Lily's Temptation Vol. 1

by Michaels, C. C.

  Maddox rushes his words and is now practically shouting when he says, “I wanted to say that I love...”

  But before he can finish, he gets up in a hurry and I turn in my seat to watch him fly out of the room. I wait at the table for all of two seconds before I get up and run to the edge of the hall to see who is at the door. What evil person has so rudely interrupted this man’s confession of love?

  The echo effect of the cavernous main entrance makes the conversation almost impossible to hear. I lean against the wall and try my hardest to pick up every little syllable. I stuff my hands into Maddox’s jacket pockets. My hand touches something in the right hand pocket. I hear Maddox’s voice rise, not in anger but with a more explanatory tone. I fiddle with the object in the jacket pocket as I listen. I can discern one more voice at the door. There are two people talking to Maddox, maybe neighbors of Maddox come to pay respect to his late grandmother. I flip the object in the jacket pocket over and over as I think. It becomes obvious to me that by its dimensions and texture that the object in the jacket pocket is a business card.

  The conversation picks up pace and now Maddox is pleading in his tone. The other voices rise over Maddox’s low tone. I hear a scuffle at the door; my stomach drops in anticipation of the sight I am about to see as I turn the corner and rush to the door. On either side of Maddox are two police officers. They have his arms pinned behind his back as they force him towards a black and white, with the roof lit up like a red and blue lighthouse.

  “Maddox, what’s happening?” I yell, with every bit of control as possible.

  “Lilly,” he screams, his face awash in terror.

  The cops wrestle him back to the car and stuff him in the back seat. I run out to Maddox and am stopped by one of the police officers. The cop grabs me by the shoulders and locks out his arms as I frantically push forwards.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I scream in the cop’s face.

  The cop’s right hand slides to his hip. He shouts at me saying, “Relax, relax.”

  I can’t focus; his voice is cutting into me. Each word is like an attack.

  “We have a warrant for his arrest, miss.”

  I feel my limbs go heavy. “What are you talking about? Why are you arresting him?”

  The cop lowers his left hand from my shoulder and says, “He’s being arrested for assault.”

  The words sink into my heart like a knife. The officer who has been standing closest to the car tells me I will be questioned soon. He says in a breathless voice, exhausted from his struggle to put Maddox in handcuffs, “We need you to stay at this residence until officers arrive to take a statement.” The other one hands me a card and then they get in the black and white and take off.

  The last thing I see as the cruiser burns down the street is Maddox’s frightened face in the rear windshield. My heart drops to the floor. I can’t feel anything right now. I hear a ringing in my head and all of a sudden there’s no sound around me except the constant tone of the deafening ring.

  I rush back in the house and collect myself. I slam the door behind me so loudly it echoes like thunder through the empty house. I slow my breathing, and stand up straight. Maddox needs my help and I don’t know what to do.

  Fear tears at my nerves, leaving me trembling. I stuff the card the cop gave me in the right pocket of Maddox’s jacket. I pace back and forth in the main entrance. Finally, I decide that I should at least know the name of the arresting officer, so I reach in the jacket pocket and pull out the card.

  I quickly read the name, but something isn’t right. I’ve taken out the wrong card, but what’s more alarming is that it has Wernicke's name on it.

  The End

  To be continued in Lily’s Temptation Vol. 2 coming soon.

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to thank my parents, without whom I would not have the opportunity to write this book. Thank you to my friends, Corbin: who gave me valuable input into the medical aspect of the book; and Kevin for contributing great plot ideas. And mostly, a big thank you to all the readers for going on this journey with me. Thank you all for helping me realize my dream of being a writer.

  About The Author

  C.C. Michaels is a recent graduate with a B.A. in Literature. Born is Southern California, Michaels aspired to be a writer from a young age. Writers such as Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald are a great inspiration to Michaels. Michaels currently lives in Murrieta, CA with a Golden Retriever named Katie.