Learning to be Beautiful

Learning to be Beautiful ~30~

"I need you to pick me up from jail."

I nearly dropped the phone in disbelief when I heard Linc say that. "I'm sorry, what?"

The Brit sighed heavily, almost as if he were exasperated. "I need you to pick me up from jail, Ms. Palmin."

A sort of anger welled up in me, in the very pit of my stomach. How dare he insult me, hit me, disappear for an entire week, and then! then decide that it would be a good idea to call me to bail him out of jail? How. Freaking. Dare he?

"No." I answered simply, placing my finger on the 'end call' button.

"Wait!" he shouted, his voice desperate. "Please. I really do need you to pick me up."

"Have your sister do it." I responded bitterly, putting as much venom in my voice as I possible could. "At least you don't hit her."

Silence reigned on his side of the line, so I continued, intending to end the call right then and there.

"Just... Just leave me alone, okay?" My voice sounded more tired than poisonous with that sentence and I heard Linc sigh.

"Please, Aislyn..." Stupid Brit. How did he manage to make my heartbeat like that when using my first name even after all he had done? "Please. All I ask is that you pick me up from the San Francisco police department, and I can explain everything." He paused, contemplating his words. "I promise I will leave you alone afterwards if you still wish it."

There was a moment of quiet between the two of us as I considered his offer. Finally, I conceded.

"Fine. I'll pick you up, but don't expect anything more from me."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

With that, our conversation ended, I peeled myself off the face of the couch, and I was out the door and on my way to the San Francisco PD.

When I pulled up to the building, Linc wasn't waiting for me outside as I had expected him to be. What? I thought. Does he expect me to bail him out too? Grimacing, I quickly hopped up the short flight of steps to the main entrance and pulled the glass door open, a swift, cool breeze hitting my squarely in the face as I did so. I stepped inside and there was still no sign of the stupid Brit.

The older man at the front of the station looked up at me curiously as I walked cautiously inside. The entry-way only had one bench on it, and sitting there was the man I had unwillingly come for.

He was still dressed in the same clothes I had seen him in a week ago, though they were considerably more rumpled now than they were then. His hair, usually gelled perfection, was in a dark disarray and his green eyes were offset by dark circles under them. When Linc saw me, there was only a faint flicker of recognition on his face before it melted into the same emotionless mask it had been the very first time we met.

Wordlessly, he stood and followed me out to my car. When we got in, however, I refused to start the engine.

"Begin explaining," I demanded, my keys clenched in my fist.

Linc was quiet for a few moments. "Where would you like me to begin?"

"Wherever you think would be best," I replied.

"Then I suppose you had best begin driving," he sighed, "it may take a while."

I started the car while the dark-haired man beside me gathered his wits about him. Pulling out of the parking lot did not take long, and we had hit two stop-lights by the time he chose to speak.

"I'm going to assume you know that Callie and I are half-siblings, and that you know which parent we share," he began. His voice was carefully composed, showing no traces of emotion. "My father... was not a faithful husband. Lucy was not the first woman he had had an affair with, nor do I believe the last. She was, however, the only one that is known to have carried his child... But that's not on subject.