I scrolled through the feed for another ten minutes, watching as the whole city—or at least its loudest corner—turned on Valmont. There were memes already, cartoon renderings of him in an orange jumpsuit, Photoshops of Celine popping champagne. One GIF had a slow zoom on the bloodstain on Valmont's shirt, followed by a snarky banner that readDon't Drink and Dominate, Kids!
It was the dumbest thing I'd ever seen, but I laughed so hard I started coughing.
I caught myself before it turned into a real breakdown. I set the iPad aside and stood up, knees weak, hands tingling. I went to the window and pressed my forehead against the cold glass, looking down at the rows of traffic crawling beneath the rain.
Somewhere out there, my mother was rushing to get as much tan as she could before she had to leave the Bahamas, unaware of the media inferno or my own private war.
I pulled out my phone from the pocket of my sweatpants and checked the calendar. She was due back in a couple of days. I needed to think of how and who would pick her up.
I moved away from the window and set my phone on the coffee table and instead grabbed the burner that reached Seven.
I wanted to hear his voice.
I tried to talk myself out of it.
I failed.
Then I dialed his number.
He picked up right away.
I waited, listening to the static on the line. I pictured him somewhere dark, maybe in the garage, maybe sitting in his car watching the rain like I was.
He didn't say anything but I heard his breath.
"Hey," I said, voice barely above a whisper. "When are you coming back?" I hated how desperate I sounded.
He waited another beat before answering. "Are you safe?"
"Yes."I just miss you.
"Good." His tone was cool and flat. Nothing like the man who'd spend the other night in bed with me. It hurt a little.
"I saw the news," I said.
"That was the deal, wasn't it?"
I squeezed the phone, felt my pulse in every joint. "Maybe I should go back to my place."
A long pause. I could hear the rain through his line.
"Not yet," he said. "Need to tie up some loose ends."
"What kind of loose ends?"
"I need to make sure Valmont's hunting dogs stop their pursuit."
"And my mom?"
"Just waiting for all the evidence of foul play. Don't worry."
"Can I help?"
"No."
"It's just lonely here."And I feel useless.
"I know. And I'm sorry, but if you don't stay inside for the time being, I'll be worrying about you too much and it'll distract me from finishing up this job. Besides, your body needs to recover. You're still weak."
