Mistake Me Not

by Scarlett Finn

  When Lacie looked at him, she caught sight of Sorcha through the window crossing the parking lot. Lacie got up instantly. ‘Wait here,’ she said.

  Leaving the coffee place as quickly as she had entered it, she met Sorcha half way, and though she could see the tears in her friend’s eyes, it didn’t quench any of her anger.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Sorcha sobbed.

  Lacie got hold of her hand and pulled her to the back of the motel office though she knew they were likely still visible from parts of the coffee shop she hoped neither of the men would see them.

  ‘What were you thinking?’ Lacie hissed.

  ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know.’

  ‘It’s not me you have to apologise to,’ Lacie said. Normally her nature would never be to take such a stern line with anyone, even her best friend, but this morning was different. ‘I don’t even know what to say to you Sorch.’

  ‘Please don’t be angry with me,’ Sorcha said.

  ‘How did it even happen? When I left you were sleeping.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Sorcha said. ‘I woke up, and he was knocking on the door. He said there were no other rooms and I... I don’t know Lace. I’m sorry.’

  The difficulty with being angry with someone over something in the past was that it was finished and often nothing could be done to change it.

  ‘What if we find Bruce today? What are you going to tell him? Have you told Shep the truth?’

  Sorch shook her head. ‘We didn’t talk.’

  ‘Course not,’ Lacie said.

  ‘What am I going to do? What am I going to do?’

  ‘I can’t get you out of this one either,’ Lacie said though Sorcha clung to her. ‘We could go home, forget about Bruce for a while, but that means facing your family.’

  ‘I can’t do that,’ Sorcha said. ‘Bruce doesn’t need to know about last night, does he?’

  ‘Ask Shep,’ Lacie said. ‘He doesn’t know why we’re looking for Bruce. He doesn’t know about your condition.’

  ‘I’m pregnant not contagious,’ Sorcha snapped.

  ‘I didn’t mean that,’ Lacie said. ‘But were you careful?’ Sorcha averted her eyes and the answer shone in their place. ‘If he has anything you have to think about your child.’

  ‘Don’t stand there being sanctimonious,’ Sorcha barked. ‘You couldn’t keep your legs shut last night either, so don’t look down your nose at me for something you did too.’

  Sorcha didn’t snap at her, she just didn’t... except she just had.

  ‘Sorcha,’ Lacie muttered.

  ‘I’m sorry. Oh, I’m sorry Lace,’ she said still clinging onto Lacie’s arm. ‘I know it’s a mess. I made a mess.’

  Like she had a penchant for doing. ‘Tell me what you want to do,’ Lacie sighed.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Sorcha said. Lacie tried to turn away but Sorcha pulled her back. ‘I’ll tell Shep not to say anything. He’ll keep his mouth shut; he’s not interested in me properly.’

  ‘You want to find Bruce?’ Lacie asked. Sorcha nodded. ‘Are you sure? We don’t have to do this. If you want to go home we can.’

  ‘I can’t do that,’ Sorcha said. ‘I have to find Bruce; he’s not getting out of this one. I am not doing this alone.’

  ‘Don’t be motivated by fear,’ Lacie said with a pang of sorrow for her friend. ‘I know you’re scared. This is... it’s unexpected, and it’s daunting, and...’ Fat tears rolled over Sorcha’s lashes streaking down her perfect skin. ‘It’ll be ok. You’ll be ok.’

  Lacie gathered Sorcha into her arms. When Sorcha drew inhaled like that Lacie recognised it as a prelude to the onslaught, and she was right. Sorcha sucked in long unattractive breaths, and wailed in Lacie’s arms like a child learning the truth of Santa Claus too young. Lacie stroked her hair, and whispered words of comfort to her friend. They stood for a while as Sorcha let out all of her upset. Lacie damped her friend’s tears with her sleeve but let Sorcha wipe her nose on her own sleeve. Sorcha’s lip still quivered so Lacie took her to the paving, sitting propped against the rough concrete of the motel office back wall. Lacie held Sorcha in her arms, and she whispered into her hair telling Sorcha the story of their first meeting. Lacie knew the best way to distract Sorcha was with a story, and it didn’t matter if it was new, or one she already knew. Lacie kept it light, added the humour, and within ten minutes, Sorcha was laughing again.

  ‘You’re the best friend in the whole wide world,’ Sorcha said sitting up straighter but keeping her head on Lacie’s shoulder.

  ‘You’ve been there for me,’ Lacie said. ‘I prop you up, you prop me.’

  ‘Ladies.’ Lacie wanted to swear when she saw Shep looming over them. ‘Unless this love-in’s about to get intimate we should get a move on.’

  ‘You’re a prick,’ Sorcha barked clambering up to her feet.

  ‘Didn’t seem to bother you last night sweetheart.’

  ‘You two should talk,’ Lacie said rising from the ground. ‘I’ll be in the coffee shop if you need anything,’ she said to Sorcha giving her hand a squeeze.

  Making her way back to the building she’d exited, she saw that the table she’d occupied with Ryder was vacant. Before she could wonder where he was a whistle from behind her drew her attention, and she saw him at a table in the opposite direction.

  ‘What are you doing over here?’ she asked when she joined him. He nodded out of the window, and she saw Sorcha and Shep talking... or some variation of that. ‘You were spying on me?’

  ‘Keeping look out.’

  She tore a piece of pancake from the stack, and dipped it in the sauce around the edge then scooped it into her mouth.

  ‘Sugar rush,’ she said but took another piece in the same way. ‘What?’ she asked when she saw him staring, and gripping his mug with white knuckles. ‘What’s the matter?’ Sucking each finger in turn, she pushed the plate aside.

  ‘I’m thinking about you,’ he said. ‘And maple syrup.’

  ‘Are you?’ she smiled.

  ‘That, and your mouth... and what else you could suck on.’

  Lacie leaned closer to quip when she saw Sorcha marching past her peripheral vision... in the opposite direction of the coffee shop, alone.

  ‘Oh my god,’ she said scrambling out of the booth she charged right past Shep and out into the parking lot to chase her friend down.

  ‘Sorch!’ she called to her friend who was running down a grass decline.

  ‘He’s an idiot!’ Sorcha shouted over her shoulder but didn’t stop.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘Home,’ Sorcha snapped. ‘Who needs him? No one that’s who.’

  ‘You’re walking home?’ Lacie said catching up to Sorcha. ‘You can’t walk home.’

  ‘I’m not getting in a car with him. I’ll walk every step before I let him help me.’

  ‘Ok, Sorch,’ Lacie said. ‘Let me get my bag, and we’ll...’

  ‘No,’ Sorcha said. ‘I’m going now.’

  Her friend could be stubborn but this was madness. ‘Ok,’ Lacie said falling into step with Sorcha.

  ‘What?’ Sorcha said drawing immediately to a halt. ‘You can’t walk with me.’

  ‘Why not?’ Lacie asked. ‘If you are walking why can’t I?’

  ‘You’ll never make it,’ Sorcha said.

  ‘You’re talking to the girl who grew up with a bus pass. Your first car was a Bentley.’

  ‘Don’t—don’t do that! He did that! I’m not a spoiled little princess! I do not want my own way!’

  ‘Forget about him,’ Lacie said. ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to go home? Or do you want to find Bruce?’

  ‘I’ll find Bruce. I’ll find him on my own.’

  ‘Just because Shep is a prick doesn’t mean that you have to endanger yourself. Screw him. If he’s being a bastard let him go home alone. There are other ways to find Bruce.’

  ‘Ryder, you mean Ryder?’

  ‘He’ll help us,’ Lacie said.

&
nbsp; ‘Only while you keep sleeping with him,’ Sorcha whinnied. ‘Men are pricks.’

  Lacie put her arm around Sorcha’s waist and began to lead her back toward the hill they’d come down.

  ‘I know,’ Lacie said placating her friend.

  ‘You did sleep with him, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes,’ Lacie said.

  ‘This is when he’ll start losing interest.’

  Though as Sorcha rested her head on Lacie’s shoulder Lacie looked up to see Ryder at the top of the hill looking down on them, and he didn’t look happy. Sorcha kept talking until they got up the hill, and was then genuinely surprised to see Ryder waiting for them.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Sorcha asked him. Shep skulked in the background.

  ‘Shep has something to say to you Sorcha,’ Ryder said taking Lacie’s arm to draw her away from her friend.

  Lacie watched Shep talk to Sorcha while the couple moved in the direction of the coffee shop. But Ryder kept Lacie in place.

  ‘Don’t do that to me,’ he commanded.

  ‘What?’ she asked still watching the other couple though they were now ten metres away and out of earshot.

  ‘Disappear from my line of sight without warning,’ he said. ‘I had to get all the way out of there while god knows what could have been happening to you down there. Wide perimeter security only works if both parties respect—‘

  Putting her fingers to his mouth, she smiled. ‘I’m not your client.’

  ‘I know that,’ he said though that furrow in his brow hadn’t got the memo.

  ‘I’m Lacie Hart; we spent the night together one time... do you remember?’ Still he frowned, and she didn’t think it was because she was losing her comedic touch. ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘I don’t know this area well enough,’ he said. ‘I think I’ll have to start advancing our trips twenty-four hours ahead of time.’

  ‘This is the worst part,’ she said. ‘When I’m home I hardly ever go out.’

  ‘Good,’ he said and still tension radiated off him.

  ‘Do you want to get a room and we can find a way to relax you?’

  Pushing to her tiptoes, she kissed him and his hands unclenched. On the next kiss he grasped her waist. A few seconds later, he had her toes off the ground, his arms wrapped all the way around her holding her against him.

  ‘Sorcha tells me this is the part where you start to lose interest,’ she teased kissing him again. ‘Didn’t you get that memo?’

  ‘Apparently not,’ he said and his anger had receded to an equally potent emotion.

  ‘She doesn’t want anyone to know how she spent last night,’ Lacie said.

  Ryder hadn’t yet put her down but he sauntered toward the coffee shop again. ‘I don’t blame her,’ he said.

  ‘I mean it,’ Lacie said flattening her voice of any innuendo. ‘You won’t—‘

  ‘You don’t have to request my discretion,’ he said. ‘You told me what’s important to you – privacy and loyalty. I heard you the first time. You don’t have to tell me twice.’

  ‘Will Shep be as discreet when we find Sorcha’s... you know?’

  ‘Shep’s not the settling down type,’ Ryder said. ‘He doesn’t want to get mixed up with anyone, and certainly wouldn’t get between anything for fear he might be the one left holding the baby. No pun intended.’

  She nodded. ‘You can put me down.’

  ‘Don’t want to,’ he said. ‘You might run away again.’

  ‘Ok,’ Sorcha said.

  Ryder let Lacie slide down his body and under his arm to keep her close when they approached Sorcha.

  ‘Ok?’ Lacie asked. ‘This is us now? Are we going?’

  Shep was beside Sorcha though neither of them looked happy with the other.

  ‘Yes,’ Sorcha said. ‘But the boys will travel up front today.’

  ‘We will?’ Ryder said.

  ‘Yes,’ Sorcha said reaching for Lacie. ‘You’ll have to learn to share her if we’re ever going to get along.’

  Lacie let herself be taken from Ryder’s embrace but she wasn’t happy about it, not that she would tell her friend. Ryder had been a good sport this morning about her friend’s temperamental behaviour, and Lacie didn’t want to push him too far. If he didn’t tire of her, she’d be lucky, but he’d be more inclined to tire of Sorcha’s moods if they carried on like this. Still, they all went to the car and got in. From somewhere Ryder produced a cardboard cup for her, and she grinned when their eyes met.

  ‘You brought me coffee,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah, what happened to your treat? That’s two breakfasts you owe me now.’

  His static expression made her smile but Sorcha tutted and took the cup from Lacie.

  ‘If the man can’t even afford breakfast he’s not worth your time.’ She sipped the coffee and hummed. ‘Though, he gets big points for trying.’

  Ryder turned back to the windscreen and Lacie pushed her hands to her lap because she knew he wasn’t happy. Lacie wanted to silence her friend and to apologise to Ryder because Sorcha was clearly taking her foul mood with Shep out on Ryder, and that wasn’t fair when he’d been nothing but wonderful to her. The journey carried on and no one was saying a word. Lacie eventually got her coffee back but it was almost cold, and in contradiction to her liquid consumption Sorcha fell asleep promptly afterward... still, no one said a word.

  Nothing was said until they rolled up in the street Lacie and Ryder had fled days before. Sorcha hadn’t been awake for long and her epic yawn was matched with a feline stretch.

  ‘This is it?’ Sorcha asked. ‘Doesn’t strike me as Bruce’s style.’

  ‘Right there,’ Lacie said pointing to the communal entrance that she hadn’t realised she’d recognise until she’d seen it. But, it flooded back like a lucid nightmare she’d much rather forget.

  Shep got out of the car to stretch his legs and not to be outdone Sorcha bounded out immediately after. Lacie was in no rush to leave this sanctuary, and she was grateful that Ryder stayed in his seat too. After his own examination of the building, he turned to her.

  ‘Do you want to make out?’ she asked knowing it was feeble even to her own ears.

  ‘You can stay right here,’ Ryder said. ‘You don’t have to set foot inside. I’ll lock the door and—‘

  ‘You’re not going in there without me. If I stay here, you stay here.’

  ‘Do you want Sorcha upstairs with only Shep for protection?’

  ‘Do you want me down here with no one?’ Lacie asked.

  Ryder looked around. ‘No, I don’t. I don’t like anything about this. I don’t work like this.’

  ‘Ryder,’ she yelped bouncing to the front of the seat when she saw Shep and Sorcha heading for the door.

  ‘Wait here,’ he said and left the car.

  Lacie wanted to follow but didn’t want to add to the chaos. They’d all been so wrapped in their own minds and issues that no one had thought to discuss their non-existent plan. Except now, Ryder was taking obvious control and with a few words, he had Sorcha scurrying back to the car while he and Shep kept talking.

  ‘We’ve to wait in here,’ Sorcha said climbing back into the car at her side.

  They sat for a moment while the men spoke then Shep stayed put and Ryder came back to the car. Sorcha rolled down the window down as Ryder ducked down to talk to them through the space.

  ‘We’re going to go up alone. You two stay here. If there’s any trouble hit the horn and we’ll be back in a flash. Keep the doors locked and the windows up.’

  He spoke to both of them but looked more at her yet there was a detachment in his stature. When he turned away, Sorcha began rolling up the window but Lacie wasn’t placated. Grabbing for the door she popped it open.

  ‘Stay,’ she said to Sorcha while leaping from the car and slamming the door behind her. The men paused to see her rush over.

  ‘I’m coming,’ she insisted.

  ‘No,’ Ryder said taking her arm and
guiding her round as though to take her back to the car but she ripped her arm free of him.

  ‘You don’t trust him,’ she said pointing to Shep who watched on. ‘He won’t have your back. I won’t let you walk in there alone.’

  ‘Baby—‘

  ‘No,’ she said shrugging away from his reach. ‘I’m coming up.’

  ‘Do you remember what happened the last time you were up there, do you?’ he argued. ‘I will not put you in that kind of danger!’

  This argument shouldn’t he held here when they may be ambushed at any time. So instead of vocalising her concerns and wasting time she skirted around Ryder and got as far as Shep when Ryder caught her up.

  ‘I’m going up.’

  Whipping her off her feet Ryder pinned her to the wall, she struggled but when he pushed closer she stilled.

  ‘You’re waiting here,’ he said. ‘You’re staying here to be my back-up. My phone is in the duffel if we’re not back in five minutes you phone the police and call the contact SW, ok?’

  ‘I don’t want you up there alone,’ she murmured sliding her hands to his face.

  ‘I’ll come back to you Baby, every time,’ he said. ‘Trust me.’

  Clinging to him, she held him close then released him enough to kiss the mouth so central to her pleasure last night, and she hoped some nights in the future.

  ‘Come home,’ she murmured to which he nodded then set her on her feet.

  ‘Do I get one?’ Shep asked but Ryder shoved him up the stairs glancing at her then carrying on up himself.

  She listened to their footsteps until she couldn’t hear anymore then she went back to the street. Sorcha sat eagerly staring out of the car. Lacie gave her a smile but stayed on the asphalt pacing while craning her ear for sounds of aggression or distress.

  Her heartbeat echoed in her ears with the reverberation of her footsteps on the pavement, her watch beat each second on the clock, a foot closer, each step a moment in time shorter than the rest dragging out their time apart, their distance. A sound above made her pause then she tipped her head to see Ryder looking down at her.

  ‘They’ve cleared out,’ he said then scouted around. ‘Come on up.’

  Lacie made a stop at the car for Ryder’s phone and for Sorcha then the pair went up the stairs. Sorcha seemed eager to get there but this place gave Lacie chills. As if he had known Ryder was in the doorway waiting for her. Sorcha bounded past him exuberant that her adventure was progressing.