His Fairytale, My Folklore

I bounced my left leg up and down; trying to stop it as Valentine’s head was on my right leg. We were half way to Trevor’s hide out. I kept playing with Valentine’s hair. I lifted his head slightly, moving in my seat to put my back against the door. I put my right leg under his right shoulder and wrapped around his waist so it was resting on his stomach, and put his head on my left leg. His head was at an awkward angle.
“John,” I said softly as he got back in the car from peeing on the side of the road. “Hand me the hoodie in my bag, please?”
He nodded from the passenger seat and riffled through my bag. I took the hoodie from his out stretched hand and put it on my hip. I moved Valentine’s head to the hoodie carefully, wanting to make him more comfortable. Joel got back in the car and we were off again.
No matter how much we fight, or how mad I am at him, I still love him. I probably always would. I wanted him, completely, but it would have to wait until a safe time. I played with his hair for thirty more minutes before waking him up when we stopped at a gas station.
I went in with Valentine, going to the restroom and getting snacks. I grabbed a bag of Doritos, a bag of Hersey’s Drops, ten Slim Jims and a Strawberry Dragon Fruit Life Water. I also grabbed a bag of Cheetos, a Snickers bar and a Mountain Dew for Johnathan. Valentine sat his stuff next to mine on the counter to pay for it. He had gotten two cups of coffee, one for him and one for his brother, two bags of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and three large Rice Crispy Treats. The cashier told us our total and as I was reaching for my money in my back pocket, Valentine smacked it away and grabbed his wallet. He gave the cashier the money, telling him to keep the change as we walked away.
“Ma’am,” the cashier called as Valentine opened the door to leave. I turned to see him holding up a Slim Jim. “You forgot this one.” I walked back to him and grabbed it, thanking him. “No problem, Gwen.”
“Fuck,” I said, taking the gun I hand in the waist band of my pants.
I shot him, point blank and jumped over the counter. I grabbed the tapes and then shot the camera out. “Let’s go,” I grunted, taking more Slim Jims. I figured if he was trying to kill me, than I was going to take his Slim Jims.
“You and Slim Jims,” Valentine said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
“It’s a small fee for me killing him,” I grunted, shrugging his arm off.
He gently grabbed my upper arm and turned me to him. “Babe, what’s up?”
“I’m tired of this shit,” I said. “What the fuck did I do to deserve to be turned into this,” I motioned to myself. “I was made to kill and deceive. That’s all I’m good for,” I said, choking up on the last word. I took a deep breath. “Let’s just get to Savannah, then back to New York.”
Valentine took me into his arms. “We’ll get through this one, and leave. Well, go to where ever you want to go, and we’ll stay there.” He took my face between his hands. “Where does your heart desire us to go?”
“Ireland,” I said softly, looking up at him. “I wanna go to Ireland.”
“Ireland it is.” He smiled and kissed me softly. “Now, let’s go.” I nodded, turning to walk to the SUV. “It’s your turn to sleep.”
I nodded and continued on. “After I eat; I’m starving.”
He climbed into the SUV before I did and took the bags. Ever the gentleman. After the talk we had, the starvation I had talked about, I didn’t feel it. I shook my head as Valentine held out the bag of chips to me. I shook my head and laid down on the seat, putting my head on his lap.
He ran his hand through my greasy, unwashed hair, not seeming to care that it was gross. I bit my lip as tears started to fall, soaking into his jeans. He stopped running his hand through my hair to tip my face to look at him. He wiped under my right eye with his thumb.
“It’ll be okay,” he whispered, resuming the stroking of my hair.
I just closed my eyes and let sweet blackness relieve me of the worry and pain.

I started awake in a jerky motion that was foreign to me. Valentine didn’t alert Joel or Johnathan to my freak out, he just smoothed my hair away from my face. He didn’t ask; he didn’t have to. He knew, I know he did, that it was either about Snuffy or my possible dying, and since I wasn’t afraid to die, it had to have been about Snuffy.
He just smoothed my hair away from my face as his other hand rubbed my stomach.
“Where are we?” I asked, pushing his hands away to sit up.
“About ten minutes away from the safe house.”

“So tell me again,” Jamie said. “Why you want to go into the lion’s den.”
“It’s my calling,” I said sarcastically, making my eye widen and a smirk pull my lips.
I fixed my one-shoulder, floor length dress so my boobs were more prominent. Savannah was fidgeting on the chair as Jamie did her make-up.
“Why do I have to go? I’m only twelve!”
“I know, sweetie,” I sighed, squatting down in front of her. “But I need you to do this for me. They will not touch you and all you have to do is get them to drink.”
“What if they want me to drink?”
“Remember ‘Coyote Ugly,’ when they taught the new girl to spit the shots in an empty beer bottle?” I asked and she nodded when Jamie took his hands away from her face. “I’ll bring you an empty beer bottle, okay? It’ll taste nasty, but you’re going to have to keep in your mouth for a few seconds before spitting it out.”
“Like I do with Johnathan’s cooking?”
I let out a small laugh and nodded. “Just like with Johnathan’s cooking,” I said.
“Ready?” Valentine asked after opening the door.
I looked up at Savannah. She nodded and let out a soft, “Yeah.”
I hand her the ear bud and microphone. “Put the microphone in the folds of your dress. It will be attached to my ear bud and the truck. We will walk you through this and we will not let anything bad happen to you?”
Valentine took her so I could put my fish nets on. “How did you get all of this?” Jamie asked.
“It’s amazing what you can do when you still have contacts and money.”
“The Allee Bank Heist,” Jamie whispered. “But, everyone thought that Jerry had stashed the money.”
“He did,” I said, fixing the fishnets. “No one thought that I had it though, so why tell them?”
Jamie shook his head. “So many things are wrong with you.”
I gave him a sadistic smile. “So I’ve been told.”
I walked out of the room and let out a low whistle as I saw Trevor and Johnathan. “Who knew you two could clean up?”
Trevor chuckled. “That’s my cover,” he smirked.
“Always is,” I said, looping my arm in his. “Let’s get going.”
“Wait,” Valentine said.
“I’ll get everyone in the car,” Trevor said, letting my arm slip out of his.
“What is it?” I asked.
Valentine took my face in his rough hands and kissing me, making me let out a soft moan of appreciation. When he pulled away, my pink lip stick was smeared on his lips. I chuckled and used my thumb to wipe it off. As I was doing that, Valentine kissed my thumb before fixing my lip stick.
“Just thought you should know,” he said with his cocky smile.
“I’m glad I do,” I said with my own cocky smirk.
“Now go out there and act like the best gold digger for my dad.” He turned me towards the opened door and slapped my ass.
I rolled my eyes at his immaturity and looked over my shoulder to him. “Got my back?”
“Always.”
“Later,” I said, walking out the door.
I got out there just in time to see Johnathan and Savannah leave in a very expensive Porsche that I came across on the way to the safe house. Trevor, ever the gentleman, opened my car door for me. Sparing one last glance to the man that stoop in the door way of the house, I got into the car.
“My son doesn’t really look as good in the shade of lip stick as you do,” Trevor said before shutting my door, causing me to let out a laugh.

“Ticket?” the security said.
I popped my gum and giggled. “Leo, baby,” I said in a horrible Jersey accent. “I put them in yo’ jacket pocket.”
“Right here,” Trevor said, handing the man the tickets.
“Go right in.”
“Thank ya’,” I squeaked out.
“Don’t pop a vocal cord,” Trevor said when we were out of ear shot.
“I’m the sleazy wife,” I said in my normal voice, lowly. “You shut up. You married me.”
“Now, now children,” came Valentine’s voice in my ear. “Play nice and you get ice cream after all this.”
“That makes you the dirty old man who knocked up a minor,” I reminded him, scanning the room.
“I technically did, since I was eighteen.”
“Makes you older though.”
“And yet it turns you on more.”
“Not that I’m not enjoying the foreplay,” Johnathan piped up. “But they set eyes on Savannah as soon as she set foot out of the car.”
“You left her, right?” Trevor asked, making his way away from me and to the bar.
“Yes, and she’s at the bar now.”
“Good,” I said. “Now go flirt your way through the gays, see if you can get anything.”
“Yes, oh Mistress of the Dark.”
“It’s Elvira to you,” I smirked.
“Sally Tallord?” asked a voice behind me.
I stopped myself from freezing up. Someone knew who I was when I was under cover to taking down Jerry. I turned slowly and saw the curious face of Jerry’s third hand man.
“Jake,” I said a fake southern accent I had when I was with Jerry. I smiled at him. “How are you?”
“Fine, I guess.” He looked around. “You come here with anyone?”
I gestured to Trevor. “Just a dingle-berry.”
“Your southern expressions,” he chuckled. I wasn’t even sure if that was a southern expression. I think I had seen it on Nickolodean while the kids were watching it. “They always get me.” His face turned serious. “So, why are you here?”
I looked at my heels. “I just want some answers.”
“About his death?”
“Yeah, who did it?” I ignored all the voices in my head, literal voices and non.
He grabbed my arm and took me to a quiet corner. “Depends who you ask. It’s not big knowledge yet, but, since you were in with my fallen boss, I’ll let you know.” Like taking candy from a baby. “Some say an agent trying to get better status, but the popular one is that,” he looked behind me. “That Gwen did it.”
I let out a small, shocked gasp, making my hand fly over my opened mouth. “No,” I breathed out, loud enough for him to hear.
“Yeah, and I know who it is.”
“Who?” I asked, my eyes wide with wonder.
“Well,” he said. “I don’t know exactly who she is, but I know who does,” he smirked, looking over to the guy who was talking to Savannah, who had three empty shot glasses in front of her an bottle of beer.
I nodded sadly. “Okay, thanks Jake.”
“No problem,” he said, walking off.
“You get that Savannah?” I asked, looking at her.
She gave a small nod. “So, what do you do?”
“Besides run all this?” the guy slurred. “I talk to a bitch about another bitch name Gwen.”
“So it’s a female,” Jamie said. “That really narrows it,” he chuckled. “Am I taking your mom and sisters off the list?”
“Fuck no,” I said leaning against the wall. “You’re putting them at the top.”
“What bitch?” Savannah asked, but the guy promptly shook his head and staggered off to harass some other poor girl.
“Trev, get Savannah out of here, John and I will continue to search.”
“Can do,” he answered as he swooped in and took Savannah’s hand, reassuring her she did the best she could.
A gun was pressed to my side. “Don’t move Sally,” Jake muttered. “You think Jerry didn’t tell me all you did to him. The money,” he quickly added. “The one from the Allee Heist, I want it.”
I grabbed the gun and quickly moved it to his stomach. I squeezed his hand and the gun went off. I quickly ran up the stairs as screams were heard.
“Get out,” I yelled into my microphone as I was chased. “Now.”
“I’m going in,” I heard Valentine.
“No!” I screamed. “Don’t! I need you to get to back yard and be ready to catch me. Big window,” I yelled, kicking off my heels and grabbing them both before running faster to the back of the giant house.
“There,” I heard and I ran full force at the window, my spiked heels in front to at least crack the glass.
I landed on Valentine, taking him to ground. I got up and helped him up. I put my heels back on, not needing anymore cuts on my feet. Hand in hand, we ran back to the van that Jamie had running to make a quick getaway. I’m not ashamed to say that it was pretty romantic to me.
“Everyone out?” I asked.
“Out,” Johnathan said.
“Out,” Savannah said.
“Kitchen,” Trevor said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Now I’m out,” Trevor said.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to know.”