Line Of Trust

Chapter 8

Desiree was fuming as she walked out. She could hear Taylor calling out to her but she didn’t want to stop. She knew that if she did, she would probably go back and finish what she started. And who would blame her? That bitch Littlejohn had it coming.

“Dee!” Taylor called out as he ran after her. “Would you just stop for a minute?” he asked as he approached his truck where Desiree stood, leaning against it, breathing hard. When Taylor looked at her, he noticed that she had tears in her eyes but he had known her long enough to know that they were not tears of grief. He knew that given a choice, she would have finished what she started. That she would have probably done irreparable damage to Miranda’s face, maybe rearrange her dental formula. But now that she hadn’t, the only way to get her frustration out was her tears. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking at her. Desiree took a deep breath and nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. She looked at him and shook her head.

“I don’t think I can work with Miranda anymore,” she said.

“But she was…” his words trailed off when he realized that he was skating on very thin ice. “We’ll just go,” he said. She shook her head and took a long deep breath.

“Not yet,” she said as she squared her shoulders and began walking back into Miranda Littlejohn’s property.

“Dee…no. Please don’t do it,” Taylor said as he took her hand in his.

“I promise not to hit her,” she said in a low voice before pulling her hand away from his. She walked right back to where she had left Miranda. She almost smiled when she saw her hand print on Miranda’s face. “At least you no longer have that smirk on your face,” she thought as she looked at Miranda. It was a welcome look, seeing her without that holier than thou smile.

“Back for more?” Miranda asked as she looked at Desiree who was smiling back at her.

“Oh, I wish,” Desiree said. “you’ve no idea, bitch, just how much I want to fu*k you up,” she thought.

“Well, we have no more business to discuss as far as I’m concerned so I am just wondering what It’s you would be wanting here, on my property,” Miranda said as she looked at Desiree, who looked pleasantly happy.

“Actually I am here to tell you two things. One, is that I no longer need you to handle my accounts and I will be letting Tony know of your….incompetence. Who knows, maybe I can save him the headache of having to deal with your nonsense in the future; and two is that, if you ever think that you are better than me, if you ever even think of imagining of coming up against me, bitch, I will end you and that is not a threat. It’s a damn good promise,” she added in a whisper before she turned around and walked out of her compound. She was smiling on the inside as she walked off Miranda’s property.

“Ready to go?” Taylor asked as she walked towards the truck.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said before she climbed into the passenger seat. Taylor looked at her briefly before he started the engine.

“Buckle up,” he said, looking at her. She strapped herself in and leaned against the seat as Taylor pulled out of Miranda’s Littlejohn’s driveway. He had so much to say but he just couldn’t. And she knew it too. She looked out the window during the entire ride back to his place. When they got there, Desiree looked at him and smiled.

“Do you mind if I take the truck for a couple of hours?” she asked. Taylor looked at her, all confused.

“Why? Where are you going?” he asked.

“I just need to drive by the apartment,” she said as she looked into his eyes.

“I can drive you there. I don’t have anything to do for the rest of the day,” he said. She shook her head and looked into his eyes.

“I can do it myself,” she said. “Or I could take a cab. It doesn’t really matter,” she added as she undid her seat belt.

“No, you can take the truck. it’s just that I wanted to take you there. You seem….”

“…what? Ericson? How do I seem?” she asked, interrupting him. “I just want some time alone. Is that too much to ask?” she asked, trying hard not to raise her voice. Taylor shook his head and gave her the car keys before he got out of the car. Desiree got out and walked around the front of the truck before she got into the driver’s seat, adjusted it, and buckled herself in. Taylor looked at her as she started the motor and then took a deep breath.

“Drive safe,” he said as she drove away. He had never felt so helpless like he did at that point, seeing her driving off and not knowing if she would come back…at least on that day. Maybe she was right. Maybe she did need the time alone. He took a long deep breath as he walked into the house. Maybe after a greasy meal and a nap he would feel better.

*****

Desiree drove straight to the apartment. She always felt safe there. As she opened the door to the apartment, she was hoping and praying that she would be alone in the house but her sister’s excited squeal made her realize that her prayer had gone unanswered.

“Oh please, tell me you come bearing gifts,” Rochelle said as she looked at Desiree, who was walking towards her in the living room. She tossed her purse on the couch before she walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

“All I have, Roch, is a desire to relax, alone if I could,” she said as she looked at the contents in the fridge. She pulled out a container that contained some leftover Chinese food. “Who had Kung pow chicken?” she asked as she put the container in the microwave.

“Tony and I, last night,” Rochelle said. “And I know that Chinese food is kind of our unspoken bond but we needed nourishment and Mister Wok was the only place open at one in the morning,” she said quickly. Desiree turned around and looked at her sister.