The Pros of Cons

6 | It's Not Like They'd Arrest Me

TONI

I was forced to call in sick to work for the next week, thanks to my black eye and everything else around it. I looked terrible and was basically put on house arrest until I could go out in normal society without being stared at. Nobody at work questioned it, though. I had a couple texts from some colleagues asking if I was okay, but other than that, the world seemed to continue on spinning without me.

Levi spent more time with me, too. He would come home from work and we would sit on our little patio. He would make me dinner and bring me wine. Then we would just stay out there, talking until one of us fell asleep. I could tell he was worried about me, but he was careful not to press me into talking about anything "off-limits." 

Levi was questioned twice a day from Kez, to and from work, before he could enter our apartment. It was annoying, but he was cooperative. Given the circumstances, he was in no position to question anything that was supposedly for my safety. Levi wanted me safe. I knew he would do anything for me.

But that didn't mean I would do the same for myself. I was going insane being stuck inside my apartment. I wasn't even allowed to go to a gas station to get a soggy corndog. Your face isn't healed yet, Kez would say. You don't want to draw attention. 

How ugly do you think I am!? would usually be my response.

I didn't have to be back into work until next week so at least I didn't have to keep calling in sick. But I was still in school. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to go there either. Especially since I could just listen to the lecture recordings online later.

So here I was... in my apartment. I caught myself counting the minutes until Levi would be home from work again. I was lounging on the couch with an open bag of chips. Walter was laying beside me, drooling all over my lap. I tossed him another chip and he exuberantly snatched it in his mouth. "At least you're with me, Waltie."

I was about to shut my eyes for my third nap of the day when my phone started ringing. Not my phone, no, the phone. The bat phone.

I picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Kiddo. Cobie's getting cheeseburgers for everyone. You in?" Kez asked.

"Um, yeah, sure. Get one for Levi, too, but no cheese on his."

"Sure. You doing okay?

"Ha. Funny," I yawned, forcing myself to sit up. "I'm fine. My face is looking better, too."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Why does it even matter if I have a little bruising?"

"Look, Conlins gave us a strict order on this, and I agree with him. You're easy to pick out from a crowd."

"I look normal now!"

"I'll see you in about an hour, Toni," Kez said before hanging up.

I grab the nearest pillow and groan loudly into it. This was it. How long was he going to do this to me for? Who did Conlins think he was? He had no control over me! Nobody was out to get me! I barely had any bruising left. Nothing a little coverup couldn't fix. This was ridiculous! Cons hadn't even come to see me once. How did he know what I looked like?

I immediately picked up the phone again and began scrolling through all the numbers. Cons told me his number was in here. It had to be. I had to end this now. I kept scrolling through several officer names before I landed on S.C. cell. It was suspicious to me. All of the other numbers had their full last names. This one was just initials. Something he would exactly do. He made it pretty clear he didn't want to be contacted. It's only fitting he would try to make it difficult for me.