Page 73 of Aching for His Discretion

But what could I do on my own? Nothing. I had to trust him. I had to trust that he would keep me safe..

“Okay,” I whispered after a few moments.

“Don’t worry, Tesoro… everything will be taken care of,”he replied, and I nodded as I put the phone down and took a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be okay... and I wished it would—but nothing would prepare me for the evening I would soon face.

Entering my apartment complex, I greeted Mr. John as he handed me my mail. We conversed for a small while before Mr. Madison, my landlord, came out.

“Teegan, how are you, my dear?” he asked, and I smiled.

“I’m doing all right, Mr. Madison. Been very busy with school lately.”

“I bet. You know, Grayson didn’t escape this afternoon to bother me for something to eat… I know that was a strange sentence. It sounded a lot better in my head. The point is, send him my way so I can give him a treat when you get the chance. My wife has been buying cat toys and treats for him online, and Ineed to get rid of them,” he grumbled, and I giggled as I grabbed my mail and bag.

“Sure thing, Mr. Madison. I’ll check on him now. He’s probably asleep,” I said, and he nodded as I bid both him and Mr. John goodbye as I went upstairs.

As I approached my door, my smile faltered as I noticed it was cracked.

Did Grayson manage to get out?I thought as I approached it, but it was odd. He’d usually go see Mr. John or Mr. Madison, but neither one of them saw him. I noticed as well that the lights were also off. Maybe he got out earlier? He always turned on the button lamp in the living room when it was getting a bit too dark.

“Grayson? Baby?” I yelled out and looked around but heard nothing.

Pushing the door slightly, it was silent and dark. However, the sight before me caused me to drop everything in my hands onto the floor.

In the middle of the room, illuminated by the hall light... lay my kitty. Not moving, not breathing… just lying there silently. I turned on the light in utter shock and ran over to him as I dropped to my knees.

“Grayson,” I whispered as I pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. I moved his little body and gasped in horror as tears filled my eyes and he lay motionless. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I felt stuck. My kitty,my baby. I checked his pulse, leaned down to listen to his heart, his airway and… nothing.

From the corner of my eye, as tears fell, I noticed a letter. I didn’t pick it up as I moved my kitty into my lap and pet his fur softly; however, I could still read the letter in its entirety.

Little girls like you don’t belong in this lifestyle. You were able to run from the police, but you can’t escape what’s in front of you.

Regards,

Antonio Amante

AKA - Your future father-in-law

Chapter thirty-one

Teegan

Isat on the floor for probably thirty minutes. I felt so weak. It was pointless even to think rationally. I thought of someone potentially still being in my flat. I also wanted to call Levi to save me, but I was numb.

People may think I’m dramatic, but it wasn’t his time. My kitty was healthy… a tad overweight, but he liked to eat. He liked to climb out of windows. He liked to snuggle with his mama when I had my anxiety or panic attacks due to school, stress, and responsibilities. He was there for me…now he was gone.

I felt as though I was mentally drained. I cried this morning, and I cried this afternoon. Everything recently led to me crying, and I was tired.

Gazing down at my baby, I noticed he was peaceful, but he was probably terrified. Scared, I wasn’t there to protect him… afraid of what would happen to himself. He was my smart little kitty… and I felt a unfixable hole in my heart as he lay in my lap.

He was my smart little kitty.

My smart little kitty.

He was my smart little kitty.

Looking at my baby for a little while longer, I noticed something was... off. He was… regular. My kitty, while smart, had a scar on his eyebrow because he scratched his face a while back trying to scale the apartment building from the outside.

Another thing clicked as my heart skipped a beat. He knows to run from danger… he knows. Placing the cat on the floor, I ran into my bedroom and turned the light on as I spoke.

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