Elmore's Corner...Round Fourteen.

Beth and Sam came back with Billy at the end of a tedious and lonely day. She appeared to be walking on air, and Sam had a relaxed look I hadn't seen of late.

Deb:  Appears our efforts were a success.

Beth:  Er...rousing, yes.

I grinned, patted her hand.

Deb:  All's well back at the ranch, then.

Beth nodded, smirked, blushed and looked down in a series of moves that
made her resemble a 13 year old admitting to her first kiss.  As always, I
wondered if Gerard knew exactly what he had here.

Beth:  How's the hip?

Deb:  Took it to the doctor...no cracks or breaks or any of that.  It's
just bruised.  All I can do is stay off it.  How can I stay off it?

Beth:  You send the overflow to a damned motel, that's how.  Nobody said
you had to house the whole damned crew.  And when did you go to the doctor?

Deb:  Actually it was the emergency room.  I nearly fell again coming in,
so Billy just scooped me up and took me, made them do x-rays.  I know I
don't have to house them all...but they came at the last minute and some of
them are no better off than Elmore.

Beth:  Bill can get a group rate.  If they don't offer one, they will.

Deb:  It's no problem...except for this.  Really, I enjoy them...they're
very funny.

Beth:  They're also a hell of a lot of work.

Deb:  That's a given.  I do a load of t-shirts and underwear everyday...

Beth:  If you've got a bruised hip you be doing just what you did today
and nothing else.

Deb:  I know.  But, like I say, I enjoy them.  I have no idea what I'll do
when they're gone.

Beth:  You'll be keeping Elmore from going in the toilet.

Sam had left Beth with me, and had gone to look for Billy...and found 
him in the basement grimly cleaning his newest toy - a Glock 40.

Bill:  Goddamit!  What the hell you doin' down here!

Sam gave him a mildly annoyed look.

Sam:  I'm not gonna look at anything, Strannix.  Don't get your
panties in a wad.

Bill glared back and resumed cleaning.  Sam smirked for a moment.

Sam:  Glock, huh?

Bill:  Shut up!

Sam chuckled.  He leaned up against the stair railing.

Sam:  You *know* this isn't the way to go, Strannix.

Bill clipped him off almost before he finished his sentence.

Bill:  Let me ask you somethin'.  What'd you be doin' if this was Beth?

Bill's level gaze bored straight through Sam.  Then Sam nodded and let
out a long audible sigh.

Sam:  Same thing.  I know.  But that wouldn't make me *right*.  It
would just make me a criminal, too.

It was Bill's turn to smirk.

Bill:  I *am* a criminal.

Sam snorted.

Sam:  Give it a rest, Strannix.  Your bad-boy routine is getting
tiresome.

Bill dropped his eyes back to his work.

Sam:  Let us get this guy, Strannix.  Let us do our job and put this
bastard *under* the jail.

Sam's sentence was punctuated by Bill slamming the clip home into the
base of the gun.

Sam:  You've been doin' a good job lately of gettin' your life
straightened out.  I'd hate to see you fuck that up.

Bill rocked his weight back on one leg, narrowed his eyes, and
regarded Sam.  A long moment passed between them.  And finally Bill
slipped the pistol into the waistband of his jeans, at the small of
his back.

Bill:  All right.  But you better *do* your job, Dawg.  'Cause if
*I'm* the next one to see him, he's a dead man.

"Beth Franklin" - 1998

Beth and I were still chatting, and I was working myself into a sitting
position so I would remind myself less of some cut-rate potentate, when Sam
and Bill found us.  Elmore was grabbing 40 z's, and I shushed them.

Deb:  Quiet down, you two...you'll wake Elmore up.

Billy:  'Bout time he did some work.

Beth:  He's been busting his ass and you know it.  He needs the rest.

Billy stepped around Beth to come to the head of the bed.

Billy:  Any better?

Deb:  Lots better...I'm getting up...

Billy:  In the mornin'.  No sooner.  You heard me.

Deb:  I've got laundry...

Billy:  And they got spares.  It'll wait.  You stay down.  Shrimp...

Beth:  I will.  She won't get up.

Deb:  Are you going out?

Billy:  For awhile.  Gonna see if I can hook up with some old...friends.

Beth:  Go with him, Sam.

Sam:  I think he wants to be alone with these friends...assuming he finds 
them.

I was staring into Billy's face, and not liking what I saw there.

Deb:  Billy...baby...please don't go out.

Billy:  Hafta, punk.  Just for awhile.

I caught his big hand in both of my own, held it.

Deb:  No, you don't.  You can stay in and rest, like Elmore.  Billy, please,
stay here with me, I've been so bored all day...

Billy:  Have a nice long gabfest with the Pipsqueak and the Dawg.

Deb:  Billy, you're scarin' me.  Last time I said that you had a belly
full of buckshot.  Please...

Billy:  Turn me loose, girl.

Beth:  I don't know what you're planning, Bill...but you oughta think it 
over.

Sam's voice was a low rumble.

Sam:  Leave it alone, Beth.

Billy turned, pulled his hand from mine and left the room.  I heard his
measured stride going up the hall and toward the garage as I struggled out
of bed and hurried after him.

Deb:  Billy...Billy!

He stopped, but didn't turn around.  I limped to him and caught hold of
his arm.

Deb:  What the hell am I supposed to do if something happens to you?

Billy:  Nothin' gonna happen to me, girl.

I reached around, yanked the Glock out of his waistband and waved it
under his nose.  He looked a little nervous about that until he could grab
the weapon and stuff it back where I'd got it from.

Deb:  Is that why you have a gun stuffed down the back of your pants?

Billy:  I always have a gun stuffed down the back of my pants, you
know that.

Beth:  Gotcha there, Deb.

Deb:  Dammit, he did...

Billy was heading for the service door again.

Deb:  Billy!  It doesn't matter!

Billy:  What doesn't matter?

Deb:  What Cole did to me.  It doesn't matter...I'll heal, I'm fine.  It's
not worth losing you over.

Billy:  You ain't losin' me, girl.  Quit talkin' shit.

Deb:  Billy...I'm afraid of him.

Billy:  Damn good thing.  Maybe you'll listen to me.  But I'm not afraid of
him, and I'm goin' out.  Dawg...you wanna come and put this woman to bed?

Deb:  It's not fair for you to completely blow off my concerns, you know!

Beth:  Amen, sister!

Billy:  I ain't blowin ya off, baby.  What I am is in a better position
to decide what I can handle and what I can't.

Deb:  So what you're saying is I should shut up and trust you.

Billy:  Shut up and trust me.  I'll be home before ya know I'm gone.

Deb:  Then leave me a phone...in case you're wrong.

Billy made a face, then went to the basement, where he had locked the
phones in the vault.  Sam led me back to the bedroom and I was settled 
again by the time Billy returned with a phone.  The minute he plugged it 
in, it started ringing, and he picked it up.

Cosmo: Frank Cosmo.  Angelo tells me you're still not interested in my 
offer, Strannix.  Care to tell me why?

Billy:  Oh, I don't know Frank.  Could be because I hate to see a 
small businessman muscled out by a corporation.  Could be because I 
think the whole deal stinks.  Could be 'cause I just don't like your 
ugly fuckin' mug.

Deb:  Billy, please...
 
Cosmo:  Could be you have no idea who you're dealing with.

Billy:  I was about to say the same thing to you, Frankie.
 
Beth:  I got a whole bundle of sticks, if anybody else would like to poke 
at underworld thugs!!

Deb:  Personally I'd like to get Elmore set up in a nice corner 
grocery store.  Billy, you need to quit mouthing off to these
characters.
 
Cosmo:  Your...'secretary'...is smarter than you give her credit for 
being.  You might want to pay some attention to the woman, while you 
can.

Billy:  I'm giving this "secretary" crap about ten more seconds, before 
someone goes ballistic.  Cosmo, you need to stick to your side of 
the world and stay away from here.  Away from me.

Cosmo:  Strannix...pay attention.  I intend to have that property, whether  
you're willing to sell or not.   I won't warn you to watch your back, I 
know you do.  But I will say I'm unimpressed with your other threats.  And 
I do want you to be aware that George would be happy to visit your...
secretary again...or whatever you call the woman you're...what's 
the term...banging now.
 
Billy:  Cosmo, get this through your thick skull.  The property is not 
for sale . . . not to you.  Stay away from my people.  Stay away 
from my house.  Stay away from my town.  And you threaten my woman again 
with thatpiss-ant Cole, and I'm gonna feed you one of those fancy Havanas  
you smoke.
 
Beth:  That's tellin' him, Bill!

Cosmo:  Stay outta my face, Cosmo.  Take yourself and your people and 
crawl back under whatever rock you came from.

Billy slammed the phone down without waiting for Cosmo to reply.  At
mention of the name Cole, I had frozen, and couldn't speak even as Billy
strode purposefully out.  It was late when he returned, very late.

Billy:  You ain't sleepin'.

Deb:  No, I can't.

Billy:  Usually you're out cold.

Deb:  You're not usually out trying to kill people.

Billy:  My woman usually ain't had the shit kicked outa her.  You're usin'
those Darvon?  Thought the Shrimp got the last of those.

I hung my head.

Deb:  You had a refill.  Sam went out and got them for me.

Bill:  How many?

Deb:  I'm fine...

Billy:  How.  Many?

Deb:  Three.

Billy was outraged.

Billy:  And you ain't sleepin'?

Deb:  I was worried about you, I...

Billy:  I can take care of myself, been doin it since before you were...

Deb:  Oh, shut up.  I'm older than that.  I know you can.  And I know you
know guns, but they scare me and I wish you'd only carry one when you had
to.  You gotta promise me, Billy.

Billy:  Promise you what?

Deb:  That you'll only carry when you have to...not when you have friends
around.  Cole scares me...he scares me to death...and I know, if he got your
gun away from you...

Billy:  He wouldn't have a chance.  I ain't promisin'...

Deb:  William, I can't force you to do anything, I know that.  But I can 
ask.  And I will, because I love you.  And if you care for me, you'll
think about it.  Please, Billy, please...

For a long minute, he stared at me.  Without answering, he pulled the
Glock out of his waistband and tossed it on the dresser, peeled off his
t-shirt, kicked out of his boots and stepped out of his jeans.  He slipped
into bed beside me and took my book from me, closing it up.  I nestled
against him and he turned out the light.

Billy:  Okay, dammit.  Okay.  Only when I'm alone.

TO BE CONTINUED...