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More Than Darkness	By : SaMe Category: M through R > Once Upon A Time In Mexico Views: 4591 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the movie that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-1
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
- 13-13
- 14-14
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-33
- 34-34
- 35-35
- 36-36
- 37-37
- 38-38
- 39-39
- 40-40
- 41-41
- 42-42
- 43-43
- 44-44
- 45-45
- 46-46
- 47-47
- 48-48
- 49-49
- 50-50
- 51-51
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 56-56
- 57-57
- 58-58
- 59-59
- 60-60
- 61-61
- 62-62
- 63-63
- 64-64
- 65-65
- 66-66
- 67-67
- 68-68
- 69-69
- 70-70
- 71-71
- 72-72
- 73-73
- 74-74
- 75-75
- 76-76
- 77-77
- 78-78
- 79-79
- 80-80
- 81-81
- 82-82
- 83-83
- 84-84
- 85-85
- 86-86
- 87-87
- 88-88
- 89-89
- 61
- 62
- 63
Salida didn't like the dreams she'd been having recently.
Well, she wasn�t sure if �dream� was the right term for what she�d been
feeling. Some days when she woke up, it took an hour or two before she was
certain she was Salida and not Tess. Or a mixture of the two
women. She felt like herself �
had all her own memories, recognized where she was, the cats, and all that �
but she was afraid. Always. Like a rabbit in a hole
when there was a dog sniffing around. And not just a dog, but one with a hunter
on it�s tail.
That was the feeling. She felt like someone was breathing
down her neck, watching her every move. She couldn�t sleep, couldn�t eat, could barely breathe sometimes because the sensation was so
intense. As a result she�d gone a day or two � or more � without bathing, had
eaten poorly, and was sleep deprived. She couldn�t sleep even if she wanted to;
her nerves were too on edge. If she slept, she�d wake up somewhere else. So
spotty catnaps were the best she caught, and those were full of those damn dreams.
Dreams that were really memories of another lifetime that
hadn�t been hers.
Her rational mind � when she had a rational mind � said that
this was just a symptom of her pregnancy and her out-of-whack hormones. There
were things in her case�no, she�d forgotten her case, and even if she hadn�t,
she couldn�t give herself anything without endangering the children. Or where
they the ones watching her and she�d lost all touch with time and reality?
No�no, she hadn�t. She couldn�t have. It was impossible to slide
that far in a few days�
But was she herself? Was she Salida?
Or was she Teresa having dreams of another life where she
could be Salida, and eventually she�d wake up in a luxurious prison of a
hacienda?
Or was she Salida dreaming of Tess, in a hotel in the middle
of nowhere?
Why couldn�t she tell?
Where was Jeffrey?
Was there a Jeffrey?
There must be, because she wasn�t in Mexico.
Was she?
God, she wanted a cigarette, but if she was pregnant� I feel pregnant, Salida decided, resting
her hands on her belly. Today I�m
pregnant. Who knows about tomorrow. Maybe she�d be
something else entirely tomorrow. It was
hard to tell these days, and it wasn�t as if the walls she talked to could
answer her.
It was dark in her hotel room, and it smelled of unwashed
body and cat urine. Caught in the contemplation of her own existence, Salida
hadn�t yet bothered the niceties of bathing.
Or anything relating to hygiene. Maybe she�d be clean tomorrow. Maybe she�d be a breath of wind. It was really too hard to say for certain.
*****
No one was talking to him. Aida was a pillar of silence at
his side and Sands wasn't saying a word. Something had happened on their trip.
Something that merited coming back days early-he could sense that at least-but
no one would tell him what that something was. "Did you have a good time
with you pride, kitty?" he asked Aida in a last ditch attempt to get any
information out of either of them. They were fucking up to something. He knew
it.
She shrugged. She still hadn't worked up the courage to call
her parents. It was something that was going to have to be done soon, but Aida
still had no idea what to say.
"What the fuck is up with you two? You're up to
something, I know it," Jeffrey accused. Before he could get an answer from
Aida however, the elevator doors opened and she had stepped past him onto their
floor. "Fine. I'll go see vixen and leave you to
your precious self. We'll talk later!" he called out dryly at her
retreating back as she walked down the hall. He grunted and followed her. He
wanted to see Salida anyway. He had missed her.
He opened the door to the room registered to his wife....
She was dressed in pajamas, her long hair hanging greasy and
unkempt down her back. As she paced, she
mumbled around a finger that was bleeding; she'd bitten the nail down past the
quick some time yesterday. The TV was spewing out static to anyone who'd listen
and provided the room's only illumination. While the smell wasn't exactly
horrible, it still caused Jeffrey's nose to wrinkle in distaste.
"Salida?" he called out, disbelieving his eyes.
This couldn't be his wife. He shut the door behind him and walked slowly
towards her, fearing the worst. "What's happened?" he asked, turning
on the lights. He frowned in worry as she squinted in the light. "What's
wrong?"
She glanced at him. "Jeffrey," she mumbled. "Salida's husband. Am I
Salida? I think so, but I can't remember. No ID...already checked. Or was that
yesterday?" She went over to the dumped contents of her purse and searched
through them all again. "Nothing. Don't know. He
thinks I am. Today. What about tomorrow? Don't know
when tomorrow is." She murmured in
a like vein as she paced around the room, still chewing on her bleeding finger.
He immediately moved to her side and pulled her finger from
her mouth. "You're Salida, my beautiful pregnant wife. And you're going to
take a bath while I get you fucking straightened out. Why didn't you call me if
you were having problems?" he asked softly as he attempted to lead her to
the bathroom.
"Am I having problems? Couldn't
remember if I was or if I was remembering having problems some other time.
Damn Yankee lawyers."
Jeffrey frowned at that and nodded. �Yes, from the looks of
things you�re having problems. Now come on. It�s bath
and story telling time for vixen.� He wished he could still carry her
now-especially in her current state-but he simply couldn�t any longer.
"You have a story to tell me?" she asked
innocently as she let him pull her into the bathroom.
�If you like, but I�d be more
interested in hearing the one you have to tell me. As in, what have you been
doing the last couple of days, Salida?� he asked gently as they walked to the
bathroom together.
"Oh." Her brows drew together as she gave that
some serious thought. "I don't know. I can't remember. Maybe I remember. Maybe
I remember someone else's rememberings."
�Who else would you be remembering?
You and Tess don�t share memories, do you?� he asked slowly as he began to fill
the tub with hot water. He was trying his best to answer her questions and
comments as if she were making complete sense. This was still his wife. That
would change if she were confused, raving or comatose. These things happened.
�When did this start?�
Salida shook her head. "I am Teresa...but I'm not. I'm
me, whoever 'me' is. Have I always been like this? Or did it start, yesterday,
tomorrow, today?"
�You haven�t always been this, and I don�t know when it
started. Probably not today or you�d remember,� Jeffrey murmured as he reached
to take off her pajama shirt after the tub had been filled. �You�re Salida,
vixen, my lover and wife. You know this. This isn�t in question. You know who
you are. Except now, you don�t. But that�s alright. I�ll help you remember
again.� Once he had removed the rest of her clothing with a little help from
her, he took her by the hand and led her into the filled bathtub slowly. �Too hot?�
"No. I know who I am. I do, Jeffrey. I'm Salida...but
I'm Tess -" She
shook her head. "I remember all of Tessa's memories. They're confusing
me."
�I can sympathize,� he murmured as he took a seat on the
floor next to the bathtub once she had slipped downward into the hot water.
�Try focusing on a memory you know is yours and only yours. When
we first met, for example. That�s not hers, that�s only yours.� He
rolled up his sleeves and poured himself a handful of the hotel provided liquid
soap and began to rub soap over her skin. He didn�t think she was still so far
confused that she couldn�t bathe herself, he just wanted to do it himself. He wanted
to do it for her.
"Why?" she asked, cocking her head.
�Why what?� he asked, running soapy fingers over her
shoulders.
"Why do you want me to do that?"
�I thought it might help,� he murmured softly.
"Help what?"
�Help you to get things straight within your head.�
"I don't feel confused," she said with such a
measure of confusion as to render her words absurd.
�That might be true, but are you still unsure of which
memories are yours and which are Tess�?� Jeffrey asked as he moved his hands over
her breasts with as much detachment as he could as quickly as he could. Now was
not the time for play, as much as he might have wanted it to be.
"If I'm Salida and Teresa, doesn't that make all of
them mine?"
�No. Because you�re not Tess anymore than
I�m Sands. You�re two different people and therefore her memories aren�t
yours and yours aren�t hers.�
"What if I'm a new person made of both?"
�You�re not.�
"That's what it feels like," she pouted, leaning
forward so he could scrub her back. "I love you and I'm overjoyed at
seeing you, even at the same time I'm terrified that my...her...our father is
coming."
�Why would her father come?�
"I don't know. Why are some kids afraid of the
dark?"
�Because they don�t know what�s in it.�
"Like the boogyman?"
�I suppose.�
"Barillo is our boogyman."
�He�s not going to get us, Salida. He never was. And I�m going
to kill that bastard of a CIA agent,� he murmured darkly. This was all that son
of a pox ridden whore�s fault.
"Why?" Salida asked again, dipping her head as he
asked so that he could wash her hair. As
he started on that, all the cats found their way into the bathroom and started
to circle him, meowing piously.
�Hold that thought. I don�t suppose you�ve fed the cats
recently, have you? Nevermind. I�ll be right back.� He
stood and walked to the cats� food and water dish and filled both, making sure
to be quick pulling his fingers back lest they get bitten off by the herd of
hungry cats. He returned and finished washing the shampoo out of her hair. �Sorry.
As for your question, I�m going to kill Rivers because he�s caused us far too
many problems to be allowed to live any longer.�
"Has he caused problems lately?"
�He�s always causing problems,� Jeffrey muttered. �You can
bet he�s causing us some problems now because he�s undoubtedly gotten the
letter me and Sands wrote.�
"Are you talking about me?"
�Among other things,� he admitted somewhat reluctantly.
"But no one did this to me."
�How do you know? These things don�t just happen all of a
sudden, Salida. Something must have set you of,� he argued as he reached over
to drain the tub once she had stepped out of it. He sighed a little to himself
as he looked at her-dripping wet, naked and breathtakingly beautiful-but
wrapped her in a towel all the same.
"I'm pregnant. I said this could happen because of
rampaging hormones. Remember? Or am I not remembering right?"
�No, you�re right. It�s me who�s forgotten,� he murmured as
he dried the ends of her hair, trying very hard not to stare at her full breasts
as they were inches away from his chest. God, he had missed her.
"Maybe I'm not as messed up as I think I am then."
The thought made her happy. "I missed you."
�I hope so,� he murmured, happy that she was happy, but
still worried. �And I missed you too. Very much.�
"I'm sorry I worried you. I didn't mean to."
�I know you didn�t, vixen. You�d don�t have to be sorry,� he
said, reaching out to rub her shoulders as he stood in front of her. He very
much wanted to rub other, closer parts of her, but he withheld and told his
errant body to behave itself.
"What's wrong?" she asked suddenly. "You look
tense."
�It�s nothing,� he said with an attempt at a calming smile.
�You don�t have to worry about me.�
"It's okay. I don't mind." She had jumped up before
he could stop her, circling around behind him. Her hands settled on his
shoulders and she started giving him a massage.
�You don�t have to do this, vixen. I�m really alright. Most
of this tension probably isn�t even mine anyway.� He thought he should probably
argue more, but her hands felt good and words didn�t seem as important anymore.
"I like touching you. Can we have sex?"
Jeffrey gulped, not believing his ears. �Say again?�
"Can we have sex?" She giggled and pressed a kiss
into the side of his neck.
�Well, uh, sure of course we can. You don�t have to ask�why
now? Not, that I don�t want to or anything, I always do, but�why do you ask
now?�
She shrugged. "I don't know. It sounds like fun."
�Are you feeling better?� he asked, turning in her embrace
to face her, holding her close now that he was given silent permission that he
could.
"I was never feeling bad."
�Oh. Then what were you feeling?� he asked with a curious
tilt of his head.
"Multiple?"
�What about it?�
"No, that's how I was feeling. Am
feeling. I think."
�I don�t understand,� he said with a slight frown.
"Umm...there was too much me to fit in my skin."
�Oh. Alright. I guess I can see how
you could feel that way,� he said as he moved his hands down to her hips, the
damp towel falling to the floor forgotten.
"When I wasn't dreaming about Barillo,
I was dreaming about having you inside me."
�Oh really?� he asked with a grin, moving even closer to her
so that she could feel the press of his arousal against her through the thin
fabric of the shorts he wore. �The real thing�s even better than the dream.�
"I know." She kissed him full on the lips, then
pulled back to look at him. "Did you miss me?"
�Unbelievably so,� he answered without hesitation.
"Tell me."
�Every day I was apart from you, locked up in a fucking
prison I couldn�t even see, was torture. I ached for your love, your touch,
your voice, everything. I thought I�d go mad without you. And that was the
first day,� he murmured, leaning down to kiss the side of her neck. �I missed
tasting you. I missed touching you, I just missed you,
Salida. Everything about you. I can�t stand it when
we�re apart. It�s hell. And no, I�m not being over dramatic, it really is hell.
I start to think I�ll never see you again and I can�t stand it. My only thought
is to be yours again.�
"You're always mine. Whether you're
here or not. I couldn't - or can't currently - think straight, but that
much I never forget."
It meant a lot to him to hear her say that, and he showed
his gratitude by pulling her in for a deep, passionate kiss.
Salida moaned, and that was the last talking they did for
some time.
***
"What's that on your head?" Salida asked as they lay
cooling in their bed.
�What do you mean?� Jeffrey asked, lying flat on his back on
the bed next to her; utterly content.
"This." She touched the long, scabbed over gouge
in his temple.
He winced at the contact and raised his fingers to feel
where she was touching. �I don�t know, but it hurts,� he muttered. �Sands
neglected to mention�well, pretty much anything about what went on this past
week while I wasn�t around.�
"Week? I don't think you were
gone that long," Salida frowned.
�See? I don�t even know how long we�ve been gone. Neither he
nor kitty told me fucking anything. Something must have happened during that
time.�
"Four days...I think..." she murmured, not really
listening to him.
�I�ll ask him about it later,� he muttered. �What does it
look like?�
"Either a gun shot or a knife wound. I don't think
things went well."
�It can�t be. They would have said something if was,�
Jeffrey said with a ponderous frown, lightly fingering the wound. �Wouldn�t
they?�
"Wouldn't they what?"
�Wouldn�t they fucking tell us if they had a fucking
shootout or knife fight while they were visiting kitty�s pride?�
"Maybe something happened that they don't think you'll
like."
Jeffrey�s frown deepened. �It better fucking not have. I already don�t like it and I don�t even know what it
is,� he groaned, rubbing a hand across his face in frustration. His post-coital
contentedness had vanished.
"What's the worst that could have happened?" she
asked, starting to trace patterns on his bare chest. "I mean, you both
came back alive."
�The worst is that the fucking cops could be onto us again
and coming after us right fucking now as we lay here.�
"Well, I think that someone would have mentioned
that."
�I guess,� he muttered, not sounding fully convinced. He was
more than a little tempted to wake Sands the fuck up and demand to be told what
had happened over the past few days but he didn�t want to give up his time
alone with his wife just yet.
"Of course, you could just call what's his face and
find out if we need to move quickly."
�I�m going to do that,� he said, sitting up in the bed
abruptly and reaching for his new cell phone before lying back down again next
to her. �Ok, I know I stole one�where did I put it?� he murmured to himself as
he tried to remember what he had done with the business card he had taken from
Roland during one of their few physical encounters with one another. As he
thought about it, he couldn�t help but regret that he hadn�t killed him when he
had had the chance. �Fuck it, it doesn�t matter. I remember it well enough,� he
muttered to himself as he dialed the number from memory and waited.
�Rivers,� came Roland�s familiar
grunt over the end of the phone. Jeffrey grinned in anticipation. He didn�t
bother waking Sands for this, he was still pissed
about the lack of information that had been sent his way.
�Hello, fuckhead. How wonderful it
is to hear your grunt again,� Jeffrey said with a smirk. There was a pause,
either Roland was too dumbfounded to answer-likely-or he was telling his
bitches to trace the call-more likely.
�Sands,� Roland hissed, sounding clearly angry to be having
the conversation.
�Nope, sorry. Try again. Thanks for
playing though,� Jeffrey answered with a smirk.
�You know I don�t believe in that multiple personality
bullshit. You�re as sane as the next serial killer. I�ll see to it that no jury
ever falls for your lies. You won�t
be getting an insanity plea. You�re going to fucking fry, you bastard. And if
you even think about touching my
wife, I�ll rip your balls off.�
�Tsk, such language, Rivers.
You�ll upset my wife. But I supposed that�s alright. I could always have
another round of mind-blowing sex with her to make her happy again. Would you
like to listen in?� He reached over to grasp Salida�s
hand lightly, bringing her knuckles to his mouth to kiss.
Salida giggled, and pulled herself up his body so she could
kiss him properly. Once she was satisfied, she pulled away and rested her head
on his shoulder.
�It�d probably be the closest thing to
getting laid you�ve had in months. Maybe years,� Jeffrey teased with a
smirk.
�Fuck you,� Roland said coldly. �And fuck that bitch wife of
yours too. No woman would ever be with you unless she was insane or a hostage.
I�m betting on the former since she�s a Barillo.
She�s probably a crack addict as well. Is that how you get her to suck your
cock, you miserable son of a bitch? Are you her supplier, or her pimp? Because she�s obviously not there willingly.�
Jeffrey grew very still. �Your mother Judith, your brother
Timothy and his wife Carolyn, your sister Emily and her husband Kenneth, their
three children Matthew, Katie and Brian, they all just made it to my list ahead
of your name. I hope you have a black suit. You�ll be quite a familiar face at
the funeral homes when I�m done. And that will be before I kill you. Say something like that about my wife again, and
I�ll keep adding.�
"Lemme talk to him,"
Salida whispered, half-heartedly reaching for the phone.
�Fine,� Jeffrey said coldly, his body nearly trembling with
rage. He gave her the phone.
"Hello?" Salida asked cheerfully.
�Who the fuck is this?� Roland
asked incredulously.
"Good question. This agent
Rivers?"
�I�m Rivers,� he said guardedly.
"Jeffrey doesn't like you," she said, rolling onto
her back. "Come to think of it, I don't like you either. You made me leave
my home."
�You�re the Barillo bitch,� Roland
hissed.
Salida pouted. "That's not very nice. I'm not a bitch
so very often. Just when I'm overcome by hormonal mood swings."
�Hormonal mood swings? What the fuck are you talking about?
And were did Sands go?�
"Sands isn't here now, but
Jeffrey is next to me."
�I didn�t believe it when he told me, and I�m certainly not
going to believe his whore when she spreads the same lie,� Roland said in
disgust.
Jeffrey could no longer hear the other end of the
conversation and it was driving him nuts. That, and Salida�s fingers were moving absently along his left leg
and inner thigh as if she weren�t aware she was even doing it as she talked. It
was distracting.
"Again you're not being nice. I'll have you know that I
was a virgin until I met Jeffrey."
�Like I believe that,� Roland snorted. �I know your family.
I know what they�re like. They probably whored you out
to a cousin or uncle years ago. Bunch of inbred Mexican drug
dealers. Must make for interesting family reunions.�
Jeffrey smiled a little in remembrance at her virgin comment
then went back to concentrating on the feel of her fingers so near where he
wanted her to touch.
"You know what? Your language is atrocious. You're going
to give them bad habits. Can I talk to someone else?"
�Give who bad habits? And no, you can�t talk to anyone else.
Who the fuck do you think you are?�
"You were wrong, you know."
�Oh really? Please, do enlighten
me, Ms Barillo. How was I wrong?�
Jeffrey flinched a little under her touch and grunted.
�Don�t tease unless you mean it.�
"What?" Salida glanced over at her husband,
noticed where her hand was, and moved it to his chest. "That better?"
When he nodded, she turned her attention back to the phone.
"Well, for one thing, I was a virgin - and trust me, I
was surprised to find that out myself.
Secondly, you don't know anything about those bastards, although you're
almost on the right track. That was the reason Teresa had to die. Barillo issued a commandment that she return
to Mexico the moment she graduated. There was some kind of marriage
arranged. I didn't want to go back. Thus
I shoved the car over the bridge and into the water. No more Tessa."
�The entire car was out searching for you after they didn�t
find a body. We got reports about drug wars started because Barillo
thought you had been kidnapped and your death staged. I wonder what he would do
to you if he found out you ran away?�
"He'd kill me. Slowly. It'd
take weeks. God knows that the reason I'm here is because he used Tess to
perfect his torture techniques."
�And what�s to stop me from informing him that you�re alive?
You�re no better than your fucking husband,� Roland said with a sneer she could
practically see.
"I've never killed anyone." That didn't deserve it.
�And yet you protect a man who�s killed many. Your�husband. How
does that make you any different than him? By protecting him, you�re allowing
him to keep killing people. Those people�s blood is on your hands, Ms Barillo.�
"You're the one who's supposed to be catching him. I'd say the blood's on your hands. And that's why you're such a bitter, bitter
man, isn't it?"
�Fuck you. You don�t even know me. Turn him in and the blood
will be on one one�s hands but his. But you�re not going to do that, are you?
You would have done it by now if you were.�
"He can protect me from Tessa's murderous tribe. Why would I turn him in?"
�Because he kills people!�
"So he'll be able to kill he men Tessa's father
sends."
�Turn him in, and we�ll protect you.�
"You don't understand them. You're too dense to even
pick up on what's wrong with this conversation. You'd shit your pants if you
ever came face to face with Tessa's father."
�And you think he won�t?� Roland asked, incredulously, not
bothering to acknowledge the dense comment.
"Nah. He's just like Barillo, except he has a heart. Tessa's father
doesn't."
�Why do you keep doing that? He�s your father.�
Salida shrugged. "Being staked out in the Mexican sun
in the middle of August from sun-up to sun-down is bound to make anyone a
little wacky."
�Cut the bullshit.�
"What? That was the punishment for trying to run
away."
�I don�t believe you. It�s part of the act.�
"What act?"
�This, whatever it is you�re trying to pull to get me to
believe you�re just as fucked up as your husband claims to be. I�m not buying
it.�
"Oh, I'm not that
fucked up. However, if you haven't even bothered to check out the medical and
student files I couldn't smuggle out of Boston, you're not much of an
investigator. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
�Medical files can be doctored if you know what you�re
doing,� Roland said evasively.
"Perhaps if they'd been in a system I had access to,
but I didn't."
�And why should I believe that?�
"You sure you're
not just some secretary? Because if I was
in your place, I'd either be finding out as much about my quarry as I could, or
I would have sent one of my partners -"
"Lesbian bitches," Jeffrey interrupted loudly.
" - of my partners to go track
down what information they could. But then, perhaps they're as impotent as
you."
Roland, in a fit of blinding rage, did the only thing that
seemed rational to his irrational mind. He hung up the phone.
"He hung up," Salida complained. "That was
rude." Before Jeffrey could do
anything, she pressed re-dial.
�Rivers� desk, lesbian bitch number one speaking,� Emily�s
voice came over the other end of the phone dryly.
"I wasn't trying to be insulting," Salida said as
if continuing her prior conversation with Rivers. "I didn't mean it like
Jeffrey means it. I meant 'impotent' as in inefficient. I mean, how long have
you all been at this?"
�Oh, I�ve been burdened with his ever so charming presence
for almost 7 years now. God, that�s a long fucking time,� Emily muttered to
herself.
"You've been chasing Jeffrey for seven years?"
Salida asked skeptically.
�No, I�ve been in the CIA for seven years. We�ve been chasing
your husband for about 5 months. You would think we would�ve made some progress
by now,� she muttered under her breath.
"I told Rivers that it was because he wasn't bothering
to follow all his leads."
�He probably isn�t. He�s always been an arrogant bastard. He
probably expects Sands or whoever to just turn himself
in after admitting defeat,� Emily said wryly. �Though in his defense, we
haven�t had the resources to pursue all of the leads we�ve wanted as we�re the
CIA not the FBI. Crimes committed at home aren�t generally our concern.�
"Really? That's what I thought. I mean, I thought you guys were all
spies."
�Not necessarily. That�s what some officers do certainly,
but not all.� This was a nice little chat they were having, but it was time to
get serious. �You sound like a reasonable enough woman
Ms Barillo, or is it Mrs. Sands? But you should know, that despite what you may think, we are going to catch your husband. Now, if
you give yourselves up, I�ll see to it that he doesn�t get the death penalty.
That�s the best deal he�s going to get. I suggest you take it for his sake.�
Salida sighed. "You're just like the rest. Pity. Don't any of you understand that should he be caught -
should he be - that he'd rather get
the death penalty than the court's mercy?"
Emily genuinely took some time to think about it. �He�d
rather be put to death than life in prison or an institution
were it to come to that.� It wasn�t a question. �You�re not going to
give him up, are you? No matter what any of us might say to try and persuade
you. You love him.�
"Yes."
�You must know that we�re never going to stop chasing him.
Not after what he�s done.�
"Yes. I understand that. Do you understand what my
alternatives are?"
�I think so.�
"Tell me." Did this woman really understand her,
or was she being humored. Salida didn't think she'd like that.
�You�d do anything to keep him from us. You�d take any
alternative. Because you must think that anything would be better than losing
him to us.�
"Do you understand what would happen if I lost
him?"
�You would be lost as well.� Emily thought she could
understand that. Love�s a fucked up thing
sometimes, she thought to herself as she briefly glanced across the room to
Roland�s furiously pacing form before shaking her head a little and looking
away.
"Not only that, but there would be no
one to protect me and mine when Barillo's men finally
catch up with me. I have no money of my own to speak of, certainly not enough
to run away from cartel, and I would be alone. Without anyone
who understands me." Salida's voice was bleak, enough so that it caught her
husband's wandering attention.
�Just hang up the phone and come here, vixen,� he instructed
her gently. �You�re never going to lose me.� He took the phone from her. �Now
you listen and you listen good. I have no real quarrel
with you. Rivers is a dead man, but you can still walk away from all of this.�
�If you kill him, I�ll kill you,� Emily said firmly. �You�re
going to be caught. Tell your wife I�m sorry, but that�s the way it�s got to
be. You have only yourself to blame for bringing her into all of this.�
�So be it,� Jeffrey said coldly, hanging up the phone before
Emily could respond. He turned to his wife and held her tightly in his arms.
�They�re incompetent. They�ll never catch me. Don�t worry.�
"You can't let them," she whispered. I can't do this without you. I can't be alone again. Not again."
�Shh, you won�t have to, Salida.
You never will. I�ll always be here with you. Always.�
"I won't let them take you," she declared,
suddenly fierce.
Jeffrey smiled to hear the fierceness in her voice. �I know
you won�t.�
"I'll break you out.
They offered to get you out of the death penalty. And then I can break you out."
�Rivers offered this? Or what�s her name�Emily, offered
this? Because I can�t honestly see Rivers agreeing to that.
He wants me dead. I killed the girl he was fucking on the side.�
"He's not judge, juror, and executioner. He has no control over what the jury decides
to have done to you."
�That may be, but I also think that if he didn�t think he
was going to get his way, he�d either bribe or threaten as many people as need
be to get what he wants. He�s a ignorant prick
granted, but he does have some focus.�
�Vixen, you haven�t met him. I have. I honestly think he�d
throw away his career to get me.�
Salida thought about that for a moment. "Is there any way we could get him to do
that without going to trial?"
�It doesn�t matter, vixen. He doesn�t matter. They�re not going to get me.�
"But wouldn't it be fun to take everything away from
him? Including his job?"
�I already plan on killing him and a good number of his
family members, but yeah, that does sound like fun.�
"Can we take away his home too?"
�Why the fuck not?�
"Could we torture him? I'm sure kidnapping is
easy."
�Now you�re just teasing me and making me impatient to be
doing all of this already.�
Salida shrugged. "Let's do it."
�When, right now? We�re a little underdressed.�
"Not now. But soon."
�Soon I can agree with,� he said, holding her close against
him, enjoying the feeling her naked skin pressed against his. �But not now. Right now all I want to do is lay here and
hold you. We�ll save the torturing of arch nemeses for later.�
"No, now I want to. He wouldn't stop cursing. He wasn't
very nice to me at all, and he's never even met me."
�I should have asked him where he was,� Jeffrey murmured.
�I�ll have to call back later. I doubt they�re in DC any longer. They may be in
New Orleans though for all I know.�
"We'll find out. And then..." She grinned a bloodthirsty grin. "Then I'll show you what I
learned from watching Barillo's men."
Jeffrey returned her grin with a hint of longing in it. �Oh,
I can�t wait to see that. I love you, vixen.�
"The woman I talked to believed that. She didn't sound
like she really understood it, but she believed it."
�Believed what?�
"That I love you."
�Why wouldn�t you love me? I�m lovable,� he said with a
smile.
"I certainly think so," she murmured.
�Good. Glad to hear that my wife finds me lovable,� he said
with a grin, leaning over to kiss the side of her neck. �I find you loveable as
well, wife mine.�
"How loveable?" Salida
didn't know why she was always quizzing him about this. She just needed to be reassured of his love. Constantly. It was kinda sad,
really.
�Extremely so. I�ve never had any
real trouble loving you, vixen. I just�love you. It�s as simple as that.�
"I've always loved you too," she whispered.
�That�s good to know. Thank you,� he responded in turn,
kissing her again.
"Jeffrey?"
�Hmm?�

"I'm hungry."
�I�ll assume for food and not for me,� he said with an
overdramatic sigh. �What would you like?�
"Can we leave the room? I'm not sure I remember the
last time I did." She blushed, and turned down her face in a bashful look.
�You�re cute when you blush but you have no reason to,
vixen. We�ll go anywhere you like.� He paused. �As long as I can go as I am
right now,� he teased, glancing down at his clearly naked state.
"There's no nudist colonies
nearby, lover. You have to get
dressed."
�Are you sure?�
"I'm positive. Get dressed."
�Dress how?� he asked innocently. �Does wearing socks and
shoes count as being dressed?�
"Lover," she whined. "I haven't eaten in
forever."
�Alright, alight. I�m getting,� he murmured, pushing himself off of the bed and walking over to the dresser to
pull out a plain black t-shirt-all the red ones were either dirty or left back
in New Orleans-and a pair of khaki shorts. �We really need to do some shopping.
For more clothes if nothing else,� he murmured as he pulled on the shirt and
shorts. He didn�t bother with underwear or socks as he slipped on his sandals.
He then moved to stand in front of the mirror above the desk to look at the gouge
or cut or whatever Salida had pointed out on his right temple. �Ouch, I need to
ask Sands about this. This looks like a fucking bullet nearly ended all of your
dear husband�s games,� he frowned into the mirror.
Salida went pale at the suggestion. "Please don't say
that, Jeffrey," she whispered.
�Sorry, sorry. Forget I said anything. It�s nothing. I�m
fine,� he assured her.
"It's too much like tempting fate, so please don't say
things like that." God, just the thought made her tremble.
�I won�t, I promise,� he said as he crossed the room to her.
�Nothing�s going to happen to me. I promised, remember?�
"What will happen to me if I loose you?" she asked, her eyes wide and nearly panicked. "I can't support three children on my
own."
�Salida, listen to me. You�re not going to have to do anything on your own, savvy? Not a
thing. Because I am not
leaving you.�
"That's not something you can promise beyond a
doubt. Not really."
Jeffrey sighed in frustration. �Then I will do everything in my power to keep my
promise.�
Salida nodded, accepting that.
Jeffrey sighed a little, visibly
relieved. He hadn�t wanted to get into an argument over that. �What would you
like to eat, vixen?� he asked, taking a seat on the bed to watch her as she
moved about the room getting dressed.
"I don't care. As long as I get something, I'll be
happy. I'm starving."
�Alright. Come on, then. I�m sure
we can find something worth our time in this place. Where are we again exactly?
Nevermind. It doesn�t matter. Let�s just go,� Jeffrey
murmured, rising from his position on the bed, grabbing the essentials-knives,
guns, wallet, keys-and offering her his arm.
"We don't know where the car is parked," Salida
pointed out as they were walking down the hallway to the elevator. "And should we tell Grant we're
leaving?"
Jeffrey frowned. He hadn�t planned on it. He was still a
little touchy at the cone of silence they had apparently been in on the fucking
ride up here. �Alright. We�ll ask kitty where it�s
parked. I don�t feel like talking to Sands,� Jeffrey murmured, halting and
turning to go back to Aida�s room.
They went into Aida's room through the connecting door in
theirs, and woke the sleeping woman. For a moment she just stared up at them
guiltily, unable to think of a good answer to their question. Finally she said,
"Sands didn't tell you?"
�Tell me what, kitty?� Jeffrey asked warily. �Tell me that
he seems to gotten into some kind of fight leaving me with this,� he gestured
abruptly to the abrasion on his right temple. �No, he didn�t fucking say one
word.�
"I don't want to be the one to tell you," she
muttered. "You won't be happy."
�For Christ�s sake, just spit it out, kitty. You�d rather I
hear it from Sands and get pissed off at him and start another fight? Oh yes,
that will be so much better,� he said
dryly.
"He thinks we were chased by the CIA," she
muttered, staring at her lap.
He and Salida exchanged looks. �And?
Were you?�
"We were chased by someone." That was all Aida was
going to say on that. They could pry the rest out of Sands.
Jeffrey saw that Aida was going tight lipped on him and
grunted. �Fine. Vixen and I are going out. Just tell
us where the car is and we�ll be on our merry fucking way.�
"You don't know what the car looks like. We had to get
a new one."
�But�what the fuck happened to the old one? It was brand
fucking new!�
"Not after it had been shot up." Aida cringed.
�What?!�
"Sands looked at the damage," Aida whispered.
�What is that supposed to mean?!�
"You don't need to yell," Salida said gently, resting
a hand on her husband's arm. "Grant doesn't have the guts to talk about
this, obviously." Aida's face burned with shame, but she didn't speak up
to defend herself or to explain.
�Sands, wake up right fucking now
and tell me what the fuck happened,� Jeffrey growled, only just remembering not
to yell when Salida squeezed his arm.
Sands came into consciousness with a frown, took a look at
Aida, and guessed the situation. �I take it you want to know why we have a new
car now?�
�No shit, genius,� Jeffrey sneered.
Sands scowled at that and addressed Aida. �I take it they
had planned to go out. I�ll tell them what happened. Don�t worry about it,� he
murmured upon seeing her blush. He walked across the room and handed her the
phone. �Just in case.�
She nodded, and looked away.
Sands sighed a little and walked out of the room with Salida
at his side, sending once last look in Aida�s direction before closing the door
behind him.
�Ok, talk. Now,� Jeffrey said evenly.
�The fucking CIA must have tapped Aida�s old house, because
after we left, we were followed.�
�And? Are they corpses?� Jeffrey
asked.
Sands nodded. �They shot up the car though, hence the need
to get rid of it.�
"Are you sure they tapped it, or did Rivers actually
act smart for once and try to follow other leads than your all-consuming
selves?" Salida asked the question of both men.
�Wait, how does she know about Rivers?� Sands asked
curiously before answering her question.
Jeffrey shrugged. �I got pissed, I got impatient, and I
called him.� He half expected Sands to launch into him, saying that it was a
stupid idea, that he never should have risked it, but Sands only felt
disappointed.
�I have no idea,� Sands answered her after a moment. �All I
know is that I looked back and they were there. They�re dead now. I shot them
both. In the middle of the fucking highway. That�s why
we came back early.� And why Aida still
practically won�t even look at me, despite what I promised her.
"I don't know what answer I like better," Salida
muttered. "Him getting lucky, or him acting like
a CIA agent instead of a dumbass."
�He�s definitely a dumbass,�
Jeffrey muttered without hesitation.
�But don�t underestimate him. We�ve made that mistake
before,� Sands added. Jeffrey just shrugged.
"Either way, I still want to get rid of him."
�I want you to get rid of him too,� Jeffrey added with a
wicked smirk.
�What is he talking about, sunrise?� Sands asked curiously.
"He's talking about how we need to do something about
Rivers soon. As in manage to take away his job, his home, and his family -
because that's what he's done to us, even Grant - and then torture him for a bit
before getting rid of him. Permanently."
�And you�re ok with that?� Sands asked, trying to wrap his
head around that concept. He saw that she was. �Right,� he said with some
hesitation. It wasn�t that he didn�t want to kill Roland-god yes he did-but he
couldn�t help but think of Aida and what she would say.
"You don't sound as...supportive...as I thought you
would, Sands." There was a bit of confusion in Salida's
voice.
�Yeah, what the fuck is that all about? I thought you�d be
cheering to see Rivers dead,� Jeffrey added with a frown.
Sands sighed. �Aida doesn�t like it when I kill people. I
mean, she really doesn�t like it.
Therefore�I�ve made some promises to her,� he said hesitantly. If he had been a
normal man, he might have been feeling guilty about talking about his wife in
such a way, but Sands was not normal and therefore only felt slightly
uncomfortable at the thought that she might be upset with him.
"What kind of promises?" Salida asked, more than a
hint of suspicion and fear in her voice.
Sands took a breath. He had been hoping to put this off as
long as possible. Why had he fucking brought it up? �Promises to placate her,�
he stalled.
�Cut the bullshit and tell us what you fucking promised,�
Jeffrey said, sounding like Salida. He knew that Sands kept his promises as he
himself did. That meant that any promises he made to kitty about killing-or
whatever-could affect him too.
Just tell them and get
it over with it. Stop being such a fucking pussy. �Shut up,� Sands murmured
under his breath. �I promised her two things: one, to try to stop killing.�
Jeffrey snorted. �Yeah, like that will ever happen.�
�And two,� he hesitated, bracing himself. �To
talk about taking some anti-psychotics.�
"No!" Salida yelled. "No, you can't do
that." Just the thought was enough to make the room spin around her. "Oh
god," she moaned, taking a hard seat in a chair. "No..."
�You trying to get rid of me,
Sands?� Jeffrey asked, sounding far too calm for Sands� liking.
Sands held up his hands in defense. �Now, hold on a fucking
second. I said we�d talk about this, and that�s what we�re fucking doing. I�m
not trying to get rid of anyone.� He turned to Salida and addressed her
succinctly, �No Thorazine. You have my word.�
Salida buried her face in her hands and simultaneously
nodded and sighed in relief. He wasn't going to try to make Jeffrey disappear.
He wasn't trying to widow her. "Thank you," she eventually murmured
through her hands.
Sands gave her a short nod. �As much as I may not like you,
I guess,� he frowned, �I fucking accept you,� Sands told Jeffrey, scowling all
the while.
�Gee thanks. Don�t I feel the love,� Jeffrey said wryly.
"How soon did you promise you'd start trying?"
Salida asked, finally raising her head from her hands.
�I didn�t exactly set a date, but I can tell she�d be
happier with as soon as possible,� he
said with a shrug, thinking back to the aftermath of the shootout.
�Just fucking great,� Jeffrey muttered. �So, what are these
fucking things going to do to me? And which ones are you going to fucking take?
Haldol?
That ought to be depressive fun. Lithium? Sure if you
want us to be off our fucking heads all day long. So which? You�ve pretty much
have a whole rainbow of choices.�
�I don�t know,� Sands answered.
"I'll think about it," Salida said softly. "And
we'll start on low doses of whatever is chosen..."
�But?� Sands couldn�t help but ask.
"I refuse to do anything without full cooperation and
agreement from you both."
�Oh goodie, I get a fucking choice?� Jeffrey said dryly.
�I never said you didn�t get one,� Sands argued.
�You all but promised to drug us to the gills just because
kitty�s a little skittish around murderers. It sounds that way to me,� Jeffrey
muttered as he dug out his lighter and began flipping it open and shut, open
and shut in his irritation, unconsciously picking up Sands� nervous habit.
�I�m listening.�
�And what�s that supposed to mean?� Jeffrey asked with a
scowl, still clicking the lighter.
�It means that I will hear whatever it is you have to say
about this,� Sands said slowly. He wouldn�t admit that in the end it wasn�t his
choice, but he would listen to what Jeffrey had to say. For
now.
�Oh, I get to take the stage for a while? Thanks ever so.
What if I like what I am? What if I
don�t want to change that? And do you know some of the side affects of those
fucking drugs? Of course you fucking do. What if I�d rather have the occasional
psychotic episode or blood lust rather than having to deal with those fuckers all of the time? What about that?�
�I would think you of all people would know what psychotic
episodes can do. Now granted, neither of us has had one in awhile, that doesn�t
mean that we won�t have them. And what then? What
about Aida and Salida? Where would they go to get away from us?� This was a low
blow and Sands knew it, but he had to try and convince Jeffrey of this for
Aida�s sake. He had promised. �What if one of us tries to
hurt your children?�
�You bastard,� Jeffrey hissed. Sands simply shrugged as if
to say, �I can�t change what I am anymore than you can.�
"That's something else we need to talk about,"
Salida interrupted softly before the men could really get started. "Jeffrey's
already promised me that he'll do everything in his power to never leave me,
and I'm sure you've made the same promises to Grant, Sands, but what if that's
not enough? I don't want to sound greedy or nosy, but have either of you ever considered
a will?"
Jeffrey shook his head adamantly. Writing a will would be
admitting that there was a chance he would leave her. He wasn�t going to do
that.
�I�ve thought about it,� Sands said after a moment�s
hesitation. Jeffrey frowned at him.
Salida nodded, but let the subject lie for the moment. She
could tell her husband was uncomfortable, so she'd wait until they were alone
to talk to him about this. Life wasn't guaranteed to any of them, and she
wanted to make sure that her children would never want for anything.
�You don�t have to write one, Jeffrey,� Sands murmured,
guessing the reason for Jeffrey�s reluctance. �I�ll write it.�
�Fuck you,� Jeffrey growled softly, irritated at Sands�
presumption.
"I didn't mean to have this conversation right
now," Salida murmured. "After all, I'm still hungry. And we don't
know what our car looks like."
Sands was tempted to tell them to go fucking find it
themselves in irritation at Jeffrey�s curse, but that would have been petty.
�Follow me,� he murmured instead. He didn�t feel like talking about any of this
anymore anyway.
***
Aida groaned as the cell phone rang for the fourth
consecutive time. It'd occurred to her once it might be a wrong number; they
would figure that out. It'd occurred to her once that it might be her
parents...she wasn't ready to talk to them. It'd occurred to her once that it
was Sands; he could talk to her when he got back. But finally she was so fed up
that she picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?" she said in
her sleep-drugged voice.
�Just calling to tell you we�re coming after you, you son of
a bitch. We got close last night and you know it. We�re going to catch you,�
Roland said smugly, not recognizing that the voice on the other end of the line
wasn�t Sands.
"What?" Aida asked, rubbing her eyes. "Who is this?"
�Who is this? Another one of Sands�
whores?� Roland sneered. He seemed to argue with someone in the
background for a few moments after that, and then silence.
"Who is this?" Aida asked again. Maybe she was
dreaming.
�Officer Roland Rivers of the Central
Intelligence Agency. Now who is this?�
Aida accidentally hung up and dropped the phone in shock. She
stared at it for a moment before it rang again. I must be dreaming, she almost prayed, pinching herself; the pinch
hurt and the phone didn't fall silent. Almost against her will, Aida reached
out and picked it up again, not bothering to say anything as she pressed the
talk button and held the phone to her ear.
�Why do you insist on playing these games? Do you think that
somehow we aren�t going to catch him? Do you know what kind of man you�re
harboring? Do you know how many people he�s killed? Over thirty innocent lives
have been lost to these madman�s hands, and those are only those committed in
DC and Baltimore. God knows how many others he�s killed by now that we haven�t
found yet. And those two young agents last night, I�m sure he didn�t give a
second thought to their families when he fucking shot them. And still you
defend him, Mrs. Sands. Why?�
"He promised to stop," Aida whispered, her heart
twisting at the thought of all those destroyed families. "He's going to
stop. He promised."
�You�re a fool if you believe that. People like him never
stop. They�re stopped.�
"He's going to start taking medication."
�And that somehow makes everything better? A few pills
against the lives he�s taken?� Roland laughed dryly. �I wonder what his
victim�s families would say if they knew their vengeance wasn�t valid anymore
because their loved ones� killer is going on medication.�
"Don't," Aida whispered. "Please."
�Don�t what? Don�t force you to
open your goddamned eyes to the man you�ve married? He�s a fucking serial killer. That�s all he knows. He�s
an amoral bastard whom I will take great pleasure in putting to death. Hell,
I�d push the plunger on the needle if they�ll let me, but I�m afraid there
would probably be a line. There are a lot of fathers and mothers and daughters
and sons he�s killed, and their families want him dead. Would you deny them
their vengeance? Would you deny them the right to face the monster who broke their families apart?�
Tears were rolling down Aida's cheeks as she realized there
was no way she could justify herself to this man. There was nothing she could
say, explain... Just as she let out a soft
sob, the door to the room opened.
�Aida, I�m back and we need to talk�Aida, what�s wrong?�
Sands asked frantically upon seeing her face.
�Is that him?� Roland asked, heading voices in the
background. �Give him up, Mrs. Sands. Stop him from killing anyone else.�
Another sob escaped her as she dropped the phone like a hot
potato and curled around her knees.
Sands immediately ran to her, making a soft sound when she
flinched away from him and scooping up the phone. �Who is this?� he demanded
coldly.
�Rivers, you bastard. It sounds as
though your wife isn�t as blinded by your lies as you thought she was. I�ll be
seeing you soon�� Sands didn�t give Roland the chance to finish,
he threw the phone across the room where it shattered against the wall.
"I'm sorry," Aida cried when Sands once again
reached for her, and she let him hold her.
"I shouldn't have answered. I thought it was you, but I shouldn't
have answered."
�No, no, shh
now, Aida. Don�t cry. He�s not going to be bothering us again,� he
whispered as he held her tightly, trying to offer what comfort he could. He
didn�t know what Rivers had said to her, but he could guess. That fucking bastard. He deserves to be tortured for this.
"But he's right...and he's not...and that's what I'm
afraid of."
�What do you mean?� he asked, knowing that he would probably
regret it.
"Nothing makes sense anymore," she whispered
between harsh, shallow breaths that showed she was trying not to cry.
�What doesn�t make sense, Aida?� he asked softly. He could
guess, but he wanted to hear her say it in her own words.
"Life."
�I don�t think life is supposed to make sense all of the
time, Aida.�
"It used to."
�Then I�m sorry it doesn�t anymore,� Sands murmured.
"I'm starting not to like myself," she confessed
in a nearly silent voice as she curled closer to him, her hands digging into
him as if she was afraid he was going to disappear.
�What? Why?� he hesitated. �Is it because of me? Because of
the�compromises you�re forced to make to be with me?�
"Not how you mean. I always thought that love was
loyal; an overwhelming, blinding loyalty. But if it was, I wouldn't feel so
devastatingly guilty when I talk to people like that man."
He could only imagine what that must feel like. �I�m sorry,
Aida.� He didn�t know what else to say.
"You're going to stop adding," she said, almost as
if bolstering the dam against her own conscience. "You're going to try to
stop unnecessary killing."
Sands almost asked, �I am?� but some basic instinct of self
preservation kept him silent. He wouldn�t say he�d try, because he knew she
wouldn�t accept that. He wouldn�t ask her what was unnecessary and what was
not, he would just nod. He did so. �Alright.�
"You said. You said you'd talk to someone about
medication."
�I did. It�s up to sunrise now, I guess. I�think Jeffrey and
I agreed.� He wasn�t entirely sure on this count for two reasons: one, he and
Jeffrey seldom agreed about anything,
so he was hesitant to believe that they had now, and two, he didn�t know if
Jeffrey would change his mind and tell him to stick the pills up his ass the
next time they talked about it.
Aida nodded, and buried her face in his chest. Several moments
passed in silence as they sat like this, but eventually she murmured, "I
should call my parents."
�Why?� the self preservation instinct wasn�t quite quick
enough that time. �Ok, if you want, I guess. I kind of�broke the phone though.�
"You'll stay with me?" she asked, her eyes
begging.
Sands nodded.
Aida nodded back, took a deep breath, and then reached for
the hotel phone. Her parent's number came quickly to her memory, and in seconds
she was listening as the phone rang.
Each second that went by without someone picking up made her tension
increase exponentially, but she had to do this.
�Grant residence,� Susan�s voice came through the other
line. She sounded tired.
"Hi, Momma," Aida whispered.
�Aida? Aida Nicole? Is that you?� she sounded frantic.
�Where are you? Are you alright? The police came and some men from the CIA came
and they told us all these things about Sands. They�re not true, are they? Tell
me they�re not, Firefly,� she pleaded with her.
"I'm fine, Momma." That was all Aida managed to
get out before her throat closed on her.
�Well praise God for that,� Susan
sighed, relief evident in her voice. �We heard�news of some kind of shootout in
town last night, Aida. Two young men were killed. We�we didn�t know if you were
alright. We�we just didn�t know,� Susan sighed, sounding near to tears herself.
"We're fine."
�He�s still with you? Aida they told us he�s a�a killer,�
she whispered as if afraid someone might overhear. That the
police and CIA are after him. Aida, if this is all a terrible mistake,
you need to turn yourselves in. These
men are serious. They think Sands is some kind of serial killer or something.�
"I know they do, Momma. But he's my husband."
�No, you�re-you�re telling me that they�re right? That
he�s�what they said he was? No, I don�t believe it. He was just a normal young
man. He might have had bad parents, but that doesn�t make him a murderer. I
spoke to him, Aida. He was in our home. He can�t be a killer.�
"I love him, Momma. I've committed myself to him."
�Why aren�t you defending him? Why aren�t you telling me
that he�s never killed anyone in his life?� Susan asked frantically.
"Did you tell them that we were up on Knox Butte
watching the fireworks?" Aida knew that she was answering all her mother's
worse fears by ignoring her questions, but she couldn't bring herself to
actually say any of the things her
mother feared.
�Yes, I thought they�d be able to straighten all of this out. You�re not answering my questions, Aida. Is he what they said he is?�

"Does it matter?" Aida asked softly. "I love him, and need him. Just
as he loves and needs me."
�Yes, it matters. Tell me what kind of man my son-in-law is.
The truth this time.�
"He's a man who loves me and who would never hurt
me."
�How do you know that? How can you know, knowing what�he�s
done?�
"I don't know what he's done. All I know is how he has treated me."
�You honestly expect me to believe that you don�t know what
he�s done? That he hasn�t told you? I might have believed it once, Aida, but I
don�t believe that now.�
"What do you want me to do, Momma?" Aida's voice
was anguished.
�I want you to come home. You can�bring Sands. If what you
say about him is true, if he truly does love you�then we can get him help.�
"And you'll defend him against the law?" Somehow
Aida didn't believe that.
�Aida, he has to answer for what he�s done. There�s no
changing that.�
Aida was about to answer when she heard three soft taps. "What
was that sound?" she asked, all of a sudden suspicious.
�Oh honey, please just come home to us,� Susan pleaded with
her.
"What was that sound, Momma."
Please
don't be betraying us. Please, Momma.
Susan started sobbing. �They made me do it. They told me he
was hurting you. I didn�t know, Aida. I didn�t know!�
Aida's blood started to run cold. "I have to go, Momma."
�No! Please come home to us, Aida. Please! We love you!
Don�t go! Please,� she sobbed.
"I love you too," Aida choked out. "But I
made a vow before God, even if I wasn't married in a church. I can't just
leave."
�God can�t expect you to stay married to him! Not after the
things he�s done! Please leave him, Aida. I can�t stand the thought of anything
happening to you.�
"I love you, Momma. I'll write. Give Poppa my love for
me."
�No you won�t. You�ll be dead. Killed by the man you call
your husband,� Susan announced grimly, as if had already happened.
"Give Poppa my love," Aida repeated before hanging
up. There was a loud silence in the room before she calmly announced,
"Someone was listening in. I think the call was traced."
�Then you know what we have to do,� Sands said slowly,
accepting his fate.
"We have to hit the road," she whispered.
Sands nodded. �We have to hit the road.�
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More Than Darkness