Megalomaniac

Read this first: http://thinspiralnotebook.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/family-feud/

The squeal of the teapot broke an eerie silence in the kitchen between Vivian, Lenore, and Danela. Danela traded text messages with Marco, but she was certain he was being watched. Lenore had removed her camisa. She thought showing Danela who she used to be would strengthen her. Id didn’t. It made Danela whimper and shiver further. Vivian turned off the stove and poured everyone’s tea into three cups with saucers underneath.

“Miss Vivian, I apologize. I was thinking and lost my mind err you know?”

Vivian smiled. When she met Lenore at fabric store seven months earlier, she spoke very little English.

“Lenore, I need to work on our little broken bird over there. Keep figuring out a way we can get her boyfriend here. I don’t mind making my own tea.”

Vivian still hadn’t adjusted to Lenore’s full sleeve of artwork on her right arm. Lenore had been part of gangs since she was kicked out of her parents home at 13. Lenore was 37 now. How she got away from the Sampas was a story she still hadn’t shared, in full, with Vivian.

“Miss Vivian, it will have to be at night. Marco’s flat is near one of Tomas’ drug houses. There will be two to six Sampas watching Marco. I knew Tomas as a tenente but he’s Comando, now. He has word, like, you know, authority to kill anyone.”

Vivian stirred her tea. She thought about how much cyanide she had available. The two women leaned against the kitchen counter and watched Danela hands shake as she traded more texts with her boyfriend.

“Tell me how you got out Lenore. We can lighten up the story for Pauley and Stan, but I need to know the truth. There might be away for Danela and Marco to get away without looking over their shoulder.”

Lenore pulled her long, thick, dark mane into a ponitail and secured it with a band from her left wrist. She looked older than 37, but there were traces of her beauty before the Sampas. She walked with her tea and sat down next to Danela. Vivian followed.

“Danela should hear too, Miss Vivian.”

Lenore made the sign of the cross and kissed her necklace then began speaking, most of the time in Portugese about her years in several gangs, including nine years with the Sampas. After several minutes, she wiped tears from her eyes, sat back in her chair, and said.

“Your man, Danela, this Marco, he is lost. To be found he has to come out of the Sampas darkness and stare Tomas’ wolves in the face. If he gets away, like me, then he gets away. If he dies, then he dies. That’s the life, Danela. Miss Vivian and Miss Pauley can help you but they can’t make your problems go away. And your brother? Only God help him until he get out.”

Vivian sipped the last of her tea. She reached her hand across the table and Danela took it.

“Tomas is dangerous, but he’s not as smart as us. Tomas Azevedo’s main business is fear. You are in a room with two, Lenore and I, who find fear amusing and easy to conquer. “

Danela stopped crying. She stared at her phone, which had been without a return text from Marco for several minutes. She looked up at Vivian and then Lenore with sad, dark eyes.

“I can no imagine not being afraid of Tomas and the Sampas. You, Vivian and you, Lenore are like the heroes in my comic books.”

Vivian smirked, glanced at Lenore and responded.

“No, my sweet Danela, we’re something much different from comic book heroes. “

*****blogger’s notes*****

This is one of two new chapters to our Brazilian sequesl to Dead Money, the blog series I co-write with Tara aka @Tara_R from Thin Spiral Notebook http://thinspiralnotebook.wordpress.com/ http://thinspiralnotebook.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/family-feud/

Here’s some Incubus to give you a feel for my chapter:

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