A Certain Set Of Skills (Title Pending), Part Two

The floorboards creaked in the dark hallway as I slowly crept toward my room, wondering if my dear husband would be there or not. He rarely came in before midnight, but sometimes he'd show up shortly after dinner and stay all night. I didn't like those evenings. I much preferred my husband's indifference toward me than his attention. I silently laid a hand on the chilly doorknob and quietly pushed the door open, stopping short when I saw him in an arm chair by the window, a single light burning on a stand behind him.

I tugged on the wrist sheath strapped to my arm as I carefully pushed the door shut behind me, and walked toward the bed. He didn't move. I bit my lip, finally loosening the sheath enough to slip it off.

"It's about time you showed up."

I glanced at his chair. He was still sitting, his back to me. I knelt beside the bed, carefully stashing my wrist sheath and the blade off my back behind the dust skirt. "I didn't realize you'd be in so early."

"Where were you?" He asked coldly.

I quickly undid the sheath tied around my abdomen, and slid it on top of the blade that belonged in it, before I started taking my cowgirl boots off. "I took a walk."

"A walk?" He stood, still not turning toward me. "Really?"

I kicked my other boot off and stood up. "Yeah."

"That sounds an awful lot like 'I went to The Exchange'," he walked toward me, brow creased. He was annoyed. It took every ounce of courage I had left not to retreat. "And I thought I specifically told you not to go there tonight."

"I didn't."

"You didn't?" He asked skeptically, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me into the wall. He pressed his knuckles into the soft spot under my ribs, not wasting any time. "And if I called Ev, would he say that you didn't?"

"Yes," I answered icily, doing my best to flex my abdomen muscles and keep his fingers from hurting me. "'Cause I didn't go."

"Last chance," Rufe said, pulling out a cellphone. "You're sure there's nothing you want to tell me?"

I certainly didn't want to tell him where I actually spent my evening; but it wasn't at The Exchange. I knew better than to go where he specifically told me not to go. I wasn't the most obedient wife he could've asked for, but I'd learned my lesson the last time I went where he told me not to one night, ran into him, and spent a few days in the hospital for it. I hadn't done it again. "I didn't go to The Exchange."

"Well then, how about we check your story out, mm?"

"Go ahead," I said breathlessly, wishing he'd take a step back. Instead he stayed uncomfortably close, looming, keeping me pinned against the wall as waited for Everett to answer his phone. I looked up at my husband.

His jawline was covered in short dark hair, grown out from when he shaved this morning; the thatch of brown and gray hair on his head was a mess, but not quite long enough to be properly tangled. The skin around his eyes was tight, a sure sign that he was anxious about something. I wondered what was worrying him; hoped he didn't plan to take his stress out on me, like he often did.

"Ev?" Rufe lifted his thick eyebrows, looking down at me with shit-colored brown eyes. "Yeah. Did you see my wife today?"

I held my breath, wondering if Ev would tell the truth or not. Ev liked me even less than I liked him. He could easily lie, if he knew I was under more than the standing orders not to go around The Exchange.

"I know you were at The Exchange all day," Rufe said impatiently. "I'm asking if Alina was there, too... not that you saw? No, she's not missing. No... No. No, it's okay. Everything's under control, I was just wondering."

Rufe snapped his phone shut and slid it into his pocket. "So where did you go, if not there?"

"I just took a walk... to nowhere in particular."

"Yeah? Anyone who can verify that claim?" He asked, grabbing my shoulders again, his grip so tight it hurt. "Or am I just supposed to take your word for it?"

"I went alone," I said nearly silently, afraid of what he'd do to me if I couldn't convince him I'd just taken a walk. I couldn't fight back if he decided he wanted to hurt me. He hurt me even worse when I fought, and hurt my family besides.

"To where?"

"The river."

"Why?" He asked harshly, grabbing the pressure points on my neck with his left hand. I whimpered, unable to bite it back as my muscles seized up, temporarily paralyzing me. I knew he liked hearing me cry, and watching me squirm. I tried not to let my pride get in the way when he wanted to exercise his dominance over me-- it only made the beatings that much worse.

"I just needed some air," I gasped.

"You're going to need some air," he threw me toward the bed. "I don't believe you."

I tripped over my boots, falling across the bed face-first, sprawling across the soft blankets as I did. I rarely landed on such a soft surface when he did that. I laid perfectly still, afraid to move.

"Roll over."

I caught my breath, flexing my abdomen muscles, desperately hoping he didn't intend to hit me as soon as I obeyed. Reluctantly, I rolled over, looking up at him fearfully. He glared at me several long moments, before his expression changed. I cringed when realized what that look meant. It hurt nearly as badly, when he was in this kind of mood.

"On second thought..." He walked closer to me, shrugging his faded blue button up shirt off. He pulled the white wife-beater he wore underneath off, and stood over top of me, his old man skin sagging a bit on his chest and chubby abdomen. "I don't give a shit where you went, as long as it doesn't affect your ability now. Get your pants off, whore."

~ ~ ~

I didn't feel better again until late the next morning, after he left and I'd taken a long shower. I watched my reflection in the mirror as she carefully combed my long blond hair out, then pulled it back into a messy bun. My reflection turned her head to the side, and I carefully looked at the sharp jawline we shared, before looking into our hazel brown eyes, trying to decide what to do today. Rufe hadn't hurt me as badly as I expected he would.

I walked back into the bedroom I shared with my husband, and then into the large walk-in closet where I kept all of my things. He didn't let me keep any of them in the bedroom, saying he didn't want to trip over my junk. I didn't mind. He never came into my closet, so I could keep whatever I wanted to in it, including the various knives that I'd decided I wanted to learn to fight with all those years ago, when I discovered that Rufe's karate sensei was also an instructor of knife fighting.

I pulled on a pair of tight blue jeans and a white wife beater tank top, before shoving my feet back into the boots I was wearing the day before. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, double-checking to be sure that none of the bruises my dear husband left the night before were visible in this outfit. I lifted a shoulder then grabbed my backpack and walked down the stairs, into the kitchen, and filled the pack with various crackers and protein bars.

Swinging the bag onto my shoulder, I walked into the already hot late morning sun, and out the gate that separated Rufe's home from the rest of his domain, into the dusty streets. I started off at a brisk pace, up the incline, to the building known as The Exchange-- figuring that if I was still forbidden from going there any more than I usually was, Rufe would've reminded me of it this morning before he left.

I walked into the run-down building, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin as I walked past a few rough-looking men that were lingering just inside the doorway. If they didn't know whose woman I was, then I'd be afraid for my safety. As it was, I knew that I was safe in my position of Rufe's play thing. No other man dared so much as touch me, much less force me to do anything I didn't want to. The last man that tried ended up in a grave before the week was out.

I walked up to the counter, just as Ev was coming out of the back hallway. The fake smile slipped from his face as he saw me, a frown settling on his brow. "What are you doing here?"

"It's good to see you, too," I answered sarcastically, starting to walk past him.

He grabbed my wrist, pulling me around to face him. I glared at his hand a long moment, before drawing myself up and locking him in my best death glare. He wasn't scared. "Does Rufe know you're here?"

"He will, if you don't let go of me," I spat, daring him to leave his hand on me. If I were to tell my husband that I'd been to The Exchange, he'd hit me, like he always did; but if I told him that Ev tried to hurt or screw me, then Ev would get much worse than a slap, and he knew it. His grasp instantly loosened, his hand falling to his own side rather than on my arm.

"You'd best not get in anyone's way," he ordered, glaring down at me.

"I won't," I flashed a bratty grin as I walked into the narrow hallway. "Great seeing you again, Ev."

There was a short pause as I walked down the hallway, looking for an empty room, before I heard his voice again. "Hey!"

I turned around, lifting an eyebrow.

"What did you do yesterday?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," I smirked.

"...Were you here?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I had other matters to attend to."

He looked uncomfortable for a moment. "I don't think I even want to know what you were doing."

"I don't think you do," I agreed, turning and continuing down the hall. I found the door I was looking for and pushed the door open, bracing myself against the stench and sight that met me. I felt my strength waver for a moment as I looked inside.