Fair point.The two of us were connected on a far deeper level than could be explained with mere words.
With another kiss, this one more heated than the last, I finally pulled away and left for work as Zeek watched from his front door while I drove away.
By midday, I was antsy. I was ready to leave work and get back to Zeek. He’d called earlier and checked in to see how I was doing. That’s when I realized he felt the same way. Why else would he have called?
Unfortunately, the sense of anxiety that filled me was on the verge of exploding. Even Nick noticed. I’d caught him watching me more than a few times when my hands refused to cooperate. I was supposed to be putting up new shelving on the freshly painted walls, but I couldn’t focus and kept dropping the screws. I was just grateful I hadn’t dropped the drill on my own head.
“Okay, what’s up with you?” he finally asked.
Sighing, I plopped my butt down on the ground by the ladder. I was fed up with attempting to get the stupid shelves up. He could do it himself if he wanted them up today. I didn’t care anymore because there was only one thing on my mind.
Zeek.
“I want to go home.”
Nick eyed me suspiciously. “You hate being home alone.”
“Who said I was alone?” I peered up at him, watching as the look on his face went from one of confusion to surprise. “Not that he’s there anyway,” I murmured with a pout. “Zeek wouldn’t tell me what he was up to today. He just said he had a surprise. That he was running errands and then he needed to talk to his brother.”
“Young love,” Nick laughed. “I do miss those days. I bet whatever it is he has planned, it will be worth the wait.”
I sighed again, knowing he was right.
Just then, the bell on the front door jingled, alerting us that someone had entered the store. I stood, wiping my hands on the back of my jeans while Nick went to greet whoever had entered. Since I knew it wasn’t Zeek, I pretended to be working, organizing the pile of comics that sat on the table next to me.
“Good afternoon. I’m looking for a,” the man paused, looking over the file he held in his hands. “I’m looking for a Mr. Judah Aspen?”
I spun around upon hearing my name, a look of confusion on my face. “T–That’s me,” I stammered, taking in the man’s appearance. No one had ever addressed me by my full name. Especially here.
“Hello, Mr. Aspen. My name is Harvey Mantle.” He held out his hand, which I shook. “I’m here on official business. Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Yeah, sure. What can I help you with?”
“I was recently made aware of a lawsuit that you missed out on because of circumstances that were out of your control. It is that issue that brings me here today. I have a new agreement, that needs your signature. This new agreement states that the local state government is to cover all costs for any type of medical care–past and present–that are directly related to the effects of your captivity by the human trafficking ring.”
“Oh?”
“Once we have your signature, all costs will be covered from here on out. In addition, the state will send you a reimbursement check for everything you have already paid out since the incident.”
“I’m not following.”
What the hell is going on?I thought in confusion.Why now? Why, after all this time, would they suddenly care about making sure I was taken care of. I’m just one person––. Don’t they have more important things to worry about?It had been nearly four years since my escape, so it didn’t make sense why the government would suddenly seek me out.
Harvey sighed before explaining everything in smaller words.
I understood his words just fine. What I didn’t understand was why. “I’m not sure why this is happening now? It’s been years.”
“I’m just the lawyer.” He shrugged. “Take it or leave it, the decision is yours. Though, I must tell you, you probably won’t get another chance to fix someone else’s mistake. Upon a review of your files, it doesn’t appear anyone tried to reach out to you. Of course, it would have helped if you had family that we could have contacted.”
“It’s just me.”
“Figured as much,” he muttered as he handed me a stack of papers and a pen. “You just need to fill out these papers and by this time tomorrow we will have things moving. Anything you have paid out to date will be refunded to you within fourteen to twenty-one business days. That being said, I’ll do my best to push it quicker.”
“O–Okay.”
“Feel free to look over everything. A man by the name of Ezekiel Steeley has already read over them by email.”
“Ezekiel?”What the hell is he up to?I wondered, things suddenly making a bit more sense.
