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  “Or the wind may be a silent partner, as it is for the trees,” he said to her.

  “And what now, are you supposed to be the Lorax or some shit?”

  His lips tightened as he looked at her. She was beautiful in her own way and exuded an unspoken strength which he admired. What he could not stomach were the snappy, defensive and negative comebacks, although a few of them were clever. However, none were necessary.

  “No, if you would stop flapping your lips and listen, I would have room to place a word or a comma in our conversation,” he told her. Side by side they stood staring at the trees. Minutes passed as another gust of wind blew by, pulling down a half dead branch to the ground. As far away as they stood, the sound of the rotten branch falling could be heard.

  After a moment, One Way spoke. “The tree has stood there for many years, bracing itself, season after season against the wind. Once the Autumn Solstice arrives, the tree prepares itself for a slumber, allowing its roots to strengthen and the branches to rest. The wind, as the tree’s silent partner, doesn’t have to be asked to do what is necessary. It arrives and carries away the dead leaves, rotted limbs and makes soft mulch around the based of the tree to protect its roots during the cold of winter.”

  The woman turned her head slowly to look at him. “In this scenario, am I the tree and you’re the wind?”

  “Or I the tree and you’re my wind, but your inability to keep your lips from flapping with every random thought which enters your head, makes it difficult to determine which season we may be in to chart a course of action,” One Way stated turning to face her. “It is unclear, which is why my movements are slow and purposeful, while I determine if I came along because you needed help, or if you came along because I’m going to need your help.”

  “You? Need my help? How?”

  “I have no idea, but until we do, can we, or rather you, be cool?”

  “I am cool!”

  “No, your son is cool. You’re a menace.”

  “And you are pretty much an asshole that I’m dependent upon and I want to run, but I have no where to go, and I feel like a trapped animal,” she told him.

  “Fine,” he said. “I shall give you a choice in this scenario. When we return home, I will loan you the truck we drove here in, you take the money I gave you and head out. I’ll give you my number, call me when you get situated, and I’ll come check on you.”

  “And the alternative?”

  “Stay with me until we find out what His plan may be for our journey together, you chill the hell out, stop cooking so much meat, and allow me to have some peace in my own home,” One Way said, “in return, I shall treat you with courtesy and kindness.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay what Woman?”

  “Okay, One Way, I shall be cool, and allow you peace in your own home,” she told him. Her bottom lip quivered as she spoke.

  “If your decision requires tears, then you’ve made the wrong choice.”

  “Maybe these tears are of relief that I don’t have to get back out there, scared out of my mind, trying to keep a roof over my head and protect myself and 13-year-old boy,” she said. “Men see the mixed child and think I have no standards, or worse. I’ve taught him to be a shadow.”

  “For your protection, or his?”

  “Both.”

  “Then, ask what you need of me, and we shall say no more about it after this conversation,” he said.

  “One Way, I need companionship. I need conversation with another adult. I want to discuss adult matters, current affairs, travel, books, food and recipes,” she told him. “I would like you to be my friend. I need a friend in this world so I can stop feeling like it’s me and Ja...I mean Cool Guy against the world. His father can’t help us, and my last living relative just passed, which is why we had to leave because she didn’t own that house. The landlord wanted to jack the rent up by three hundred dollars on a shotgun house, and I couldn’t do it.”

  “I hear and receive your words,” he said, walking away. “I want a lemonade; would you like one as well?”

  “That’s it? After all I said, that’s it?”

  “Woman, what would you like to me to say?”

  “I dunno, something stupid like, yes, I’ll be a companion to you. Yes, I’ll be your friend,” she told him, “shit, tell me I’m the wind beneath your wings, for all I care, but damn it, say something.”

  “Bette Midler, right? She sang that song...”

  She had actually run out of snappy remarks and ways to call him the back end of a front facing goat. She stared at him, wanting to grab him by his sexy long black hair, smack him in that cute button nose, and come across hard over those kissable lips. Instead, her lips pressed tightly together.

  “See, I knew you could hold that tongue in your mouth; come on wind maker, let’s get something to drink and go back for the kid,” he said, using his finger to poke her in the arm.

  The woman jumped, “I didn’t say you could touch me. Maybe I have a vow of celibacy too.”

  “Or, you talk so much no man wants to get close enough to come get it,” he said and started to laugh. “You want some of this...only if you shut the hell up and not talk afterwards...”

  One Way laughed louder. The timber of his bellow echoing through the barely crowded walk way. His laughter stopped when he looked at the woman, and she wasn’t smiling.

  “When did you get to be so dang blasted funny? You just tickle yourself don’t you...yeah, fine...that was good. I’ll give you that one.”

  The remainder of the afternoon progressed quietly. Cool Guy ended the evening with a box load of books, a pair of red shoelaces and a customed screen printed shirt which of course read, Cool Guy. The woman purchased a pair of pajamas, a set of cheap flip flops and two potted plants. The evening ended after dinner at a local family restaurant which served a meat and two sides. One Way ordered a vegetable plate.

  “You don’t eat a lot of meat,” Cool Guy stated.

  “It makes me sluggish and slows my reactions. I can’t have that. I’m a weapon. I have to stay sharp,” he admitted, looking the woman squarely in the eyes.

  She knew he was telling her a bit of important information. In her mind, she filed it away, opting to not comment on the statement or ask questions. Cool Guy only nodded as if he understood everything One Way would not say.

  For now, it was enough.

  Chapter Seven - Crinkle

  The morning sun had taken him from his bed to work on a few items on the land. One of the items were a well-marked walk path down to the creek. It wasn’t fair for the woman and boy to stay cooped up in the house. Maybe, if she had time to get out and stretch her legs, she wouldn’t feel it necessary to ramble when she talked. After marking a trail, he reset the booby traps and made his way inside.

  “Good morning,” he said to them both. “I have to head out in a few. Don’t ho9ld dinner for me. I should return late tomorrow afternoon.”

  Her face indicated she was thinking all of the wrong things. One Way pursed his lips, waiting for the stupid to roll off her tongue. He almost, mentally counted down the seconds noting she almost lasted a whole minute.

  “I thought you said you were celibate? An overnight trip, and back tomorrow...hmm, don’t sound too celibate to me,” she said, feeling defensive and not understanding why.

  “See, there you go again, opening your mouth to speak on matters which have no bearing on anything. Even if I were, and I’m not, for the record, you have no say in the matter,” he said.

  “You’re right,” she said, lowering her head and feeling about as tall as a kid two inches too short for the big boy rides at the fair.

  “Of course, I am, but the jealously thing, is kind of, sort of, not really cute,” he said with a wink.

  Cool Guy noticed the interaction between the two and the noticeable lack of snap in One Way’s tone with his mother. He appreciated him making an effort. It also bothered him more than he wanted to admit, that the thought of him leaving again made Cool Guy feel some kind of way.

  “Mister, I feel some kind of weird about you leaving as well. What if the fax machine goes off while you’re gone? What if someone comes to the door?”

  “The fax machine doesn’t go off on a Sunday or Monday afternoon,” he said, “my boss knows I’m not here.”

  The woman didn’t get it, but the kid did. He had friends back in Tybee Island, who would go to the mainland on Sunday’s to visit their grandparents and have Sunday dinner. He assumed One Way was doing the same. A small smile came to his lips as he imagined the all business man, having Sunday dinner with his Mommy.

  One Way asked, “what are you grinning at?”

  “Oh, just imagining you having dinner with your Mommy, and her asking when are you going to give her some grandkids, get married, settle down, and you get all umcomfortable and stuff,” Cool Guy said.

  That made One Way smile.

  “Will we get to meet her?” Cool Guy asked.

  “Maybe, the way things are going right now, that is a strong possibility. However, the questions will be more than I want to answer, so a step at a time,” One Way said, giving the boy a smile. “You have the con.”

  “Wait, is that it. You have nothing else to say to us,” the woman wanted to know.

  “Oh yeah, I marked a walk path in the back. Stay within the red painted lines and you can go down to the creek, get some fresh air and exercise. Let me know if there’s anything I need to bring back,” he told them, grabbing his bag, and heading for the garage.

  The woman was at a loss for words. She really didn’t know what to say and took his advice and said nothing. Her hand raised slow as she waved goodbye to him. Cool Guy spoke up, “don’t forget to call me tonight, let me know you’re safe.”

  One Way nodded as excited the door. A second later he popped back in. “The keys to the Tundra are in the garage if an emergency should arise. That is my work truck and I don’t like the idea of you being in it, but, if an emergency should arise, the keys are in the kitchen.”

  And in a snapped, he was gone. In less than 72 hours, everything in his world would turn upside down. Everything would change for not only him, but the woman and the boy. The wind that was blowing, wasn’t a gentle breeze ushering in change, it was a tornado intent on wrecking all that he’d built.

  ****

  Blairsville, Georgia

  It was a close call. A bit too close for his comfort, but now he had a few pieces of the puzzle. The two men in the Mabel’s Diner. One of them had helped Wrong Way. One of them had been who she’d come to for help. The only way he was going to get answers were to climb the mountain.

  Under the cover of darkness, the nemesis known as the Glitter Man, drove around the windy hills, passing the driveway with the blue mailbox. He’d seen it before, covered in rust and hidden by overgrown greenery. The mailbox had been replaced. The new one was blue as well, but rested on a stronger wooden base, was larger in size for boxes and even had an extra slot for newspapers.

  “I don’t think she would be coming here,” he said softly, driving on around the mountain.

  A few yards he passed held Georgia state flags, a few others had Trump/Pence signs in the yard, and two held the Confederate flag. She wouldn’t have come to any of these homes. The last house, or rather cabin he came to, had an unmarked mailbox, no number, no marking on the house, and no tell-tale signs of frequency of use for the post master.

  “Tempest was coming here,” he noted, finding a spot a half mile away to park his vehicle. “Just need to get closer to find out who this man is.”

  In the dark, he tipped his way through the woodline, stepping easily in the cleared understory of the treeline. This time of year the bushes weren’t as dense as they would be in the nbext month. Such a blessing, could also be a curse as he neared the house, spotting a clearing. He stepped lightly, feeling resistance against his ankle. Slowly his eyes went down to the ground. The night vision goggles allowing him to see the trip wire.

  “Clever. Clever man you are,” the Glitter Man whispered. “She was definitely coming here.”

  Glee filled his soul as he raised his foot to step over the wire, but his hand came into contact with another wire above his head.

  “Well, fuck me sideways,” he said, taking a slow step backward. He took another step backward and heard the distinct whizz of a bullet go past his ear. The Glitter Man ducked down, covering his head. The fast pace of the consistent whizzing meant he’d been spotted. Whoever was shooting at him was not trying to kill him. He stopped. Slowly, he angled his body towards the house, looking directly at the window, of where he assumed the bullets were coming from.

  “You don’t have the balls to shoot me,” he said aloud, looking at the point on the porch where he thought the Apex predator could have been.

  It happened so quickly, that it took the Glitter Man a moment to realize he’d actually been hit. A soft thud accompanied his fall to the ground. The wind had escaped his lungs and his vision blurred. The Glitter Man began crawling as best he could along the ground, trying desperately to get to his feet. His leg ached like it never had before and the pain screamed in his ears but he had to move. He had to run. He had to get out of here before the Apex came upon him.

  “The next time, Glitter Man you’re dead,” the voice said from the wood line.

  Panic filled him as he got to his feet, stumbling, half running, half crawling from the woods. He couldn’t see as he snatched off the night vision goggles, aiming for the hard bald road, hoping to make it to his car and not bleed out. The pain seared up his leg, registering in his brain along with the knowledge, the man was only fifty feet away. A shot to the head and he would have been dead.

  “Fuck. He knows it’s me,” the Glitter Man said, “he should have killed me. He could have killed me.”

  The Mann didn’t kill him. He didn’t have orders to kill him. The orders were to take out his right leg which would lay him up for a while. That is exactly what Nathaniel Mann did, took out his right leg. The shot hit him in the thigh and more than likely chipped the femur, but missed the artery. He’d bleed like a stuck pig, but wouldn’t die. If he had his way, the man would rest eternally in a shallow grave in the woods near his home with a small wooden cross to mark the spot where he fell. The Archangel didn’t want the man dead yet, which is the only reason he still breathed.

  Rami knew it as well. The shot to his leg hurt like hell but he was able to make it back to the vehicle and cinch off the wound. A great deal of blood was being lost and he needed help and fast. The one thing that kept coming back in his mind was that the Apex predator had been expecting him.

  “He was expecting me. They were both expecting me,” the Glitter Man said aloud. “This, changes everything.”

  ****

  He was different when he returned. The boy noticed it as well as the woman. A weight seemed to hang on him when One way entered the door on Monday afternoon. The boy took his bag, the woman passed him a cup of tea and both left him alone with his thoughts.

  An hour passed before the kid brought in a book and came to sit on the couch, sharing the space, but not thoughts with One Way. The kid knew something was really wrong since the man didn’t move from his chair for nearly three hours. When he finally did move, he went to the bathroom and flung himself across the bed. The woman said nothing. Quietly, they each went to bed, hoping, Tuesday would be a better day.

  It wasn’t. The morning started with the fax machine going off, and One Way dragged himself to the office to pull off the request. The job was close by and he could be home in time for dinner.

  “Can you turn it down?” The woman asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The job, can you decline to take it. You’re off your game,” she said. “Taking this job in your current state of mind, is not going to end well.”

  “How do you know? You have no idea what it is I do? Also, I need to money. I have two additional mouths to feed,” he said, trying not to snap at her.

  “I hear you,” she said. “if I am your wind, listen to my whispers in your ear. You’re not yourself. Whatever happened on Sunday, whatever it is, I’m here to help you. All you have to do is ask for help and I’ll give it you. All you have to do One Way is ask me for anything you need, and I’ll willingly provide for you.”

  His next move was reflexive. He reached for her pulling her into his arms. The boy stood close by and he held out his arm for the boy to walk into the circle. Before he knew it, he kissed the kid on the temple and did the same for the woman.

  “I have to go, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said, noticing his bag by the door. The woman had washed and cleaned his gear for him to be ready to rock. She’d even used the scent remover in his black clothing and when he opened the bag, there was no smell. “Thank you.”

  “Call me tonight and let me know you’re safe,” Cool Guy told him.

  “If I can, I will,” he said softly, and exited the side door. They both noticed he took the Tundra. Both the woman and boy moved to the window, looking out, watching him drive away.

  “This is going to be bad,” she told the boy. “We need to be prepared for when he comes home.”

  “Mom, what is it you think he does for a living?”

  “The work comes across a fax, so there is no real record Jasir,” she said to her son. “What he does is something bad. He said he was a weapon.”

  “Do you think he’s going to go and kill somebody Mom?”

  “No,” she lied. “He’s going to go a fuck somebody up, more than likely. When he get’s back, he’s not going to be happy, so let’s get ready to deal with the fall out.”

  “How are we going to do that?”

  “Offer him comfort,” she said, and began to explain what needed to happen and in what order.

  A life, not so well-lived had taught her how to deal with a man who worked under the law. Men who looked like him and lived as he did, didn’t operate above the law, but deep, down, dark places underneath it. She knew because Jasir’s father, Kenji Watanabe worked for bad people. He worked for bad people who did bad things. Unlike One Way, who seemed not enjoy his work, Kenji loved every minute of his. He bragged about the things he did to women, even to her face, knowing how much it would hurt her.