by Brook Wilder
“I’m not. I just need to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it okay if I stay here for a while?”
“Of course you can, but what for?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m listening.”
I don’t want to tell him everything. I decide to dance around the main point.
“It’s Lyle.”
“What about him?”
“He’s always popping up at the library and sometimes... He even shows up at my house.”
“That fucker! Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“I wanted to try to handle it on my own.”
“Wait till the next time I see that bastard…”
“Abel, don’t make a scene. Okay? Just don’t.”
“How do you expect me to react? I don’t want that asshole anywhere near you. In the meantime, I’ll set up the guest room. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”
“Thanks.”
There’s a long pause. I think about how much I love Dom and how much it hurts me to walk away from him. As I stand in the middle of the kitchen floor, I fall apart. Tears stream my face.
“Amy?” Abel embraces me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Did that bastard hurt you? I’ll kill him!”
“No. It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s Dom.”
Abel pulls away. He looks confused. He stares at me for a moment.
“What about Dom?”
“I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want to tell anybody. It kind of just happened.”
“Amy, what the hell are you talking about?”
“The last few weeks, I’ve been helping him research Beth’s disappearance.”
“Okay…”
“And one night... It started with a kiss, and next thing I knew…”
He blinks hard.
“You and Dom?”
“I know it’s weird. Right? I never expected it to happen. But…”
Abel chuckles a little.
“I can’t believe both of you kept this a secret. No fucking way. Well, I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Huh?”
“It’s over between me and Dom. I left him a note and... That’s one of the reasons why I’m here.”
“What did he do to fuck things up?”
“It’s complicated.”
“How? He’s not cheating, is he? Dom’s never been the kind of guy to run around.”
“I know and it’s nothing like that, at least I don’t think so.”
I pause thinking about the picture of Dom getting a sexy lap dance at the strip club.
“I’m not gonna lie, this is a little weird to me. You and my best friend… Wow! But now that I got that out of the way... Hell, you guys should try to work that shit out. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be Uncle Abel one of these days. Wouldn’t that be something?”
Abel laughs. He stops when he notices the frown on my face.
“Amy? What is it?”
“I’m pregnant.”
He nearly spits out his coffee.
“Oh, my God.”
“It’s not something that we planned. Obviously. Dom doesn’t even know.”
Abel’s eyes get wide.
“Aren’t you gonna say something?”
“Shit, Amy. This is a lot to take in. I don’t know what to tell you.”
I’m overwhelmed with emotion. If I don’t even have the support of my own brother, that leaves me feeling abandoned. I sob and turn away from him.
Abel wraps his arm around me. I cry into his shoulder. He looks into my eyes.
“Amy, don’t worry. Okay. All of this is gonna work out somehow. And you know what? I’m happy for you. I always wanted to be an uncle.”
I wipe away my tears and sniffle.
“I’m serious. It’ll be fine. Let me just talk some sense into Dom and…”
“Don’t do that. Just leave it alone. Me and him… It was never gonna work out. We were just fooling ourselves.”
“Okay. But I still need to know what he did. Why do you wanna break up with him?”
“It’s because... Dom told me he was helping you and James on the case against the Vipers, and I’m scared. I told him to stop because it’s too dangerous and…”
“Amy, look, Dom is my best friend. I would never do anything to put him at risk. But I can understand why you’re scared. I think you should just let me talk to him, smooth things over.”
“No.”
“If that’s how you feel, I won’t push. I just hate seeing you torn up like this.”
“I’m fine. Me and the baby will be okay.”
“So, just like that? You’re done with him?”
“I really think that’s for the best.”
He takes a deep breath.
“I’ve never been an expert in the opposite sex. It’s probably one of the reasons why I’m single now. But still, I don’t think you should just walk away from everything like this.”
“Abel…”
“But it doesn’t matter if I understand it or not. You have to do what’s right for you. And I’m gonna support that every step of the way.”
“Thanks.”
We hug.
He flashes a big smile.
“I guess we’ll have to see about stocking up that fridge, seeing as how you’re eating for two now.”
I chuckle a little through my tears. Abel always knows how to make me feel better. I’m so glad to have a brother like him. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
***
At work, I try not to think about Dom. It’s pretty useless. Every time I walk by the romance section, my heart skips a beat. I miss him already. I wonder if he’s read my note yet. I wonder what’s on his mind. I wonder if he’s safe. Even if I want to walk away from our relationship, that doesn’t automatically erase all of my feelings.
In the breakroom, I make myself a cup of decaffeinated tea and listen to music on my iPod with the random shuffle setting. A Wynonna Judd song fades out, and the next tune makes tears form in my eyes. It’s a love song from Dom.
Carla walks in. She takes one look at me and frowns. I quickly wipe my eyes with a tissue and turn away from her. She gently touches my shoulder.
“Amy? Is something the matter?”
I shake my head no.
“Are you sure?”
“Just my allergies.”
“I see. Well, it is that time of year. I think I have some Claritin in my purse if you need some.”
“No thanks, I’m fine.”
The truth is, I’m a long way from being ‘fine.’ But at least I manage to put up the facade. I don’t know how long it’s gonna last. And the part that’s even more uncertain is I’m not sure how much longer I can go without Dom. This breakup is much harder than I thought it would be.
Chapter Seventeen
Dom
I ride through the streets of Tomahawk on my motorcycle. It’s morning. People are going about their normal routines. An old couple walk out of the post office. A man walks a dog down the street. They don’t look like they have a worry in the world.
But everything is upside down for me. It started with last night. When I left the Viper club, somebody was following me. It was a dark SUV with tinted windows. I couldn’t see who it was. But I knew one thing: there was no way I could come home to Amy. I can never put her at risk.
James let me crash on his couch. I couldn’t sleep worth shit.
The only thing on my mind is getting back to Amy. I’m speeding down the street, hoping that I can catch her before she goes into work. I just want to see her smile. A kiss and a quickie would be nice too.
I pull up to her house and frown. Her car is gone. Damn! She must’ve already left for work. I decide to park and go inside. I’m hungry and Amy is an amazing cook. I won’t mind having leftovers for breakfas
t.
I unlock the door and walk inside. Things look a little out of place. I’m not used to that. Amy always keeps a clean house. I don’t know what to make of it. Maybe she’s a little stressed out. And maybe it’s my fault. I know she doesn’t like what I’m doing to infiltrate the Vipers, but it’ll be over soon, and we can put this behind us.
As soon as my name is cleared, I want to propose to Amy. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I love her and I’m tired of keeping our relationship a secret. I want the whole town to know. Hell, the whole world!
I walk into the kitchen and notice a note on the table. At first, I don’t think anything of it. As a librarian, Amy has lots of handwritten notes about books all over the place. It’s so sexy that she’s smart on top of being drop-dead gorgeous. I’m a lucky guy. No doubt about it.
I pour myself a glass of orange juice. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the note. I walk over to it and read it. My hands are shaking as I take in every word:
Dom, we can’t go on like this. What you’re doing isn’t safe. I’m sorry but this is just too much for me. ~ Amy.
I drop my glass of orange juice on the floor. The glass shatters all over the place. I’m a wreck, trying to fight my tears. The last time I read a note like this was when Beth disappeared.
I scream and pound my fist into the wall. Hard. I don’t know what I’m gonna do if I’ve lost Amy for good.
No! I’m not giving up that easy. I grab my cell phone out of my pocket and call her. It goes straight to voicemail.
That’s right. She’s at work. I type a text that says: “Call me when you get this. I love you.”
Just before I press the send button, I hesitate. This isn’t the sort of thing I should be texting about. I need to see her face-to-face. But what if... My heart drops at the thought that she doesn’t want to see me.
For the first time, I think about walking away from the whole operation with the Vipers. If I lose Amy, it isn’t worth it. Nothing is worth that. It takes me a moment to pull myself together and clean up the mess on the floor.
I ball up the note and throw it in the garbage. I refuse to accept that it’s over. I love Amy too much. She’s my soulmate. I know I have to fix this, and there’s only one way to make that happen.
I call James. The phone rings and rings. He finally picks up.
“Hey, Dom!”
There’s loud music in the background. I can tell he’s at the bar.
“Hey! Can you hear me?”
“Yeah, man. You alright?”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“What?”
“The whole thing with the Vipers. I need to call it off, skip town.”
“But…”
“You can’t talk me out of this, James. You don’t understand what I’m sacrificing.”
“Hell, we’re all sacrificing. Me, you, Abel. Lena too. But you can’t walk away now. We’re at the finish line on this thing.”
“James…”
“Just hold on. Look, I talked to Abel earlier. It’ll all be said and done soon. Trust me on this.”
“I don’t know, man.”
“Did you say something about skipping town? What for?”
“I can’t get into all that now.”
“Dom, I know it’s not easy. But this is bigger than all of us. Don’t you get that.”
I hesitate.
“We’re counting on you. Just be there tonight. After that, I’ll talk to Abel. We can figure out something else if we have to.”
I take a deep breath.
“Is that a ‘yes’?”
“Damn!”
“Come on, Dom.”
“Alright.”
My heart is beating fast as I hang up the phone. I hope James means every word he says. I can’t keep this shit up forever. Amy is walking away from me, and I’m being followed too. This has got to come to an end.
***
I walk into Lips. It’s happy hour but I feel miserable. I can’t stop thinking about Amy. I’ve been calling her nonstop. She won’t answer the phone. Maybe she really is done with me.
I sit down at the bar and try to focus on the business at hand. This is the last place I want to be, but I’ve decided to keep my promise to James and Abel and see it through. I take a deep breath and try to mask my emotions.
There are Vipers all around. If I even look at one of these motherfuckers the wrong way, they might pull a gun on me. I know I have to be really careful behind enemy lines.
Onstage, an auburn-haired beauty takes her turn on the stripper pole. She’s wearing nothing but heels and a G-string. The men whistle and holler at her. She moves to the beat of the music.
Veronica, the bartender, approaches me. She’s a strawberry blonde, with a shapely figure and piercings everywhere, her ears, her nose, her tongue. I bet money that she’s got one in her clit too. Not that it matters. I’m never gonna find out. Amy is all the woman I need.
She grins and puts a napkin in front of me.
“What can I get for you?”
“Guinness.”
“Sure thing.”
She reaches for a beer glass.
“You know what? On second thoughts, I’ll have a gin and tonic. Heavy on the gin.”
“You’re the boss.”
She mixes my drink and hands it to me.
“Thanks.”
In one swallow, I drink half of it. I haven’t eaten much all day. The alcohol goes straight to my head.
“Slow down, cowboy.” She lets out a laugh. “There’s more where that came from.”
I finish my drink and nod.
“Good.”
She refills my glass. I take a long swallow.
“You alright?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know... You look a little depressed to me.”
“Depressed?”
I’m tipsy now. I’m feeling good. I’ve almost got Amy off of my mind. Almost. But the truth is, all the alcohol on the shelf couldn’t erase her from thoughts.
“I don’t know… You don’t seem like yourself, Dom.”
“I’m good. Really.”
“I know what’s wrong. Woman problems. That must be it.”
I frown and finish the rest of my drink. I don’t know how the hell Veronica is so spot on. But then again, all good bartenders are kinda like head-shrinks.
“You probably forgot, Misty doesn’t work on Tuesdays.”
“Oh.”
I feel a little relieved that word hasn’t spread about me and Amy. I have to protect her at all cost. And I have to stay in character to keep getting evidence on the Vipers.
“Who says I like Misty?”
“I saw you go into the back room with her the other night.”
“You don’t miss anything.”
“Never have.”
“Pour me another.”
“You’re the boss.”
Veronica mixes my drink. I’ve lost track. I think this is my third. I take a long swig.
“You sure can put ‘em down. Anytime a man drinks like that, he’s got a lot on his mind.”
I shake my head.
“Naw. It’s just happy hour.”
She looks at me, unconvinced. Then, the door opens. In walks Lyle. He’s not in uniform. The sight of that fucker makes my blood boil. I stare at him.
He keeps his eyes on me as he sits down at the other end of the bar. He looks up at the stage and glances at the stripper. Veronica walks over to him. They exchange words, and she pours him a beer.
He laughs and guzzles it down. That bastard looks so damn happy. Memories of how he harassed Amy pop into my mind, coupled with what Misty said about him killing Adam. Somebody needs to knock him down a few pegs, and it might as well be me.
I turn to Lyle.
“Fuck you!”
He blinks.