Curls & Chaos – Chapter Seven

Two days passed and Gina returned to the loft, at Rizzo’s request this time. Most of the girls had been sent to halfway house locations, rehab facilities, or home, and the few remaining were getting care and counseling. Gina set her duffel on the floor near her boots and hung her coat on a hook before she padded over to where Rizzo was seated at the kitchen island, eating a sandwich.

“That looks good, can I make one?” Gina asked.

“Go for it,” Rizzo replied and took a sip of cola. “I got a ransom request this morning. They want sixteen of the girls returned for the return of Rico. I didn’t get an opportunity to speak, it was just a message dropped in my encrypted messaging app. Also, no proof of life. How do you think we should handle this?”

“Show me the message,” Gina asked and Rizzo brought it up on her tablet and slid it over to Gina.

“I’d tell them that without undisputable proof of life, they can suck it,” Gina said. “If they do have Rico, I’ll be there with guns blazing. If they’re just trying to save face? I’ll make the popcorn and we can watch them implode.”

Rizzo pulled the tablet back and sent a reply. A few minutes later, they got a reply with a blurry photo that could’ve been Rico, or not. Rizzo replied again that she needed a clear photo proof of life with something that could only be from today.

There was no reply. Rizzo turned to Gina. “I think they’re playing us, and that body you saw in the bus was Rico. Either way, I’m not handing any of those girls over to these assholes, but it changes how we address the situation.”

“I agree. If they prove they have Rico, then we go get his ass. If they don’t, we let them swing. What are they going to do to us otherwise? Announce we stole their stolen girls?” Gina asked.

“The fact that they found my encrypted messaging information is not comforting,” Rizzo said. “That takes some digging to find – or has to be shared by someone that I trusted with that information.”

Gina finished half of her sandwich and wiped her mouth on a napkin before she reached over to lay her hand on Rizzo’s arm. “Riz, can you find out what the coroner has said about the body in the bus?”

“I’ve been checking every couple of hours. They have the body, but have only determined that it’s male, and approximate height. They don’t know who it is, yet. They’re waiting on DNA and dental records. If it is Rico, they’ll find out soon enough because of his military files. All of that info is in there and accessible.”

“And if it is Rico?” Gina asked.

“Then we figure out how to claim his body and get him buried properly.”

Rizzo let out a soft sigh, then turned into Gina’s embrace. They held each other for a few minutes, then Gina pressed a kiss to Rizzo’s cheek. “Do you still have that hot tub downstairs in that sunroom place?”

“I do. And a lot more plants so there’s more privacy,” Rizzo said.

“If we don’t hear from them in the next hour, let’s take a bottle of wine and go soak our stress away,” Gina suggested.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. I have a bottle of that zin blend you liked,” Rizzo said. “It’s in the wine fridge. I’m going to try and read for a few and do my best to not let panic take hold. You’re welcome to rest, watch TV or whatever you’d like.”

“Thanks, doll. You’re the best,” Gina said and went to curl up on a corner of the couch with the remote. Rizzo took the other corner with her tablet and brought up the book she’d been reading and settled in.

Normally, having someone in her space would have made it nearly impossible for Riz to relax, but not with Gina. She was comfortable to be around. Easy. And Rizzo had to admit she found her very attractive.

“Y’know, you’d make a shitty poker player,” Gina said after a few minutes of channel surfing.

“Huh?” Rizzo asked as she looked up at the other woman.

“Everything you think is right there on your face. At least, around me and that brother of yours,” Gina replied.

“Oh? And what am I thinking?” Rizzo asked.

Gina tossed the remote aside and crawled across the couch. She tugged the tablet out of Rizzo’s hands and put it on the coffee table, then crept a little closer.

Rizzo slid down more on the couch and Gina hovered over her. One hand slid into Rizzo’s curls before she leaned in to brush a kiss over her lips.

Gina’s movements were slow and deliberate, to give Rizzo plenty of time to say stop or push her away.

Rizzo didn’t do either of those things.

“Tell me to stop at any time,” Gina whispered, then kissed her again.

“I won’t,” Rizzo replied and kissed her back.

Rizzo took a breath and opened herself to the gift of Gina’s affection. Taking it all in, she felt the ease of old doubts and the smoothing of old scars. She took the gift and gave in return. The language of touch needed no voice. A caress of fingers over the muscles of her back, the brush of lips against a shoulder – words weren’t needed when one could show just how precious the other was to them.

They made their way upstairs to the bedroom and let all of their worries, their duties, and responsibilities fall away. Here and now was all that mattered. The rest of the world could wait.

The sun set beyond the two-story windows and darkness drew the city lights into colorful points with the darkness of the waterfront just beyond.

Rizzo woke when Gina sat up. They smiled at each other, then Rizzo grabbed two robes and they made their way down one floor to the hot tub nestled in a glass enclosure full of plants. It felt like outside, but it most definitely was not and that’s how Rizzo preferred it.

They sank into the heated, bubbly water and Rizzo checked to make sure her hair was pulled up on top of her head. Gina’s hair was so short, she didn’t need to pull it up. Glossy black strands caressed Gina’s cheekbones and ears, her olive skin and dark eyes glinting in the fairy lights that were the only illumination. Rizzo had wound over a hundred feet of the golden LED bulbs around the glass ceiling and the tops of the taller plants.

“This is as wonderful as I had expected,” Gina said.

“It’s my self-care special place. A half hour in here and I’m ready to take on anything,” Rizzo replied.

Neither one spoke much for a good ten minutes, just letting the peace of the space and the jets of heated water ease aches and strains.

“If that body is Rico, then I’ll set up a trust for his kids,” Rizzo eventually broke the silence. “And if he’s alive and they’ve hurt him, I’ll make sure he has what he needs.”

“He’s got good insurance, Riz. But yeah, it doesn’t cover enough. That’s nice of you to help out.”

“I’m not helping out. This happened because he was doing a job for me. It’s my responsibility, and I take that seriously. Those girls are alive and have a chance at a better life because of what you all did for me. Yes, you got paid for it, but you wouldn’t have been out there if I hadn’t taken the job.”

Gina reached out and put a hand on Rizzo’s shoulder. “We knew what we were getting into when we took the job. We knew the risks, and we did it anyway. It’s not all on you.”

Rizzo gave a slight nod and patted Gina’s hand, then got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself. She stretched out on a nearby padded lounge chair and turned to look at Gina. “Thank you for earlier. It’s been a while since I’ve let myself be touched like that. It was nice.”

“I enjoyed it myself,” Gina said with a grin. “In case you hadn’t noticed.”

Rizzo snorted laughter. “I think the neighborhood a block over noticed.”

They both laughed and Gina rested her chin on her hands where they folded together on the edge of the hot tub. “Anytime, Riz. I mean it. I care about you and I enjoy spending time with you. No demands, no pressure. Just someone you feel safe with, making you feel good.”

“I appreciate that. I figure you’re one of a handful of people that would understand how important that is,” Rizzo said and shifted so she could stare up through the glass ceiling at the stars past the strings of lights.

The alert tone from her phone had Rizzo snatching it up from the table next to her chaise and letting out a cheer.

“What? What?” Gina asked.

Rizzo read the text. “Borrowed a phone. I’m okay. Will call when I get to a safer space. Rico.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” Gina sighed. “So, who was the body?”

“Who knows? I’ll keep tabs on the coroner’s reports. Maybe Rico knows. Let’s go shower and have some ice cream to celebrate not having to plan a funeral,” Rizzo said.