Protecting Lyndley

by Amanda Bennett

  I could feel all the blood drain from my face and my heart start frantically beating right out of my chest. “Hi, can I help you with something?”

  “Actually, yes.” He took a few steps in my direction, closing the distance between us. “I’m gonna go ahead and assume that you remember me?”

  “Yeah. I mean yes, I do. How did you know I worked here?” I was having a hard time catching my breath and every word I spoke cracked with nervousness.

  “I didn’t. I was walking past and figured I would come in and see if I could find something for my wife.” His eyes still hadn’t dropped their gaze from my face.

  “Well, what sort of things does she like?” I was stalling. I had no idea who this man was, but the fact that he just so happened to stumble upon my store was more than just coincidence. My feet were still firmly planted in place, as I waited for a response from him.

  “Oh, you know.”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t.” My breathing was starting to even out as I tried my damndest to keep my composure. I started to make my way over to a rack of clothing near the front window just to be safe. At least this way, anybody passing by could see us.

  I silently prayed that he wouldn’t follow, but I wasn’t that lucky. His footsteps fell in line with mine and it took everything in me not to take off running for my life. Instead, I took in a deep cleansing breath and turned back to him.

  “She likes dresses, um…” He was waiting for me to say my name so he could address me.

  Don’t say Lyndley! Don’t say Lyndley! I had to repeat this to myself at least five times before I finally answered. “Sarah. My name is Sarah.”

  “Well Sarah, it’s a pleasure to meet you, again. I’m Lorenzo.” He held out his hand for me to take it.

  I hesitated a moment before I forced myself to reach out for his in return. “Nice to meet you as well, Lorenzo.” His hand squeezed my hand abnormally tight, but soon let go. “So dresses, huh? I have a lot of those. Does she have a favorite color?” I slowly made my way past the register and over to the wall of dresses in various colors.

  “Blue, she likes the color blue. The same as your eyes, which are very beautiful I might add.”

  I was thrown off a bit by his compliment given the fact that I totally forgot that I was forced to wear blue color contacts to hide my green eyes. “Thank you.” I half whispered as I reached for a blue maxi dress. “What about this one?”

  “Gorgeous.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was speaking about the dress, or me, but either way this guy was really starting to creep me out. “So yes to this one?” Please just take the dress and go already, I thought to myself.

  “Yes. I believe I’ll take that one.”

  “Perfect. Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?” I instantly regretted my words the minute I spoke them. I walked behind the register and began ringing Lorenzo up. I made sure to take in everything I could about what this man looked like, if he had tattoos or any distinctive marks on his face or exposed forearms. When I had seen him in the park this morning, I was too busy freaking out to get a good look. This time I wasn’t about to have Ky drill me about it, and not have all my facts straight. “That’ll be ninety four dollars and eighty three cents. Will that be cash or charge?” I secretly wished it would be charge so I would have a record of his visit.

  “Charge. Do you take American Express?”

  I glanced up at him with a smile. “Sure do.”

  He slid his card across the counter to me and I happily snatched it up and ran it through, making sure to look at the name before returning it. I slid the card back in his direction and when his fingers lightly grazed mine, I was suddenly extremely sick to my stomach. I quickly pulled back and ripped the receipt from the printer.

  “I just need you to sign this one, Mr. Gonzalez.” When I addressed him, his head shot up and a perplexed look settled into his face. He scribbled his name and left the paper on the edge of the desk.

  “Thank you for all your help, Sarah. Maybe I’ll see you in the park again sometime.”

  Every time he spoke my stomach turned and made me want to throw up right where I stood. “You’re very welcome, Lorenzo. Have a great night.”

  “Until tomorrow.” He smiled and gave a small wave as he started walking out of the boutique.

  I watched him meticulously, memorizing his walk and build as he strolled by the front window and then out of sight. I let out an audible sigh and bent over the counter covering my head. My adrenaline was through the roof and I was having a hard time catching my breath. A few seconds later, the bell chimed again and I shot straight up where I stood. When I saw Ky’s face come into view, relief washed over me.

  “Everything okay?” He started coming closer, but I held up my hand for him to stop where he was.

  “I just need a minute, please.” My warning had no effect on Ky, because was instantly at my side.

  “Sarah, what happened?”

  “I don’t know for sure. I don’t even know if it was anything at all. It was…well…maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

  His hands grasped my shoulders, holding me still in front of him so I was forced to look at him. “Sarah, what the hell happened?” He spoke slowly, making sure I understood every word he said.

  I shrugged out of his grasp and went to the back to hang up the clothes I left back there. Surprisingly enough, Ky didn’t follow me. When I looked back in his direction he was pacing in front of the front window, pushing his hands back through his hair in irritation. I didn’t want to push him any further, so I quickly hung the clothes up on the go back rack and went to close down the register.

  “Can we please go home now?”

  Without a single word, Ky walked to the door and held it open for me. I locked up quickly and when I turned to walk with Ky to his car, he was already inside. Now I was irritated. He could see that I was physically shaken, but because he only ever worried about his damn self, he didn’t hold my door open for me like he always did. Fine, two can play at this game.

  Sixteen

  Ky

  I had never met a more infuriating individual. My irritation with Lyndley at the moment was through the roof. All I was trying to do was make sure she was okay, and she practically spits in my face. How hard would it have been for her to just answer me? Apparently, that was asking too much of the princess.

  I stomped up the front steps not looking back to see if she was following. At this point, I didn’t really give a shit. I was fuming when I got inside, so I headed straight for the fridge and grabbed a beer. After practically draining the whole thing in one gulp, I opted for something a little stronger. I rummaged through the cupboards for the bottle of whiskey I had bought, but came up empty.

  “It’s above the fridge.” Her small voice invaded the entire kitchen and I slammed the cupboard.

  “Don’t move my shit!”

  I opened the cupboard and ripped the bottle from the shelf. I grabbed a clean glass from the sink and headed out to the living room. I wasn’t in any mood to have it out with her just yet, so I clicked on the television and drank myself into an oblivious state.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed since we had gotten home, but when I glanced around the darkened house, I didn’t see Lyndley anywhere. I reached for the bottle of whiskey and topped off my glass, noticing that I had already polished off more than half of the bottle. I threw back the warm amber liquid and let it warm my insides, enjoying the feeling of absolutely nothing. Then my anger kicked back in.

  I pushed myself up off of the couch and stumbled all the way to the stairs. When I reached out for the railing to steady myself, I completely missed it and fell face first up the stairs. I let out a low growl and proceeded to pull myself back up. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I stood there swaying as I grimaced at her closed door. I knew she was in there, but more than that I knew that she was ignoring me, and that really got on my nerves.

  I slammed my fist against her door, waitin
g for her to answer. When she didn’t say anything or come open the door, I slammed my fist against it again. “LYNDLEY! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!” I shouted. There still was no answer, so I let myself in.

  I stood at the end of her bed, anger seething through my every pore as I watched her sleeping form. I took in a few deep breaths before making my way over to the side of the bed that she was facing. The room slowly began to spin, and everything went a bit blurry, until I saw her face.

  I bent down so I was face to face with her. I pushed back a strand of hair from her face and squatted down on the floor. “Lyndley, wake up!”

  Her eyes shot open in fear as she clutched her blanket to her chest. “Ky, what the hell?”

  “You’re going to talk to me, Lyndley. Now!” I half shouted.

  “I’m not talking to you when you’re like this. Go get some rest and when you sober up, then we can talk.”

  I slammed my fist on the mattress, narrowly missing her arm. “You ain’t my momma. Now get out of bed and talk to me.”

  “No!” She was now up on her knees facing me.

  I reached out for her arm and tugged her to me, “Wrong answer, princess.” I stood and tugged her along with me. When we reached her bedroom door, she clutched onto the doorframe, resisting me.

  “I’m stronger than you, little girl.”

  “And a mean drunk it would seem. I’m not scared of you, Ky.”

  Her words sunk in deep. I wasn’t trying to be mean to her, I just wanted answers. Answers she apparently wasn’t willing to give me. I let go of her arm and stood back against her dresser, ashamed. I waited for her to run, to run far away from me, but she just stood there with her arms crossed over her puffed out chest.

  “I’m only going to ask you one more time. What the hell happened at the boutique tonight?”

  “And you think I should just answer you? You’re out of your damn mind.”

  I slammed my hands down on the dresser causing her perfume bottle and other random things to fall over. “You’re gonna tell me. It’s my job to know.”

  “Oh I’m very aware of what your job is, Ky. But you coming at me like this isn’t going to get you any answers.” She started walking out of the room when I caught her arm and firmly pushed her against the wall.

  “Damn it, Lyndley. Can’t you see I’m trying here?” My face was merely inches away from hers. Her lips were beckoning me and I wanted to take her right here and now.

  “Trying to do what exactly?” She seethed.

  I pushed my body flush against hers so she could feel the effect she had on me. I heard a small gasp come from her intoxicating mouth as my erection pressed against her belly. I lowered my head to the base of her neck, breathing her in and calming my nerves. “Please tell me what happened, Lyndley.”

  Her lips grazed my ear and I could feel myself harden. Her lips were now barely touching my earlobe as she began to speak. “No.” She whispered and my anger spiked.

  I pulled back and pushed her hard against the wall, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around my waist. I pressed myself hard against the thin fabric of her pajama pants. “Jesus, Lyndley. Don’t you see what you do to me? I’m going insane just being around you. You do things to me that I haven’t ever felt. FUCK!” I let my head fall back as I shouted. When I brought it back to look at her, I could see unshed tears in her gorgeous emerald green eyes.

  Before she could respond, I was sealing my lips over hers. In my current state, slow wasn’t an option. I ravenously moved my lips against hers waiting for her to reciprocate. I was getting frustrated as she fought against my advance, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop. Suddenly, I felt her body melt into mine. Her arms wrapped firmly around my neck and her lips began to move in synch with my own.

  I slid my tongue across her bottom lip and as she opened her mouth to accept me, electricity sparked when our tongues met. Her hands pushed through the back of my hair, tugging it gently as her tongue caressed the inside of my mouth. In that moment the rest of the world ceased to exist.

  I broke contact with her mouth and started kissing across her jawbone and eventually down the side of her neck. Her legs tightened around my waist, bringing me closer to the edge. My hands gripped under her ass, pulling her up a little bit further so I could reach the button on my pants. I undid my belt, and had the first button undone when her hands reached for my face, pulling it up to hers as her lips crashed against mine.

  My pants hung low enough on my hips that my erection was perfectly pressed against her most needy body part. I could feel her wetness soak through her thin pants and on my exposed skin, but I couldn’t bring myself to go any further. This was wrong. All of this was wrong.

  I quickly pulled back and lowered her to the ground. Once I knew she was steady on her feet, I reached down and pulled my pants back on. When I looked back up at her, the questioning look on her face didn’t go unnoticed. I stepped back, not wanting to make her feel anymore self-conscious than she already felt.

  “I’m sorry, Lyndley. I didn’t mean fo-“

  “It’s okay. I get it. If I wasn’t a job and all that, right?”

  I could hear the hurt in her tone. “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Why do you drink so much, Ky?”

  I shook my head not wanting to answer the question. Although she had already confided things in me, I wasn’t sure I was able to do the same. If my past was enough to make me this way, I could only imagine how it would make her feel. “I don’t know.” I pushed my hand back through my hair and leaned back against her dresser.

  She wearily stepped towards me. I wasn’t sure if she was waiting for me to push her away again, but she didn’t hesitate once she reached me. She ran her fingers back through my hair and down the side of my face. I pushed my face against her hand in a gesture letting her know that I was accepting her comfort.

  “You can tell me.” She whispered.

  “I wouldn’t even know where to start.” My eyes were still shut when I felt her presence leave from in front of me. When I opened them again, she was sitting on the end of the bed.

  “There was a guy that came into the store tonight. It was…um…it was the same guy from the park today. He told me he just happened to stumble across my store and wanted to get something for his wife.”

  I made a move in her direction, but she put her hand up to stop me and I did. I stood unmoving while she talked. “Lyndley, what did he-“

  “He was about six foot two, black buzzed hair and brown eyes. He had olive skin and a tattoo of a cross on his left forearm. If I had to guess I would say he weighed about two twenty, give or take a few pounds. Oh and his name is Lorenzo Gonzalez.”

  I stood back in shock. “Wow, you really took your time memorizing all of that while he was there?”

  She nodded her head yes. “I knew you would ask. When you first got to the store I was still frazzled from him coming in. Ky, I don’t like being the only one in that store all day. He could’ve taken me, or worse, and nobody would have ever known until you came to pick me up.”

  I could tell she was getting worked up again, so I made my way over to sit next to her. I draped my arm over her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Lyndley, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “But you can’t guarantee that. You weren’t there. Nobody was there. He could’ve came in, shot me and left, and how would you know?”

  “I put cameras in this morning. Trust me I would’ve known.”

  “Did you know he was there?” Fear laced her words, and what I was about to say would probably only make that fear worse, but I had to be honest with her.

  “Kind of.” Her hand came down across my cheek in one fluid motion. I closed my eyes as the sting of her slap settled in, but then I continued. “Listen to me. I didn’t know for sure, but we over heard a conversation between Kristy and a guy named Lorenzo. They were talking about a package being delivered.”

  “I’m assuming I’m the package in this scenario?�
�

  “It would appear so, now. We weren’t sure when we first heard it. But I honestly didn’t know it would be the guy from the park this morning. That’s something else entirely. I wonder how he knew you would be there.” I shook my head as I hung it in defeat. “I’m sorry, Lyndley. I never want you to feel unsafe with me. Do you understand that?”

  I glanced over at Lyndley when I didn’t hear an audible answer. When I looked at her, she was nodding her head. “I know you’ll protect me.”

  I believed her. I could hear it in her voice that she truly believed me when I told her that I would keep her safe. “I have an idea.”

  “I’m scared to ask what it is.” She laughed, and it instantly put me at ease.

  “You feel up to a run in the morning?” What I was contemplating doing was dangerous, but if her cover was blown, it really left us with no choice.

  Seventeen

  Lyndley

  I stood at the entrance of the park, stretching and helping Ky scope out the place a little bit. I was no U.S. Marshal by any means, but he had said since I had gotten a good look at the guy, that I should help him spot him. When I told Ky about the incident last night, I might have forgotten to mention that Lorenzo said he would see me at the park soon. Now I was just hoping that soon meant today.

  I glanced around in amazement at how many people lived in this city. It was overwhelming having so many faces around and me none the wiser as to whether or not any of them were after me. I put my leg up on the lower metal bar in front of me and stretched forward, grabbing my foot and letting out a loud sigh.

  “That’s quite the position.” Ky laughed as he came up behind me.

  “I used to be a ballerina, if you can believe it.” I lifted the other leg and did the exact same stretch.

  “I’d believe it. Especially watching you stretch like that. Yeah, I sure as shit believe it. How long did you do it for?”

  I looked up at him and smiled. “Practically my entire life. I started when I was three and didn’t stop until I injured my hamstring my third year of college.”