what does three fives equal?”
Ally counted on her fingers. “Fifteen!”
“There you go. So, five times three is fifteen.”
Ally wrote down the answer, then looked at the rest of the worksheet. “This is alot.”
Victoria chuckled. “Yeah, well… it gets easier the more you get used to it.”
As Ally continued down her assignment, Victoria quietly rubbed her arms, thinking about Dante’s proposal. After a while, she looked up to her younger sister.
“Hey, Ally?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you miss Joel?”
Ally’s eyes lit up. “Is he coming back from his vacation???”
Victoria smiled, her eyes looking down slightly. “Never mind, don’t worry about it.”
...
Victoria stood on the corner of the street, a mild shiver running through her arms. As expected, foot traffic was low since the bounty hunters had just left Blackerd. After two customers, Victoria proceeded to see no one else in the area. There were a few catcallers who drunkenly yelled out of a car, but Victoria just smiled and flirtily waved at them. After a few hours of shivering in the cold, her phone rang. Victoria checked the caller ID, her eyes lighting up upon seeing Gustavo.
She quickly flipped the phone open. “Yo, Gus. He awake? He ok?”
Gustavo chuckled across the line. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, darling. He’s up. He’s just drinking some water and eating wings. Poor fella hadn’t eaten in days, can you believe it?”
Victoria sighed a breath of relief. “I can believe it. The dumbass.”
There was a moment of silence, before Victoria heard the bartender clear his throat. “By the way…Huck said he would hold off on ordering a drink until tomorrow.”
Victoria bit her lip. “Oh. Uh, just to clarify…what drink is he ordering?”
“I…don’t know. He said he would decide tomorrow, depending on how he was feeling.”
Victoria nodded slowly. She wasn’t sure what was best for Huck, but she had already agreed to trust him to make the best decision. “Got it, thanks for the heads up. Is the bar busy tonight?”
Gustavo clicked his tongue, and Victoria could visualize him peering outside the bar’s window. “Mmmm…nottt really. I think the rain earlier dissuaded people from coming in. I mean, that doesn’t make too much sense, but it’s the only reason I can think that no ones come in.”
“Cool. Can I swing on by?”
“Can’t say Huck would enjoy the attention…go for it. He could use the support.”
...
Victoria powerwalked to The Bottlecap, hopping over fences and cutting through lawns while wearing her hotpink dress. She tried her best to duck out of the sidewalk and local streets, since a scantily dressed blond woman would attract too many eyes. After half an hour of walking, she reached the entrance of the bar and discovered why the bar had no patreons: Gustavo, intentionally or unintentionally, had left the “open” sign flipped to “closed”. Victoria rattled the doorknob, and sighed. The door was locked. The barkeeper had locked everyone out of the bar.
She walked around to the alleyway, and leaned against the blue trashcan to hide from the wind. Victoria shot out a quick text to Gustavo, letting him know that she was outside. Gustavo didn’t respond. However, Huck exited through the alleyway five minutes later, confirming that Gustavo had seen her text. Huck flinched upon seeing the prostitute clad in hot pink, saying nothing. Victoria’s eyes shone, yet she said nothing as well.
The two of them quietly stared at each other, before a big breeze blew through the alleyway, causing Victoria to shiver. Huck noticed her small tremble and took off his hoodie, handing it to her. She hesitated, unsure if she should accept the warmth. Huck rolled his eyes.
“I was gonna take it off anyhow, Vic’. It was stuffy in the bar.”
Victoria graciously accepted the hoodie, throwing it over her thin dress, rubbing her arms to quickly spread the warmth. The hoodie smelled musty. It smelled like Huck. Huck cleared his throat, nodding to her.
“So, uh…sorry for earlier. And…thanks.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow and put her hand to her ear. “Hmm?”
Huck pursed his lips. “I said, sorry for earlier, and thanks.”
Victoria stuck her hip out and overemphasized a finger to her chin. “Hmmmmm? I’m sorry, Hucky! What do you mean? Whatcha sorry for, and whatcha thankful for?”
Huck scowled, then sighed. “Nevermind. Seems you’re back to normal.”
Victoria’s heart fluttered, and she laughed. “As are you. Don’t sweat it, babe.”
Huck frowned. “Don’t call me babe.”
“After today, I think I’m allowed to call you whatever I want.”
“Ugh. Fair… I guess?”
The two of them walked to the parking lot, yet turned the corner to see a nearly empty parking lot. Huck slapped his pockets and groaned.
“Crap, I walked here. Didn’t bring Carlos.”
Victoria immediately took note and widely grinned. “Yo!”
Huck looked over with a raised eyebrow. “Hm?”
“You finally called him Carlos!”
Huck flinched and turned away, his ears turning red. “I said car, you misheard.”
As the duo walked onward to his apartment, Victoria kept laughing as she took jabs at Huck. The night was cold, but Victoria never felt more warmer. The pair continued to walk home, with the prostitute taking jabs at the sheriff. It was an odd sight, truly. However, when the Christian cracked a smile at one of the escort’s jokes, no one could deny that the sight was positively lovely. Upon reaching his home, the man drove the woman in his brown Lincoln to the kingpin’s house. She jumped out, ran over to the driver’s side, and opened the car door to passionately embrace him. Afterwards, the tired man drove home, and slept. The blond woman kissed her younger sister’s forehead, and slept. The moon grinned wildly, with the stars shimmering in utmost brilliance. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the moon’s performance concluded. The sun rose over Blackerd town, her sunbeams laughing warmly. Another day had begun.
33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQDaln2xYt
