Smoke & Silver

We all stared at the door, wondering if we'd heard what we thought.

The knock came again.

I started forward, setting my cup on the counter. John grabbed my elbow to stop me. I stayed still and looked to Isaac. He shrugged. John strode to the door, swinging it open like a man with nothing to lose. I blinked in the sudden flash of daylight.

"I thought I'd find you here. Who are your friends, Johnny boy?" a voice purred.

John grunted in pure aggravation and turned away from the door, leaving it open for the newcomer.

In walked a man with perfectly coiffed red hair and eyes like emeralds. His skin was predictably
porcelain, with cinnamon freckles sprinkled across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.
He wore a beige suit that was perfectly chosen to match his skin. The tie contrasted with his sparkling eyes and he had a smile bright enough to give someone skin cancer.

I didn't like him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just thought you could use a little help is all. You never called me back." His voice was pouty, sultry.

"He does that. I'm Georgia. Who the hell are you?" I stepped forward now, shoulders squared and wet hair seeping into the ratty tshirt I wore.

"My name is Rex, honey. God, I bet you've got these boys intoxicated with those whiskey eyes of yours, don't you? Well, that's not going to work on me. Johnny boy knows why." He winked at John, and I felt a flood of absolute rage and jealousy course through my body. I turned to John, who looked defeated somehow. Oh, this was just great. Now I was on a trip with two ex boyfriends and one of THEIR ex boyfriends. This really was hell.

"How'd you know where I was?" John went to sit on his bed.

"Like you could ever get rid of me." There was that teasing tone again. I wanted to vomit.

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever."

Isaac put a hand on my waist and followed me as I walked back to get my coffee.

"Georgia. You need to relax some."

"You're kidding me."

"Look, we do need help. We're in a bit of a bind, if you hadn't noticed, and if John knows someone
who can get us out of it, we'll need him."

"I don't like this guy."

"You've known him two seconds."

"I don't give a shit."

Rex laughed. I turned and saw him sitting on the bed beside John, lighting his cigarette for him. My blood boiled.

"Georgia. Behave." Isaac went to sit across from them.

Like hell I would.

I got my coffee and went to sit beside Isaac, opposite John.

"So, how do you two know each other?"

"Well, I helped John out on a case once, and he kept coming back for more, so..." Rex grinned salaciously at John, who nearly blushed and looked down, clearly embarrassed.

"Sounds about right. He never could walk away from trouble." I sipped my coffee. Isaac put a hand on my thigh and glared at me. I ignored him.

"Johnny boy, what do you say we take a little walk? Catch up and figure out what we're gonna do about this little mess of yours, hm?" Rex stood. John stood with him. I watched Rex take John's hand as casually as possible, and felt that wave of fury rising again as John curled his fingers around the hand in his grip.

"We'll be back after a bit." He said to Isaac. I couldn't look at him. After they left, Isaac turned to face me. I continued to look anywhere that wasn't at him while I got a cigarette.

"You're acting like a child."

"Don't care."

"Georgia."

I looked at him finally.

"I know you still have feelings for him. It's not healthy for either of you."

"Oh, so it's my fault now?"

"No. He's missing out on a hell of a woman. I should know." His eyes softened.

"Okay. No. This isn't happening today." I stood, "I need to find a payphone now, and you're not coming with me." I went to my purse and grabbed a fistful of coins. Isaac stayed on the bed.

"Georgia, something could-"

"Nothing's going to happen to me! I'm the least important person on this trip, and if I'm being completely honest, I'm the biggest liability too. Just shut up and let me go."
I stormed out, feeling like a brass plated bitch. But I needed someone to tell me that I was being stupid, and I didn't want to hear it any more from Isaac or John.

Luckily, there was a payphone in the parking lot of the motel. I closed myself off in the glass room that smelled like meth smoke and urine and dialed a number that I hadn't called in a long time.

"Robert speaking." He pronounced his name like Row-Bear. Left the g's off of the end of his words too. It wasn't uncommon at all in that swamp of a town he lived in, but it sounded strange as hell from that dusty parking lot.

"It's Georgia."

"Girl, it's been too damn long." He already sounded irritated.

"I know. I've been a bad daughter."

"It's not so much that as you've missed a hell of a lot here since you left, and I know you don't have
the time to catch up since you sound like you're in a hell of a hurry."

"You break up with your flavor of the week again?"

"That one wasn't shit. The one after him neither. This one's got a heart of gold and an ass to
match."

"Glad you're happy."

"You don't call unless you're in trouble. Got any more problems with that sleaze ball what owns your bar?"

"That's a whole other story."

"Damn, girl. You really know how to live."

"Listen, like you said, I don't have much time, but-" I told him a short version of everything that had happened since John threw the bottle on my desk. Hard to believe that was just three nights ago.
Robert let out a long, low whistle once I was done.

"She'd be proud of you, girl, if you two got along at all. And if your daddy wasn't such a-"

"That's not what I want to hear, Robert."

"Yeah, well, you'd do good to talk to him. Sounds like you lost some of your mojo since you ain't been doing nothing with it."

"That's why I don't want to talk to him."

"You and I both know that you haven't ever done a damn thing right with that, but he loves you, and you're his."

"I still feel like an intruder."

"Girl, his wife's white and you got your initiation in New Orleans. If the big bad man decides you're his problem, you ain't ever gonna shake that."

"I know, but-"

"Go talk to your daddy. That's my advice. You call me if you need to hear it again."

The line went dead.