“As long as you’re sure,” Angus said and made his way under the counter. At least Jessica hadn’t gone whining to Jim about their interlude. He had no idea who he would’ve been more pissed at … Jessica for complaining, or Jim for having the nerve to bring it up.
“Just take a seat on the toilet there Jess,” Jim said, opening the tool box, “this shouldn’t take long.”
“Christ it’s dark under here,” Angus complained, “I knew we shouldn’t have set this up like this. Why the hell would we have the joint under the counter? I can barely fit under here … damnit.”
“Here’s the flashlight,” Jim said sliding a small snake light under the counter with Angus.
“Thanks. Alright, I need the basin wrench,”
“Jim!” Josh yelled from the living room.
“Coming!” Jim yelled, jumping to his feet. “Back in a sec Angus.”
Jim held a finger up at Jessica. She nodded and he ran out the door.
“Thanks for your help there …” Angus grumbled, leaning to the side, trying to see out from under the cabinet. He felt around with his hand until it landed on the tool box. He felt his way along the side of the box. Suddenly he felt metal against the top of this hand. He turned his palm up and his fingers closed around a tool.
“Thanks,” he said pulling it closer to the light. It was the right wrench … ‘what do you know’, Angus muttered to himself.
“Son of a … pass the adjustable wrench will you,” Angus said. Now he remembered why he hated tight places. Alternating between the basin and adjustable wrench, Angus finally managed to get the cracked tubing separated.
“Here,” he said sliding the first piece of tubing out to Jim. “This is the original broken one, and I think I cracked the bottom tube here, while trying to separate them. So what you’re going to have to do is measure this new tubing to the same length as this old piece. There’s a hacksaw in the toolbox.”
Angus paused and heard Jim moving around, and then the saw cutting into the tubing. Jim pushed the tube beside Angus.
“Okay, here’s the other piece.” Angus said shoving the second piece out.
“Hey, this fits perfect,” Angus commented as he fit the tube to the existing piping and began attaching it.
He heard the saw working on the tubing. Intermingled with its rhythmic whine, was the sound of footsteps, running, and a bang, like the bathroom door banging against the wall.
“Jessica!” he heard Riley yell, “Put that down, now!”
Angus heard something fall to the floor. He scrambled out from under the counter … what the hell had she done to Jim?
He came into the light blinking. He looked around for Jim, and found him standing near the bathroom door, face frozen in the same contorted expression as Riley, Josh and Scott.
None of them moved. Angus blinked. What the hell was Jim doing over there? He swung his gaze toward the toolbox, and found Jessica kneeling near him, the piping in one hand, and the hacksaw lying on the ground beside her. He stared, unable to move. Jessica too was frozen, head turned to the other men. She was panting and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Angus could see the excess piece of piping next to her knee.
“Move back Jessica,” Riley said in a voice filled with fury. Jessica turned her gaze away from the men, and looked directly at Angus. She looked scared, and oddly, confused. She held Angus’ gaze for a second before looking down at the floor as she crawled back away from the piping.
“Are you alright Angus?” Scott demanded as he moved forward and kicked the saw further away from Jessica. His heart pounded in his chest. Images of Jessica sawing his head off while he hung helpless in the handcuffs on his headboard played in his mind. Thank God she hadn’t had a weapon on hand!
“Did she cut you?” Scott asked, scanning Angus for signs of a wound. Angus shook his head.
“I’m fine,” Angus said.
Riley stalked over to where Jessica crouched on all fours.
He ran his hands over her, frisking every nook and cranny before pulling her up by her shirt collar.
Jessica dangled above the floor in Riley’s grip, he bashed her against the wall, knocking the air out of her. He stuck his face into hers, his contorted face making it obvious that he’d love nothing more than to rip her apart.
“This is the last straw Jessica!” He thundered as his free hand worked his belt free. “I’ve been bending over backwards to try and help you earn some freedom, avoid receiving the pain you seem so desperate to get … but this … this takes us back to square one. You want to be enemy number one Jessica? Fine, be enemy number one. You, me and my belt are going to have a lot of time now to play that game. Let’s go!”
Riley carried her by her shirt collar toward the bathroom door. Jessica hung like a dead rabbit in his grasp.
“Wait,” Angus said. “Riley … wait!” he got to his feet and jogged after Riley. Riley stopped just as Angus neared him.
“You’re right Angus … sorry. You go first. I’ll finish with whatever is left of her.” And he handed Jessica to Angus. Angus took Jessica by the arms, and had to hold her up. She’d become dead weight, and had a look of absolute terror on her face.
“Jim,” Angus said turning to Jim. He hesitated before speaking when he saw how grey and destroyed Jim looked. “Is this the first time you returned since leaving to help Josh?”
Jim nodded. “I’m sorry Angus … I never thought … I would never have believed …”
“Take her downstairs Jim,” Angus said handing Jessica to him.
“I don’t think I can.” Jim replied. He sounded wounded, and he wouldn’t look at Jessica. Angus turned to Josh and then Scott. Neither one looked any better than Jim.
“Shit.” He muttered, and scooping Jessica into his arms, he left the bathroom, and headed for the basement. Downstairs he lay Jessica on the sofa. He stood staring at her for a moment, and she stared back. He shook his head and went back up the stairs.
When Angus left, Jessica rocked back and forth on the sofa in the basement. It had been so long since she’d done anything really useful that she’d jumped at the chance to help Angus. She was surprised that he let her and they’d been working together so nicely. She couldn’t understand why Angus had looked so surprised to see her there. She was so confused. She took a deep breath. She had no idea what was going to happen and that worried her. Really worried her.
When Angus returned upstairs, none of the men had left the bathroom.
He found them standing exactly as he had left them.
“Where’s Jessica?” Scott demanded.
“Downstairs.” Angus replied.
“Downstairs?” Josh asked, “Why are you here?”
“I don’t know,” Angus said. “I do know that I need a drink. Anyone else?”
“I don’t want anything to diminish the satisfaction that I’m going to get from re-educating Jessica.” Riley said.
“There’s a waiting list here Angus,” Josh said in a beaten tone, “would you mind getting on with it. I’d like my turn some time tonight.”
“You were gone for well over ten minutes Jim,” Angus said. Jim nodded and looked like all he wanted to do was slit his own wrists.
“In those ten minutes, Jessica handed me tools, and cut the piping.”
The men’s heads seemed to snap up in unison.
“She was coming after you with the saw Angus.” Riley said, “We all saw it, first hand.”
“Was she holding the piece of piping ahead of her … like she was about to shove it under the counter?”
Riley opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
“Where was the saw?” Angus continued, “Was she actually trying to cut me?”
“Just what the hell are you saying?” Scott demanded. His nerves were shot, and he felt like he was going to puke. The last thing he needed was Angus playing twenty questions.
“I’m saying that for ten minutes, at least, Jessica had access to every tool in that box. She spent that time, handing me tools and cutting the piping.”
“You don’t think she was trying to kill you?” Jim asked.
Angus couldn’t believe he was about to say it, but oddly he felt he had to. “No.” he replied.
“You don’t think she was trying to escape?” Josh asked.
“Hey, I never said that!” Angus said, holding his hands up in protest, “This has to all be part of her master plan somehow. But just now, she was not trying to kill me.” Angus shook his head. He could not believe he’d just spoken those words.
“You’re sure?” Riley asked. He felt drained.
“She’s still alive, isn’t she?” Angus asked.
“Christ!” Jim exploded. “I swear to God Angus, I thought I was going to be away for a second … I didn’t know there was a damn wild dog out there!”
“Jim,” Angus said holding up his hand, “it’s okay. I should’ve checked to make sure you’d taken her with you. What kind of dumb ass was I to make myself vulnerable like that?”
Jim looked stunned. “Thanks,” he said, not quite believing that Angus was being so understanding about the whole thing. Angus nodded.
“What does this mean then?” Riley asked. When he replayed the scene in his mind … opening the door, seeing Jessica, he had to admit that the saw was not being held in any threatening manner. She in fact looked like she was about to hand the piping to someone, and the saw just happened to be with her. Even if she’d had no intention of harming Angus, for Riley, Jessica and saws just didn’t mix.
“Maybe she doesn’t plan on trying to kill her way out anymore?” Josh said. It was a relieving thought.
“She could be trying to lull us into a false sense of security,” Angus said.
“Huh?” the men asked simultaneously, looking at him like he’d grown two heads.
“But you just said …” Jim began to protest.
“I know, I know,” Angus said. “Jessica did have every opportunity to harm me if she’d intended to. I’m leaving it at that … ”
“She should have known better than to pick up potential weapons,” Riley added.
“Yup,” Angus agreed, “we should make that point to her.”
Riley looked at Angus from the corner of his eye. This had to be the first time ever that Angus wasn’t pulling excuses from thin air for a reason to beat the crap out of Jessica.
“You guys go ahead,” Jim said, moving to the bathroom door, “but I need some time to think. I’ll be outside getting rid of that dog’s body.” And he disappeared through the door.
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