Derick was being calm and collected. I didn’t and couldn’t feel that removed from the situation. “Yeah, Jack, what the hell were you thinking, leaving her . . . to go talk to a girl?” I could feel my face getting red.
Jack looked down. “Aw man, Sam, I’m sorry. She told me to go. I knew I shouldn’t, but Sam, she’d been flirting pretty hard with that teacher through the entire class. He didn’t leave her side hardly at all. He was rubbing her back and whispering in her ear . . .”
I could feel my muscles tensing and my hands curled into fists. I said in a hoarse growl, “And?”
“Shit, I'm sorry, Sam, but I figured she wanted me to leave her alone with him. That's why I did.”
Derick cleared his throat, and I remembered he was there suddenly. I needed advice. The pain in my eyes must have been obvious, because he looked at me with real compassion.
“Jack”, he said, “No matter what your client does or says, you always stay with them. No matter what, you never leave them. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” Jack muttered.
Derick continued, “I'm docking you a day’s pay for your carelessness, and you should be grateful that I don't suspend you for a month or officially reprimand you. I know that would ruin your career for a long time to come. You can go now. Get some sleep.”
As Jack left, I jumped out of my seat and whirled around to face Derick. “What the fuck, man? This can't be happening. I've always trusted her. What can I do?”
Derick was calm and spoke in a low steady voice. “Look Sam, obviously I don't know Krystal as well as you do, but what Jack said seems pretty unusual for her. She has never seemed interested in anyone else but you. I think you should hold back until we do a little more research on the art teacher and Jack, and until I have a chance to talk to Krystal.”
“I'll talk to her!” I shouted.
Derick raised his voice slightly and spoke calmly and smoothly. “No you won't, Samuel. You're upset and angry, and you will not talk to her until you get your feelings under control.”
“Fine,” I said as I stomped out of the kitchen toward our bedroom. I was able to enter quietly, and Krystal didn't stir. She looked the same as always, curled in a ball sleeping, but with a tiny smile showing on her lips. I couldn't get in bed with her; I couldn't act like nothing was wrong. I grabbed my running clothes and went to the bathroom and changed. Hopefully, moving some of this anger out of me by exercise might help. As I left the house, stretched and started running, I knew that I wasn't just angry; I was hurt beyond belief. Since the first minute I had seen Flower, I had fallen in love with her. I thought she said it was mutual. She was carrying our baby, for fuck’s sake. What was I going to do?
I realized she was only eighteen. Maybe she wasn't as mature as I thought she was. Maybe she was getting tired of all this fear and stress. After all, that artist guy was rich and he could help her with her art. Maybe she needed a different life than what I could give her. I kept pounding along the streets, pouring sweat until I realized that if I loved her, truly loved her, then if she needed to separate from me I would have to let her. We would have to work out the baby thing; I wasn't going to let my baby go, but Flower being happy was the most important thing to me. I ran until the sun was just barely showing a gleam on the horizon. I was exhausted, but still had to get back home.
When I finally got back to the house, Derick was gone, no one knew where. Krystal and Maeve, along with Wilson were sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea and eating sausage biscuits. Jack was standing quietly against a kitchen cabinet, looking at Krystal with a gleam in his eye that I almost translated as lust or avarice. But he was a brother, a fellow officer. I trusted him. He might be a rookie, and he might have made some mistakes, but I trusted him.
I said a short hello to Maeve and Krystal and muttered that I was going to take a shower. As I left the kitchen, I was aware of Krystal’s confused and hurt stare following me down the hallway. I had never not stopped and kissed her on my way through the house. I knew I should act normally, but I just couldn't.
My run had done nothing to give me peace. I had no idea what I was going to do. I went into the bedroom and stripped down and got in the shower, as hot as it would go. The water pounded against my back as my misery sat in a lump on my stomach. I wanted the day to turn back so I didn't know what Jack had said. I loved Flower more than my life. I had known from the first time I saw her that she was for me, my forever. What was I going to do?
I jerked the water off and got out of the shower, roughly dried myself, and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Then I went stomping down the hallway to the kitchen where Flower still was. I stood in the doorway and said hoarsely, “Flower, can I talk to you for a moment?” Ziva, who as usual was sitting at Flower’s feet gave a low growl. I knew she sensed how angry and upset I was. I started back down the hallway to the bedroom, without a further glance at Flower, just assuming she would follow me.
When I got to the bedroom, Flower and Ziva came in after me. I slammed the door shut and glared at Flower.
“What's wrong Blue?” She was nervous, her voice breaking at my name.
“What’s this I hear about you flirting with that art guy? Is he better than me? Shit, Krystal! I love you! I trusted you. That's my baby in your belly.” Then I searched her eyes with all the sorrow and fury within my own.
“What?” she said, “What are you talking about? I didn't flirt with Carl. He just helped me with my stuff.” She looked at me, seemingly confused, her beautiful grey eyes brimming with tears.
I wasn't going to get caught up in her tears. What she had done was inexcusable. I yelled harshly. “That's not what I hear, not what Jack told me . . . Trying to get him alone. . . Letting him put his hands on you . . . Rubbing against him like a cat in heat. I guess you can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can't really take the trailer park out of the girl.”
Flower’s face slowly turned white as a sheet and the puzzled look on her face turned blank. The bedroom door burst open admitting Maeve, just as Flower tumbled to the floor in a boneless heap.
Krystal
I came awake with Maeve holding my head in her lap on the floor. She was hissing at Samuel in a low, furious voice. “Get the hell out of here, Sam. I've always been proud of you until just now. I don't know what you think is going on, but this girl worships the ground you walk on. If something happens to her and this baby, it's going to be your fault. Now get out of here, so I can take care of her.”
I heard the door close and I opened my eyes to look at Maeve. I knew I was crying, but I made no noise. The tears just wouldn't stop. I felt like my entire world had exploded. I didn't know what to do. I was in a strange town, my mom was dead, I was pregnant with a man who, for some inexplicable reason, thought I was cheating, or at least was thinking about cheating. “What am I going to do, Maeve? I love Blue. How can he think I don't? Why would he call me trash?”
Maeve glanced away from me. I could tell she was as shocked as I was. She spoke in a calm voice, her professional nurse voice, “I don't know, baby, but let's get you off the floor and into bed. Then I'll make you some tea with honey. Your hands are freezing. We gotta take care of that baby of ours. I don't know what's gotten into Sam, but I'll find out, one way or another.”
I made my way into the bed and Maeve pulled the covers over my shoulders. “I'm going to go make you a cup of tea, sweetheart. You just rest for a few minutes.”
Maeve left and closed the door softly behind her. A few minutes later, I heard raised voices from the kitchen. I didn't try to eavesdrop; I was too heartsick to care. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with Blue or what he had heard and from whom. Yeah, Carl was cute and he did flirt a bit, but I was obviously pregnant and the only man I was interested in was Blue. I wanted to take my art class but why had it affected him so badly.
But what had he said about trailer parks . . . I felt as if he had called me a whore. I was overwhelmed by the whole thing. A quiet knock on the d
oor signaled the door opening, but instead of Maeve, it was Derick with the cup of tea.
He came in the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed. “Hey kid, you going to be okay?” He held the tea to my lips and I sipped a little. Maeve and Derick were treating me like I was sick and I guess, in some ways, I was. I felt distant from myself, and occasionally shivers went through me. My hands and feet felt like ice. Then, Derick asked me, "Can you tell me what happened today, Krystal? Just run me through the day.” I spent some time telling Derick about Jack and me going to the art class, about Carl flirting a little, and Jack being interested in the other woman in the class. I told him about Carl helping me carry my stuff, and explained that Blue had met me at the car and he didn't seem upset on our way home. I looked helplessly at Derick.
He spoke calmly in a low but authoritative voice. “Don't worry too much, Krystal. I think I have an idea what's going on. It’s going to take me a few days to get some information. Can you hold on until I see if I can figure it out?”
I looked at him tremulously and whispered, “I sorta have to. The baby and I can't live without Blue. I hope you have one of those famous Derick plans.”
He smiled and put the tea on the table by the bed. Then he patted my shoulder and stood up. Why don't you finish your tea and take a nap? You probably need one by now.”
He left and I drank some of the tea until I finally felt my eyes drifting closed and I fell asleep.
Chapter Nine
Samuel
I left our bedroom still angry, but I realized that I had gone over a line when I made the comment about trailer parks. It was as if I had used my intimate knowledge of what could hurt Flower the worst, and used it to cut her heart open. I said I loved her, and yet I did something like that to her.
Yes, she'd broken my heart, but I was older by five years than her. I should have known better. I had hurt her only because she had hurt me. I went and stood on the front porch where Jack was standing. I looked at the porch swing with its beautiful sunflower mural and I wondered if we could ever get back to that joyful time. Even with the Cartel, the move away from Louisville, the death of Flower’s mom . . .we were happy because we loved each other.
Then Jack spoke. “Man, I'm sorry, Sam. I almost wish I hadn't said anything. But girls, you can't trust ‘em. They're always out for what's best for themselves. I thought Krystal was different, but she’s not, is she? It made me sick, Sam, the way she was so shameless with Carl.”
I looked at Jack, suddenly taken aback by how he sounded. It just didn't ring true. I couldn't imagine my shy, quiet Flower being “shameless” with anyone, hardly even me. There was something wrong with the picture Jack painted, and I was pissed that I hadn't noticed when he had said something earlier. I was beginning to feel like I had just made the biggest mistake in my life. I stared at Jack and then went inside to get my phone to call Derick.
I slipped into the bedroom quietly and looked at Flower asleep under the covers. She had dark circles under her eyes and I could see an occasional shiver go through her body. I carefully pulled another quilt over her, and then got dressed and collected my wallet, phone and keys. I didn't want to leave Flower alone with Jack at the house. All of a sudden, I didn't feel comfortable with him being the guard over her. Until I got to the bottom of this Carl and Flower thing, I was going to stay near. Maybe Flower was flirting, or maybe Jack saw it wrong or read too much into it. I was now as angry at myself as I had been at her. I should have given her the benefit of the doubt, at least let her explain or apologize. I was so stupid. I needed to find Derick.
I took a short walk down the block keeping an eye on Jack who was sitting on Flower’s swing. I wanted to go to the porch and throw him out of it. He had talked badly about my girl, and he sure shouldn't be sitting on her special swing.
I called Derick and got straight to the point. “I really blew it Derick. If she ever speaks to me again, I'll be surprised. I think there is something off about Jack’s story.”
“So you're just now seeing that, Sam? For an excellent agent, you sure are stupid as a human being. I have some feelers out about Jack Randall. I asked a friend of mine to run a deeper check on him. It might be something in his past history that makes him untrusting of women, but if it affected him enough to interfere with his thinking, he would have been denied entrance into the FBI, so I'm concerned.”
I spoke my most immediate fear. “I'm afraid to leave her alone with him. Can we switch him with another agent?”
“Already on it. I'm sending Chance Edwards to relieve Jack. I've known Chance for several years, and I've worked with him. I trust him.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Great. I'm going to try to get some sleep. Do you know when the raid on the stove company is going down?”
“It should be in the next week. We need to make sure the drugs and men are there when we use the search warrant I’m getting. By the way, I'm going to keep Jack out of the loop on this. If he's innocent, there are other raids, but if he’s not. . .”
“I totally agree. Thanks, man. I really appreciate you having my back." I hoped my gratitude was evident to him. I really didn't know what I would have done without his calm mentoring. He wasn't just my boss anymore; he was becoming a close friend I trusted completely.
“Well, you're going to have to fix it with your girl. I don't envy you that. Good luck," Derick sighed and ended the call.
I walked back up to the house and went to our bedroom. I took a deep breath and slipped quietly into the darkened room. Flower was still asleep, and I was glad to see she wasn't shivering any more.
I undressed and slipped into bed behind her curled form. I pulled her back against my front and when she stirred a bit, I whispered, “I'm sorry darlin’. Please forgive me.”
She murmured, mostly asleep, “Blue, I dreamed you hated me.”
“I could never hate, you baby girl. Go back to sleep. We’ll talk later.” Then, I rubbed her baby belly, hoping this wasn't going to hurt our little Bug. I was exhausted from all the emotion and lack of sleep, so I held Flower tightly and we both slept once again.
When I opened my eyes a few hours later, I was staring into the wide, silver gray eyes of my beautiful Flower. My arm was over her belly and our legs were intertwined. I realized I wasn't angry anymore, but I knew we had to straighten what had gone awry between us earlier that day.
“Flower,” I whispered, “I'm so sorry. I got so jealous. Jack said you were flirting with Carl and touching him. I was so angry. I didn't give you a chance to explain.”
Flower’s eyes suddenly changed from silver gray to the dark gray of a rolling thunderstorm. She pulled herself out of my arms, sat up in bed and practically hissed at me.
“What do you mean, explain? I don't know what Jack thinks he saw or what he said, but I wasn't flirting with Carl. Yeah, he flirted with me some, but other than appreciating it a bit, I couldn't have cared less. I certainly wasn't flirting back. If you don't trust that I love you beyond all that exists, then you really don't know me very well. Now excuse me, I need to get ready for my class tonight. I have homework."
“Wait a minute, Flower. You aren't going to that art class anymore. I absolutely forbid it!” I could feel my face turning red as I leaned over her tiny body in the most intimidating way I could. How this tiny slip of a girl child cause me to lose my temper so quickly was beyond me. Then, I said something that in retrospect I should have known not to say, but in the heat of the moment, I said it anyway. “I FORBID IT!” I roared at her.
She scrambled off the bed and flounced over to the closet. She was muttering under her breath as she pulled clothes off hangers, and then went out the door towards the bathroom. “You forbid it. Ha! I'll show you forbid. I'm going to my class. Come, Ziva, let's get ready to go.”
Ziva slid off the bed and I swear she gave me a commiserating look as she slunk after Flower. I angrily pounded my pillow and fell back upon the bed. How could my sweet, timid little girl suddenly become this demanding
harpy? We hadn't even talked about her flirtation with that artist. I'd been willing to forgive her, to accept that she just hadn't realized what she'd done. I knew she was young and innocent. I was her first. I'd planned on talking to her about not letting anyone even think she was flirting. Then she got angry at me? What the heck was I supposed to do now? I groaned, thinking I was going to have to talk to Derick, again.
How could my life be any more complicated? We were in the middle of taking down a drug smuggling ring with very little back-up. On top of that we were in hiding from one of the biggest Mexican cartels in North and South America. I didn't need to fight with Flower at this particular time. Finally, I got out of bed and got dressed so I could find Derick and help make plans to take down the drug smugglers at the stove company. At least that would make sense to me.
Krystal
I showered and got ready for class. I was a little uneasy going, after Blue said I couldn't, but art was my life next to Blue and the baby. I couldn't let him think he could control what I did with it. If I let him do that, I would end up resenting him over time. I loved him too much to let that happen. I needed to get to the bottom of the Jack problem as well. I didn't know what he thought he saw, but I needed to stop him from that line of thinking.
When Ziva and I finally got out of the bathroom, the only person at the house was Jack. He was standing uncomfortably in the living room.
He asked me, “Are you going to the art class tonight?”
“Of course I am,” I snapped, as I started getting my knapsack and portfolio together so we could leave. It was early, but I didn't really care. I still hadn't finished what Carl had suggested we work on at home. I could get there early and work on that before class.
Then, Jack scraped his foot and reminded me he was still there. “Maybe you should wait for Blue,” he muttered.
Krystal Clear (Shattered Book 2) Page 7
