Worth the Wait Part 4

Crystal Baxter was a fit woman. She was a woman of routines and schedules, which had brought her to where she was in her life. Strong-willed and full of ambition, she was taking her usual route for her 6 PM jog. As her watch indicated she had completed a mile, she silenced it and stopped running for a moment to rest, inhaling deeply on the sidewalk. Her curly hair stuck to her face, and she put her hands on her hips, focusing on controlling her breathing. Just then, a car drove past her, and the driver honked the horn. She was used to this. Her breasts were perky in her neon orange sports bra, and sweat dripped down her neck onto her cleavage. She didn’t pay the driver any mind. She knew she looked good. Aside from wanting to be healthy, she worked out to look good.

Crystal finally caught her breath and started her walk home to finish the run. As she began jogging again, she heard a car approaching quickly from behind. She stood aside to let it pass. She saw the headlights of a Mercedes-Benz coming into view. Looking closer, she thought it looked like…Cane. “What the fuck,” Crystal said aloud, with a look of pure confusion. She had to be mistaken. There was no way that was him. He wouldn’t come into town without letting her know. That just couldn’t be right.

She reached into her fanny pack and grabbed her phone, calling Cane immediately. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. She felt a cold pit in her stomach. What the hell just happened? She started her jog back home, keeping the feeling of confusion at bay. Once home, she jumped in the shower, replaying the last 35 minutes in her head, hoping he would call her back to ease her mind and wandering thoughts. She spent the night tossing and turning, constantly checking her phone, but too proud to call him again. She finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, she walked into the newsroom, searching for the coffee pot. “Did someone have a long night?” Monica spoke out to Crystal as she walked into the break room behind her. Monica was a journalist, just like Crystal, but not as good. Monica knew that, but she was still a fan of Crystal’s work. She was a fan of Crystal in general. Over the past seven months, they had built a friendship. They mostly talked about work, but Monica was working on that. She honestly had a crush on Crystal and wanted to be much more than just colleagues.

Crystal exhaled and said, “Yeah, sort of. I just couldn’t get comfortable. I tossed and turned all night.”

“Maybe I can help you with that next time,” Monica slipped out before she knew it.

Crystal raised her eyebrows while taking a sip. “Like how?”

“Uhmm, I have some meditation and white noise tracks I could send you. They might help,” Monica replied, her face flushing slightly.

Crystal buttoned up the next to the top button of her blouse, her perfect skin tone glowing even with no sleep. She was still so pretty. Monica started daydreaming about unbuttoning Crystal’s top, kissing her perfect breasts, and sliding her nipples into her mouth, Crystal grabbing her head .Monica was snapped back to reality by the loud, thundering voice of their boss, Mr. Green.

“Good morning, good morning. All right, people, gather around and listen up. Our top story this morning: three cartel members were found beheaded last night in an abandoned warehouse. Obviously, this is a homicide. There was one eyewitness, a homeless guy, who says he saw a black luxury vehicle, maybe a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz, leaving the warehouse’s back entrance. That’s all they got. Crystal, you take the reins on that. I need it before noon.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Green. I’m on it.” Mr. Green handed her a folder, and as she walked back to her desk, she felt a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach again. A black luxury vehicle? What the fuck?

Crystal was talking to herself, and all she could think about was seeing Cane in that car last night. He still hadn’t called her back. Why did Green have to give her this story? Damn, something was up. The journalist in her wanted to know what, while the lover in her was shuddering at the thought. She told herself not to jump to conclusions and just to get to work. She opened the folder Green gave her and found the name of the witness and what part of town he was originally questioned in, with a picture. It was a shady part of town, but she needed the witness to give her more details about what he saw exactly.

She grabbed her coffee and the folder and got up from her desk. “Leaving so soon, Ms. Baxter?” Monica asked, her perfume lingering as she brushed past her. She didn’t have to turn around to know it was her, but she did anyway just to look at her.

“Yeah, girl, I’m headed to Spring Oaks to talk to the witness. Keep your phone on you.”

“Spring Oaks? Are you serious?” Monica exclaimed, worried. Although she knew Crystal was a grown woman and could handle herself, she was concerned. This story was already dangerous, considering three cartel members were found beheaded. She would’ve thought Crystal would turn the story down, but she didn’t. She seemed eager, but why?

“I got this, girl. I’ll call you if I need you. Keep your phone on ring.” Crystal turned around and quickly walked towards the door. Monica watched her leave, then went over to her desk, grabbing her phone and turning the ringer on.