Page 30 of About the Green

But what am I supposed to do?

Ignore what I've seen?

Ignore the fact that she's hurting and no one is helping her, that she won't ask for help?

“Nina, I need you to slow down. I'm not gonna be able to keep up. If you don't slow down, I'm gonna take you down.”

She lets out a cackle that reverberates around the narrow passageway we're in, in the most menacing way possible, but I'm not deterred.

I meant what I said.

So as she continues to saunter off, darting in and out of trash cans and boxes and a few delivery vehicles, I take my opportunity. Slowing my steps, I get close enough to an open way to take the woman down.

Is it conventional? No.

Should I be tackling a woman in broad daylight? Also, no.

But this isn't just a woman, it's Nina Wilcox, and if there's anything I know, she will get what she wants regardless of what she feels stands in her way.

Today is not that day.

Since I've slowed my footsteps are hidden by the patter of rain beginning again. I take off, using my speed carefully to get closer and closer to her as she feels that she's slinking away from me. Likely getting away like usual, but she's not.

I'm on her tail, and not only am I on her tail, I'm motivated to take her down. Once she gets within reach, I use every bit of my strength to launch myself at her, landing with her on top of a stack of boxes that have been piled up neatly after being broken down. It's better than her landing on the wet concrete, and it's certainly better than her landing inside of a garbage can. So I consider it a win.

She struggles beneath me, and as much as I love getting the upper hand with this woman, who I seem to be multiple steps behind, I don't love how she's fighting me in a time where she needs someone to see her and help her get past whatever this pain is.

“Get the fuck off of me, Vert.” Her voice cracks on the words. I don't know if it's just from frustration alone or if there's something else there.

She's petite, and even in comparison to me, there's no match in the strength that I have and the motivation I have to keep her.

I lock my arms around her body, pulling her up as I stand, locking my hands around her torso, so that she's not able to wiggle out. Her legs kick mindlessly as she aims for anything that could free her, but I have handled several tantrums in my lifetime–many, many tantrums–and this is no different.

I'm thankful that today I didn't bring my bike to Atlanta, so that I can throw her in the back of the rental car. I don't have any extra guards and most people in Dupont don't even know I'm here. If they do, I have Nina, who, though she is sanctioned to protect Lafayette, she's not sanctioned to have done as much as she's done before.

She struggles and curses in my hold, but I'm not listening to any of it.

I very well know that she has her own way of protecting herself. I've seen it firsthand, and anyone who gets in her way or tries to get away with something around her is not going to get very far.

I’ll take my chances.

Throwing her in my trunk, which already has every single method of emergency escape removed. I had to be prepared for any possibilities that could arise. Duct tape and some other essentials are here but the tape will be the easiest. I get it over her wrist and then ankles despite how hard she’s resisting. It’s unfortunate for her that I have experience in this particular task. I close it, so that she's not able to get out.

I don't care what I have to do.

We're going to talk about this, and we're going to figure out exactly what is her fucking problem.

I get in my driver's seat and take off towards the extended stay I opted for to do just that.

Chapter 12

“This mother fucker,” I roar into the duct tape to no avail. It’s not like it comes out more than several indistinguishable grunts. I’m in this trunk after he let the top of it fall, and I heard the beep of the lock.

I cannot believe this piece of fucking shit.

Remaining focused is the best I can do so that I don’t have a full on panic attack.

There was a point where I thought, hey, Vert’s got that super hot single dad situation going on. He's so hot, and the brooding, quiet vibes—I love. He drives a bike occasionally and…