Part Two, Chapter 4

Maria finally makes her presence known in Kicksburg, and Mark Jr. and Rosemary have nowhere to run or hide.

Chapter 4:

That evening, Junior and I went out again, though this time we didn't bother to change clothes for the occasion. Tonight was not a date night, but rather a stakeout night, though that didn't stop us from heading into the local Thai place for dinner. At this point, we'd already wolfed down an order of crispy egg rolls, and were now waiting for our shared main course to come out. Throughout the meal, neither of us could stop looking around frantically, desperately searching for a sign of Maria's presence.

"Seen anything suspicious yet?" I asked, taking a sip of my ice water.

"Nada," Junior simply replied. "Honestly, I never thought I'd see the day when someone so dangerous would make their way into this town."

"Huh, well now I see why I was sent here of all places," I commented.

"I mean, we do get crime in sparse amounts, but they're so minor and easily dealt with. The closest thing to this that ever happens is whenever some big exciting event happens around here," Junior continued. "See, in those scenarios, the whole population usually takes part and is really on edge afterwards. It often takes days for everyone to wind down, and sometimes they get too carried away and accidentally hurt other people. Think of it like Bourbon Street on and around Mardi Gras."

"I... guess I can picture that happening." I scratched my head. I mean, I'd get pretty riled up too if I were forced to live bleakly for too long.

"Alrighty, folks. Here's tonight's special, the spicy peanut herring." our server approached the table, speaking in a monotone voice.

He was a skinny man in his late twenties or early thirties, with pale skin and black hair that was cut extremely short, except for the long bangs that left his peridot-colored eyes nearly cloaked in shadow. His ears were adorned with the type of piercings that stretch the earlobe to an almost disturbing degree, and his clothes were all black. The entrée he set down consisted of several battered and fried cutlets of fish, smothered in a reddish-brown sauce, and plated alongside a sizable mound of Jasmine rice.

"Just in case you're curious, it looks so red because of all the curry paste in it," he continued, before strolling away as Junior gave him an odd look. "Your beef pad thai should be ready in a few."

"...As suspicious as that guy looks, I don't think he's associated with who we're looking for," I said, before glancing towards the front door as my eyes widened. "Whoa, s**t! Junior, look!"

As if on cue, a small group of those same greasers from earlier entered the establishment, accompanied by a disgruntled young trans woman who looked just shy of thirty with piercing, icy blue eyes and back-length black hair. Her outfit consisted of black boots and ripped skinny-jeans with fishnets underneath, alongside a black leather corset-like top that stopped just below her navel, held up with tank-top-like straps. Her fake bust would've been completely exposed if not for the crimson T-shirt bra she had on. Completing the look were red leather fingerless gloves that came up to her elbows, spiked bracelets on her wrists, and a matching spiked collar, alongside a red sequined cabby hat worn sideways on her head.

"Well we've searched just about everywhere in this boring town, so she has to be somewhere around here," the woman spoke in an accent similar to that of her henchmen.

"It's her! That's Maria Giovanni!" I whispered.

"What do we do?" Junior whispered back.

"Let's just keep our heads down and sneak out as best we can," I suggested.

"Ey!" Maria abruptly called out. "There's that brat! After her, boys! Don't let her rat us out!"

In response, her entourage of thugs drew their pistols and started firing. Junior and I were lucky enough to duck under the table to evade the bullets as everyone else in the dining area began to scream and scatter in a crazed panic. Granted, it did give us just enough to cover so we could slip out, not bothering to try the supposedly amazing food that the restaurant had to offer.

---

We hurried back to Junior's Firebird and back to the manor, hiding the car in the garage and locking ourselves inside. During the drive, I kept looking behind us, thankful that none of the criminals were on our tail.

"Phew, that was a close one." Junior wiped his brow. "Though to be fair, that had to be the first mass shooting in Kicksburg's history, so of course no one would know how to respond in that situation."

"Yeah, but what do we do now?!" I asked, still in a panic.

"It's times like these when I wish I had armed guards at my place," Junior groaned. "I guess that's karma for being so self-reliant."

"Regardless, we'd best be on our guard. Who knows how long those crooks will be in this town?" I continued.

"Good plan. Thankfully there's nothing I need to buy at the moment, so we won't need to leave," Junior replied.

"Except maybe a gun," I chuckled nervously.

The next couple of hours dragged by slower than a snail scooting through a puddle of molasses. I didn't bother to get ready for bed or even sit down because I was on pins and needles. All I could think to do was pace back and forth within the confines of my dimly-lit guest bedroom, occasionally glancing out the large window and taking in the view of the town, though I was far from invested enough to admire its elegance.

It was only during the last of such glances when I noticed something peculiar out the corner of my eye, turning to my right so I could see it more clearly. A small group of people were walking along the road away from the town square, with one looking somewhat shorter than the rest. I couldn't make any of them out, as they were only illuminated by the moon and street lamps, but I saw them stop moving as the person in the lead turned to face my direction, looking up slightly. I quickly shut the curtains and backed away so not even my shadow would be visible to them, panting a little.

Before long, I heard the doorbell ring and immediately felt my gut sink, and not in a good way. Slowly opening the door, I saw Junior immediately heading downstairs. I cautiously and quietly followed him, making sure to stay out of sight when the door opened. Peeking around the corner, my eyes widened at the sight of Maria on the doorstep.