Three of Spades (29 page)

“Ok Cross, that’s it. You are going to get up, shower, and go to Natalie,” CeCe said, as she stood in between Dylan on the sofa and the infomercial about some sort of cutlery gadget. CeCe really did not expect him to spring to his feet when she said it, but one could always hope. Walking over, taking the remote and shutting the power off to the plasma, she threw it back onto the couch where it landed with a light bounce.

“Leave me alone Ce’s, I’m really not in the mood for one of your sass filled lectures.”

Sass
filled
lectures?
If he wasn’t already at rock bottom, she would have ripped his head off his shoulders for that comment. However, taking into consideration the love of his life walked out on him, she was willing to give him a pass; but just one!

“You know, I was willing to let you have your pity party and all, but you are really pushing it. Especially considering, you could change the circumstances . . . like that.” CeCe snapped her fingers making a sound that echoed throughout the silent house.

This was not the conversation he wanted to be having, nor, the person he wanted to be having it with. He guessed he should have been grateful that she had given him as much time as she did before she stormed over here to kick his ass.

CeCe tried another approach. She walked over, took a seat next to him and said in a softer less confrontational tone, “Why don’t you just call her. You are miserable not being with her, she’s miserable not being with you, so duh, just fix it.”

Dylan laughed a mocking laugh, if only it were that easy. “Sure Ce’s, I’ll just call her up and say, ‘You said you were through with me and being in my bed but if you could squeeze me in, maybe give me some of your time between three and four next Thursday’.” He got up and walked over to the bar, took a bottle off the shelf and just chugged directly from the bottle.

Feeling this attempt of no confrontation was for the birds, CeCe walked over to where he stood and said loudly, “What is with you two and timetables? Shit, if I didn’t know better I would think you two got involved in a hookup for hire!” She shook her head at the absurdity of the notion.

Dylan just stared at CeCe, hearing her put into such cheap words what he and Natalie had, caused him to see red.

“Yeah, that’s me. Fuck Anything Cross. I’m even now attracting virginal maidens to take what they are too dumb to know they are offering and just adding another notch to my bed post,” he bellowed. After he chugged at least a third of the bottle, he said in a softer guilt-ridden voice, “I should have refused her in the first place. There was just something about her that I wanted. I actually even tried to make myself believe that I was doing her a favor. Rather than going to some other dickhead guy, at least with me, I knew she would not find herself in a situation that she couldn’t get out of. So, I signed on and ruined the innocence of the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

CeCe was speechless! Feeling as if her heart were breaking for each of them, she went back into kind and comforting mode.

Dylan told her about the conversation Natalie had overheard at the hotel and how her own words cut him deeply. They spoke for a few more moments and as she pulled the final round from her arsenal, she said, “Look D, all I know is two very important people to me are hurting. I think what you are both feeling right now is complete and utter bullshit. Be a man. Go tell her that you love her and fix this before it is unfixable.”

Again at the word love, Dylan looked at his honorary kid sister with his own deer caught in the headlights look.

CeCe laughed as she pulled him off the couch and pushed him toward the stairs to take a long overdue shower. As his foot touched the first step, she said to his retreating back, “Yeah, Cross, you got it bad. About fucking time!”

“Yo, Dylan, telephone,” CeCe yelled over the sound of the water coming from the shower, as she stuck her head in the bathroom door.

“Christ, CeCe, can’t a man have any privacy with you?” Dylan snapped, quickly grabbing a towel from the nearby rack and wrapping it loosly around his waist.

“Generally, yes, but I thought this was worthy of a chance for you to show some modesty. It’s a Charge Nurse at Hamden General. She said it’s urgent.”

Dylan quickly took the handset from CeCe and said, “This is Dylan Cross.” He listened and was sure there had been some sort of mistake. When the nurse said time was of the essence, he answered by saying, “I’ll be right there.” and disconnected the call.

Twenty minutes later Dylan walked into Gloria Parker’s hospital room. He was greeted with a smile that he could see was physically hard for her to make.

“You wanted to see me, Ms. Parker.” Dylan had sudden thoughts of when he was a young boy. He had broken a window at his elderly neighbor’s home, and the stern old bag called him in to give him an earful.

In a soft throaty whisper of a voice, Gloria called him over to take the seat next to her bed. Once he was settled in the seat, she held out her hand palm up communicating to him to grab it.

“I first owe you an apology for my behavior and rudeness and the embarrassment of my son.” Coughing and hardly being able to catch her breath, Dylan assisted her by pouring some water into the cup from the plastic pitcher on the bedside table. With the cool liquid coating her throat, she was able to speak clearer and louder. “Thank you. Secondly, I appreciate you coming at the bidding of an old sick woman. I need to ask you a question and I hope you will do us both a service by being truthful and right to the point.”

Dylan nodded his head and, once again, held the cup so she could sip the cold liquid.

“Do you love my Natalie, Dylan?”

Now was the time to say what he had been so afraid to say, for far too long. Here in this hospital room with the mother of the woman he loves, Dylan said clearly. “Yes. Yes, I love her.”

Closing her eyes quickly over the elation of his answer, Gloria looked at the man she was counting on to love her daughter when Gloria, herself, would no longer be there.

“But, I think I’ve lost her. I’m not sure she even wants me, let alone loves me.”

“You are a sweet boy now, just like you were when you were younger. Yes, I knew you then. There was never a chance of my daughter not falling madly in love with you. I know she loves you, just as I know I’m dying. You need to tell her, Dylan. I’m afraid my pitiful attempt at getting her to care about her own life backfired terribly. Tell my daughter, sweet boy. Tell her every day and take care of her. I’m entrusting you with her happiness. Promise me you will care for her the way she deserves.”

“I promise on my life. I’ll take care of her, cherish her and love her until my last breath.”

With her mother’s blessing, Dylan kissed her on her frail cheek and left the hospital in search of Natalie.

This
was
a
mistake,
a
big
one.
Natalie sat in a booth with RJ trying to find the words to tell him she needed to leave.

When RJ first walked in and located her, he surprised her by sliding into the same side of the booth she already occupied. The server came over and took their order. When she asked simply for a ginger ale, RJ told the server to bring her a margarita instead. His strong cheap cologne was starting to make her nauseas, not to mention, she was becoming quite uncomfortable with his hand resting on her upper thigh under the table.

“So, what do you say we head out to my truck and get the beast rocking? You are very fine and I’d be happy to show you what old RJ has to offer.”

Oh
God,
she
needed
to
get
out
of
here
now
.

“Look, RJ, I’m sorry but this was a mistake. If you don’t mind, I’ll just head out and save us both a disappointing and uncomfortable end to the evening.”

Natalie slipped out the other side of the booth and made her way toward the side exit. She was close to the door when she felt a large hand close around her arm, tightly.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

He was really squeezing her arm but she refused to bring attention to it. She said with a jittery voice, “RJ, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I thought that I should move on but now that I’m here, I know that I can’t.” Natalie wiggled out of his grip and quickly exited the building through the side exit, with RJ hot on her heels.

After driving from place to place, Dylan was just about to drive to Natalie’s new apartment and sit at her doorstep until she returned. As he pulled into Cal’s to turn around and head there, he noticed her car in the parking lot.

Quickly parking the Challenger, he headed toward the bar to find Natalie. Dylan entered the front of Cal’s. Looking around he did not spot Natalie. He did a quick walk through and could not find her. He knew it was her car outside. He walked over to the bar where Mary stood, scribbling down things on her order pad.

“Hey, Mary. You haven’t by any chance seen Natalie, have you?” Dylan asked.

“Oh, hi-ya, Dylan. Natalie? The cute blonde?” As Dylan answered with a nod of his head, Mary looked over to the now deserted booth. “She was here, right over there with another fella. But they must of left.”

“Thanks, Mary,” Dylan said, as he headed toward the exit. Natalie was with another guy? Dylan went from concerned to furious lightning fast. He needed to talk to her. He needed to tell her everything that he was feeling.

She was a few paces away from the side stairs when RJ, once again, grabbed her. This time with no witnesses, he held her by her upper arms with bruising force and brought her small face close to his.

“Oh what, you can give it to Cross, spread those little legs for him and let him take whatever he wants, but you won’t let me pull those too tight librarian panties off you. Well, why don’t I put you in my truck right now and see if I can change your mind.” Jones kissed her, as he demanded her to partake. Natalie pushed against him, but his grip on her was unbreakable. Trying to dislodge his lips from hers, Natalie bit down, causing him to let go and howl out with shock and pain. She stepped back and watched as fury took over his face, from his mean eyes to his bleeding lip.

“You bitch! I’ll teach you a lesson, I always take what I want. No one says no to me, your little boyfriend would do well to learn that. No one shits on Randy Jones.”

Before Natalie knew it, she was pushed behind a powerful sculpted back that she would know anywhere. However, she was not Dylan’s focus; he was glaring at Jones as he stood between the two.

“You ever touch her again and you are going to wish you had never been born,” Dylan threatened between clenched teeth.

Jones looked at his former boss, the man he despised, and could not help but smile. Now was his chance to teach Dylan Cross the lesson he fucking deserved.

“I don’t think this concerns you, Cross. In fact, I was just about to show her what a real man could give her. So why don’t you take your unwelcomed ass elsewhere.”

“Thanks for the offer, Jones, but I’m good where I am. Besides, if I left I would miss the opportunity to ram my fist into your face like I should have done a long time ago.” Dylan walked closer to the other man, being sure to give him no opportunity to lunge at Natalie. When he was close enough to speak to Jones without Natalie hearing him he said, “Ever touch what is mine again and even your own family won’t recognize you.”

“Yours? You mean the homely pity fuck over there that you disposed of after you finished? Like all the other women who’ve become members of the, ‘sloppy seconds of Cross.’”

Dylan saw red. He swung, connecting with Jones jaw then quickly following with a jab to his gut. As Jones, bent over in response to the attack, he let out an evil laugh. “What, the truth hurts, Cross? You should have never fired me. Payback is a bitch.”

Jones stood, looked at the other man and swung at him. Dylan dodged the first couple of swings, but Jones connected on the third. Natalie watched as the men exchanged blow after blow. It did not take long for Dylan to get the upper hand. She called out for them to stop, but it was as if neither of them heard her. She became fearful that Jones would get severely hurt if Dylan didn’t lessen his intent. Finally, Dylan paused and thought for as good as this felt to physically pulverize Jones, it really wasn’t accomplishing anything. Natalie was his concern. Natalie was whom he needed to put his energy into.

“You can take your useless self and your threat of payback on your merry way. But, you come anywhere near her again, hell, you even think about her, I will permanently make you regret it,” Dylan said, through the quick intake of breath caused from the exertion of the fight.

Jones took his battered body to his truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

Dylan watched as Jones’ taillights faded. He turned to check on Natalie, and he noticed she was gone. Quickly racing to catch up to her, he found her walking toward her car.

“Natalie!”

Walking faster, needing to put as much distance between her and him. He easily caught up with her before she could reach her car. He grabbed on to her arm in a gentle, yet firm, grip effectively stopping her escape. She reluctantly turned around so that she faced him.

“Natalie! Please! Just hear me out.” She refused to look at him and it hurt down to his toes. Wanting so much to grab onto her chin and lift it, so he could see into those brown eyes that showed him his future, but he would not make her do anything she did not want to even if it killed him. “I need to give you this.” He handed her a folded envelope from his wallet that she recognized easily. “I’m so sorry for saying what I did and having you hear it like that. But you have to believe me, I had to do it.”

Could this get any worse? Would he ever stop slashing at her with the knife of his words? Was she so clingy that the only way he could be honest was to blatantly say she wasn’t anything to him but another woman in his black book. Now he was handing her a monetary amount that she would owe him. Could the Earth just open up now and swallow her whole?