by Lynn, Davida
He pried the flap open and turned it upside down. The ring slid down the paper and bounced into his hand. The parking lot was dark, but a distant street light found the ring. The sparkle of the large diamond made itself known. Kyle looked up to me, an addled look on his face. “What the fuck is this all about?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it. I knew thirteen hundred wouldn’t be enough, so…Just take it. Hock it, trade it, I-I don’t care. I don’t want it on my finger, and I don’t want it in my life, anymore.” It was hard to keep my voice steady. I didn’t even want to look at that engagement ring. If I wouldn’t take it, it would find its way into a sewer before I got into his car.
After stuffing the envelope of cash into the back of his jeans, Kyle rolled the ring between two fingers, “What did he do?”
“Don’t get angry.” I knew those words would fall on deaf ears. “Just take the job,” my voice cracked, so I squeezed the rest out as a whisper, “Please, Kyle.”
Everything that could go wrong was. Maybe I should have let off with the truth, but Kyle had a temper. He had one hell of a temper, and I was trying to avoid setting him off. If there was anybody else I could’ve gone to, I would have left Kyle out of it. The way my life turned out, though? he was it. He was all I had.
The puzzle pieces fell into place in Kyle’s mind, “I’m not getting some girlfriend of yours out of Davis. I’m getting you out. I’m getting you away from him, right? What. Did. He. Do.” Kyle was close to the edge. Once his anger took him over, I didn’t think there was any way to pull him back.
“It’s not what he did, it’s what he didn’t.”
Kyle yanked the envelope from his jeans, “No, no. No way.” He dropped the ring in and pushed the envelope against my chest. I took a step back to keep my balance. The envelope dropped down, dancing away from my fumbling fingers. I gave up and let it drop. Kyle was already walking back towards his motorcycle, and I chased after.
“Kyle, wait!”
His motorcycle boots echoed in the abandoned parking lot. He splashed through a puddle or two before reaching his Harley. “I knew he was a bad idea from the motherfucking start.” He threw one leg over just as I caught up to him, “It’s not what he did. Horse shit. Nobody wears shades to a midnight rendezvous. Why don’t you take those sunglasses off and let me see what he didn’t do? Then we’ll talk about what I’m going to do.”
I stood before him with no argument. My hands shook as I raised it up and pulled the shades down. His eyes were cold as he looked into mine. His look hurt more than the punch that caused bruise. It hurt more than the last six months of my caged life. It hurt more than anything.
It hurt more than anything because it was the same look he gave when I had to tell him I was choosing Conrad. One year had gone by, and every memory and hurt was as fresh as it was that day. Fresher, actually. Living your life knowing you made the wrong choice is like smoking through cancer. It had taken six months of abuse for me to reach my limit, and after a year without speaking to Kyle, I needed him more than ever.
Kyle’s eyes fell to the ground. He let out a sigh that turned to a low rumble. “Fuck.”
There was no hiding the emotion at this point, “I know it’s totally, totally unfair for me to come to you. You don’t owe me anything. The ring is probably worth ten grand, maybe more. You have every right to say no to me, Kyle, but you’re my only shot. I need to start over. I need to get away.”
He spoke, his eyes still down on the damp pavement, “I was no good for you, but at least I wasn’t bad for you.”
I looked down just as a tear fell from my cheek. It landed in a small puddle and shattered the liquid reflection of the streetlight. I whispered, “I know. God, do I know.”
Kyle turned away for me, as if he was scanning for the enemy. “Does he suspect anything?”
“Why?”
“Because if he does,” he spun back to me, “He’s going to send guys after you.”
Conrad would. He would do everything in his power to stop me from leaving, and he had a lot of power. He had money, he had men, and he had powerful people in his pocket.
The Harley roars to life, making my body jolt. I was already afraid, and Kyle wasn’t helping much. He twisted back the throttle and let the Harley scream out. “Be ready tomorrow night. I’ll make a call down to Bakersfield and set something up. If you go, you go for good. As long as Conrad’s around, you can’t be.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets. I didn’t want Kyle to see them shaking, but I was terrified at the prospect of leaving. I was escaping from a pitch black prison, and I knew the brightness of the world outside with blind me.
He nodded behind me, “And I don’t want your fuckin’ money. You’re going to need it to start over.”
I looked back at the envelope. It was filled with every cent I could scrounge and the ring that might as well have been handcuffs. Kyle pulled away into the night. I stood frozen until I couldn’t hear the Harley’s deep and throaty groans anymore.
Book Two Available Here!
Davida Lynn grew up reading everything she could get her hands on, including books she had to hide. At nearly thirty, she has stories pouring from her fingertips. She enjoys nothing more than letting a story unfold before her. When Davida isn’t writing, she loves watching trashy TV, reading pulp fiction, and daydreaming about her next travel destination.