Mayhem Among The Hummingbirds
Tawny's favorite place was the patio deck. Meandering around oak and maple trees, it and the porch contained two hot tubs, one pool, one koi pond complete with a waterfall, and a shapely half naked female statue pouring water from a vase as the centerpiece fountain. The elaborate patio deck/porch also contained a midsize grill near the sliding glass doors leading out to the beginning of the patio, as well as two huge community grills at the other end of the porch, along with a full wet bar, large fridge, and freezer. There were tables, chairs, and loungers all along the patio/porch. Set against the backdrop of a carefully disguised armed community, it was a little piece of backyard paradise, that was "Home Sweet Home" to a variety of extremely lethal people, and a lot of harmless hummingbirds.
The hummingbirds had started with a couple of feeders hung near one of Tawny's favorite spots on the porch. Then it escalated, and soon there were over a dozen feeders dotting the patio deck and porch. When Big George raised an eyebrow and groused about becoming a sugar water daddy for a bunch of damn hummingbirds after being told to make sure the feeders were kept filled when Tawny was gone, Rick looked at him and replied, "The hummingbirds soothe her."
Big George, who had seen Tawny when she was anything but soothed, and sometimes helped the clean up crew with the bodies when she was unduly provoked, never raised another eyebrow or groused again about being put in charge of filling the feeders when Tawny was gone. Though he would never admit it, Big George had quickly become entranced with the fast flying little birds. Noting that for all their dainty size and cuteness, they were fierce little warriors when it came to defending their rights to the feeders. Like Tawny, he now found himself soothed by them, and feeling strangely blessed that his little charges had no fear of him, and would in fact boldly buzz him when a feeder needed filling.
Big George knew having to put a spiked heel through the eye of a former partner/lover turned rogue was going to cause Tawny's stress level to be very high when she returned from her latest assignment. He made damn sure all the feeders were filled when Rick called to tell him they were on their way back. He also made sure their private hot tub was clean and working, and that there was plenty of her favorite wine in the wet bar. Rick would take care of anything else she would need or want.
When they arrived home, Tawny showered, fired up a fat one, then joined Rick in the hot tub. She slipped in beside him, took the glass of wine he offered her, then leaned back and closed her eyes closed. That didn't work out too well though because what she kept seeing behind her closed lids were visions of a man she had once respected, made love with, and in her only strange way, been very fond of, with one of her spiked silver heels through his eye.
Tawny opened her eyes back up, took hit the fat one, then and zeroed in on the hummingbirds. Rick relaxed a little when she did that. He had dark unwanted visions of the past that often danced behind his own closed lids. He carefully slid one arm over Tawny's shoulders, and quietly sipped his wine as she watched the hummingbirds. As he knew they would, a few of them zoomed over to the hot tub, and happily zipped around Tawny's head. The smallest of them getting right in front of her, and hovering inches from her nose. Rick watched as a small smile curved Tawny's mouth. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he felt her shoulders begin to relax. Rick liked having his arm over her shoulders because that way, he could feel how tense she was. A very tense Tawny, was a very dangerous Tawny. Not that she wasn't dangerous even when completely relaxed. But tense, she was best compared to sweating dynamite, or a coiled rattlesnake. He let her watch the hummingbirds without saying a word, and slightly thanked the littlest one for bringing that small upward curve to her lips.
That small curved smile the littlest hummingbird had brought to her lips vanished a few moments later when Tawny thought about what certain people were going to try and do in retaliation for what she had just done to her ex lover. Especially the woman who had caused Craig to betray her and go rogue. After taking another puff, then a sip of wine, she said, "We need to make sure security is extra tight now."
Rick, who had already thought of the consequences of Tawny's act, replied, "Already taken care of, my dear."
Tawny turned to Rick, another little half smile curving her lips as she did, and said, "Of course." Then leaned over and gently kissed his cheek.
Tawny went back to sipping her wine, toking, and watching the hummingbirds. Rick allowed a smiled to crease his own face when he felt her shoulders slightly relax again. Normally Rick would be pervertedly snorkeling under water to help Tawny relax. But all things considered, he knew relieving tension in a sexual way right now was not a good idea. Tawny needed time to morn the loss of what once was. And come to terms with the bitter reality of the present.
After relaxing for 30 minutes Tawny and Rick rose from the hot tub, dried themselves off, then donned terry robes. They walked hand in hand back to the house, changed into shorts and tees, then headed to the community grills. Rick had thought about using their private grill and preparing a quiet dinner for two. But, eating at the community grills, and socializing a little while doing so would be better for Tawny right now, and for him. All he really wanted to do right then was take her in his arms, make love to her, and somehow make the pain she was feeling go away. But he knew nothing that he or anyone else could do would make the pain go away.
The pain had started for Tawny when an insane survivalist had drawn the blade across the throat of a woman, while an 8 year old child watched in horror. He had taken the child his to his cabin/compound in the woods, and started the training process he thought would make her the woman of his dreams. For the next 5 years he taught her to cook, clean, hunt, and kill, his way. When the child had turned 13, he had taken her into his bed, and began training her to please him sexually. As she was cutting her sweet sixteen birthday cake, he had stood behind her, one hand helping her guide the knife, the other ran up the back of the dress he. He had laughed and said, "Oh yes baby girl, I'm about to have my cake, and eat it too. You'll like where I'm going to eat it from." At that moment something had snapped deep within the girl. She backed against him, and forced herself to make the cooing sound of pleasure he liked to hear, then replied as she knew he wanted. "Oh daddy, I am going to love that so much."
Just as she knew he would, he had straightened up a little to adjust the hard on that was now aching. It was at that moment she whirled and drove the knife into his chest. Before he could react, she jerked the knife out, and ran it across his throat. She would have loved to make his death a slow very painful one, but as he always said, "Shit happens. Deal with it."