Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“You don’t have kids or a family.”
“I have cousins. Very close and I would do anything to protect them. When you love people, that’s what you do, no matter what. You take care of them. That’s all your parents are doing for you.”
“I want to stop seeing my therapist.”
“Then stop,” he said.
“You make it sound so easy, but it’s not.”
“How is it not? You either don’t go, cancel your appointment, or sit in complete silence.”
She stared at him for several minutes, her fork in her pasta, and she looked deep in thought. “Do you think I need to go?”
He laughed. “I don’t know, Charity. Do you need to go?”
“We’re not getting anywhere with this.”
“How do you feel when you look back on your ordeal?” he asked.
She licked her lips again. He was getting distracted by those lips. “I get angry.”
“Why are you angry?”
“Now you’re sounding like my therapist.”
“Answer the question.”
“I was helpless. I was scared. There’s no way I can put into words what I felt or what I feel. It just fucking happened. I couldn’t do anything about that.” She blew out a breath. “I don’t know. I feel like everything is happening all around me. People are moving on, but I’m standing still. I can’t move on.”
“And why do you think that is?”
“I don’t have a clue. Maybe, Mr. Therapist, you could tell me.”
He sliced into his steak, closing his eyes as the flavors coated his tongue. It really was a good, juicy, rare steak, which was the best kind.
“Okay, let’s put it to you another way,” she said. He waited as she took a sip of her water. “If you were in my position and those guys were doing that to you and everything happened the same, what would you feel like?”
“Simple.”
“Well…”
He finished his bite and leaned forward. “I would be pissed that someone came and saved me and didn’t leave me one person to take care of myself. I’d need to see their blood pouring from their body to know I got the bastard good, but that’s me, Charity. I like killing. It’s what I do. Now, what about you? Do you wish you could have killed them?”
Tears were in her eyes. He saw them, and what was even more interesting, she didn’t look afraid or sick.
“I’m angry that I couldn’t fight back. That I was too afraid. I thought about hurting them so much. Of taking the guns and the knives they threatened me with and turning it on them, and just letting go.”
“You shouldn’t be worried about thinking like that.”
“Why? Because it’s natural? There’s nothing natural about what I wanted to do.”
“Isn’t it? It’s primal. Human survival. You can’t control what you wanted to do, Charity, any more than we can deny our basic nature.”
“What do you consider our basic nature?”
“We’re animals. The only difference is we’ve created a world that makes us all have to conform. We’re the kings of the jungle because we have guns and knives, but this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Don’t be afraid of what you wanted to do. Accept it.”
“They’d have killed me.”
“Yes. You pissed them off, didn’t do as you were told; they’d have raped you, used you for a few weeks, then killed you. Obviously, death wouldn’t have been easy for you if you’d done all that stuff.” He leaned over the table. “Don’t cry.”
“Why can I talk to you about these things and no one else?”
“Because I don’t matter. Not really. I’m just a guy that saved you.”
“You do matter.”
He shrugged. “I’ve seen you at your worst. Sobbing on the floor. I don’t know. I guess you just don’t feel the need to hide shit from me. I don’t hide myself from you. I never will.”
“You’re honest.”
“That I am.”
He took a sip of his water, enjoying her company. She finished off her pasta and sat back with a sigh.
Dwayne watched as she sipped at her drink.
“Would you like dessert?”
“No. I’m full. I couldn’t eat another thing.”
He had the waiter bring him the check, and after he paid for their meal, he followed her out of the restaurant, noticing her full ass. At least she wasn’t losing too much weight.
“You need to start taking care of yourself.”
“Excuse me.”
“Not eating won’t help you. Don’t let the bastards win, Charity.” He leaned against her car, holding the door open for her. “I’ll meet you tomorrow. Come here.” He handed her a small card with an address on it. “Drive safely.”
****
Charity lied to her parents about where she was going the next day. She told them it was a date at the mall with a few friends and where she intended to meet some guy. There was no guy or any friends. Checking the address on the card, she stared up at an empty building. It was boarded up. She drove around the back where she saw Dwayne’s car.