The Arrangement Anthology (76 page)

Sean presses his lips to the side of my face, covering me in little kisses. I giggle, I can’t help it. It feels like I’m floating, as if nothing could ruin this moment. The ring catches my eye, sparkling in the dim light of the elevator. I want to look at it, but I don’t want to pull away from Sean. I don’t want this moment to end. Something changed today. The walls that Sean erected came crashing down and he finally let me in. There’s nothing between us now and I can’t wait to snuggle against him once we get back to the room. It’s so hard not to jump up and down. I want to tell everyone and show them the ring. I want to tell them that I was right, that Sean wasn’t going to be the one to destroy me. I trusted my gut and I was right. It feels so good. The last few months have tossed me around so much that I didn’t know which way was up, but tonight, my feet are on the ground, right where they should be—between Sean Ferro and a crazy old lady who looks like she wants to celebrate with me.

She pulls out her phone and deflates when she can’t get a
signal. “All my friends are going to be so jealous! I got to see the sweetest proposal I’ve ever witnessed and they’re all sitting in the room.” She chortles and holds her phone up, tilting it to the side like that’ll help it get some bars. “They’re going to blow a gasket when they find out it was Sean Ferro. And you... You are so sweet. I’m going to call you Sweetie.”

Sean holds me to his chest, hugging me hard and laughs. “She is sweet, and thoughtful, and completely perfect.” He kisses the top of my head and I feel my face flame red, which makes the old lady laugh more.

When the doors open on our floor, we both step out. The old woman stays
behind. “Congratulations, you two! I’m going to go tell the girls!” She presses the button for her floor, the doors close, and she disappears.

There’s a fairytale smile plastered across my face. I used to wonder how princesses could look like that for so long. It had to be because of the prince. I’m talking about cartoon princesses, of course.
When someone draws the perfect man, there’s a lot to smile about. Sean is by no means perfect, but he’s perfect for me.

Before we take another step, the squawk of a police CB shatters the hallway’s stuff
y silence. Sean’s eyes narrow as his gaze shoots to the end of the hall. They’re standing in front of our room.

Instinct takes over and I grab Sean’
s arm and try to pull him to the stairwell. It’s right next to me, but Sean shakes his head. They haven’t seen us yet. He shakes his head, and makes a snap decision. Leaning in close, he kisses my cheek, and shoves me into the stairwell as he does it.  “Stay out of sight.”

Without a word, Sean walks toward the room.
I glance through the little rectangle of glass, but I can’t see him. I can’t leave the hotel without setting off my bracelet, and I can’t hang out in the stairwell either. My stomach lurches as I consider why the police are here—what it means. Mel was in the room. Something bad could have happened to her, or worse. Someone reported us, which means someone knows we were here with Sean and what we are.

If the cops are looking for call girls, I look the part. Part of me wants to ignore
Sean and walk down the hall. But, I’m not that stupid, so I rush down the flight of stairs and grab the elevator to the lobby. As I pass a large marble table with an oversized floral arrangement, I grab a newspaper and head to one of the posh seats. There are tons of reporters right outside the front doors. Flashes keep going off. I feel so sick. Should I crush the bead on my bracelet? Does this count as danger? Black could be exposed if they find me, but they must have found Mel.

I sit down on a blue velvet arm chair and slouch back like I’m not freaking out. As I ponder whether or not to break the bead, I hear three hotel employees speaking in hushed whispers. “I can’t believe it’s him, I mean first his wife and now this.”

“I know. At least he can’t get away with it twice.”

The third voice chimes in, “I don’t know, people don’t have a lot of sympathy for hookers.”

My spine goes straight. I can’t turn and look at them. The buzzing in my head has grown so loud that I can no longer hear their words. It sounds like they think Sean killed a hooker. That means that the cops were in his room because… Mel’s dead?

She can’t be. I just saw her. She was fine, but they just said
… Oh my God. I can’t stand it. I turn around and look at them, unable to hide the emotions as they crawl out of my stomach. My jaw drops. I want to ask them what happened, but if I speak, they’ll connect the dots. People saw me and Mel walk in together and my clothes say everything. Even so, I don’t want to leave Sean and Mel up there. She has to be fine. It’s suddenly so hot inside that I feel like I’m going to hurl.

The air in here is too hot, too stuffy. I can’t breathe.
My skin is numb and it feels like I’m walking in a bubble of cold mist. I try to exit through the bar, but it’s packed and there are people guarding the door, keeping the press out. Worry pinches my brow and I decide to head to the ladies room to give myself time to think. Sean said to leave. I need to leave, but I have to do it without being seen. Too bad everyone and their goddamn dog notices me in this dress! I’m about to push through the bathroom door, when a hand rests on my shoulder.

My elbow flies back and jabs the guy in the gut.

I hear an
oof
sound and spin on my heel. “Leave me—oh God! Gabe.”

The old guy makes a face and coughs. “Nice move. Let’s get you out of here without being noticed.”

“What happened? Where’s Mel?”

“Later. First things first. Black sent this. Change
, and walk straight out the front door. The car is at the curb.” He hands me a little designer overnight bag.

Taking it, I nod and push into the bathroom. I
don’t question him. I can’t think. The memory of the CB chirping and the sound of static rings in my ears. I see the open door and horror grips my throat hard. I change quickly and think about calling Mel, but I can’t. If she’s in trouble, it’ll make it worse. Maybe she’s fine and they just found out that Sean hired hookers. That means that they might be looking for me.

I pull on the modest dress and change my shoes
to a ballet flat. There’s make-up remover and a pair of glasses. I lighten my eye shadow and lipstick, and then pin back my hair. After I put on the glasses, I look like a vintage Jackie O. I blink at my reflection, heart pounding, and try to look normal.

It feels like everyone is watching me, but no
one even glances my way. People are huddled together, talking in quiet tones, saying things that I can’t hear. A couple passes me after showing their room key to the guards at the door while others do the same thing at the elevator bank. A man hurries past me and out the front doors. He’s wearing a suit with a red tie.

His voice booms as he explains, “There was an unfortunate event here this evening,
and we don’t want to make it more difficult on the family than it already is. Please separate...” his voice dies as the doors close behind him.

It’s not true. It can’t be. I don’t know what happened in that room and I can’t leave this place until I find out. I don’t care what Black does to me or if I incrim
inate myself. I’m frozen in place, halfway between the doors and the elevators when my phone vibrates.

It’s Marty. I pick up without thinking and he starts spewing questions at me before I can say anything. “What the hell happened? Are you guys all right? They said on the news that there’d been a violent crime, but they didn’t say anything else. Then, Ferro’s name popped up and, my God—tell me that you’re all right. Tell me that bastard didn’t hurt you.”

“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me. Sean didn’t hurt anyone, but I think something happened to Mel. Gabe is waiting for me outside. He wants to take me back to Black’s but I can’t leave her here. I can’t leave.” My voice trails off and I already realize what I’m doing. Walking past the guard, I flash my room key card and step into the elevator, and press the button.

Marty is scolding me, telling me to get the hell out of there, but I don’t understand the rest. As soon as I’m standing in the metal box, the connection is lost. I turn off my phone and shove it into my purse, and press the button.

When the doors open I have a strange sense of déjà vu, except last time I was here, I was happy. Glancing down at the ring on my finger, I take a step. I’m out of the elevator and onto the hallway carpet. There’s a uniformed police officer with his back to me. Someone inside the room is talking to him. Every step I take feels unreal as I brace myself for whatever I might see. Mel can’t be dead, she can’t be, but when the open doorway comes into view I freeze.

There’s a limp, mocha-colored wrist lying on a blood stained carpet. The manicured fingers are curled and still. Her forearm disappears beneath a white sheet and the black bead from her bracelet is shattered next to her on the carpet.  I stand there and stare, unable to move. My mind rejects what my eyes are telling me. Everything around me floats away as horror slams down hard on my shoulders, making my knees buckle, and forcing me to the floor.

THE ARRANGEMENT VOL 12

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THE PROPOSITION

                
Bryan Ferro

A Ferro Family serial coming November 2013!

THE PROPOSITION

Vol. 1

The sky is clear except for a few white glittering stars. They’re hung high out of reach, impossibly beautiful and distant. The air has that crisp fall scent, and I know there will be frost tonight. Dad would have covered his plants with plastic to get a few more weeks from their fragile lives. The tarp is in the basement, still folded, where he kept it. The pansies will freeze and fade. This is their last night in this house, as it is mine.

Pushing the swing on the back porch with the tip of my foot, I start it swaying again. Life is so fleeting, so meaningless. The hole that’s swallowing me is relentless. I thought I’d cry more, but I haven’t even been able to do that. The tears won’t fall. Neil says it’s because my father’s death hasn’t hit me yet, but it has. The weight of his loss is pressing so hard on my shoulders that I can’t lift my face from the dirt. For all those years, it was just the two of us. He was always there for me. He saved me from incomprehensible misery and now that he’s gone, I find myself back in the shallows, unable to escape.

My eyes sweep over the wooden fence, taking in the rotten boards. Things were tight and I knew Dad sacrificed for me, I just had no idea how much until now. My college bills, my car, and all the things I needed were paid for without a blink, but I never stopped to wonder where the money came from. Dad worked hard, so I assumed it was enough.

I was wrong.

     
There hasn’t been enough for a long time, and I had no idea. He never said anything. When I came home from classes at the end of the day, he’d hand me a twenty and tell me to be a kid and go have fun. He said stuff like that all the time. It makes me wonder if he knew what was coming, but there’s no way he foresaw this.

When I came home from class last week, I found him in the yard, face down in a pile of leaves. My throat tightens and I push away the memory. It’s not something that I ever want to see again, but it lights up over and over again. My senses are overloaded. I can
still feel Dad’s cold skin and the weight of his lifeless body as I rolled him over. The texture of his tattered flannel jacket is still on my fingertips. The sound of my strangled voice crying out his name over and over again still rings in my ears. I never felt so afraid. For the first time in a long time, I am alone.

My phone is on the wooden swing and chirps next to me. I don’t feel like talking. Silence has encased me inside a tomb of misery since that day. Neil stood next to me and held my hand until hours blurred into days. Neil didn’t want to leave me alone here tonight, but I insisted. It’s my last night in this house. I’ll never step over the threshold again. I’ll never catch the scent of my father’s aftershave in his little bathroom. All the memories will be lost and it will be like he never existed.

~COMING NOVEMBER 2013~

The Story of Bryan Ferro