Page 44 of Love Above Law

"Okay."

22

Leyna

I step outside the apartment building the same moment Dana pulls up in her little blue Toyota. She asked me yesterday if I wanted to get together today and do some shopping and maybe grab lunch. Then we could ride into work together. I have not done much in the way of shopping since moving to Seattle, so I jumped at the chance. Plus, Dana and I have become good friends since I started working at Rumors.

It turns out we have a lot in common. Dana is from a small town in Tennessee. When she was eighteen, she followed her high school boyfriend to Settle where he was to attend college. He came here on a baseball scholarship. Dana gave up on her chance at college to support her boyfriend. Only three months after school started, she caught him with another girl. Dana said she was too embarrassed to run back home. She knew she would never hear the end of the 'I told you so's' from her family.

Even though our situations are different, we can relate to each other in the fact we both left behind the only home we ever knew and are both determined to find our place in a new city. Dana and I both know what it's like to pick up the pieces of a shattered life then deal with the task of how to put those pieces back together. For me, it was coming here to Seattle to find my purpose. Somehow, I don't think Dana has found hers yet. I sense she's still trying to find her way and I get the feeling she misses home; misses Tennessee and her family. You hear the longing in her voice when she talks about her family, but I have faith my friend will find her way in the end.

I open the passenger door of her car and slide in. "Hey."

"Hey, girl. Are you ready to do some shopping?" Dana chirps.

"Oh my God, yes. You don't know how bad I needed a girl's day."

Our first stop is the mall. Dana has the hookup with knowing what stores have the best sales, and like me, she's a bargain hunter. Lex is always giving me money. He doesn't like me having to pay for anything. Just this morning when he learned I was going to be spending the day with Dana, he handed over four one-hundred-dollar bills like it was nothing. I learned weeks ago not to put up a fight. Choose your battles they say. Only what Lex doesn't know is if he looked in the bottom of his sock drawer, he'd find a wad of cash; every single penny he's given me. I don't look forward to that conversation when he discovers it. It's not that I don't appreciate him wanting to take care of me, but I work hard, and I like being able to take care of myself too.

After three hours of shopping Dana and I are about ready to call it a day and grab lunch when we pass by a lingerie store. A red lace bra and thong set with matching garters catches my eye, and I smile. With dirty thoughts of wearing this for Lex tonight, I turn to my friend. "Come on. Let's go in here. I see something I'd like to get." Dana gives me a knowing smirk and follows me inside the store. Snagging the negligee in a size ten off the rack, I head straight for the checkout. Sex with Lex is off the charts; there is no denying the connection we have. I thought the first time we made love was going to awkward, but I was wrong. I love my body and I am comfortable in my own skin. I'm also not shy when it comes to learning all the ways to pleasure my man. I believe my inexperience has been a major turn on for Lex. He takes great pride in knowing he's my first and in showing me all the ways we can explore each other. A shiver runs down my spine at the mere thought of wearing this for him tonight.

After we leave the lingerie store, Dana and I decide to eat here at the mall. We're both in the mood for burgers and fries.

"So, I heard you had a run in at the club with some woman?" Dana mentions once we've settled into our meal.

Popping a fry into my mouth, I rest my elbows on the table. "Yeah. Lex's ex has been a nuisance. She's been calling him and trying to weasel her way back into his life. I can't fathom what she was thinking showing up at Rumors like that."

Dana shakes her head in disbelief. "What did she think? That Lex was just going to suddenly take her back. That's seriously fucked up."

"It is," I agree. "But I think I made myself clear that any further stunts weren't going to work."

"Yeah, Dare did mention he was impressed with how you handled yourself. Too bad I hadn't been there to see it. I bet that shit was priceless." Dana becomes quiet for a moment before she adds. "I wish I would have had that kind of backbone when I caught my ex-cheating. Instead, I tucked tail like a coward and left without saying a word."

My heart aches for my friend when I hear the pain of betrayal in her voice. "You are most definitely not a coward, Dana." I watch my friend as she chews on her bottom lip and her shoulders slump. "I went through a similar situation once."

"You did?"

"Yes. I had been dating a guy for several months when I found out he was married."

"Oh my God, Leyna. What did you do?"

"Nothing. I saw him with his wife and children. Instead of confronting him, I turned around and went home. Granted a few days later I got to punch him in the nose," I chuckle. "But even after I did that, I still slammed the door in his face and said nothing. Do you want to know why?" I ask her.

"Why?"

"Because he was not worth it. He was not worth one-second longer of my time or my breath. I refused to give a cheater the sick satisfaction of having two women fight over him. When you walked out on your ex without saying anything, you showed him he wasn't worth it. That you are better than him and the bitch he cheated on you with. In my opinion, it takes a lot more strength to walk away."

Wiping a tear from her eye Dana lets my words sink in. "Thank you for saying that, Leyna."

"I wouldn't say it unless it was the truth. You are a strong woman, Dana. You have to remember God has a plan for you. There is a man out there somewhere who will one day sweep you off your feet. I know what your ex did to you hurts; it hurts like hell. But he is not your forever. Your forever is out there; you just haven't found him yet."

After mine and Dana's little heart to heart conversation, we finish our lunch in comfortable silence. I sense my words have helped her see her situation in a different light. I know when the day comes that Dana meets the right man, she'll look back and realize her ex-cheating was meant to be. Through trial and tribulation comes triumph. Take me for example. If not for the horrifying debacle with Santino, I would not have found the man I love; the man I know without a shadow of a doubt is the man I am meant to spend the rest of my life with. If I had to go back in time and relive my horrible experience with Santino all while knowing what I know now; I would do it all over again if it meant being with Lex.

"What do you feel like doing next? We still have a couple of hours until we need to be at work." Dana asks as we make our way through the mall parking lot to her car. Dana opens her trunk, and we toss our bags inside. "How about a mani-pedi?" she asks.

I'm about to answer her when I notice she has a startled look on her face. I go to look over my shoulder to see what has her spooked when suddenly my body is shoved against the side of Dana's car, and I hear the voice of a man I thought was dead; the same voice that haunts my dreams at night.

"We meet again, Ms. Martinez." Hugo's pungent breath trickles across my face when he whispers into my ear. I start to struggle against his hold when he warns me. "You fight me, and I'll kill your friend." I notice the gun in his hand is pressed against Dana's stomach. With Dana standing mere inches from me, his weapon remains concealed, shielding everything from the people passing. I feel the fear radiating off my friend, and I try to think of a way to get her out of Hugo's clutches unharmed.