A Promise Made

Chapter 5

"They left?" Simile sat at the bar, Braid was looking at her curiously. She ignored that. "Did they leave their numbers or say where they are staying?" 

"No, I told you, they're coming back tomorrow at six, to see you. That was before you upset the black-haired beauty." 

"She was upset?" Simile asked. 

"Yeah, she told Andy that you told her to leave, she wasn't crying, but she was very upset. Andy took her out and I believe she made a promise to kill you when she saw you again." Braid, left her to serve a customer. Simile looked up at the painting of her and sighed. What did they want? She didn't want or need this complication now.

"Hey, Sim!" Someone shouted and she turned on her chair to see who was calling her. She groaned inwardly but plastered a smile on her face.

"Davy." He grinned from ear to ear and rushed right up to her, she put up a hand to stop him before he crashed into her legs. "What can I do for you tonight? Does your mom know you're here?" 

"Yes, she's there." He pointed over his shoulder and she found his mom's apologetic face. 

"I see." She took the coke Braid held out to her and handed it to Davy. "Kid, you know I only swap out tomorrow." 

"I know, that's why I brought you something." He was almost bouncing with excitement. 

She looked pointedly at his hands. "What?"  

"Come, I'll show you." He grabbed her hand and with another inward groan, she followed him to the car, his mom on their heels. 

"I'm sorry about this Simile." His mom said. 

"No problem, Jill, what's he got for me?" 

"A painting this time," Jill said, Simile heard a hint of worry in her voice. 

"A painting, but he does sculptures." 

"He saw, something, I don't know, and he decided to draw and paint it." 

"Okay." Simile said, intrigued, despite herself. She watched as Davy opened the car door and pulled a painting out of the car. He turned it to her and even in the darkness with just the street lights giving off the light she knew what, or rather who it was. "Where did you see this?" She whispered, taking the painting from him and holding it up to the light. 

"There's two of them, they moved into the ghost house on Jackson hill." 

"Oh." She handed Davy the painting. "Hold this." Then pulled out her wallet and rummaged through it. "Wait here." She ran inside and a few minutes later came back and handed Jill a cheque. 

"What?" Jill looked from the cheque to her. "This is, I mean, wow." 

"It's worth every cent." She bent to look Davy in the eyes. "Thank you, and I will put that up tonight." 

"Really?" 

"Yes, it's going in my private collection." She hugged him, then with a goodbye to them, took the painting and made her way inside,  through the crowd, and to her office. She knew where she wanted to put it. 

Three hours later, Braid walked into her office. "I've locked up, we need to stock up before tomorrow night, but I'll come in in the morning and sort that out." When Simile just kept staring at the wall, she stepped closer and cleared her throat.

"That's fine, Braid, I'll see you tomorrow." 

"That the painting Davy gave you? Who is it?" 

"Emily." Simile said, she swallowed and looked at Braid. "He saw her in her back yard, ghost house." 

"She's amazing," Braid said and walked closer. "He has a good eye for details. She has a matching scar to yours." 

"Yes." Simile said with a smile. The pure black wolf, with a white left ear, had the same scar Simile had, because they'd gotten them together, hunting a fierce buck.

"You know where she is now, will you go?" Braid walked to the door. "You should go, find out what they want, and get them out of here, so we can go back to normal. I don't need you going all..." She waved her hand in Simile's general direction. "Poofy." 

Simile got to her feet. "You're right, thanks, I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Sure." She grabbed Simile's arm as she walked past. "Sim, just be careful, don't get sucked into something you don't want to." 

"I won't, don't worry." Simile smiled at her reassuringly and pulled free. "I'll see you in the morning, to help with the stock." 

"So you did hear me!" Braid shouted. But the door closed behind Simile. 

Simile stood outside the ghost house, it was more of a mansion than a house though, and it really was spooky, even with the lights burning inside. She'd been contemplating leaving for the past five minutes. But her feet seemed rooted to the spot. She took a deep breath and knocked. She heard the TV shut off and footsteps made their way to the door. She knew Andy would be up at the early hour of three in the morning, she had to keep Emily safe, which meant little sleep for Andy as the guard. She knew Andy knew she was the one knocking when there was a pause before the door opened. They stared at each other, neither saying anything nor moving. Then Andy growled and Simile braced. Even braced for the attack she was not prepared for the power behind Andy's punch, she took a step back and felt nothing but air, then she stumbled and rolled off the five steps. She'd barely landed before Andy was on top of her. They rolled around on the grass, Andy hitting where ever she could and Simile blocking as best she could. 

"What the hell is going on?" Emily stood in the doorway, backlit by the light from inside. Simile made the mistake of looking at her, distracted, and Andy landed another punch. Tired of the fight, Simile bucked and threw Andy off her. Then she straddled her and pinned her hands above her head. "Get off her!" Emily shouted and shoved at Simile. 

"Hey, she jumped me!" 

"Get off me you oaf." Andy bucked but couldn't budge her. 

"Not before you agree not to punch me again." 

"Can't do that," Andy grumbled. 

"Oh for god's sake, get up both of you." Emily spun around and went inside. 

"Truce?" Simile asked.

"Sure." 

"Say it." 

"Fine, fine, truce." She bucked again. "Get off." Simile rolled over and sat on the grass, Andy sat up too, glaring ahead of her. "What do you want?" 

"I can ask you the same," Simile said. 

"We came to find you, she needed to find you." 

"You found me, now you can go home." 

"You're such a d**k sometimes, Sim." Andy got to her feet and glared down at Simile. "Go, we'll be leaving in the morning anyway." 

"That's good." Simile stood too. "That's all I needed to know." Simile turned to leave and stumbled as Andy shoved her. 

"What happened to you?" Andy shouted. "What made you into this cold hard b***h? What, are you too good to sit and have a conversation with two old friends?" SImile spun around.

"She was never just my friend!" Simile ground out the words, nose to nose with Andy. 

"She was more, yes. But I was a friend, a bloody good one! You left me too!" Andy added quietly. She hadn't realized how angry she was until that moment she opened the door.

"Ah, f**k Andy." The fight left Simile and she stood back. 

"Just come inside, talk, have a drink, let her say what she needs to say, then you can leave, and we'll leave in the morning, as planned. Or be the coward you were back then and go." She pointed to the front gate. Simile blanched at the coldness in her voice. 

So Andy thought she was a coward. "Fine." It hurt, knowing Andy of all the people she left behind, though she was a coward. Walking past her she made her way up the steps to the front door again. "I hope you have bourbon."