Chapter Twenty-Five
We rode over to the bar in Adam’s white, very police looking Tahoe in silence. As soon as we parked I turned to him and began pleading. “Look, Lan’s just as macho he-man as you seem to be and he’s probably going to flip when he sees us together. Please, don’t do or say anything to provoke him.”
He studied me closely for a minute. “I’ll explain the circumstances to your boyfriend and as long as what he says about keeping you safe makes me happy, I’ll keep my mouth shut,” he retorted.
“So, in other words, if you don’t like what Landyn says you’ll make my life hell? And he’s my fiancé, not boyfriend.” I paused.
“Where do you guys learn to be such jerks?” I asked loudly while getting out of the vehicle.
He hurried around to my side. “There’s nothing to teach Alexis. Most good men just want to keep their woman safe and happy.” I felt him place a hand at the small of my back while we walked.
“Well Adam, I’m not your woman and if you keep flirting with me Landyn is going to kick your ass.”
“I’m thinking you might be worth it,” he responded.
Argh! “I’m so sick of men,” I grumbled as we walked into the bar. When the door closed behind us, all the patrons’ eyes turned our way. “Okay, I’m going to assume they’re looking at you,” I said softly to Adam.
“I don’t know about that honey. I think all eyes are on you.” “Whatever. Do you want to go get a drink or something while I go look for Landyn?” I asked him.
“No, let’s just get this over with.”
As we walked down the hall toward Landyn’s office, Adam kept his hand at the small of my back. I kept trying to speed up, but his hand never fell away. I slowed and turned my face up to him. “You really should step away from me. Are you trying to cause a fight?” Just as we turned the corner, he opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. His eyes were focused straight ahead and then he stopped walking all together. I twisted my neck to see what he was looking at.
Destiny was walking out of Landyn’s office, with Landyn trailing close behind.
“Are you fucking shitting me?” I screamed. They both jerked their heads up and looked at me like they’d just seen a ghost. How ironic.
All the color drained out of Landyn’s face. “Lexi, baby, this isn’t what it looks like,” Landyn spoke hastily.
This isn’t what it looks like?
I started laughing hysterically; yes, hysterically. “Oh! Of course it’s not what it looks like,” I said through my laughter.
I was going insane.
“I’m sorry you had to see this Alexis, but you’ve got the wrong idea,” Destiny chimed in, sounding like she was being genuinely sincere. My laughter died instantly upon hearing the awful sound of her voice. That bitch!
I started to charge toward her, but Detective Bryant grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.
“Don’t!” I twisted my neck and barked in his face. I jerked my arm out of his hold.
“You’re going to get yourself in trouble,” he said calmly.
I just shrugged my shoulders. This was something I should have done years ago and all hell was about to break loose.
“Get your fucking hands off her!” Landyn demanded heatedly from right behind me. I never heard him move.
I turned back around so my chest bumped into his, and then I jumped in his face, “Shut up Landyn!” I yelled. He grabbed my face gently between his hands and kissed me fast and frantic. I didn’t kiss him back and I tugged desperately at his arms to drop his hands.
When he finally pulled back he warned, “You’re mine Lexi. I’ll fucking kill him if he touches you again.”
“Get away from me Landyn. I knew you were a mistake! What the hell was I thinking taking a chance on you?” I was about to say more, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Destiny trying to slip by us.
I twisted my arms awkwardly against Landyn’s grasp until I managed to side-step away from him, straight into her path; we were face-to-face. My blood was boiling and I wasn’t thinking rationally.
“Everything fucked up in my life is because of you. You just can’t stop being a whore, can you?” Her eyes shut and her nose scrunched up like she was wounded.
“Look, Alexis, this isn’t what you-” she started to speak, but I didn’t want to hear a word she had to say. I fisted my hand, reared back and imagined her face as a nice fluffy pillow. I punched her so hard in the face she screamed, lost her footing and fell back.
Everything from that moment on happened at warp speed.
“Shit!” Landyn thundered. “Jesus!” I heard shouted from behind me just before Adam grabbed me around the waist and hauled me back while I shook out my hand. It hurt like a mutha!
Landyn caught Destiny just before she hit the ground. Blood was running down her arms as she covered her face with her hands.
“Damn it baby!” Landyn bellowed at me. “I didn’t have sex with her! She came here looking for Trish! Are you hurt?” Landyn was looking at me, and talking to me like he was concerned about me. All the while, he continued to comfort Destiny while she was half propped up on his thigh.
My eyesight was hazy and I was seeing red! I wanted to rip his head off. What he said about Trish never even registered in my mind.
“You know what, Landyn? Go to hell! You no longer exist to me. I never would have imagined telling you this way, while the slut you cheated on me with twice that I know of, is laid out on the floor between your thighs, where you so clearly want her at all times.” I looked pointedly at Destiny in disgust then back at Landyn.
“I’m pregnant, you asshole.”
Landyn’s whole body jerked and he gaped at me. “You’re pregnant?” he asked softly, ignoring everything else I just said. He even sounded relieved which pissed me off even more.
“I’m only a five weeks pregnant and you better pray that I don’t miscarry after the stress you and you’re bitch just caused me,” I spat at him. I still wasn’t thinking clearly and couldn’t be too sure if my threats were making sense, but words wouldn’t stop spewing out my mouth.
“I was five weeks pregnant and in this exact same situation the last time I caught you. At least this time I won’t live with the regret of not telling you that you’re about to be a father!”
I wanted to cry so badly, but I chanted “Don’t cry” over and over again in my head.
Instead, I laughed harshly at my next realization. “It would seem that crazy Ryan was right from the very beginning. When you found out about Layla, I should have just told you to take me to court in the first place. I never should have gotten mixed up with you again.”
I started to wiggle impatiently in Adam’s hold. “Let me go Detective,” I demanded before continuing, “Landyn, if you want to see Layla or this baby, take me to court. But good luck finding me!”
I spun around to face the man who wouldn’t let me out of his iron grip, “Move your ass copper! I don’t care if you arrest me and take me to jail; just get me out of here now!” I saw him bite down on his bottom lip like he was trying really hard not to laugh at me.
“I hate men,” I grumbled, and then stormed down the hall and pulled out my cell to call Trish. I started in on her as soon as I heard, “Hey bitch.”
“Trish, don’t ask me any questions. Go get Layla, don’t even pack her bag, and get the hell out of that house. As soon as you leave, call me and I’ll tell you where to meet me.” I hung up on her.
Un-fucking-believable was my life.
I barely made it outside the front door and into the parking lot when the nausea hit. I had to hug the side of the building while making my way to Adam’s SUV. Abruptly, I was lifted up by strong arms and I glanced up to see it was Adam. I didn’t know why I expected Landyn to come after me.
“I think I might throw up,” I whispered.
“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll get you out of here.” Good thing he was parked conveniently and illegally against the curb on the side of the building.
As he placed me in the passenger seat I wiped frantically at the tears I finally let escape. It was a miracle I actually made it this long without crying. Once Adam got in and started the vehicle, my phone rang at the same time banging started on my window and someone tried opening the door. Thank God it was locked because there could only be one person who wouldn’t care about breaking into a cop car.
“Lexi, baby, get your ass out his car and let me explain!” he shouted. I ignored him completely and sobbed into the phone. “Hello.”
“Lex, what the hell is going on?” Trish asked, freaked.
“Baby, I didn’t sleep with her!” Landyn shouted again. I turned to face him through the glass with my phone still pressed against my ear, and shouted back. “Of course you didn’t sleep with her! You just fucked her right? Next thing you’ll tell me is that you don’t remember any of it!” I threw his words back in his face.
All the muscles in his face grew tight and somehow he looked like he grew another foot. His eyes moved to look deliberately at Adam. Adam’s narrowed eyes were on Landyn. I glanced back and forth between them as they seemed to be holding some kind of scary, silent conversation.
Finally, Landyn’s eyes came back to me. “I’ll give you tonight, but tomorrow we’re sorting this shit out,” he said angrily and his eyes moved, once again, back to Adam. “You better make sure she’s safe, and I’ll fuck you up if you touch her, pretty boy.” With that he turned and stormed off.
Shit!