Hello lovelies and happy hump day! I can't believe September is drawing to an end and Autumn is here. Anyhow, before I get all philosophical, on to today's flash. I used the "something stolen" prompt and I am continuing the Light of Time story where we left of last week.
If you haven't read any of the story, you can catch up by clicking HERE and scrolling down to the bottom to the links titled 'Light of Time'.
Light of Time 9
“Will you
please take me home, General? I need to go home and think things through.”
Hodgins
frowned. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to go home. If your grandfather
was murdered, then-“
“I could be
next. Yes, I’m fully aware of that or I wouldn’t have come seeking answers from
a man shunned by society, now would I?” Bethany snapped.
Hodgins had
the decency to look chagrined.
“Look,”
Bethany clasped his arm, squeezing reassuringly. “I’m sorry.” She gazed up at
him, smiling warmly. “I have trouble thinking in unfamiliar places and you
unsettle me. I just want to go home, have a bath, change my clothes and
have something to eat. Then we can resume our conversation. Please?”
“Bethany—“
“You can
stay there with me if you want. I don’t care, but—“
Hodgins
frown deepened, his pale eyebrows almost knitting together as he stared down at
her. “Don’t you think that going home would put your staff in danger? Besides,
what would they say if they saw you with me?”
Bethany
moved closer to the General, tentatively resting her hand on his chest, patting
it reassuringly. “They’ll think I have gone crazy with grief after my
granddad’s death. What you fail to understand, General Hodgins, is that my nana
already knows I was meeting with you and that I couldn’t care less what people
think. My upbringing, as I have already explained to you, was distinctly
nontraditional." Swiftly she took a few steps back, levelly staring at Hodgins. "Now, please take me home
or I will shoot you.”
Bethany
pointed the stolen pistol at Hodgin’s chest, carefully keeping her countenance
as serious as possible, even if the absurdity of the situation and the expression of surprise on his face made her want to
giggle. How did things get out of hand so quickly? All she wanted was some answers, a lead into her grandfather's murder and now she was pointing a pistol at a man.
Hodgins recovered quickly from his astonishment, his lips settling into a twisted smile as he
regarded her with what she could only interpret as new-found admiration.
“Have you
ever shot a man, Bethany?”
Her only reply was to slide the gun's lock.
Hodgins
cocked his head, his smile still in place. “I have no doubt that you know how
to use it, but have you ever shot anyone? Maimed anyone? Ripped their flesh
apart limb by limb even as tears blurred your vision and the smell of blood
filled your nostrils?“
Bethany swallowed, nerves fluttering in her belly. What was Hodgins talking about?
“Just let me go home.”
“I'm not sure I can do
that. “
“Why?”
“Because
you have the answers I need and everything be damned if I’ll let someone else
take them from you before I do.”
“What?” Her question hung in the air like a cigar's thick foul smelling smoke. Answers? She had questions not answers. Hodgins didn't give her time to react as he launched himself at her. Bethany pulled the trigger, the bullet missing him by several inches. She cried out as Hodgin's caught her wrist in a tight grip, forcing her to drop the weapon.
"I have no answers you crazy barbarian. You're the one with the answers." She struggled against him, kicking wildly. Hodgins said nothing, simply tightening his hold on her and maneuvering her against the far wall, effectively holding her hands above her head and caging her in with his body.
“Let go of
me, you bloody bastard. I don’t have any answers or I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
Bethany spat on his face, watching as her saliva slid down his cheek like a slithering worm. Hodgins did not react. His eyes were cold, detached, even as his body released a welcoming heat. Bethany screamed in frustration, arching her body in a last attempt to free herself from the solid wall of flesh holding her down.
He didn't even seem to be there with her. His gaze was empty, his thoughts clearly elsewhere as he waited for her to calm down. Tears gathered in her eyes as she came to terms with the futility of the situation. Not for the first time, she wondered what she'd gotten herself into.
As if sensing her defeat, Hodgins losened his hold on her. His gaze softened as he leaned toward her, effectively cocooning them as if in a personal bubble.
“I have
reconsidered. We will go to your home.”
To be continued...
Now go visit the other fabulous flashers:
I wish she'd shot him - just a little, maybe in the foot - or at least kneed him so hard he was wearing his balls as earrings. Ah well, she did spit on him. I hope when he lets her go she'll stamp on his foot. What a pig. Well, at least he's agreed to take her home. Nice work
ReplyDeleteLOL Thanks I did consider her not missing the shot but having him all bloodied and injured might have been more a problem than a solution. But, she'll stamp on his foot all right xD He does deserve it, he's acting like a jerk.
DeleteLove it - "Now, please take me home or I will shoot you.” And the description of the saliva - wonderfully disgusting.
ReplyDeleteFantastic post.
Tweeted.
:D Thanks Victoria!
Delete