Page 73 of Nobody Wants Me
“What?You can’t even keep your wife in one fucking hotel room?”The Butcher asked.
“She’s going crazy.She doesn’t want to do this anymore, and I don’t want to keep making her do this.”
I made it to the ground floor, and yes, I was a little out of breath.Crashing into the main lobby, I ignored the curious looks and went straight for the main entrance.This was not safe.This was plain stupidity.She had to be safe.Nothing could happen to her.
My heart raced and I don’t think it was entirely because of the run, although that might have something to do with it.I hated the fear that chased down my back threatening to spill over.The sense of panic I had.I didn’t want anything to happen to my wife.
“Where would she go?”
“Anywhere.You’re just going to have to pick a direction and go with your gut.Think about your wife.Where she would go?”
And with that, The Butcher hung up.
This was not about dealing with your gut.My wife was her own woman, and we were in Slavik’s territory.She didn’t know the place all that fucking well, and neither did I.Holding my cell phone within my tight grip, I looked left and right, and that was when I saw the sign that had the direction for the park, heading left.
I took off.There was only one place I felt my wife would go—the park.The one place she might feel ...normal.It was also a dangerous fucking place.
I followed the directions that would take me to the fucking park.I was not in the best of moods right now.In fact, I was pissed off.I got it more than she even realized.My wife was scared.She was tired.She wanted to go home.Her life had been turned upside down, and she had done nothing wrong.There was nothing I could do to change it.So far, even Ivan hadn’t been able to stop it.
I finally got to the park and stepped inside.It was dark, but they did have a path of lights that helped me to see.I had to rely on the fact that my wife wouldn’t be stupid and go into the dark.As I walked along the main path, I couldn’t help but tense up, waiting for an impending attack.
I’d been walking the path for a good ten minutes, when I found her sitting on the bench, near a light, her knees up to her chest.She looked so damn scared and vulnerable.
I checked the perimeter, and there was no one I was too concerned about.The Grid had an agenda, but they wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack her in a crowded place.Even if there were people waiting, they would do it at a less inconspicuous time.I made my way to the bench and sat down.
“I’m sorry,” Freya said.
“It’s fine.”
“I just ...I felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore.Do you know what that’s like?”she asked.
“Yeah, I do.”
She turned her head to look at me.
“My dad wanted to make sure his son wasn’t a weakling, and part of my training was having my head pushed under water and held there.I learned to hold my breath.”
“Wow,” Freya said.“My brothers did that to me.Not because they were making me strong, but because it entertained them.”
“Yeah, just so you know, they’re dead,” I said.“If they weren’t dead, I would hunt them the fuck down and kill them myself.”
Freya looked at me and nodded.“Is it bad that I don’t care?”
“No.”I shook my head.“You have a right to not care.”
“So much has changed.I miss your home.I would give anything to go back there.Even have you shouting at me again, and me trying to avoid you.”She smiled.
I winced.“Yeah, that was not my finest moment.”
“No, it wasn’t, but we all do what we have to.”She sighed.“I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I’m just, you now, trying to tell you what I would like.You know, I didn’t want you yelling at me when it happened, but now I’d give anything to go back to that time.”
“We will fix this,” I said.
“Victor, it’s been over four months.Longer than that if you include the time on the island.Six, seven months, and nothing has changed.You still had to kill someone today.”She sighed.“I’m afraid one day our luck is going to run out, and something bad is going to happen to you.”
“I won’t let it.”
“Victor, you can’t control everything.”
