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Miss Right Part 6
The sound of rain was the first thing to be noticed. Was this a tin shed? It pittered on some overhead surface in a steady rhythm. The rain was really falling tonight. Whenever tonight was. There'd been dreams. Lucid dreams. People being shot at. People killed. Tiffany was surely dead. Was Wanda ok? Were any of them? Then it hit. This achy feeling. "Why can't I move?" That was the next thought. Followed by, "Where am I?".
Kari opened her eyes cautiously. Well. Eye. Her left eye seemed to not want to cooperate.
Luckily, she'd been raised in farm country. As dainty as she looked, she was no stranger to pain. This was certainly next level though. It felt like someone had caved in the left side of her head.
"Glad to see you're still with us.", She attempted to find the source of the voice though she'd know it anywhere.
"Del! How did you end up in this mess?" She spoke slowly. It was as if her words were balanced and any sudden move could knock them over.
"Firstly, it might be best you hold still. You're an impressive woman, Kari. From the looks of it, the hit you took would've taken out a full sized man. With the exception of your left eye, you've been healing nicely. I will answer every question you have when you're mending a little better. Rest while you can. You've been out cold for ten days. I started to think you might not make it. Pop Tart assured me you'd survive. He saw in you what we all did I suppose. A young woman that doesn't belong in this gutter."
Del brought in a nurse to inject Kari with something to help her sleep. It wasn't the best plan, but for now, it was necessary. He needed her to heal and to stay put. He'd been hiding her this long and no one was the wiser. Almost no one knew where she was. He'd done all he could to minimize it being common knowledge. There was Martha of course. She'd been his housekeeper for a long time. She was more like family now. He brought in a nurse and three guards with no family of their own. No one would notice they were missing. The nurse had resigned under the guise of going to take care of a dying family member. His three guards were ghosts anyway. The only person who went in and out of this "safe house" was his personal chef. The chef knew nothing. He believed that Del regularly entertained young ladies so he always made too much food. Demetrius would need to find someone REALLY good to find a paper trail.
Del hadn't made it to old age by being careless. When he left the organized crime life, he'd just wanted to retire, smoke cigars, and listen to jazz. A simple life. It was good being in charge of everything, but it gets old fast. The alcohol doesn't hit the same. The women just become the same. "Whatever you need" or "I hope you liked it". His men would slowly get tired of following orders. He'd have to make examples. Until, he couldn't anymore.
The life expectancy of the boss wasn't very high. Del was never a fool. He kept his loyal men close until he was ready to get out. He managed to pull off a pretty convincing death. His replacement didn't last more than a few months. The leadership changed a few times until the man known simply as Del emerged. Every man he trusted retired wealthy, while others ended up on the wrong end of the power struggle. It was unfortunate. Not everyone in the business was a criminal.
Del walked out into his sitting room. It was like a patio. It has picture windows all around so he could admire the skyline while listening to his jazz albums. They were bulletproof. But again, you didn't get old in this business by being trusting.
As he lit up a new cigar, he started to question his decision making processes of late. He'd never let compassion lead him to make such an error before. He was getting old. Kari had always had a smile for him. She didn't care about his past, not that she'd known even a portion of it. He had come to see her as a daughter. He'd never had any kids that he'd been able to be a father to. In the few times there'd been a pregnancy, the girl either had to terminate the child or go on the run. Once, a girl had thought to use the child to blackmail him. She disappeared shortly after. So many transgressions. He'd had a great life. Now, he sounded fatalistic. It was just the weight of it all. He wasn't ready to give in.
Kari. That's his current problem. He still had a few loyal men. He could easily be back in the game. He almost felt the pull . The thrill. But for what? This girl he barely knew? He'd become an old cliche. Well he had to make sure he didn't end like the old men in the stories. He was going to survive this. He just had to be very careful. Simple Demetrius was no joke. People followed him loyally. It was his all or nothing perspective. It was simple but there was no art to it.
He got up long enough to flip his album over. Vinyl really was the way to go with music recordings. It felt so full. He started the music and day back down in his chair. He needed a plan.
© The Moonlight Bard
Kari opened her eyes cautiously. Well. Eye. Her left eye seemed to not want to cooperate.
Luckily, she'd been raised in farm country. As dainty as she looked, she was no stranger to pain. This was certainly next level though. It felt like someone had caved in the left side of her head.
"Glad to see you're still with us.", She attempted to find the source of the voice though she'd know it anywhere.
"Del! How did you end up in this mess?" She spoke slowly. It was as if her words were balanced and any sudden move could knock them over.
"Firstly, it might be best you hold still. You're an impressive woman, Kari. From the looks of it, the hit you took would've taken out a full sized man. With the exception of your left eye, you've been healing nicely. I will answer every question you have when you're mending a little better. Rest while you can. You've been out cold for ten days. I started to think you might not make it. Pop Tart assured me you'd survive. He saw in you what we all did I suppose. A young woman that doesn't belong in this gutter."
Del brought in a nurse to inject Kari with something to help her sleep. It wasn't the best plan, but for now, it was necessary. He needed her to heal and to stay put. He'd been hiding her this long and no one was the wiser. Almost no one knew where she was. He'd done all he could to minimize it being common knowledge. There was Martha of course. She'd been his housekeeper for a long time. She was more like family now. He brought in a nurse and three guards with no family of their own. No one would notice they were missing. The nurse had resigned under the guise of going to take care of a dying family member. His three guards were ghosts anyway. The only person who went in and out of this "safe house" was his personal chef. The chef knew nothing. He believed that Del regularly entertained young ladies so he always made too much food. Demetrius would need to find someone REALLY good to find a paper trail.
Del hadn't made it to old age by being careless. When he left the organized crime life, he'd just wanted to retire, smoke cigars, and listen to jazz. A simple life. It was good being in charge of everything, but it gets old fast. The alcohol doesn't hit the same. The women just become the same. "Whatever you need" or "I hope you liked it". His men would slowly get tired of following orders. He'd have to make examples. Until, he couldn't anymore.
The life expectancy of the boss wasn't very high. Del was never a fool. He kept his loyal men close until he was ready to get out. He managed to pull off a pretty convincing death. His replacement didn't last more than a few months. The leadership changed a few times until the man known simply as Del emerged. Every man he trusted retired wealthy, while others ended up on the wrong end of the power struggle. It was unfortunate. Not everyone in the business was a criminal.
Del walked out into his sitting room. It was like a patio. It has picture windows all around so he could admire the skyline while listening to his jazz albums. They were bulletproof. But again, you didn't get old in this business by being trusting.
As he lit up a new cigar, he started to question his decision making processes of late. He'd never let compassion lead him to make such an error before. He was getting old. Kari had always had a smile for him. She didn't care about his past, not that she'd known even a portion of it. He had come to see her as a daughter. He'd never had any kids that he'd been able to be a father to. In the few times there'd been a pregnancy, the girl either had to terminate the child or go on the run. Once, a girl had thought to use the child to blackmail him. She disappeared shortly after. So many transgressions. He'd had a great life. Now, he sounded fatalistic. It was just the weight of it all. He wasn't ready to give in.
Kari. That's his current problem. He still had a few loyal men. He could easily be back in the game. He almost felt the pull . The thrill. But for what? This girl he barely knew? He'd become an old cliche. Well he had to make sure he didn't end like the old men in the stories. He was going to survive this. He just had to be very careful. Simple Demetrius was no joke. People followed him loyally. It was his all or nothing perspective. It was simple but there was no art to it.
He got up long enough to flip his album over. Vinyl really was the way to go with music recordings. It felt so full. He started the music and day back down in his chair. He needed a plan.
© The Moonlight Bard
