A Bit of Warm Comfort (A True Blood - Sam/Tara Fic)

Chapter 4 - A Simple Plan

"Girl! You want me to do what?" Lafayette exclaimed. He glared down at his cousin who was perched on the arm of his sofa. There was a determined set to her jaw as she stared back at him.

"Help me kill Andy Bellefleur," Tara replied, almost too calmly.

"Bitch, have you lost your complete mind?" He crossed his arms over his broad chest, partly hiding a purple silk kimono underneath.

"No, I haven't lost my mind," Tara said, sounding seriously affronted. "You think it's okay to have a renegade cop running around shooting and killing black folks any time he fucking feels like it? Did you forget the last body we found behind Merlotte's was a black woman in the back seat of Andy's car with her heart cut out? We can't trust the police to do nothing about it. They're only good at covering up shit and protecting their own. So it's up to us to protect our own by any means necessary."

"Do I look like Malcolm X to you or got a cape coming out my ass? You're talking about killing an officer of the fucking law."

"Andy needs to pay for his crime, and I'm gonna make sure he does," she said with conviction.

Lafayette came closer, bending forward to look her directly in the eyes. His face was only inches from hers.

She jerked back, not liking the sudden invasion of her personal space. "What the hell you doing?" she asked.

"Checking out your eyes," he said, examining her intently. "If you're not crazy then you must still be under that bitch's spell."

She stood up, pushing Lafayette away. "You know I'm not under Maryann's or anybody else's spell. I'm serious about this, Lafayette. Are you gonna help me or not?"

Lafayette gave her a long thoughtful look. Finally he said, "What would make your crazy ass think I would help kill Andy Bellefleur, especially over a punk ass like Eggs."

"Eggs didn't deserve to be shot in the head like a dog. He never hurt nobody. He was innocent."

"Then why they find him with a knife in his hand?"

Tara rolled her eyes. "Like the police have never planted evidence on a black person before. I knew Eggs better than anyone. He wasn't the monster they're trying to make him out to be. Eggs wouldn't hurt a fly."

Lafayette's eyes flashed with anger, and he reached out and grabbed her face in both of his large hands so she couldn't look away. "Then why the hell did you come into Merlotte's with bruises on your face the size of that motherfucker's fist, huh? If your man was so goddamn innocent, you explain that shit."

Tara's heart pounded. What could she say? She still couldn't recall how she and Eggs woke up with bruises and scratches all over their bodies and faces. "I told you he didn't hit me. I don't know how I got those bruises." She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her.

"Tara, listen to me. You got to let this shit go. You hear me?" He released her then turned away to pick up a lit joint from the ashtray on his coffee table. Tara leaned against the wall, covering her face with her hands. She knew Lafayette was right, but she couldn't do what he wanted. How could she let this go when the need for revenge gripped her so tightly that she could barely sleep at night? It was all she thought about. She couldn't rest until she was sure Andy Bellefleur paid for killing her lover.

She lowered her hands and stared at Lafayette's back. "You said that if there was anything I needed, you'd always be there for me." She sounded desperate and was pleading, but she no longer cared. "You're my family, the only person I got left besides Sookie that's worth a shit. I never asked you for nothing, Lafayette, but I need you to help me now. Andy's a killer and has to pay for what he did to Eggs. If you won't help me, then I'll figure out another way to get it done. But I fucking swear to God, Andy Bellefleur is going get what's coming to him. "

Lafayette slowly turned to face her, the joint hanging loosely from the corner of his mouth. His eyes looked glassy and weary. "Tara, you're about to get yourself into some serious shit, girl. I mean 'life without parole' type shit. Maybe even get yourself killed. Are you ready to deal with that?"

"Only if we get caught," she said.

"We?" Lafayette shook his head with a look of disappointment. He took a long drag from his joint, expelling the smoke through his nose. He reached out and offered it to Tara.

"Alright then, cuz," he said, sighing in acquiescence. "What's the plan?"

Tara took a drag and handed it back to Lafayette. "You still selling V for that vampire in Shreveport?"

Lafayette stared at her suspiciously. "I told you to keep that shit on the down low."

"I know, but can you introduce me to him?"

"Eric Northman?"

"Yeah, Eric."

"Uh-uh." He shook his head vehemently. "Hooker, now I know you done lost your mind. Nobody else is supposed to know about my connection and I wanna keep it that way. My fucking life depends on it, if you catch my drift." He began pacing, a look of anxiety showing on his effeminate features. If Tara didn't know better, she would say he was petrified.

He paused to look at her. "I've done a lot of stupid shit in my life. I'll probably do even more dumb shit before it's all said and done, but getting you mixed up with a crazy motherfucker like Eric Northman is not gonna be part of it. The answer's No."

"Look, all you have to do is take me to him. I'll do the rest."

"Fuck that!" Lafayette said shaking his head again. "That motherfucker's a maniac, a straight-up killer. I watched him rip a man apart with his bare hands."

"Good," she said, smiling for the first time since she arrived. "That's exactly what we need. Who better to get rid of a crooked cop than a vamp with years of killing experience? He can do the job better than either of us."

"What makes you think he'd be willing to help us?"

"You just leave that to me."

Lafayette gave her a strange look, one she couldn't decipher. "Maybe you're the one I should be afraid of," he said.

She took the joint out of Lafayette's hand and placed it between her lips. "Not you, but Andy Bellefleur will definitely have a reason to fear me."

She took another puff of Lafayette's joint then smiled, knowing that her face was going to be the last thing Andy would ever see before going straight to hell.

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