Page 35 of Condemned to You

“We know one another better than you think.”

Terrified, I barely got the words out, “What?”

Placing his mouth beside my ear, he so politely stated, “I’ve been around you. Inside you. Watching you.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. My mouth went dry, and I suddenly became nauseous. Inside of me? Suddenly a piece of cloth was shoved into my mouth almost making me choke on it. The man left and I was left alone. I spit out what was shoved in my mouth into my hand. I see they are a pair of panties. Examining them further, I realized they were mine by the initials BC in rhinestones. I was drawing a blank until it hit me causing me to crawl on my knees to an empty bucket and proceed to vomit. I’ve been around you and inside you. His words made me cringe. The man was the same person I engaged with for the first time at the sex party all those years ago with my old boyfriend. I never saw the man’s face that night.

As though it wasn’t enough that his voice disrupted my mind, and his touch crawled under my skin, the thought of how I used to fantasize about his touch caused such a vile feeling within me. He was everywhere undetected, and now it made me question how long he had been watching us all.

Chapter Twenty

The dim light of the single overhead bulb flickered as I paced the small living room, the tension in the air palpable from the disgust of what I had just done. I was counting down the seconds until I could see, feel, and inhale Bethany again. I placed the burner phone in my back pocket as I waited for Birdy to tell me what to do next. I never contemplated my life choices as much as I had the last few months. One choice changed my life forever.

Working for Marco had its bonuses, aside from the cash I made, I learned how to get creative when trying to get around undetected. Those first few years taught me a lot about myself and my capabilities which was crucial to my survival getting out of Chicago.

In the bustling airport, travelers rushed past me, their faces a blur of anticipation. It dawned on me that these men who saved me would be able to track me simply by checking the name on the passport they gave me. I wasn’t looking to return the favor of them saving my life. Stopping to lean against a column, I scanned the crowd passing by. My eyes landed on a lanky guy with tousled hair and oversized headphones as he scrolled through his phone while walking. I watched him head toward the restroom where I followed him in.

Leaving his luggage and backpack behind him as he took a piss at the urinal to which I purposely knocked into. “I’m sorry man,” I say as I neatly place his items behind him while swapping our boarding passes.

The kid looks over his shoulder, “It’s all good.”

Quickly I dashed out and purchased a carry-on from one of the shops. Finding another restroom, I transferred the money from the duffle bag to the carry-on suitcase quickly while in one of the stalls. It would be risky keeping anything they gave me so I tossed the duffle bag and burner phone in case they had any tracking devices installed on them. Making sure no one would be able to trace back to me, I couldn’t risk that I was seen by anyone. Once that kid knew his ticket was swapped, the only person he’d interacted with that might have been odd would be when I knocked into his things. So, for an extra layer of protection, I found another person I could swap tickets with. Walking over to one of the bars stationed at a nearby gate, I saw a woman eagerly trying to get the bartender’s attention as a voice on the loudspeaker called last call for boarding the plane. By the look of anxiousness, I could tell it was her flight. Swiftly I stood beside her unnoticed. With her purse opened wide, I reached in and took her boarding pass, wallet, and passport then quickly walked away. I tossed her wallet and passport in the trash. If she couldn’t identify herself and she had no boarding pass then there was no way of her interfering. Sprinting to the gate, it wasn’t until I sat in the seat that I realized the destination.

Iceland.

It was flawless and I did the same when I had Bethany come back with me. Where was my error? How did they find us? I paced the room, my mind going over every detail.

Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs outside my door.

Chapter Twenty-One

Immediately, I pulled out a hidden gun under the coffee table. The footsteps sounded urgent and there was no reason why Birdy needed to be in a rush. Slowly walking toward the door, I shut the light off so they would think no one was home. The door burst open, slamming against the wall with a force that rattled the frames.

A man stood in the doorway, his face flushed with rage, eyes wild like a storm. We made eye contact.

“You!” He shouted holding a sleek black pistol pointed directly at my chest, his hands trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief. “You’re the one sleeping with my wife!”

Shit. Athena’s husband. Holding my gun up pointing toward his head, dead in my tracks, “Calm the fuck down!”

His voice thundered, echoing off the walls. “You think you can just take her from me? You think I wouldn’t find out?”

My heart raced, adrenaline coursed through my veins. He didn’t look like he had the guts to kill someone. Tossing my gun on the sofa and raising my hands slowly, palms out. “Listen man—”

“Shut up!” He interrupted, stepping into the apartment, the gun unwavering in his grip. “You think you can just sleep with my wife and walk away like it’s nothing? You’re dead wrong.”

The room felt small, even smaller than it was, the walls closing in as I tried to find the right words. “I didn’t mean for it to happen —”

“Spare me the excuses!” He shouted, advancing. “You didn’t just ‘accidentally’ sleep with her. We’ve been married 10 years!”

My mind raced, and I could feel the weight of this man’s accusations pressing down on me. Athena was just meant to mend my broken heart and the thrill that had led us down this dark path meant nothing to me. But now, all that mattered was surviving this moment.

“No, I didn’t,” I confessed. “But it’s over now. Why don’t you put the gun down,” my voice steady despite the chaos. “Let’s talk this out. Violence isn’t the answer.”

“Talk?” He manically laughed - a harsh, bitter sound. “What’s there to talk about? You’ve ruined my marriage!”

With a sudden motion, he lunged forward, swinging the gun toward me. In a split second, I dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the shot that rang out, shattering a lamp and sending shards of glass flying across the floor.

“Get back here!” He roared, his face twisted with rage.