Torn
7
Jimmy stretched as he rose from the chair behind his desk. He had spent the night going over plans to strengthen their forces and protect their livelihood now that they were fairly certain that Drummond was indeed very much alive. It was one of the rare times that he was grateful for the insomnia that both he and his sister suffered from. With the lives they had led, it had become something of an occupational hazard. Jimmy had been somewhat stunned at Matt's little revelation the night before, and Brian's reaction hadn't come as a surprise to any of them.
Out of them all, Jimmy knew that Brian would consider himself the main target. Drummond had wanted him dead before, there was nothing to stop him wanting that again. Yet Jimmy had a feeling that none of them would be safe this time round. There was no telling with a man like Drummond just what he had planned.
Jimmy had brought Matt back to his after they'd left Brian's, and let him crash in one of the guest rooms. It had been partly out of concern, but Jimmy knew that they were going to have let Cassandra know just what was happening. He intended to call her soon, and arrange to see her today, and he wanted Matt with him so that he could own up to his mistakes.
There was a small part of Jimmy that hoped it might cause a rift between the two lovers, because their little affair was another added complication they could do without. Cassandra wouldn't thank him for it, but right now Jimmy's main concern wasn't his sister getting laid a couple of times a week. She could find that elsewhere if she needed to.
He noticed the time, just gone 7. Cassandra would be up. Even on a Sunday, if she'd managed to get a couple of hours of rest, she'd still be up early. Jimmy hesitated before picking up the phone. The siblings hadn't spoken since last week, but he knew that it was only her stubbornness that refused to allow his sister to make the first move. He dialled and waited.
"Cass, it's Jimmy. Are you free today?"
"James, it's Sunday, Emily's with Brian, of course I'm free. What's wrong?"
Jimmy smiled at Cassandra's instant suspicion that there had to be something the matter. Of course, she was normally correct, and today was no exception to that.
"Something's come up, and I think it's better that we discuss it face to face."
"Ok, is 9 too early for you?"
Inspite of her unchanging tone, Jimmy was well aware that his sister's mind would now be racing as she weighed up the possibilities as to what it could be he so urgently needed to discuss.
"That's fine. Oh, and I'll be bringing Matt with me," Jimmy informed her, hanging up before she even had the chance to object.
Jimmy headed upstairs for the guest room Matt was in. He knocked before opening the door. Matt was sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in only the black pants he'd worn the night before, his head in his hands. Jimmy surveyed the bruising on Matt's stomach. Brian was deceiving when it came to his strength. Whilst he wasn't graced with the bulk that Matt possessed, there was no denying that he could deliver a hefty punch that would leave it's mark.
"It's a fucking dumb question, but how are you feeling?" Jimmy asked.
Matt laughed silently, not looking up at Jimmy.
"Sore, I forgot just how fucking strong that bastard is," Matt admitted.
Jimmy leaned against the doorframe.
"Just answer me something. Is Callaghan the reason you began working alone?"
Matt looked up then, and nodded.
"Yeah, after that I knew I couldn't trust anyone but myself to do the jobs I was given. Why'd you ask?" Jimmy shrugged.
"I just always thought it was when Cass left that you decided on that. I mean, you worked well together."
"No, Cass was easily replacable, or so I thought," Matt murmured.
Jimmy seized the oppurtunity then to say something more.
"And is that how you view her now, easily replacable?"
Matt stood up and grabbed his shirt, laughing deeply as he put it on.
"Jimmy, Cass told me on Friday that you know about us, so don't try and throw me off course and catch me out. And in answer to your question, no, that's not how I view her at all. It runs far too deep for that."
"That's what I feared," Jimmy stated. "I'm also gathering that you didn't speak to her about Drummond like you told Brian you would, because god knows we would've all heard about it by now if you had."
Matt gave a sheepish grin.
"No, we were otherwise occupied...." Jimmy held up a hand.
"I got it, no need for details. Oh well, no matter, because you can tell her today. We're going over to see her, she's expecting us at 9."
Jimmy flashed Matt a smile. and shut the door behind him.
**********
Cassandra felt nauseated. From the moment she'd heard Drummond's name, she had realised that the conversation that was to follow was not going to be one she'd enjoy. That man had forced her to make the hardest decision of her life, and it had ripped her apart, from the inside out. There was no getting away from the fact that Brian's actions and need to have control over everywhere and everything, and the belief that he was infallible had driven Drummond almost to the point of despair, leading him to want to ensure that Brian was out of the picture. But that didn't make it any easier to know that Matt's failure to ensure that Drummond was gone from their lives for good had now put every single one of them in danger.
She got up and left the lounge in silence, walking out to the sprawling backyard that overlooked the beach. Cassandra lit a cigarette, drawing heavily on it as she tried to ignore the unsteadiness of her hand.
"Cass, look at me."
Cassandra's cast her mind back to the last time she'd heard Matt say those words in her office. Then she'd been willing to look at him, to see the lust and need in his eyes. Now, she didn't know if she could face him.
"How could you be so fucking stupid Matthew?" she murmured. "It was a simple task, kill him. That's all that was required of you. Yet, you couldn't even get that right."
"I thought I could trust Callaghan, I...." Cassandra spun round to look at him then.
"And look where thought fucking got you. Living a lie for the past two years, and being of the belief that everything was going to work out just fine. Well it hasn't. Everything was going according to plan Matthew, or so I believed. I was finally getting what I wanted, and now because of your fucking idiotic mistake, I've got to totally rethink everything. I've got make sure that all I hold dear is safe and protected from that bastard....."
"I'll do all that I can to help you Cass," Matt interupted.
"Help me? The only way you could've helped was by doing the job right two years ago and ridding us of the man that tried to kill the man I loved," Cassandra spat at him in reply.
"It always has to boil back down to Brian with you doesn't it Cass. You left him for a reason, just fucking get over it!" Matt yelled.
"I left him because I'd rather lose him that way than because of a fucking bullet, not because I stopped loving him," she retorted, storming her way back into the house.
Cassandra grabbed her purse and pushed past Jimmy.
"Cass, where.."
"Out for a drive, don't know how long I'll be, but all I know is that by the time I get back, I want you and the fuck up kid out there gone."
Cassandra slammed the door behind her and got in her car. As the engine kicked into life, she pulled out of the driveway with no idea as to where she was going, only knowing that she wanted to be as far away from this mess as possible.
Out of them all, Jimmy knew that Brian would consider himself the main target. Drummond had wanted him dead before, there was nothing to stop him wanting that again. Yet Jimmy had a feeling that none of them would be safe this time round. There was no telling with a man like Drummond just what he had planned.
Jimmy had brought Matt back to his after they'd left Brian's, and let him crash in one of the guest rooms. It had been partly out of concern, but Jimmy knew that they were going to have let Cassandra know just what was happening. He intended to call her soon, and arrange to see her today, and he wanted Matt with him so that he could own up to his mistakes.
There was a small part of Jimmy that hoped it might cause a rift between the two lovers, because their little affair was another added complication they could do without. Cassandra wouldn't thank him for it, but right now Jimmy's main concern wasn't his sister getting laid a couple of times a week. She could find that elsewhere if she needed to.
He noticed the time, just gone 7. Cassandra would be up. Even on a Sunday, if she'd managed to get a couple of hours of rest, she'd still be up early. Jimmy hesitated before picking up the phone. The siblings hadn't spoken since last week, but he knew that it was only her stubbornness that refused to allow his sister to make the first move. He dialled and waited.
"Cass, it's Jimmy. Are you free today?"
"James, it's Sunday, Emily's with Brian, of course I'm free. What's wrong?"
Jimmy smiled at Cassandra's instant suspicion that there had to be something the matter. Of course, she was normally correct, and today was no exception to that.
"Something's come up, and I think it's better that we discuss it face to face."
"Ok, is 9 too early for you?"
Inspite of her unchanging tone, Jimmy was well aware that his sister's mind would now be racing as she weighed up the possibilities as to what it could be he so urgently needed to discuss.
"That's fine. Oh, and I'll be bringing Matt with me," Jimmy informed her, hanging up before she even had the chance to object.
Jimmy headed upstairs for the guest room Matt was in. He knocked before opening the door. Matt was sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in only the black pants he'd worn the night before, his head in his hands. Jimmy surveyed the bruising on Matt's stomach. Brian was deceiving when it came to his strength. Whilst he wasn't graced with the bulk that Matt possessed, there was no denying that he could deliver a hefty punch that would leave it's mark.
"It's a fucking dumb question, but how are you feeling?" Jimmy asked.
Matt laughed silently, not looking up at Jimmy.
"Sore, I forgot just how fucking strong that bastard is," Matt admitted.
Jimmy leaned against the doorframe.
"Just answer me something. Is Callaghan the reason you began working alone?"
Matt looked up then, and nodded.
"Yeah, after that I knew I couldn't trust anyone but myself to do the jobs I was given. Why'd you ask?" Jimmy shrugged.
"I just always thought it was when Cass left that you decided on that. I mean, you worked well together."
"No, Cass was easily replacable, or so I thought," Matt murmured.
Jimmy seized the oppurtunity then to say something more.
"And is that how you view her now, easily replacable?"
Matt stood up and grabbed his shirt, laughing deeply as he put it on.
"Jimmy, Cass told me on Friday that you know about us, so don't try and throw me off course and catch me out. And in answer to your question, no, that's not how I view her at all. It runs far too deep for that."
"That's what I feared," Jimmy stated. "I'm also gathering that you didn't speak to her about Drummond like you told Brian you would, because god knows we would've all heard about it by now if you had."
Matt gave a sheepish grin.
"No, we were otherwise occupied...." Jimmy held up a hand.
"I got it, no need for details. Oh well, no matter, because you can tell her today. We're going over to see her, she's expecting us at 9."
Jimmy flashed Matt a smile. and shut the door behind him.
**********
Cassandra felt nauseated. From the moment she'd heard Drummond's name, she had realised that the conversation that was to follow was not going to be one she'd enjoy. That man had forced her to make the hardest decision of her life, and it had ripped her apart, from the inside out. There was no getting away from the fact that Brian's actions and need to have control over everywhere and everything, and the belief that he was infallible had driven Drummond almost to the point of despair, leading him to want to ensure that Brian was out of the picture. But that didn't make it any easier to know that Matt's failure to ensure that Drummond was gone from their lives for good had now put every single one of them in danger.
She got up and left the lounge in silence, walking out to the sprawling backyard that overlooked the beach. Cassandra lit a cigarette, drawing heavily on it as she tried to ignore the unsteadiness of her hand.
"Cass, look at me."
Cassandra's cast her mind back to the last time she'd heard Matt say those words in her office. Then she'd been willing to look at him, to see the lust and need in his eyes. Now, she didn't know if she could face him.
"How could you be so fucking stupid Matthew?" she murmured. "It was a simple task, kill him. That's all that was required of you. Yet, you couldn't even get that right."
"I thought I could trust Callaghan, I...." Cassandra spun round to look at him then.
"And look where thought fucking got you. Living a lie for the past two years, and being of the belief that everything was going to work out just fine. Well it hasn't. Everything was going according to plan Matthew, or so I believed. I was finally getting what I wanted, and now because of your fucking idiotic mistake, I've got to totally rethink everything. I've got make sure that all I hold dear is safe and protected from that bastard....."
"I'll do all that I can to help you Cass," Matt interupted.
"Help me? The only way you could've helped was by doing the job right two years ago and ridding us of the man that tried to kill the man I loved," Cassandra spat at him in reply.
"It always has to boil back down to Brian with you doesn't it Cass. You left him for a reason, just fucking get over it!" Matt yelled.
"I left him because I'd rather lose him that way than because of a fucking bullet, not because I stopped loving him," she retorted, storming her way back into the house.
Cassandra grabbed her purse and pushed past Jimmy.
"Cass, where.."
"Out for a drive, don't know how long I'll be, but all I know is that by the time I get back, I want you and the fuck up kid out there gone."
Cassandra slammed the door behind her and got in her car. As the engine kicked into life, she pulled out of the driveway with no idea as to where she was going, only knowing that she wanted to be as far away from this mess as possible.
8/5/13