Chapter 16
“To the ends of the earth”
Dylan
Pulling up to work I don’t see Lilly’s jeep here yet. So I throw it in park and see a missed call and instantly dial her. Straight to voicemail. She’s probably still getting ready.
After grabbing doughnuts and coffee for everyone I balance my way through the front door and make my way to the kitchen. Sill walks in behind me muttering a “morning” as he follows the scent of sugar.
“I swear I could eat these every morning, but then I’d have to exercise more, and honestly who wants to do that.” Sill tells me in between taking bites of his doughnut that’s filled with chocolate. “Well it is a chocolate kind of day.” I reassure him. “Yes it is, and I will do my best to leave some candy for the trick or treaters later, but I make no promises.” The serious tone in his voice makes me laugh, because for a guy that I know goes to the same gym as I do, only works out so he can eat sugary shit all the time. “You’re addicted you know that, and I think you need help.” I tease as I scroll through my phone. “First of all lover boy it seems that you have an addiction as well. You know about yay high with long dark blond hair…goes by the name of Lilly.” He tells me as he gestures towards my phone and I can’t help but grin because he caught me texting her. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. And second, you are and enabler because you brought me this yummy cloud of icing and chocolaty pastry.” He finishes as he takes his last bite and I laugh. “Well I guess I better stop bringing this stuff in then.” I say as I stand up. “Hey now, let’s not get too carried away.” Sill says as he reaches in the box for another one and I chuckle to myself while walking down the hall.
After tossing my stuff in the drawer at my work station I head over to Lilly’s office to print up a copy of the schedule for today. If today goes as smoothly as I am hoping for then her and I can have a fun night together and just pass out candy. Maybe a few scary movies too, who knows, I’d do just about anything to keep her by my side.
As everyone else begins to fill in I go in search of Lilly again. She could be talking to someone out front, hell I even hear Tony all the way back here and I know she can’t stand to be around that loudness for long. Another glance at my phone and nothing. “Hey, have you heard from Lilly?” I ask Shane and he looks up at me in question. “No. Aren’t you guys always like up each other’s asses anymore?” I sigh and look around. “No, jack ass. I went home this morning and she was going to come in after she got ready.” I explain and he shrugs with a smart ass look on his face. “Maybe she’s just running behind.”
I start to walk away because I’m not in the mood to joke around this morning. I’ve got a lot of things on my mind the past few days, and last night something happened that cleared up a lot of things in my head. So I feel that I have to do the right thing. A lot of people might not agree but there’s only one person that has to understand.
“Dylan, your first one’s early.” Sill yells back to me since I’m still in the hallway. “Great.” I mutter to myself. On the other hand if I get these appointments over I can have more time to focus on what I have planned. “Send her back.” I say as I pull out the shit I need from the drawers and toss it on the counter. While getting ready I hear a woman clear her voice from the doorway. When I turn I suddenly feel a little sick. “Hey there Dylan.” Her sweet sadistic voice pierces my ears. I quickly look at the schedule on my desk and then back to her since I don’t think I ever took to remembering her name. “Melanie.” However as her name comes out of my mouth glimpses of the night we stumbled back to her place about seven months or so ago flash in my head. “Took me a while to find you, but here I am. Since when did you up and leave my neck of the woods?” A smile plays at her red lips as she turns to sit in the chair. Making sure to hike her black business dress up a little higher than normal as she gets comfortable. “I only worked in your neck of the woods, I never lived around there.” I explain as I fully remember everything now.
She was in the shop I worked at before getting a tattoo, and since she was the last appointment of the night she ended up going out with a few of us for a drink afterwards. Long story short, I was in need and she was ready to give. So we ended up back at her place for a few hours of fuck around and she has been trying for another round ever since. Not that she is bad looking or anything, in fact she is quite pretty, but her personality is nowhere near mine. Two completely different people. Needless to say once I sobered up I realized she wasn’t the kind to take no for an answer. I’m guessing her being a CEO of some paper company will do that.
This is definitely never going to happen again as I feel the temperature begin to rise in the small room I work out of. “Well regardless, I’m here and I won’t let anyone touch me to do this but you, so please Dylan, don’t be gentle.” The corner of her mouth curls up and I know what she wants. So I go to call Sill back through the intercom but as soon as I go to hit the button her hand tugs at my arm pulling it away. “Don’t play that shit. I came all this way for you and we don’t need an audience. Well… unless it’s that big guy out there with tattoos on his neck just like you.” Her prim and proper voice is dripping with seduction and determination.
I take a deep breath and run my hand through my hair. Maybe if I just get this over with she will go away. Shane doesn’t need to see a bad decision that I’ve made in my past right now I think to myself as I pull out of her grasp. “Melanie listen, I’m not playing games. I work here and I’m not fucking around with you today. Or any other day for that matter, but if you really want me to pierce you then let’s be professional about it.” I make a firm attempt to stop her way of thinking. Her eyes burn holes through mine as she quickly thinks up her next move and before another second passes she grabs my shirt and pulls me towards her. “Now Dylan, it’s early and I can’t wait any longer. We had such a fantastic night together and I loved watching all those muscles you have marked with ink take control of my body and have your way. In fact no one has been able to fuck me like that again since, so I need you. If you want, I’ll meet you at my place later and we can do it there.” Her low secretive words hold risk so I have to play this the right way. A way she’ll understand.
With my firm grip I unhook her fingers from my shirt and stand. “I’m sorry Melanie this isn’t going to happen. Our time before was a mistake. Forget me and go find yourself a poor bastard with a suit and a Beamer who will bend to your will because we’re done here.” She looks up at me and pauses. After a moment she stands up, straightens her clothes and grabs her purse. “This could have been fun you know.” Her last words meet me eye to eye. “Never gonna happen.” I tell her with a grin before she walks down the hallway and out the door. I follow not too close behind as I stop at the front desk and watch her go out to her $100,000 thousand dollar car. Sill turns to look at me with his eyebrows raised. “Did she tip good?” I huffed out a laugh. “Nope, she didn’t go through with it.” I answered as my eyes stayed on her bumper just to make sure she was truly gone. That was a disaster.
“Hey there Dylan, where’s Lilly?” Jen comes up behind me and asks. “I don’t know, I was just going to ask if you heard from her.” Jens face scrunches up. “She had a rough night before I left to get Maddox.” “What was wrong with her?” I ask because she never mentioned anything to me other than a text telling me that she gave a report to the police. Jen shakes her head and looks down. “She opened that box Shane gave her yesterday and it had some of her mother’s stuff in it he thought she should have.” She shrugs. “Didn’t she tell you?” Jen asks. When I think back I don’t remember her saying anything about it so I shake my head no. She chuckles. “Maybe you just don’t remember. Shit, Maddox didn’t even remember me picking him up last night. He just kept saying something about free shots. Then this morning he told me some women were crushing pretty hard.” “Yeah well can you blame them?” Shane says as he goes behind the counter and grabs a picture from the printer. “No, I know what I married but I trust him, and if someone wants to hand out free shots to you three as a group then I have no problem with that. However, if it was just him by himself then yes I’d be pissed.” “When’s my next appointment?” I ask as I lean over to look? “In like five minutes, but after that you have about an hour break.” Sill tells me. “Good, I’m going over to check on Lilly after this next one gets here.” Shane nods his head in agreement. “I text her but she didn’t text me back yet.” He adds. “I wonder if she is just still sad over yesterday.” Jen asks. “Sad about what?” Shane asks as Sill picks up the phone to answer it. “That box you gave her.” His mouth forms an O as he realizes the impact it must have had on her. “Shit. I should have been there for her when she opened it up.” Seemingly pissed off at himself, he walks back over to the person waiting on him.
Sill hangs up the phone and turns to me. “Your last appointment rescheduled. He said he didn’t realize it was Halloween today and that he has to take his kids out to get candy.” “Good, I’m going to get ready for my next one just send him back when he gets here.” “Okay.”
About thirty minutes later and I’m out the door. After texts being sent and unanswered calls, I’m worried. Plus it’s now after Noon and this isn’t like her. Luckily we don’t live far so when I pull up I see her Jeep parked out front.
I knock first and nothing, and then with the key she gave me I unlock it and go inside. “Lilly.” I call but there’s no answer. “Dammit Lilly, where are you?” I ask even louder as a feeling of uneasiness slowly takes hold of my chest.
To scan the rooms there is nothing that looks out of place. It’s pretty bad when I even result to opening the washer and dryer to see if she’s in there. Even though I know it’s stupid, it’s just desperation at this point.
I am finding out lately that I need Lilly like I need air to breathe. She’s my life line, my home like I told her last night. I just wanted to wait until I didn’t smell like a damn brewery before I told her that I loved her back. How romantic would it have been if I said it back to her with whisky on my lips? I at least owe it to her to look her in the eye and explain just how much it means that she could love a person like me. That I don’t deserve her, but I never want to be without her. “Fuck.” I shout as I take a seat at the kitchen counter. She at least got her mail today as I see the pile on the counter next to me.
Maybe she walked over to my place. The thought pops in my head, so I jump up and decide to go check. I go to lock the door but drop my keys. When I bend down to get them I see the corner of an envelope under her doormat.
I open it up and read it. My heart drops down into my stomach. Pictures from last night fall to the ground and a note written just like the last, only way worse this time.
I swear my ears begin to ring and a stiff silence brings me to my knees as I gather the pictures that fell. Like I’m in slow motion I grab my phone out of my pocket and dial Shane.
He answers with a simple “Talk to me.” And I can tell he is preoccupied, but I can’t form the words. “Dylan, what the fuck dude?” His full attention on the line now. “I have to call the police, you need to come.” There, I finally get them out.
Not even a word out of his mouth just a silent dead line as I imagine him bulldozing anything in his way to get here. Then I make the call that I know is going to bring down a whole bunch of shit to the place where Lilly and I were just at only hours ago.