Birds of Feather

Chapter 29: Brotherly Deception

"No!" You exclaim in panic as the car sputters to a stop. "No, no, no, no, no, not right now. Not like this! Shit. Fuck. Fuck." You swear, bouncing your head off the steering wheel in frustration, making the horn activate with the last curse word.

Everything had been going so well, and now this.

Your private birthday celebration with Marco had been a smashing success, and you'd spent Friday relaxing and recovering. You'd made plans for today, specifically because of how everything was going to go, and - as planned - you were driving yourself to the manor.

With Marco working for the day, and you wanting to pick up a couple last minute gifts, the both of you had been existing separately for almost the entire day. The party was tonight, and you wanted to make a good impression. You were already running behind, not by much, but you weren't going to be late late.

Well, you weren't going to be late late, but now you certainly will be.

Your bird, your baby, your completely rebuilt 1978 Firebird that should've run perfectly for at least five years, had sputtered out. Out of gas, a bad connection for the battery, a dud battery, you didn't know. The whole thing was dead and your gauges were lifeless without the motor running.

You knew that you were a good distance from the manor. You hadn't been yet, but you'd written down the directions with the last few ounces of phone battery you had left. How Marco had done the drive every single day for the clinic was just inane. You could walk, but the sun was nearly down, it was cold out, and even if it was just five miles, you could be in serious trouble pretty quick. Clear skies, no moon, if the coastal winds were harsh, a good gust would cut through your jacket without any issue.

To make it all worse, your phone was dead. You were so sure you'd make the trip, and would be able to charge it once you got there. It was your own fault for letting a bunch of little programs run in the background while you'd run your errands, but the last thing on your mind was the power level of your phone.

Marco was going to chew you out.

Well, no, probably not. Kid would have, to hide his concern, but Marco was going to be nervous, and stressed out on his birthday, and it was going to objectively be your fault. His birthday day, and night, had gone really well, but the party tonight was with the entire family.

None of this was the impression you'd been hoping to make with him or his brothers. Even though you were sure you'd be forgiven, and maybe only teased relentlessly for a couple months at most, but that wasn't the point right now.

A soft click of boots on pavement catches your attention just before a pair of thick knuckles tap on the glass of your window. Despite hearing the approach the sound and gesture still makes you jump a little, but you turn to see a stocky man with an impressive, well kept beard, a few too many rings, and an apologetic, toothy grin that was missing a couple tooths from it.

"Sorry to startle ya' lass," he says in a voice with enough baritone you can hear him easily with your windows rolled up. "Oh, hey, your Marco's girl, ain'tcha?"

"And you are?" You question, cracking the window enough to be heard.

"One of a few dozens brothers. I heard about you from Ace an' Thatch. Yer car's even more impressive than I expected." He admits. "Teach Newgate, at yer service lass." He introduces himself with an overdone bow, tipping an imaginary hat he's not even wearing. It reminds you of how animated Thatch is.

"You wouldn't happen to have a cell phone or a gallon of gas on you, would you Teach?" You question, rolling up your window and stepping out of your car. You show him your dead cellphone. "I honestly don't know if gas is what I need, but it's the easiest thing to check."