Charade

Benji

Four a.m., Vic walks through the door.

"Vic, hey, what happened?" I asked, springing from the couch.

Vic wandered over to us, grabbed the whiskey bottle, and sat at the kitchen table.

"Dad," Lily began nervously. "What happened?"

"Was it Eddie?" I asked.

Lily looked at me, confused, but Vic said nothing and took a long swig of the whiskey.

"He carved Dana into my father's arm." He said quietly. "He ran him off the road and then stopped the car, just to do that."

"Is he...?" Lily began.

"He's alive," Vic said. "Barely. They managed to stop the internal bleeding."

"So who do you think this Dana person is?"

"I don't know," he said.

I gulped, breathed, and bit my lip.

"Jesus, this happened so quickly. One minute we're out doing scams, the next some psycho is trying to kill us."

"He wanted to catch us by surprise. He knows we're smart; we can take him down. So he needed to catch us off guard, eliminate what we love most, kill our morale."

"It's working," Lily said, defeat in her eyes.

"We can't let it," I told her. "That's what he wants. He's attacking everyone we hold dear."

"That means that you are his number one target," Vic interjected, looking at Lily.

"But I thought we were safe out here," she said.

"So did we," Vic said. "But he knows where we are. He waited until my father was alone and vulnerable, then he attacked. He'll do the same thing to you."

Lily, horrified, looked to me with big eyes.

"Don't worry," I told her. "You're safe with us."

Vic and I glanced at each other, both knowing that I was lying. We had no idea what Eddie would do next or when he would strike. How were you supposed to fight an enemy you couldn't see?

"What if I lured him; drew him out into the open, so you could attack." Lily stated, voice quiet and soft.

"What?" Vic asked.

"You mean, like bait?"

"Yeah. I draw him out, you kill him."

"No," Vic said sternly.

"Think about it," she said. "He wants to get everyone you two love. What if we make him believe that we're giving it to him?"

"Lily," I said. "I get what you're trying to do, but we can't. If he gets you, he'll kill you just to make a point."

"But you'll have my back," she said. "You'll kill him before he has the chance."

"We can't guarantee that, Lily. Don't be stupid." Vic said.

"But it's the only way we'll get him and end this!"

"Lily, we are so close to you getting your operation. We can't risk it."

"Look," I said. "We will find another way to seek him out. Just don't go doing stupid shit for no reason, okay?"

Lily looked up at me, anger glowing red in her eyes.

"You don't understand," she said. "You lot think I'm selfish and that I don't think about anyone else, and that might be true, but then when I actually try to help and try to save us, you shut me down. What the fuck do you want from me, Benji? Because no matter what I do, I'm always wrong!"

"This isn't about selfishness, Lily." Vic said plainly. "This is about keeping you safe. You can't be considerate if you're dead."

Lily paused, letting the words sink in. Then her eyes filled up with fury, her hands balled into fists, and she stormed across the room and up the stairs. I leaned back in my chair, tension and defeat leaking through the air.

"Well," I sighed. "That went well."

Vic looked at me, but didn't say a word.

© A.G. Travers 2015