Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Nov 22, 2009 21:49:29 GMT -5
Practically ready to explode into a thousand tensed Dare pieces when Connie grabbed his wrist, it was all the poor guy could do not to walk himself into a lamppost, if only to make his brain start working right.
All the fuck he could fucking think of was those damn memories. Waking up to find his wife tucked against his side, breath soft against his neck, Maria crawling into the bed with them and babbling something in baby. Of late nights out on a job, Connie at his back, knowing that nothing would go wrong as long as they stuck together. Then the feeling of the wire cutting through the skin of his neck, the fuzzy pain as the world blinked around his eyes, his wife’s face hovering over his, a smug mask on his face…or was that terror…
Yanking his wrist out of her hand, he gritted his teeth and clutched his eyes shut. He needed a goddamn minute to get used to this shit; seeing her again, having to think through a jumble of emotion. Pain, anger, shock, remorse, guilt…and that ever loving, go to hell, why won’t you just DIE, goddamn SOB love.
Even after all that, he still loved her. He’d never admit it, never show it and never accept it, but he knew it nonetheless. So being so closed to her…it was just too volatile.
Which was exactly when a bolt of lightening whooshed down from the clouds above, to a tree next to them. The branches exploded, sending splinters flying in all directions and with a curse, Dare shot forward and tackled Connie to the ground. Please, sweet Jesus, say that the woman didn’t have a pistol in her pocket that would go off and punch a hole through his stomach, and the electricity would stop on the goddamn stump. Holding his body over hers, he grunted as the little wood pieces jabbed at unprotected skin.
Crap, he had to get himself under control. Take some deep breaths, think of some calming thoughts, maybe imagine himself in a stone cottage somewhere…or hell, a well paid whorehouse would be nice too…
But did any of that work? Of course not, because he wasn’t a normal person. What made him calm down in the end, he was frikken annoyed to realize, was the simple, familiar smell of Connie.
Gun oil, lavender lotion and leather. Goddamn, he was so screwed.
As if by magic, the storm above began to settle down. As the wind settled, rain stopped pelting and people began moving around the street, Dare slowly lifted himself off of her, absently brushing stray pieces of wood off of his shirt.
Ow. He had a frikken piece of wood sticking out of the side of his frikken neck. Before any potential good Samaritan could make themselves feel pretty and help the ‘guy in need,’ he yanked it out of the meat between his neck and shoulder…
And pretty much screamed. Great, now his reputation was freaking DEAD.
Curses streaming out of his mouth, he yanked a bandana out of his pocket- frikken New Orleans heat made a guy need something like that when he was going around during the day- and stuck it against the wound. Jerking himself to his feet, he practically hauled Connie up and dragged her down the street.
“’Easy Livin’ Motel. That’s where I’m stayin,” He snarled, one hand on his neck and the other gripping her sleeve. “We’ll go there. Frikken got a first aid and towels there. FUCK MAN. Can’t frikken win for any frikken thing…”
Rambling on and cursing, he practically frog marched his wife down the street and stopped at a ground level room. The motel was cheap and the inside was a testament to the fact, but hell, it was clean and all he really needed was a bed and a bathtub. Stomping into the bathroom, he peeled off his jacket and shirt and tossed a towel over his shoulder.
Connie could look after herself for five goddamn minutes. He needed some time to…naw crap, he needed some time to make up a will. Talk about a guy’s life doing a 360.
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Connie Buchannon
*Civilian*
Aka, 'Mrs. Butcher,' and one of the toughest ladies on the block. She's street smart, won't hesitate to protect her family...and is current driving her ex-gangster hubby insane. But he don't mind: if it's off to Lala Land for him, why not get sent by a beauty like his Connie?
Livin' La Vida Loca
Posts: 93
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Post by Connie Buchannon on Nov 23, 2009 13:07:54 GMT -5
ConnieConnie rolled her eyes a bit as Dare shook her hand off his arm. She went back to resuming hugging herself as her teeth chattered. Her long dark hair hung down in dripping strings, stray strands plastered to her face. Dare seemed to be still trying to collect himself when the sky went nuts again. This time instead of thunder, lightening flashed brightly like a flashbulb. All Connie could do was stare as she saw it strike a tree just yards away from them. She was still wondering how the hell that happened when she found herself on the ground and Dare on top of her, debris from the tree that was as dangerous as any shrapnel was swirling through the air and falling all around them.
The shocked lifted when she became aware of the position she was in. She was lying on her back with Dare's body pressed on top of her, his arms wrapped around her. He was protecting her she realized but all she could do was close her eyes and resist the urge to pull him harder against her so she could burrow in deeper and find that perfect spot where her body curved and fit together with his like puzzle pieces.
Then it struck her, she was warm, in more ways than one. God damn it if her body was reacting completely on it's own. It had been so long but it was so familiar and truth be told, very very comforting to have him holding her like that again. She hadn't really thought about it before, them actually 'being' together again. Well maybe she had wished she could go back in time and change things, fix things and they would still be together, but after what had happened she figured even entertaining the idea of reconciliation a wild fantasy.
As she laid there trying to clear her mind of the colliding memories and dangerous thoughts of wanton desire the raging storm that was just assaulting them dissipated. Connie forced herself to take deep breaths again. Reality coming back to her now as Dare raised himself up off of her.
Pushing herself up into a sitting position on the ground she eyed him. Wondering if he had felt anything of that spark between them. Then she noticed the jutting piece of the tree that was embedded in his neck.
Connie was about to jump up to try and help him when he took care of it himself. Any movement she had started was frozen in place as he howled out in pain. She was still sitting rather dumbfounded when he grabbed her by the arm and started walking down the street.
All she could do was nod and keep quiet while he told her which motel he was at. He then proceeded to go on a mini-rant regarding their current circumstances. Connie couldn't help the twinge of guilt that hit, knowing if she had just stayed away none of this would have happened. It was her own selfishness that had brought her to him, needing to get out of her own mess. But seeing him obviously tormented over her re-appearance had her shaken. Stupid, stupid, stupid she thought to herself. Hadn't she done enough damage?
Connie allowed herself to be pulled along. Too stunned, cold and lost in her own thoughts to struggle against him. Arriving at the motel Dare fairly stormed through the door and Connie entered after him. She stopped in the middle of the room and watched as he headed to the bathroom. Water was dripping off of her, soaking into the carpet beneath her feet, a small puddle starting to form.
Walking over to the bathroom door she stood at the threshold. Teeth still clattering together and her whole body trembling from the cold. All the bravado she had started the night with seemed to be gone for the moment. It hadn't even been an hour since she first walked into The Pit. All that swagger and attitude, now she was standing there like a drowned rat staring at Dare as he started to shed his wet clothes. "Ummm... Dare. I don't have any clothes. Everything is back at the bar in the rental car. I'm freezing my ass off here." She stood there like an idiot. Not sure what else to say to him right now. It seemed anything she tried to say would just make things worse than they already were. Besides, with her clothes soaked through and clinging to her, her hair sopping and plastered in disarray on her face, she probably looked pretty pitiful and pathetic at the moment.
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Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Nov 24, 2009 17:18:38 GMT -5
Thank God for the pain in his neck- literally, this time- keeping his mind off of what just happened. No, FUCK, he did not just cause a storm that made lightning shoot down at his own scraggly ass. He did not just feel a jolt of complete lust while shielding a woman who’d tried to kill him…hell, he did NOT just try to save the woman who tried to kill him!
God, he was fucked up. Screwed in the head, missing a few marbles, one potato short of a—
A growl of irritation replaced the thought, as he poured some iodine onto a towel and slapped it against his neck. Jesus effing Christ on a goddamn crutch, OW. Gritting his teeth, he kept the towel placed on the wound for all of a minute, focusing on the pain so he wouldn’t think of other things. Then Connie’s voice rang out in the quiet room, and all pretence of pretending none of the last twenty minute’s events had happened. Woohoo. Now, to deal with this minute’s problems.
…Aka, cue random eye popping.
As Dare turned around to snarl that the towel he’d chucked over his shoulder had been for her and not his own amusement, the words died in his throat. Sure, Connie was looking a bit worse for wear, with her scraggly hair and runny makeup…but hot damn, if he was wishing she’d worn some baggy shirt that day.
Water + tight outfits = nothing left to the imagination. God. He was either gonna shoot himself, or something was out to get him.
Blinking, the dark little part of his mind had his eyes trailing over her from head to toe, liking what it saw very much. The other side, completely disgusting at its sibling, had him bending over to pick up the towel and tossing it at her.
Man, talk about being of two mindsets. On the one hand, he was sorely tempted to sweep her up in his arms and show her how he could warm her, while the other was ready to start banging his head in the doorjam for even THINKING such things. She’d drugged him, let his enemy into their house, and left him to die. There was no going back from that.
…Or was there? That, at least, was what that devil on his shoulder was whispering. There had never been another woman like Connie…not even Rachel, whom he’d thought he’d loved, once upon a time. Yeah, he wasn’t a masochist; being still in love with the woman who’d betrayed him.
Freud, you’re officially a douchebag.
“Here, just take this,” He grumbled, practically shoving the towel into her hand. Stomping over to the chest of drawers at the other side of the room, he yanked out a Godmack tshirt, some sweats that he’d mistakenly shrunk last week and threw them at her.
“Use the bathroom and change into those for now. We’ll get to your car later. Hope you didn’t park in a restricted zone.” He couldn’t help but add the last part with a smirk. Though, the fact that he was standing half naked and bleeding probably took away from the snarkiness. But hell, he was doing his best with what he had.
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Connie Buchannon
*Civilian*
Aka, 'Mrs. Butcher,' and one of the toughest ladies on the block. She's street smart, won't hesitate to protect her family...and is current driving her ex-gangster hubby insane. But he don't mind: if it's off to Lala Land for him, why not get sent by a beauty like his Connie?
Livin' La Vida Loca
Posts: 93
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Post by Connie Buchannon on Nov 26, 2009 0:35:56 GMT -5
ConnieConnie was still standing there in the middle of the room, the thoughts in her mind swirling. Waiting for Dare to respond to her. Watching as he grumbled around in the bathroom she realized she was staring at his now shirtless upper body. With his low slung pants her eyes couldn't help but keep drifting to those jutting male hip bones that were now exposed.
Catching herself she took in a slightly gasping breath and averted her eyes. This was NOT normal... She really hadn't expected this. Connie was no shrinking violet, no wallflower. Generally afraid of nothing, she was bold... Went after what she wanted. Took no shit from anyone for the most part. But, she had a knack for getting herself into situations she didn't know how to get out of sometimes.
The incident with Vincent those years ago. Suckering her in and then attempting to kill Dare. That was the first time she had gotten herself into a situation where she felt trapped. The same thing had happened in AC with Ray, the casino owner. One minute Connie thought she knew exactly what she was doing, she was in control of the situation, the next she was in the middle of something she didn't want to be in anymore. And how it had gone from point A to point B baffled her.
Now was kind of one of those times and she didn't like it one bit. But all the thoughts, all the memories, all the feelings, all were so unexpected... It was not how she had planned it out. Chalk another winning decision up to Constance Serafina Pancero.
So... She stood there, practically paralyzed. Wanted to just scream for everything to stop. To get herself back in control . But she couldn't, she was looking at Dare and remembering better times and it had her out of her element.
In a daze she took the towel he thrust at her. Her automatic pilot seemed to kick in and she slipped out of her drenched leather jacket. Shaking it a bit before she draped it over the back of a chair. Now she was standing there, still soaking wet with just her skimpy red, short cropped camisole top on. The leather pants heavy with water hanging dangerously low on her hips. Absently she used the towel to start drying her hair. Trying to push it out of her face and put it back in some kind of order.
On reflex she reached up and caught the clothing Dare tossed at her, not really paying attention to what he said. She was still kind of lost in that state between wanting to scream at him and wanting to turn tail and run. Get the fuck right out of that room. Just another thing that had her off her game. Yeah, running from Ray was one thing. The reasoning behind wanting to get away from Dare was a completely different animal. The conflicting emotions were about to drive her insane.
What she really wanted to do at the moment was curl up on that bed and make everything go away. She was pretty sure that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. The situation was what it was and she was stuck with it, she'd have to deal with it.
Having not really heard what Dare had said to her when he threw her the clothes she walked over to the foot of the bed and set them down on the edge. Laying the towel down next to the clothes. Quickly she pulled her boots off. Then with out thinking she unfastened the button on her pants and tugged the zipper down. She proceeded to shimmy out of the pants, it was proving difficult as they kept sticking to her skin. Finally getting them down far enough she was able to step out of them.
Connie wasn't paying attention to Dare, in fact she was barely even aware he was in the room at this point. She was trying to focus on keeping her mind clear and getting out of her wet clothes.
Clad now in her camisole and black lace panties she bent over and picked up the pants from the floor. Holding them by the waist band and shaking them out a bit. They were probably ruined but she could still try to salvage them maybe. She walked over to the table and draped the pants over another chair next to the one the jacket was drying out on.
With a heavy sigh she walked back over to the bed. Picking up the clothing and the towel. Making her way over to the bathroom now she lifted up the cami and pulled it off while she walked. Turning it right side out she went inside the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door. She placed the wet top over the empty towel rack and setting the dry clothes on the counter. Lastly she slipped out of the black lace panties and hung them up next to the red cami. Using the towel she dried herself off, then pulled on the sweats and t-shirt. Finding another clean towel she pulled it down and wrapped it turban style around her wet hair.
At least she was dry now she thought. Maybe she could get her thoughts in order. It was then she finally came back to the reality that Dare was there and turned her attention to him. He had a very strange look on his face and it didn't register why he would be staring at her like that. Raising an eyebrow at him she spoke. "So... Do you think we can talk now? Possibly without killing each other?" Connie moved through the room back to the bed. She crawled over the edge and sat herself down cross legged in the middle of the mattress. Eyeing Dare and waiting for him to respond.
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Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Nov 28, 2009 15:48:57 GMT -5
Oh, well…hello, little black panties. He’d love to introduce his tongue, the floor and all kinds of eyeball-bugging, as they were his best friends at the moment…
Another string of curses had spilled from his lips as he tripped over the bedside table on his way to a bottle of scotch stored inside the drawer. The hand gripping the towel against his neck had jostled, pain had spiked and he practically snarled questions about the table’s dubious parentage. Then, he turned around when Connie began to speak, ready to tell her where she could shove her sarcasm, and all intelligent thought left his head.
Left, to be replaced by a mantra of ‘what can I possibly do to make her take those off too?’
And then, holy God and Jesus effing CHRIST on a crutch, she went and stripped off that practically see through little tank top, and his entire body went into inferno mode. When the hell had he caught the train down to Hell?
Eyes practically glued on the figure in the bathroom, his fingers twitched at his side. How he wanted to close the distance between them, come up behind her and pull her into his arms. Would her skin feel as soft as memory claimed? Would she make the same sounds, taste the same when he bent down his head to run his tongue along her neck? Were those goosebumps on her arms? Oh, he could definitely warm her up real good…
Letting the bloody towel drop to the ground, his eyelid twitched as she came to sit on the bed. He knew firsthand how that innocent face twisted itself as passion took, how her nails felt on his back—
Holding one finger up in a ‘please hold’ motion, Dare moved intently over to the front door. Turning his back on Connie- damn, she’d probably noticed that ‘turned on’ didn’t even cover his state right now- he faced the door, put his hand on the handle, and took a deep breath.
Then he tilted his head down and slammed the goddamn thing right into his head. Then again, again and again.
“Alright,” He said once the little show was over. Tears had sprung into his eyes at the abuse, and his head was practically screaming bloody murder. “Now I’m sane again. Connie, the only person who might die tonight would be my ass. Now that you’re dry, start talking before something annoying happens, and I’m forced to stick something else in that goddamn door.”
The last part was muttered more to himself than to her, and he glared at her as he moved over to a chair on the other side of the room. No way in hell was he going to actually sit on the bed with her…and hell, he was warm enough now, so he didn’t need a towel!
Flopping down, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Speak. Now.”
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Connie Buchannon
*Civilian*
Aka, 'Mrs. Butcher,' and one of the toughest ladies on the block. She's street smart, won't hesitate to protect her family...and is current driving her ex-gangster hubby insane. But he don't mind: if it's off to Lala Land for him, why not get sent by a beauty like his Connie?
Livin' La Vida Loca
Posts: 93
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Post by Connie Buchannon on Nov 28, 2009 22:17:58 GMT -5
ConnieConnie sat and watched as Dare moved away from her. Then it finally dawned on her what his problem was. It was quite apparently actually once she'd finally paid attention. Then she couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face. The look on her face changed though when he moved to the door. Shock was again the expression of the evening when he started to introduce the top of his head to the door. "DARE!! What the hell... " She let the sentence trail off. Shaking her head slightly. Watching as he moved to sit himself down in a chair across the room from her. If his eyes could shoot daggers at her they would have been right about now. Sighing she stared back at him as practically demanded her to start talking. Feeling the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him she resisted. Choosing to curl her lip up and giving him a bit of a Billy Idol sneer instead.
Not about to speak on command she took her time. Stalling for a few moments she pulled the towel off her hair and started dry her hair as she sat on the bed. A satisfying little thought ran through her head. She hadn't intentionally meant to get him all riled up. Really hadn't even thought about it. But it made her feel good to know she still had that affect on him. "Sorry, I didn't think... with the clothes thing... But damn Dare, it's not like you haven't seen it all before." Trying to play it cool she smirked at him. Patting at her head some more with the towel. Getting it dried off enough that it wasn't dripping anymore before she dropped the towel in her lap. Glancing up at Dare again she let out a long deep breath before she started in. "OK. The short version is... I got to AC, I got a job. This guy, who just happened to own the casino I worked in, plus four more took a liking to me. He taught me the business. Pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about how to run a casino. You know how much fucking money ONE casino pulls in? It's crazy. Really." Connie paused for a moment realizing she had gotten off track. She took another deep breath, getting her mind back in focus. Dare was already on edge and it wouldn't do her any good to piss him off more than was necessary. She needed to get to the problem at hand. "So... anyway. Things are going along fine. I mean I was making good money, a good life for Maria and me ya know. But this guy, Ray, the casino owner. He just... Well... Let's just say I wasn't happy with him OK? I mean it was great he taught me everything but... When he started talking about getting married and shit... I knew it was time to get out. I mean I was already feeling trapped. He kept me under his thumb. And I knew he was serious about getting married when he told me I needed to finalize a divorce with you. So... I figured it was time to get out of there." Another pause as she looked over at Dare. Trying to judge how he was taking all this. Connie was sure he was getting pissed off about one thing or another, least of all her taking too damn long to get the story out. After a moment she continued. "I knew I had to go, but I couldn't just leave. I had to have a plan. I mean he wouldn't just let me go. There was no way. He had his little watch dogs on me most of the time. Not to mention, I couldn't just leave with nothing. I had Maria to take care of. So... I had to make nice. Play along for awhile. I got my plan together and was just able put it into action a few days ago. I transferred ten million dollars into an untraceable account in the Cayman Islands. That's just petty cash to Ray, he probably hasn't even noticed the money is gone. Well, I'm sure he's noticed but that's not what he gives a shit about. The problem is he most definitely has noticed the me and Maria are gone so now it's personal for him. Kind of like if he can't have me then no one can type of thing. Plus, he doesn't like the fact that I pulled one over on him. So, he's pretty pissed to say the least. I don't think I have to tell you what kind of trouble that puts me in right? And Maria." Connie practically whispered the "And Maria" part. Once again Connie's brashness and leaping before she looked had bit her in the ass. She hadn't meant for Maria to be stuck in the middle. All she wanted was to be able to get away and take care of her daughter. Give her a good life. For all the stupid things Connie had done in her life, she took being a mother seriously.
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Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Nov 28, 2009 23:29:56 GMT -5
Yeah, ‘ol Billy didn’t look quite as good on Connie as that flirtatious smirk from before. But thank you Jesus, it made it easier to lose the…happy soldier and go back to being sane. He was SO not getting turned on by the frikken woman who’d betrayed his frikken ass. No way in hell.
…Aw, who was he kidding? He was so screwed, he’d be walkin’ funny for the rest of his life.
“Yeah, momentarily dazzled by some good memories. Whatever. Just keep talkin’ before I get bored and chuck your ass out.” Grumbling, Dare stretched out in the chair. Man, was it always fun to pretend to be relaxed, when a guy’s muscles were really tensed to an explosion point. He was just waiting for someone to bust through the door, gun in hand…or, hell, for Connie to finish the job.
He’d have to change motels, now, goddammit. Whether or not the woman made him all kinds of crazy, awoke those annoying smushy feelings…he couldn’t trust her. There was just no frikken way.
And then she had to go and talk about some other guy wanting to get married. Damn it all to hell, but the surge of jealousy was so big, he was surprised his head didn’t pop right off of his shoulders. The first thing that came to mind was some insanely rich Pierce Brosnan image, with a dazzling smile, expensive car, huge ass house…and Maria on his lap. Holy crap, he wanted to break the man’s face in, and he didn’t even know him.
Hell, he didn’t even have to know him. The guy was thinking of marrying HIS goddamn woma—
AW CRAP, THERE HE WENT AGAIN. Was it door meet head time again? Please, say it wasn’t, ‘cause he already felt like shit on a stick…
Trying his best to wipe the murderous expression off of his face, less Connie stopped talking or- worse yet- tried to use it to manipulate him, he shifted a bit on the chair and continued to glare.
A glare that instantly turned into something akin to shock as the rest of her story sank in. Holy crap, she’d actually managed to steal from a casino…while being dogged. On the one hand, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride at her little victory, given that living in the Butchers made a person pretty good at the life, but not THAT good. On the other hand…well, that was where the shock turned right into anger.
“So, you’re telling me that you shacked up with the first John who made Bambi eyes at you,” He growled, slowly standing. “Who turned out to be as big a schmuck as ‘ol Vinny- you remember Vinny, right?- and put our daughter at risk for a scam. Great idea, Connie. Jesus…you ever hear of just going underground? Or calling me right there to get you out? No, you go and steal from a casino owner, who sounds like he’s more psychotic than you are, which’s saying a lot…”
Pacing, Dare shoved a hand through his hair and shook his head. Leave it to Connie to make things even more complicated than they already were. He was able to make it frikken RAIN, man, and now he had to worry about some whackjob coming after his ‘ex-‘wife and his kid? Not to mention that rumor had it ‘ol Daddy was coming down to pay a visit to Lani, which meant instant bad karma on his end of things. Great. Just frikken awesome.
After a minute of pacing, deep breathing and muttered cursing, Dare stopped moving with a sigh. “Wait…I’m sorry for that,” He grumbled, obviously hating those two words. “You…did what you had to do…and it ain’t your fault that Ray wasn’t some dashing guy or anything,”
Gah, he was gagging on that one. And hell was he ever messed up…jealous beyond reason that she’d seen someone else, even though she was the last frikken person he should care about, and had hooked up with other women after her. Shaking his head, he fought for detachment.
“Where’s Maria, through all of this? If you bring her back to the city, the boys and I can protect you both.”
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Connie Buchannon
*Civilian*
Aka, 'Mrs. Butcher,' and one of the toughest ladies on the block. She's street smart, won't hesitate to protect her family...and is current driving her ex-gangster hubby insane. But he don't mind: if it's off to Lala Land for him, why not get sent by a beauty like his Connie?
Livin' La Vida Loca
Posts: 93
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Post by Connie Buchannon on Nov 29, 2009 15:15:20 GMT -5
ConnieConnie stared down at her hands as her fingers picked at the fibers of the towel. She had seen the various looks flash across his face as she had talked. The anger was expected, the one emotion that was easiest to process for the both of them. Just because she knew it was coming, didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt like a slap in the face. She watched as he got up and started pacing.
Connie started sucking in deep breaths. Still processing what he said, letting it sink in. Then he tried to apologize. She knew he was practically choking on the words. That part was worse than him yelling at her. Jumping up off the bed she took a few quick strides to stand in front of him. Her jaw was clenched as she looked up at him, something she always hated, being that much shorter than him. “Yeah… Sure, you’re sorry. Fuck you Dare! I’m a lot of things but I’m no fucking slutty whore. I’ve never slept around and you know it. Can you say the same?” Now she was angry. The control over her emotions had broken and she wasn’t going to let him get the best of her. Hell No. The words that came out now were loud and unfiltered. The people in the next room were going to get a free show with their room. “I didn’t ‘shack up’ with the first guy to come along. I got a job, as a table dealer. I WORKED. I got a shitty little apartment for me and Maria and I worked my ass off. I did the best I could do. Then they made me a pit boss, that’s when Ray started sniffing around. Talking to me and stuff. I saw an opportunity and I took it. It’s not like I ever cared about him. Then things just kind of happened after awhile.” GAH!! Connie glared at Dare then started her own pacing around the room. This is not what she wanted to happen. Why did Dare have this power over her. To stir up everything inside her, even after all this time. Stopping she turned to face him again, this time a little farther way. She couldn’t believe it but tears were welling up in her eyes again as she spoke through gritted teeth.
“I’m sure you don’t give a shit about any of this but I don’t care, I’m going to tell you anyway. You know I’ve only loved one man in my life, take a guess who that was? I’ve only been with THREE men total. You wanna talk about Vinny, let’s talk about Vinny.” Connie was gulping in huge breaths of air. She couldn’t stop the tears that fell now and she didn’t care at this point. Maybe if she’d have gotten all this out years ago, none of this would have ever happened. Not that it mattered now, but she was going to say her piece once and for all. “I’m not proud of what happened with Vinny, I regret it every day of my life. But… I was young, I was stupid. I was LONELY. You were gone all the time Dare. I was at home with Maria. We used to do everything together, those good times remember? Then suddenly, you were gone more than you were home. Jimmy needed you. Sometimes you didn’t even come home at all. I thought I was losing you.”
The ranting was flowing now. It had been pent up for a very long time. She’d never really told Dare everything that had happened. Connie didn’t think he really wanted to know. He was going to hear it now though, whether he wanted to or not. “Then Vinny came along. He knew I was vulnerable, he used me. It was all a set up to get to you and yeah I was too stupid to see it. He told me you were out with women. That you didn’t really care about me and Maria or you’d be home with us. I got sucked in… But, that’s when I tried to stop it. I told him I couldn’t see him anymore. I didn’t care about him, I loved YOU. He seemed to understand. Said maybe he could help me teach you a lesson so you’d stay home. That’s all I thought was gonna happen. Maybe you’d get your ass beat by another man and it would make you think about shit. The rest you already know.”
Connie turned on her heal. She started moving back toward the bed while swiping at the stupid tears that were running down her face full force now. She grabbed up the towel and covered her face with it. Soaking up the wetness, but it didn’t really help much. Once the tears had started they didn’t seem to want to stop. She tried to get a hold of herself but her body was still shaking. Being racked with things she had kept inside for such a long time. Anger, guilt, regret, pain… love. Damn it, this was such a bad idea she thought to herself.
Making a decision she slid her feet back into her soggy boots. Shoving the legs of the sweat pants down inside them as she zipped them up. Connie couldn’t bring herself to look at him now. If she did, she knew she’d lose the last remaining threads of her sanity. Heading toward the door she yelled over her shoulder, still trying to avoid letting her eyes fall on Dare. “I’M SORRY. I should have never come here. Maria is fine. She’s safe. I made sure of that before I came here. Just forget you ever saw me. I’ll handle it. I’ll figure out another way. It’s my problem not yours.” Getting to the door she was about to wrench it open. This was just too much. She had to get out of there. How could she be smart enough to run a whole frickin’ casino, gain the trust of a powerful man who owned several casinos, rip him off for 10 million dollars and yet be so stupid that she didn’t see the outcome of this little reunion. That it was never going to work. He would never be able to see past her betrayal.
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Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Nov 30, 2009 23:42:30 GMT -5
God, but the woman was beautiful when she was angry. Though it killed him to think it, to accept it, dammit, it was a damn fact.
Cheeks flushed, legs spread in a defensive V…Dare couldn’t help but remember better times, when the sight made him want to pull her into his arms. This was no different, but the air between them seemed to crackle with unfinished business, unsaid words…and hell, he really did wish that he could just turn back the clock. He could see her now; younger face and hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, getting on his case for not taking her on a hit ‘ol Butcher lined up. Fists on her hips, practically snarling threats…and all he wanted to do was kiss her ‘til she melted against him.
Hell, he was thinking the same thing right then, as she growled out the story of her life post-Buchannon. That is, until she started crying. Then everything went into complete FUBAR territory. As if they weren’t there already. Yeesh.
If there was one thing that never failed to make him twitch, it had to be a crying woman. He could withstand blood, gore, rotting corpses, blackmailers, wife beaters and the scum of the earth…but throw a crying lady in front of his ass, and all he could do was freak out and babble until she stopped.
Dammit, Connie was probably using the water works to get at him, but hell if he could stop himself. And, given that it was Connie crying- lying, cheating, backstabbing bitch or no- everything went south a whole lot faster.
Before she could open the door, Dare stalked over and slammed his hand against it. Leaning forward a bit, his forehead resting on his forearm, he took a deep breath and sighed.
If anything, his ex’s story sounded worse than his. He, at least, had family to fall back on, and Connie had been left exiled. He had no idea why he started to empathize, but goddammit all to hell, he started to feel bad about the situation.
Forget the fact that she’d cheated on him and let his enemy into their house to kill them, and the fact that her latest stunt put both herself and their kid into a whole pile of crap. They were kids when they fell in love and kids when things fell apart. A guy had to admire the way that she put herself together in the face of what he knew was a hard ass world.
Damn, but this was so screwed up. He was actually going to help one of his would-be killers. Whom he still had feelings for. Jesus effing Christ, somebody come shoot him and put him out of his misery.
“Shut the hell up, Connie,” He sighed, turning his head so he could look at her, cheek resting on his arm. “I didn’t mean what I said before, alright? You did what you had to do…and this Ray guy sounds like he needs killing.”
Closing his eyes for a minute, he fought the urge to start growling like a frikken animal. Outside, thunder boomed, and he caught himself before he could start rolling his eyes. Damn weather. Why couldn’t he have gotten a cool power, like super strength? Nah, he could just drown everyone when he was pissed off…
With a deep breath, he pushed off of the door and turned around to lean back against it. Against his will, one hand came out to gently brush against her bare arm. Jesus, if she didn’t have him revving like no other…which just added to the demented idea, but he was just going to ignore it for now.
“It’s both of our problems…’cause you ARE still my goddamn wife. And this guy’s threatening both you and Maria…so yeah, it’s my problem. All of this is screwed up, Con. Seeing you here like this…God, I want to forgive you and I know I ain’t a saint…but damn.”
And he really did mean it when he said that he wasn’t a saint. It would forever be a dark stain on his soul, but word did indeed come back to him about Vincent’s treatment of his wife. The beatings, the dashed dreams…he relished in it for a while, he was man enough to admit it. He’d never tell her and he’d forever regret it, but it was the truth.
Now that she was back..was this a chance to make up for it? To help her, to help himself and, just maybe, to start letting go? Lord knew that Connie and Vincent had screwed him up royally, and this might be a chance to straighten out.
There were only so many blackout-drunk nights a guy could wake up from, after all.
“Go back to the bed and sit down,” He said, forcing his voice to be calm. “We’ll make a plan and…talk about things, alright? Just don’t cry. And…don’t leave.”
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Connie Buchannon
*Civilian*
Aka, 'Mrs. Butcher,' and one of the toughest ladies on the block. She's street smart, won't hesitate to protect her family...and is current driving her ex-gangster hubby insane. But he don't mind: if it's off to Lala Land for him, why not get sent by a beauty like his Connie?
Livin' La Vida Loca
Posts: 93
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Post by Connie Buchannon on Dec 1, 2009 6:50:53 GMT -5
ConnieConnie's hand was on the doorknob when she felt Dare come up behind her and force the door closed as she tried to open it. Her breath caught in her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut. It didn't matter, she couldn't erase the picture in her mind of him standing there shirtless, or stop the warmth of his body from radiating out to her, or the feeling of his breath on her neck sending a shiver down her spine as he stood there, leaning over her back.
Son of a bitch... So much for making a quick getaway. She brought her hands up to her head and ran her fingers through her hair. Trying to think rationally about things. Peering out of the corner of her eye she could see his arm hovering over her shoulder as he held the door closed. When he turned his head to look at her she bowed her head and looked at the floor.
It only made it worse when he turned to lean against the door. Now she had to look at him. Connie heard the thunderclap outside and saw his eyes flash at almost the same instant. He was still angry, but it seemed to have shifted focus a bit. It wasn't aimed directly at her anymore and his words seemed sincere. She practically let out a little whimper when he touched her arm.
Connie's defenses were down. Any thoughts of trying to manipulate and force him to help her were gone. Right now it was just a matter of surviving the next few minutes without losing it again. It was a fragile thing though, teetering on breaking into a million pieces.
She tried to focus on his face. Looking him in the eye, God... those were Maria's eyes, or more correctly, Maria had his eyes. OK, that wasn't helping. When he called her his "wife" and used the word "forgive" that didn't help either and she took a deep breath to steady herself. It took all her will to not break down in tears again. Nodding her head in compliance as he told her to go sit back down. A strange sense of relief flooded over her as she realized he really wasn't going to turn her away.
Before she moved again she looked at him for a long moment. Chewing on her lip as she stood there not sure what was happening. A few minutes ago she felt like the world was crumbling around her, now... Well she didn't know what exactly but things had shifted. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke now. "I'm sorry Dare. I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm so sorry for everything. I can't change what happened, what I did. I... I... Shit... Damn it. I know I betrayed you... and the fact that I had felt betrayed is no excuse. Maybe right now forgiveness is too much to ask. If we could start with you not hating me for the rest of our lives, I'll take it." Connie reached out and touched his cheek gently for a brief moment. Giving him a small but genuine smile. She let out a sigh before she turned around to go back and sit on the bed like he had asked her too.
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Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Dec 4, 2009 0:38:02 GMT -5
And damn, if he wasn’t tempted to take that cute little face between his hands and kiss her senseless. It was a stupid idea…one definitely worthy of smacking his head against the door again, but he just couldn’t help himself. For all he knew, she was using those baby tears and those humble words to get him right where she wanted him, and BAM. No more Dare Buchannon.
…Cheeerist, he was starting to sound as paranoid as Daddy Dearest. Man, was this turning out to be a crappy year.
“I don’t think I’ve hated you for a long time, Connie,” Still leaning against the door, Dare watched her cross the room, head tilted and face a bit on the haggard side. He really needed to shave, before he started looking like some of the yokels around this place. Rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugged, trademark ‘not a care in the world’ grin pasted onto his face.
“Hell, alright, I was REALLY pissed for a while. Especially after…you and Vinny. But…hell, we were kids, weren’t we? Kids from the street, which makes things worse. Maybe we were always destined to hurt each other. But to tell you the truth, Con, I was pissed at myself more than at you. Pops always said that emotions were for suckers and hell, let’s face it; back then, I was hell on wheels. Hehe, you can even say that the little stunt made me a bit more cautious.”
He was talking for the sake of talking now, pushing himself off of the wall to saunter over to his chair facing the bed. For the most part, it was the truth; it really had been a long time since he’d actually hated his ex. Sure, he still felt bitter about the whole thing, given that he’d done pretty well with those vows he’d made up on that church alter, but holding grudges was never his thing.
Now, the hurt? The sense of betrayal that he felt? There was something that had stuck around for a good long while. Connie had been one of two people in his life who had really mattered to him, whom he felt he could really relax around, and in an instant, she’d become someone else. Then he’d gone and lost his brother, his sister and more than a few friends to the gang life…
And, well, that pretty much summed up any future relationships he had. Nothing lasted for more than a few months- three was the proud cutoff- and everyone was kept at arm’s length. It was just easier that way; easier to watch those around him, waiting for another shot to the head. Hell, it was like Connie opened up some kind of floodgate; half the scars on his body were from ‘friends’ turning out to be nothing more than backstabbing biotches.
Settling into the chair with a little sigh, he couldn’t help but lean back and appreciate the view. Sure, the woman was making him all kinds of twisted up, but she did look real good in his clothes. There was just something…possessive about it that made a part of him smile.
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Connie Buchannon
*Civilian*
Aka, 'Mrs. Butcher,' and one of the toughest ladies on the block. She's street smart, won't hesitate to protect her family...and is current driving her ex-gangster hubby insane. But he don't mind: if it's off to Lala Land for him, why not get sent by a beauty like his Connie?
Livin' La Vida Loca
Posts: 93
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Post by Connie Buchannon on Dec 4, 2009 6:14:43 GMT -5
ConnieConnie crawled across the bed, grabbing one of the pillows. She sat with her back against the headboard. Pulling her knees to her chest, putting a pillow on her knees, folding her arms on the pillow and then resting her chin on her arms. Dare was still standing against the door. Connie just looked at him as he was talking. Finally starting to feel a bit calmer as the anger had started to fade. The tension was still there but it seemed like the hostility had at least ratcheted down several notches.
The fact that he didn't actually hate her was a plus. It was hard to go through life thinking that the one man you loved in your life hated your guts and would be happy to see you dead. Connie closed her eyes and frowned when Dare mentioned Vinny's name again. Just the sound of his name made her cringe now. Her eyes fluttered open though and she met Dare's gaze as he continued on, how they had only been kids back then. She nodded her agreement.
That made the memories come flooding back again. Being just one of the kids who hung out with the Butcher's back then. She was on the fringes at the time. Sixteen years old, she'd seen Dare around with some of the other guys in the gang. But she didn't really know who he was. She hadn't met the higher ups in the gang yet. Then she got invited to a party for New Years. It was a big deal.
Connie was happy just to be included, it meant someone in the gang had noticed her. That's when she and Dare had first gotten together. They sat and drank and talked. No one had ever made her laugh like he did. Not before and not since.
One thing had led to another and when things got heated he had taken her up to one of the bedrooms. She was surprised by his reaction when she told him that she'd never been with a man before. He didn't laugh, didn't make any rude or crude remarks about it. He'd actually treated the situation with respect.
The next morning Connie had completely figured she would just walk out of there not really expecting anything more to come of it. Considering herself lucky that her first experience was a good one. But, when she had gotten up to get dressed he pulled her back onto the bed with him. Wrapping his arms around her. He told her he didn't want to let her go just yet. She could still remember the little flip flop her heart had done when that happened. And she stayed. After that things just fell into place for them. They were a couple. Things were good then, they were happy.
Blinking a couple times as she came out of her thoughts, she noticed Dare's movement. He walked through the room and sat across from her in the chair again. He was still shirtless and she couldn't help but finally take a real look at him. There were more tattoos, more scars, but he was pretty much the same. Maybe a little more filled out than he used to be. No complaints on that count though. She could see his muscles were sleek and toned. Her body started to feel warm again. She took a deep breath and shook her head in an attempt to wipe the lustful thought away. Trying to focus on his words instead, then responding so she could keep her mind occupied. "Yeah... Kids... I never meant to hurt you, at least not like that... Ummm, what your dad said, you don't really believe that right? I mean... Do you regret the feelings we have...errrr... had? I regret the mistakes I made but not the feelings. I was never happier then when I was with you. And we had Maria. I could never regret that... Ever." Connie pulled the other pillow out and put it behind her head and neck. Settling back against the head board as she hugged the other pillow to herself now. Still watching Dare across the room. "I have some pictures of Maria in my stuff. My bags are back in the rental car. We should go get the car. I could show them to you. You know... If you want to see her. You won't believe how much she's grown, she'll be ten on December first you know. She's really something... She has your eyes." Connie had to stop then. Before she started to cry again. Thinking about her daughter. Maria had been the one thing she had left that she loved since she and Dare had split. The little girl meant the world to her. She was already missing her baby. Connie hoped she wouldn't have to miss Maria's birthday or God forbid miss Christmas. She didn't think she could stand that.
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Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Dec 4, 2009 10:53:34 GMT -5
Man, he’d sure love to be that pillow…oh, wait, snap, he wasn’t supposed to be thinking like that. With a mental sigh and eye roll, Dare couldn’t help but fidget in his chair. Pretty soon, he was going to grow tired of pretending that Connie didn’t make him crazy. Pretty soon, he’d just figure that, if she really was there to mess with his head, he’d just have to get something out of the situation.
And if memory served, there just wasn’t a woman alive as…enticing as the little thief sitting in front of him. It was a cute little picture; her sitting there, cross legged on the bed and hugging that pillow like a lifeline. She was both a hardened woman, an accomplished thief, and right then, the same vulnerable Connie that he’d loved.
…Hell, if he really wanted to be honest with himself, he’d make that ‘still loved.’ If not in a warped, masochistic way.
To her first question, he just shrugged. “I don’t regret how I felt for you, Con. But ever since…it’s easier just to…coast, y’know? Like Pops likes to day; ‘you take what you want, when you want it, then give it back. That way, it don’t bite you in the ass if you keep it too long.’”
With another grin, he crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back against the high chair. To an extent, it was probably true. If he kept himself distant, only took what pleasures he wanted and then backed off…well, he wasn’t setting himself up for any more pain. He had enough of that shit in daily life, why would he want to put it into his personal life?
Yeah, Dare wasn’t one for holding angry grudges. But bitterness? Definitely a friend of his.
At the sound of Maria’s name, the con instant perked up, straightening with an almost boyish glitter to his eyes. “You’ve got pictures? Man, is she big? Please tell me she don’t have our accent, or my chicken legs. Poor kid.”
Practically shooting out of his chair to make a beeline for the chest across the room, he whipped on a shirt and shoved his feet into his shoes. Man, was he curious about what his daughter looked like! The last picture he had of Maria was when she was still a baby…and of her sad face, as she and Connie drove off to start their new lives, a state away. He’d always planned on going there and stealing his little girl away for a few days, make sure she still knew he loved her…
But hell. A kid like her wouldn’t want to have anything to do with a professional convict. At least if she stayed with Connie, she’d lead a semi-respectable life…if not learning how to grease rich guys and rob ‘em blind.
“You can just wear that ‘til we get your stuff in your car,” He said, tossing one of his sweat jackets onto the bed absently. “And wear that, it’s probably cold out. Where’d you park, anyway? Down near Ilani’s? Please say you didn’t, ‘cause she’s probably got her cronies out making sure we keep a ten mile radius from the place.”
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Connie Buchannon
*Civilian*
Aka, 'Mrs. Butcher,' and one of the toughest ladies on the block. She's street smart, won't hesitate to protect her family...and is current driving her ex-gangster hubby insane. But he don't mind: if it's off to Lala Land for him, why not get sent by a beauty like his Connie?
Livin' La Vida Loca
Posts: 93
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Post by Connie Buchannon on Dec 4, 2009 12:42:35 GMT -5
ConnieConnie frowned a bit while Dare talked. It made her a little sadder. It was her fault he felt like that. That he had taken on that attitude of his father. Not wanting to be attached because he was afraid of getting hurt again. Her stupid mistake had caused so much damage. The guilt was bothering her. For everything that Dare was and the things he had done, he had at least known how to love at one time. She had taken that away from him. Maybe he was still capable of the feelings but he avoided long term attachments.
One stupid selfish mistake and she had crushed a part of him. He wasn't like that before. Connie knew the part of him that had loved her unconditionally. Deep down inside he was truly a sensitive person. The long reaching affects of her betrayal were proof of that in and of itself. She was going to have to accept the fact that he may never be able to trust her again. Now, it was up to her to just do everything she could to show him she wasn't out to screw him over. She had come there for his help, not to hurt him again.
Connie raised her eyebrows as Dare seemed to brighten at the prospect of seeing pictures of Maria. That made her smile while he asked his questions and she watched him jump out of the chair and move across the room. A new expression on his face. What, was that a glint of happiness?
Connie watched him, amused as he hurriedly got dressed and tossed her a sweat jacket. She got up and slipped the jacket on. Then moved over to where her leather jacket was draped over the chair. She dug into the pockets to find the keys to the car. With keys in hand she turned around and looked at Dare, a slight frown forming. "Yeah... I parked in a lot near the bar. Come on, she's got better things to do than worry about us coming back anytime soon. She has no idea I had a car or anything. We can just run over, grab the car and drive it back to the motel." Connie shook her head. She knew Ilani was a bit crazy and she obviously wasn't happy that Connie had shown up. But she couldn't be THAT obsessed with them to have people out patrolling for their asses. "Come on, let's just go. I got all my stuff in there. Plus I KNOW you wanna see those pictures." Giving Dare a bit of a grin she tossed the keys up in the air and caught them. Then without waiting for Dare she took off toward the door. Pulling it open she stepped outside and headed in the direction of The Pit. She was actually feeling happy that he was excited about seeing the pictures.
Connie had always loved watching Dare with Maria. They always looked adorable when he played with her. Cuddling her, tickling her, making her giggle like crazy. Damn, that was another one of those good memories.
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Darien Buchannon ☠
Admin
Unique Storm Caller The gangbanger, penitent murderer and all around nice guy... who's being driven insane by Connie. But he loves it.
I make the gang life look good...
Posts: 143
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Post by Darien Buchannon ☠ on Dec 5, 2009 1:00:35 GMT -5
With a droll look at Connie, Dare headed over to the door and stepped outside. He was normally on high alert- a guy had to be on his toes with the live he led, right?- but now that he knew a certain blast from the past was wanted by a crazy rich guy…well, it was safe to say those hairs on the back of his neck were almost ready to fall off.
“Who are we talkin’ ‘bout again, Connie?” He asked with a low laugh. His fingers twitched for the glock hidden on his leg, but he refrained. Even if this ‘Ray’ guy was out for blood, the best thing for everyone was to keep a low profile. “Ilani is more like Jimmy than she’ll ever admit. And anyway…I’ve made it a point never to underestimate an angry woman.”
With a backwards grin, he shrugged into his jacket and started for the road, knowing she’d be hot on his heels. And hell, if she didn’t see the little head start as what it was- a tiny show of trust- he’d have to go close his head in that door again.
Probably wasn’t such a great idea; his giving her his back. What if a Vinny-like goon actually stepped out and too advantage? His neck practically ached with the remembered pain of the piano wire cutting into the skin, and his jaw tightened slightly as he forced himself to walk.
It was the ultimate test; both for himself and for her. Was he ready to trust her? Was he actually going to believe that she’d managed to rob from the rich and psycho? Was she really as sorry as she said, and hadn’t come back there to finish what she and that last moron started?
He’d find out, sooner or later, and Dare Buchannon was not known for his sense of patience. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stopped at the curb and scanned the street. It was almost empty, the perfect place for a snatch or a kill, if a professional was on the job. He’d have to go and make a few calls, after he found them somewhere else to crash. Somewhere he knew all the exits, had a great escape plan and had people around to buy favors. The crappy motel owner wasn’t about to let a raunchy husband know that his gun toting wife was around if she had enough on her, so he wasn’t dumb enough to feel safe.
Man, and there he was, without much cash to his name. Nah well; he always wondered what some of those posh hotels looked like, and hell if he wasn’t itching to have Con spend some of the rich fart’s money, if it was untraceable enough.
With his back still to the motel, he waited. Tonight was good enough to die…sure, he’d have loved to see Maria’s picture, but he could definitely settle for Connie saying that she was sorry. Ah, to hear those words from the feisty woman’s tantalizing lips…yeah. He could definitely die.
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