Meyer walked to the door as Karson
hid in the bedroom. In the hallway Mr. Resnick had his hand clamped firmly on
Sadie’s shoulder, making the slight trembling in her arms nearly imperceptible.
Meyer noticed. Sadie looked like a scared little girl who’d been hauled to her
parent’s doorstep by a police officer after she’d been caught doing something
naughty. She stared at the tip of Meyer’s shoe, waiting for Resnick to speak.
“I saw your wife walking. I gave
her a ride,” Mr. Resnick explained with a charming grin.
“What happened to your eye?” Meyer
asked, looking at the ugly bruise forming around her eye.
“I don’t remember,” she murmured,
never looking up from his shoes.
“She got into a bit of trouble,”
Mr. Resnick offered. “When I pulled up three or four guys ran off. I think they
might’ve drugged her. She doesn’t seem to be herself tonight.”
“Oh, dear,” Meyer said. He was
careful to control his tone, focusing his gaze mostly on his wife’s face. He
was afraid he’d shoot Resnick if he looked at him for too long. “Are you okay,
sweetheart?”
She hesitated a moment. Meyer saw
Resnick’s grip tighten on her shoulder momentarily, prompting her to speak. She
still didn’t look up. “Yes.”
A pang of anger ran through Meyer. My wife’s not your puppet, he thought.
He reached out his arm to take Sadie away from Mr. Resnick. She quickly stepped
forward, flinching slightly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“She probably shouldn’t talk much
tonight,” Mr. Resnick said. “Poor dear’s been through a lot. She should sleep
as soon as she can.”
“Thanks,” Meyer answered with a
nod. He pulled Sadie close to himself and was glad to feel her wrap her arm
around his waist. He stepped back into the apartment and shut the door, locking
it as soon as it closed. As soon as they were alone she threw both her arms
around his waist and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.
“I’m sorry… I’m… so sorry… sorry…”
“Don’t be, Sades.” He hugged her
tightly, stroking her hair down. “I’m sorry, too.”
“No.” She shook her head, still
clinging to him. “You don’t understand. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to. I
shouldn’t have left. I’m sorry.”
“What happened?” Meyer asked. Sadie
was silent for a moment. “You don’t have to answer until you’re ready, Sades,
it’ll just help me figure out what to do.”
“I was in a bad part of town…”
“Yeah, I saw that in the text.”
“And… I was walking…” She took a
deep breath and slowly released her grasp, stepping away from Meyer slightly.
“And then Resnick… and the big oaf… and Karson with his stupid gun… and I got
in the car because I was scared.”
“Whoa, now, Karson pointed a gun at
you?” Meyer questioned as he gently guided his wife toward the couch.
“Yeah,” she sniffed, sitting down.
“I can explain—” Karson stepped out
of the bedroom. Meyer started toward him angrily, not letting him finish his
sentence before hitting him in the face so hard he stumbled into the doorframe.
Meyer grabbed his shirt, slamming him into the wall and cursing at him.
“You were involved,” Meyer spat.
“You let me believe it was just—”
“Just listen to me—”
“I’ll kill you—”
“It wasn’t my fault, I—”
“Stop it!” Sadie screamed. Both men
instantly fell silent as they looked toward where she sat rocking on the couch,
tears streaming freely down her face. “Stop it. I’m tired of the…anger… and
the… fighting. I just want it to be over. Stop.”
Meyer released Karson. “Get out of
my house.”
“He didn’t do it,” Sadie said, her
voice barely above a whisper. “He was just trying to save himself. He got beat
up worse than I did trying to stop Resnick.”
Meyer hesitated, then lifted a shoulder
in a half-hearted shrug, silently revoking his order for Karson to leave. Sadie
lifted her feet onto the edge of the couch, hugging her knees close to her
chest. Meyer walked over to her and sat down on the couch beside her.
She flinched, pulling away slightly
as he stroked a strand of hair out of her face. He stopped, pulling his hand
away. She opened her eyes, full of hurt, and looked at Meyer. “Sorry. Go
ahead.”
“No,” Meyer said. “You’re the only
one who’s been hurt tonight. If you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t.”
Sadie’s lip trembled for a moment,
before she leaned into his chest and closed her eyes. I really don’t deserve him, Sadie thought. Meyer gently wrapped his
arm around his wife, being careful of where he put his hands. He didn’t want to
remind her of whatever Resnick did to her—he was there to comfort her, not get
his own pleasures. “I’m sorry. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Meyer murmured. “I’m
sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
“You could’ve if I would’ve stayed
home.” Sadie grabbed the front of his shirt. “It’s my fault.”
“No,” Meyer said firmly. “This was
not—is not—your fault. You were the
victim. None of this was your fault, do you hear me? I’m sorry you had to go
through this, and I’m going to try to make it as right as it can be, but
whatever happens it is not your
fault, Sades.”
Sadie sniffed, but nodded her head
against his chest. “Karson’s here.”
Meyer looked up at where his friend
shifted awkwardly in his chair, seeming to want to be far away from this
intimate exchange. Meyer nodded. He would comfort his wife once they were
alone. “He’s going to help.”
Sadie nodded.
“We need you to tell us what
happened after Karson got out of the car, though.”
Sadie shook her head.
“Hon…it’s important,” Meyer coaxed.
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“It wasn’t,” he agreed.
“And… I didn’t mean to.”
“Didn’t mean to what?” Meyer asked
gently.
“He made me,” Sadie said. She
buried her face in Meyer’s chest again. “I told him I was married, but he shot
something into my arm. I couldn’t fight. He just…”
“Your arm?”
Sadie miserably held up her left
arm, where there was still a small trail of dried blood that’d dribbled from
her vein when he stuck a needle in it. She had no idea what was in the needle,
but almost instantly her body seemed to lose its strength, leaving her
defenseless as Mr. Resnick took his pleasure.
“He kissed me in bad places, Mey,”
she murmured into his shirt. “And he touched me. And then he… do I really have
to say it? I think you know.”
“No, babe,” Meyer said. He stroked
her hair. “I get the idea. You don’t have to say it.”
“Don’t tell him I told you,” Sadie
said, her voice suddenly filled with desperation. She lifted her head,
pleading. “He said he’d kill you. Mey, don’t tell him. I’m sorry. I had to tell
you. I didn’t want you to be in danger, but I’m upset, so I told you, but…”
“Sades, it’s fine,” Meyer said,
pulling her closer. She fell limp against his chest once more. “I promise. I’m
glad you told me. I don’t want you keeping secrets from me. I’d rather know.”
Karson cleared his throat. “I’d
told him anyways, Sadie. I’m the one Resnick would be mad at, not you or
Meyer.”
Sadie opened an eye to look at him,
then closed it again. All of the fear from earlier was gone, leaving her
suddenly very exhausted. She was trying hard to forget everything that’d
happened that night, including her fight with Meyer, but the events seemed to
be on a never-ending circuit playing through her mind, leaving her sniveling
like a child. “I feel like a wimp.”
“You’ve been through a lot,” Meyer
said. “It’s natural for you to be upset.”
Sadie took a shaky breath. “I just
want today to be over.”
“Then why don’t we try to go to
bed?”
Sadie tensed. She wasn’t sure what
Meyer meant. She didn’t figure he’d want to have any fun with her tonight, but
she wasn’t sure. She didn’t think she could be a good wife for her husband. Not
tonight. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Sleep,” Meyer said. “Nothing more.
And I’ll wake you if you have a bad dream.”
“I love you,” Sadie said. She
hugged him tightly once more, then slowly stood up. Meyer lifted her in his
arms and carefully walked into the bedroom. He set her on the edge of the bed,
then waited to see what she wanted. She gestured for him to lie down. “I know
you want to talk with Karson,” she murmured nearly silently. “But stay with me
‘til I fall asleep?”
“Of course.” He laid down and
pulled her into his arms. The two laid together for several long minutes, Meyer
murmuring sweet nothings into Sadie’s ear until she finally drifted off into a
fitful sleep. After he was sure she was asleep he carefully stood up, then
walked back into the living room where Karson still sat in a recliner.
“Is she asleep?” Karson asked,
standing to meet Meyer. He seemed uncertain whether Meyer would answer his
question or resume their fight from earlier, now that Sadie was probably
sleeping. Karson was well aware that the only thing that’d saved him earlier
was Sadie being upset by Meyer hitting him. It was hard to say what Meyer
planned to do now.
“Yes,” Meyer said tiredly. He sat
down on the couch and looked at his friend. He didn’t know what to think or
what to feel. He wished he would’ve been concerned about his wife leaving him
much sooner than he’d texted her. If he only would’ve left their apartment a
little sooner he could’ve gotten to Sadie before Resnick did, and then his wife
wouldn’t have had to go through her night of hell.
Meyer saw a bruise beginning to
form on Karson’s jawline, and felt a pang of guilt for hitting him before he’d
heard the whole story. He figured Karson probably had to take the brunt of the
anger Mr. Resnick had uncovered, which he didn’t deserve. Still, he’d helped
get his wife in the car to begin with, which meant he’d played as big of part
as Meyer had himself. “You deserved it.”
“I did,” Karson agreed, rubbing his
chin. “It cleared up some of the guilt.”
“I guess I didn’t have to hit you
so hard, though.”
“It’s alright,” Karson said,
accepting his half-hearted apology. “You were justified, with no more
information than you had.”
Meyer nodded, wanting to be through
with the apology. He didn’t like emotions. He and Karson were cool once more,
and that’s all that mattered. He figured he’d need an ally, if he was going to
take down the entirety of Resnick enterprises. “Alright. How committed are
you?”
“I’ll go where you lead.”
“You sure about that?” Meyer lifted
an eyebrow as he put a cigarette between his lips and lit it. “‘Cause I’m
planning on storming his castle, knocking Resnick off his high horse, and
taking down his forces as I go. This town ain’t gonna be my home no more, after
I make my move. You sure you want that?”
Karson leaned forward slightly, his
eyes glinting with a steely determination. Meyer’s fist had cleared up some of
the guilt, but he still wanted vengeance for Sadie. She’d been like a little
sister to him for many years. Resnick wasn’t going to walk all over baby sis
and get away with it. “I’ve always wanted to travel.”
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Reviews: 1634
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