Chapter Twelve
AMBER
I was almost in tears as I raced out of Kyle’s loft and down to my car. My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely get the key into the lock. When I finally got into the car, I just sat there for a few seconds trying to prepare myself for the battle that was about to come. I sucked in enough air to settle myself down slightly and then I started the engine and drove towards Marlene’s house. The drive was about thirty minutes long, and I cussed everyone on the road in between. The anxiety was building up with each minute that passed.
When I got close to the house, I was relieved to see there was at least no smoke and flames, but as I rounded the corner my stomach fell when I saw Dylan and two policemen in the front yard. I thought about just driving on by, but Dylan saw me. His dark eyes stayed on me until I parked the car and got out.
“Here she is now,” he said. His speech sounded clear, for Dylan at three a.m.
“What’s going on?”
“Are you Amber Reed?” one of the officers asked me.
“Yes sir.”
“Is this man your boyfriend?”
I looked at Dylan and hoped the disgust I was feeling wasn’t readily evident on my face. “He’s my ex-boyfriend.” I heard the front door open behind me. My poor sister looked frazzled. I reached my hand out to her and she took it. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?”
“I called the police because he was beating on the door and saying he was going to burn the house down.”
“I didn’t say that, you stupid-”
“Watch it,” the cop warned him.
“Sorry…Sir. I was looking for Amber and this one,” he said, looking at Marlene with disdain, “she wouldn’t tell me where she was. I was…worried.”
“He wasn’t worried, he was jealous,” Marlene said. “And he did say he was going to burn my house down. I have a six-year-old daughter. He woke her up and scared her to death.”
“Lying cunt,” Dylan mumbled under his breath.
I’d come over here with the idea that I would calm him down, even go home with him if that’s what it took. That word always sets me off, however, and without regard to how long they would keep him or what he would do to me when he was out I said, “I have proof that he said it.” Dylan and Marlene both looked at me with shock on their faces. I hate that I’ve become the woman that everyone thinks is comfortable being the victim. “Can I play the message for you, sir?”
“Sure,” the cop said. The look he was giving Dylan told me this cop would love nothing more than to see him cuffed and in the back of his car.
“Amber…” Dylan began.
“Shut up,” the second cop interrupted him. I pulled up the voicemail and pressed play. Dylan’s voice wafted out. “Where the fuck are you, Amber? If you’re out whoring around, I suggest you get your ass back to your sister’s house now before I burn this mother-fucker down with her and whoever else is in there inside.”
When the message finished playing the cop said, “Can you show me who the message is from?” I showed him where it said Dylan’s name and number. He looked over at my former boyfriend and said, “That sounded an awful lot like a terrorist threat to me, Mr. Lane.”
“I was mad. You can check me and my truck man; I don’t even have a light.”
“He carries his handgun in the compartment underneath the floorboard of his pick-up. There are also matches and other emergency supplies in there. I think if you check the back end of his pick-up, you’ll find a five gallon container of gas.” I heard myself, but still couldn’t believe I was saying these things right in front of him. If the look on his face was any indication, I was going to be in a world of hurt when he got out of jail.
“You little bitch!”
“Mr. Lane, turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
“What the fuck for?”
“You’re under arrest sir for making terrorist threats-”
“You’re going to be sorry, bitch!” he said as the cop slammed him forward into the wall of the house and pulled his beefy arms behind his back. “You fucking little-”
“I’d shut up now if I were you,” the cop said. “You have the right to remain silent…” While they read Dylan his rights, Marlene gripped my hand so tightly that it hurt. Dylan quieted down, but the after the cop cuffed him and led him over to the car, the look he gave me sent a surge of fear ripping through my body.
The second cop was searching the truck. He found the gun that I knew for a fact wasn’t registered. Dylan had bought it off of one of his rodeo buddies and the serial numbers were filed off. He also found the matches I knew Dylan carried for those nights on the road when he had to camp out and the gasoline he always carried in back for those long stretches on the country roads in between gas stations. All I could hope at this point was that they’d keep him at least for a while.
Once he was in the car, the first cop came back and explained to Marlene and me how to file for a restraining order for when he did get out. He said one of the terms if he did get bail would be to stay away from those that he had threatened. That didn’t make me feel a lot better. Dylan does what Dylan wants and ninety percent of the time, he doesn’t consider the consequences. He was currently staring daggers at me from the backseat of the police cruiser. I wouldn’t be surprised if I suddenly burst into flames.
“Let’s go in out of the cold,” Marlene told me as the cop was driving away. We went inside and she put on a pot of coffee. There was no way that either of us was getting any sleep now, anyways.
“I’m so sorry.”
She made her face that I call, “Mom face.” She looks just like our mother when she does it. “What are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything. As a matter of fact, I’m really proud of you for standing up the way that you did.”
I shrugged. “I feel so bad for getting you and poor little Nona involved in all of this. Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. I told her Uncle Dylan was sick and the police were going to come and take him to see the doctor. She bought it, and she’s sleeping like an angel now. But you know what?”
“What?”
“Part of this craziness with that man is you taking responsibility for the things that he does. He did this tonight, and you are not to blame for it. I’m going to go and get that restraining order Monday morning…I hope you are, too.”
“I will, but you know that a piece of paper won’t make a difference to him when he’s drunk.”
“I do know that, but I want to make sure if he does show up and I call the police, he leaves here in handcuffs every time. Eventually, maybe he’ll get sick of it and stay away.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I just wish he’d find someone else…”
Marlene laughed. “You’re wishing him on some other poor woman?”
I laughed, too. “True, I guess that’s bad, huh? The thing about Dylan is none of this is about how he feels about me. This is about him thinking I’m his property and hating to be alone when he’s home.”
“You have to prove to him that you don’t belong to anyone but yourself. How did your date take your sudden departure?”
I gritted my teeth. “I may have ruined it. I was freaking out worrying about you and Nona. I told him I had to leave because you were sick, but he saw Dylan’s name pop up on my phone. He wasn’t happy with my sketchy explanation.”
“Maybe you should go see him today and give him a less than sketchy explanation.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m just getting to know Kyle, but I get the feeling that he would feel like he needs to ‘save me.’”
“That’s bad?”
“Well, yeah. First of all I’m a grown woman, I don’t want to be saved. Second of all, he’s recovering from a major illness and operation. He doesn’t need the stress of taking on something like this.”
“So if he walks away now, you just let him go?”
I shrugged. “I guess I’ll cross that bridge if and when I come to it. I’m more worried that this will screw up the determination he’s shown in therapy. He’s come a long way in a short time and I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable with me. This is why you shouldn’t date patients.”
“Then why did you?”
“I just can’t stop thinking about him.” It was more than that, but I had no idea how to explain it. When he was near me, it was a wonder that any rational thought could slip through. My mind was clouded with a completely overwhelming sense that this is the guy – the one I was meant to be with. It wouldn’t make any sense if I tried to put it in words, so I just left it at that.