by NM Facile
For the two days she spent at home, she struggled with conflicting thoughts. In the end, her mind always drifted back to the strong jaw and full lips; the way he looked, walking towards her at the bar that first night; the tingles that his voice sent rushing through her, or the warmth of his body next to hers as they sat side by side; the yearning his nearness created within her that was still simmering two days later; the gentleness of his fingers as they brushed over her skin, relaxing and comforting her. Most of all, she was haunted by the deep, endlessly dark eyes that had gazed into hers, taking her heart and holding her soul for ransom.
Mary returned to work tired and irritable, and after that, the days bled into each other. There was no contact with Ty. She hadn’t thought to get his number or give him hers. For the first week she waited, thinking he would check on her at Safe Works or maybe even stop by the apartment. Day by day the hope died. Faith stopped asking if she’d heard from him and Mary consoled herself every night that it was for the best. She would be better off focusing on the end of the school year. Her students needed her help preparing for finals.
Mary was at school late one afternoon with some students who had asked for extra time in the computer lab. She was attempting to put together a last-minute study guide when her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice. She looked up to see Dom Greywolf standing in the doorway, much like he had the day she’d met him. He looked every bit the hard-core thug he was reputed to be. Around his forehead he wore a rolled black bandanna with the corner sticking up. The huge South Pole t-shirt he was wearing looked like it would fit two of him. The crotch of his jeans hung almost to his knees; Mary wondered how they even stayed up.
“Dom, give me five minutes to finish this up.” Rozene said, her back turned to him.
“Take as long as you want. I’m gonna talk to Teach.”
He swaggered across the room and dropped into a chair opposite Mary. He slouched against the back of it, legs sprawled wide in front of him and one arm draped loosely over the chair beside him.
“Hey, Teach, how you doin’?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing the warrior tattoo to dance. This close, she could see that the barbed wire tattoo covered a scar close to his eye.
She couldn’t help but smile at him. He looked like a menace, but after their last meeting she knew that there was a part of him that was nothing more than an overgrown boy.
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Not bad.” He flashed his teeth in a smug grin. “So how ‘bout you let me take you out? We could have some fun. Once you have an OZ boy, you’ll only want more.” He cocked his eyebrow in challenge.
He couldn’t be serious. Mary laughed, “I’m sure that’s true, but I don’t date students.”
He straightened up and leaned forward, closer to her. “I’m not a student.” He growled quietly.
“True, but your sister is, and that’s close enough.”
He scoffed. “She’s almost done with this shit. Then she won’t be a student no more.”
Dom Greywolf was handsome in a dangerous way. Maybe, if they had met under different circumstances, she might have taken him up on his offer, but she didn’t go for guys with a reputation like his. She tried her best to stay away from trouble, not run headlong into it. An image of Ty flashed through her mind, standing just out of the light, all dressed in black with a hard set to his jaw. Maybe that wasn’t entirely true; she sure as hell was attracted to Ty.
“I don’t think so, Dom.”
“They call me Big D.”
“I think I’ll stick to Dom.”
“What if it’s not a date? What if it’s a party?”
She looked at him questioningly. Did he seriously think that she would party with a bunch of gangbangers? Was he high?
“There’s a party for Rozene on Saturday. A kinda graduation thing for her. Some of us are gettin’ together for some pizza and beer to celebrate. You can do that for a student, can’t ya?”
“I’m flattered that you asked, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” For a brief second his cocky smirk faltered, and his eyes held a vulnerability she hadn’t expected to see. He quickly tightened his jaw and narrowed his eyes.
“Are you too good for us or are you scared of us, Teach?” His words had a harsh edge.
She squared her shoulders and hoped that she didn’t look as afraid as she felt. “I am not scared of you, Dom Greywolf, and I don’t think I’m better or worse than anyone else.”
“Dom, quit buggin’ my teacher.” Rozene called from her chair. Mary turned to look at her. She was closing up and getting her stuff together.
“I was bein’ polite, invitin’ her to your thing on Saturday.” He turned back to Mary. “Come on, Teach. It’ll be in a public place. You can bring a friend.”
Mary sighed. “If I were to come, where would I be going?”
His smile was triumphant. “I knew ya couldn’t say no to me.” She rolled her eyes. “Dee’s Pizza, down on Lake Street.”
“Dee’s?” He had her full attention. That was where Ty worked. Did this guy know Ty?
“Yeah, you been there?” He looked surprised.
“Um, yeah. I’ve been there with my roommate, Faith.”
“Well, bring her with you. There are plenty of OZ guys to go around.”
Rozene interrupted, “Miss Flynn, you don’t have to come. Really, it’s more of a family thing. It’s not a big deal.” She glared at Dom. “Let’s go, bro.”
“Roz, I invited her. She can come if she wants.” Rozene turned and stomped away from him, her face in flames. Mary would hate to be in the car with them on the way home.
“Teach, you can come if you want. Saturday at seven.”
“I’ll think about it.”
His smile widened. “I knew you were into me.”
He started to saunter out when Mary remembered Ty.
“Hey, Dom?” Dom turned to look at her. “Do you know Ty Jaden? I think he works at Dee’s.”
Dom’s smile disappeared. He answered in a tight voice, “Yeah. How do you know Ty?”
“I… I just met him one night.” Mary stuttered.
“Ty Jaden is nothing. You can do better than that.” His words hung heavy in the air long after he left the room.
Mary was even more troubled in the days after her encounter with Dom. She was short-tempered with Faith and she snapped at her students. She knew that she was not acting like herself, and that she really should just put Ty behind her.
Her next shift at Safe Works was on Thursday evening. When she arrived, Mary settled down at the desk and looked over the schedule for the upcoming week. She was glad to see that she and Faith would be working a few shifts together, and she smiled when she noticed that Jack had scheduled himself with Faith for a long shift on Saturday. She hoped that their time alone would be what Faith needed to get over her hang-up about Jack.
Karen came out of the office all smiles, but stopped short when she saw Mary.
“Mary dear, is everything all right?” Her concern had Mary groaning inwardly. Her sleepless nights must be showing in her face.
“Yes, I’m just a little tired.” She smiled weakly, but Karen’s frown let her know she wasn’t fooling anyone.
Mary envied how gracefully Karen moved across the floor as she came over to sit next to her.
“How is your head?”
Mary was taken aback. She hadn’t told anyone at Safe Works about the incident from a few weeks ago. “You heard about that?”
“Andy ran into Faith the other day, and she mentioned that you had slipped and suffered a concussion.” Mary wondered how much of the story Faith had shared.
“It’s fine now. Nothing to worry about.”
Karen nodded. “Faith also mentioned that you let Nikki go home early that night, and you stayed here alone.” Mary sighed loudly, annoyed that Faith had opened her big mouth. “You and Nikki both know better than that. I’m glad that you feel safe here, but don’t do it again.” Karen scol
ded softly.
“I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t thinking.” Mary rubbed her forehead, trying to work the tension out.
“Is there something bothering you, Mary? You seem troubled.”
“No, I just have a bit of a headache tonight from lack of sleep,” she lied, assuming that if she asked Karen about Ty she would only hear another lecture.
A couple came into Safe Works and hesitantly asked how the program worked, and Karen stood up to help them. As she moved with them into the main seating area, Nikki arrived.
Mary watched her curiously as she dropped her purse and jacket off on the couch. Nikki was pretty, but the years of partying were creeping up on her, and she looked older than her twenty-eight years. She wondered if Nikki might know Ty, but reminded herself that she wasn’t in a small town anymore, where everyone knew everyone else.
“Hey, Mary.” Nikki’s greeting was friendly, and Mary returned it.
Karen returned from escorting the couple out and greeted Nikki briefly before going to the office to gather her things. After she left, Nikki began to launch into a retelling of her day when the door jingled. She and Mary turned to greet the newcomer.
The words died on Mary’s lips at the sight of a nervous, fidgeting Ty standing just inside the door. He was running his hand through the tangled locks behind his ear. Nikki and Mary spoke at the same time, taking each other by surprise.
“Ty?”
“T. J.?”
Chapter 9 - Regretful Decisions
Why didn’t he get her number? Ty had been kicking himself for days. He drove himself crazy, wondering if she was all right. He knew she was probably at home, because the doctor had told her to take a couple of days off. He thought about stopping by her apartment, but talked himself out of it when he remembered the promise he had made to himself, that he would tell her the truth the next time he saw her. The image of her sleeping peacefully next to him, trusting him completely, stopped him. If he didn’t see her again, he would never have to see the look of revulsion on her face as she learned the truth.
The late spring days were growing longer, and he thought about the school year coming to an end. Would Mary stay in the city for the summer? For all he knew, she would find a job in Florida to be closer to her mom. The thought of her disappearing from the city left him hollow.
In the end, he knew he needed to see her, and he paced nervously on the sidewalk in front of Safe Works, muttering to himself. How would he tell Mary about his past? “Hey, I used to deal heroin and went to jail for it. Want to go out with me?” He shook his head. He probably looked crazy. Hell, he felt crazy. He should have just stayed away from her to begin with, but that was no longer an option.
He finally manned up and went inside. The first person he saw was Nikki, which didn’t bode well. He looked around for Mary and found her standing behind the desk. She was beautiful, as always, in gray pants and a dark blue and gray striped shirt that was just tight enough to rev the imagination without being revealing. She must have come straight from school. How did her male students concentrate with her at the front of the class?
Both girls looked at him in surprise. Mary turned to stare at Nikki with her mouth open and her brow wrinkled.
“T. J.” Nikki spoke his name coldly, forcing his attention back to her. She was striding towards him with a hard expression on her overly made-up face. “What are you doing here?”
He returned his gaze to Mary’s face. “I’m here to see Mary.” Mary’s face was difficult to read, but Ty thought he could see sadness and confusion in her eyes. What had put it there?
Nikki folded her arms. “Why?”
“Yes, Ty, why are you here?” Mary asked quietly.
He stepped around the desk to stand close to her and gave her his best make-her-melt smile. “I came to see how you were; I was worried about you.” Mary’s breathing hitched as he reached out and fingered the lock of hair hanging over her shoulder, tucking the silky strands back behind her ear, but she flinched at his touch.
She looked from him to Nikki, clearly piecing things together in some way. What had Nikki said about him? He was sure it wasn’t all truthful. Nikki had always been prone to exaggeration.
“This isn’t a good time,” Mary whispered.
“Mary, I just want to talk to you.” He kept his voice low, hoping that Nikki couldn’t really hear what he was saying.
“Not now. I’m busy and you shouldn’t be here.” Her eyes had gone hard and the edge of her voice cut him.
“Please, just a few minutes. We can go outside.” He hated begging her, especially in front of Nikki.
“No, Ty. Just leave.” She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply again before quietly adding, “Please.”
“Mary…”
“She’s right, Ty; we don’t let dealers in here.” Nikki’s voice was hard and spiteful.
As he spun around to face her, he heard Mary gasp. So maybe she hadn’t known.
He looked intently at Mary. “We need to talk,” he repeated, and walked out without another word.
Ty strode across the street, fuming to himself about how fucking stupid he had been. Mary had him so twisted up that he couldn’t even think straight. He hadn’t even denied it! If she impaired his judgment this badly she could only cause him trouble. He couldn’t risk putting cracks in the foundation of all his carefully laid plans, cracks that could cause everything to come tumbling down.
He got in his car, whipped out into the street and just drove, with no destination in mind. He didn’t know how he would ever get Mary to talk to him now. It was probably better that she didn’t, anyway. Now was the perfect time to cut his losses and forget all about her. He had known from the start that she had no place in his life. Hell, he should be thanking Nikki; she was doing him a huge favor. Mary finding out about his past this way made it easy. He wouldn’t have to confess to anything and he wouldn’t ever have to see the disappointment he caused in her eyes.
He eventually ended up outside of a bar he rarely visited, known for its rough clientele. Not wanting to put himself in a position that could negatively affect his parole, he usually avoided places like that. Tonight he welcomed any challenge that waited.
The place was dark and broken, just like the people who frequented it. It was a neighborhood hangout in an even rougher part of the city than Ty’s own. The locals here were untrusting and unfriendly to outsiders. A few suspicious glances were thrown in his direction when he walked in, but other than that no one paid him any attention.
Ty found himself a little table tucked in a corner, well away from anyone. He wasn’t looking for company tonight. He lit up and asked the tired-looking waitress for a Jack and Coke. The music that poured from the jukebox was loud and diverse, ranging from Johnny Cash to Jimi Hendrix. Neither the music nor the drink helped to erase Mary from his mind.
He indulged in a bout of self-pity as he envisioned a life that could have been between them, a life that he had never considered with anyone else. He saw them in an average house with an average yard, two kids and a dog. He would have a nine-to-five job and Mary would teach at the local school. They would come home from their normal, mundane day and do whatever it was the average American family did in the evening. They would go to bed together and start it all again the next day. They would celebrate birthdays, Christmases and Thanksgivings together. Go on long summer car trips where the kids would drive them crazy, but in the end they would all have a wonderful time. They would be happy together, grow old together.
He finished his drink, trying to wash away the vision of this life he would never have. He had managed to fuck up any chance he would have for that all-American dream before he was even old enough to vote. He thought of the silkiness of Mary’s hair and the softness of her skin. The sound of her voice echoed in his mind, bringing with it an ache he couldn’t drown no matter how hard he tried. When he finally realized it was pointless in trying, the hour had grown late.
He threw some bills on the table. He
needed to get out of there. Before he got to the door he caught a flash of long blond hair. He knew the girl it belonged to wasn’t Mary; her eyes, when they briefly caught Ty’s, were a deep blue instead of that spectacular mix of color that Mary’s had. The man beside her jerked her arm roughly, and she lurched forward. Ty’s gut screamed at him to let it go; it wasn’t his business. He stepped back, planning to do just that, but her soft, delicate face blurred and morphed into Mary’s. Without thinking, he strode forward and shoved the guy.
“Let her go, asshole.”
The man’s look of surprise was quick. His right hook was even quicker. Ty’s head snapped back and he teetered on his heels, but didn’t lose his balance. This was a big guy. Not as tall as Ty, but definitely bigger. Ty came back swinging. He made contact with the guy’s face and felt the crunch of his nose just before he felt another stab of pain to his own face. A thick arm pressed against his chest, holding him back against what felt like solid stone. Ty struggled against his captor, throwing out insults and threats. It was no use. He felt another pair of hands push at him as he was dragged roughly to the door. The blast of cold air hit him as he was shoved unceremoniously out on his ass.
“Cool off, kid.” The gruff voice called out.
Ty got back up and moved forward. The older guy stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his thick chest, effectively cutting Ty off from going back in.
“Don’t even think about it, kid. You need to go home.”
Ty glared at him, taking in deep lungfuls of the cool May air. He could taste the metallic flavor of blood on his lips and brought the back of his hand up to wipe it away. He staggered back down the street to his car with more than his pride bruised.
