Be Gay Do Crime

Ashe picked at the cuff of her sleeve, the suit had been a rush job but the fit was immaculate all the same.  Taylor promised a proper custom suit would be ready in time for prom, but that didn’t stop the current suit from being comfortable, even if it was an off the shelf modification.  It would serve the purpose for the evening. 

“Relax,” Crystal said.  She was seated beside Ashe in the limo that had picked them up, the driver apparently having served the family for most of his life.  “You look amazing.” 

“It’s not my looks I’m worried about,” Ashe muttered. 

Crystal sighed, taking her hand in her own and squeezed tight.  “I know, and it’s a justified fear.  Your moms are aware and are on standby to pick us up if we need to leave.  Not to mention you’re going to be recording the whole damn thing, he’s not going to try anything.” 

“Then why invite me?” she wondered.  “He made a point of telling us he knew about my involvement with saving Jason.  There’s a play here that we’re missing.” 

Crystal sighed, sitting back, though her hand didn’t leave Ashe’s grip.  “If I had to guess, intimidation to get one of us scared enough to end the relationship.  He never learned about Keiko, so I can only guess as to how he learned about you.” 

“Probably some asshat at my school,” Ashe conceded.  “Fuckers are always looking for  way to screw me over, especially the Patriot crowd.” 

Crystal hummed in agreement, her eyes drawn out the window.  Ashe followed her gaze and her stomach dropped right along with her jaw.  They were driving up an actual hill, something not natural in Florida, not that close to the coast.  The whole thing was man made, the road stretching up the incline.  She’d of course seen it from a distance, everyone in the city was aware of the manor compound hidden behind vegetation that was carefully maintained to give the illusion that nothing of import was there. 

It was one thing to see if from across town, it was another entirely to visit.  The illusion peeled away as the car drove up the road, hedges lined with flowers brought color to the approach.  It was quite the sight, and only grew more resplendent when they leveled off and the full majesty of the gardens were revealed.  A veritable maze of hedges stretched out, many cut into the likeness of animals, others left in simple shapes and patterns. 

She knew from the Maps view that they formed an iron cross, with the manor at the center.  Speaking of the oversized statement of wealth and power, the manor was done up in a southern plantation style, yet another statement that didn’t outright scream fascist, but sure as hell implied it. 

The limo crossed the front gate, armed security waving them through without a second glance.  Ashe’s eyes lingered on the paramilitary private security, knowing that whatever plans she came up with in the event she needed to deal with the man would need to take them into account.  She pondered on possible contingencies, from the simple to the elaborate as they circled the courtyard and parked at the front door of the manor. 

Three more security guards greeted them, as did two well dressed, yet subservient, men.  The driver parked the vehicle and stepped out, one of the men already moving over to take his place as he came to the rear door and opened it.  He wasn’t a threatening man, at least at first glance, but Ashe had been in enough dangerous situations that she was more than a little wary of the way the butler held himself, of the way he smoothly stepped aside and extended a hand for Crystal.  He was a man that knew exactly what his body’s limits were. 

“Thank you, Prescott,” Crystal said, accepting his hand and stepping out of the car.  “Ashe, if you would accompany me.” 

She smiled, taking Crystal’s offered hand and easily rising to her feet.  Crystal’s emerald green dress matched her bike’s color, the design simple yet elegant, with a side split to allow for easy movement in the event something went wrong and they needed to fight.

Ashe hated that she couldn’t keep up with more than some basic movement lessons due to her healing injuries.  She was in no condition to fight a bedridden grandma, let alone trained killers.  If it came down to violence, she was all but screwed. 

Before they’d even taken a step, two of the security officers stepped up to them, their eyes hidden behind reflective lenses.  “Security screening.  We need to check you both for weapons and other potentially dangerous substances.” 

Crystal sighed, stepping aside as she handed off her bag to be searched and assumed a stance for a basic pat down.  Ashe grit her teeth, and would have been livid if Crystal hadn’t warned her of the possibility ahead of time.  Crystal was done in moments, having only brought her phone and a key to her mailbox where the rest of her keys were waiting.  A precaution to keep the Senator from making a copy. 

Then Ashe stepped forward, assuming the same stance.  One of the men behind her snorted, then roughly moved her legs further apart.  Hands none too gently roved over her suit, and there was no doubt in Ashe’s mind that they were copping feels, especially the one bastard that lingered on her groin.  She counted the seconds before deciding enough was enough and grabbed him by the wrist. 

One of the security guards drew their gun, leveling it upon the side of her head, though her own focus was on the grinning creep. 

“I know I’m underage, but aren’t I a bit old for you?” she growled at the man still cupping her, despite having grabbed his arm.  She then hooked her head back towards the road.  “Nearest elementary school is that way.” 

She smirked even as the man snarled and pulled his arm free before rearing back to hit her with the same hand he’d been using on her a moment before.  Crystal caught him by the arm, her glare promising pain and wrath if she went unheeded. 

“She’s my father’s guest, show some decorum.” 

Even without being able to see his eyes, Ashe could feel the glare through the lenses.  Another of the guards laid a hand on his shoulders, and a moment later he jerked his arm free and turned to leave.  

Crystal sighed in relief and offered Ashe a weary smile.  “Shall we?”

“Your father is in his study, would you accompany me?” the butler asked, his rich baritone contained the barest hint of an accent. 

Crystal nodded, threading her arm through Ashe’s once more.  “Very well, Prescott.  Lead on.” 

“Of course, madam.” 

Ashe glared at the security prick as they walked off, her eyes not leaving his shades for a moment as she planned to make sure he suffered for what he had done to her.  He didn’t have a nametag, which meant learning his identity would be near impossible. 

The door to the manor opened, a rich wooden stairwell sweeping up to the second floor being the first detail to catch her eye, followed by the chandelier with dangling crystal illuminated by actual candles.  The flickering flames danced, casting shadows across the ceiling. 

All the dark wood contrasted with the literal marble flooring, which might have left the room dark and foreboding with it weren’t for the skylights above letting in the soon to fade sunlight.  The entire space was nothing more than a glorified stairwell and hub for the rest of the home, but it spoke of wealth untold, a message to all that entered that their host was well off.

It made Ashe sick to her stomach. 

Doing her best to put those thoughts out of mind, she followed along, eager to get the coming disaster done with so she could move on with her life.  She was glad that she was still on break from school, because dealing with this in addition to the stress of dealing with Gray might have been too much. 

Her phone vibrated, and she absently pulled it, checking the notification.  Keiko didn't normally message her unless it was urgent, and she knew where they were, which only served to make her anxiety skyrocket. 

Hey, J wanted to know if she could see R after school tomorrow.

That was supposed to be urgent?  It could have easily waited until later in the evening.  Ashe put her phone away, biting back a curse and grateful that the butler hadn’t called her out for the social faux pas.

She was jarred aside, almost falling back before her training kicked in and she leveled her stance, dropping her center of gravity as she readied herself to fight…  A skinny beanpole of a kid with short blonde hair had run into her.  A very familiar beanpole at that.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jason said, stumbling with far less grace in his recovery than she had.  He smiled, braces evident as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.  “I was running late, and didn’t think to look and then I nearly hurt you and I am so so sorry.  You are okay, right?  Sorry, should have led with that.”  He then blinked, adjusting his glasses as he did.  “Wait, who are you?” 

Crystal, who had been silently giggling through all of that, broke out into genuine laughter and stepped over, throwing an arm over the kid’s shoulder.  “Ashe, I am so glad you got to meet him like this.  This is Jason, my little brother.  Jason, this is Ashe, a close friend.” 

Ashe froze as Crystal repeated the rather obvious code phrase used in the past.  Where it was once tongue in cheek, it now proved to be a rather large risk.  Jason’s face shifted from his casual aloofness to calculating in an instant and the hairs on the back of Ashe’s neck prickled.  Then, in a blink, he was back to the casual, yet dopey, grin and reaching out as if to shake her hand like he had never met her before.  She hesitantly accepted it, giving a firm shake in kind, or at least as firm as she could manage.  Not that she would be able to feel most of his attempt at squeezing. 

“Nice to meet you, Jason,” Ashe said, plastering on a smile as she did.  “Crystal’s told me a fair bit about you.” 

“Oh, I’m sure she has,” he said, giving his sister a sidelong glance. 

She smacked his shoulder.  “None of that now.  I only told her the nice parts, and left out how you used to wet the bed when you were seven.” 

That earned her a rather justified punch to the arm which she laughed off, despite the intensity of the glare being leveled upon her.  There was a pang of jealousy to their interactions, the casual barbs and byplay that only siblings or extremely close friends could pull off.  Ashe had never experienced that, being an only child much less an adopted one. 

The closest she had was with her parents, and given her recent hobbies, she wasn’t doing that relationship any favors with how she needed to keep secrets from them.  Then again, her plan had been to flee as soon as she was legally able to and to forge her own life somewhere far safer for herself. 

“If you are quite done,” the butler said, nearly making Ashe jump, “the Senator is expecting you.” 

“Crap, and I’m late for my study group,” Jason said.  “Smell ya later, sis.” 

“That’s still gross,” she called back, smiling as she did.  “Fuck I miss that kid.” 

“You are always welcome to move back into the manor,” Prescott said, resuming the trek deeper into the manor. 

“And have to subject myself to his standards?  No thank you,” Crystal said, looking away. 

Ashe followed her gaze and her breath hitched.  Large picture windows were currently open to an inner garden, complete with a pool that was formed to look like a natural lagoon.  She wouldn’t have been surprised if it actually was one of those weird all natural pools that were notoriously difficult to maintain safely.  Then there was all the vegetation around it, and the skylight above.  Yet another symbol of just how wealthy the man was. 

“I remember when that was put in,” Crystal said softly.  “That was almost ten years ago, and I was so excited to be able to swim.” 

“You hadn’t been in a pool before?” Ashe asked, a bit surprised. 

Crystal shook her head.  “I have a mild chlorine allergy.  Nothing serious, but it can be annoying.” 

“Technically, it is classified as a hyper sensitivity,” Prescott added, his inflection unchanged.  “The itchiness and hives are easily treated, but it was enough for Master Ellington to commission the pool for her comfort.” 

Wow, if the guy hadn’t been a fascist prick, he might have actually made for a good father. 

“Semantics,” Crystal said dismissively, waving a hand as she did.  “Thankfully most city water isn’t packing high enough concentrations to set it off.” 

“I am reminded of Huston,” Prescott said in a way that almost seemed amused.  “There was a boil water alert and you took that shower.” 

“And was red and splotchy for the campaign dinner,” Crystal said with a huff.  “A good thing too, it kept Senator Graham’s brat from making a pass at me.” 

“Such a marriage would have made your father happy,” Prescott said.  “Pity that option has been closed.” 

“He married a fourteen year old,” Crystal snarled.  “I don’t give two flying shits about it being legal, that is still pedophilia!” 

Ashe had to bite her tongue, the urge to snap off that she had killed for less was rather strong but would only cause problems for Crystal.  She didn’t want to bring that upon her, so she reached out and laid a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. 

“Pick your battles,” she whispered. 

Crystal took a deep breath, nodding as she did. 

“Wise advice,” Prescott said with a raised eyebrow. 

“Comes from experience,” Ashe said.  “No point raising hell over problems that barely affect you, because then when a real problem crops up, you have a reputation for making a mountain out of a molehill.” 

“I can see how someone in your…situation…would develop such an outlook,” he said, then continued down the hall. 

Crystal took Ashe’s good hand in her own and squeezed, she squeezed back, offering a soft smile as she did.  The hall was lined with various bits of exotic artwork, often depicting Norse gods and goddesses, or Viking warriors.  Mixed in with the displays were what she hoped were replica weapons and armor.  Axes, shields and leather or fur armor were plentiful. 

It was also the most obvious sign she had seen so far of his beliefs since her arrival, iron cross gardens aside.  She was at least willing to admit to wanting to swipe one of the swords.  There was a reason that lesbians with blades were a popular meme, and she wanted in on that.  Maybe an excuse to vandalize or rob the manor would come up in the near future and she would get her wish. 

Prescott stopped at a large wooden door and stepped aside.  He knocked once and the door swung open, an elegant dining hall stretching out before them with enough room to seat at least two dozen people, if not more.  Three place settings were already arranged at the head of the table, but the only other occupants of the room were two older men in the same uniform as Prescott. 

The butler bowed, gesturing into the room.  “Master Ellington will join you shortly, please have a seat.” 

Sharing a look with Crystal, the pair heeded his advice and took their places at the table, dread slowly building about the conversations to come.

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