Frank Zafiro - Waist Deep

A twist of anger shot through my chest when he called her that, but I fought it down.“In exchange for that, I don’t tell anyone about you and LeMond having a relationship.Or about these movies you’ve been making.None of it.I don’t send him to prison.”

Kris chewed her lip and glanced at LeMond.

I followed her gaze.“Same deal to you,” I said.“You shut down the operation and I keep my mouth shut.And you move away.Find a different place to teach.”

“No!” Kris said.“I don’t want him to leave.”

LeMond and I remained silent, staring at each other across the barrel of my gun.Finally, he nodded.“Okay.Yeah.It’s a deal.”

“No!” Kris cried out.“I don’t want to-”

“It’s all right, baby doll,” LeMond said.“I’ll let the school know where I go.You can follow when you graduate.We’ll be together eventually.It’ll work out.”

“But I love you!”

“And I love you,” LeMond said, his voice smooth.“And we’ll pick up right where we left off, once we’re free of all of society’s bullshit.All right?”

We both looked at Kris.She swallowed hard, her eyes flitting back and forth between our faces.I was nodding slowly, urging her to agree.LeMond was murmuring lovey-dovey words to her that turned my stomach, but I let him continue in order to get her to comply.

After a moment, she lowered the knife.“Okay,” she said, looking at LeMond.“If you think it’s what’s best.”

“I do, baby doll,” LeMond cooed.“I do.”

“Toss the knife back into the bedroom,” I told her gently. She did it.

“Stand by the door,” I said.

“What about my stuff?”

“Leave it.Leave it all behind.”

She frowned, then pouted. For the first time, she actually looked like a sixteen year old to me. I felt a rush of relief in my chest.Maybe that little girl was still there, somewhere inside.Maybe she hadn’t been completely snuffed out.

I motioned for LeMondto stand up.Once he was on his feet, I limped toward him.“I don’t want you following us,” I said.

“I won’t.”

“I know.I want you to wait in that bedroom until we’re long gone.”I pointed over his shoulder. When he turned to look, I clobbered him with the barrel of my.45.And damned if it didn’t work just fine this time.

Kris yelped and LeMond hit the floor like a bag of pus.

“Let’s go,” I said, and took her arm.

“You didn’t have to hit him, did you?”

Kris had been crying silently ever since we left the apartment.

I shook my head, turning out of the parking lot and heading south.“No, I didn’t.”

“Then why’d you do it?”

“Because I wasn’t allowed to kill him.”

Kris shot me a venomous look.“If you hurt him again, or if you go back on your word, I will run away. I’ll go so far that not even the FBI will find me.And I’ll tell my father that it was your fault.”

I believed her.“I’ll keep my word, Kris.You just keep yours.”

We drove in silence for a few blocks.The early nightfall of winter had begun to shroud the city streets and the first weak glare of streetlights came on.I drove easily, in no hurry.It was nowhere near ten o’clock.I had plenty of time.

“Tell me something,” I said to her, downshifting for a stop light.

“What?”

“The running away.It was all a sham, wasn’t it?”

She looked at me as if I were retarded.“Duh.”

“And you weren’t upset about losing the play?The one-part production?”

“I suppose I was at the time,” she said with a shrug.“But high school is small time.”

“What about the hooking?”

“Huh?”

“You were out on East Sprague, working for a pimp.I saw the police report.”

She laughed.“I was out there for two nights.”

“Why?”

“Research,” she said, in a perfectly serious tone.“Gary says that method acting is the most persuasive.Anyone can ooh and ahh while getting fucked, but only an actor can sell it to the audience.”

“Method acting?”

She nodded, her face serious.“It’s the only way to become a star.”

“I talked to a pimp.Rolo was his name.He said-”

“He got his cut,” Kris said.“It was all part of the research.”

I let it go.Had Rolo lied to me?I thought about it for a moment and realized that he really hadn’t lied.He just hadn’t told me the whole story.In fact, he really couldn’t have without giving up LeMond or Jackson.I suppose he was good to his word.He sure could have saved me a lot of trouble, though.

The light turned green and I accelerated.“Why these movies, Kris?They’re so…crude.”

She gave a confused look.“Porn, you mean?”

I nodded.

“It’s just sex,” she told me.“And porn is no big deal.Look at Adriana Apple.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“Right,” she snorted.“Whatever.”

“No,” I said.“I really don’t.”

She glanced over at me.Her expression had changed from one suspecting retardation to one of disbelief.I might as well have said that I’d never heard of Elvis.“She’s only the biggest star this side of Jenna Jameson.Duh.”

“I gathered that,” I said.“But she’s a porn star.Not a movie star.Not like Audrey Hepburn.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.“Do they talk about Adrianna Apple on Entertainment Tonight ?Is her picture in People Magazine?”

“I don’t know.I don’t have a TV and I don’t read People .”

“Well, they do,” Kris snapped. “Adrianna Apple is on TV and in all the magazines. Because she’s a star.” She stared at me, then shook her head in wonder.“Jesus, what planet are you from ?”

“One where sixteen year olds chew bubble gum and moon over Leif Garrett, I guess.”

“He’s gross,” Kris said.“I saw a special on him on the E! channel.All old and bald and stuff.He wasn’t that cute even back in ancient times when he was a kid, either.”

“You know what I meant,” I said.

She shrugged.“The world changes.Maybe you’re getting old or something.”

I fell silent, navigating the car west and then south.Kris chewed on her thumbnail absently, then asked, “What are you going to tell my mom and dad?”

“What do you want me to tell them?”

“Nothing.”

“Then that’ll be part of the deal.”

She smiled briefly, then went back to chewing on her thumbnail.

It was fully dark by the time I pulled up in front of RogerJackson’s place and turned off the car.

“What are we doing here?” Kris asked.“I thought you were taking me home.”

“I am.But I left Roger in a delicate situation.Besides, he needs to know that the deal we’ve made extends to him, too.”

She shrugged and looked up at the house.

“Kris?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t know a girl named Linda, do you?”

She turned to face me.“No.Why?”

I shook my head.“It doesn’t matter.”

“Okay,” she said.“Do you want me to come in with you or wait in the car?”

I considered for a moment, then decided that she was probably not going anywhere.I started to answer her when I heard the pounding of heavy boots. Someone swung my car door violently open.

“Don’t you move, scumbag!” a deep voice brayed at me.“Hands on the steering wheel!Now!”

I moved my hands slowly toward the wheel and grasped it lightly.Beside me, Kris’s eyes grew wide as her door flew open, too.

“Outta the car, missy,” another gruff voice told her.

A single file line of men in black fatigues trotted quickly up RogerJackson’s walkway.All the men were helmeted and wore goggles.The lead man carried a ballistic shield.The second man carried a black battering ram with white lettering on the side that read “Knock, knock.”The rest of the men carried assorted weaponry.