章 82: Chapter 81: The Complexities Of Inner Change
Interior Earl's Diner, Temperance, South Dakota...
A sigh came from a rather exhausted Layla Quinn as she moved about the kitchen washing dishes and noting the time following yet another long and uneventful day in the wake of her big bad biker lover, Brick Kennally leaving town in pursuit of a new lead for the missing girl's case. Phoebe had been curious as to why she'd suddenly been moping around since the Howler M.C. had taken their leave for the time being. Layla tried her best to ignore her co-worker's teasing. She had been no better than Derrick and Amy when she'd gone to school and their non-stop questions about her hot afternoon with Brick Kenneally.
She had expected that Derrick couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life, especially when it came to her and Brick, but she had been worried that his jaw-jacking would eventually get back to her father, whom she had been far from ready knowing about her being sexually active, let alone with an older man at that. For the most part, she had gone on as if nothing had changed aside from her occasionally wondering what he'd been up to or when he'd take the time to call.
She had not forgotten how close she came to losing him following his shooting, which had also taken the life of resident, Charlie Mack, on the same night. It still unnerved her to think of how she had almost lost Brick that night and might not have been any the wiser if he had not managed to crawl his way back to her place in the middle of the night. Every ounce of agony he suffered through had been enough to shake her to her very core as she reflected on how much she had not known she loved him.
Their bond, however short it had been in terms of timeframe had been as deep as the ocean as far as she was concerned and that had been long before the two of them had ever even considered becoming intimate and now that they were, Layla wasn't sure if she could live without him.
The warm water from the dishes had barely been a feasible distraction from her internal panic as Layla continued to scrub them blinking back the tears that swelled in the corners of her eyes as she recalled feelings of helplessness and terror at the very prospect of losing her boyfriend. She'd known him to be rather bold and reckless when it came down to it and his near-on standoff with her father had given her great indication as to how things would go sour if her father ever did find out about the two of them.
Layla had been shaken from her thoughts by way of the ringing phone as Pheobe had brought it to her attention that she had a phone call. Despite the dread that filled her when backing away from the sink, Layla turned her attention to the call hoping that it had not been her father that bothered to interrupt her while she'd been working. The past few days of his absence had been ideal for her given the implication it had on whether or not she'd get to spend any time with Brick outside of work and his current case.
The visual of her father and Brick getting into it and her father pulling his shotgun on him had played briefly in her mind before she marched over and took the receiver from Phoebe, who seemed to have a smile filed across her face as she stepped out of the room and headed back out into the fray that had been their service area.
"Hello?" she said still with the dread in her tone believing it had been her father calling to tell her he'd returned.
Much to her surprise and relative relief, it had not been him on the other end.
{"That any way to greet your man after being apart for nearly a day?"} asked Brick Kennally on the other end of the receiver.
"BRICK!" said Layla unable to hide her excitement and relief from finally hearing his voice after a day's departure.
Brick chuckled on the other end of the receiver.
{"Now that's more like it, how you doin' darlin'?"} he asked as the sound of the phone cord shuffled indicating by all accounts that he'd been calling her from a payphone.
"I'm fine now that you've called," admitted Layla. "Wasn't too happy waking up in bed alone without so much as a goodbye you know."
Brick chuckled once more as he gripped the phone receiver tighter. Layla could still hear his shuffling on the other end of the receiver.
{"Sorry 'bout that darlin,' but I had pressin' bidness and all that."} replied Brick evenly. {"I do gotta say it's good to hear your voice even if I am miles away in another city."}
Layla couldn't help but smile despite him not being able to see it.
"When are you coming back?" she asked unable to help herself.
{"Miss me already do you?"} asked Brick with an arched brow despite her not being able to see it.
"Answer the question jerk," she said with a grin.
{"Honestly I'm not sure, been chasing down a lead an' all that, Goldie has found a rather promisin' one and we have no intention of letting it slip through our fingers so I'll linger about town for as long as it takes."} said Brick truthfully despite the fact that he could sense Layla's disappointment. {"Now don't you go worryin' your pretty little head, I'm gonna make it back to you soon and we can pick up where we left off soon as I get what I came for."}
"I'll hold you to it," said Layla still a bit disappointed and wondering how he had so easily been able to tell.
{"Of course you know I've had a hankerin' for cherry ever since I left that mornin'."} said Brick with heated eyes despite her inability to see them.
"Really?" asked Layla with something of a goofy smile filed across her lovely face. "I might be able to do something about that craving, provided a big strong biker helps me with an itch that I have that needs scratching when he returns."
{"Well I'll be damned."} said Brick on the other end of the phone. {"You comin' right on out your little shell ain't you Miss Quinn?"}
Layla giggled at the implication of his expression.
"I'd say you're a bad influence on me more like," she replied casually. "Big bad Biker man."
It was clear that her conversation with Brick had done wonders to lift her spirits and somewhere inside she had known that was his intention all along as if he could feel her previous sadness from miles away.
{"You know I love you don't ya?"} asked Brick suddenly becoming serious on the other end of the line.
"Yes," replied Layla having no doubt in her mind about that at all. "I love you too."
{"I gotta be getting back to it, woman I'll see you when I get back to town."} he replied before hanging up.
Layla sighed as she hung up the phone only to turn around and find Phoebe smiling at her with a knowing smile.
"PHOEBE!" shouted Layla startled by her co-worker's appearance. "How long were you standing there!?"
"Long enough to know that this thing between you and your biker man is about as serious as it gets," replied Phoebe with a smile before taking her leave of Layla.
Rolling her eyes at Phoebe's teasing, Layla headed back to finish off the dishes. While her mind had been once more put at ease about Brick, she still had a long shift ahead of her and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
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