Page 51 of Deranged
Ash
Touching her last night seemed to give me room to breathe. My brain felt clearer, my heart a little lighter. She was okay, but I needed her to believe I was going to help her. It hurt she thought she needed to protect me as I did the same for it. It was obvious to me who was better positioned to do the helping.
I packed up a suitcase. The day would come when I could drive up to that hospital and escort her out. I wanted to be ready to take her anywhere, everywhere, whatever she wanted. She deserved to be pampered and coddled. She deserved to spend days on the beach and nights in my arms. I wasn’t sure I deserved that, but I wanted it for her. Hopefully, she wanted me with her for it.
A knock interrupted my packing. I answered the door to find a squat man in a blue polo standing on the other side.
“Can I help you?”
He held out a brown clipboard. “Sign here please.”
I took the clipboard requesting my acknowledgment of a delivery and scribbled my signature across the bottom. He handed me a manila envelope.
Once he left, I closed the door and ripped into the paper. Inside was a flight itinerary with a time and date. Donny flexing his muscles, ordering me to be here or be there. I didn’t have a choice with Kory’s life on the line. My pride ran second to what she needed.
I made it the hotel by the time Donny requested. This time I flew commercial and felt better for it. If he meant to tell me to fuck off, I’d rather not have to ask for a ride home afterward. This hotel sat twice as high as the one we visited previously. Inside, the stone inlay and higher class clientele made me uneasy.
I didn’t even have to identify myself this time. A woman approached, beautiful with long blonde hair and ice gray eyes, escorted me to Donny’s office. He sat behind the desk, a pair of glasses perched on his nose giving him a studious air I didn’t associated with him at all. He looked up when I entered and waved the woman away. She shut me in with him as I took the chair in front of his desk.
“You call me all the way out here so you can tell me to take a hike?”
He took his glasses off, a pink rim bridged his nose, and bags hung heavy under his eyes. “Of course not. I called you here to have you sign some papers and agree to the terms.”
“I thought we already outlined the deal. Why terms?”
He pulled a stack of paperwork from his desk and slid it over to my side. I took the stack and scanned the page. “Why does this say I can’t do anything involving the media or speak the Sito name ever again? I thought you said you fixed things.”
I let my anger simmer as I waited for an explanation. Surely, he wouldn’t spend his money and his time knowing I wouldn’t sign something like this. How did it benefit me?
He sat back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head. “I made your deal. You get your girl and you don’t ever speak about her past or her mother again. How is that not satisfactory?”
I scanned the paged in my lap. The terms were clear and binding. If I didn’t stick to it this time, charges would be pressed against me and Kory would be locked away “for her own good” indefinitely.
How could this even be legal? I tossed the contract on the desk. “So she gets away with everything?”
Donny’s lips made a hard line now. “I gave you exactly what you want. You don’t get to be pissy because it’s not exactly the way you want it. I asked you to be specific, and I delivered. Sign the fucking papers and walk out of here.”
“And if I don’t?”
He shrugged and held his arms open. “I don’t give a fuck but I delivered, and you still owe me whether you collect your reward or not.”
“Don’t talk about her that way,” I snapped.
“And don’t bring your shit in my office and lay it on me. I didn’t put you in this situation nor did I compel you to hunt me down and ask my help. You came here voluntarily. Sign the papers or get out. I don’t have time for this crap.”
I snatched the papers off the desk and began to read them. He let out a frustrated sigh, but I wasn’t putting my signature to anything I hadn’t read first. Both Donny and Sito knew exactly what to put in writing to collect a man’s balls in a jar. I didn’t intend to add mine to either of their collections.
I read to the final sentence and stared at the last page. Demeter’s signature lined the bottom and a place for my name lay right above. Giving up revenge didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t walk away from this opportunity to delivery exactly what I’d promised Kory. We could run far away from all of this. I had money; she had money. Nothing could stop us especially if we hid beyond Demeter’s reach.
I gripped a pen perched on the edge of his desk, scribbled my name, and tossed the pages onto his thick leather blotter. “What now?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Expect a call from me soon. For now, get the hell out.”
According to the agreement, I could collect Kory now. Right now.
I scrambled out of the chair and rushed back to the airport. Even if I had to give Donny my soul, I could use that private jet right now. I rushed through the process, happy I didn’t bring anything with me, and then waited an excruciatingly long time for my flight to land.
The airport seemed packed with people. Everyone to old ladies pushing cards and young couples with kids. All seemingly lined up to block my way out. As if the world conspired against me. Or maybe it only felt that way since every second counted while I waited to be by her side.
