Page 2 of Roulette: The Madam

Cellphone.

I gathered the necessities and zipped the bag. The flight was incredibly lengthy, and I wouldn’t be touching Clarke’s soil until nightfall. There was work to be done, sleep to be enjoyed, and plans to be made.

“We’re prepared for takeoff, Ms. Childers.”

Enthralled with the power of my devices, I neglected to lift my head. Instead, I nodded.

“Thank you.”

As the words left my mouth, my cell began to vibrate on my lap. The brown bear at the top of my screen delivered a blow to my chest that I wasn’t quite ready for. Suddenly, an unexpected presence overwhelmed the massive plane. Instantly, it shrunk in size, or at least, it felt like it had.

Blinking away my emotions, I cleared my throat as I slid my finger across the phone. My heart leaped in my chest as the silence tickled our ear canals. I readjusted myself in my seat and released a shaky breath.

My nostrils swelled twice their size. My eyes felt like they’d been drenched in gasoline and lit with a match. My chest inflated and deflated dramatically. A low, muffled whimper escaped my frame as the pain intensified.

“Crybaby,” Chemistry groaned, kissing the skin of his teeth.

The call ended, forcing my body in the opposite direction. Like a magnet to metal, I was drawn to him. I hadn’t noticed his presence until now, but the lack of oxygen in the cabin should’ve made it clear the second my phone rang.

Out of the window, he examined me through weary eyes. I’d prolonged my stay for another two days to spend more time with my family. However, there was much to be done back home andthe three years we’d been in St. Catana should’ve been enough time spent with them. However, it wasn’t. With them, it was never too much. With him, it was never too much.

My protector.

My provider.

My peace.

With a hand on his forehead, he saluted, bidding me farewell and breaking my heart into five hundred and sixty-eight tiny pieces. Witnessing the back of his frame as his shirt blew with the wind sent me completely over the edge. Overcome with the grief of our separation and the detail about his lack of freedom in the US, I bolted from my seat.

“Open the door,” I demanded.

“Ma’am, we are ready for–”

“This plane doesn’t leave the ground untilIsay so,” I reminded the flight attendant with tears cascading down my cheeks and the fleeing of Chemistry heavy on my heart.

“So, open this door or I will open this motherfucker myself. And when we take off, you will not be on this bitch.”

I began to unravel before her pretty brown eyes. With a nod, she shuffled her feet and began turning the wheel of the cabin door. Her lack of strength and speed raised my body’s temperature. I stepped forward and began to assist. Within seconds, the Catanian airbrushed my skin, contouring my soul with the nutrients and strength it needed to see past the moment. Past the pain.

Chemistry felt so far away. Too far away. His stride had Richie ingrained in every step. I was shot with a second dagger to the chest. I missed my father deeply. The distance hadn’t been established but I was already missing my brother as much.

“Teddy–”

He halted. Right where he stood. He didn’t move another inch. Not until he gathered himself and turned to face me.Together, we eliminated the distance between us until our chests collided.

I threw my arms around him, relieved by his presence. His life. The very breath in his body.

This was my person.

It was our person.

Every one of us.

From Rhea down to the precious son he’d recently pulled from his wife’s womb with his bare hands. The weight of his position in our world must’ve been so much, but he handled it well. Gracefully. Beautifully. Skillfully. Firmly. Yet, with so much love, adoration, and care. The weight he carried for us all, I couldn’t imagine bearing, but he did so proudly.

My person.

Our person.

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