Page 51 of Praying for Thunder

I bawled. “Yes, sir.”

He gave up fighting his emotions and demanded, “None of this means you ain’t mine. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Come ‘ere.”

His embrace felt so fucking good. It was full of love.

I wish I could’ve held him forever. But, with a silver necklace in his possession, he left to search for the one who had purchased it.

⚡⚡⚡

Am I thankful for the next days Ani and I had together? Fuck yes. It was just her and me again. We stayed in the apartment, watched movies, shared food, hugged, and cried. It was… serene. It was finding beauty that had been hidden in the darkest of times. It was healing. It was preparing to move forward.

The morning Dio was to return to us after driving through the night, I didn’t wake Ani when I decided to make breakfast: Dio’s milk in the cereal box special. According to the clock on a nightstand on Dio’s side of the bed, he would be home in minutes.

After setting the box, the milk, and three spoons on the kitchen counter, I skipped back into the bedroom, not noticing the man in the corner of the living room.

I jumped on the bed. “My Aniiiiiiii. Wakey, waaaaakeyyyyy.”

Since Dio didn’t speak Spanish, I rarely did either. Even though he enjoyed and found it a beautiful language, I wanted him a part of everything I did or said.

Moaning, she rolled over to stretch and smile, eyes still closed. “Niño, why do you wake me? Can’t you tell I am dreaming of wonderful things?”

Happily, I snuggled to her side. “But, I am too excited to sleep. Dio is almost here!”

From her pillow, dark brown eyes opened and gleamed at me. “Who is Dio?”

Ready for an epic day, I giggled, kicking my bare feet into the air. “Diiiiioooooo!”

“Who is Dio?” asked a male voice that I had never heard before.

I started to answer, “My friend!” but the change in Ani’s eyes was so unbelievably drastic that my whole body froze. My ears instantly rang as I tried to read Anita, to understand how bliss had contorted into despair with such kind words.

But it had.

There was no doubt.

Horror. It has a very distinctive feel, appearance, and even smell. It’s like… fear can be so rancid, sensitive beings can actually taste it.

As the foul flavor of dread and death slid across my tongue, and my stomach twisted with repulsive acid, I knew my personal Hell was waiting for me.

In slow motion, and in complete disbelief, Anita looked to the bedroom doorway. Her eyes widened in a terror so significant, it made my bones hurt.

I don’t think there was air in her lungs when she said a name I would never forget, “Piercer.”

This man wasn’t as tall as Dio, but more filled out. Casually leaning against the doorway, and covered in black clothing, I could still see he was thick with muscles. Older. And his evil side oozed from his pores and words. “That’s right. Who is Dio?”

Her mouth moved, but it appeared as if she had forgotten how to properly speak. “He-He… is my l-landlord.”

“That all?”

“Y-Y-Yes.”

From underneath a bushel of black hair, his smile made my skin crawl. “Miss me?”

His accent was similar to Anita’s, but it is what he said that had my mind thinking back to the night Dio had sneered, “Do you miss your Old Man?” All the shared harsh words Ani had spewed to Dio after that had me thinking, Oh, no, as I stared at the stranger in the doorway.