Your Mother’s Basement
Vex
There’s no point in staring at Shock’s back while he does his thing to try to find a ghost, which is exactly what that man turned into 3.5 seconds after he grabbed Marlie.
“You know I can walk.” Dahlia snuggles into my arms as I walk back to my office again.
That’s debatable, but it doesn’t matter. I still can’t stand the thought of her being even an inch away from me. Fright and anger at the thought that she needed me and I was too far away from her, still flows through me. “You can do it later.”
“I love you, Vex.”
My arms clench around her.
“All I could think of was you when I was afraid. You make me feel safe.”
“Dahl.”
She lifts her head up off of my shoulder. “Finding out that you were trying to protect a woman who you don’t even know when the world wouldn’t makes me love you even more.” She reaches up and sets a hand on my cheek. “The world thinks you’re a criminal, but I know you’re a hero.”
“Dahl.”
“But you’re still just a man. And you can’t put all the responsibilities of the world on your broad, beautiful shoulders.”
“You think my shoulders are beautiful?”
“Of course they are. Now let me finish.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I’m going to kiss those stubborn lips of hers as soon as we get to my office.
“I was wrong to demand that you save her. When Shock said they disappeared, the look on your face broke my heart. You aren’t responsible for saving the world. I love you regardless.”
She leans up with her lips pursed, all cute and sexy at the same time, and I almost miss a step. “No kissing on the stairs.”
Dahlia pouts. “You told me I can kiss you anytime I want.”
The sweet little temptress doesn’t know what she does to me. “Hold that thought until we get into my office.”
She leans in and gives me a teasing little kiss on the cheek. That woman doesn’t listen to a word I say. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I move a bit faster down the steps.
“Vex?”
“Yeah, Dahl?”
“Would you mind if I stored some books in your library?”
‘My library’ sounds wrong coming from her lips. Yet for years, that library was my pride and joy. The one possession I treasured.
Now Dahlia is that treasure. “I’d be insulted if you didn’t.”
“Um… So, I was thinking…”
If it doesn’t involve more kissing, I’m not sure I want to think about it today .
“You could put some of your books in my library, too. Maybe part of your to-be-read list or any books you might want to reread. And…”
I had already planned to do that, so it’s good she wants my stuff in her place. “And?”
“I love your place. It’s beautifully decorated. And I don’t want to change it, but…”
“Just say it, Dahl. What do you want?”
“Throw pillows and some blankets. I get chilly and I would like some things to make your place warmer.”
Warmer. Comfortable. Those are terms a woman would use when they describe a home. Dahlia wants to do more than sleep in my place. She wants to move in. To make it her home. “Sure, add whatever you like, Dahl.” The urge to kiss her wins out over patience. I set her down on her feet and brace my own across two steps, then nudge her with my body until she’s pressed up against the wall. “Rule change.”
“Huh?”
Her breathy question draws me in until my lips are inches from hers and my hands are flat on the wall to keep us steady, even if I lose myself in her lips. “I can kiss you when we’re on the stairs.” That’s all the warning she gets before my lips entrap hers.
***
“So, can we spend the rest of the afternoon right here kissing?” Dahlia leans back, panting slightly.
“Sounds good to me.” If anyone comes in with news other than they found Marlie, I’ll toss them out.
Dahlia taps her finger on my arm as her eyes roam around my office. “You know, a couple of throw pillows and a blanket would look really nice on this couch. ”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
Ignore the little pout. You are stronger than her pout. “Because I deal with scary people in here, and they aren’t going to be scared of me if I have crocheted pillows and a floral quilt on the corner of my couches.”
She giggles and I’m tempted to give in.
Shock burst into my office. “Did you know—”
Dahlia wiggles out of my arms.
And now I have someone to kill. I hop up off the couch and get into Shock’s face. “Don’t ever do that again.”
His eyes move from me to Dahlia and back again. “Sorry. I…” He clears his throat. “I didn’t know if you heard the second call.”
What second call? I turn to Dahlia. “Is there something you forgot to tell me about?”
Her hand starts to tremble. I walk over to the couch and kneel down in front of her. “What second call?”
“It’s nothing.”
When she says it like that, it’s definitely not. Earlier she said don’t hurt me. “Did someone threaten you?”
“It’s not serious.”
Yeah, no. I’m deadly serious now.
“Everyone at the call center gets idiots like this, that call on occasion. They never amount to anything. Well, almost never amount to anything.”
“On occasion?” I take a deep breath and try to focus and push my rage down. “This… creep called you before.”
Dahlia’s gaze moves to her hands. “A couple of times. I reported them. Adonis said they usually amount to nothing, but he followed protocol.”
She told Adonis and not me.
Breath in.
Focus .
Calm your mind. Angry people lose control and die. I want to kill someone, not die myself today.
“I knew it was nothing. But every time I got one of those weird calls, talking to you made me feel better.”
What did she just say? “You called me after them?”
Her small nod fires the rage in me.
Focus.
Calm. You don’t want to scare her. Save all of that for the man that’s going to die today.
“Just talking to you calmed me down. It made me put the stupidity of them into perspective.”
“Dahlia, we talked about this before. If you’re scared, if you’re happy, if you need a glass of milk, whatever you need, you come to me. When some creep calls you on the phone and scares you, you TELL ME. Not someone else.” And especially not Adonis.
“But it was a work thing.”
“There are no exceptions to this rule.”
“There are exceptions to other rules.” Her eyes move to my lips.
“Not this one. Not ever. Can you promise me that?”
“But it’s nothing. Adonis said it was nothing.”
If I hear his name one more time, I’m going to lose my mind. “No exceptions. I can’t take any risks with the woman I love.” Is she thinking of getting stubborn?
Her brow crinkles, and she sets a hand on my arm. Dahlia wins most of our disagreements, but this one I won’t let go of until she agrees.
“Okay. I promise.” She nods. “But you’ll see, it really isn’t anything.”
That’s doubtful if Shock came running down here like that. “Play it.”
He walks over and plugs a thumb drive into my computer, and a few seconds later my blood starts to boil.
Not serious.
Not serious !
“Dahlia, you and I have some very different ideas about what’s serious. When a man threatens you, ‘that is serious.’”
“Do you need a hug? You look like you want to kill someone.”
What!?! “What did you just say?”
“You look like you need a hug before you kill someone.”
My sweet, innocent Dahlia. “You can hug me—”
She wraps her arms around me.
“—but I’m still going to kill him,” I whisper in her ear. “No one ever threatens you. No one hurts you ever.” Now I need to know if that means the end of us. I pull back and stare into her eyes, waiting for a final judgment.
Losing her will hurt, but even that won’t stop me from killing the man who made this phone call.
“You’ll be careful? He might try to hurt you.”
That’s it. “You can have one quilt, but it needs to fit in that cabinet over there.” I point to one of the built-ins along the wall.
“Huh?”
She’ll figure it out later. I stand up. “Shock, tell me you have an address for this guy.”
“Texting it to you now.”
“Thanks.” I turn to Dahlia. “Are you up to walking, or should I carry you to Payne’s office?”
“Why are we going there?”
“Because you’re going to visit with Imogene, so she isn’t alone while Payne and I go out.”
“Oh.” Her lips freeze in a little ‘o’.
They’re all too kissable. If Shock wasn’t there, I’d let her distract me for a few minutes.
“I can walk.” She takes the hand I hold out immediately.
“Um, one more thing…” Shock stops me. “He lives in his mother’s ba sement.”
How charming? Mommy dearest needs to go so we can do the deed. A surprise vacation might be just what she needs. “Thanks again.”
Shock nods.
That doesn’t mean I won’t kill him if he walks in without knocking again.
***
“Well, smarts aren’t a family trait.” Payne sets down his phone. “The mother just stepped onto a plane to enjoy the vacation she won from a sweepstakes she never entered.”
“Gotta love trusting people.” I slide out of the car parked down the street from our new friend’s house. He also conveniently lives on a dead-end in the middle of the woods just outside of Urbium.
Our little friend knows how to use a VPN and other fun tech stuff.
“Do you think we’re going to find holes at this one?”
My gut says no, but you just never know. “Let’s scout it out before heading in to introduce ourselves.”
“It’s always fun meeting new people.” Payne takes the left.
Because of our little friend’s skills, we’re both carrying scramblers to ensure we don’t leave any evidence. But there’s nothing in the backyard except some junker cars that were left to rot, the saddest rusted swing set, and grass that hasn’t been mowed in a decade or more.
No one walks out the back of that house.
“All clear,” Payne says as we meet up on the side of the house. “Does this guy do anything?”
“Other than harass 911 operators and mooch off his mother, I don’t think so.” According to Shock, he makes hundreds of calls a week in varying lengths of time. Not one of the people has been reported missing or having any issues .
The stench as we walk in takes your breath away. Cleaning inside doesn’t seem to be one of their habits either. Flies swarm around an overflowing trash can.
“Nice place.”
“Don’t say I don’t take you to all the best locals.” Even with the rancid smells, I’d take this place over the last one any day of the week.
We tread lightly across the floor until we find the stairs to the basement. Fred’s back is to us as he’s watching a soap opera and sipping on a two-liter soda.
The television becomes static as we get closer.
“What is wrong with this stupid television?” Fred turns it on and off several times. “The cable is out again.” He reaches for his computer. “Time to make a phone call.”
“I think Fred has made enough phone calls.” Payne steps in between the couch and the television. “Don’t you?”
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?” Fred’s screech wobbles. “You better leave before I call my mom.”
“Should you tell him, or should I?” Payne pulls out a knife and taps it on his hand.
“You go ahead. Fred and I are going to communicate shortly.”
Payne nods with an evil grin on his face. “Your mother is gone.”
“Did you kill her? My mom isn’t a nice woman, but still, you shouldn’t have killed her.”
“Your mother is on her way to the Caribbean. She won a month-long vacation. Hopefully, your bruises are healed by then. We wouldn’t want to upset her.”
“Bruises. What bruises? My mom never wins anything.” Fred twists his head to try to look at me but is too lazy to actually move enough to do that.
It’s time to meet my new friend and teach him some manners. I walk around the couch. “Hello, Fred. I heard you like to make phone calls and harass people who are trying to help others. That doesn’t seem very nice to me. Does it seem polite to you?” I ask Payne .
“Making phone calls doesn’t hurt anyone. It isn’t against the law.” Fred starts to shake.
“Didn’t your mother teach you any manners? It’s rude to harass people. And detrimental to your health to harass mine.” I can’t believe I’m not going to kill this guy after the day I’ve had.
“Look man, they’re only women. It’s harmless fun. They’re stuck up—”
And I’m out of patience. “It seems you have a hard time understanding words. I think it’s time for me to teach you manners in a way you’ll understand.” My knuckles crack as I ball my hands into fists.
***
“That should have gotten a bit of your frustration out.” Payne pulls off his gloves as we step out of Fred’s house.
It should have. “That was decidedly unsatisfying. He’s a weasel.”
“A weasel without television, phone, or internet for the next year or two. Do you think he’ll get a job?”
“Doubtful.” But what I don’t doubt is that he’ll think twice about making any more prank phone calls. I’m done wasting time on the weasel. “Do you think the girls will be mad at us?”
“Imogene will probably be irritated that she couldn’t come along.”
That woman has spunk. “What are you going to do when she’s healthy enough to do just that?”
Payne shrugs.
“When she asks for throw pillows, you need to be afraid.” I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
“Oh, you two are getting serious. How does it feel?” Payne stops in front of the car.
It should be scary. “Wonderful. If you love her, just say yes to the pillows.”