Can't Handle This
Chapter 33
Toni had been tossing and turning all night, partly because of the day’s stresses and party because of the thunderstorm brewing outside her window.
The lightning was bright enough to make her bedroom look like it was noon instead of midnight. The thunder rumbled loud enough to send vibrations through her chest. The wind whistled and howled like something out of a horror story.
All of this made Toni wonder if all this was just in her head.
At five in the morning with no sleep under her belt, Toni decided that it would be proper to leave her room and start her day. She purposefully spent ten minutes on her makeup, picked the perfect set of clothes, and even made herself breakfast.
At nearly six in the morning, she was still the only one awake.
Toni maneuvered to the desktop computer in the living room and Googled cafés in New York City. When she stumbled upon the site for the Tea Lounge, she couldn’t resist. It looked quaint enough for a good latte.
She looked outside at the slightly ominous looking clouds. She tilted her head, as if to look at a piece of artwork, and decided that it would be safe to walk as long as she had a decent jacket on.
She walked to the entryway and put on her black jacket. When she pointed it out to Pepper while they had been shopping, the ginger had given her an odd look. “What?” Toni asked. “I don’t care that it’s a guy’s jacket.”
She smiled, put up the hood, and walked out the door.
****
She walked into the Tea Lounge and ordered a Caramel Machiato. She smiled as she sat down in one of the couches. She was one of the first people here, considering it was only 7:05.
She sipped on her coffee when one of the male crew people walked up to her. “Hey,” he said.
“Hello.”
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere. Do I know you?”
Toni shook her head. “No, I don’t think you do.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “’Cause I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Maybe on TV?”
She shook her head again. “Well, you may know my dad. He’s been on TV loads of times.”
He paused and looked at her, trying to hold back a smile. “Who’s your dad?”
She smiled up at him, feeling his positive energy fill her to the brim. “Tony Stark.”
“No way!” he said right on her heels. “I fucking love Tony Stark! He’s my idol!”
She laughed lightly. “Well he’s always talking about his fans.”
“Ah, man! That’s so cool! Tony Stark’s daughter in my place of employment! That’s just…wow!” He looked at her when a sudden glint of hope flickered in his eye. “Could you get an autograph for me? I’ve got this really rocking Iron Man mask that I made myself. I’d love it if he…well, ruined it with his signature.”
“Sure. Go ahead and grab it and I’ll be happy to bring it to him.”
“Well, actually,” he said softly. “Could you come with me out to my truck? That parking garage gives me the jeebies, and I’d like the opportunity to take down your number so maybe I could call you…or something…”
She blushed ever so slightly. “Yeah, okay. I can go with you.”
He held out a hand for her and she accepted it with the hand that wasn’t holding her macchiato.
He led her across the street to the parking garage. She didn’t find the place creepy at all, but judging by expression on his face, she could tell that he was legitimately freaked.
“I hate parking garages, but there really isn’t anywhere else to park. I mean hey, welcome to New York. But every time I’m in here, I always feel like someone’s going to jump out and shoot me.”
He opened his truck, got inside the cab, and started to rummage around for what he was looking for.
Toni leaned forward and looked at the interior. A picture of a small dog caught her eye. “Who’s that?” she asked.
He looked back and smiled lightly at the picture. “Oh, that’s my dog Maggie. She’s our rescue puppy, and a mutt. It’s sad, really. We don’t know anything about her.”
“Is she still with you?”
“She’s with my mom. Right now, her accommodations are…up in the air.”
“Don’t have a place?”
He shook his head. “Nah, I live here in my truck. Ah ha!” He stepped down with a perfect replica of the Iron Man mask in his hands. “I made this from scratch and it’s been my most prized possession.”
“That’s incredible!”
He smiled and handed it to her. “Make sure this comes back in one piece. I’d be extremely disappointed if my life’s work was destroyed.”
“I promise to be careful with it. By the way, I don’t think I caught your name.”
He held out a hand to her. “Jesse.”
She grabbed his hand and shook it. “Antoinette.”
Suddenly, Toni felt a set of hands on her body. She was pulled away from Jesse, and he was pulled away from her. It didn’t take long for her to recognize that these people were not friendly.
Kanen emerged from the shadows of the garage, smiling almost evilly. “Hello, Miss Miller. Miss me?”
She opened her mouth to respond only to be silence by her own lack of voice. Kanen had put a gun to Jesse’s head.
“Shame you got in the way. See, we were going to kill you and have someone take your place in the coffee house, but this works very nicely. Thank you, sir.”
“W-what are you g-going to do to me…?”
“Hm,” Kanen started. “Well, I could reward you, but that would take too much effort. So…”
The gun discharged, lodging a bullet in Jesse’s skull.
“This works so nicely!” Kanen said gleefully. “And now, we’ve got our leverage.”
Someone hit Toni upside the head, causing a searing pain followed by blackness.
The lightning was bright enough to make her bedroom look like it was noon instead of midnight. The thunder rumbled loud enough to send vibrations through her chest. The wind whistled and howled like something out of a horror story.
All of this made Toni wonder if all this was just in her head.
At five in the morning with no sleep under her belt, Toni decided that it would be proper to leave her room and start her day. She purposefully spent ten minutes on her makeup, picked the perfect set of clothes, and even made herself breakfast.
At nearly six in the morning, she was still the only one awake.
Toni maneuvered to the desktop computer in the living room and Googled cafés in New York City. When she stumbled upon the site for the Tea Lounge, she couldn’t resist. It looked quaint enough for a good latte.
She looked outside at the slightly ominous looking clouds. She tilted her head, as if to look at a piece of artwork, and decided that it would be safe to walk as long as she had a decent jacket on.
She walked to the entryway and put on her black jacket. When she pointed it out to Pepper while they had been shopping, the ginger had given her an odd look. “What?” Toni asked. “I don’t care that it’s a guy’s jacket.”
She smiled, put up the hood, and walked out the door.
****
She walked into the Tea Lounge and ordered a Caramel Machiato. She smiled as she sat down in one of the couches. She was one of the first people here, considering it was only 7:05.
She sipped on her coffee when one of the male crew people walked up to her. “Hey,” he said.
“Hello.”
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere. Do I know you?”
Toni shook her head. “No, I don’t think you do.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “’Cause I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Maybe on TV?”
She shook her head again. “Well, you may know my dad. He’s been on TV loads of times.”
He paused and looked at her, trying to hold back a smile. “Who’s your dad?”
She smiled up at him, feeling his positive energy fill her to the brim. “Tony Stark.”
“No way!” he said right on her heels. “I fucking love Tony Stark! He’s my idol!”
She laughed lightly. “Well he’s always talking about his fans.”
“Ah, man! That’s so cool! Tony Stark’s daughter in my place of employment! That’s just…wow!” He looked at her when a sudden glint of hope flickered in his eye. “Could you get an autograph for me? I’ve got this really rocking Iron Man mask that I made myself. I’d love it if he…well, ruined it with his signature.”
“Sure. Go ahead and grab it and I’ll be happy to bring it to him.”
“Well, actually,” he said softly. “Could you come with me out to my truck? That parking garage gives me the jeebies, and I’d like the opportunity to take down your number so maybe I could call you…or something…”
She blushed ever so slightly. “Yeah, okay. I can go with you.”
He held out a hand for her and she accepted it with the hand that wasn’t holding her macchiato.
He led her across the street to the parking garage. She didn’t find the place creepy at all, but judging by expression on his face, she could tell that he was legitimately freaked.
“I hate parking garages, but there really isn’t anywhere else to park. I mean hey, welcome to New York. But every time I’m in here, I always feel like someone’s going to jump out and shoot me.”
He opened his truck, got inside the cab, and started to rummage around for what he was looking for.
Toni leaned forward and looked at the interior. A picture of a small dog caught her eye. “Who’s that?” she asked.
He looked back and smiled lightly at the picture. “Oh, that’s my dog Maggie. She’s our rescue puppy, and a mutt. It’s sad, really. We don’t know anything about her.”
“Is she still with you?”
“She’s with my mom. Right now, her accommodations are…up in the air.”
“Don’t have a place?”
He shook his head. “Nah, I live here in my truck. Ah ha!” He stepped down with a perfect replica of the Iron Man mask in his hands. “I made this from scratch and it’s been my most prized possession.”
“That’s incredible!”
He smiled and handed it to her. “Make sure this comes back in one piece. I’d be extremely disappointed if my life’s work was destroyed.”
“I promise to be careful with it. By the way, I don’t think I caught your name.”
He held out a hand to her. “Jesse.”
She grabbed his hand and shook it. “Antoinette.”
Suddenly, Toni felt a set of hands on her body. She was pulled away from Jesse, and he was pulled away from her. It didn’t take long for her to recognize that these people were not friendly.
Kanen emerged from the shadows of the garage, smiling almost evilly. “Hello, Miss Miller. Miss me?”
She opened her mouth to respond only to be silence by her own lack of voice. Kanen had put a gun to Jesse’s head.
“Shame you got in the way. See, we were going to kill you and have someone take your place in the coffee house, but this works very nicely. Thank you, sir.”
“W-what are you g-going to do to me…?”
“Hm,” Kanen started. “Well, I could reward you, but that would take too much effort. So…”
The gun discharged, lodging a bullet in Jesse’s skull.
“This works so nicely!” Kanen said gleefully. “And now, we’ve got our leverage.”
Someone hit Toni upside the head, causing a searing pain followed by blackness.
Chapter 28 is sad because Cj says "Let's just say I've got red in my ledger and I physically cannot wipe it out.". That's sad because Natasha says that in Avengers.
10/17/16