Authors: Suzanne McKenna Link
My father turned to me. “Claudia, get in the cruiser. I’m
taking you home. We’ll have to call a flatbed to tow the car.”
“In a minute. I want to talk with Toby. Alone,” I told him.
“A minute,” my father repeated. With a stiff nod, he strode
towards the squad car. Inside it, he spoke into his police radio as he watched
us through the window.
Trying to ignore the burning glare of my father’s eyes, I
faced Toby.
“This whole thing is a mess. What if Devlin tries something
else? You should just go to the police about him.”
“Relax, Claude. He’s just trying to scare me.” Toby glanced
towards the cruiser and back at me. “He did his thing. It’s over.”
“I hope you’re right,” I sighed. “Listen, I’m so sorry about
what my father said.”
Toby shrugged, emotionless. “It’s nothing new to me.”
“I should go.” I motioned to the cruiser and started to move
away.
“Hey,” he drew me back to him. “Kiss me good-bye.”
“Oh,” I mumbled and, more than aware that my father was
watching us, I awkwardly pushed up on tiptoe to give him a chaste kiss. Toby
had other ideas, though. His arms tightened around me and crushing me against
him, his lips moved over mine hard and possessive for a long few seconds—until
the blearing sound of the cruiser’s horn made me jump back.
Having successfully provoked my father, Toby smirked, “That
cop sure takes me kissing you personally. You’d think the guy didn’t like me or
something.”
“Have your fun,” I said, exasperated. “I’m sure I’ll get an
earful about you in the car.”
“Yeah. I’ll bet. Sorry, baby.” He raised his hands in
apology, but, as I turned to leave, he swatted my butt. Gasping, I spun around
and saw a dark smile tease his lips. “Be sure to put in a few good words for
me,” he winked at me.
I shook my head at his audacity and said, “Oh, Toby Faye,
after that, there are not going to be words to redeem you.”
He merely shrugged. “Were there ever?”
“I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am that you’re
still dating that guy.”
He kept his eyes on the road, his voice low.
“I seem to keep disappointing you,” I said, and looked out
the window.
“Claudia, you’re a bright young woman dating a guy who has
absolutely no direction in life—and that’s before you add in his involvement
with this murder investigation. What could you possibly see in him?”
“I really hate that you keep insisting that my boyfriend is
involved with killing someone,” I seethed. “I could never be with someone
capable of that.”
Dad scoffed loudly. “Claudia, his father was a lousy, angry
drunk who killed two people. His brother killed someone, too. Believe me, he
has it in him to be dangerous.”
Toby did have a temper. I’d seen that first hand. But other
than tonight’s steamy prelude into the world of rough sex, which I decided was
far more erotic than dangerous, and altogether a different matter than what my
father was suggesting, I’d never felt personally threatened.
“You’ve got him all wrong. Toby cares about me, and he’s
always been gentle with me.”
We pulled up in front of the house, and my father turned off
the engine.
“You know I’ve arrested guys who beat up their girlfriends.
One was even killed.”
“Holy cow, Dad. Just stop it.” I was appalled, but I
shouldn’t have been so surprised. This was a typical scare tactic of my
father’s. Over the years, he’d told me stories—terrible things—many involving
young girls getting kidnapped and/or taken advantage of, to warn me to be
careful and to stay close by.
“I worry about your safety!” His squawk startled me. I sat
back in my seat and closed my eyes. “What does he want with a girl like you?
You two have nothing in common. He’s not likely to settle down and make a good
husband.”
“Husband?” I almost laughed. “I don’t want to get married!”
“Good thing because I’m sure marriage is the last thing on
his mind. Guys like that always want the benefits of marriage without the
commitment.”
“And what if he does, Dad?” My cheeks burned in irritation.
“Maybe I want to have those benefits, too.”
He was speechless. I had shocked him into silence.
“Maybe I already enjoy those benefits,” I continued to taunt
him. “So what? I don’t see how that affects you. It’s my life.”
“Claudia, you’re a good girl. You can’t be telling me…”
I sighed and turned to face him. “What I’m telling you is,
I’m not a teenager anymore. You’ve raised me well enough that I know right from
wrong. You need to let me take care of myself and make my own mistakes.” I took
a breath. “If you love me, you need to give me room to grow.”
“You won’t grow while you’re with him.”
“Dad!” I was unable to believe he wouldn’t, couldn’t let
this go. “Back. Off. I’ve been a good daughter, done everything you’ve asked of
me, but it’s clear that will never be enough. I need out.” I grabbed the door
handle. “I know Mom called and spoke to you about USC. She said I could use my
college savings for whatever school I wanted. Getting away from here is what I
want.”
My father scowled in the darkness of the cruiser. “So you’ve
already decided to go?”
“Yes. Orientation is in two weeks.” I eyed him waiting for
his reaction. When he didn’t respond, I threw open the door. “I’m sorry about
the car. I’ll get it fixed,” I snapped, and got out.
I called Toby from home that night.
“Your dad is a real hard ass,” he griped.
“He and I are no longer speaking to each other, but you were
defended,” I told him. “You knew that man died, didn’t you?”
Toby was silent for a moment, and, sighing, he finally said,
“Yes. I was in a bad mood because Dev came to the house earlier to tell me.
Claudia, he killed Velerio.” In a disheartened murmur, he repeated, “Dev killed
the guy.”
In my gut, I’d known this all along, but hearing it
confirmed was more unsettling. “How much did you see?”
“Ray saw it all go down. But I swear to you, I wasn’t there.
I wasn’t interested in chasing the guy so Dev made me walk home.”
“God, I am so glad you didn’t go along with them,” I
murmured.
“Dev says if I talk, he’ll tell the police I was involved.
We almost went at it in the kitchen.”
“He has no evidence to do that,” I said furiously, and began
pacing my bedroom. “Tell Ray to come forward. He’ll be able to say what
happened. He’ll tell them you weren’t there.”
He hesitated. “It isn’t that simple, but I’m working on it.
Till then, you can’t say anything to your father or anyone else about all of
this. If Dev finds out I talked, scaring us with his car will only be the first
of many things he’ll do. I know how he is—he’ll just get more insane. I can’t
take that kind of risk, not now when Julia still needs me,” he said.
For the first time, I agreed with him.
In the following days, Toby spent a lot of time with Ray. I
was proud of him for handling the situation with the attention and urgency it
called for. I didn’t get to see him much in those two weeks prior to my
orientation. I had my own projects to work on too, getting things squared away
for California: plane reservations, hours of entrance paperwork, and online
forms.
As much as I wanted to go to California, Toby’s situation
with Devlin worried me, and I felt torn about leaving him. Stuff at my own
house wasn’t much better. Things between Dad and me got worse. There was an
animosity between us that I didn’t know how to fix. It was a battle of who
could be more stubborn. I hated to admit it, but I was pretty good at it. With
the situation as it was, for the first time since Mom left, I felt completely
disconnected to home.
Despite the swirling dark moods, two days before their
arrival, everyone’s attention was diverted to getting the Fayes' house ready for
Felicia’s and baby Dylan’s visit. I readied the extra bedroom and made sure all
the floors were scrubbed and clean enough for a baby to crawl around on, and
Toby drove around to various church ladies’ houses to pick up loaner baby
supplies. The kitchen was outfitted with a high chair, the den with a playpen,
and the spare bedroom with a portable crib. The colorful additions to each room,
in anticipation of the newest little Faye, seemed to breathe new life into the
outdated house. Mrs. Faye’s health continued to improve dramatically. I was
sure Dylan’s visit had inspired the surge. She would be fine without my help
when I left for the West Coast.
The day of the arrival, Toby made the short drive up to
MacArthur Airport. I waited with Mrs. Faye at the house and helped her wrap
some gifts she’d purchased for her grandson.
“Remember, you need to rest while they’re here. Toby and
Felicia can do for themselves. And, don’t lift the baby too much,” I reminded
her.
Mrs. Faye pressed a hand on my knee. “You’ll be such a good
mother some day.”
Oh, good God. First the commitment comment, and now this?
Hearing the Jeep drive up, we went to the door. Felicia, a
petite, slender platinum blonde in white pants and a sleeveless yellow blouse,
stepped from the car. Dangling earrings peeked out from her long and wavy hair.
She reached back to the baby seat, unbuckled an adorable, sleepy blonde baby,
and lifted him up.
As she came up the walkway, I stared at the pair of white
heels she wore. They were so ridiculously high, I wondered how she kept herself
balanced with the six-month-old on her hip. Stepping forward, she smiled warmly
at Mrs. Faye. Toby followed her carrying the luggage.
“Here he is!” Felicia went directly to Mrs. Faye and placed
the baby in her awaiting arms. Little Dylan, his head covered with soft, baby
fine hair, appeared to have just woken up. His little face was ruddy and eyes
still held the signs of a deep, restful sleep. But even so, he was smiling as
Felicia released him to his grandmother’s embrace.
Mrs. Faye held him to her in complete rapture. “Who is this
sweet, handsome little boy?” she cooed, tears welling in her eyes.
Dylan’s little face was serious, but instead of crying, he
turned in search of his mother. When he found her, the smile returned.
“See, Dylan, this is Grandma Julia.” Felicia came closer,
patting Mrs. Faye’s shoulder, assuring her son that he was fine. The baby
turned back and studied the new woman in front of him, seemingly absorbed in
the details of her face. Mrs. Faye leaned forward whispering sweetly to him as
he reached out with his chubby little hand and grabbed her nose.
The room was quiet as we watched her face wrinkle with a
smile, and then tears fell from her eyes. “He’s absolutely precious.” As she
looked up at Felicia, her voice cracked. “Thank you so much for bringing him to
me.”
Several minutes into the visit, Felicia came into the
kitchen where I had just finished assembling a veggie platter and snacks for
the occasion. She flicked her long, blond hair over her shoulder, and I got the
whiff of her perfume, sweet and flowery, like gardenias.
“Can I get some water? I’m parched.”
“Water pitcher’s in there,” I pointed to the refrigerator as
I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and handed it to her.
“You’re Claudia, the girl who works here, right?”
I nodded.
“How is she?” Felicia nodded her head towards the other
room. “She looks so thin since I last saw her.”
“It was really scary for a while, but she’s doing much
better,” I said. “I think the anticipation of your visit really made a
difference.”
Felicia stood with the refrigerator open, her hand on the
filtered water container. “That’s a nice thing to say. I guess I never really
thought about Dylan being her only grandchild. Now I wish we’d come sooner.”
She filled the glass, took a sip, and left the pitcher on
the counter. “But this family is so screwed up—I just needed to get out of
here,” she said by way of explanation. “Poor Mrs. Faye. Her boys are both such
head cases.” She twirled an index finger around the side of her head. “Al’s in
prison and Toby—I can’t see that sexy mess doing the family thing, with kids
and in-laws.”
Felicia chuckled at her own comment and took another long
sip, staring out at the scene in the living room.
“But, I’ll say this, Toby is good with Dylan. The two of
them are so cute together.”
I peeked over her shoulder. Toby and his mother were sitting
side by side on the couch with Dylan on Toby’s lap. My boyfriend was obviously
enchanted with his little nephew, and, as Mrs. Faye looked on, he made silly
faces and cooed at Dylan. I agreed with Felicia, they were sweet together.
Watching them made me feel kind of silly-happy.
Without another word, Felicia went back to the other room to
join them. She sat down next to Toby, closer than necessary.
“Why look at you! You’re such a natural with a baby.” With
her arm around his back, Felicia leaned over and kissed Toby’s cheek leaving a
lipstick smudge. Then she made a fuss about wiping it off.
Watching Toby’s reaction guardedly, I noticed his eyes
stayed on Dylan as he spoke with her. “I can’t believe how big he got since the
last time I saw him.”
“Well, it has been five months since you visited,” Felicia
said with a pout in her tone.
“They change so much in the first year,” Mrs. Faye said,
seeming reflective.
Felicia hit Toby’s shoulder with a soft punch. “I expected
to see you again before you came back here.”
“I should’ve made time.” Toby was enjoying Dylan’s giggles
as he bumped the baby up and down on his knee. I was relieved he wasn’t more
than mildly responsive to Felicia’s disapproval as I suspected there was more
than ‘sister-in-law-ly’ intent behind her attention to him.
The baby let out a burp, and the three of them laughed.
“I want to take some pictures. Where’s Claudia?” I saw Mrs.
Faye glance around, and I busied myself with the snack platter, scraping the
last of some hummus dip into a serving bowl.
“I’ll get her,” Toby said and appeared in the kitchen with
Dylan on his hip. “Hey, why are you hiding out in here?”
“I’m not hiding. I didn’t want to intrude on your family
reunion.” I shrugged, about to lick some hummus off my fingers.
Snatching my hand before it reached my mouth, he said,
“Don’t be silly. You’re not working today.” He popped my fingers into his own
mouth and licked them clean. “Now come out here for pictures.”
My face felt flushed when we stepped into the living room.
Toby put his arm around my waist and drew me close. I saw Felicia’s eyes
narrow, but just then baby Dylan reached out to me and threw his little body
forward. I had no choice but to catch him.
“Look at this little lady-killer,” Toby smiled and tickled
Dylan’s belly. “You trying to make time with my girl?”
Dylan’s throaty chortle was musical, and I couldn’t help
laughing at its endearing sound. Smiling, I stroked his soft hair and inhaled
his sweet baby smell. His eyes were so blue and skin so fair, it was almost
translucent. Enthralled, I watched him as he grabbed the necklace around my
neck and put my gold cross in his mouth. When I smiled, he smiled back, and a
long string of drool slid out of the corner of his mouth onto my chest.
Toby leaned towards my ear. “He even drools over you just
like I do.”
We grinned at each other, and a flash went off. Mrs. Faye
had taken our picture. She smiled as she looked at us, and I know she was lost
in the moment, watching Toby interact with this beautiful baby, cooing and
stroking his head in such a loving way. Despite motherhood not being part of my
plans, I had to admit seeing my guy like this did strange things to me, too.
This soft, gentle side of him was incredibly alluring, and a powerfully strong
yearning for him raced through me. He was my sexy mess.
After lowering Dylan onto his mother’s lap and taking a few
photos, Toby glanced back at me. He always oozed such raw sexuality, but for
some reason—perhaps my hormones were in an uproar or I was ovulating—my libido
took a direct hit. I almost forgot to breath.
He came over to me and slid his hand loosely over my hip. I
immediately felt our connection.
“You okay?” he asked. His eyes dropped down to my mouth, and
I bit my lip.
Embarrassed by my state of arousal, I mumbled, “I … I need
some water,” and leaving Felicia and Mrs. Faye in conversation about Dylan’s
sleeping and eating habits, I headed back into the kitchen. Toby followed me,
watching as I filled a glass with filtered water from the pitcher Felicia had
left on the counter. I warmed under his gaze.
Taking the pitcher from my shaking hands, he put it on the
counter next to me and touched my face.
“Claudia.” He whispered my name as if he knew what I was
thinking. I pressed my face into his hand, but I couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Look at me,” he commanded, and, very slowly, I raised my
eyes to his.
I felt the force of our attraction run through me, every
little pore in my body electrified. His irises grew darker, and his grasp on my
hip tightened. He leaned in and kissed me, his lips soft but persistent.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I tugged him tight to me and met his kiss
with my own eagerness, wanting desperately to feel his body against mine.
After a few moments, Toby dragged his mouth from mine,
appearing as affected as I felt.
“If we don’t stop, I’m going to nail you right here in the
kitchen,” his voice low and sultry. “And with the way you’re acting, I have a
feeling we’d be way too noisy to go unnoticed.”
I smiled and touched my palm to his now flushed face. “What
have you done to me? All I can think about is how much I want to be alone with
you.”
“Woman, you have freaking lousy timing. With Felicia and the
baby here, swinging alone time today will be next to impossible,” he said, his
hand moving in slow, distracting circles over my rear end. “But maybe I can
work something out.”
I took a deep steadying breath and shook my head.
“No. I don’t want to take you away from this.” I motioned to
the other room. “This time is so important to your mom and for you, too.”
“But I want to be with you,” he whispered, skimming his lips
over my jaw.
“I know,” I said. “But it can wait.”
* * *
While Mrs. Faye and Toby enjoyed time with Dylan, I was left
to focus on the final detail of my trip: packing. At midnight, burning off
anxious energy, I was absorbed in the task of pairing and laying out outfits. I
hadn’t heard from Toby, so I wasn’t completely surprised when he called my cell
just as I zipped up my luggage.
“Sorry to call so late,” he apologized. “But I saw your
light was still on and…”
“You’re outside my house?” I flew to the window and pulled
back the curtain. His shadowed figure was in the driveway, and he waved at me.
My heart began to race. “My dad would freak if he knew you were here.”
“Claude, I really need to see you. Just come out here for a
little while,” he pleaded.
Of course, I knew I would. “Give me two minutes, then meet
me at the east side gate,” I told him. I ran around quickly collecting a few
items and went down to the yard.
He was at the gate, impatiently trying to open it when I got
there. I undid the locking latch and pulled the gate open. Toby stood for a
moment and stared at me. I had piled my hair into a simple twist and slipped
into a pink sleeveless summer nightie—the silky soft chemise was short,
feminine and showed off my legs. The way he looked at me, made me feel as
though I were wearing the most erotic lingerie.