Blood and Apples: An Annora Park Novel: Book One

Chapter Thirty: Love, Hate and Lacerated Livers

   "You didn't see her, Birdie!" Walker shouts at Chamuel.  "And why was that anyway? Where the hell were you, huh?" He looks like he's ready to tear off the angels wings and I don't like it, I don't like it one bit.
   "I explained already, I had to check in with—"
   "—NO! There's no one that is more important than our darling girl.  Nothing takes precedent over her. And you weren't here.  You didn't have to deal with that...that...child!" He spits out and then continues, "And you didn't see you after her Tread, Birdie.  She cried, bawled, Birdie!"
   "Well I'm sure it was a particularly horrible scene.  She is allowed some tears," Chamuel says calmly.  "Nothing too unusual there."
   Hey! I hadn't cried THAT hard.  Oh who was I kidding, I'd totally fallen apart like some weak willed ninny.  With that thought Chamuel turns to me then and eyes me more intently.
   "You cried that hard?"
   "That's what I've been trying to tell you, asshole! I mean shit, can't you see her eyes, they're red rimmed and puffy.  She was a complete sobbing mess.  That is NOT like Annora.  That is not the Annora darling that I know.  Some tears maybe, but nothing like what happened after her Tread.  Annora darling, well, she pulls everything inside of her.  It's par for the course with her Empathy.  Sometimes it's to her detriment.  Because she shoves her shit into a box deep away from where she has to deal with it.  But that is just how she does deal with what she sees on a daily basis,  how she lives with it.  She wraps the pain and death and horror tightly around her like a blanket and holds it to her, she doesn't let people see the pain...at least not often.  And never like what I saw, Birdie."  Walker begins to pace, every once in awhile tossing me a concerned look.  "Hell, Birdie, she didn't even cry like that after her mother died...faded...whatever it was that her mother did.  Something is wrong.  Fix it."
   Chamuel comes to stand in front of me and takes my hands in his.  "How do you feel, Annora, my beloved?"
   "Why are you asking her, just fix her, you big flying pelican."
  Admirably we both (Chamuel and myself, ignore Walker's insults and ranting).
   "I..." I pull my hand away from his and rub my chest, right over my heart.  "I...I...feel...okay I guess.  I mean, I don't think I feel any different.  I just...I just remember the horror and then...then...it felt as if my heart was bleeding there was so much pain in my chest, it just willed and welled forth until I couldn't NOT cry."
   "Annora my beloved—"
   The Imperial March rings through the house and I look over at Walker with raised eyebrows as if to say, really?
   Walker laughs.  "It's one of my favorite series ever, Annora girl, you know that."
   "Okay, okay," I laugh, as I begin to make my way to the front of the house to answer the door.
   "Annora darling, do not go without us."  Walker shouts and he and Chamuel quickly catch up to me.
   I check the peephole, take a deep breath, unlock the bazillion locks that Walker has on his door and open it.  Garrett stands on the doorstep holding several bags...bags that smell really, really good.
   "I...uh...brought you food, honey.  I know you need if after your Tread." Garrett speaks quietly, so quietly.
   I choose to ignore the 'honey' for now in favor of the food.  And I usher him into the house, ignoring the scowls on my guy's faces.  "Thanks, Garrett." My eyes gleam brightly in anticipation.  "What did you bring me? I mean, us?"
   Garrett gulps, he looks over at the guys and then back to me.  "Picked up a double order of the usual from Thai Thai, and also swung by the Korean market."
   "Yay!" I'm already pushing him toward the kitchen, leaving my guys to follow after us.  The minute we hit the kitchen I take the bags from him and begin to unpack them on the table.  Hmmmm...red curry, Massaman, Guay teow—one of my favorite noodles dishes, ooohhh AND Pad Thai. Tom Yum soup, and Laab. Ooohhh and there are my steamed pork buns and egg custards, ooohhh and Kimchi, lots and lots of Kimchi and lettuce leaves, ohhhhh excellent.
"Happy, Ann?" Garrett asks.
I laugh and do a little happy dance which makes all three of them smile a bit. "Are you kidding me, I'm so happy right now I could kiss you."
"Then you should," Garrett says.
I stop and blink owlishly. "Uhmmmm excuse me?"
"I said you should kiss me."
I ignore my guys growing growls and focus on Garrett. Were we really gonna do this now? Before I'd eaten. I sigh. "Garrett, that's just an expression, one I've said a million times to you before, and never followed by an actual kiss, and you know it."
"And I'm saying that that needs to be corrected. If you want to kiss me. You SHOULD kiss me." Garrett suddenly is right in front of me, grabbing my hands. Wow, he'd moved fast. "Ann...honey...we were good together, you know we were good together."
"All right, I concur, Romanoff, something is...off..." Chamuel says dryly.
Walker draws back. "OFF? OFF? This is way past off, Birdie. This is fucking wrong on so many levels. And if he doesn't let go of her hands I'm going to relieve him of those hands of his so he can't touch her again."
I tug at my hands but Garrett isn't letting go. "Walker, calm down. Seriously, he isn't hurting me. Please, calm down. Let's...let's just deal with this rationally."
"Rationally?" Walker snaps his fingers and a large dagger appears in his hand. "Let me show you rational in my book, Annora darling girl."
"Darling girl?" Garrett lets go of my hands and turns to face Walker. "Don't call my honey, darling, you psycho!"
Walker moves so fast I barely have time to shout "NO!" Before he has slices down the front of Garretts chest. Garrett stumbles back and looks down at the blood welling up and dripping to the floor. He pulls his sidearm, draws and fires off two shots before anyone can do a thing.
   I scream, and rush in front of Walker standing between him and Garrett.  "STOP! Oh my God, stop!"
   "Well...this was...unexpected," Chamuel said quietly.
   "Shut up!" I scream at Chamuel.  I'm furious, and afraid.  I don't want to take my eyes off of Garrett in case he tries anything again, but I want to check on Walker.  "Walker...Walker...you...you okay?" I hold my hand out and am comforted when he takes it.  I look quickly at our joined hands and flinch when I see the blood staining them.  "You're not okay, oh my God, Walker.  Garrett got you?" It was more statement than question.
   "Well he was rather close range...he'd have to be blind to have missed me, Annora darling."
   "Where are you hit?"
   "Took one to shoulder, and one...a little closer to my heart than I'd like."
   HOLY SHIT!  "Walker, how...how...how are you so calm?  Garrett just fucking shot you, twice! He shot you twice!"
   "He did indeed."
   "Then how are you so fucking calm?"
   "Because that was fun, darling girl.  In fact," he gently moves me away from him, so he's facing Garrett without me as a shield.  "...here, let's do it again.  I'll even let you get in another shot, but mind you, that's the only freebie I'll give you, and wherever you shoot me, I'll give you the wound back, but ten times worse.  Just letting you know the terms."
   "No! No!" I move back in front of Walker.  "You're both lunatics!  But you," and I point at Garrett furiously, "...you SHOT him! Are you crazy, Garrett? You used your department issued sidearm on a civilian.  Do you...GOD, do you know the trouble you could be in."
   "Only if you tell, or if he does," Garrett growls out, and then says snidely, "...And somehow, I doubt that he'll be saying anything, he's a total psycho, honey.  I'm not the lunatic here, he is."
   "Jesus, Garrett stop calling me honey! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
   "What? Think your pet psycho Warlock could take me?"
   "NO!" I shout, furious, "Cause I could, and I will if you continue with this shit.  I sigh when I see the look of hurt on his face.
   "You...you'd never hurt me, Ann," Garrett says quietly now.
   I swallow.  The stone in my chest expands until I feel like my entire inside is solid and concrete.  "I...I wouldn't want to...I don't want to," I force the stone and cold to fill my face, to show him my intent and truth.  "...But I would.  I will, Garrett, if you ever pull anything like this again.  It...God," I feel a tear fall from my eye and gather myself up.  Can't fall apart now.  "...it would kill something in me to do it, Garrett, it would kill something in me.  But I would, and will do it, do you understand?  Can you see the truth of my words in my eyes, Garrett?"
   "I do, Ann." Garrett swallows.  "I love you.  Ann, I love you so much I can barely breathe."
   Oh shit.  "No Garrett, you don't.  You...you...we dealt with this already, remember.  You said you understood.  You said we couldn't be together, and that you understood.  What happened.  Why are you acting like this?"
   "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" Garrett shouts and makes a move for me, but Walker smoothly moves me to his back, putting me behind him, shielding me.
"I agree...Romanoff. This level of...obsession...something is amiss." Chamuel comes to stand by us and eyes Garrett warily.
"Don't think you can keep her from me, angel," Garrett says, eyes flashing furiously. "I let you take her from me before. But I wasn't thinking properly then. I should never have bowed out...it made my Ann think I didn't love her. I realize that now. That's why I came here today, knowing the two of you would be here, I had to show you, prove to you, how much I love her, what I would do for her."
"Goodson, this isn't you," Chamuel says.
"It is!" Garrett yells, "This is as real as it gets, angel. I love her, do you hear me, Ann, I love you!" Suddenly Chamuel is standing in front of Garrett. He places his hand on his forehead and whispers one word, "sleep," and Garrett drops just like that. No one makes a move to catch him before he lands with a thud on the ground. The second he's down I round on Walker and look at him. Garrett I'm not concerned with, I saw the wound Walker had inflicted on him and it had been shallow. Walker hadn't actually been trying to kill him. If he had, Garrett would be dead. But bullets, bullets could do seriously damage, whether you were human, or Other, bullets (certain ones) could still kill.
"Let me see, Walker..." I look, and sure enough there are two holes, one in his left shoulder, and one perilously close to his heart. He's already stopped bleeding, he had to have enacted a spell to stop the bleeding. "We need to get the bullets out, I don't see exit wounds."
Walker smiles brilliantly. "Will you do it, Annora darling girl?"
I him a "DUH" look. "Okay, sit your ass down." I look around, and then realize how stupid I'm being, I have a warlock in front of me, I don't need to go looking around for a scalpel. "Conjure me a scalpel, Walker, oh and some surgical specks, please."
   "Done, and done," Walker says a few words and moments later I'm holding the items I'd asked for.  "You don't have to go easy on me, either, Annora darling."
   I shake my head, "Psycho." I poise my scalpel at the ready.
   Walker grins, "You know it."