I wake up and it takes me a moment to realize where I am. I'm back in the office, laying on the couch. I hear someone's hushed conversation. I straighten myself, look around the room and notice Benji sitting at Alexi's table, playing a game on someone's phone. Three adults are a few steps away quietly talking about something. I see Anthony standing next to my mom and Alexi, and I'm instantly relieved. He's here – my rock is here, and I can breathe again. Anthony notices me and rushes over to check on me.
"Babe are you okay?" he asks me gently, "You passed out."
I nod. I'm okay for now, but as long as Simon is lurking around, I will never be able to sleep soundly again. Anthony can't be there at all times to hold my hand and help me out. This is my situation and my mess.
"How did you know where I was?" I ask him.
"Your mom called me," he furrows his brow, thinking, "But it should have been you instead. Why didn't you call me the moment you saw that guy?"
"Everything happened so quickly, I didn't have the time. And I had no idea where you were since you don't tell me anything about what you're up to," I say honestly.
"Not this shit again," he mutters, then adds, "I told you, I want to protect you and Benji from all kinds of bullshit, whenever needed and I cannot do that if you don't let me in your life." He's staring at me. He's done talking, I think this is one of these moments he feels out of the loop, and it pisses him off. But this time everything did happen too quickly for me to call for help. I'm too worn out to deal with this, I just want to take my son and go home.
"Okay," I say, but my voice fails me. I'm about to cry. "I want to go home," I add in a shaky voice, and Anthony's mood shifts immediately, realizing he was too harsh. He hugs me tightly to his chest and I sob quietly on his shoulder. The only sound around us comes from that game Benji is playing. It's good that he's occupied, I can't deal with explaining this right now.
I feel Anthony shifting and motioning my mom to come and sit next to me.
"We'll leave in a couple of minutes. I just want to see what the fucker looks like. Alexi is going to show me the security camera footage, is that okay with you?" he asks me before letting my mom sit down.
I nod, but then add, "I don't want to see that."
Anthony nods and lets my mom sit down. They send Benji next to us as well since they need to use the computer. Benji bounces happily on the couch and continues his game, not noticing what is going on around him.
It takes the two men a couple of minutes to find the right footage and I know that they are looking at Simon by the way Anthony's demeanor changes. He straightens himself and his face tenses. It looks like there's something on his mind. But of course, the king of poker face will never reveal what is going on in his head. I can feel that something is not right but I'm just too tired to deal with this right now.
***
Anthony decided that it was best if we left my car at the restaurant and used his instead. Simon knows my car now and it wouldn't be difficult for him to follow me home. I'm thinking it's best if I trust Anthony's decisions for now since I have a hard time coping with everything happening around me.
He took me and Benji home and left to, I quote "Find the fucker". He told me I should go to sleep since the evening was way too eventful and long. But I can't sleep if he's not next to me. Not after most recent events. Benji is fast asleep for an hour now. I try to watch TV but in reality, I jump up at every car driving by in hopes of seeing Anthony's Mustang.
I hear the door link rattling and gasp for air. I must have dozed off and now there's someone at my door. I slowly stand up, tiptoe to the window and peek outside from behind the curtain. To my relief, I see the Mustang the moment my front door opens. Anthony is back. It's after midnight and he was gone for at least three hours.
I walk towards the front door, and I can tell Anthony is in a shitty mood by the way he tears off his sneakers and hoodie.
"I guess there's no point in asking if you found him," I whisper.
"No," he mutters as if he's failed his mission.
"Babe, it was a long shot anyway," I try to console him.
"No, it fucking wasn't. He was right there, and I let him go," he growls through his teeth. He's definitely pissed.
"Wha...what do you mean, he was right there? Where exactly?" I follow him to the kitchen. He shakes his head in disbelief, sits by the table, and hits the table with his fist with a loud bang.
I jump back instantly. I haven't seen him this angry since he lost his temper in his car several months ago after my neighbor told me about Anthony's past. No point in staying here with him.
"I'm going to leave you here for now," I say quietly and close the kitchen door behind me as I leave. My heart races and by the time I reach my couch I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. I'm afraid one of these days he's going to lose his temper again, and it won't be a lifeless object he hits, so it's better if I don't push him right now. I'm surprised Benji didn't wake up, I was sure he'd be up after that assault my table got.
I try to watch TV, but I can't focus on any show. I keep thinking about my miserable man in the kitchen. It's been fifteen minutes, and I really thought he'd cool down and come talk to me by now. I can't take this any longer. I can't sleep knowing something is up and I can't just sit around and do nothing. So, I decide to approach him, not knowing what to expect.
"Babe...," I say quietly as I open the kitchen door, "Do you want to talk about this?"
"No, I do not," he sounds defeated, "But I guess I have to," he rubs his head with both of his hands, still not looking at me.
I can see he's not enraged anymore, so I stand behind his back and slowly caress his shoulders. I kiss his neck where a tattoo of my lips is forever on his skin. I plant another kiss on his neck, a little bit higher, closer to his ear. He seems to relax a bit more and tilts his head to the side, then suddenly grabs my wrist and pulls me on his lap. He looks at me with determination and a second later gently grabs my hair and kisses me. Nothing romantic or sweet, it's fierce and wild – this is what he needs to unwind and I'm happy to comply. I get turned on instantly, like the moment we hooked up for the first time. I kiss him back, wanting and needing him, I move so I'm astride him and I can feel him growing. But then, just like that, he ends it.
"He was here, outside," he says, looking me in the eyes.
"What? Who?" it takes me a moment to understand what he's talking about.
"Simon," we say at the same time.
"How...oh my god...," I can't even finish my thought, because I don't know what to think.
Why was he outside my home? What does he want? How did he know where I live? This is getting out of hand and right now even having Anthony here is not making this easier. Simon is after my son, and all I need to do now is protect my boy.
Anthony wipes away my tear. I didn't realize I was crying yet again. What has happened to my boring, safe life?
"Babe, calm down," he says gently, "We're going to get through this."
I nod and then realize Anthony needs to tell me a hell of a lot more about this situation. I don't need to calm down, I need to know.
"Tell me everything," I say in a demanding tone, taking him by surprise, and for once he nods in agreement instead of blowing up again.
"I went back to Lesh to look through security footage once again, and I found that he was in and out of the restaurant at least four or five times yesterday. It was clear he was either trying to find you or knowing that you were there, run into Benji. It was a long shot for him, but it worked."
"Motherfucker," I whisper.
"Yeah," Anthony agrees, then continues, "I also found out what car he drives. From there on it was easy to find out where he lives, so I checked his house, but he wasn't there."
"Who are you?" I ask, not really expecting an answer. How did he get all of that information? But he completely ignores my remark and keeps on talking.
"So, my first instinct was to get back home quickly, in case he was somewhere near," he says in a serious tone, "And I was right. But I made a mistake by getting out of my car. He took off the moment he saw me. I should have blocked his car with mine."
I try to understand everything I just heard. Simon was here. He knows where I live. Surely, he wouldn't kidnap Benji in the middle of the night, would he? I wonder what was his purpose of being here. How did he find out where I live? We deliberately left my car by the restaurant so he couldn't follow us. And why did he take off as soon as he saw Anthony? Then I realize that something doesn't add up. Simon has never seen Anthony, at least not with me. So why take off when seeing a random stranger?
"Why would he take off seeing you? He doesn't know you," I share my thoughts with Anthony.
Anthony doesn't say anything, he gives me a half-ass shrug. Then he takes his phone from the table and completely changes the subject.
"I've been trying to figure out what we should do next, and I thought we should take Benji away for the weekend, visit that adventure park in Philly. It's like an hour away. What do you think?" he asks me.
"Philly as in Philadelphia? I can't afford that, and I can't make that decision without talking to Alexi first," I answer genuinely.
"Babe don't even worry about money, and Alexi already knows and agrees with me, so does your mother," he says matter-of-factly.
There it is again, another hint that he's well off. When did they even decide that? Was that what they were doing while I was unconscious? Why does everyone else make decisions for me? I'm not happy at all with this kind of information, but I guess hiding Benji away for a couple of days gives me some time to think about everything, so I agree. Besides, it has been a very long time since I got to go on a road trip.
