The tale of the red dress
"Lexie, I need you. Come get coffee."
He sounded odd on the phone, too chipper. Even for Bas, who was an upbeat man all the time. Constantly making me laugh and telling jokes, but this time. This time my hair stood on end at the sound of his morning greeting.
It wasn't out of the ordinary for us to grab coffee early in the morning. Usually, we walked in together, but that morning he had been MIA, which again, was odd. He never left without me, especially to get coffee. Unless I was sick and I had been fine all week. So--with hesitations in my steps, I made my way downtown to the Ma and Pa coffee shop. Overrun by rich vacationers enjoying the Montana mountains.
The moment I walked through the door of the small town coffee shop, I wanted to run. My heartbeat like a drum against my chest at the sight of them.
Together.
Fuck.
They were together.
There was Bastian, the sneaky love of my life, next to the devil. The man who had been hunting us for two years like a freakin' bloodhound. Wearing a cliche black and white suit and a dangerous grin on his face. He ate my soul the moment our eyes met.
He was Satan incarnate.
Branch, named after a fucking stick, was an FBI agent who had been on our tail for years--too many years if you asked me. We, by the grace of God, had always managed to dodge him. Always ten steps ahead of the bastard, but somehow, this time, he had won. And got my love in the process, something that didn't settle well with me.
Then there was Bastian fucking Greene handcuffed to his chair, smiling like the big, goofy, dummy he was.
But smiling? Seriously?
He gave a small wave to me, well as much as he could, since you know--he was handcuffed! His lips were in a huge grin and waved me over. Bas seemed as happy as can be, not a problem in the world, except there was a problem. A major problem. We were about to face the consequences of our years of crimes.
I crossed my arms over my chest in protest, standing my ground. I wasn't going to indulge this obsessive psychopath and come any closer. No fucking way, no fucking how.
"I suggest you sit, Alexis." Came the deep, harsh voice of Branch. His victorious smile sending sharp chills down my spine. Seeming way too thrilled to finally have us both in his grasp.
I stood there, frozen, I didn't want to move. "Lexie" Bas pleaded, gesturing me to sit with his free hand. I mentally stabbed him in the face over and over again with a soldering iron. I had no choice, I couldn't run and leave him. So with reluctance and disdain, I sat in the uncomfortable metal chair. Knowing in the back of my screaming mind, this was my doom. My one-way ticket to an all womens cellblock , except I wouldn't be tango-ing.
"Alexis Campbell, how very nice to finally meet you face to face." He held out his hand and I scoffed at his meaty hand.
"Branch," I greeted coldly, keeping my arms across my chest in protest. I eyed Bas, his eyes screaming at me to cooperate with whatever was happening.
Branch opened a folder and thumbed through a few pages. "Ahh--my modern-day Bonnie and Clyde." He said scooting a paper towards me. "Finally in my grasp."
"Sookie Stackhouse, aka, Debra Morgan, aka, Alexis Campbell, wanted in Georgia on grand larceny, petty theft, identity theft, and grand theft auto." I raised a brow and shrugged like I didn't give a shit, but my insides were a boiling soup of anxiety, ready to spill from my lips.
He slid another paper towards me. "Same charges, different state, different name," he slid four more at me. "In seven different states actually. New York, especially wanting your head on a silver platter for the bank you somehow robbed. I'm still curious how you got that man to just hand you $30,000." Bas beamed with pride and leaned over, smiling from ear to ear.
"My girl is amazing," normally my heart would swell with his praise, but I wasn't amused in the slightest. No way I'd give up that secret.
"What's your point, Branch? If you're going to arrest me, then spare me this trip down criminal lane." He smirked at me, taking the papers back. Placing them back into the folders, filing them away into his briefcase.
"The way I see it, you two could go to prison for a very, very long time. All these jurisdictions fighting to bring you to justice. And they'd have me to thank." He eyed us both with caution like we were going to run away.
"So---you want confetti with your big celebration?" I snipped back, getting bored with his lazy speech. He gave a deep chuckle, letting it roar through his heavy gut and wiped a hand over his chin.
"Now, now, Lexie,"
"It's Alexis," I growled to him, cutting his sentence off.
That name was reserved only for Bastian and a few select friends. No one else. Branch eyed Bastian and he shrugged, trying to calm the situation. Bastian doing his best to give Branch his puppy dog eyes, pleading for him to continue.
"I've got a job for you," Branch blurted out in a hurry, my face falling thirty stories off a building. Eyes as wide as saucers trying to figure out if he said what I think he said.
"A what now?" I gaped, my jaw falling open.
"Hear him out, Lex. I promise." Bastian pleaded Branch slid over another folder.
"Or--a mark as you criminals call him." I opened up and the first image that greeted me was a police officer in a captains uniform.
Deep piercing blue eyes, crooked nose, and a pointy chin. There were three long scars cut into his right cheek like he had made an enemy fast. Just by the way he looked, I could tell he was untrustworthy. Like he could charm your pants off and then ruin your life with the flick of his wrist. The sight of him made my stomach churn with uneasiness.
"A--police captain?" I asked in disbelief this time. I looked up at Branch, who folded his hands under his chin and smiled, basking in the glory of our fate.
"It's either that or your partner here goes to prison." I eyed Bas who shook his head begging me to cooperate still, he must have known this was coming.
"So blackmail then?" I grumbled.
"Not blackmail, a favor for a favor." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"And what would we get in return, for whatever we have to do."
"I let you go, pretend I never saw you. And we go on our merry way. You two continuing your life of crime and I continue to hunt you down, but I'll give you a two-week headstart." I snorted in response.
"You must be delirious or desperate to track us down and what?" I flipped through the pictures, coming to a handwritten page. Fully covered with cursive and side margin notes from Branch.
"Missing evidence?" I asked, almost to myself. I read more, engulfing myself in the wild tale the page had to tell.
Drugs, guns, and a shit ton of money were stolen from an evidence locker. That could have put a long time criminal in prison for the rest of his life. The department had no leads, no surveillance, and they were stumped. An informant ratted Mr. Policeman out and ended up dead a day later. Cue Branch's investigation and he had come up with bubkis.
I looked at Branch in the eye, his nerves swimming in his deep pools. Exposing him for what he really was now, scared and desperate. Especially if he was coming to us, the very criminals he had been chasing for years, for help.
"So he's corrupt?" Bastian finally pipped in with a useful comment.
"Bingo," Branch said eyeing us again, checking for our reactions.
"So--you Mr. FBI agent can't get a warrant to enter Mr. Policeman's house and round this evidence up yourself?" Branch's shoulders slumped forward in defeat, the first real human emotion I had ever seen from him.
"Would I be asking you two for help, If I could do that?" He leaned onto the table, loosening his tie.
"They don't know then," I shook my head, "who is he covering for?"
"Local mafia," he grumbled, wiping a hand down his face.
"Well--that's just great, Branch. We, what? Barge into the police chiefs house and just steal back this evidence that we have no idea where it is?"
"You two are clever, you'll figure out a ruse. You always do." He smiled again with confidence, leaning over to unfasten Bas from his handcuffs, but stopped, letting the key hover above the hole.
"I have your word then?" Branch asked looking over at me with a sharp eye, boring his stare into me. I swallowed hard under his eye.
"Who's to say we don't just run away after you uncuff him?" I nodded toward Bas, who narrowed his eyes in at me.
"Lex!" Bastian growled through his teeth, Branch not moving an inch.
"Because you're hopelessly in love with him and you can't live without him." Ugh! Fair point, my only true weakness.
"Plus-- I'll have my eyes on you. Fair?" He quirked a brow up.
"Fair," I agreed through a breath, Bas' shoulders relaxing at my words.
"Then we are in agreement then. You two recover the stolen evidence hidden in his house, and I'll hang back and wait."
"Deal," we said in unison.
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Bastian bounced on the sidewalk beside me like we hadn't just been blackmailed by an FBI agent to do his bidding.
"I can't believe you got caught," I spit, stopping my pace. Folding my arms across my chest like a child. Bastian stopped beside me, focusing in on a teeny tiny red dress in the window. Completely ignoring me, of course.
"Did you hear me!" I took a step closer, my anger seething inside. He turned and looked at me and shrugged like he didn't care. He acted like it was just another day at the office.
"You need this," he said pointing towards the dress in the display window.
"Why on Gods green earth would I need that?" I pointed toward the dress, which to he fair was adorable. Probably mid-length and would show both my assets off nicely. But I wasn't in the mood to feed into his little game of ignoring me.
"Sebastian!" I cried out, slapping my hand against my leg, desperately trying to break him from the thoughts consuming his brain.
"Because--you are going to play realtor again. In this swanky town, you have to play the part, especially if a police captain is going to believe you." He made a good point, but the anger inside of me was too strong to want to play along. I wanted out of town. Fuck Branch and his stupid deal, we could leave and he'd never know.
"So this is it? You're just going to let that piece of shit Branch blackmail us into doing his dirty work?" He looked back at me again and at the dress like I hadn't said a thing.
"There are two women in there, I can distract them with my handsome self, while you sneak out with the dress." He said through his usual goofy grin, looking back at me like nothing was wrong.
I boiled over, I couldn't do it. I couldn't stop myself from smacking his stupid head, his blonde curls flying sideways with the rest of his body. Honestly--- not my finest moment.
"Stop ignoring me!!!! Stop dismissing me!!!! You went and worked a job without me!!!! AND YOU GOT ARRESTED!" I screamed, tears forming in my eyes, probably drawing attention to us, but I didn't care. His avoidance was his worst quality. I went to smack him again, but he caught my wrist.
"Alexis," he growled, jolting me a little. "Stop it." He said through gritted teeth."I had my reasons."
"Reasons?" I seethed in a low voice. "And what pray tell were those? Are you going to try and leave me in the dust? Is that it?" My true insecurity coming to the surface again.
He growled, pulling me down the sidewalk to an alleyway. He threw my body into the brick wall, pressing himself into me. His forehead laying against mine. My breaths momentarily knocked from my lungs.
"I'm sorry," he breathed out. "I didn't mean to hurt you, baby." He ran his fingers through my hair soothingly, trying to make up for being rough. But I was the one who should have been sorry, I had hit him first.
"Why'd you do it alone? And what did you do?" I asked breathlessly, the hurt edging into my small voice. He took a big breath, pulling back a little, cupping my cheeks. Looking at me with sorrow in his ocean eyes, regret emanating through them.
"I lifted a credit card yesterday, some rich bastard at the restaurant. It's a black card, it has no limit. I wanted to...."
"You used it? And that's??" I was confused.
"I got caught," he breathed. "I didn't know Branch was there, but he knew I was there and what I was going to do."
"He arrested you there?"
"No, that was part of the deal." Bastian tried to explain.
"But he handcuffed you," he shook his head and I ran my fingers through his hair, my heart tugging where I had hit him in anger.
"He needed you too." He said full of regret, his eyes looking towards the asphalt.
"Of course," I said through a big breath.
"But why didn't you want me to help? I could have...."
"It's for you."
"What did you do?" Bas fell to his knee, digging through his pocket, my heart pounding against my chest.
"Alexis Natalia Campbell," he looked up at me with those eyes. Those eyes I couldn't resist or say no to. And I collapsed to my knees, as he pulled open the tiny red box. Exposing a small, but supple diamond ring on a silver band.
"Lexie," he whispered through a small laugh. "I'm the one who is supposed to be on my knee." I swallowed hard, running my fingers over the bright shiny diamond sparkling in the morning sun. Amazed that this man--my love, would buy this for me. Me. The brat who had just smacked him senseless.
"This---" I was speechless, words lost on the tip of my heavy tongue.
"I couldn't bring you, because I've wanted to buy this for you for so long. But I wanted it to be a surprise." He took my left hand, tracing the lines on my ring finger.
"Oh, Sebastian, oh my God." I breathed out finally, as he slid it over my finger. Amazed it fit so perfectly, like it was meant to be for me.
"This ring is my promise to you. To love you forever, for the rest of my life, to keep you out of danger. I will fight for you every day, Alexis." Water formed in both our eyes, spilling onto our cheeks. Mine more than his, as he spoke. My brain drawing a blank, eyes focused on the diamond now proudly displayed on my left hand.
How could I ever say no? I didn't need a ring, I just needed him. Always him.
"What'll be, sweetheart?" He said through a sly grin, wiping away the tears from my cheeks. Keeping his warm hand there to caress me with his thumb.
"I should smack you for buying this. But I couldn't imagine my life without you and your shenanigans. So---yes. Of course, you idiot." I whispered, as our mouths closed the distance.
His lips moved fervently against mine, collapsing on top of me right there in the abandoned alleyway. Moving his hands all over me, making me want to express my love right then and there.
"Alexis Greene," he whispered against my lips through heavy breaths. "I like the sound of that." I groaned, wrapping my legs around his waist.
"Future husband, take me back to the hotel and give me a preview of what our honeymoon will be like." I let my lips travel down the flesh of his neck, running my fingers wildly through his hair.
"Fucking--God, Alexis, if you keep that up I won't make it." He moaned, letting our lips meet again. And again, until we made it back to the hotel. Where we remained for the rest of the day and night. Before getting back to work the next day.
Bastian always had a thing for red. Little red dress, red lacey panties, and even a little red box holding the very diamond I would one day walk down the aisle with.
One day.....
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Dang it, I'm a sap.