Silencing Joy (12 page)

As Will complimented Ann, I nodded and
smiled, hoping they didn’t notice the shame written in black
sharpie on my face.

Ann slipped into the kitchen and came out
with filet mignon and mini potatoes. After she served us, she left
us alone.

Will began to cut his steak and talking
without looking up. “Do you feel as shitty as me?”

“Worse,” I cry softly. “It was my idea.”

After the wonderful newlywed dinner, we
climbed back upstairs. I wanted to use the bathroom before
Will.

“I wonder what time Derek will get here?”
Will pondered aloud.

I shrugged. No idea...I wondered if he even
got the message. The clock by the bed said 8:00, but I wasn’t that
tired since we had taken that long nap.

When I came out of the bathroom, Will lay
sprawled on the bed, his hands behind his head. The lights were
off; the only light in the room was a blue glow from the TV. He was
watching some documentary about whales. I wished I had my pajamas.
Will was right the first night; it really feels gross to sleep in
jeans.

Another small tap sounded at the door. I
opened it to find Ann standing holding a long white nightgown with
delicate lace around the bodice, tasteful and vintage, but also
looked to be very low-cut and possibly see-through.

“I saw that you didn’t come with any luggage.
I thought this might fit you.”

“Oh, thank you,” I said as I took it from
her.

“Here is a pair of men’s sweatpants that
someone left here at one time. I think they might fit Jared.” I
took the clothes and thanked her again. I walked to the bed to give
Will the sweatpants.

“Hey, cool,” he said. Then, I held up the
nightgown. He grinned mischievously. “
Awesome.
”

“No peeking,” I reprimanded Will, and
disappeared into the bathroom to change. The nightgown fit like a
gem. I glanced in the mirror and flushed at what I saw. My hair
cascaded down my shoulders and met the tips of the lace across my
chest. This was the most beautiful nightgown I had ever seen. There
was no way I could go out there and face Will.

“You coming out or what?” Will called from
the other side of the door. I sucked in a breath and opened the
door. Will gaped at me.

His chest was bare and he had on the
sweatpants, compliments of Ann. I quickly crossed my arms over my
upper body and sidestep him. Will took ahold of my arm and spun me
around.

“You look beautiful. Like an angel...my
angel.” He looked me up and down. I turned my head, then my body,
away and continue to the bed. “Can’t I just look at you?” Will
whispered.

He came up behind me and shifted my hair away
from my neck, trailing slow kisses from my neck to my bare
shoulder. I shivered and my head fell back, wanting more. Will led
me to the bed. He laid me down and balanced above me, his movements
slow and delicious. He followed the contours of my neck. Leisurely,
his lips caressed my skin in a motion that directed him down to
where the swell of my breasts met the lace of the gown.

Will repositioned himself so we were hips on
hips. I could feel his want growing in the passion of the kisses
and the stretch of his pants between his legs. The kissing
transferred to lips. He was urgent with need. My hands traced his
back. I noticed that he was moving very lightly, his lower body
grinding mildly with mine. My instinct was to move, too. I was so
enthralled by Will that I forget everything.

In the recesses of my mind, only for a
second, I thought I heard Jen’s voice. My hands roamed Will’s body,
and his mine. The soft glow of the room was romantic. Will was
gorgeous, and I felt we were the only two people in the world.

“OMG! Joy! What the hell are you doing!?”

Will and I jumped up. Standing in the doorway
to our room were Jen and Derek. Derek clamped a hand over Jen’s
mouth and shoved her in the room, gently kicking the door
closed.

“Does she ever shut up?” Jen bit Derek’s hand
and he yelped. “Shit!”

Jen pushed away and walked towards Will and
me.

“Are you kidding me? You live your life like
a hermit, but, a few days on the run, and you’re getting it on with
‘beaten-up-druggie-guy?’” Jen looked us up and down. “What is that?
You look like you’re wearing Queen Elizabeth’s hand-me-downs.” She
points at Will below the waist. “...although it’s working for him.”
I think it was the first time I saw Will embarrassed, although I
wasn’t feeling too comfortable either standing in front of them
with this somewhat see-through, revealing nightgown either.

Will found his shirt and handed it to me to
put on. I slipped it over the nightgown.

“How did you get in here?” I asked.

“Mr. Special Agent picked the lock on the
house, then your room. You weren’t hard to find with the panting
coming through the closed door. I had a hard time believing it was
you in here,” she ranted.

Derek had a weird look on his face. He
stepped towards us and faced Will. “We should get out of here while
its night.”

“I agree.” Will said and started packing up
our things.

“I need to use the bathroom.
Special-agent-dude
wouldn’t stop the car to let me go.” In a
huff, Jen closed the bathroom door.

“Why is Jen here?” I asked Derek.

“Things are fucking out of control. A few of
Tommy’s guys were skulking around Jen’s apartment. One of them
broke in when she wasn’t there. When I got the email, I didn’t have
a choice but to take her with me.”

Will dropped the sweats and slipped back into
his jeans as he talked to Derek. My face heated at the sight, and I
quickly looked away.

“Joy took a picture at the game. It looks
like a girl. It’s a shadow of a face, long hair, and tape over her
mouth.”

It didn’t seem to faze either guy that Will
had just stripped in front of the two of us. The bathroom opened,
and Jen stepped out. She deliberately took a sweep of the room with
her eyes and absorbed it all.

Derek continued, “I think Tommy ordered
someone to take this girl, maybe to prove a point. Tommy is marking
his territory like a dog.”

“Isn’t this room cozy?” Jen sat down on the
bed. “Here I am in little Rhode Island worrying about my best
friend, and here you are getting it on with some guy you just met.
Nice...”

Jen was angry. I couldn’t blame her. I’d be
mad too. I had only left her a note and took off with Derek.

“I’m sorry,” I said sincerely.

“I’m not talking to you.” Jen said as she
examined her nails, not looking at me.

I found my clothes and went into the bathroom
to change. When I came out, Will and Derek were over by the desk
examining a map. Derek’s face conveyed his anger.

The backpack and rifle were by the door all
ready to go. I laid the nightgown at the foot of the bed for Ann to
find in the morning. It was midnight, and now I was suddenly tired
in spite of my earlier nap.

“I think we should cross the state and head
down 95. It will take a couple of extra hours, but I think we need
to.” Derek said as Will tossed two one hundred dollar bills on the
nightgown for payment. Ann was really nice. I felt bad. When this
was all over, I would love to come back here.

The streets of the little town of Sydney were
deserted. The B&B was dark and quiet. We silently headed toward
the black car Derek and Jen came in.

As we approached it, Will sidled up to me and
whispered, “You’re not Mrs. Harrison anymore.” He eyes looked sad
as he lightly squeezed my hand. Jen’s ears perked up at our private
conversation. She still looked seriously pissed.

Derek jumped in the driver’s seat. Jen went
directly for the passenger front seat. Will stopped her.

“Ummm...
Other-Special-Agent-Guy
gets
shotgun.”

“No way,” Jen whined. “I can’t ride in the
back, I get car sick.” Will looked at me, and I just nodded. She
does get car sick.

“Besides,” Jen threw in with a sickly sweet
voice. “You can be with Joy.”

Derek was calling someone on his phone while
Will and Jen bickered about where to sit. I wondered to myself if
it was a good idea to call someone. He tapped the end button
without saying anything. The person must not have picked up.

“Well, it is the middle of the night,” I said
to him.

“Huh...Uh. Yeah,” he said very distractedly.
“I’ll try again later.”

When the car’s seating plan was all set, we
took off, leaving the charming white house behind. No one said
much. I could tell by Jen’s voice and comments that she was still
really annoyed with me.

We were all tired. Jen rested her head
against the doorframe. Will put his arm around me, and I lay my
head on his leg for a pillow. Derek traveled back roads for what
felt like an eternity, evidenced by his speed and the amount of
bumps in the road. When we finally hit the highway, the ride
smoothed out, and I fell completely asleep.

I woke with a start, hearing people talking.
My heart was thumping. I shifted and opened my eyes to Will’s face,
upside down above me, as he gazed thoughtfully out the window.
Streaks of yellowish gold in the sky through the side window told
me that dawn was upon us.

Will looked down at me and saw my eyes open.
“I think I know who is in the picture!”

I sat up quickly. My head did a nasty rushing
thing that happens when it moves the wrong way or too fast. My hand
flew to my temple.

Jen leaned back over her seat to face us.
“What picture?”

“I’m pretty sure it was Kara Matthews.” Will
said it like he just figured out how to solve the world hunger
problem.

Derek slammed on the brakes, surprising all
of us. Fortunately it was early, and no one was behind us. We all
flew forward. I grabbed the seat in front of me to stop myself from
face-planting.

“Who’s Kara Matthews?” Jen and I asked at the
same time.

“Al Matthews’ daughter!”

“SHIT!” Derek shouted.

Will met Derek’s blue eyes in the rearview
mirror. Derek shook his head silently, but there was an unspoken
seething emanating from him as he got the car moving again. Jen and
I looked at each other perplexed.

“And?” I asked. “Who is Al Matthews?”

“Our boss,” Will said matter-of-factly.

Derek hit the steering wheel with his hand,
causing Jen to flinch.

“I can’t believe we are that fucking stupid,”
he cursed and shouted.

Jen and I cowered slightly at Derek’s
outburst. He had been so quiet since he found Will and me at the
B&B. It started makes sense to me somewhat now.

“Tommy and Matthews are in this together. Now
they are having some kind of pissing match...”

Derek finished for Will “...to see who has
more power.”

“Your boss’s daughter goes to Pittsfield?
Don’t you think that is weird?” I asked. “Her father knows a
dangerous drug runner is there.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jen piped in. Her
hands began to gesture wildly. The more she talked, the more her
hands moved, and I was sure this was going to be a doozy.

“Joy took pictures at the game! Will gets his
ass kicked...on purpose!! Derek is running with this Tommy guy who
attacked Joy!!! You are both FBI agents trying to blow a hole in a
HUGE drug and human trafficking ring,
BUT
you realize –
after being chased and shot at – that your boss is corrupt!!!! To
top it all off, Tommy has got his flunky pants in a wad to be the
head-felon and has abducted a girl from Pittsfield who happens to
be the daughter of your
corrupted-asshole-supervisor
!!!!!”

“Don’t forget, Joy is not only a witness to
my beating – and
death
– but has hard evidence of the
abduction on her camera,” Will chimed in.

“No wonder everybody wants Joy out of the
picture,” Jen declared. ”No pun intended,” she added.

A lump grew in my throat as the reality of
the situation hit me.
Someone wants me dead!
The head rush I
got was a picnic compared to the raging terror that took up shop in
my stomach.

“Pull over!” I yelled. “Pull over!”

Derek eased the car to the shoulder of the
road. I flung open my door and stumbled out, managing to take
enough steps to the grass before I heaved everything in my stomach
from Ann’s wonderful newlywed dinner the night before. The
whooshing of cars passing by echoed loud in my head. I noticed Jen
and Will walking up behind me. Will put his arms around my
shoulders.

“You okay?” Jen asked. I could hear her voice
softening up, probably still hurt I bailed on her, but not as
freakin’ pissed off as she was.

“Yeah,” I answered weakly.

After a moment, Will shuffled me to the car,
and we all piled back in. Derek was making a call again, but threw
the phone on the dash and switched on the directional, guiding us
back on the road. Will rubbed circles on my back while Jen kept
stealing glances at the back seat to check on me.

“You feel better?” Will asked. “Do you want
to stop off somewhere for water or coffee?”

“That’s a good idea,” Jen said.

The residual shaking that typically comes
after getting sick gradually subsided as we drove along. We stopped
at a little diner with red seats that squeaked as we all slid into
a booth for four. Will sat next to me. I ordered a ginger ale to
calm my stomach. The guys ordered full breakfasts, but I doubted I
could keep anything down.

The sun had fully made it up over the horizon
and was shining in the large windows of the diner. Jen picked at
her muffin while the guys shoveled in bacon and eggs. Although,
Derek stayed remarkably quiet, eating mechanically as though he
just wanted to be done. It was atypical of what I knew of him so
far. Usually, he was happy-go-lucky and joking.

“You sure you don’t want anything?” Will
asked me for the fifth time.