GUN IN MY HAND

CHAPTER 36: NO TIME TO PRAY

'A storm is brewin' babe

I ain't got time to sit and pray

Because this life don't come free

I got what's mine comin' to me'

9. 28 a.m. My legs were growing restless, my hands clammy, and my thoughts were spinning faster than the second hand of my watch.

I was even wondering if time had frozen, and yet, we hadn't entered the church.

It was a special day, and not because of the exceptionally hot weather, nor because of the celebration of Jesus's ascension. It was because of the Thorntons, and my mom's motto of 'no business talk in front of God's house' had apparently been forgotten the moment Mrs. Thornton had complimented her on her new dress.

Now, my dad was preaching an outstanding event over flyers, and my mom was confessing where she had bought the same hat as Jackie Kennedy, none of them seeming to care about the remaining seconds before the start of the mass and our seats that were surely already taken by Ms. Clorins. So why should I have?

I was better in the open to breathe, with the sun beating on my white cardigan and warming my skin, and a small pebble rolling under my Mary Jane shoes to occupy me, since I couldn't pull out my fidget toy. There was no reason for my impatience, and even less for the cold sweat forming down my spine.

"Dorothy, what a pleasure to see you. You look as lovely as a fresh flower."

Oh yes, maybe there was a reason for the shiver on my skin as I lifted my gaze to meet halfway the gaze trailing down my silhouette.

"Um, thank you... Douglas." I shifted from one foot to the other as his eyes finished their route down my pink dress, and I questioned if it was really a compliment.

It wasn't warming my cheeks, and if my blood was fusing inside, it was because I was tired of being compared to fragile things: princess, chick, flower... It wasn't me. Though a quick glance to my right closed the internal dilemma; I had to be flattered, and my mom was closely ensuring that I was, while still talking about the latest trends.

So I put on my best smile like she'd taught me, and I hoped my eyes didn't show my reluctance when he held out his hand.

"I heard you're coming with your parents to lunch. I'm glad we'll finally get some time to know each other better."

The invitation at the Thorntons', another reason why this day would be endless.

However, even if Douglas's words along with his kiss of the hand sent a chill down my spine, it wasn't what froze me.

I was paralyzed, to the point that the ticking inside stopped, when someone cleared their throat near, and I caught the silhouette in a black leather jacket peeking from behind a side pillar of the church.

This was the real reason behind my boiling thoughts and freezing dread, and all the agitation it created in my insides.

Of course, I took in instantly that the figure wasn't tall enough, and it wasn't Blade, or I would have felt the burning sparks on my skin, while here, there were only more shivers down my spine when the man coughed again. 

Clearly, it wasn't because of the smoke of his cigarette. He was trying to catch someone's attention, my attention, as he was on my left, about 15 feet away, and he kept peering in my direction.

He had it, all my attention, and I didn't hear one of Douglas's words. He could have been monologuing about our future 'collaboration' at the town hall, and I still nodded anyway. At least, I was following some of Daisy's advice, even if my side glances may not have been discreet and polite as I tried to check if the guy had a hole in his collar.