Chapter
6: Blurring the Lines
The fun part was over and Van was on his way to meet Deaq and find out
where they stood with Seth. He was still an emotional train wreck from dinner,
having found out what he had about Jay’s life, and having revealed some of his
own horrid memories of growing up. He could only hope that it wouldn’t affect
the rest of the night, but when he showed up to the apartment Billie had found
them, he couldn’t keep the worry off his face, prompting Deaq to ask him, “You
alright, dawg? You look like you just got chewed up and spit out by this girl.”
“It was something like that,” Van answered as he flopped down on the
black leather couch in the living room and put his feet up on the glass coffee
table.
“Ouch, sounds like you’re gonna have to do a little more in order for
her to get her to like you,” Deaq responded, sitting down beside him.
“Actually, I think she really likes me, it’s just that what she told
me tonight really surprised me, and her.”
“What’d she tell you?”
“Well, we were talking about my dad and how he was never around, then
about Teddy’s death. I really don’t know how it happened, but she just totally
opened up to me about how her mom was this total bitch who pretty much disowned
her, then she got really emotional and ran to the bathroom. I got worried, so
I followed her, as in I actually went into the ladies room looking for her.
She was there, sitting on a toilet seat, crying her eyes out. It was, god, I
don’t even know how to explain it, but we really connected. She trusts me, Deaq,
and I don’t know if I can go on lying to her about who I really am,” Van explained,
sighing heavily as he let his head roll back against the soft cushion.
“Please reassure me that this is not going to be another Cassidy Shaw,”
Deaq begged. “Just stick to the script, get past all the feelings, and try to
do the job right. If anything, we’ll be out of here in a couple of weeks, and
she’ll never know who you really are and why you were really in
“If only it was that easy,” Van replied, rubbing his temples with his
fingers. It seemed as if every time he got this close to a woman, it would be
through his other identity (and alter ego). She’d see him for who he wanted
to see him as, not who he really was. It was just his luck that the first girl
he met that was around his age and didn’t have any criminal ties had to be one
he needed to lie to in order to save her life. It wasn’t fair. All he wanted
was a real relationship with someone he felt a strong connection to, someone
like Jay who on many levels was his equal. The shared some of the same interests
and similar backgrounds, but the fact that he couldn’t even tell her the truth
really pulled at his heartstrings. He could only hope that what Deaq told him
was true, that in a matter of weeks, he’d be out of this mess and never have
to see her beautiful face again, feel those soft lips brush against his in a
simple kiss. Now was the perfect time for an interruption of any kind just to
get his mind off her, and the phone in the kitchen provided just that.
“I think we’ve got some work to do tonight,” Deaq said as he stood from
the couch and headed into the kitchen to pick it up.
Van sat up and waited until his partner came back a few minutes later
with all the information he had gathered through the phone conversation. Seth
wanted to meet them tonight, find out what they were all about, and maybe even
hire them for the “job.” Deaq grabbed the keys to one of the loaned ’67 Mustangs
Billie had made them take from the Candy Store just before they made the trip
to San Francisco. They had loaded up the back with only the most necessary things
and headed out to their new location, thinking they’d buy the rest when they
got there.
Now, as they left the sparsely furnished apartment and headed out, Van
began to wonder how he’d be able to get through this case without having to
give in to any deeper feelings for Jay. He knew it would be next to impossible,
but he had to try, for her sake, because the last thing he wanted was to hurt
her in any way and have her cousin come after him.
The ride to Fisherman’s Warf was quiet, something Deaq found quite unusual
for Van. He was usually running his mouth, hyping him up for the assignment,
but he was resigned tonight. It seemed as if Jay had affected him wholly, hit
a part of him he didn’t even know existed. He knew that this case would only
get more difficult if Van got emotionally attached, but what he had revealed
that night was something he knew would only grow into a strong love for the
woman. He might not have done it with Cassidy because he could see it going
nowhere since she was a criminal on the run, but with Jay, the innocent, kind
hearted, beautiful cousin of one of the world’s biggest pop stars, it was quite
the possibility. He wanted for his partner to be happy, like he was with his
current girlfriend, but with the way he beat himself up over lying to everyone,
he just didn’t know.
“Where are we meeting Seth?” Van asked, pulling Deaq out of his thoughts.
It was a nice distraction because all this thinking was making his head hurt.
“On the Warf in front of one of the restaurants,” Deaq answered. Van
nodded as he parked in one of the spaces on the dark empty street. At this hour,
both doubted anyone would really see them carry about the dirty business. They
began their solemn down the wooded planks until they reached the restaurant
where a man was standing alone beneath a streetlamp. He pushed himself off,
noticing the two strangers approach.
“You Seth Fisher?” Van asked, his mind quickly changing states. Before,
he had been Van Ray, the caring, sweet, kind hearted police officer who loved
his job. He was now the cold, calculating criminal mastermind everyone knew
as Van Strummer. In this frame of mind, he could easily find any flaws in his
opponents, counteract anything they threw at him, and beat them at their own
game. He was ready for Seth Fisher. He just wasn’t ready for the curve ball
he was getting ready to throw at them.
“Van Strummer, I presume,” Seth replied as he stuck out his hand. They
shook, and he turned to his partner. “Deaq Hayes, right?”
“Yeah,” Deaq answered, also shaking his hand.
“I guess now that we’re all here, we can start discussing the important
stuff. Care for a drink?” Seth asked as he led them into the bar they had been
standing in front of. He led them to a table near the back, someplace dark and
quieter than the rest of the place, the perfect spot to discuss things no one
else was intended to hear.
“No, I’m good,” Van replied.
“Me either,” Deaq chimed in.
“Suit yourselves.” Seth sat down and had the waitress bring him a tall
glass of any beer she liked. He waited until she came back with the beverage
before starting the conversation. “I heard you two were some of the best hit
men around, that you like to play with your prey before you kill them. I think
you’ll be perfect for the job I want you to do. You see, there’s this girl that’s
been bugging me for the longest time. She’s stolen my fame, my fortune, my life.
I managed to steal it back a few years ago, but I didn’t get the job finished
like I wanted to. She’s still alive and well, if not better than she was before.
I want you to take her out, but not before I see her pride and spirit broken.
I wanna see the look on her face when she’s standing there, the gun pointed
to her head, knowing that she’s about to die, begging for her life. I wanna
be the one that pulls the trigger.”
Van felt like he was going to lose his dinner. This man was far worse
than his profile could have described. He was colder than ice, and had no heart
whatsoever. He no longer doubted anything he had been told about Jay’s past.
Seth Fisher was the absolute coldest man alive. He was even colder than some
of the other criminals Van had put behind bars in his short eight month stint
at the Candy Store. He had never wanted someone dead like he wanted Seth dead,
but due to his job, and his morals, death was a last resort only to be used
when his own life was in danger. He swallowed down the bile rising in his throat
and continued to listen, waiting for the specific instructions, trying not to
think about Jay all the while even though she seemed to permeate his thoughts
at the moment.
‘How could she date this guy?’ Van wondered, slightly zoning out. ‘He’s
a cruel, heartless bastard.’ He felt a slight nudge from his partner’s direction
and looked up to see Seth had stopped talking and was drinking his beer, the
excess dribbling down his chin as he continued to gulp it down until only the
fizz was left at the bottom of the glass.
“So, are you guys up for the challenge?” Seth asked, wiping the liquid
from his face with the sleeve of his dark blue sweatshirt.
“Depends, how much money you got to spend?” Van questioned. He kept the
disgust out of his voice, realizing he had slipped out of the “Van Strummer”
state of mind and quickly changed gears, no matter how hard it was.
“Does a million cut it, each?” he replied. “Half of which I give you
now.”
“Sounds like we have ourselves a deal,” Deaq answered.
Seth kicked a bag towards their feet from under the table. Van reached
down and grabbed it, unzipping the pouch and glancing inside to see the stacks
of hundred dollar bills neatly bound together inside. He nodded at Deaq and
zipped it back up again. They were getting ready to stand up and leave when
Seth said, “One more thing, Van.” They froze, waiting for what else he had to
say. “I saw you with Jack this afternoon and then later on this evening. Good
to see you were already doing the reconnaissance. I guess I did pick the right
man for the job. Good luck, I hope she doesn’t steal your heart in the process.
You know, she’s got a tendency to do that kind of thing. If she did it to me
and that Aussie fiancé of hers, she’ll definitely try to do it to you. All she
wants is some love. My advice: give it to her and she’ll be groveling at your
feet until she’s dead.” He began to laugh, sending a cold shiver down Van’s
spine as he stood up and started making his way through the smoky room and back
out into the fresh air. Deaq was quick to follow with the bag, sensing the same
cold breeze go through his own body as he walked out of the bar and onto the
street.
“Oh, GOD! I can’t believe how sick some people can be,” Van said as he
got into the car. “And I thought I’d met every type of person out there with
some kind of mental problem. This guy just takes the cake! Can you believe him?
He wants to pull the trigger himself! And the way he wants all this to happen
is just… UH! I can’t even comprehend it!”
“V, calm down; I know you’re upset. Hell, so am I! This guy sounds like
a total whack job that needs to be locked up in some mental ward with a straight
jacket on him at all times, but you gotta remember, it’s all part of the job.
He won’t get to Jay if you keep your head clear and stick to the plan, alright?”
Deaq replied as he turned on the car and glanced over at his partner, whose
head now leaned against the window as he closed his eyes, trying to forget the
whole encounter.
“I wanna see Jay,” Van sighed all the while gazing out the window at
the dark, empty streets. He couldn’t believe he had just signed her death certificate
although he knew Seth would never get a shot at her if he was there to protect
her. But now, more than ever, he just wanted to talk to her, figure out why
she would ever cross paths with such a cold, heartless man. He wondered what
she had ever done to piss him off enough for him to try and kill her once, then
hire someone else to finish the job. This was definitely going to take a lot
longer than he had expected, especially with the way she kept things to herself,
only deciding to reveal when she felt it was absolutely necessary. He’d use
that trait to get closer to her in hopes that he could find a way to stop Seth’s
plan from backfiring, and keep him from losing his mind.