Chapter Five Itsy Bitsy Spider
Liberty
The next morning, I headed to the dining room for breakfast. We never did get an answer from Belle last night after she stomped off. I felt kind of relieved about that actually. What the hell had I been thinking? I did feel bad for misjudging her, but to go as far as volunteering to be her bodyguard? Even I knew that was a ludicrous idea. Oil and water don’t mix.
It just made me mad when Talon accused her of being uncaring. That had been the mistake I had made. After she admitted that her sour attitude had been because she missed the life she had before, my opinion of her did change. She would eventually lose her job, most likely. It didn’t look like we were even close to catching good ole Deacon anytime soon. I really didn”t know what her answer would be. She didn’t like me and I barely liked her, so maybe she would turn this down.
At the long table, I sat down next to Fate and grabbed a coffee mug.
“Have you seen her today?” Fate asked.
Pouring my coffee, I replied, “Seen who?”
“Oh come on, Liberty. When are you gonna own up to this?”
I took a sip of the hot brew and looked over at him. “What the hell are you going on about, brother?” Fate was a great guy and easygoing. He had the best temperament of all of us. Always calm and cool. He did like to tease me, but that was just the way all of us were. We gave each other a hard time. Dad said it was healthy because if anyone would know to call you out on something, it would be a sibling. He’d said it was a needed trait to keep all of us humbled. He was right of course. With our looks and being super fit bikers, we needed someone to ride us and lower our egos a notch or two. Like what I did for Justice. I kept him from being a totally insufferable jerk. I smirked to myself.
“Anyone who knows you well can see it, Lib.”
“See… it?” I repeated in disgust.
“I am just gonna say it outright. You. Like. This. Girl,” Fate stated succinctly.
I shook my head. “We haven’t had a civil conversation since we met, Fate. You are so wrong about this.”
“I think it”s sparks.”
“Sparks?” I stared at him.
“Yeah, hot attraction. Like the zapping kind. You both are just hiding from it.”
I chuckled as I decided to humor him for a laugh anyway. “Since when did you get a degree in psychology?”
“You don’t gotta be a rocket scientist to see that you two are hot for each other.”
I laughed louder now. “You are insane, man. We can’t even stand to be in the same room together.”
“Yeah whatever.” He scoffed. “If you would just wake the fuck up and take her to bed, your misery would be over.”
I stared at him. “No, that would be when my misery would start. Holy crap. We would end up in a freakin’ shouting match.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep denying it.” He scooped up some eggs with his fork and shoveled them into his mouth.
“You trying to wake Lib up?”
I looked over to see Justice standing beside us.
“Yep. No luck,” Fate replied. “He’s too scared to see it.”
I blinked at Fate. “Scared?”
“Sure,” Justice interjected. “If Liberty Walker ever had to admit he was in love with someone besides himself? Well damn, calamities would happen, like the sky falling and a meteor strike maybe?”
“It would be the apocalypse man, a real disaster!” Fate exclaimed.
Both of my brothers were laughing.
“Ha-ha.” I scoffed. “I just don’t get why you two keep pushing this at me. Belle is not my type, ok?”
“Your type?”
We all looked up to see Belle standing on the other side of the table.
“Oh, shit,” Fate muttered under his breath.
Yeah, oh shit.I’d already messed up with this girl more times than I cared to count. I wanted to have peace between us and now this? “Look, they were just teasing me. Yet again.”
Both my brothers shrugged and nodded.
“True,” Justice confirmed as he sat down on the other side of Fate. “It’s tradition. You shoulda heard him when I was interested in your sister. He would not quit.”
“And as for me?” Fate said. “It is my job as his twin to keep him accountable.”
I looked over at him. “Accountable for what?”
“Any bullshit you might try to pull.” Fate shrugged.
“So tell me Liberty, what is your type?” Belle asked, then raised her hand up at me. “No, no. Let me take a guess. Blonde bombshell, long legs, wearing 6 inch heels, maybe in a leather corset? Fire engine red lips and she would pout at you a lot.”
I stared across the table at her then burst into laughter. “Wow! How did you know?”
Everyone close to us started to laugh.
“You described his last date to a T,” Fate nodded at her, then he looked over at me. “But what I want to know is why you volunteered to be her bodyguard if you aren’t interested in her?
“Maybe he’s bored?” Belle suggested.
We all looked over at her.
“Like he’ll get a chance to get out of here,” Belle went on. “See town. Move around a bit.”
“Exactly,” I agreed right away. This was the best explanation yet. I mean I didn’t even have a real answer for volunteering.
“It has to be that,” Belle stated as she sat in her chair. “Because if his recent rude and insulting behaviour is because he’s interested in me?” She slowly shook her head. “I would hate to see what he would be like if he actually wanted to date me.”
My brothers all stared at her for a minute and then they broke into loud audacious laughter.
All I could do was shake my head. The girl had a knack for a sharp retort. She had outright insulted me, but I sort of deserved it. She just explained it in a scathing way. I even smiled. I myself already faced the fact that I had been wrong about her. Well, for the most part. She did have a mouth on her. A fiery temper and she had her own rules for life, but she wasn’t selfish and uncaring about others. “So, did you think about my suggestion?” I asked her.
She took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. “If it’s the only way out of here, then what choice do I have?”
I slowly nodded my head. I was up shit creek now. I would be spending a lot of time with her. See her life away from the Connor House. I just hoped we wouldn’t be fighting all the damn time.
“But first, the wedding, right?” Justice asked.
“Of course,” Belle replied. “I wouldn’t disappoint my sis like that.” She looked over at me. “In fact, after breakfast, you and I will go to the ballroom and see what we might need to do there.”
I gave her a nod and said nothing as we all finished breakfast. What did I know about ballrooms? I shook my head.
Fate leaned in close and said, “Ok, I’m in on the bodyguard gig too. Cause I wouldn’t miss this for the fucking world.” He gave me a huge grin.
“You are so stupid,” I muttered.
“Yeah and bored, right?” He snickered. “This whole thing is gonna be a hoot.”
I shook my head. “I’m glad you think so. As for me, it will be a job.”
“Yeah, right.” He chuckled.
After we helped with table cleanup, Belle and I headed to the ballroom. It was a very large area. I looked all around. “It’s nice and huge.” Looking up, I admired the chandelier. “Very elegant.”
Belle followed my gaze upward then looked at me. “Hmm, I didn’t figure you using a word like elegant?”
I smirked. “Hey, I know more words than, I am caveman.”
She burst into laughter. “Ok, that was funny.”
I smiled. “Thanks, so what do we need for this?”
“Decorations,” she said. “I suppose we could make some but wow. Getting materials and the time it would take for a space like this?”
I paused, then said, “Oh hey, I was exploring that hallway over there a couple of weeks ago and there”s an anteroom that had boxes of stuff in it. Maybe we will find something there.”
We both headed over. I opened the door and turned on the light then motioned for her to go in.
Belle nodded as she knelt and looked at the tubs and boxes. “Yeah, decorations. Christmas,” she read some of the labels. “Fourth of July. Oh, wedding anniversary! That might have stuff we can use.” She stepped back and asked, “Can you pull that box out?” She pointed up at the third shelf.
I nodded as I stepped onto the bottom shelf to get some height and leverage then grabbed the box. Setting it on the floor, I looked around while she opened the box. My eyes narrowed as I spotted something moving on the shelf then swung my gaze over to see that a shitload of baby spiders were crawling all over the shelves. Peering down, I saw some were climbing up along Belle”s arms and into her hair. “Holy fuck,” I mumbled.
Raising her head, she stared up at me. “What is it?”
“Tell me that you aren’t scared of…spiders?”
Her eyes widened as she whispered in fear, “I am. Nooo, don’t tell me…” She looked at her arm and then her chest. Bolting up, she screamed. “They’re in my hair?” She dropped a streamer she had been holding and used both hands to fan her hair. “Ohhh!” She jumped and backed out of the storage into the hallway as she tore her silk blouse off. “They’re—in my shirt!” she shouted as she was spinning in circles.
All I could do was watch this small disaster as it unfolded. I flicked a few from my arm and followed her out. Most of them had come from the box she had been digging in. Before I even knew what was happening, she was tearing her skirt off.
“T-they are in my clothes!” she screeched. “Oh, my God!” Bent over while in heels, she was batting at her long hair in lace panties and a lace bra. Purple of all colors.
All I could do was stare. I mean I couldn’t help her really and not get slapped as she was waving her arms in the air and even slapping her arms and legs. Part of me was entranced by all that creamy skin while another part of me wondered what the hell to do.
“A-are they gone?” she asked breathlessly.
I stepped closer and looked at her hair while nodding. “It looks like it.”
“What in tarnation?”
We both looked over to see Ma Walker standing a few feet away.
“Wow, Liberty,” Fate said as he came in through the double door. “You didn’t waste any time, did you?”
I shook my head at him as I took off my sweat jacket and held it in front of Belle. “She was being attacked, you moron.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” He snickered.
Ma came over and asked, “What was it?”
“We were in the storage room,” I told her. “Then there were like a hundred baby spiders.”
Belle put on my sweat jacket and it came to her knees. “They were in my hair and my clothes!” She was crying. “I hate spiders!”
“Now, now.” Ma wrapped her arm around her. “We’ll get the room sprayed and clear it all out. Come on, little Belle. I’ll get you some tea. Liberty, bring her clothes along.”
When we got to the kitchen, Ma waved her hand at the small kitchen table. “Sit,” she ordered, then headed to the stove.
I shook out Belle”s blouse and skirt then hung them over the back of my chair before I sat down. “Well, that didn’t go as planned,” I commented.
Belle sniffled and shook her head. “I must have looked ridiculous.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She raised her head to stare at me.
I chuckled.
She smiled at me. “Well, thanks for not laughing at me.”
“Oh, I will be.” I grinned at her. “Just not in front of you.”
She blinked at me then laughed. “I bet it was a sight. Me screaming while batting at my hair.”
“And stripping,” I added. “Don”t forget the stripping.”
Her face went pink. “Oh, my God. I did do that!”
“You had to, really. They were all over you. Then Fate got the wrong idea entirely. Thinking we were…” My voice trailed away.
“Like I would be out in the middle of the ballroom hallway, making out with you.” She shook her head. “He’s nuts.”
I shrugged. “Been saying that for years but no one listens.”
“You and your twin are not so different, I be thinking,” Ma said as she set the tea tray down on the table.
“Oh, we are though,” I disagreed. “I’m a fighter by trade. Competitive as all hell. I live to kick ass.”
“It’s all true,” Fate said as he came in and sat down at the table. “I’m the brainy twin. Got the smarts and the good looks.”
Ma laughed. “No lack of confidence there.”
Fate chuckled. “Better not be. I’m a Walker.”
“I hear ya,” Ma said as she sat the teacups out. “My boys and daughter Liv are the exact same. Tease each other. Pranks all the time. Compete in everything.”
“But,” Fate said. “Seems Liberty is smarter than I gave him credit for.”
I raised my brow at him. “This ought to be good.”
“Yeah, you got the girl undressed in less than ten minutes of being alone with her.”
I shook my head. “You are a total dope, Fate.”
He raised his hands. “I know what I saw. You have her clothes on the back of your chair.”
“There were spiders, Fate. In my clothes,” Belle explained.
He paused and looked over at me. “You didn’t.”
I tilted my head at him. “Didn’t what?”
“Itsy bitsy spiders? Come on Liberty!”
I kept shaking my head then I suddenly realized what he was talking about. “Oh, hell no! That is not what happened.”
He tisked. “Come on. You’d think that you were a little too grown up for that trick.”
Belle picked her teacup up and blew on it. “What is he talking about, Liberty?”
I felt my stomach drop. This woman barely liked me let alone trusted me. And we were finally getting along…sort of. Now this was all about to blow the fuck up in my face.
“When we were teens,” Fate explained. “We well… sorta had the hots for these two sisters. Liberty came up with a plan to get them out of their clothes real fast.”
I groaned and lowered my head.
“Are you saying that Liberty set me up with those spiders?” Belle asked in a very quiet voice.
I raised my head and told her, “That is not what happened.”
She glared at me. “Look, if you wanted to get out of the wedding planning thing, I already told you I could do it.”
“No, I don’t want out of it. Come on Belle. When did I have time to plan the spiders?”
“It was you that suggested the anti-room,” she replied.
“After you said we needed decorations,” I defended.
She gave me a beady eyed look. “Yeah, you aren’t smart enough to have planned that far ahead.”
I scoffed. “Gee thanks, but at least you aren’t believing his BS anymore.” I turned my head to glare at Fate. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
He raised his hands up at me. “Hey, that happened way back when and then this? I mean no one could blame me.”
“Well, I am blaming you.” I smacked his arm.
Ma looked back and forth at us. “I have to admit that spider trick was a lowdown deed, son. Even if you were a teen, I still woulda paddled your butt.”
Fate and Belle laughed.
Ma chuckled. “I can see what a handful you two were as youngun’s. I bet your daddy was whippin’ your behinds plenty. Now go on and drink your tea then tell me your ideas for this wedding.”