Page 47 of Wrath

“Wait…” I take a moment to think about what I’m about to suggest. I don’t owe this woman a damn thing, but there's a warmth in her eyes that I’m drawn to. Whoever she is, she’s clearly suffered in the same kind of way Eden has and I suddenly feel a responsibility to save her. “What If I told ya I could take ya somewhere safe, somewhere far away from here, where even Cliff was afraid to go?” I don’t believe that this woman is crazy, she’s just been living in fear.

“Cliff’s not afraid of anything.” She looks up at me in confusion and when I see the mascara running down her cheeks I take hold of both her hands in an attempt to calm her down.

“He never used to be, but his whole world has been turned upside down, his club has turned against him and he’s alone,” I speak slowly to ensure she takes in every word.

“Are you a…?” She recoils as if she’s staring into the eyes of the devil.

“I’m a Dirty Soul, and I’m Cliff Adam’s son. Mrs Carter, I know you have no reason to trust me but I promise, if you help me, you’ll never have to worry about Cliff Adams ever again.”

I watch her face crease as she decides whether or not to believe me.

“Where is this place?” She takes a handkerchief from under her watch and dabs away her black-stained tears.

“It’s in Long Beach, where he used to be a charter president. He got overturned and it’s the last place he’d show his face now,” I explain.

“I’d have to call my son, he visits every other Sunday.” It seems that she’s considering my offer.

“We can do that, we can do anythin’ you want,” I promise

“And Peter, what about Peter? He’ll be so mad, I can’t have him take it out on Richie.”

“I can speak to Peter too, I’m sure he’d feel much better knowin’ you're safe, right?” I do my best to convince her. Knowing that there’s a chance Cliff could be watching us right now puts some urgency on the situation. “Anita, look at me.” I lower my head so my eyes are level with hers. “You can trust me.” My hands squeeze hers a little tighter, and when she slowly nods her head I feel a huge sense of relief.

“Okay, let me get my purse.” She fixes the smile back on her face in an instant and the way she slips back into being the woman she was when I first stepped into the room has me going back to my earlier evaluation. My father really did send her crazy.

“Listen, Anita, you remember what you told me about the staff not lettin’ ya leave for church?” I watch her pick up her purse and slip on the white pair of gloves that are placed neatly on the table beside it.

“Uhhh hmmm.” She nods, moving over to the mirror and ensuring she has no hair out of place.

“Well, they aren’t gonna be happy about me takin’ ya, so we have to get out of here discreetly. I’m gonna cause a distraction out in the foyer, when the coast is clear I want you to run out that door, down the corridor, and out through the front. There’s a black van parked in one of the bays,” I explain carefully, and she smiles vacantly as she takes in every word.

“You think you can do that?” I check, already certain that this plan is gonna go to shit. I can’t imagine Raze is gonna be too pleased about me bringing her back to the club either, but what am I supposed to do, leave another of my father’s victims?

“It’s all quite exciting isn’t it?” She shrugs her shoulders and giggles and I close my eyes and pray for a fuckin’ miracle as I grab her hand and start leading her back toward the door.

“Aaron, that's what you said your name was, isn’t it?” She stops me just before we get there.

“Yeah.” I look back at her, keen to keep her moving.

“I didn’t mean to kill him. He was mean but I never wanted him dead.” I frown, wondering who the hell she’s talking about. “God will forgive me, won’t he?” I see those tears building back up in her eyes and quickly nod her some reassurance. I can’t have her doubting herself at a time like this.

“Sure.” I smile. “Let’s hope he forgives us all.” I look up at the ceiling as I continue to bust this very vulnerable woman out of her care facility.

How does this woman not sleep? We've been on the road for most of the night and yet she’s still sitting bolt upright and taking everything. It’s as if she’s seeing the outside world for the first time.

“It wasn’t nice of you to choke that man, Aaron,” she speaks up as we get a little closer to home.

“I didn’t kill him. I just put his lights out for a while, he’ll be fine,” I look across the console to reassure her.

“He’s the one that usually gives me my meds, his name’s Lucian,” she points out. “He’s kind and very smart, he knows lots of things about herbology. Did you know plants can pretty much cure anything?”

“I did not know that.” I smile as if I’m grateful for yet another one of her facts.

“He has a girlfriend, and she teaches people how to ski.” I listen to the woman ramble, still questioning if I’ve got the right person. I really can’t imagine my father ever tolerating a person like her.

“Do you have a girlfriend, Aaron?” she asks.

“No.” I shake my head. I’d like to tell her differently but I got no chance with Eden after the way I left things. I should never have stormed out of her room. I should have held her in my arms and told her everything was gonna be okay. I just can’t make those promises until I know Cliff is fuckin’ dead.

---