Page 65 of Octane

“Hey Mitch.”

“Good morning, Mr. Powell.”

“Did you have a chance to speak with Tom? About my request?”

“Yes, Sir. We have all eyes open. If Mr. Kramer returns home, we’ll call you the second we see him.”

“Thank you,” Jackson nods, slipping Mitch several $100 bills before leading us to the elevator.

A playful grin breaks out on Jackson’s face as we enter the elevator, and I wonder what it’s for.

“What’s that smile all about?” I question him.

“Did your sister ever tell you the story of the day we first met?” Jackson turns his attention to Carissa.

Despite my anxiety, I can’t help my lips from spreading into a smile.

“No, she never mentioned it, why?”

Jackson smiles at me, but I’m the first one to speak.

“It’s a story for another time,” I announce. “I’ll tell you when we’re all done here, provided we make it out in one piece.”

“Looking forward to it,” Carissa answers with a smile.

As soon as we walk into the condo, we begin to work feverishly to get all of my things packed up. I don’t trust that he doesn’t have a camera in here or something to alert him of my return to the building.

Daniel has called me a lot over the last two days. I haven’t answered, but he’s left a bunch of voicemails, his tone different in each of them.

He was bitter and vicious in his first voicemail.

“I can’t believe what an ungrateful bitch you are. I’ve provided everything you could have possibly wanted for the last twelve years, and this is how you repay me? I can’t wait until that video gets out so people can see what a fucking whore you are.”

In the second voicemail, he tried to make it seem like he was broken without me. He pretended to cry and everything. It was pitiful.

“Sawyer,” he sniffled. “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to go on without you in my life. Please, just come back to me, and everything will be perfect, just like it used to be. Okay, Jelly Bean?”

A violent shade of red colored my vision when he used the nickname my father gave me. But his third message was by far the most bizarre. He spoke to me like nothing was wrong at all. Like it was a normal day and we were a normal couple who were still together.

“Hey, Sawyer. It’s Daniel. I just wanted to call and say hello. Let you know I’m thinking about you, and I can’t wait to see you again.”

I stopped listening to them after that, assuming it was more of the same. Him pretending to feel what a normal person would when going through a break up is laughable. He’s not normal. He doesn’t know how to show emotion. I’m thankful that his calls have stopped over the last day, but it also scares me. Is he planning something? Iknowhe hasn’t given up this easily.

“You should take some toilet paper and cleaning supplies with you,” Carissa suggests.

“Yes, good point.”

I leave my bedroom and go to the kitchen to get a bottle of cleaner and a roll of paper towels from underneath the sink.

“Oh, and don’t forget bath towels. And bedsheets!”

“Right,” I take a deep breath as I turn toward the bathroom to fetch two towels and a set of sheets from the linen closet.

My mind is racing, and I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of these basic necessities. I hope this isn’t a sign that I won’t be able to take care of myself after all. I place the towels and sheets in one of the suitcases, and my eyes search furiously around the room to see what else I’ve forgotten. Placing my hands on my head, I take another deep breath. I feel Jackson wrap his arms around me from behind, and his touch begins to calm me immediately.

“Hey, you’re doing great,” he tells me. “I’m so proud of you.”

He places a kiss on my shoulder, and I turn around in his arms.

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