Suzie’s House 74: Decisions, Decisions

We continue from last week when Sean and Joseph, the red headed men, were nearly caught by the woman who lives in the apartment in which they’ve been squatting.
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Sean clutched the laptop to his side, as much to staunch the pain as to safeguard the computer. The wound was well on its way to heeling, but with the exertion of chasing Joe down the fire escape, it might open up again.

Even as he ran for his life, he had an urge to open up the laptop and check his email.

Could Joe be right? Was his thing for the internet an addiction? Once his fever went down and the wound stopped seeping, he’d craved a little time on his favorite boards. He’d itched to see if his emails had been answered. Had anyone noticed he almost died? Did they care that the master mind behind the Smashum Up Derby hadn’t had his hand on the rudder for a while there?

His blog stats were down, and his board got quiet. That meant they noticed, didn’t it? It meant they loved him and wanted him around. Didn’t it?

Ever since looking into his brother’s eyes and asking if he would really let him die just to avoid the cops, Sean had been questioning everything. If he had died, what would it mean?

He had a really bad feeling the answer was nothing. Neither his life, nor his death, would mean a thing.

“Quiet!” Joe hissed from the bottom of the fire escape, as if the thump of his own feet on the half-rotten wood weren’t just as loud. He stood there, looking like he’d take to his heels any second. The grimness behind his eyes hollowed out his cheeks, making his jaw more prominent. He looked every bit as intense and dangerous as he really was. Sean pitied him for never having learned to hide it. Joe’s head cocked to the side, listening for something at the window they’d escaped through.

He tried to imagine the reaction of the lady the apartment belonged to. She was probably standing in the door, looking at the mess they’d left behind, and wondering what had happened. She was probably old, too old to have heard them. Who but an old lady would fill her apartment with all those doilies?

Except she must have had some life in her because there was a vibrator in the dresser next to her bed. All the pictures around the place showed girls in their 20’s – college students on vacation in Cancun and stuff like that.

He’d like to get his hands on some of those girls, show them what a bad boy could really do. Maybe Joe was right. Maybe he was sick. He was probably looking at the woman’s granddaughter. Except her mail had been mentioned Cancun.

Joe made a hurry gesture, and headed for the back of the building at a brisk walk. Sean reached the ground, his first step hard enough to jar his guts.

What if she came to the window? What if she saw them? Sean grinned, the adrenaline rushing around as if he were in a stolen car hunting the taxi driver in the red barrette. Did he WANT to get caught?

Maybe a part of him did. Maybe a part of him was self destructive. It was like with that boy, the one who lived with the guy Joe shot. He knew he should leave the kid alone. The kid didn’t need to learn to drive like a maniac. He didn’t need to learn how to make motive cocktails, or hold a knife in a fight. There was no reason for Sean to reach out to the boy. No reason at all.

But he would. He’d tell himself he wouldn’t, and avoid the kid for a while, but eventually he’d give in. He’d drive around in Joe’s Jeep like he did before and keep his eyes open, like before. Eventually he’d pick the boy up, get to know him, maybe teach him a thing or two.

It was only because Joe would be mad. Sean saw this in himself, but couldn’t change the impulse. Just like now, when he heard the soft exclamation of a woman’s voice come from the window. Soft, but firm; a young woman’s voice. Sean instantly wanted to meet her.

So much forbidden fruit. So little time.

Joseph went around the corner of the building with his back against the wall, looking for all the world like one of the cops he so despised. No doubt he made it without being seen. No way Sean would. He could hear the woman talking to someone. A friend? 911?

He had to know. He just had to know. Sean stopped at the corner of the building, and turned around. There she was, long dark hair and brown eyes just like in the pictures. She looked right at him from the apartment where he had almost died a few days before.

He gave her a wave and a wink, then strolled around the corner.