HI there,

I hope you enjoy this week’s episode of Renee and Frei. As always please excuse the typos.

Big smiles

Jody

Act 3 Scene 5

In a exclusive gated community where stretches of lawns sat behind imposing electric gates, the telltale presence of guards with rifles lurked hidden behind the pristine hedges.  

Renee groaned at her aching feet as she stepped from the car and adjusted her indecent length skirt. She checked the vials in her usual C.I.G hiding place—her bra—and felt a breeze tickle her cheek.

“Blame Icy, Nan. I am not planning on getting that close to Pucker… I can’t ice Urs’ ribs but you can,” Renee whispered and checked her secondary pistol holstered in the small of her back, stooped and clipped something onto a car that must belong to Pucker, and then checked her dart gun strapped far up her thigh.

“Blondie, I can’t go icing her when she is dangling from wires,” Nan appeared beside her with her knitting needles swishing between her fingers. “Besides, she ain’t the one with a dishcloth for a skirt.”

Renee stifled her chuckle as she made a show of checking her reflection in her wing mirror. “It’s hard to get owner’s attention in my pants.”

And Nan iced her ribs.

Renee shivered but tried to cover it up as she eyed the guards eyeing her from the front door. “I have to distract her… we need to help Shorty… we’re on a detour.”

Nan tutted. “Then keep your hands off the lady’s silverware ‘cause she ain’t friendly.”

Renee raised her eyebrows then started to totter up to the steps. “I think you’re being polite with the term because she doesn’t really seem much of a lady.”

“You saying that while your undergarments are all on show,” Nan swished her needle about. “I say, you put some clothes on before you go decidin’ what’s ladylike.”

Renee stopped and cocked her head. Nan sounded like she was telling her off but her tone wasn’t matching it. Her tone was affectionate and like she was keeping Renee talking.

“Well, you could point me to where Shorty is and then I can be more ladylike… and honorable.” Renee tried to frown but it was hard frowning at Nan when she was dabbing her eyes with a cloth.

“It’s so sweet… you sound like her grandpa.” Nan sniffed with joyful eyes.

“He wanted to be more ladylike?” Renee braced herself and winked at a guard staring at her talking to herself.

Yup, there were the iced ribs.

“He was honorable and knew what his heart was telling him,” Nan said but she was eyeing the guard with a frown.

“Do you want me to just dart him?” Renee mumbled under her breath.

“I ain’t telling you that he’s got a gun loaded ‘cause the unladylike lady ain’t trusting someone who knows Icy.” Nan whistled and stared at the guy. “Nope, I ain’t telling you that schmoozin’ the lady ain’t gonna work neither, nope.”

“So, I’ll make sure I dart him when the other guards aren’t looking,” Renee whispered and held Nan’s gaze. “And avoid the trip wire they’ve placed on the floor because I’m trained not because you told me about him, nope.”

Nan pecked her on the cheek. “I knew you’d catch on. Detours kinda muffle the issue.”

She faded and Renee raised an eyebrow. It was always nice to feel her around and even nicer when she smelled of cookies and some soft soap that she caught the scent of on Aeron sometimes.

 Renee reached to make a show of flashing her leg. “I felt like catching up with Alanna, she in?”

The guard nodded and glared at his colleague who shook his head. “She’s around the back.”

Renee stepped around the trip wire and strolled right up to the guard. “Why don’t you show me where she is?”

The guard nodded again, no expression change from her closeness, no real emotion in his eyes. “Yes, Miss Worthington.”

Renee motioned with her head and the guy strode off in front of her. She followed but then slowed as she reached his colleague. “I pay my staff and you get a lamp and a desk… and you don’t get shot that way… you just need to take your patrol to the front gate and make sure the radios aren’t working.”

The guard blinked then lowered his eyes.

“You know Locks likes to remove assets from under owner’s noses.” Renee smiled at him and glanced at his gun. “You’d prefer Locks.”

He kept his gaze down and she strode to the corner of the house and glanced back. He yawned then meandered toward the gate.

She smiled. Easier than using darts. She followed the other guard as he trudged along ahead of her and glanced up at the side of the house. Cameras whirred as they tracked her movements.

She touched her earpiece, making a show of fiddling with her earring. “You doing something useful or dangling about?”

“I don’t dangle,” Frei muttered back with a grunt. “And some staff are very inconvenient when they don’t get sleepy.”

Renee sighed to herself. “They don’t get sleepy even with two darts?”

“No, immune… I haven’t had to gag someone in a while… it is very inconvenient.” Frei grunted then someone groaned.

“Guess I need to take a detour.” She smiled at Nan’s hint about detouring. “But I’m not sure how to muffle him.”

“Black, I do not understand what you are referring to but get on with it.” Frei cut the call.

“I don’t enjoy being rushed,” Renee said loudly then strolled to the left into a small section of trees which secluded a lovely seating area.

“Miss Worthington,” the guard grunted behind her. “Alanna is around the back.”

She drew her secondary pistol as she turned and perched on one of the seats. “Alanna? That’s very informal considering she’s Derek’s wife?”

The guard slowed and frowned at her. “Miss Worthington?”

“You’re a slave. She’s supposed to be Mrs. Lavelle… you referred to her as if she was a slave.” She patted the seat next to her. “You think Pucker will be nice about you getting mixed up?”

He stopped and panic filled his eyes.

“I heard she’s quite the pain,” Renee said rolling her English accent out over her tongue to thicken it. “I doubt you want to be stuck with Derek, do you?”

The guard glanced around him and edged forward. “How do you know that?”

“Same way I know there’s a trip wire,” she smiled as he stared at his feet.

“There isn’t one here.” He frowned moving backward.

Aunt Bess shoved a sweater over his head, disarmed him with one hand and shoved him upward to Stosur in the tree who tied him up and gagged him.

Renee smiled. “Muffled.”

Aunt Bess chuckled. “Muffled. Mousey is fixing the cameras.”

“Thank you. You have a guard who needs extraction.” Renee got up and strolled back to the house and in through the front door which the guard had vacated. She snuck inside as guards hurried toward the gate then fired at a vehicle speeding away.

“One extracted guard,” Bess said into her earpiece. “And I ain’t sure how short the driver was ‘cause I couldn’t spot them.”

“I have eclectic team members,” Stosur fired back with an amused tone. “I’ve hired her to drive my wedding car.”

Renee hurried through the house, checking the rooms. “First floor cleared.”

“Are you planning on being extracted from your wedding?” Aunt Bess said with a chuckle. “I know I been married a few times but it kinda helps if you like the fella to take him with you.”

Renee headed up the stairs, avoiding the trip wires. “On the first floor.”

“I’ve cleared three, Black. You are slow.” Frei sounded happy and full of emotion as always.

“I was muffling a friend.” Renee opened a door on her left, a guard spun and pulled his rifle. She charged and football tackled him to the floor, stripped his gun then smacked him with it.

“I do not want him to think I like him,” Stosur said with a sigh. “I am marrying him. He should be content with that.”

Renee rolled as the guard threw his head back and flipped him over onto his front again.

“Black, are you asleep?” Frei muttered.

“I’m doing some self-defense training.” Renee pulled the guard’s hands behind his back.

“You love the guy but you don’t like him?” Bess asked as she clattered something in the background.

Renee pinned the guard’s hands. “Stay still. It’s harder to tie you up and gag you when you struggle.”

The guard struggled even more.

“I did not say that. I said I do not want him to think that I like him.” Stosur’s tone was jolly as she appeared outside the window in front of Renee. “He would find it strange if I did admit it.”

A large hand tapped Renee on the shoulder and she glanced up at Aunt Bess. “Blondie, you can’t just leap on a guy. They get ideas.”

Renee hoisted herself up as Aunt Bess hauled the guard to Stosur who tied and gagged him. “I have served with a lot of guys… I’ll let you do the leaping on them.”

Aunt Bess winked.

“Black, I have cleared the rest of the house and you are in here discussing men.” Frei barged through the door and waved at the window. “Pucker has left with Lavelle and Alanna.”

“Has she?” Renee pulled her best innocent face.

“Yes.” Frei folded her arms. “Why do you think you’re amusing?”

Renee tapped her earpiece. “You got the GPS on Pucker’s car, Jessie.”

“Yup,” Jessie said between munching.

Renee poked out her tongue at Aunt Bess and Stosur then Frei and tidied her skirt. “I do more than just use vials.”

Aunt Bess chuckled as Stosur gave a satisfied nod but Frei put her hands on her hips.

“Don’t glare at me, I got stuck wearing high heels, again.” Renee tapped her bra. “You got to wear pants and zipwire.”

Frei chuckled and followed her from the room. “You can’t zipwire in a skirt, it’s not ladylike.”

Frei shivered and rubbed at her side. “She was not amused I allowed you to use vials.”

Renee smiled as a breeze tickled her cheek. “Because she knows I wouldn’t need to leap on anyone but Aeron.”

Aunt Bess chuckled. “Well, she sure is strong enough to catch you.”

“Depends if she’s busy removing the bullets from her butt,” Renee muttered then shrugged. “I can’t let her think I like her, right?”

Stosur nodded in agreement.

“You can’t go shootin’ Shorty,” Aunt Bess said with a confused frown.

“She told me she loved me… then threw me in the river…” Renee wandered off muttering to herself about it ignoring that Frei was sighing at her. She was going to make Aeron wear heels too. Yup. And a skirt. She smirked at herself. Aeron would be one beautiful ladylike dimwit.