Someone on the other end answered. From there on out, Tracy couldn’t make out anything that he said.
"No, you listen to me you son of-"
He paused and huffed air through his nostrils, listening carefully to whatever John Tice had to say. To Tracy, it felt like a lifetime before the garbled voice fell silent.
"Fine, but I’m expecting some serious f**king answers from you, John. And you’d better be alone."
The phone’s ‘end’ button beeped and Mr. Hayes set it down onto the nightstand. He then lowered himself back down onto the pillows and turned so that he and Tracy faced each other.
"He already knows about Baxter. This carefully constructed web of his is starting to unravel now."
Tracy, so full of emotions that she could barely manage an intelligent answer, clenched her fist between them.
"When I see that little-"
"No," Mr. Hayes cut her off. "I can’t let you go with me. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you."
"I can’t just let you go there alone. I know damn well that he won’t."
"How do you know?"
Tracy fumbled around for an answer. In her haste, she had revealed information that she couldn’t have known.
"You can’t trust a man like him."
"No, I can’t, but you are my world now and I won’t let you be around him again. We’ve seen what he can do- how far his reach can be."
His protectiveness warmed Tracy from the inside. It had been a long time since someone cared so deeply for about her.
"Promise that you won’t go," he continued.
"I won’t," she said.
It was a lie, of course, and the guilt immediately hit her like a brick wall.
"Because if you-"
Tracy reached up and rested her index finger across his lips. She didn’t know if she would be able to lie to him if he asked again. One was enough for her to have to live with.
"Mr. Hayes," she said softly. "You can shut up now."
He smirked at her playfully-snide comment and let his head settle down onto her na**d chest. There were, in the end, no more words that needed to be said in that moment. The feeling of electricity between them was enough.
In spite of the uncertainties in their past, both of them knew what they wanted for the future and, as they lay there with their sticky bodies entangled with one another, each one silently resolved to do whatever it took to make it work.
***
After a few restless hours of sleep and a whole lot of waiting around, Paul Hayes watched the half moon overhead as it cast down its pure, white light. He had leaned himself up against a large window that faced west and extended his arm so that he could rest his head on it.
Tracy wasn’t far from him. She was seated on the edge of a pure white sofa and looking out at the spectacular display, too. Between the two, there was a nervous silence that seemed to weigh both of them down. Tracy sat hunched forward, her elbows resting on the tops of her knee caps and her hands dangling listlessly in front of her. Mr. Hayes, though he was standing, looked like the shoulders of his jacket had been lined with concrete.
Neither one wanted to discuss the true potential of his upcoming meeting with John Tice. The fact that he had insisted on meeting in a warehouse on the edge of town certainly didn’t help matters.
Tracy opened her mouth to speak, but she but it right back up when no words came to her.
What have I done to this man? What have I started? She looked him over from head to toe and sighed as an unwelcome rush of guilt gripped her stomach. If I hadn’t come along, maybe he wouldn’t have been caught up in any of this. And what did I do? I used him to get what I wanted and look where that has put us.
"I’m sorry," she mumbled.
Mr. Hayes turned around to face her. "What?"
She sat up straighter and looked to him with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Even if she couldn’t articulate every transgression, Tracy needed to get it off of her chest.
"For everything," she swiped away a few drops on her cheeks. "I’m sorry for all of it."
He immediately walked over to her and pulled her up onto her feet.
"This isn’t your fault, Tracy. John Tice and I have known each other for longer than I can even remember. If anything, the fault lies with him."
She let her body sink into his as his muscular arms wrapped around her shoulders. Right away, she was enveloped in a warm pocket of air that was punctuated by the subtle scent of his cologne. There, in his arms, she felt safe.
The reality of the situation, however, didn’t let them truly enjoy it. Tracy felt, with every second that marched them closer to their fate, like she was going to vomit. She could feel the acid burn of it in the very back of her throat and no amount of water would make it go away.
"I have to go now."
He unraveled his arms from around her, leaned in for one last, passionate kiss and started toward the door. Tracy watched him go and, before she could open her mouth to call him back again, he disappeared into the night.
Only twenty minutes later, Mr. Hayes killed the headlights on his luxury town car and rolled is slowly down a winding, gravel driveway that led to John Tice’s warehouse. The narrow road was lined with trees, making it almost impossible to see around the multiple bends and turns.
When he reached the end, he turned the car around in case a quick escape was necessary. Anything was possible with his old boss.
Mr. Hayes climbed out of the car and walked across the parking lot. It was empty, save for one of the Tice family’s many vehicles: a black SUV with windows as dark as the sky above.
He pushed through the front door, which opened up to a cavernous expanse of empty space. Near the back, a single light illuminated a long, cherry wood desk. Behind it, John Tice’s familiar face was waiting to greet him.
He didn’t even bother getting up from his high-backed chair.
"Nice to see you again, Paul."
"Save your bullshit pleasantries." Mr. Hayes slammed both hands open palm onto the table between them, making the various knick-knacks that lined its edge hop up and clatter back down. "Why have you been watching us?"
He paused and eyes Mr. Hayes in a reserved manner.
"I’m going to need you to sell that restaurant back to me, effective immediately."
"Give me one good reason."
John raised his right eyebrow and continued, "Don’t try and act like a big-shot with me, Paul. You’re dancing with the big boys now and I’m not so sure that you realize just what you’re getting yourself- and that bitch girlfriend of yours- into."