The Cunning

107

Janine crunched empty cans and dropped them into the black bag, Sam and Kieran were on bottle duty. They were finishing up, emptying ashtrays and opening windows to air the house out when Jase came downstairs. Sam clocked the scratches on his neck and a faint bite mark beginning to bruise at the edge of his collar.

"Fuck me, what happened?" Kieran asked, noticing the purple blotch with small indents marking the edge. Jase kept a passive expression, lighting a cigarette.

"Madison happened," he replied, inhaling. "She isn't exactly dealing with the direction things are going in gracefully. I think she's got the message though. She's got enough brain cells to understand things have changed no matter how much she throws her toys out the pram."

Janine wanted to ask how Madison was, specifically whether he'd hurt her or just emotionally abused her for the rest of the night. She wanted to see Madison, to offer a shoulder to cry on and apologise on Jase's behalf. She didn't want to make excuses for him but Jase didn't know how to deal with his feelings, pushing her away and going cold was likely the only thing he could think to do. He couldn't have flipped that fast, his behaviour couldn't have been genuine. Then again, it was Jase. Who really knew how quickly he could change his mind and turn his back?

Janine grabbed the hoover and Sam wiped down tables whilst Kieran and Jase took the full bags out to the wheelie bins.

"What time are we going to Ramon's?" Sam asked when they finally had a minute to sit down. Jase lit the joint he had rolled, tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

"In about half an hour," he mumbled, replaying the night in his mind. He took his phone from his pocket, sending a message to see if Ramon was home and had time for a visit. He said he'd be around if what they wanted to discuss was worth his time. Jase chewed his lip; Ramon really was getting impatient, he'd never been short with him. The weed dulled all thoughts, cloaking him in a warmth and keeping his stress at bay, convincing him he was genuinely glad to be washing his hands of her.

"Are you going out?" Madison asked Jase stood at the wardrobe, taking out a jumper.

"Yes," he replied stiffly, pulling the garment on as he walked around to his side of the bed. Madison glanced at the bobby pins on the bedside cabinet when he picked up the cigarettes beside them.

"Jase, come on!" Sam shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Jase met her eyes, holding them for a second before backing away and leaving her in a near silence filled with the low hum of the houses electronics.

Madison waited until she heard the front door close and the faint sound of a car starting before she threw herself into action, grabbing two of the pins. She would sooner kill herself and everyone in the house than willingly go with Mitch. The door took a few minutes to pick but not as long as last time. She was careful to only step on the edges of the hallway where the floorboards were less likely to creak. Whilst Madison trusted Janine, now wasn't the time to risk getting caught for anything.

She tiptoed downstairs, listening for anyone that could be in the house. Kieran and Tommy both had keys, and it was unknown to her whether Benny would decide to stop by. Once she determined the coast was clear, she honed in on her target. A green tin box under Jase's armchair. It took her half the time it had taken to open the door to get into the box, lifting the top to reveal two handguns and several magazines. Her heart thumped hard, forcing blood around her body. The boys hadn't been gone long, but the anxiety churned through her at the prospect of getting caught, she moved fast. The gun was smooth and cold, large in her hand and heavier than it looked. In a few seconds, it was locked and loaded and the box was returned. She ran back upstairs, hiding the gun underneath the mattress, her fingers tingling as an excited giggle slipped out.

She would end this.