Free Ch. 03

Like a weak bitch would.

Why does Rick keep pretending he THAT guy? He's not. He's a wolf. And right now, Manny needed that wolf on his side.

How could he get through to Rick? The old Rick; not this sad, morose pretender.

An idea popped in his head. He looked at his watch and nodded when he noted the time. Maybe, he should take a little trip to Wal-Mart. They often bragged about having everything a person needs under one roof. Quite possibly, they had the answer to his little problem too.

Manny went to grab his shirt and put it on. As he was buttoning it up, he groaned through gritted teeth. "FUCK!" he yelled out once again.

Despite being so careful, he somehow got blood on his collar. More than likely, it was Donnie's blood. Just like that, it went from being his favorite shirt to evidence that could be used against him. He had no choice but to burn it.

Why did shit like this keep happening to him? He was just a self-made businessman who was trying to get his little slice of heaven. If he'd known that he was going to be beating a man to death at 3 in the afternoon, he wouldn't have chosen to wear A WHITE SHIRT! Damn!

***

Traci blew a large, pink bubble from her mouth before sucking it back in and popping it repeatedly. When it no longer made that satisfying sound, she prepared the gum with her tongue for another bubble.

"Next customer in line." She called out in a professional voice, carefully hiding the irritation she was feeling.

Money orders, Western Union, dumb questions, complaints about long lines...this was her day. This was her every day. This was her life.

However, one of the advantages of working the Customer Service desk was the view. From where she was perched, her eyes saw everything that happened at the front end of the store. She saw who came in the doors, who went out, who was trying to steal, which cashiers were being lazy...everything.

So, when she looked up, she gasped in surprise and horror when Manchester mother-fucking Childs swaggered in!

You could practically hear the sharp intake of breath as every set of eyes lacking a Y chromosome turned towards the entrance. The lust factor of the room became dense as Manny strolled in with the confidence of a celebrity on the red carpet. His entrance couldn't have been grander if he was moving in slow motion to music.

He wasn't here to shop. Traci knew that as soon as his Ray Ban shielded eyes turned in her direction. With no pretense of having any other motivation for coming to Walmart, he walked directly to her desk, leaving a pheromone-filled trail of cologne in his wake.

"I'm next." He said to the guy standing with his girlfriend in the front of the line. The guy looked like he was ready to object, but Manny looked straight in his eyes, and said, "Bro, don't let her $20 panties cost you thousands in hospital bills."

Was saving face in front of his girl worth the smoke that would come with it?

The man looked between Manny and his girl, as if he was trying to decipher that very puzzle. Little did he know, he'd lost already. His hesitation had her losing respect for him by the second. In the end, he accepted defeat and lowered his eyes to the ground.

The world is full of pussies. Manny thought. He then looked curiously at the girl. When her eyes met his, he winked and gave her a nod. She smiled back.

When Traci was free, he didn't even wait to be invited. He just walked up with a cocky grin on his face.

"Hey Trace."

"Is there something I can help you with, sir?" Traci said in her normal customer service voice, as if he were no different than the six people he just rudely cut in front of.

"Yeah. Actually, you can help me a lot. Take a break so we can talk."

Still ignoring him, she asked, "Do you need to send money, get money, or get a money order?"

There was that smirk again. The way he looked you in the eyes when he talked, as if every word out of his mouth was challenge. It commanded respect and attention.

It was also arousing as hell; to most women. At one time, it even aroused her. But with the fractured state of her marriage, his sex appeal no longer held any power. Now, it was just plain annoying.

Leaning in with his elbows on the counter, he said, "Oh, I definitely need to GET money, but not from Western Union."

Traci sighed loudly, now done with trying to hide her irritation. No longer pretending to be professional with him, she said, "Manny, I'm at work. You're holding up the line. What do you want?"

He shot an unconcerned glance over his shoulder at the angry people behind him, then returned his attention to Traci. "You're not listening. I already told you what I want. I want you to take a break so we can talk."

Traci leaned in close to him, and with clenched teeth she hissed in an angry whisper, "We won't be talking anymore! We're done with that!"

Manny snickered as humor filled his stare. "You know...when a girl tells you that she won't fuck you, especially when you didn't even ask her, it usually means she wants to fuck you."

"Manny..."

Holding up his hand to stop whatever was going to come out of her mouth, he seriously said, "Relax. I'm not here for that. I actually need to speak to you." The humor crept back into his voice when he added, "You know...with words other than you telling me how big my..."

"Silvia!" Traci yelled out, cutting him off. "I'm taking a 15-minute break. Can you cover me until I get back?"

Silvia's eyes darted between her and the suave guy who was NOT her husband. There was slight judgement in them, but she still said, "Sure, girl."

Traci stormed angrily around the desk, past Manny, and out the front of the store. She didn't even check to see if he was behind her.

On the way out, Manny unlocked his cell phone and handed it to the girl in line. Completely ignoring the guy beside her, he said, "Put your number in there. I'll be back for it."

With that he breezed by her angry looking boyfriend, as if he didn't even matter.

When he met Traci outside, he found that she was not so easy to ignore. She stormed up in his face and yelled, "What the fuck, Manny? Are you trying to get me divorced?"

Manny chuckled with a shake of his head. "I take it Rick is still pouting over us."

"There is...no...us, Manny! There is you, and then there's me. We are two people who should have never hooked up in the first place."

With a knowing grin, he said, "You're not mad about hooking up with me. You're mad that your husband found out."

Traci shoved him hard in the chest with both hands, but barely moved him. "YES, I AM MAD! I'm mad about the whole goddammed thing. I'm mad that my life is all fucked up, and you think it's some kind of joke. I thought you were supposed to be my friend!"

The cocky smirk left Manny's face for the first time. It was replaced by a genuinely contrite expression and a nod acknowledging what she said. To tell the truth, he liked Traci. He enjoyed spending time with her beyond the sex. She made him laugh -- truly laugh -- which was a rare thing for him.

Having a girl like that was one of the many things Manny envied about Rick; though he'd never admit it. He could always find one prettier; no doubt. But finding one that he trusted as much as Rick trusted Traci...never.

"My bad, Trace. You're right. I'm being an ass. I'm sorry you're having a rough time." There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice, so he may have even meant it.

But with Manny, you never know.

Traci crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "Well, if he hears about you coming to my job, I'm going to have an even rougher time. He barely even acknowledges me as it is." Then, curiously turning back to him, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"I need your help with Rick. You gotta get him to move past it."

Narrowed, skeptical eyes looked at Manny. "Why are you suddenly so concerned with his emotional well-being? You haven't even tried to call to apologize since you two fell out."

"I was trying to give him space. You know how he is." Tracy huffed and nodded knowingly. If anybody knew how stubborn Rick was, it was her.

Sensing he had her on the hook, Manny gave her an academy award winning look of innocence and added, "I just miss my friend. That's all."

"Yeah, well...I miss him too." She said with saddened eyes that looked down at the ground.

Feeling encouraged by the direction this conversation was taking, Manny asked, "Isn't there anything you can do to...you know...soften him up. I know for a fact that you have certain skills that will make it impossible for him to stay mad at you."

With that, he'd taken it too far. Traci looked at him with an appalled look before shoving him again. "You cannot talk to me like that! Or look at me the way you do. That's probably what got him all suspicious in the first place!"

"How do I look at you?"

"Like a kid looks at candy."

Manny couldn't help licking his lips. He couldn't help it! The comparison she made to candy made him think about how she tasted. And boy, did she ever taste...sweet.

Pointing a finger at him, she said, "YOU SEE! That look right there!"

Manny groaned, but threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. You're right. I'll have to work on that."

She once again crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously. She didn't fully buy the whole, "I miss my friend" bullshit. He was up to something.

Warily, she said, "Maybe you should just give Rick and me some space. Hopefully, me and him can find our way through this. If that happens, in enough time he may forgive you too."

Manny scowled. That timetable sounded awfully long. He didn't have time to wait Rick out. He needed answers, NOW.

"I hear you, Trace. I really do. But that's not going to work for me. I need you to work on your man a little faster than that."

"I can't make him forgive me; let alone you."

Closing the already small space between them, his voice dropped as he said, "Sure you can."

He tried to appear cool, but there was an urgency in his eyes and a tone in his voice that set off alarm bells in Traci. He wasn't making a suggestion; he was issuing an order.

The only thing that brought Manny out of his playful, arrogant demeanor was money. And when Manny didn't get his way regarding money, he became very, very dangerous.

He didn't want Rick the friend. He wanted Rick the enforcer.

The chill down her spine made her shudder, causing all the hairs on her neck to stand up. She'd seen Manny's intimidating side before, but it was always directed at someone else. But now, being on the receiving end of it was so daunting.

There was no way she was going to get her husband involved in this; not again. She lost him once to the criminal lifestyle. Last time, she just sat back and enjoyed the illegal fruits that it brought. But now that she knew how much those expensive gifts really cost, she wanted nothing to do with it. She'd rather die broke than lose Rick again.

She had to get Manny out of here.

"Okay." She lied in a small voice. "If I can get him to finally talk to me, I'll see where his head is at concerning you."

"Thank you, Trace. I appreciate that." She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and held fast. His grip was tight; almost to the point of hurting her. Looking intently into her nervous eyes, he said, "I believe in you. I know you can do it; if you really want to. Don't disappoint me."

She snatched her arm away and speed-walked back into the store.

Dark thoughts started to creep into his head, but he shook them off. He felt the walls of time closing in on him. For all their sakes, Traci better be able to talk some sense into her man. If she couldn't, Manny just might have to get more creative. As much as he didn't want to use those tactics on his friend, he was running out of options.

Just as he was about to walk towards his car, the girl he gave his cell phone to appeared through the sliding doors. He'd completely forgotten about her. Giving her his most charming smile, he said, "There you are, sexy! I thought I was going to have to chase you down to get my phone back."

She looked coyly at him as she handed it to him. He took it and noticed that Sheryl had done just what he asked her to.

Needing a pleasant distraction from the grim events of the day, he asked her, "You busy right now?"

She shook her head.

Taking his keys out of his pocket, he pressed the button to unlock to his Beamer. It chirped and made the lights flash.

She was obviously impressed. He could practically hear the "gush" of her drenching her panties. As she walked off toward his car, he held back. He needed a moment to admire the view of her jeans bouncing from side to side.

It wasn't a long walk, so his view didn't last long. Kind of made him wish he hadn't parked up front in the clearly marked handicap space.

With a rub of his chin and a lecherous lick of his lips, he followed his afternoon snack to his car.

***

Traci walked into the house on tired feet and closed the door behind her. She sighed as she mentally tried to shake off the day. One would have thought that she merely tired from work, but she was dealing with an entirely different issue.

She stopped short when her eyes fell to her husband who was on the couch. He was sitting with Anya. Both of them were huddled over. That wasn't remarkable in itself; what was remarkable was what they were both doing.

He was reading Anya's "Frozen" book to her. She finally let him touch her most prized possession. He was now officially family. He was daddy.

Traci wanted to cry right there. Why couldn't she be able to enjoy this moment? Why did she have to fuck things up so badly?

Seeing her mother, Anya instantly bounded from her father's lap. Her tiny feet tore across the floor to her mother.

Seeing Anya running towards her washed her self-pitying tears away and put a genuine smile on her face. She had that effect on people. Excitedly, Traci scooped her squealing daughter up into her arms.

"Hey you!" she said as she rained kisses on the giggling little girl. For a moment, she forgot about rude customers, annoying managers, judgy co-workers, and of course, Manchester Childs.

Her reprieve was short-lived though. Reality fell back on her when her eyes made momentary contact with her husband. For the briefest of seconds, he looked at her before he cut away.

Trying to engage him, Traci hopefully asked, "How did you pick up Anya from the babysitter's?"

"I'm her father." He said flatly. "I didn't have any interviews today, and I needed a break from resumes and job hunting. So, I went to get her so we could spend time together."

At least he was talking to her. That was something. She'd almost forgotten the sound of his voice.

As warmly as she could, she said, "Well, thank you. You saved me a trip."

His only response was a huff. And just like that, the cold war was extended.

"Really, Rick? Still?" She asked with exasperation. The seconds became quiet and awkward as she stood there giving him an opportunity to say...something. Anything! "I love you." "I hate you." "Eat shit." "I can't live without you." "I'm divorcing your cheating ass."

Anything but this goddammed silent treatment!

But he said nothing, just as he had for the past month. He simply sat there, stone faced and staring at something extremely interesting on the far wall.

"You know what? Fuck this." She spit angrily. In direct contrast, she gently placed Anya on the floor. The little girl in turn ran back to the lap she abandoned so that her daddy could finish her book.

Traci glowered at her husband through watering eyes before storming off towards her room. Her hand grabbed the doorknob, but she didn't turn it. She just paused there, as if in indecision. Turning her head back towards the living room, she said, "By the way, Manny showed up at my job."

Rick's eyes shot back at her, flaming with anger.

She laughed incredulously. "Oh, now you want to look at me! The moment I mention Manny, I'm finally worth your attention!"

His eyes once again cut away. He growled and shook his head. "I'll bet that was fun. Did you enjoy spending time with your boyfriend?" he said snidely.

Traci walked back into the living room. With her voice quivering with emotion, she said, "No, it wasn't fun, dipshit! It was scary! He didn't come up there to see me. He was there asking about you."

Now she really had his attention. He placed Anya on the couch next to him and stood. "What did he want?" he asked, really looking at her for the first time.

She was frightened. He saw it all in her face. Whatever Manny did or said clearly had her shaken.

Traci rubbed her arm where Manny grabbed her. It was as if she could still feel his fingers wrapped around her skin.

"He wanted me to make you forgive him."

"Why?" he asked with a scoff.

Throwing her hands in the air, she exclaimed, "I don't know Rick! But he didn't make it sound like he was giving me a choice."

Becoming more alarmed, Rick asked, "What do you mean?"

Traci hugged herself and shook her head, as if trying to shake the feeling his left her. "He wasn't asking me. He was telling me; almost ordering me to make you talk to him. He..." She didn't know how to explain the way he made her feel. Not that he cared anyway. So, she let out a sigh, threw her hands in the air, and said, "You know what? Never mind."

She tried to walk away, but just like with Manny, Rick grabbed her arm to stop her. But unlike Manny's grip, Rick's was soft and tender. Just like that, the difference between the two men couldn't be sharper.

"Did he threaten you?" he asked with genuine concern in his eyes.

Traci shook her head and wiped her nose. "Not in so many words. But..."

Rick nodded. Manny doesn't have to verbalize his threats. People just knew that the "or else" was silently implied.

Despite his simmering anger and disappointment with her, she was still his wife. His love for her made his protection of her automatic. He would never hurt her, nor allow anyone else to.

With a determined look, he grabbed her for the first time in forever and pulled her close in a comforting hug. When she was pressed into his firm chest, she closed her eyes and let out an exhale.

Suddenly, all the emotions that she'd been feeling came rushing out of her in hot tears. She stood there, squeezed into his chest of her husband, and wept.

"Don't cry mommy!" Anya said as she slid down off the couch and ran over to her. Just as her daddy was hugging mommy, she too wrapped her little arms around her leg. "Me and daddy make you feel better."

That only made her cry harder. Hard sobs made her body tremble against him. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to keep herself steady.

"I'm so sorry, baby! I'm so sorry!" she said over and over between wails.

Rick didn't answer that. He couldn't. He had to compartmentalize that right now. His need to protect her didn't translate into forgiveness of her betrayal. Perhaps the time for that discussion had come. Perhaps it was past due.

But it had to wait a little longer. He had bigger concerns right now.

Manchester mother-fucking Childs. Rick had made a promise to him regarding Traci and Anya. One of the things that everyone knew and admired about Rick was he was a man of his word. He refused to be the person who didn't follow through with his promises, even if they came in the form of psychotic threats.

Resting his chin on the top of her forehead, he whispered, "Don't worry. I'll take care of this. Manny's not going to bother you anymore."

She instantly stopped crying and pushed away from him. She knew that tone of voice. She knew what it meant.

"No! No!" she yelled as she pushed his chest with her finger. "You will not do what I think you're thinking about!"