Hewitt: Jagged Edge Series #1 (18 page)

~****~

Lilly never woke up so I could get what I needed. The light shining through the window in her living room told me that it was morning. I must have fallen asleep sitting up, because the back of my neck was stiff and my feet were propped up on the coffee table. I could have kicked myself in the ass for not going to Lilly's room so I could be near her. Looking at my watch, I could see it was still early. Pushing up to my feet and stretching out the kinks in my neck and shoulders, I made my way to the kitchen to find some coffee.

I left the coffee brewing while I headed down the short hallway to check on her. When I got to her room, she was still sleeping. She must have gotten hot during the night, because the only thing she was wearing, were her panties and t-shirt. Sliding next to her, I took in her warmth. I could hear her soft whimpers as I began kissing her behind her ear. God, did this woman smell good. Moving my arm over her body, I slowly lowered it under her frilly underwear. With my middle finger I separated her slick folds and began teasing her.

Her body began to come alive as she rolled over onto her back to give me even better access. Slipping her pretty panties down her smooth legs, I nudged her legs wider as I positioned myself between her legs. Her back began to arch, signaling that she wanted more. Sliding my tongue through her wet folds, I lapped up her sweet juices, stopping at her perfect hard nub. Grabbing her ass, I pressed deeper into her soft skin while pulling her upwards until her hips were off the bed. Holding her there, I continued my assault on her sweet pussy. Kissing and sucking her clit, I could taste the beginning of her arousal.

It took everything I had not to plunge deep inside her and feel her tight walls around my cock. Lilly's soft moans escaped as I plunged one, then two fingers inside her tight cunt. Finding the one spot that only a few men could, I began rotating my fingers while still devouring her swollen nub with my tongue, Her hips began gyrating against me, letting me know she was close. Freeing my fingers from the confines of her delectable pussy, I gathered more of her juices with my index finger and moved it lower to her back door. God, how I wanted to take her there. Eventually I would. But for now, I just wanted to pleasure her.

Good and lubricated, I slowly worked my finger inside her tight pucker. Getting only to the first digit, I felt her body spasm with release, causing the muscles of her rectum to tighten around me. How badly I wanted it to be my cock buried deep inside her. With my cock throbbing, needing to be freed, I pulled off my jeans and hovered above her with my elbows resting on either side of her head. Kissing her softly on the lips, my cock found her entrance and submerged itself inside her like it had a mind of its own.

Unable to tame down my own desire, I lost my control, and spilled my seed inside her. It was the most intense orgasm I had ever experienced. Spurt after spurt filled her. Fully emptied, but not yet satisfied, I was ready for round two. Slow, and with gentle strokes, I moved in and out of her. Her body jolted once more as my own release took hold.

~****~

Diana was beginning to be the biggest pain in my ass. If I had been smart, I would have told Lilly everything. Only I didn't know how to tell her that I was the one who caused Adam Walker's death. I will never forget that day. It has haunted me every day of my life. Even at night it creeps into my dreams. All I can see is him falling, and the sight of his blood pooling around him. If he would have just left it alone and not pushed me the way he did, he would still be alive. I wouldn't have laid into him. I wouldn't have hit him. He wouldn't have fallen.

"Did you hear what I said?" Diana's voice rang through my cell bringing me back.

"Yeah, I heard. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be there," I said with gritted teeth.

I wasn't sure how much longer I could take her demands in order to keep her quiet. Having me take her shopping was the last straw. I wish I had never agreed to help Lilly find her. I should have gone with my gut and told her that her mother was dead. I could have easily made up some bogus story about her when she asked if I knew about her mom.

After I dropped Lilly off at the gallery, I headed to the motel where I had put Diana up. I needed to find a different place for her: some place safe, but inexpensive. Having other things on my mind, I missed the turn into the motel parking lot and ended up having to circle the block. As I was pulling into a parking spot, I noticed a poorly dressed man leaving Diana’s room. Putting my car in park and turning off the engine and headed in his direction. The closer I got to the guy, I could tell he was trouble. He was wearing a wife beater, and the tats that were visible could only be the work of one man. Blade’s signature artwork was on the man's arms and chest. Skulls and demon graphics lined his upper body. Working in security, I have had my share of run-ins with drug dealers, and this guy had dealer written all over his face.

Blocking his way, I stopped him just shy of the stairs. Sizing him up, I took my chances hoping he wouldn’t be pulling a knife on me. I asked, "Mind telling me what business you have with Diana Walker?"

The guy must not have cared what I had to say, because his hands pushed against my chest, throwing me off balance. With a slight stumble back, I kept my cool and asked him again, "I'm only going to say this once more. What business do you have with Diana Walker?"

The guy was ready to lay into me, but his reflexes weren't quick enough. I landed a punch across his jaw, causing him to stumble backwards. Gaining his footing, he came after me again. This time he landed what I would call a powder puff blow to my cheek. Either this guy was a chump or stoned out of his mind. Just about to take another jab at me, I stopped his fist and twisted his arm so that it was now behind him. Leading him back to Diana's room, I knocked on her door.

"What did you forget, baby?" she asked, not realizing that I was standing at her door.

As she pulled her door open, a gasp of surprise left her mouth. "What the hell Peter? Let him go."

"Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on and who this prick is!" I cursed.

"He's my boyfriend. Bud, meet Peter," she said, moving back from the door and allowing us to enter.

After visiting with Diana, I was more pissed off than before. Turned out her so-called boyfriend found out where she was, no thanks to her. He showed up to tell her he was going to do a construction job that would send them on their way to a better life. I knew that it was more than just a construction job he was trying to buffalo me with. He was into something a lot bigger, but it wasn't my job to find out. If I could be free of our arrangement, what did I care as long as she didn't say anything? It didn't surprise me when she pulled me aside.

"New deal,” she began. "You give me a hundred bucks and let me stay here until Bud's job is finished and I won't say a word to Lilly. I'll be out of your lives forever. You could tell her I was gone when you got here," she said.

"How do I know you won't come back or ask for more money?" I questioned, knowing how these things usually played out.

"Because, Lilly is better off without me in her life. You and I both know that I can't give up the candy. Even though I know what you did to my son, I should be thanking you. I never wanted him in the first place, knowing how he came to be."

This was my lucky day. I pulled out five twenties from my wallet and handed them over. "I'll pay for your stay for two weeks, but after that you're on your own."

Diana nodded in agreement. I think it was more than generous of me to flip the bill for her housing knowing she had no intention of making things right with Lilly. I just hated to be the one to tell Lilly that Diana Walker wasn't the mother she needed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lilly

When Peter walked into the gallery, I knew something was wrong. I had expected him to spend a good portion of the day taking care of my mom. The look on his face said it all. Something happened. I knew I should have taken her instead, but I had an important meeting with an art dealer that I couldn't reschedule. I was finishing putting the final touches on a new display when he walked up behind me.

"We need to talk, Lilly," he said.

Looking up at him and getting the feeling that something bad happened, I asked, "What's going on, Peter? Did something happen to my mom?"

"She's gone, Lilly," he said, placing his hand on my cheek.

"What do you mean she's gone?" I asked, feeling pressure building in my chest.

"All I know is that when I got to the motel, the manager said she took off," Peter declared.

"We have to find her, Peter. She needs help,” I said frantically. I knew that if she left, it was because she was going to go back to her old life. I didn't want that for her.

"Lilly, did you ever stop to think that maybe she doesn't want help? The life she's led is the only life she knows."

I knew Peter was right. She had led that life for so long, she probably didn't know any other way of living. A normal life with a job and a decent roof over her head was probably foreign to her. I found out what I needed to know about her and why she chose not to fight for me. I may have lost her, but there was still a chance that my brother was still out there. I needed to focus on finding him. I knew she dropped him off at a fire station. Certainly there had to be some information on him.

~****~

I should have been more focused on the meeting with the art dealer, but the only thing I could think about was trying to locate my brother. I caught myself several times pretending like I knew what the dealer was asking only to find I left him more confused. Even though it wasn't one of my more productive meetings, I did manage to sell two pieces of art to him. Glad that the day was almost over, I went to my computer, deciding to search for information on my brother. I typed in various keywords hoping to get a hit. My efforts turned up no hits until I typed in ‘baby boy left at fire station.’ That got a hit.

Reading the article, the story matched the explanation that my mom gave me. It stated that the little boy was examined by a pediatrician, and deemed healthy, and appeared not to have been abused. It made me thankful that at least my mom was smart enough to take care of my brother by making sure he was fed and taken care of. As I read further down the article, I found out he had been taken to a children's shelter by the state until he could be placed in foster care. At least I knew where to start.

It was still early enough in the day that I decide to check out the shelter to see if anyone remembered him being brought in, but first I needed to go back to my place to grab my car. Somehow I needed to get past Josh, who was watching the gallery from across the street. Heading to the back of the gallery, I grabbed a silk scarf that I had used for one of my displays and wrapped it around my head. Going out the exit door, I walked down the alley until the street was in view. Josh was in his car watching the front door of the gallery. With his eyes directed at the entrance, I headed in the opposite direction where I then hailed a cab to my building so I could get my car.

~****~

The shelter for children in the article was located in Brooklyn. Getting into my car, I punched in the address on my GPS and headed out of the parking garage. I knew Peter wouldn't be happy if he found out that I left without telling him, but I knew this was something I had to do alone.

Reaching the shelter, I thought about what my mom said. I had to be careful what I said. I didn’t want to get her in trouble for leaving my brother on the steps of the fire station. Even though there was a safe haven law in New York, I'm certain it didn’t apply to my mom, since Adam was more than 30 days old when she dropped him off.

Pretending I was a student writing an article about abandoned babies, I approached the older lady behind the front desk. I told her I was writing a story regarding pregnancy and young mothers unable to care for their babies, and therefore abandoning them. I was lucky to find that the older lady remembered the incident. She had been working at the time and remembered my brother. She remembered thinking how cute he was and wondering how he could have been left at the fire station. The older lady mentioned that he had stayed at the shelter until he was about six, and then he was placed in a foster home.

The older lady was kind enough to give me the address where he was taken. She didn't have any other information on him, since she didn't follow up with the foster home once he left the shelter. She was pretty confident that they would remember him, or at least have records of his stay, even though it was more than twenty years ago.