beer.
“Crash,
please, look at me.”
His
eyes came to her.
“I
don’t know if you’re more upset about the sculpture or-”
“I
don’t want to talk about the damn sculpture.”
She
swallowed. “I’ll fix the paperclips and put them back, I swear-”
“Yeah,
right. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
She
stared at him a long moment. “Please, tell me how I can fix this.”
He
laughed and shook his head. “Some things you can’t fix.”
Shannon
looked at the horizon, not knowing what to say. They sat there silently for a
long time, and then Crash finally broke the silence. “They’re silly, I know.
But those silly paperclips meant the
world to me.”
She
looked at him. His eyes were on the Bay Bridge. “Tell me, please.”
He
flicked his cigarette over the edge of the roof and leaned back, closing his
eyes. She thought he was done, and then he spoke, a slight smile pulling at his
mouth. “She’s the one that started calling this place the Batcave. Except, my
elevator went up instead of down, she told me. Cole helped me hang the support
for those chains, and Angel brought the kids over to see it. Melissa took one
look at the divider and said, ‘But Uncle Crash, you don’t have a door.’ When I
replied, ‘No, sweet pea. I sure don’t, do I?’ she told me not to worry, ‘cause
she was gonna make me one.”
Shannon
watched him lift the bottle to his lips. Crap. She’d really messed up. She
swallowed, looking down. “Do you want me to leave?”
He
huffed out a laugh. “Don’t matter. You’re here. Deal’s done.”
“I
could leave.”
He
turned to her then. “And go where? Back to him?”
She
closed her eyes a moment, and then looked away to the horizon.
“You’re
not going anywhere, Princess. You’ll stay here until this guy leaves the
country.” He rolled his head, facing the horizon. “But maybe we need to set
some ground rules.”
“Ground
rules?”
“Yeah.
One. You will stay outta my shit, and keep your hands off my stuff. Two. You
will keep your shit outta my bathroom. Three. You will do what I tell you, no
complaints.” He rolled his head back to her. “And four. I reserve the right to
add more rules as needed, or just because I fuckin’ feel like it. Agreed?”
“Well,
when you put it like that…”
“Agreed,
Shannon?”
She
huffed out a breath. “Agreed.”
He
looked at the horizon and flexed his hand. Shannon glanced down, catching the
movement, and she immediately noticed the swelling, bruising and cuts across
his knuckles. Frowning, she asked, “Crash, what happened to your hand?”
He
set it back on the armrest and took a pull off his beer. “Nothing.”
“Crash,
that’s not nothing.”
He
looked over at her. “I fell.”
“You
fell?”
“Yeah.”
“What
happened?”
“I
fell.”
Crash-”
“Babe,
there are some things you just can’t ask about. Okay?”
“But,
you’re hurt, I-”
“Leave
it alone.”
“But-”
“Shannon.
I said, leave it alone.”
She
took a deep breath and let it out. They sat there quietly for a while. She
noticed he’d almost drained his beer. “Would you like another one?” she asked.
He
looked at his bottle and then at her. Finally, he smiled. “Yeah.”
She
disappeared and returned a minute later with another beer and her purse.
Handing him the beer, she sat down and began digging through her bag. Crash
gave her a questioning look, but didn’t ask. A moment later, she found what she
was searching for and pulled out a small bottle of pills. Unscrewing the cap,
she shook one out and held it out to him. “Here. It’ll help with the pain.”
He
looked from the pill laying in her hand to her. “It’s not rat poison is it?” he
asked with a grin.
Her
shoulders dropped. “There wasn’t anything in the coffee. I don’t know where you
got the idea I’d put rat poison in it. Honestly!” She shoved her hand at him.
“Here. Are you going to take it or not?”
“Well,
when you put it like
“Crash,
please, look at me.”
His
eyes came to her.
“I
don’t know if you’re more upset about the sculpture or-”
“I
don’t want to talk about the damn sculpture.”
She
swallowed. “I’ll fix the paperclips and put them back, I swear-”
“Yeah,
right. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
She
stared at him a long moment. “Please, tell me how I can fix this.”
He
laughed and shook his head. “Some things you can’t fix.”
Shannon
looked at the horizon, not knowing what to say. They sat there silently for a
long time, and then Crash finally broke the silence. “They’re silly, I know.
But those silly paperclips meant the
world to me.”
She
looked at him. His eyes were on the Bay Bridge. “Tell me, please.”
He
flicked his cigarette over the edge of the roof and leaned back, closing his
eyes. She thought he was done, and then he spoke, a slight smile pulling at his
mouth. “She’s the one that started calling this place the Batcave. Except, my
elevator went up instead of down, she told me. Cole helped me hang the support
for those chains, and Angel brought the kids over to see it. Melissa took one
look at the divider and said, ‘But Uncle Crash, you don’t have a door.’ When I
replied, ‘No, sweet pea. I sure don’t, do I?’ she told me not to worry, ‘cause
she was gonna make me one.”
Shannon
watched him lift the bottle to his lips. Crap. She’d really messed up. She
swallowed, looking down. “Do you want me to leave?”
He
huffed out a laugh. “Don’t matter. You’re here. Deal’s done.”
“I
could leave.”
He
turned to her then. “And go where? Back to him?”
She
closed her eyes a moment, and then looked away to the horizon.
“You’re
not going anywhere, Princess. You’ll stay here until this guy leaves the
country.” He rolled his head, facing the horizon. “But maybe we need to set
some ground rules.”
“Ground
rules?”
“Yeah.
One. You will stay outta my shit, and keep your hands off my stuff. Two. You
will keep your shit outta my bathroom. Three. You will do what I tell you, no
complaints.” He rolled his head back to her. “And four. I reserve the right to
add more rules as needed, or just because I fuckin’ feel like it. Agreed?”
“Well,
when you put it like that…”
“Agreed,
Shannon?”
She
huffed out a breath. “Agreed.”
He
looked at the horizon and flexed his hand. Shannon glanced down, catching the
movement, and she immediately noticed the swelling, bruising and cuts across
his knuckles. Frowning, she asked, “Crash, what happened to your hand?”
He
set it back on the armrest and took a pull off his beer. “Nothing.”
“Crash,
that’s not nothing.”
He
looked over at her. “I fell.”
“You
fell?”
“Yeah.”
“What
happened?”
“I
fell.”
Crash-”
“Babe,
there are some things you just can’t ask about. Okay?”
“But,
you’re hurt, I-”
“Leave
it alone.”
“But-”
“Shannon.
I said, leave it alone.”
She
took a deep breath and let it out. They sat there quietly for a while. She
noticed he’d almost drained his beer. “Would you like another one?” she asked.
He
looked at his bottle and then at her. Finally, he smiled. “Yeah.”
She
disappeared and returned a minute later with another beer and her purse.
Handing him the beer, she sat down and began digging through her bag. Crash
gave her a questioning look, but didn’t ask. A moment later, she found what she
was searching for and pulled out a small bottle of pills. Unscrewing the cap,
she shook one out and held it out to him. “Here. It’ll help with the pain.”
He
looked from the pill laying in her hand to her. “It’s not rat poison is it?” he
asked with a grin.
Her
shoulders dropped. “There wasn’t anything in the coffee. I don’t know where you
got the idea I’d put rat poison in it. Honestly!” She shoved her hand at him.
“Here. Are you going to take it or not?”
“Well,
when you put it like
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