by T. K. Leigh
She inhaled, the suddenness surprising her, before she melted into the kiss. She could read me like a book, and she knew what I needed. I needed her touch, to feel her, and she gave it to me. She tugged at my hair, pulling me closer, our kiss never-ending, yet still too short. I didn’t want to ever let her go, ever let her out of my sight again.
“You’re okay,” I whispered against her mouth, resting my forehead on hers. I traced her chin, her neck, settling my hand on her heart, a lone tear falling down my cheek when I felt it beating.
“Of course I am.”
“I thought… I thought I had lost you, Mackenzie. I thought something happened…” I wrapped my arms around her and crushed her to me, hugging her tight, running my fingers through her hair.
“I’m okay, Tyler.” She pulled away and cupped my face in her hands, wiping my tears with her thumbs. She studied me, and I didn’t rebuild my wall as I normally would have. I kept it down, letting her see my fear, my panic, my distress… My love.
“I’m okay,” she repeated. “I’m here.”
“Promise you won’t leave me,” I begged.
Her eyes glistened, her breathing hitched. “I promise.”
I let out a long breath, my body relaxing, and rested my chin on her head. “Why’d you have to throw your cell in the ocean?” I joked through my tears before softening my voice. “I felt so lost, Mackenzie. I called and couldn’t get you. Then I tried the restaurant and nothing. I just… I don’t ever want to feel that way again.”
“What way?” she asked, peering into my eyes.
“Like my life was about to end. I can’t lose you.”
“You didn’t. I’m sorry no one was answering the phones.” She smiled shyly at me and I could tell she hated that she had caused my distress. She stepped away from me, nodding at the commotion still taking place in the dining room. “Some spring breaker started the party a bit too early, or was still raging from last night, and passed out. I checked her pupils and they were huge, so I called the paramedics. It’s been a bit chaotic, so I guess we’ve kind of been neglecting everything else.”
I nodded and fished my phone out of my pocket, heading toward the bar and pulling Mackenzie along with me. “Eli, it’s me… Everything’s okay. Head to the office and grab one of the phones for Miss Delano, then bring it to the restaurant. You will escort Miss Delano to and from all her personal and professional obligations until I get some answers about what the fuck is going on. Understand?”
I glanced at Mackenzie and saw confusion and mild irritation in her eyes.
“Yes, sir,” Eli said on the other end of the phone. “Understood.”
I hung up and Mackenzie eyed me suspiciously. “What’s going on?” she asked guardedly.
I led her to one of the high-top tables and pulled a chair out for her before sitting down opposite her. “We got a hit on the man who broke into your place on Monday, and who had been making those phone calls.”
Furrowing her brows, she asked, “Who?”
I grabbed her hand in mine, caressing her knuckles. “His name is Justin Whitman and he’s a professional hitman. We traced him to a run-down apartment in Port Isabel. We went to go check it out and ask him a few questions. When we got there, we found his body.”
Her eyes widened, her spine straightening. “Who killed him?”
“I don’t know, Mackenzie. Eli and I did a preliminary search to see if we could find any clues and he stumbled on a bunch of photos, like a hitman’s scrap book. And in that pile of snapshots was this.” I handed her the surveillance photo I had found of her, the big red circle blaring against the black-and-white shot.
She gasped as she scanned the photo.
“I freaked, Mackenzie. It was like you were marked for death. I had no idea what was going on and I couldn’t get a hold of you. I thought…”
“That I was…” She swallowed hard, handing the photo back to me.
Meeting her eyes, I nodded. “Just the thought that something happened to you ruined me. I prayed, Mackenzie. I haven’t prayed in years, and I fucking prayed. I saw my life without you in it and I couldn’t cope. I can’t explain it. It feels so foreign, so crazy, considering it’s only been a week, but I need you in my life. I need your smile, your laugh, your eye roll.”
She turned her head, avoiding my eyes. “Then why all the talk last night that I should stay away?”
I chuckled. “You probably should, but that doesn’t mean I can stay away from you.”
She snapped her eyes back to mine, a brilliant smile on her face.
“I saw a flash of my life without you in it and I hated it.” I lifted her hand to my lips. “I’m all in, Mackenzie. Please, match my bet.” My eyes lingered on hers and I could tell she was soaking in my words, trying to find the meaning in it all.
“I will always be here for you, Mackenzie,” I said when she remained mute.
“This is scary for me,” she offered.
“I know it’s not easy to give someone your heart, someone you’ve only known for the blink of an eye. This is scary for me, too. But if this…,” I said, gesturing between our two bodies. “If what we have doesn’t scare the crap out of you, it’s not worth it. And you, Mackenzie, are so worth the mild heart attack I just had.”
She giggled. “Do I get a sneak peek at your hand before deciding?”
My heart warmed at the content look on her face, the trepidation that covered it just a minute ago wiped away. “I’m pretty sure you got one last night. And this morning.”
I stood up and hovered over her as she remained sitting on the stool. Clutching her hand in mine, I pressed it over my heart. She kept her eyes glued to mine and I cupped her face in my free hand, my fingers tangling in her hair.
“Whenever I’m with you, everything else fades and the light on you grows brighter, clearer, more vibrant. I don’t understand it, and I’m probably doing a shitty job at explaining it…”
She laughed, breaking the intensity for a minute.
“It’s quiet. Peaceful. Calm,” I exhaled, closing my eyes briefly. “I feel it, and I know you feel it, too.”
“I do,” she whispered. She grabbed the back of my neck and forced my lips to hers. “I’ll match your bet.”
Mackenzie
“GOODNIGHT, MIA. ‘NIGHT, PARKER!” I called to my last two closers that evening as I locked the back door to the restaurant.
“See ya tomorrow!” Mia replied, heading across the parking lot toward her car.
I started toward mine when a familiar face jumped out of an idling SUV, opening the rear passenger door. “Good evening, Miss Delano,” Eli greeted me, nodding.
“How am I going to get my car home? I know Tyler told you to drive me and all, but−”
“Mr. Burnham has asked that I get your keys from you and he will drive your car to your place. He wasn’t expecting to have to be there until three.”
“Yeah. Closing took less time than I thought it would,” I said, ducking into the SUV. It felt peculiar to have someone drive me to and from work. I could barely afford to put gas in my car some days so to say it was an adjustment to have someone dedicated solely to the task of escorting me and ensuring my safety was an understatement.
Just as Eli pulled out of the parking lot and made his way down the street toward my condo, I felt a buzzing in my purse. I beamed when I saw a text from Tyler on my brand new cell phone.
How was work? Miss me?
I hastily texted a response.
Yes. Always. I’m on my way home. We finished up early.
Do you want me to come over now?
I need to shower. And shave. ;-)
Understood. I will see you at our previously arranged time.
So formal.
To win your heart, I need to bring my A-game.
I grinned, a warmth building in my stomach. I responded with the only thing I could.
You already own it. I’ll see you shortly.
Until then…
I was in a T
yler-haze as I followed Eli through the lobby of my building and into a waiting elevator.
“His heart is in the right place,” he said to me out of nowhere as we rode to my floor.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, squaring my shoulders and studying him. His normally stern expression was absent. There was a sparkle and sincerity in his brown eyes and, for the first time, he appeared to be a human instead of a well-trained machine.
“Everyone has demons, secrets they don’t want to tell. I do. I’m sure you do. And he does, too. You just need to know that his feelings for you are real. I’ve known him practically my entire life. We went to middle and high school together. His family came from money, but mine didn’t. But you’d never know Tyler was an heir to a massive fortune by the way he acted. We’ve remained friends through everything. I’ve seen women come and go. I’ve stood by his side when he buried the woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with, and the look of terror on his face today, well… I’ve never seen that.”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. He stepped out, facing me once more. “No matter what happens down the road, just remember this conversation. Okay?”
“What’s going to happen?” I asked.
He ran his hand through his short, scruffy dark hair. “I wish I knew.” He stepped back and allowed me to walk in front of him. He did a quick sweep of my condo, satisfied nothing appeared out of place, and bid me good evening. I checked the time on the microwave clock…2:25. I grabbed an open bottle of wine from the counter and poured a glass, pulling back the sliding doors in my living room, stepping onto the balcony.
The storm that had drenched the island during the afternoon hours had come and gone, leaving the sky clear, the stars brilliant against the dark backdrop. The sound of parties echoed within the emptiness of the ocean, the water mysterious and inviting.
A slight chill ran through my body, the warmer temperatures present earlier in the day giving way to unseasonably cool weather. It reminded me of those nights I dangled in the branches of the tree separating my yard from my best friend’s in North Carolina, joking and playing after we were supposed to be in bed.
I recalled one Fourth of July before I was hidden away, forced to become someone else. As the sound of celebrations and parties rang out in the neighborhood rife with servicemen and women, I sat in my tree next to Damian, the two of us watching fireworks being set off down the street.
“Hey, Fi,” he said, crawling out of his window and meeting me.
“Hey,” I squeaked out, wiping my cheeks and trying to hide my unsettled emotions from him. I hated crying in front of a boy. It made me look weak. And my father didn’t raise me to be a pushover. But I couldn’t help it.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He grabbed my hand in his, swinging his legs back and forth. “Is it because of how Zachary was picking on you?”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m just as smart as he is.”
“No, you’re not, Fi,” Damian said, squeezing my hand. “You’re way smarter than he is. He’s just jealous we’re friends. He’s the new kid on the block. You know how it is when you move to a new place, don’t you?”
“Not really,” I replied. “We’ve been here as long as I can remember.”
“Well, trust me. It sucks. Just when you make new friends and finally get used to a new home, orders come in and you have to leave again. And we kids are the ones who have to suck it up. Parents aren’t the ones getting stares and hearing whispers behind their back when you walk into a classroom in the middle of the school year after everyone else has already formed their own circle of friends. That’s all that’s going on with Zachary.”
“But it’s been almost a year. And he’s still being mean to me. I’ve never done anything but be nice to him. I even baked him cookies on his birthday. Well, I helped my mom make them. And you know what he did?” I raised my eyes, meeting Damian’s.
He nodded. “I heard.”
“He threw them at me. But Mama says I have to be nice, even though he’s not nice to me. She says I need to be the bigger person.”
“Don’t worry about him, Fi. Just brush it off. People like that aren’t worth your time and energy. He probably likes you. He’s probably acting that way to get your attention.”
“Well, he’s got it.”
“That’s exactly why you need to ignore it. Who needs him when you have me?”
My eyes settled on a moving truck outside another one of my neighbors’ homes and I knew the makeup of our little community would be changing yet again. I hated that.
Turning to Damian, my voice turned urgent. “Do you promise I’ll always have you? That we’ll always be friends?”
“Of course, Fi. It’ll take a hell of a lot more than new orders to tear us apart.”
Sighing, I said, “I hope you’re right.”
Cheers and applause erupted throughout the neighborhood as the fireworks came to an end, everyone slowly making their way back to their respective homes.
“Happy Fourth of July, Fi,” Damian said.
“Happy Fourth of July, Damian.”
The sound of thunder crashing in the distance once more brought me back from my memories, a lone tear trickling down my cheek. It did take a lot more than new orders to tear us apart. I wished things were still as simple as they were all those years ago when we sat together on that tree.
I took a sip of my wine, closing my eyes as a gust of wind blew through my hair.
“Looks like another storm’s coming, doesn’t it?” a voice said, startling me momentarily before I calmed myself, recognizing that voice all too well. I turned around to see a familiar silhouette standing in the shadows of my living room.
“Charlie,” I exhaled, “you need to stop making these incognito appearances. Someone may get the wrong idea if they ever found out I was keeping strange hours with a tall, well-built guy dressed all in black.” I closed the sliding glass door and was about to turn on the lights when Charlie caught my hand, preventing me from doing so.
“Can we talk?” he asked, his voice frantic.
I nodded, not saying a word.
“This is for you.” He handed me a small flip phone. “Do not, under any circumstances, give the number to anyone else. Carry it with you at all times, but keep it hidden. And a secret. It’s for emergency purposes only.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, furrowing my brow. Something about Charlie seemed off. It reminded me of his behavior on that night all those years ago when I learned everything he had led me to believe was a lie.
“It’s so I can contact you if need be.”
“You seem to break into my place whenever you need to so I don’t see how this is−”
“Damn it, Mack!” he hissed, interrupting me, exasperation heavy in his voice. “For the first time in your life will you stop questioning everything and just listen?!”
His tone startled me and I could tell it wasn’t the time to joke around with him. “Fine. Got it. The phone is our secret spy line. Care to elaborate?”
“I can’t,” he whispered. “All you need to know is that I have to disappear from here for a while. If anyone comes to you and asks about me, say nothing. Or say you haven’t seen or heard from me since freshman year.”
“But what about the footage of you breaking into the building?”
“Don’t worry about that. There is no footage of that. The only footage is of…” He trailed off.
“The other guy,” I said, recalling the events of the day. “Is something going on I should know about?”
“The less you know at this point, the better.”
“I’m not going to lie for you, Charlie,” I said, a slight waver in my voice.
“I’m not asking you to. All I’m asking is for you to act like you wish you had never met me.” The moon hit his eyes and I could see moisture pooling. “Just turn back the clock a week, Kenzie.
”
I searched his expression for answers I knew he would never give me. “It’s not that easy. I told Tyler about you.”
“Don’t worry about him. Based on what I’ve seen, he’ll do just about anything to keep you safe, so he’ll want you to do what I’m asking of you, as well.”
“Charlie, I−”
He reached out and grabbed my hand, rough, calloused skin squeezing it. “Mackenzie, I’m so sorry it has to be this way and for roping you into my problems again. Over the next few days, you may hear and see things that paint me as a monster. Just know I don’t have it in me to harm another human, outside of combat. Promise me you won’t let anything or anyone persuade you otherwise. I am a good person. Don’t forget that.” He dropped my hand and quietly retreated from the living room. The door to my condo closed behind him, and Charlie disappeared from my life once more.
~~~~~~~~~~
A KNOCK SOUNDED ON my door promptly at three in the morning. I wrapped my kimono around my freshly showered body and padded down the hallway, pulling open the door.
“Never answer the door without first making sure you know who it is,” Tyler said, smirking, leaning against the doorjamb. The look on his face was absolutely adorable, his dimples popping just slightly, and those butterflies began to swim in my stomach, as I had grown accustomed to happening whenever he was near.
“Who else would be knocking at my door after midnight?” I took a few steps back, allowing him to enter.
“I seem to recall you telling me a few stories about your ex paying you a visit or two.”
I stiffened at the mention of Charlie and I couldn’t help but wonder if Tyler knew about my secret encounter with him less than thirty minutes ago.
