Her eyes blink rapidly, her throat working as she swallows.
“Starting a riot is anincidentnow?”
“It got me what I wanted didn’t it.”
With some effort I hold in the heavy sigh. “I should have come sooner, that’s on me.”
“They’re dead, aren’t they,” she says it like its fact, which it is. “They didn’t visit a lot, but I saw them at least once a month. So yeah, Dominic, you should have come sooner.”
God, it’s been a long time since I heard my real name spoken aloud. It’s jarring. No one at Devil’s Chaos even knows it. It’s a chapter in my life I’ve tried to close. I’m Mace, the President of the Stroudsburg chapter of the Devil’s Chaos, I don’t want to be anything else.
Zelda sits quietly and listens as I give her a limited run down of what happened. The only time I see any kind of reaction is when I confirm the Kingsmen are gone and where I am now. Her head tilts to the windows, and she closes her eyes.
Out of the corner of my eye I note the orderly moving closer. I haven’t moved an inch from my seat, I’m no threat to her, but he is watching her every move. I’m certain there shouldn’t be any kind of relationship between an orderly and patient. This guy is fucking her, that much is clear.
I wouldn’t put it past the old Zelda to have started something up with him. He stops his sneaking forward when I stare at him, telling him in no uncertain terms with one glance that he needs to back the fuck off.
“You don’t get to control my life anymore, Dominic.”
Her voice draws me back. Something passes between her and the orderly and he turns and walks away, not before trying to give me another intimidating stare.
“Doesn’t that break some sort of oath?”
“He’s not a medical professional, he doesn’t have anything to do with my care. Plus, he’s hot and I get horny. You going to deny me that?”
She’s right, it’s not my business.
“I’m never getting out of here, I’ve accepted that. But I have needs, being in here is… You wouldn’t understand.” Zelda lets out a heavy sigh, as if she is over that part of the conversation. “You’ve caught me in one of my better moods today, guess it’s the extra pills.”
“What extra pills?” I ask, my voice sharp. “They’re drugging you?”
“They’ve been drugging me from the day I walked in here, Dom. Call it what you will about it helping me, it’s still drugs, they keep me under control instead of giving me a high. This new stuff is a little something to keep me calm, my doctor only prescribes it when they think I’m going to go wild again.
“A visit from my past life to tell me my only living relatives are dead constitutes as that, don’t you think? Besides, it doesn’t make me stupid, I only let them think it does.”
“Zelda.”
“Don’t Zelda me,” she rolls her eyes. “I’m not gonna cause any shit, not now I know what happened to my family. It means he is the only distraction I’ll have. My contact with the outside world got a lot smaller. Hell, I don’t think I’ll ever see you again, Dominic. Your responsibilities are complete.”
“It’s not like that,” I tell her, knowing as I say the words it really is.
This is the last tie to my old life, and she’s right. I am here to sever it.
“If you tell on me, they won’t know what fucking hit them with the shit storm I’ll start.”
“I’m not gonna say anything,” I finally tell her.
We don’t have much more to say to one another so I stand and look down on her, nostalgia and sadness fill me as her head tilts and our eyes meet.
“If you need anything,” I say.
“Sure, Dominic. Thanks for coming.” She gets up and walks away, dismissing me and my platitudes.
The orderly watches her go down a hallway away from the exit and moves to step in front of me as I head out.
“You want to keep your dick connected to your body, don’t say a fucking word,” I say low enough that no one but him hears it. “The only reason that isn’t happening right now is because I care about her. Make no fucking mistake, you ever do anything to hurt her or think you’re man enough to take me on, I will snap your neck without a second though. You got me?”
He wants to be tough but nods instead and steps back to let me pass. Wise move. I don’t bother going back to check in with Megyn. She’s probably glad to see the back of me.
