Part 17:
Hang On And I'll
Show You
Stepping out of the cab
Kevin tossed a bunch of wadded bills at the driver. Before walking blindly in
the direction of the hotel.
Pushing on the revolving glass door he nodded to the
bellman who greeted him with a big smile.
“Do you have any bags sir?” The man asked politely as Kevin
pushed past him shaking his head. Walking up to the desk he barked his last
name at the startled clerk, who blinked twice before disappearing and returning
seconds later with Kevin’s room key.
* * *
Stepping into the elevator Kevin pushed at his floor with
his knuckle frustrated when the button refused to light up. Pushing at it again
he swore under his breath as a young couple made their way onto the elevator,
arms wrapped around each other, giggling as Kevin again attempted to light the
floor to his room with his knuckle.
“Can you push fifteen for us?” The young woman asked in a
soft voice.
“That is if you can handle it.” Her companion said under his breath, both of them dissolving in a
fit of giggles.
“What did you say?” Kevin turned, eyes blazing.
“He didn’t say anything?” Blinking innocently she jabbed
her boyfriend in the gut. “We just want to go to fifteen please.”
“Fifteen huh?” Kevin hissed through clenched teeth. “Lemme
see if I can handle that.” Jabbing at the button Kevin purposely missed. “Wow I
guess it’s too hard for me.” Shaking his head in mock frustration he took a
step towards the couple who in turn took one step back, pressing themselves
into the corner of the elevator.
“For some reason when I do this-“ Jabbing his knuckle into
the young mans chest Kevin sighed. “The button won’t light up.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t to that then man.” The guy replied
wrapping an arm protectively around his girlfriends’ shoulder.
“I’ve had a bad fucking day. Did you know that?” Taking
another step forward the toe of Kevin’s shoe lines up with the toes of the
young mans shoes.
“We didn’t know?” The young woman shook her head her eyes
pooling with tears.
“Maybe I just need to hit the fucking button harder?”
Breaking out into a maniacal grin Kevin’s eyes sparkled. “What do you think?”
“I think we just want to take the stairs.” The girl replied
in a shaky voice.
“No, I think I should try it one more time.” Cocking his
arm back Kevin clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned a bright shade of
white.
“No!” The young man cried out as Kevin pulled his arm back
his fist lined up to do a lot of damage to the innocent kid’s face.
Squeezing their eyes shut tight the couple grasped to each
other desperately.
Turning Kevin let his fist fly, connecting solidly with the
elevator keypad, six numbers lighting up as blood squirted from this torn
flesh.
“SHIT!” He screamed out grabbing at his fist as the couple
hurried out the elevator, the doors sliding shut on their stunned faces.
* * *
“Do you honestly think you can treat me like this?”
Following Lily into Kristin’s dressing room Mark Caudiff was seething.
Ignoring him she let the bedsheet drop to the ground, her
naked image reflecting back at her from the mirrored walls all around them.
“I can call that stupid son of a bitch back right now and
tell him we’ve been playing him for a fool?” Mark continued grasping at the bed
sheet wound around his middle.
“You won’t.” Lily replied with a smile, kicking out the
bedsheet she had dropped to the floor so that Mark had to step up and onto it.
“What makes you so fucking sure?”
“Hang on and I’ll show you.” Walking forward to the vanity
Lily glanced up at Mark’s reflection in the mirror as he studied her curiously,
a pissed off look on his face.
Reaching down she slid open one of the drawers below the
marble sink.
“What are you doing?” Mark asked taking another step
forward onto the sheet.
Turning Lily smiled a gun clutched in her right hand,
finger poised steady on the trigger.
“Leslie.” Letting out a nervous laugh Mark swallowed hard.
“Look baby I’m sorry if I upset you.” Eyes wide he shook his head. “Why don’t
you just give me the gun.”
Raising the gun Lily’s eyes were hard.
“C’mon Leslie you’re not really going to sh-“
BAM
Dropping the gun to the floor Lily leaned forward patting
Mark twice on the cheek before walking from the room.
Looking at his stunned reflection in the mirrors all around
him Mark Caudiff watched in horror, as his own naked, blood covered body
crumbled to the floor.
* * *
Walking into his room Kevin let the door drop shut behind
him falling onto it as he slid to the floor, letting the darkness envelope him.
Digging the heels of his hands into his eyes he tried to
ignore the stinging pain in his right hand as the blood dripped freely down his
arm.
Ring……ring……
Shaking his head he could hardly believe that somebody
would be stupid enough to call him right now. Fumbling around in his coat
pocket for his cell phone he dragged it out trying to focus his blurred vision
on the illuminated screen.
HOME
Now that was funny, he thought to himself. Home. What a
fucking joke that notion was.
“Yes.” Stretching out his legs in front of him Kevin
answered the phone in a sad voice.
“Kevin,” Leslie’s voice soothed him like a lullaby.
“You were right, right about everything.” He replied.
“Come home to us Kevin. Come home to us now and let us
comfort you.” Kevin could hear Nate cooing on the other end of the phone.
“Nate.” He moaned. “Oh Nate.” Tears sprung to his eyes
flooding his anger away into pure sorrow.
“Kevin just come home.” Lily repeated again.
“You have no idea how much-“ Pausing Kevin dropped his head
back onto the door as a sob escaped his throat. “How much I want to do that
right now.”
“Then do it.” Lily again placed the phone beside Nate in
the crib where he playfully patted at the foreign object before breaking out
into a series of coos and giggles that would melt his daddy’s heart.
“Shit.” Kevin sighed.
“What’s stopping you from getting on a plane and coming
home Kevin. It’s a five second call that could have you retreating from the
nightmare you’re in the middle of and coming home to the loving arms of your
family.” Lily knew her words were powerful.
“You have no idea how wonderful that sounds right now but-“
“But what Kevin?”
“But, I have some things I need to take care of here before
I come home.”
“When will you be home?” Lily slipped nicely into the role
of wife and protector to the man she loved.
“I’ll try and get a flight out of here so that I can be
home sometime in the afternoon.”
“We’ll be waiting Kevin.” Lily smiled
as she hung up the phone.
***
