Price of Vengeance Ch.1

Chapter One



The snake tattoo on the back of his hand itches. Even though it was quite a few years old, it itches. The cigarette sits in the same hand near to burning out and the faint smell of burnt hair from his fingers looms in the air. As he takes the last draw from it the embers light his face in the darkness. He pinches it between his finger tips and winces as it extinguishes.

Sitting from his chair he watches her sleeping across the room and like always he finds it hard to breathe, lost in her beauty. Even when he tries he cannot remember a time when he has not loved her. It’s the look she gets in her eyes when she smiles. The way she absently puts the ends of her hair in her mouth. The way she doesn’t seem to know how beautiful she is.

Lighting another cigarette he leans forward on his chair and it creaks against the dusty wood floor. Blowing smoke rings he things of the bad things. How she would never kiss him, not even after their first date. How they would be in the same room with her naked under a blanket and there would be no lust exuded from her, just friendship. How he would fall asleep, with her baby on his chest, waiting for her to get home from work so he could share a few stolen moments with her. Asleep with her baby, not his baby, even though it should have been. No, just her baby because she would never deem to make love to him. Not even one senseless night of passion like the one that conceived that little bastard child.

The love he feels for her burns as bright and hot as the end of his Newport, and just like when the Newport burns to the end it is snuffed. Gritting teeth he puts out the cigarette on his chest. Through tear rimmed eyes he watches as she stirs there on the floor blindfolded, duct taped, and hog tied. Flicking the butt at her he thinks angrily to himself.

"Who needs love when hate is more sustaining?"

For a few moments when she awakens she forgets what has happened. As she tries to open her eyes against the pressure of the blindfold all she finds is darkness. When she tries to open her mouth it pulls against tape and she can feel something caked under her nose and chin. She wants to wipe her face but her hands are tied behind her back and they in turn are tied to her feet pulled tight giving her little movement. In that moment, she remembers what happened and begins to cry.

Across the room something scrapes against the wood floor and she freezes straining to listen. She struggles to speak against the tape and begins to move her hands. A cough silences her and she sounds like a child afraid of her parents as she begins to whimper softly.

Dirt grits under his feet as he stands from his chair and walks toward her. When she begins to whimper he feels the warm satisfaction in the pit of his stomach. Kneeling before her he reaches out and with his fingernail picks away the red flakes from her nose and chin. He laughs softly as she flinches back from his touch. From the little bowl of water he grabs a bath cloth and wrings away water. Calmly he begins to wipe the last remnant of blood and smeared mascara from her face.
“I remember the first time I saw you.” he says softly as he dips the cloth in water and readies to wipe her face some more. “You were so pretty you took my breath away. You smiled sweetly when I talked to you, you laughed at my jokes. Do you remember that?”

Scared she shook her head.

“Oh, really.” he stands from her and walks away. Fighting the growing anger gnawing at him he grabs her hair and pulls her into a sitting position against the wall.

“Let’s see if I can help you remember.” he says as he grabs the chair and sits it before her.

He sits in the chair and thinks about where to begin. “I know, Andrea, we will start at the beginning.”

~2~

There is a loud banging that is echoing through his head as he struggles to open his eyes. Jumping up from the recliner he litters the floor with crumpled beer cans and an empty Jack Daniels bottle. The room is filled with rotating red and blue lights. They are making his eyes burn and water.

Again the banging fills the room and realizing that he has a visitor he stumbles his way to the door. “Who is it?”

“Uh, Detective Price, this is Officers McCartney and Spence. We were sent here to bring you to the station. Captain James would like to talk with you.”

“Do you have any idea, what time it is?” he asks as he pulls open the door.

The Officers do their best to keep the look on their face neutral. Shannon Price stands before them disheveled. His hair is spiked off in all different directions and his eyes are bloodshot. The suit he wears is wrinkled, his shirt is half untucked and his tie is hanging limp around his neck

“Uh yes, sir.” Officer Spence says, “Captain James says that it is an emergency and he needs you at the station immediately. We are to drive you there if needed.”

Price looks at Officer Spence and he admires her blue eyes. She is pretty in a quiet way like she tries to hide the fact behind pulled back hair and little make-up. She reminds him of his ex-wive and how much he misses her.

“Alright, fine. Just give me a few minutes to get myself together.” he says as he turns from the door and heads toward his bathroom. “Well, come in and shut the fucking door.”

His head is beginning to ache from the night festivities. Popping the cap on some Exedrin, he chews four tablets and runs his comb under the faucet. As he combs through his hair he moves toward the kitchen grabbing a dirty glass from the sink. He snatches open the refrigerator door and grabs an egg, orange juice, and Tabasco sauce.

“Are you almost ready, detective?” Officer McCartney asks from the kitchen door with Officer Spence standing at his side.

Price looks at them and laughs. “I’ll be just a second, don’t get your panties in a bunch,”

Filling the glass halfway with orange juice he then cracks the egg on the glass and adds it’s contents. He quickly adds a pinch of salt and a liberal splash of Tabasco. Giving the mixture a quick stir, with a pen from the counter, he downs the glass in one quick gulp.

“Ah, just like mom used to make.” he says as he bangs the glass onto the counter.

When he turns to face the Officers he sees disgust on their face. He doesn’t care they aren’t important to him. Nothing is important to him, especially since Andrea left him.

“Okay, ready whenever you guys are.”

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