Discipline by Lena Little

9

Daniel

“That’s great news, Doug. Yes, I can start next week.” I hang up the phone and pump my fist. Apparently, my story is one that people want to read about, and one I’m going to be able to tell via a big book deal and then a tour speaking at various colleges across the country for generous appearance fees. Guess doing the right thing does pay off, even though I took a circuitous route through prison before I got my revenge and my payday.

I can’t wait to tell Delilah. I want to take her out to eat to celebrate, let her know I’m ready to make an honest woman out of her, put a ring on her finger, and do it right. Maybe I’ll even score some points with Winston, not that I care that much. But something tells me that once he sees I have money coming in, and potentially a substantial amount of it, his opinion of me and my interactions with his daughter might soften.

I stare at Delilah’s front steps thinking of how I’m going to go over there and deliver the good news, until she beats me to it, stepping out onto the front step and then down the block…in a fire engine red dress.

What the…?

Immediately I take off, following her, but staying a bit back. Where is she going dressed like that and who is she going to see? She has no clue where I am right now so it’s not me, and I’m the only one she should ever be dressed up like that for.

A couple of guys damn near snap their necks doing a double-take on her as she passes by, and I’m tempted to give their neck a real case of whiplash, but instead I just hip check them hard off the sidewalk into the grass, letting them know they’re not allowed to look at what’s mine.

I catch up to her and I can barely take it anymore, ready to call out to her, but I lose her at a crosswalk. Not only that I’m still curious where she’s going, wondering if this is the thing that’s been causing her to act up for as long as I’ve known her.

The light turns green and I dart across in front of a car just as it rolls to a stop.

“Watch where you’re going, assh—”

I shoot daggers in the direction of the driver and he wisely rolls up his window.

The worse fear washes over me. Is she out to meet…another man?

I grit my teeth and storm down the sidewalk as she rounds the corner into a new residential area and then turns again, heading toward a nice part of town known for a lot of fancy restaurants. People on the sidewalk wisely give me a wide berth as I stalk after her. She crosses the street once more and then I see…an old man waiting for her in front of a restaurant. He’s got what little hair he’s got left slicked back and he extends a hand to meet her. She just walks past him, but as she does he places his hand on the small of her back and follows her into the restaurant.

“No!” I yell, beelining it across the street and darting into the restaurant, my eyes surveying the five-star establishment for the angel that’s one hundred percent mine, and nobody else’s.

But she’s nowhere to be found.