Color of Forgiveness (34 page)

Leaning forward, she quickly gives him
directions. As she scoots back in her seat, her eyes dart to Dylan
again. With his head still leaning up against the window, he angles
it slightly so that he makes eye contact with her. He stares at her
for a few seconds before he blinks and turns his stare back out the
window again.

Her brows knit together as she considers how
just one blank stare from him can hurt so much. Turning, she looks
out the window again and after another fifteen minutes or so, they
pull into her driveway.

Reaching down, she grabs her bag off of the
floorboard. She tries not to look at Dylan, but her eyes go there
anyway. With an angry huff, he opens the door and slams it hard,
never looking at her once. She gulps as she quickly opens her door
and gets out. What’s going to happen now? Is he going to leave?
Will she ever see him again?

Sherri grabs Myra’s hand and tugs her to the
side. “I know we didn’t get to talk earlier because of everything
that happened,” she says, looking around and lowering her voice,
“but after we get Dylan home and settled in, could Dennis and I
stop back by here to talk?”

Myra nods, her shoulders sagging. That just
confirmed it. He’s definitely leaving.

Sherri smiles and squeezes her hand. “Thank
you. And don’t worry, all right?”

Myra doesn’t respond because she doesn’t
want to lie to Sherri because how can she
not
worry? She
digs in her bag, searching for her keys. When she finally finds
them, she looks up and frowns in confusion. Dylan’s dialing someone
on his phone, and Dennis and Chad are both in a squatting position,
staring at something on the ground.

She steps closer. “What’s going on?” she
asks no one in particular.

Dennis looks up at her but says nothing. She
looks back down and gasps as she sees one of her basement windows
busted and broken glass lying all over the ground.

* * *

Dylan’s hands shake as he dials Porter’s
number and his heart thunders in his chest.

“Hey, Dylan,” Porter answers in a cheery
voice.

“Hey. I need you to send someone out to
Myra’s. Someone broke in over the weekend.”

“What? Myra told me that you two were going
to be out of town so I’ve had someone drive by the place every so
often to keep an eye on things.”

“Well, we just got home, and one of her
basement windows is broken.”

“Okay. Don’t touch anything and don’t go
inside. Just sit tight,” Porter says. “We’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks,” Dylan mumbles.

He turns, looking for Myra and sees his mom
helping her into the back of his truck. Sherri climbs in next to
Myra and shuts the door. He turns back to his dad and brother and
tells them what Porter said.

“Dad, I need to talk to my ‘lil bro for a
minute,” Chad says as he grabs Dylan roughly by the elbow and drags
him halfway down the driveway. Once they’re far enough away to not
be overheard, Chad lets go of his arm.

“Bro, you scared the fucking shit outta me
earlier, dude. When I saw you like that…? Jesus Christ, my heart
literally stopped in my goddamn chest. I can’t imagine what it did
to ma and dad. I know all this shit with Myra is fucking with your
head because, hell, I’m scared and I’m not even involved. But, bro,
this is your second chance. You can
do
this shit. I wanna
see you happy again, and you
have
been happy lately. If you
don’t get your act together, you’re gonna fuck it up. You need to
figure your shit out, and get your head outta your ass.

“Myra is fucking awesome, dude. I know this
shit wasn’t planned and it’s a fucking clusterfuck, but it
happened, and you’re gonna have to deal with it. You gotta pull it
together, man. Because if you fuck this up with her, I’m gonna come
back here and fuck your ass up. And don’t you
ever
scare me
like that again, all right? I love you, man. And it really… shit,
it really bothered me seeing you like that.” Chad’s face scrunches
up as he gets emotional. He grabs Dylan in a big hug and thumps him
hard on the back.

Dylan hugs Chad, but doesn’t say anything
because what’s there to say? Everything Chad said was right. He
loves his brother, and he hates that he scared his family like
that. And exactly like Chad said, he’s probably going to fuck
everything up with Myra because he can’t even think straight right
now.

Chad pulls back and swipes angrily at his
eyes. He shakes his head like a wet dog, his jaw making a funny
flapping sound. He growls and smacks himself hard on the right
cheek then the left. “All right, bro.” He holds up his fists, a
determined look on his face. “I’m ready to kick whoever’s
motherfucking ass has been messing with your baby girl. Let’s go
look for some fucking clues.”

Chad turns and takes off in a huff. Dylan
watches him for a moment before he follows silently behind him,
thinking over his crazy brother’s words.

* * *

“Don’t worry,” Sherri says to Myra while
sitting in the back of Dylan’s truck. “The police will figure out
who did this.”

“I just don’t understand why. Why would
someone do this to me?”

“I don’t know,” Sherri says as she pulls out
a tissue from her purse and hands it to Myra.

“Thanks,” Myra says, wiping her eyes. “I
can’t believe I’m crying again. This has been the worst day
ever.”

“
No
,” Sherri says with a soft smile.
“It’s been the
best
day ever. You found out you’re pregnant
with
my
grandbaby,” she says, “and that’s something
beautiful and precious. You’ve just hit a few speed bumps today,
that’s all...” Sherri wraps her arms around Myra and hugs her
tight.

Sherri’s sweet words and warm embrace makes
Myra get even more emotional. Sherri already feels like a mother to
her, and it just makes her miss her own mother that much more.

“Do you think we could have that talk now?”
Sherri asks.

Myra nods.

Sherri grabs her hand in hers and squeezes
it. “I know Dylan is a mess right now and things are very
complicated, but I want you to know that Dennis and I are here for
you. You can call me anytime for anything, even if you just need
someone to talk to. And don’t give up on Dylan. He just needs some
time. This is a
lot
for him to take in. So just hang in
there, okay? He’ll come around eventually. I know my son.”

Myra nods. “I’ll wait as long as he
needs.”

“Do you love him?” Sherri asks in a tender
voice.

Myra nods, a tear streaking down her face.
“Yes,” she chokes out. “I love him so much.”

“I thought so,” Sherri says happily, tears
reflecting in her eyes as she grabs Myra in another hug and strokes
her hair. “Everything is going to be just fine, sweetheart,” she
coos to her in a soothing voice, “just fine.”

* * *

Dylan feels like he might empty the contents
of his stomach as he stares down at Myra’s car. He swallows hard,
his hands curling into tight fists at his side. Someone jimmied the
lock on her door. The windshield is busted, along with her
headlights and taillights. Both mirrors are missing, and there are
dents on just about every square inch of it.

“I don’t want Myra seeing this,” he says
through gritted teeth. “Don’t let her see this shit.” He glares at
Porter. “It’ll fucking scare her; this car means a lot to her.”

Chad and Dennis, who are standing next to
him inside Myra’s garage, murmur their agreement. “Of course,”
Porter says. “I remember when her dad and Grampie gave her this car
so I understand. I wish we had more to go on, but right now we just
have nothing to—”

“I don’t want to hear that shit!” Dylan
shouts. “This is your goddamn job! Someone tries breaking into her
house, manages to get into her garage and bust up her car, and all
you can say is
you’ve got nothing
? That’s fucking
bullshit!”

“Dylan, calm down,” Dennis says.

Dylan’s nostrils flare as his hands ball up
into fists.

Porter sighs. “I’m really sorry, Dylan. My
deputy drove by here twice this morning. I talked to all three
suspects when her tires were slashed. Unless we get some prints
back from this…”

Dylan growls.

Porter gives Dylan a pleading expression.
“Look, I’m doing everything I possibly can. This is a small town,
and our resources are very limited. I’ll beef up the patrol on
Myra’s house as much as I can. I care about Myra, too. We’ll figure
this thing out.”

Dylan flinches when Dennis touches his arm.
“You ready to go home, son?” he asks him.

Dylan nods.

“I’m going to go check on the guys,” Porter
mumbles as he leaves the garage.

“I’ll start boarding up her windows,” Chad
says. “I saw some wood over there in the corner.” He points to a
pile of lumber. “Is it all right if I use those?”

“Yeah,” Dylan mumbles.

“Do you want me to tell Myra about her car
when we go inside?” Dennis asks Dylan.

Dylan nods. He can’t tell her about it. A
stabbing feeling pokes him hard in the chest. He knows how much
that damn car means to her.

* * *

Myra’s phone rings. It’s Susie. She lets it
go to voicemail then sends her a text.

I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you in the
morning. Love you. –M

A return text pops up almost
immediately.

Huh? Me in agony. Need 2 know how it went w/
in-laws. Now. Sordid deets, plz. –S

Myra smiles at the text and puts her phone
back in her pocket. She looks up at Sherri sitting across from her
at the kitchen table. “Would you like some more coffee?” she asks
her.

“Yes. I’d love some.”

Myra nods and grabs the coffee pot.

“I’m so glad that whoever broke in wasn’t
able to get into the house. Do you have anything valuable?” Sherri
asks as Myra refills her cup.

“Not that I know of... I inherited all of
Grampie’s things, but so far I haven’t found anything worth
stealing.” She has the guns, of course, but she keeps them locked
up in a gun safe, just keeping her personal handgun out for
protection.

She sits back down across from Sherri. “I’m
glad Dylan changed my locks and put those new deadbolts in. I think
that’s the only thing that kept them from getting inside.”

“I think you’re right.” Sherri looks around
the kitchen. “He’s done an amazing job so far on your kitchen. I
love your cabinets.”

“Thanks,” Myra says as her eyes follow
Sherri’s. Then her heart plummets as she looks at all the work that
still needs to be done. Is Dylan going to keep working on her house
after everything that’s happened or will she have to find a new
contractor? Will she have to hire Ray? The mere thought of Dylan
not being here kills her on the inside.

“Well, when the men get back in here, we’ll
at least find out if there was any damage done in the garage.
Hopefully it’ll be nothing,” Sherri says in a positive voice.

Myra looks up just as Dennis and Dylan step
into the kitchen. Their faces are both drawn and worried. Her heart
begins racing as her eyes meet Dylan’s for just a split second
before he looks away.

“Myra, your car, well, it was damaged—”
Dennis says.

“What?” she gasps. “What happened to
it?”

“It was vandalized. We think it would be a
good idea if you didn’t look at it. Someone popped the lock on the
door and got in. Just call your insurance agent in the morning and
let them take care of it, okay?”

Myra nods. She can’t believe someone messed
with her car again. Who could be doing this?

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not
comfortable with Myra staying here tonight,” Dennis says.

“Absolutely not,” Sherri says.

Myra looks at Dylan. He doesn’t say
anything, just stares at the floor.

“Now I know things are a bit…” Dennis says,
his eyes darting back and forth between Myra and Dylan,
“...uncomfortable between the two of you right now, but I just
can’t in good conscious let you stay here by yourself, Myra. Dylan
is in no shape to stay with you either.”

Dylan says something unintelligible under
his breath.

Dennis ignores him and continues talking.
“So we need to figure something out. Would you be opposed to coming
back to Boise with us for a few days? That way it would give Porter
some more time to work on the case.”

Dennis looks at Dylan, who’s still staring
at the floor. “And of course,
Dylan
, we want you to come
with us as well. If you don’t want to stay with us, you can always
stay with Chad.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Dylan barks out in
a hostile voice.

Myra looks at Dennis. “Thank you for the
offer, but I’d really rather not impose on you like that—”

“It’s no imposition at all,” Sherri says in
a fervent voice. “We’re just thinking of your safety… and the
safety of the baby. That’s all. We’d love to have you stay with
us.”

“I don’t know…” Myra says, indecision
written on her face.

“Do you have any friends you could stay
with?” Sherri asks.

Dylan looks up and stares at her now. She
swallows hard. “Maybe…” She doesn’t want to go stay with Susie
right now. The thought of being that far away from Dylan is just…
crushing.

“Well, I’m going to take Dylan and his truck
home,” Dennis says. “You can think about it while I’m gone. I’ll
have Chad pick me up from Dylan’s later, and we’ll figure something
out when I get back. Chad’s going to board up the windows for you
while we’re gone.”

Myra’s eyes dart to Dylan’s face. He’s
scowling and staring down at the floor again. She desperately wants
him to look at her. Give her something. Give her some kind of hope
to hang onto.

“I’ll call you in a little while,” Dennis
says to Sherri.

“Okay, dear,” Sherri responds before
standing up. She gives Dylan a hug, whispering something in his
ear. She kisses him quickly on the cheek.