As soon as Jimmy was dried and dressed, he dumped the toys into the trash. It was comical to see so many brightly colored gadgets peeking out of the small bathroom trash can, but he didn’t want any of them.
They could get new toys, Jimmy told himself as he curled up in bed. He rolled over to Cold’s side, hugging his pillows and breathing in his scent. He had no appetite, and he was grateful that Jerry didn’t come bothering him about dinner.
Sleep came, but only in small bursts. When he woke up next and saw daylight, he fumbled for his phone and saw it was already eight o’clock.
“Shit!”
He scrambled to get ready, racing downstairs to find Jerry and Charlie in the kitchen. They were having a very intense conversation in French, and Jimmy didn’t miss the way Jerry was reaching for Charlie’s hand.
Jimmy’s presence startled them, and Jerry exclaimed, “Oh,monsieur! I’m so sorry! I must have lost track of the time!”
“Don’t be sorry. Let’s just go, please,” Jimmy said urgently. “I don’t want to miss the arraignment.”
“Of course! Let’s go!” Charlie said, jumping up with a grin.
“You’re not coming,” Jimmy said firmly as he marched to the door with a scowl. “This is personal!”
“I want to see the two of you reuniting! It’ll be such a great inspiration for your upcoming nuptials!” Charlie insisted. “Please, Mr. Poe. Allow me to accompany you.”
“Fine!” Jimmy groaned, in no mood to argue. He glanced at the empty flower vase and called back to Jerry, “Do you think you can get us to the flower shop and still make it to court on time?”
“Absolument, monsieur!” Jerry promised. “Make sure you both buckle up.”
Jerry once again proved he had the skills of a race car driver, zipping them downtown in record time. Jimmy bolted out of the limo and gritted his teeth as Charlie followed right behind him.
“What kind of flowers are you getting?” Charlie asked eagerly. “Roses for love and passion? Oh, what about carnations—”
“Calla lilies,” Jimmy said with a scowl. “They’re Rod’s favorite.”
“Oh, right! Of course!”
Jimmy rang the bell on the counter and smiled when the clerk approached. “Hi! I’m sorry to rush you, but I’m in a bit of a hurry—”
The clerk froze when he saw Jimmy, starting to backpedal away as he cried, “No, no! I’m sorry! It’s not my fault! They made me do it!”
“What?” Jimmy blinked, totally confused. “Look, I just want some calla lilies, and I’ll be on my way.”
The clerk reached behind the shelves and pulled out a gun, wildly pointing it toward Jimmy. “You tell him, you tell Cold! I didn’t want to!”
Jimmy immediately froze, and his heart seized in terror. “What, what are you talking about?”
Charlie’s hand grabbed Jimmy’s shoulder, pulling him out of the way and stepping forward to confront the clerk. “Listen, mate. We’re not here to cause any trouble. We just wanted some flowers and then we’ll be on our way, all right?”
“No!” the clerk cried frantically. “I can’t... I can’t do this... he’s gonna kill me. That’s why you’re here! Just to fuck with me! I can’t live like this, I can’t!” He brought the gun up to his mouth.
“No! Stop!” Jimmy screamed.
The gun went off.
