Healing Inc. (11 page)

The entire apartment was decorated in contemporary décor with white leather furniture Contemporary art and large colorful vases tied it all together.  The flooring was dark mahogany wood with the exception of the bedrooms and baths which had white carpet and travertine tiled floors. 

The guest bath was sandwiched between the two modest sized guest rooms.  The one to the left of it was set up as a gym, with a treadmill, a mat, a large punching bag and a variety of other workout equipment.  The other was an office with a glass top desk, four chairs and a row of low filing cabinets.  A laptop sitting in the middle of the glass desk was the only evidence that the room was ever used. 

He was happy to see that her taste in décor matched his.  But, unlike him, Evy put everything away when she finished with it.  He also contemplated how someone working odd jobs and taking occasional classes at the university could afford such a place.  Although it was nowhere near the size of his home, it looked pretty expensive.

I hope she’s willing to accept that I’m not as tidy as she is
.  At that moment it dawned on him that he was picturing the two of them sharing a household.  During the night, as he had sat watching her sleep, he had begun to reflect on their time together, how she drew his admiration during class, the way she made him laugh and the way her laughter sent him over the moon.  She occupied every thought of his every waking moment as well as invaded his dreams.  He felt strange when he was away from her. 

Last night at his office their relationship had climbed to a whole new level with them sharing each other’s lust and one another’s pain.  Tyler had never shared his child abuse story with anyone, not even his first wife.  Tying it all together was her beauty.  She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  When the full moon had lit her sleeping face he had felt a jolt that made him hold his breath and his heart had felt as though it would burst from his chest with the joy of her presence.  He had that same feeling now as he stood looking at one of the many pictures that hung on a wall in the office.  In it were Evy, Nita and a large group of men that he assumed were Nita’s brothers.  Although he had never felt this feeling before, he knew what it was.  Tyler Moriatti was in love with one Evelyn Stone. 

Thinking Evy must be out of the shower by now, he headed back toward the master suite.  Right as he stepped in front of the foyer the door opened giving whoever was entering full view of him.  Instinctively he froze. 

“Evy!  Mama let’s get a…Whoa!”  Nita’s loud summoning of Evy trailed off and her eyes grew huge at the sight of the large white man standing before her wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. 

Unfortunately for Tyler, she wasn’t alone.  Sensing potential danger, Miguel and Enrique pushed past her into the foyer stopping short at the sight of him. All three stood silently staring at him, the lack of comprehending what they were seeing very apparent on their faces. 

Tyler wasn’t sure why they were staring at him in that manner.  He was more concerned with who was coming up in his girlfriend’s apartment.  As he remained there, in a defensive stance it occurred to him that while they all wore blue jeans and blue Healing Inc. t-shirts he was still only dressed in his underpants.  His face started to redden but he could not bring himself to move, determined to stand his ground.

In response to Nita’s voice, Evy came out of the bedroom to find Tyler standing in his underwear staring toward the foyer.  She rushed over to the chair where his coat rested and handed it to him.  At the same time she stepped in front of him, using her body to shield him from the eyes of her visitors.  The sight of Nita’s brothers made her burst with excitement.

“Miguel!  Enrique!” she shrieked before throwing herself into Miguel’s arms.  He lifted her effortlessly and twirled her around, giving her a bear hug.  Tyler felt a surge of jealousy but managed to keep it in check.  As soon as Miguel released her she affectionately embraced Enrique.  “I didn’t know you two were going to be here.  This is great!” she gushed looking back and forth between the two men all of them wearing huge smiles on their faces.  She then turned her attention back to a now covered Tyler.  “Hey guys.  This is Tyler…my boyfriend.  Tyler this is Miguel and Enrique, Nita and my brothers.”

Tyler was all smiles hearing her introduce him as her boyfriend.  The men stepped forward and shook hands with one another.  Tyler couldn’t help but assess the competition.  Although Evy referred to them as her brothers they weren’t blood relatives, making them fair game as far as he was concerned.  Enrique was the smaller to the two at six feet.  He was muscular but slighter than Tyler with sandy brown hair and brown eyes.  He was handsome in his own right but Tyler didn’t really see him as a threat.

Miguel, however, looked like a darker version of Lou Ferrigno with sharper facial features.  His eyes were the same green as his sister’s but his hair was darker, almost jet black.  He was a very intimidating man and the one who showed the most affection toward Evy.  Tyler made a mental note to keep an eye on him while at the same time avoid getting his bad side.   

It was a bright, cool crisp sixty degrees in October.  Upon returning to his home in Edmond, Tyler showered quickly and changed into some old jeans, sneakers and the Healing Inc. t-shirt Evy had given him.  She invited him to join them in the project that had slipped her mind until that morning.  Tyler was willing to stand on his head if it meant spending any amount of time with her.  He made his driver drop him off two blocks from the address they were to meet at, unsure of how others would treat him if he showed up in a chauffeured limousine. 

He arrived to find everyone hard at work cleaning and fixing the old house that was being renovated into a shelter for battered women.  The place was larger on the inside than it looked from outside.  He sought out Evy, finding her in a large empty room wielding a table saw.  A blue scarf adorned her head and safety goggles covered her pretty eyes protecting them from the sawdust she created.  He watched her, not sure why the sight of her handling the powerful equipment was turning him on so easily.

“Hey you!  I’m so glad you decided to come,” Evy exclaimed with a wide smile spreading across her face.  Melting into that smile, Tyler reciprocated.  She removed her safety glasses and they stepped toward each other for a hello kiss.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!  None of that on the job site!” Nita chastised.  “We’ve got a lot to do today so save it for later, you two.” 

Not one to waste time, Nita sent him to work outside with her brothers doing yard work.  Unbeknownst to the two of them, Nita’s two brothers had boarded the first available flight to Oklahoma City upon hearing from her that Tyler was pursuing Evy so strongly.  She knew Evy would be too excited to question their intent and the timing for working at the new shelter had brought the plan together nicely.  

Tyler was a little put out about not being able to work with Evy but he soon got over it.  Miguel and Enrique were funny as hell.  They became fast friends, teasing each other and talking smack.  They were more alike than he thought.  He found out that they were COO and CFO of Healing Inc. respectively.

“You must do a lot of conference calling like I do since the three of you are spread so far apart,” Tyler acknowledged.

“Yeah, we do.  But, we also meet in Chicago once a month.  It’s the best way to get Nita to come home,” Miguel replied.

“She also travels to New York when the need arises,” Enrique added.

Tyler had noticed that Enrique was the quieter of the two.  He didn’t mistake him for shy, just as an observer who gathered information before commenting or acting on something.  He was a lot like Evy and at the time he thought Nita in that respect.  Miguel, on the other hand, spoke his mind.  He could see him being a shrewd business man when need be.  Their conversation continued as they raked and gathered leaves.

“So, how long have you been with Evy?” Miguel inquired.  He gave a rat’s ass who Tyler was related to.  This was Evy he was messing with.

“I’ve been chasing her for damn near two months but we finally made it official last night,” Tyler answered with his concentration divided between Miguel and the yard work.

“Is that why you were strutting around her apartment in your draws like you had won some kind of prize?” Miguel asked coolly.  He possessed the remarkable ability to remain composed while executing tasks such as this line of questioning.

Tyler, on the other hand, could feel himself redden with a twinge of anger brought on by the line of questioning.  “I’m not one to kiss and tell; however, I can assure you nothing happened last night.  She is a lady and I plan very much to treat her like one.”  He evaded volunteering the fact that he had come very close to taking her on his office desk merely hours ago.

Little did Tyler know Miguel was privy to the slightest alterations in behavior, especially when it came to any man sniffing around his sisters.  He knew that Tyler was telling the truth about nothing happening; otherwise guilt would have risen in those pale cheeks, not anger or embarrassment.  He also perceived that the reason nothing had happened was because of Evy, not Tyler.

“Tyler, I like you… I like you a lot.  But, you’ve got to understand that little woman in there is more like a sister to him and my other brothers,” he said pointing at Enrique who was nodding, “but to me, she’s more like a daughter.” 

Tyler was surprised to hear this.  He hadn’t considered Miguel to be much older than him but now that he mentioned it he could see the grey scattered throughout his thick wavy hair. 

“I would have married her mother if I’d had the chance to.  Unfortunately, a hit and run accident took her before I could get her to accept me.  Evy is all I have left of her, so you better have good intentions for my girl.”  He paused, eyeing Tyler for affect.  “She’s also been through more than her share of grief and I intend to see that she doesn’t go through anymore.”

“Sounds like we have the same interest at heart,” he replied calmly.

“Do we?  I know your family’s reputation.  Does that extend to you?”

That was too much for Tyler.  “Who the fuck do you think you are dragging my family into this!” he bit out through clenched teeth.  “I am nothing like the Moriattis that I’m sure you’re accustomed to hearing about.  I’m more than capable of truly loving a woman because trust me, I love that one.”  He stared unyielding into Miguel’s shocked expression.  “I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy.”

“But can you keep her safe?” Miguel asked recovering from Tyler’s declaration of love for Evy.

“Keep her safe?”

It was obvious to Miguel and Enrique that Evy hadn’t shared everything that happened in Chicago with him.  Miguel took a deep breath and blew out, looking past Tyler.  He wasn’t sure how much he should divulge, yet he felt it unfair to allow Tyler to fall into a situation that might be dangerous for him.  They had kept information that Marcus Cole had shared with them from the ladies on purpose.  They didn’t want them to worry.

“I’m not stupid, Miguel.  Tell me what’s going on,” Tyler implored.   

Miguel went on to brief him on what he knew of Evy’s life with David.  He told him about the beatings and how David had threatened the family whenever they tried to intervene.  He let him know that some detective suspected that the person who killed David and attacked Evy hadn’t been acting on his own and claimed he had confirmed it through another inmate. 

Tyler was unable to move, listening in disbelief.  He had no idea of the things she had gone through and it hurt and angered him to hear it.  Evy had only said that David had died, not that he had been killed.  He would have strangled both David and Raheem if they weren’t already dead for the problems they had caused her.  He wished that Evy was the one telling him this but he understood why it would be difficult for her to relive such events.  His love for her grew even more with the knowledge of her positive outlook on life despite the haunting of her past.  He also now had a clue as to what was coming between them, empowering him with new determination to slay the beast.