Guns & Tulips

Chapter 4: ...and Sometimes They're Bad

***Westly***

I dial home, and think about what I’m going to say ‘hey, I got stabbed last night, how are you?’ didn’t seem appropriate. My mom picks up.

“Hello”, I take a breath. “Hey mom, it’s me, Westly.” I hear her sigh. “ I was worried! You didn’t call when your plain landed!” I laugh. “Yeah, sorry. I kind of had a mishap.” Mom paused. “What kind of mishap?” I cleared my throat. “Well I had a run in with the Hillis boys, but some good people are helping me out.” I hear her groan, “How bad are you?” I’m not telling her the truth, even if she is the ‘lady boss’. “I just brought a gun to a knife fight.” she laughs, and I hear a door open and close on her side, then I hear dad say, “Who you on the phone with?” uh, oh. “West-” before she could finish, she was cut off. “Westie! Are you ok? I told you to check in when you landed!” there was a pause then dad came back on. “Those back water idiot brothers knifed you?!” I cringed. Mom, I didn’t want you to tell him! “Dad I’m fine-”

“No, I want him dead, I want his family dead, I want his house burned to-”

“Calm down Al Capone, I’m fine! Some good people took me in, and I’m healing nicely.” I paused. “If you send back up, then I will not speak to you again.” I don’t hear anything for a while, then, “Fine, call again soon.”, and he hung up. I sigh and rub my eyes. I want to do this on my own! This was my first solo mission from the organization, and I already screed it up! From now on, no more set backs!

I hear someone come in downstairs, and after that I become more lively.

But I slowly drift to sleep.

* * * *

“Wake up!” I hear and I pull toward consciousness. The pain in my stomach and arms are intense. “I know. I know. Here, take these.” I feel something press against my lips. Pills. I open and swallow. Then there’s something else against my lips. Water. I do the same, and open my eyes. I blink and find Penni’s face. ‘It’s time to change your bandages.” her hands are gentle as they unwrap my dirty bandages, and apply medicine. I see a cat off in the corner. “who’s that?” I say and Penni smiles. “That’s Romeo. He’s a lover, and a whiner.” I laugh, but quickly decide that the pills haven’t activated yet, so I shouldn’t laugh again. “What do you do?” I ask. She unwraps new gauze, and has me raise my arm. “I’m a florist and I dabble as a botanist.” I smile. She looks like a florist, but I don‘t know about the other thing. “a boti-what?” she snorts. “Botanist. I make home remedies, lotions, candles, and shampoos.”

That’s the moment that Romeo had enough with her not paying him attention, and came over to size me up. Which is kind of funny because Romeo is a fat black cat. “I promise that I’m not going to take her attention for long.” Romeo looks at me in away that makes me thing that if he had eyebrows, one would be arched. Penni shoo’s him away with her foot. “sorry, he can be a little ‘macho’ when other men are around." I grin, but then she starts wrapping my arms and I start whimpering like a little girl. “So what do you do?” she asks. Which is a very dangerous question. I mean what do you say to that? ‘oh, I’m just the son of a Irish mob boss. We’re stationed out in New York, and this is my first solo mission.’ would be a little shocking, plus it could get her killed.

So I clear my throat and say, “I hate to put you in danger, but,” I paused for affect, “I’m actually a federal spy. My actual name is Jason Doe, and after my parents were killed in a horrible fire, I was taken by my uncle and trained to be an assassin from age nine. I have killed countless people sense.” She snorts. “I later found out that the fire was set on purpose by my uncle, and that he wasn’t actually my uncle. So I killed him, and now I’m working on a case to stop and international drug ring.” By the time I’m finished, she’s laughing.

“What about you? What’s your back-story?” she gets up, now finished with me, and puts up the first aid kit. “I make my living as a florist, but I’m actually apart of the Moonshiners. A horrible gang that controls half the east and west cost. I have a brother that makes his living training assassins, but he was murdered. I’m currently looking for the man who did it. I know he’s working as a federal spy, and he has red hair and blue eyes.” she turns around slowly. “So we finally meet” I say, trying not to smile. “Prepare to die, BANG!” she says and shoots me with her fake gun. I pretend to die, and we start laughing.

I think I might be in love.