Page 8 of Wine, Whiskey, & Lipstick 2

Impossible. I could not have heard him.As if to convince herself that she had been mistaken, Dillyn listened harder, only to still come up empty.

Her anxiety was rapidly rising.

It might be time to call her therapist for another session because she was wildin’ out. Dillyn’s doctor would probably tell her it wasn’t unreasonable to think about him now that she was pregnant. As much as she wanted to pretend her father didn’t exist, she couldn’t. He’d left an indelible mark, and her pregnancy was bringing out all manner of buried emotions.But to think about him here? Now?At Franks?That was weird.

Dillyn sighed. Not only was she being silly, but it also wasn’t remotely possible. The man was in prison and would be there for a long time.Focus on what’s important, like using the bathroom before you pee on yourself.Dillyn shook off her heebie jeebies and continued toward the ladies’ room.

She took a few steps in that direction, and just like in a horror movie, she heard his laugh! Dillyn paled. Her breathing became erratic as she again spun around in a full circle.

Breathless, she whispered, “Where are you?” Frantically,she stood on tiptoes and craned her head around the room. It was just too hard to find anyone among so many people. Still, Dillyn searched.

There’s absolutely no fuckin’ way! Someone would have contacted me about his release.Dillyn continued to search. There were lots of faces, but none were that of her father. Common sense tried to enter the craziness of her mind.Why would he be here?How would he even know where to find you?

He wouldn’t.So, calm down.

Dillyn hadn’t seen Melvin Anderson since she was a child, and he still had another ten years to serve before being eligible for parole. Her eyes fluttered closed as she pinched the bridge of her nose to calm her nerves.You’re being ridiculous.That was not him.He is not here.

Girl, get a grip!

She inhaled. Then, slowly, blew it out.

There was a gentle tug on her arm. Dillyn’s eyes popped open, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She placed a hand over her chest and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she realized it was Ben. She forgot all about being pissed at him.

He was instantly on alert after gazing into terrified eyes. Something had scared her, and Ben was determined to find out who.

His voice was dead calm, but the tightness around the edges of his mouth revealed the truth. “What’s wrong?”

Dillyn knew Ben well enough to know that look. She was being irrational, and he had been worried enough about her.Get it together. Nervously, she pressed her lips together.“N-Nothing. I just . . . I just thought I’d seen someone I knew.”

Ben scanned the room, “Who?”

Dillyn took another calming breath. She was doing a poor job of convincing him to stop worrying. She placed a hand on his arm. “Really, I’m fine. It wasn’t him.” She released a nervous laugh. “Being at Franks and around so many people has me a little rattled.”

“We can leave,” Ben was dead serious.

This time, Dillyn really did work to shake off her ill feelings. “No. That would be silly. We all came to have fun, and Palmer would be so disappointed.”

Ben didn’t give a damn about any of that.

She continued to plead her case, “Just about everyone knows I’m with you. Nobody would be stupid enough to try anything.”

Ben wasn’t buying it. Someone had scared the shit out of her.

“You see all the bouncers and cameras in here?” Dillyn pointed around the room. “Franks has upped their security game. I promise. I’m fine.”

Ben wasn’t a hundred percent convinced, “you’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Against his better judgment, he decided to let it go, but he wouldn’t let Dillyn out of sight. He began to guide her away from the crowd while simultaneously looking for unfriendly faces. He also sought to find the undercover bodyguards he’d hired to watch over Dillyn and her friends.

Ben steered her toward the hallway next to the kitchen and bathrooms. However, he couldn’t fully relax until he made visual eye contact with the members of his security team. They’d been close by this entire time, watching them closely.

The second Ben had Dillyn in the hallway, he pulled her into his arms.

He could feel her heart racing. As it slowed, he placed his lips next to her ear, “Are you sure you didn’t see anything or anyone?”

Dillyn sighed heavily, “Yeah, I’m sure. I promise I would tell you.” She had been freaking out for no reason. Her mind was playing tricks on her. There wasn’t even a remote possibility that her father would get out of prison anytime soon.

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