The Perfect Pieces Ch. 09

"I may have been lied to," I said, "and I brought you two in on it." Frank lost his smile. He had a good idea what that meant.

"No one died," Gabby said, "no harm done and I needed the practice."

"Where is your vehicle?" I asked.

"Three miles down," Frank pointed to the east, "there's another access road we found."

"Hop in," I said, nodding to my car, "I'll give you a lift." A three mile walk and sleeping out in the desert. All for a man who couldn't tell truth from lie. My stomach didn't feel good. I risked the only friends I had for her. I wanted the love to be true.

"Oh, fuck," Franks sighed when I told him the story. I could see it in his eyes. He felt as betrayed as I did. He looked out the window, hiding his thoughts which I was sure included strangling Amber.

"You don't know the truth yet," Gabby interjected. I looked back and saw optimism on Gabby's face. His beard hid his lips, but his eyes were alive and inquisitive.

"I'm still hoping," I admitted, "I don't even know how to broach the subject when I see her."

"Flat out ask," Frank said, "you'll see the truth of it in her eyes." I had to smile. Frank had a thing for the truth. He never needed all the facts, but lies bit into him hard. If he had his way, we would torture the truth out of her. I suspected it would take much less than that, though I wasn't sure if I could trust what she would tell me.

"I'm sorry for dragging you guys out here," I apologized. More guilt to heap onto my mountains.

"What's done is done," Gabby said, "I would have done the same thing." Frank nodded in agreement. At least I was forgiven, though my debt to these two had just increased.

I dropped them off at their vehicle, once again begging their forgiveness. They assured me it was more interesting than taxing. I think they enjoyed being back on a mission, even one that was FUBAR from the beginning. We traded strong hugs and promised to get together for fishing in the coming months. At least you don't have to worry about the fish taking you for a fool.

I arrived at the hotel and stood outside the door of the room for a few minutes. I wanted to walk in and let my image of Amber remain in a loving state. I didn't want it to end. I also knew that it could never be so. I had to know the truth, and asking would damage us. I took a few deep breaths, unlocked the door and entered.

I knew as soon as I entered that Pablo wasn't lying. Amber was gone. Her things were gone. She took her love with her and left. I stared at the empty room and tried to decide if it was a good thing or bad. I was alone again. A few weeks ago that was perfectly okay. Now, the fantasy that was Amber ruined the idea. The illusion of happiness had wrecked everything.

I did what I hadn't done in years. I decided to self medicate. I went to a liquor store and bought a fifth of Four Roses. That and a loaded ice bucket became my friends. I drank and tried to forget my idiocy. I closed my eyes and tried to assemble imaginary glass into works of art. I couldn't. I drank some more. I realized the hotel glasses didn't hold enough so I started drinking out of the bottle. Ice had become more of a hindrance anyway. It clogged up at my lips and had a tendency to steer the booze off the sides of my mouth and onto my shirt. Highly inefficient and wasteful.

I started streaming The Hollies using my phone's speakers. It was a little on the tinny side, but my bourboned ears didn't seem to mind. I verbally admonished the bottle when it decided to jump off the nightstand. I stood too quickly, then bent down to pick it up. Blood rushed in the wrong directions and everything went black as the floor smacked me in the face. Anesthesia successfully administered.

Continued...