FREE FLYING HEARTS -- A collection of short stories from Tonig73

The Perfect Trifecta ...

The Meeting ...

The three shuffled into the small room sheepishly, pulling out the chairs placed at the table's edge, scraping them along the floor.  To begin with, they couldn't look one another in the eye, they were all too afraid.  Then suddenly, as if some magical force pulled them all up by the scruff of the neck at the same time, they glared into one another's face, stoic and unemotional. 

"OK, so how we gonna do this .... "

"I know some people .... "

"Well, you would.  I know some people too ... "

"I don't know any people .... "  Laurent and Cassie just smiled at Eve's naivete'. 

"You know what we're laying on the line here, right ?  Me, it doesn't matter so much ..."

"It especially matters that much because it's you, Laurent.  You have the most to lose if things go south."

"We all have a lot to lose.  But it's Larry, and Ember.  They deserve happiness, don't they ?  More than anyone we know.  And if they're happy, then we're happy, correct ?"   Eve glanced between the two.

"And we can do this, with relative certainty we won't be found out ?"

"Yes.  Everyone in the legal community hates this woman's guts right now.  I can give you dozens of instances where, when a blind eye is turned, it has made everything go away when it comes to people like her."

"We can meet in my building, in the basement.  No one goes there, and it wouldn't be questioned why I was there, if someone saw me."

"Are you sure ?"  Eve asked.

"Eve, are you sure you want in with this ?  You could lose everything ... "

"Don't care.  I want Larry and those two precious little girls happy.  Living their lives without fear, without having to look over their shoulder every two seconds."

"OK then.  I'll set up a bank transfer later today.  You'll meet with our guy.  I'll draw up a plan to deal with damage control if we need it, and you ... "  Laurent grabbed Eve's hands, "You'll just hang in there, OK ?  He'll let us know when he's done."  

They all shook hands, sealing their business deal like the professionals they were.  Their hands joined together suddenly in the centre of the small table, clinging to each other for dear life.  Each pair of eyes stared into the other's for a long minute, nodding to each other solemnly, reverently, searching for something.  For understanding, a loyalty, a firm conviction from one to the other, that what they were planning was for the greater good.  For the trust none of them doubted was there.  For the love they all shared for this man and his little girl.

And what they were all prepared to give up for them both.

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   

Our Guy ...

The man waited, patiently.  It was cold and damp, and a shiver rippled through him as he wrapped his coat around him to keep warm.  He snapped his head round as the echo of a heavy door slammed in the distance.  There were no camera's here, no prying eyes, no muffled voices, no incriminating evidence that would be found.  Only the building's maintenance crew knew of these underground corridors existence, and they were gone for the day.  The man heard heavy footsteps approaching, splashing through the puddles formed by the dank water that constantly dripped from overhead.  The two people glared heavily, extending their hands to one another, their short tense grip an indicator of the short tense conversation to come.