Inception, page 10
part #1 of The Defiants Series
“I love you,” she said, finally pulling away.
“I love you too. You be careful too. I’ll see you tonight. If we have time, we may stop by the diner for lunch.”
Annie nodded. “Sounds good.”
As Charlie drove to work, he noticed John in a black sedan, keeping about a two-car distance from him. Shaking his head, Charlie waved. It was no mystery he was being followed, and John didn’t return the gesture, his face stoic, his eyes covered by large black aviator sunglasses.
Once he pulled into the shop’s parking lot, Charlie parked his truck where he usually did on the side of the building, leaving the rest of the parking for customers. Randy’s truck was already there as expected, and Charlie nodded toward John as he went inside. John remained in his car, and Charlie felt a split second of sympathy for the guy. His job had to be boring, having to sit and watch nothing happening.
“Morning,” Randy said.
“Morning.” Charlie went into his office and opened the window that overlooked the main part of the shop. “We have any appointments scheduled for today?”
“Nope. Nothing. I sent the other guys home. I figured if we had any walk-ins, you and I could handle it.”
Charlie nodded. “Where is everyone?” The business used to be booming with multiple appointments and walk-ins scheduled throughout the day.
Randy shrugged. “I guess that rule of two transactions per day is making people put car repairs on the back burner. Especially since we can only get five gallons of gas per transaction. Too many people aren’t preparing for long road trips.”
Charlie began to say something but heard the bells jingle at the front entrance. He looked over Randy’s shoulder, and his heart skipped a beat when John walked in and approached his office. He looked at his watch and shook his head.
“Good morning, gentlemen.” John stood in the threshold of the office. “I’d like to take a bit this morning to discuss some of the new business regulations that are being implemented and that you will be required to follow.”
Charlie had read about this, and he dreaded finding out the details of more regulations. How much more ridiculous could they be than the rules already in place? The sky was the limit, and he wouldn’t count anything out.
“Have a seat.” Charlie motioned toward the chairs across from his desk. Randy sat in one, and John sat in the other. “I’m looking forward to finding out just how else the Millstone administration is going to control us.”
Randy shot him a look, his stern expression reminding Charlie that he was supposed to appear compliant. One slip of the tongue or one wrong move could mean he moved up a disciplinary level, pulling him away from Annie and any chance at taking charge of the situation.
John didn’t acknowledge Charlie’s comment and pulled a book out of his briefcase. He slid a copy to both Randy and Charlie and kept one for his own. He flipped to the first few pages. “Gentlemen, if you’d turn to the third page, this is where business regulations for mechanics begin.” Without skipping a beat, John continued. “All workers must report to their business at least thirty minutes before their business is set to open.” He looked up over his reading glasses and glanced at Charlie. “I have it documented that you did not show up until eight forty-five. What time does your business open, Mr. Cooper?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“Why were you an hour and thirty minutes late?”
Charlie glanced at Randy and back at John. “Randy usually opens. I usually stay later in the evening. It’s always been this way.”
“What time is your business scheduled to close?”
“I usually stay until the last of our appointments are finished. I stop taking walk-ins around four o’clock. I’m usually out the door by six. Just depends on how busy we are.”
John adjusted his glasses and made some notes in his book. “So, your business hours are from eight a.m. until six p.m.?”
“That’s the average time, yes, but some nights we’re out earlier depending on how busy we are,” Charlie repeated, desperately trying to keep his tone cooperative.
“You are to stay here until six o’clock. You will continue to take walk-ins until five o’clock. Even if you are finished, you will stay.” John continued to jot notes down. “Is that clear, Mr. Cooper?”
Charlie wanted to fight it, but there were more important things than his business hours. He was the business owner, and he didn’t like being told what to do. Gripping the arms of his chair, he swallowed his pride, remembering his promise to Annie. “Crystal clear.”
“Good. Next order of business is that you will report all earnings. As a business owner, you should’ve already been doing this, but here’s the difference. You will give twenty percent of your earnings to the Millstone administration. This will be a monthly transaction, and it will be twenty percent of your monthly earnings.”
“Why twenty percent?” Charlie didn’t see the harm in the question. “As a business owner, I would just like to know what made the government come up with that amount, and what will it be used for? I’m used to paying taxes. They just weren’t that high.”
“You can view it as taxes if you’d like, Mr. Cooper. It’s a requirement by law to maintain roads and pay government workers, and since you are at a higher disciplinary level with a monitor, we need more money from your business to pay workers who have to keep an eye on you.”
Charlie sat forward in his chair, clasping his hands together on top of his desk. “So, if I move down a disciplinary level, that monthly percentage will go down?”
“No.” John shook his head. “Once you reach that level, it stays. It can always go up more, but it’ll never go back down.”
“I thought you said that my disciplinary level can be removed if I prove myself.”
“I did. Your government fee does not change, however.”
Charlie bit his tongue. He wanted so badly to tell John to shove this all up his ass. He gripped the chair again and took a deep breath. He was a fool to think that things couldn’t get any worse than the normal rules that the other citizens had to follow.
John turned the page in his book. “All transactions with customers will be reported. You will keep a daily log of everything you do. That includes the work you have done, the parts you have used, where you have bought the parts, who the customer is, and exactly how much money you have charged. There will be no under-the-table transactions. You will turn this log in to me daily, or my designee, should I not be here.”
As John continued to discuss the rules and regulations of Charlie’s business, Charlie began to zone out. He could hear John talking, but with each new rule, he began to shut down. Pulling away from the conversation was a good thing. Instead of telling John how he really felt, Charlie nodded and responded with “yeah” and “okay” to meet the requirements of the meeting. Hopefully, Randy was listening, but if Charlie needed to clarify anything, he had the booklet that John had given him.
The room felt like it was spinning, and Charlie stood up. He braced himself on the desk then moved toward the door.
“Mr. Cooper, this meeting isn’t over.”
Charlie glared at John and stepped out of the room before padding toward the exit and out into the parking lot, the fresh air hitting him hard. He took a deep breath and leaned against the building, closing his eyes as he sucked in the air. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening!
“Hey, Charlie. Man, are you okay?” Randy touched his arm, and Charlie opened his eyes.
“I’m… I’m fine.”
“John’s still in your office. He’s pissed that you left.”
Charlie nodded and clenched his jaw. “Screw John. I needed some fucking air. It’s not like he doesn’t know where I am. I’ve got this damn babysitter on my ankle.”
He had to get back inside and finish the meeting. Knowing John, Charlie imagined he would mark him down for insubordination and push him up a disciplinary level. Now he had not only the fear of being apprehended but also the threat that a higher percentage of his earnings would be taken and he’d never recover. Before he knew it, Charlie would owe every bit of his earnings to Millstone and his minions.
Charlie pushed himself off the building and gained his composure, readying himself for the remainder of his business meeting with John. “Let’s get back inside. Let’s see what fresh hell is awaiting us. This has been one hell of a Monday.”
Chapter Twelve
After Charlie left for work, Annie decided to take some time for herself. All of the talk of the government shift, the new rules and laws, and the fear that Charlie would be taken away due to his behavior had her pacing, worried, and unable to eat. She had the day off and had cabin fever. She wanted to do something but knew the more she was out of her house, the more she would be on their radar, whoever “they” were, and she just wanted to be seen and not heard. Any decision to do anything made her second-guess herself, fearing that she would break some rule she wasn’t aware of. Ignorance of the rules and laws is not an excuse. That echoed in her memory and was something she’d never forget.
She grabbed her book off her nightstand, went out onto the front porch, and sat on their porch swing. The morning was cool, the fresh air moist on her skin as she took a deep breath. She ran her fingers over the front of the book, reading the title. It was a simple romance that she was halfway through. It wasn’t an amazing book, but it held her attention and was entertaining.
Once she flipped to where the bookmark was placed, she began to read chapter ten then quickly shut the book. Was it approved? She tried to recall the rules about literature and vaguely remembered the part about fiction being approved depending on the subject. This was just a romance, a carbon copy of many romances in which the man and woman hated each other, the man and woman fell in love, they broke up over some controversy, and they eventually ended up happily ever after. Romance surely wasn’t a forbidden topic as long as the couple wasn’t living together and planned to get married.
The thought of couples and marriage made Annie think about her and Charlie’s relationship. Getting married would be a way to get off the government’s radar. She would be okay with finally making it official. They had been dating and living together long enough for her to believe that she truly loved him. Marriage was a touchy subject, and bringing it up to Charlie was iffy. When they had first started dating, she remembered him saying he never wanted to marry again. Apparently, his and Mia’s divorce was a bad one, and he was turned off on the whole idea of a marriage, vows, and the nuptials that went along with putting a ring on the finger of the woman he claimed to love.
If it meant bringing his disciplinary level down one step, wouldn’t he be okay with it, though? Annie stared at her book’s cover, which showed a man and woman intertwined with each other, their lips just inches apart, ready to kiss. Maybe reading the book wasn’t a good idea. Her mind was running in a thousand different directions, and she couldn’t focus long enough to read a single paragraph.
After setting the book down, Annie walked out onto the sidewalk. Stretching her legs felt good, and she took a left then walked toward the park that was two blocks down from their house. The streets were oddly quiet, and she checked to see what time it was. Kids were off to school, and most people were at work at that time, but there wasn’t even much traffic. The main road in front of the park was still, with only one car parked about two hundred feet from the entrance of the walking trail.
Annie couldn’t tell if anyone was inside the car. The windows were so dark that she was sure the tint was past the legal limit. The engine was running, and there was movement inside. She tried to ignore it and started down the trail, tracing her cell phone in her back pocket to make sure she had it with her just in case. Maybe going for a walk wasn’t such a good idea. She could feel someone watching her, and the hair on the back of her neck rose.
Taking a deep breath, she continued down the half-mile path that she and Charlie used to walk almost daily. It was covered in trees and provided good shade in the hot summer months, but now the path was making Annie restless. She feared that at any time, someone would jump out of the woods and scare her. She had to chalk it up to watching too many scary movies. She was fine. It was supposed to be a rejuvenating walk. Instead, she was psyching herself out, quickening her pace to almost a run.
She followed the twists and turns of the trail, looking over her shoulder. No one was there, and she was far enough down the path that she could no longer see the street where the car was parked. Slowing her pace, she inhaled, trying hard to calm down. She crossed over a small wooden bridge that detoured over a stream that slowly trickled into the pond. She stopped at the railing and leaned over, admiring the flow of the water. The subtle sound relaxed her, and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to enjoy nature and being out of the house.
For a split second, it felt like the country wasn’t imploding on itself. She was standing over a stream, the cool breeze in her hair, the air a tad humid but comfortable. Birds whistled, trees rustled, and she wanted to believe that things were normal. Annie tried to savor the moment and encourage herself that everything was fine.
She gripped the wooden railing on the bridge and opened her eyes, jolting from her fantasy when she saw a man in a suit standing down the path, right where it curved into some trees. Jumping, she let out a small yell. The sight of the man reminded her that things were not okay.
His aviator sunglasses helped hide his identity. The only thing Annie could tell was that he had sandy-blond hair, he was about as tall as Charlie, around six feet, and he was thin. She continued down the trail, refusing to backtrack. She was over halfway finished before the path looped around to the park entrance. Her pace was a fast walk. She glanced over her shoulder, and the man was no longer behind her.
The last part of the trail was a slight incline, and she had to catch her breath as she finished up before standing next to a slide and swing set where Charlie often brought Ryan. She stretched out her arms over her head, and the endorphins coursing through her instantly made her feel good. She remembered how nice it felt to get out and get some fresh air.
“Enjoy your walk?”
Annie turned on her heel. The man at the bridge was there, standing a little too close for comfort. She took a few steps back, bumping into a pole on the swing set. “Yeah. It was good.”
“Those leggings are a bit too tight, don’t you think?” He pointed at her legs.
“No.” Annie shook her head. Had they failed to read something about a dress code in the rules?
“Women shouldn’t be parading around in clothing that fits tight. Your body is only for your husband to see. Then again, you wouldn’t understand that. You’re living in sin with a man you’re not married to.”
“Can I ask who you are?” Annie took another step back, but he matched her step for step.
“I’m an associate of John. You know, John, the man who’s having to keep close tabs on Charlie. He’s my supervisor, and today, I was tasked with keeping an eye on you. Good thing I am. You should probably go home and change out of those pants into something that isn’t so formfitting.”
“I don’t recall reading about a dress code,” Annie replied, attempting to choose her words wisely. She had gotten on to Charlie about behaving. She needed to practice what she preached.
“This is your warning, Annie. Leggings should not be worn out in public. They should only be worn at home and only in the presence of your husband, should you have one. You shouldn’t even be wearing them around Charlie. You’re not married. He shouldn’t see you naked. You shouldn’t even lie together in the same bed or be in the same house.”
The man was standing so close to Annie that she could smell his breath. Turning her face away, she edged closer to the street. Her pulse thumped hard in her neck, and she was certain he could see it. “I’ll go home and change out of these before Charlie gets home from work.”
“How could you allow a man to touch you when you’re not married to him?” The man cocked his head to the side, his smile arrogant as he followed her down the street. “How could you allow him to be sexual with you? I know you and Charlie have sex a lot. You two seem to forget that we’re watching all the time.”
Annie didn’t know what to say. She and Charlie definitely had a healthy sexual relationship, but with everything transpiring, their sex life had been put on hold. How long had they been watched before they were even aware of the government shift? It made her blood boil, and it took everything she had to bite her tongue and not say anything incriminating.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m headed home right now to change.”
“Good. If you’re caught in clothing that tight again, even when you’re at home, due to your not being married, you’ll move up a level in discipline. That means we’ll have to take you into custody for an unspecified amount of time. I don’t think you want that, Annie. It seems Charlie can’t behave unless you’re around, and that could be detrimental to you two staying together.”
Annie was within two houses of her yard, the man still keeping up with her. No matter how fast she walked, he was right there, harassing her. “I’m going in my house now. I’ll change. I’ll get rid of all of my tight clothing.”
“Good girl. You know we’ll be watching.”
She ran up the front porch steps and into the house before slamming the door behind her. She slid to the floor and hugged her knees around her chest, allowing the tears to flow. Her body shook, and she rested her head on the door, sobs escaping her throat.
Swiping the tears from her face, she took a deep breath. Even when she was trying to obey the rules, they still found a way to pick at what she and Charlie were doing. She debated whether to tell Charlie what had happened. It might send him over the edge and cause him to do something he would later regret.
Charlie watched the clock. It was five minutes until six that evening, and he paced back and forth by the entrance. If it weren’t for the stupid rules implemented by John, he would’ve been home by now. They had only three customers the entire day and no set appointments for the next few days. As if he weren’t worried enough about everything else going on, he was concerned about his business going under. Was it possible that John was setting him up for failure? Was he steering away possible work?
