LYDIA

 

Late nights at the bakery were serene. After a long day at work, the last thing I wanted was more of a hassle. There were a few cops who stopped by for a donut and a cup of coffee before their shifts, but everybody else had their fill for the day. That meant I spent most of my time cleaning equipment and prepping ingredients for tomorrow’s rush.

I’d gotten used to the routine quickly. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before after working in kitchens all over the city. Not having Gina there with me meant I spent my nights alone with nothing but my thoughts.

It was a late Friday night. I was in the back finishing up for the day when I heard the bell on the front door ring. I figured it was some police officer who wanted the usual.

I was right.

Ben stood at the counter, the usual friendly smile on his face.

“Hello, Lydia,” he said with a nod of his head. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing just fine, Ben.”

“I hope I’m not too late. I had a craving and my shift is about to start.”

“It’s not a problem. We’re still open and I’ve got most of my work done. I need something to do.”

“All right then. I’ll have the Sutton special.”

“The Sutton special?”

“Coffee and a donut.”

“Oh! Right. I should probably start calling it that. Maybe charge a little extra for it…”

“You never know. I don’t think everybody else would like it though. People in this town can be pretty stingy.”

Seeing Ben laugh in his awkward manner put a smile on my face.

I got him a donut and poured him a cup of coffee. As he reached into his pockets, I put my hand up.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “It’s on the house.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me. We make those donuts fresh every day and we throw ’em out when they go bad.”

“Right. And the coffee?”

“That pot’s been sitting there for awhile.”

“Old coffee and stale donuts. So I guess this is not the Sutton special.”

“You gotta get here a little earlier for that, I suppose.”

We shared a laugh. Ben shook his head and shrugged his shoulder as he picked his things up.

“If you insist,” he said. “Say, you might if I eat this here. Stuffing my face in the car gets it a little messy. Sometimes some of the other officers laugh at all the crumbs.”

“Make yourself at home, Ben.”

“I could use a bit of company. If you’re not too busy.”

“…Sure. Why not?”

I made my way around the corner and took a seat across the table from Ben. He took a bite of his donut and sipped on his coffee, smacking his lips with satisfaction.

“Stale coffee and old donuts,” he sighed.

I propped my elbow up on the table and put my head in my palm. The way Ben ate so cheerfully was like watching a child at lunchtime.

“You know,” he said, his mouth half-full. “Even though these donuts have been sitting out here all day, I’d still rather have these than some fresh ones anywhere else. What does Amy do to ‘em?”

“What do you mean?”

“They taste good even though they’re not fresh. You know the recipe, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Something has gotta make ’em special. A secret ingredient she puts in ‘em?

“…No,” I said shaking my head softly. “It seems like a standard recipe. There’s some variation with the measurements but there aren’t any special ingredients.”

“Hmm… It sure tastes like it. Maybe it’s got that special touch that only Amy can give it. Something you can’t get anywhere else.”

“I can see that. Sometimes the little things you can’t explain make all the difference.”

“That makes it special. There’s a lot of things like that in this town.”

He hungrily took another bite and gulped down his lukewarm coffee. His eyes were wandering around the bakery like he was looking for something to look at. As I stared at him, I couldn’t help but think about how much he stood out from everybody else in town.

“Ben.”

“Yeah?”

“You said that you’ve been in this town for only a month now.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“What do you think of Ivory? Is it the place you thought it was?”

“Honestly? I never really thought much of this town before I came here. I figured it was just some city in the middle of nowhere. I never had any expectations.”

“But you had to have some opinion of it before you got here, even if you knew nothing about it. I mean, you had to be expecting something for yourself at least. Didn’t you wonder if you would be able to fit in or not? Ivory isn’t like most towns.”

Ben took another bite of his donut, his eyes shifting toward the ceiling as he thought about it.

“I suppose,” he said as he shrugged.

“What kind of guy are you?” I asked. “Are you more comfortable in small towns like this? Maybe you’re a big city kinda guy…”

“Big city. Small town. Suburbs. Urban. Rural. Whatever. You know what I really like in a place I’m going to live in?”

“What’s that?”

He leaned in close and whispered.

“I just want some nice peace and quiet. Some place I know I can just relax.”

“Um… You know you’re a cop, right? I don’t think you’ll be able to relax very much with that job.”

“When I’m on the job. But when I’m off-duty, what I really like to do is relax. No cell phone. No TV. No internet. Not even a book. Just a nice lounge chair and some peace and quiet. That’s all I really want.”

“And do you get that here, in Ivory?”

He didn’t answer me immediately. He just stared at me, his brown eyes locked on me with a serious look I’d never seen in him before.

“What’s this all about?” he asked, his brow furrowed and a frown on his lips. “Where’s this coming from?”

“What?”

“You’re asking me these questions like you’re trying to figure something out. No offense, Lydia, but I know you’re not interested. Not in someone like me. I know you don’t want to get to know me better…”

Who would’ve thought Ben could be so insightful?

“…I was just thinking,” I sighed, a smile on my face. “I’ve only been here for a few weeks. But it feels like a lifetime.”

“Well, you’re not from a place like this. It’s totally new to you. New surroundings can be like that.”

“I suppose you’re right. Still… I wonder if I’ll ever be completely comfortable in Ivory.”

“I can’t say I blame you. After what happened to Gina… Nobody would be comfortable after that.”

I shifted my gaze away from Ben as I thought about Gina. It had been a few days since it happened but it was still fresh in my mind.

“How is she?” he asked. “I’ve been so busy and I haven’t gotten a chance to check on her.”

I shook my head.

“No change,” I sighed.

“She’ll be all right. Gina’s a tough girl. She’s the last woman in this town that I’d mess with.”

Ben’s words were surprisingly comforting. He seemed even more comfortable. He swallowed the rest of his donut and pounded down his coffee with another satisfied smack of his lips.

“You want my advice?” he said.

“Sure,” I said with a shrug.

“Some things you can change. Some things you can’t. The most important thing is figuring out the difference between the two.”

“…Thanks… I think.”

“Thank you, Lydia.”

“Do you want another donut? One for the road, maybe?”

“What? Are you sure?”

“I’m throwing them out. Fresh batch every morning, remember?”

“All right! Sounds great! But first… Do you have a bathroom I can use? I think that coffee is starting to talk to me.”

“Yeah,” I said with a giggle. “It’s in the back. Let me show you.”

I led Ben to the back of the bakery and pointed him to the bathroom.

“This might take a minute,” he said as he disappeared into the bathroom.

“Take your time,” I said, still laughing at him.

I started rinsing some dishes off. The sound of Ben whistling was loud enough to hear through the bathroom door. It was nice to have some company, even if it were a cop sitting on a toilet and whistling.

I was in the middle of washing the dishes when I heard the bell on the front door ringing again.

“Just a second!” I called out.

I rinsed my hands off and without thinking too much, headed out to the front of the bakery. When I got out there, I looked around but didn’t see anybody.

“Hello?” I said. “Anybody there?”

The bakery was silent except for Ben whistling in the back.

I held my breath for a second. An odd feeling shot through my spine but I ignored it. The bakery was spacious but small enough for me to see the entire room.

I headed outside. It was a clear night. The moonlight illuminated the streets. I stood in front of the bakery and looked up and down the sidewalks. There was no sign of anybody. There weren’t even any cars in the street. The only car was a police cruiser, which I assumed belonged to Ben.

“Strange…”

I stood outside for a moment and enjoyed the quiet of the night. After a few seconds to myself, I headed back inside.

Ben’s whistling was still in the distance.

“I must be hearing things…”

My head was down when I headed to the back. My focus on the floor, my head jerked when I saw a pair of feet blocking my path.

Someone stood there in front of me.

It took me a second but I knew who he was.

Poison.

The man who got into it with Sean. The man whose brother was killed by Sean.

He stood right there in front of me, a smile so sinister on his face I didn’t want to think about what his intentions were.

My heart stopped.

“Shit—”

Before I could finish, he took a swing at me.

My instincts took over. I moved and fell backward to the floor.

I panicked as I crawled backward. He kept moving forward, stalking me like I was his prey.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he said.

“Ben!” I shouted. “Ben!”

“Shut up!”

He jumped down on top of me. I just managed to roll out of the way but he was right next to me. His arms wrapped around me, Poison kept me tight in his grip as I struggled to break free.

“Ben!” I shouted. “Ben! Help—”

“Shut the fuck up, bitch!”

He put his hand on my mouth and muffled my shout. I opened my mouth and bit down as hard as I could. He squealed like a demon as my teeth sunk into his palm.

“Fucking bitch!”

He slapped me across the face and dazed me. My head felt like it was spinning. I was only half-conscious as he pulled me up to my feet.

“Come on!”

He dragged me along as I slumped against him.

Focus, Lydia. Focus!

I was trying my hardest to regain my senses. With all of my strength, I cleared my thoughts. He still had his arms wrapped around me. He was too strong for me to break free from but I still had to try.

I reached my hands up and started digging my thumbs into his eyes. He yelled out again, loud enough for the entire block to hear.

He put his hands around my throat and started choking me. I immediately started having trouble breathing. My hands loosened on him. My eyelids flickered. My vision started to go black. At the same time, he continued to drag me through the front of the bakery.

“Hey!”

Ben appeared from the back. He pointed his gun at Poison and me.

“Let her go!”

“Fuck off!” Poison responded defiantly.

He kept a hand around my throat and pulled the door open. I was so out of breath that I couldn’t focus on doing anything else except keeping consciousness.

Poison dragged me down the sidewalk. In the distance, I could hear Ben shouting.

“Let her go!”

I barely made out Ben holding his gun up. Poison ignored his orders, dragging me over to a bike that was parked in a nearby alley. I writhed in his grip until he swung his hand at me again.

“I said shut up, bitch!”

He slapped me so hard that my brain rattled in my head. I was so dazed that I couldn’t see straight. All I could feel was Poison dragging my body and forcing me to lay on his lap.

His engine revved. The bike started to move and I moved with it.

I laid on the bike, struggling to stay conscious. The last thing I saw was Ben down the street, slowly getting smaller. The dizziness finally got to me and my eyes closed on their own.