Summary: The game begins . . . and innocent lives are at stake.
Rating: PG-13
Categories: Long Stories
Characters: Group
Genres: Drama, Thriller
Warnings: violence/death, adult language
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 09/10/05
Updated: 09/10/05
Gamble by TimberChase
Chapter 1: Prologue
Author's Notes: He sat there, his legs stretched out in front of him. One crossed over the other. His foot tapped insistently. His fingers drummed on the black leather of the arm chair. Eyes scrambled around the room. God dammit, where was that damn bitch? Almost twenty minutes late. Twenty minutes! What the fuck! He began to chew on his bottom lip, and his eyes stopped. A noise. A something. Outside. He stood. Waited a beat. Yes, that was her. Who else could it have been? He waited again. She was walking towards the front door. He could hear her foot steps. The sound of her voice. His mind raced. His eyes scanned around the room. There was no where to hide. The closet . . . no. Not enough room in there, and she wasn't likely to . . . no. She won't open it. There was nothing in there for her. Only piles and piles of old shoes, boxes filled with old memories. Broken toys. Jackets. Sweaters. Umbrellas. She needed nothing from there. The kitchen . . . he could hide behind that island.
No . . . wait, what was he thinking? Hiding? For what? From who? From her? Stupid. He chuckled silently, shaking his head.
The lock of the door clicked. The door knob turned. He watched, reaching for the .38 in his pocket. He pulled it out, positioned it in front of him and stood, waiting. The door opened. She walked inside. Mumbling incoherently to herself. She closed the door. She still hadn't noticed him. He smiled. Her cell phone rang. He cursed under his breath.
"Hello," she answered, her back turned to him. "Oh hey. Yeah, I just got home . . . Tired, of course," she laughed.
He rolled his eyes. This . . . this wasn't the right time. He took a few steps back, silent. He decided to remain hidden. At least until she was finished with that call.
"Yeah, I know that . . . he's crazy though." She laughed again. "Jeremy and Alex are fine."
He almost laughed out loud at that. Fine. Right. They were fine . . . up there in that big old party in the sky. His bottom lips stuck out in a sort of pout and his eyes narrowed. So, that was their names. Jeremy and Alex. Well . . . that's fine. Nice. Whatever. At least . . . at least he knew their names now. Better late than never, right?
"OK, I'll see you in a couple of hours . . . all right. I love you too."
He frowned. I love you, too? There was another man in her life? Well . . . she's just got to be punished for that. For letting another man touch her, have her heart . . . and for also running away. A stupid decision in her part. Incredibly stupid.
"Jeremy! Alex! I'm home!" she yelled, walking into the living room and shedding off her jacket.
"They can't hear you, love."
She turned, sharply, at the sound of his voice. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. "What are-"
"Just . . . taking care of business." He moved, quickly, and was behind her. His arm around her neck, his other hand over her mouth. "Ssshh," he whispered into her ear. "If you scream, you'll only make it harder for yourself." He moved his hand away from her mouth, reaching for his gun.
"Where . . . where are the boys?" She asked, her voice so full of fear. Terrified not for herself, but for her boys. "Where are my boys?"
He smiled. "Awe, Amy . . . they're my boys, too. I can't believe you kept them away from me for so long. Didn't they question you? Didn't they ask where their daddy was?"
"They have a father." She stated matter-of-fact. "And they see him everyday."
"Who . . . that blond fuck?” He laughed. “That isn’t their father. I’M their father. And you took them away from me.” He paused, “How’d you manage that . . . anyway? How in the fuck did you manage to take the boys, take OUR money, and leave me?”
“I’m smarter than you think.”
“No . . . you had some help. That best friend of yours. She married to that dude? Chris or another.” She didn’t say a word. Didn’t look at him. He smiled. “Well, I’ll find out someway. “She was really hot. I've always wanted to . . . you know, do things to her." He chuckled.
"Stay away from her. If you so much as look at her, I'll-" she stopped, her eyes wide with surprise before she fell towards him. He caught her, and held on to her for a moment before letting her down. She fell on the floor with a thud.
"Well, looks like I'll never know," he stared at her. She stared back at him with those empty brown eyes. "You have nothing to complain about. You'll be with the boys . . . forever."
He stepped back, and took another glance around the room. Lovely place, he thought before tucking the .38 back in his pocket. He moved around, leaving through the back door. Making sure he wasn't seen.
One target down.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
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