Better (The Change Series Book 2)

by Melanie Jayne

  Chapter Six

  I didn’t make it out of bed until noon the next day. After Forde left, I’d finished the rest of the wine. I’m not usually a drinker, but after he’d kissed me, and I have to admit I returned those kisses, I’d needed something. I was in a state of shock.

  Zoe Alessi had called and invited me to dinner with her and Tony. She’d called it a celebration. Who knew that you celebrated somebody getting arrested? It would keep me from thinking about the job search, so I decided to go. Tony picked me up after his last class, and we went to their house to hang out until our seven o’clock reservation. It gave me time to chat with Zoe.

  I liked her, and she didn’t have many friends, so I think we both enjoyed the company. After a beer, I told her about Forde kissing me. What is it about alcohol that makes me spill my guts? It felt good to talk about it out loud instead of the constant loop going off in my head.

  Zoe laughed and held her round belly. “I knew it.” Her eyes sparkled.

  “What did you know?” I wanted to be in on the joke.

  “Oh, honey, you are in for some fun.” She shook her finger at me. “I knew there was something when he was asking me and Tony all of those questions.”

  “Why?” Great, I was reduced to one word sentences.

  “After we went over what happened that night, he kept asking about you.” She gave me a searching look. “He was really interested in what we thought about you. Your feelings and how you were handling things.”

  I let that sink in.

  “Plus, he had the same look in his eyes as Tony did when he was pursuing me.” She giggled.

  “What kind of look is that?” Now, I was curious. I knew that Zoe had moved to Columbus a city south of Indianapolis from Denver and met Tony. She’d thought he was too young, but that didn’t stop him. He’d pursued her, and when she’d started being stalked by her ex-husband, Tony had taken care of her. I mean he’d really taken care of her—he’d killed the guy. Of course, that was after the evil ex had broken into their place and held a gun on them.

  Zoe’s expression turned serious. “I think they’re the same type of men, Marlena. They see something they want, and they get it, no matter what.”

  “Oh gosh.” I swallowed the rock in my throat.

  “Girl, you are going to have so much fun.” Zoe laughed. “And when he catches you, it will be so good.” Then her eyes got that dreamy look.

  Yikes, I didn’t want to go there. I sang, “La, la, la,” in my head and pictured my fingers in my ears. I wasn’t going to think about any of this.

  So today I spent the morning, doing laundry, cleaning house, and then I went to Aunt Nora’s office to use her Internet. I think she felt so relieved that Forde had caught Ramon, and sorry that I’d lost my job, that she invited me to dinner at Shorty’s for barbeque. The place had been downtown forever and was a local landmark.

  While we waited for a table, I had snagged us two seats along the windows in the waiting area. Nora was shaking the little plastic box that vibrates when your table is ready. I glanced out to the sidewalk, and that’s when I saw them. Forde and a woman, not just any woman. Even from this distance, I could tell that she was gorgeous. She was holding onto his arm, tucked in right next to his side, and they were heading this way.

  I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. I quickly turned my head and tried to make myself invisible. God, I didn’t want him to see me. Not like this, a little raw and vulnerable.

  “Oh My God! Look who just walked in.” Aunt Nora’s voice boomed throughout the waiting area. I made a grab for her arm, but she was too fast. She was on her feet and making her way to Forde and his date.

  I willed myself to disappear. Why couldn’t I be blessed with a superpower? I tried to prepare myself for what was going to happen next and yes, it was going to suck. Really suck.

  “Marley, what are you doing? Get over here and thank the nice man for helping you.” Nora ordered.

  I pasted a fake smile on my face and walked toward them. I had no choice. If I delayed, Nora would make an even bigger scene.

  “This is so wonderful. We’re here celebrating you solving her case.” Nora had her arm wrapped around his arm that didn’t have a stunning blonde attached to it.

  Forde introduced Felicia. That was it. No last name and no title. The woman was even hotter up close. She had a toned body and fake breasts. I mean, come on. She looked to be my age, and the girls aren’t naturally that perky. Her white blonde hair was cut in a short pixie style that highlighted her high cheekbones and full lips. Every time Forde moved his arm away from her, she readjusted and kept holding on.

  “You should join us. Make it a real celebration,” Aunt Nora offered.

  Please God, no. “Aunt Nora, I don’t think we want to interrupt…” I couldn’t make myself say “their date”.

  Felicia took the ball and ran. “I never get to spend any time with Forde. So, thank you, but I’m going to say no for the both of us. I’m sure you understand.” She purred as she pressed closer to him and looked up adoringly.

  I noticed that Forde’s jaw muscle jumped at Felicia’s answer, and his eyes turned hard. Why the fuck did I care? Obviously, the guy was a player, and that was the last thing I needed in my complicated life.

  “Well, too bad.” Nora looked crestfallen.

  Luckily, the box vibrated. We said our goodbyes and were seated.

  I endured dinner, one that I’d been looking forward to because I loved Shorty’s brisket. My stomach was in knots, and Aunt Nora didn’t seem to notice that I wasn’t eating. She kept up a running commentary on her day and her upcoming cruise with Willie to some tropical locale on an island that has a name that’s pronounced differently than it’s spelled. I nodded and made the appropriate sounds, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking about Felicia’s hand on Forde’s arm, and his jaw muscle pulsing.

  “I don’t think that woman is right for Mr. Forde.” That comment pushed me out of my musings.

  “What?” I stopped playing with my food and looked at Nora.

  “I don’t like that woman, Felicia, for our Mr. Forde. She seemed too territorial, and I would hope that he could see through all of that fakeness.” Nora finished with a “take that” nod.

  I tried to stop her. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “A man like that needs someone to take care of him, someone that puts him first. That woman puts herself first. No, it’s not a good match.” Nora pointed to her empty glass as our waiter passed by.

  I kept quiet, hoping she would move onto another topic.

  “Did you think that he looked tired? I thought he looked tired. See? She doesn’t take care of him.”

  Ugh, there was no stopping her. “I didn’t notice.” I’d barely looked at him. It had hurt to do so, and I hated that it did.

  “I guess you have a lot on your mind, but Marley, you need to start paying attention to things. You’ve got to stop wandering through life with your head down. You’re going to miss the good stuff.”

  Thankfully the waiter arrived with a fresh vodka tonic for Nora.

  When I got home, I wanted a shower to wash away the day. I stood under the hot water until it turned cool. I told myself for the tenth time that I wasn’t going to cry over Forde. It had just been a few kisses. Back in high school, I’d made out with Josh Wheeling, and when he’d asked Sara Deele to the prom, I hadn’t cried. I wasn’t going to now, I told myself. When I got shampoo in my eyes, and they started to burn, I decided that a few tears might help clear them. No, they were not for Lucas Forde.

  It was two days after that night at Shorty’s, and if this week’s events weren’t a big enough excuse to indulge in the last Sprite in my fridge, then I didn’t know what was. When I got home from Nora’s office, I changed into yoga pants and an old AC/DC concert T-shirt I’d found at a thrift store. I grabbed the bottle of what I considered a cure-all and walked into the living room. I was exhausted. I’d tosse
d and turned the night before, and then went into work as we’d agreed at dinner.

  I knew it was charity, but Nora told me she needed someone to help out at the office while she was on her cruise. So I was there at eight-thirty and stayed until two answering phones, filing, basically organizing things in her office. It was the kind of work I liked, making order out of disorder.

  After that, I’d headed to the library to start my job search. It hadn’t seemed right to job hunt on Aunt Nora’s dime. So I found a quiet corner and started looking. After three hours, I leaned back in my chair and wanted to slam my head against the closest wall. Clearly, my personal calendar didn’t help with the hunt. I needed to take time off for the trial, and I had no idea how long that would last. Then once the verdict was in and I was free, I had to decide what to do. Work to save money to leave town and start over? Or just pack up and go, seeing how far my limited funds would take me? I could always stay and start over…

  I hated being in limbo. I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t had a schedule to follow, a goal to work toward. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I took another drink and reached for the paperback I’d brought home from the library. I snuggled into the corner of the sofa and tried to escape into the cozy mystery.

  I must have dozed off, because it was dark outside when I opened my eyes. I reached over to turn on the lamp, and then checked the time on my phone. That’s when I saw it—the front window shattered, and then I heard the sound of more things hitting the house. I threw my body over the back of the sofa and landed face-down on the floor. The pain of landing hard jarred my brain into action.

  Somebody was shooting at my house! I heard more glass breaking and more gunfire. I started crawling to the kitchen for cover. I didn’t know why I thought that was a good idea. Once there, I realized the kitchen’s back side faced the alley and had windows, and if the shooter or shooters circled around the house, I was a sitting duck.

  I guess my survival instinct kicked into high gear. I pushed to my feet, bent at the waist, and ran to the basement door. I threw the bolt. God I hated the basement. It was dark and creepy. I’d installed the deadbolt on the door so that nobody or no thing could come up from down there. I’d had a nightmare, and knowing the lock was there to protect me seemed to help.

  Lot of good it would do me now. I should have installed it on the inside. On the top step, I stood on tiptoe and reached up to grab the chain to the single overhead light bulb. No way was I going down those stairs in the dark.

  My body jerked when I heard the kitchen window break. I felt my body start to fall. I tried to grab the railing, but I missed it in the dark and felt nothing in front of me. I was falling, I felt a jolt of pain…and then nothing.

  Chapter Seven

  I stood by her hospital bed until my thigh muscles started to twitch. Then I pulled the padded chair from its place against the wall to Layla’s bedside. I crossed my ankle over my knee, and I watched her sleep. I inventoried the injuries I could see, and due to Jenn’s hacking skills, I’d already accessed the emergency room records.

  The abrasion and bruise along her cheekbone would heal, but no woman should have so many new and healing bruises on her body. The pain medication was being administered into her right arm, and there were more scrapes and bruises from where she’d fallen down the basement steps, landing on the concrete floor.

  I couldn’t see the rest of her body, but I knew it was covered with assorted scrapes and bruises. There was a lump on the side of her forehead, evidence that she’d been knocked unconscious. The nurse had been in to wake her as that was the concussion protocol.

  I didn’t like it, but I was putting that anger into a compartment to deal with later—after I talked with her. I needed to explain some things, and then I wanted to know what had happened.

  I let my head drop to the back of the chair. I could hear various pops and feel my knotted muscles strain. I closed my eyes and tried to get a handle on my emotions. I’d hurt her. I hadn’t meant to, but all the same I’d seen the flash of hurt in her eyes at Shorty’s. I tried to call her, but she ignored me. I understood why, and that upset me even more.

  I’d known Felicia was due to arrive in town, and I’d specifically asked her to dinner. What we’d had in the past was casual. Felicia was focused on her job as a sales rep for a huge pharmaceutical company and herself, period. She was one of the things that I’d needed to take care of. No more get togethers for sex when she was in town.

  My plan was that I would tell her we were done over dinner, instead of sending a text or not answering my door. So much for chivalry, I hadn’t expected to run into Lay and her aunt. Now, I just needed to make her understand. Felicia had been sex only, no emotions no feelings, we both knew the score on that.

  I also needed to finish the case I was working on for Tye. Over the years, my business had shifted from taking walk-ins to doing the work Tyler Brunk’s firm sent my way. They paid Limited an hourly rate plus expenses, no negotiation, and always on time. Osi and I had spent three weeks following the husband’s money, and I’d wanted to do one final check before submitting my findings to Tye. Then my schedule would be open. I’d be free to focus on Layla.

  I’d been following the subject as he’d driven from the airport when I’d received Rick’s call. He’d heard Layla’s address over the police channel, and when he’d relayed “shots fired,” my heart had skipped a few beats. I’d dropped the tail and rushed to her address.

  Christ, there had to have been ten police cars and two ambulances at the scene, with the accompanying fire trucks blocking the street. I’d parked on the sidewalk and run to the officer working crowd control. He’d recognized me and let me by. I found Detective Eames and got the rundown. Bullet holes covered the first story of the house, front and back. The shooters had been on foot as they’d circled her home, while she’d been trapped inside.

  Anger made my blood burn through my veins. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do something about the Cancerberos.

  I didn’t go inside. I walked around the house as they brought her out on a stretcher. It was a lucky break that Rick showed up then, because I just about lost it. He had to physically hold me back when the medic told me I couldn’t ride in the ambulance with Layla. Somehow, my friend and associate loaded me into his SUV to drive me to the hospital.

  Layla mumbled, and I immediately sat up and leaned closer to her. They had the light over her bed on a dim setting so I could see her brows draw together, and she licked her lips. I wanted to take her hand, so I did. She opened her eyes slowly, and then closed them. I watched her do this several times.

  “What?” she whispered, and then licked her dry lips again.

  “Hey, don’t try to move too much,” I whispered, speaking slowly. “You’re in the hospital. You took a header down your basement stairs.”

  I watched the different emotions on her face: confusion, pain, and then, finally, realization.

  Her eyes grew huge. “Shots, I heard gunshots,” she said, her voice hoarse.

  “Yeah, you did good, going to the basement. It probably saved your life.” I waited for more questions.

  She turned her face away from me, hiding in the shadows. “I hate hospitals.”

  “I don’t think anybody likes them.”

  “How long?” She swallowed so hard, I heard her. “How long do I have to stay here?”

  “The rest of the night and maybe tomorrow.” I wanted her to look at me.

  She turned her head and lifted it a little to check out her body. She tried to lift a little higher and grimaced. “I want to go home.”

  I didn’t doubt that. I didn’t know anyone who liked being in the hospital.

  “I can’t stand the smell in here, or the sounds. I want to get out of here.” This time her voice was ragged and a little desperate.

  I started to tell her she couldn’t, but she turned her face back to me.

  “Why are you here?
” Her eyes were cold, and she frowned. She tried to disentangle her hand from mine.

  “I’m here because you’re hurt.” I let her remove her hand, but I didn’t like it.

  “How does your girlfriend feel about that?” She bit out the words.

  I let out a deep sigh. Not only was she hurt, but she was angry “Lay.”

  “Don’t call me that. You know what? I don’t care. Just go.” She tried to roll onto her side away from me.

  “Don’t do that,” I barked. “You’ll make the alarm go off if you move too much.” I watched her pause and give up.

  “Please, just go.” Her voice shook.

  “Felicia is not my girlfriend. I’m sorry you saw that.”

  Her eyes were closed. “Sorry you got caught?”

  “In a way, yes.” I wasn’t going to sugar coat my behavior. “Look, we hooked up whenever she was in town. She reps for Lilly, and when she’d come in for meetings, or whatever, if I was free, we had sex. We weren’t in a relationship. I don’t think we even like each other very much.”

  “And that’s supposed to make me think better of you?” She sighed as if she’d had enough.

  I paused. “Nope, probably not.”

  She opened her eyes and looked at me.

  “Look, I’m not going to enumerate or apologize for what I had going on before I kissed you.”

  I watched her purse her lips.

  “Because that dinner at your house and those kisses changed everything, Layla.”

  I watched her eyes widen, and then she looked away. “So you say.” She raised one shoulder in a shrug, and then made a face.

  “I want to prove it to you. Give me a chance, babe.”

  She slowly shook her head. “I’ve already taken a ride on that horse. The one where I accept excuses for bad behavior. Not this time Forde, no.”

  “I’m not excusing my actions. I’m explaining them. There’s a difference.” I tried to keep my tone even, although I was getting mad. I wasn’t going to lose this chance.

  “It was just a couple of kisses, nothing life changing.”