less gratifying.”
“Will you be able to move on and get past the betrayal?”
I give that question a moment to digest. The more we discuss this, and that’s all we’ve been doing since I landed back at this apartment, the less it seems to matter. Maybe it’s acceptance or adjusting to this new normal. Or maybe I’ve found greater meaning. Brilliant baby blues and glossy hair cascading in dark waves appear like a blessing from above. Stefano is no longer a concern, and it’s time for me to move on. Hell, I already have. If only the authorities would get the memo.
With a shrug, I finish off my coffee. “Honestly? It seems like I already am.”
Paul squints at me. “Have they been sneaking a shrink in here without me realizing?”
“Nah, man. Just me seeing the light.”
“Healing comes in all shapes. Whatever it takes, Rane. Have you talked to anyone besides Blakely and me? Willingly, I might add.”
“Spoke to my mom yesterday.” I scrub over my mouth to hide a grimace.
His eyes widen on mine. “No shit?”
“Yeah. She actually answered.”
“Are you surprised?” Amusement colors his tone.
A sharp ache spreads through my chest. I press a hand over the source of the initial pinch. “She’s not my biggest fan. My dad is worse. Long damn story.”
“Guess that explains why they never visited Streebston.”
“Right.” My chuckle lacks any trace of humor. “Seeing them within those walls would be the shock of the century.”
“Well, damn. Were they at least happy to hear from you?”
I teeter a palm back and forth. “Indifferent is more accurate. They’re glad I’m alive, but that was the extent of their well wishes. Our conversation didn’t last more than two minutes.”
A cringe collapses his expression. “Shit, that blows. And it’s not like you can visit them to calm the tide.”
Not that I would. There is only one place I want to be. I wave him off. “I’m used to the backlash. No skin off my back.”
“Now that the Stefano trash has been taken out, you can focus on repairing that bridge.”
“We’ll see about that. There’s no rush on my end. I have my priorities narrowed in on a certain someone who’s far more encouraging.”
Paul claps me on the back, adding a laugh for extra enthusiasm. “And you always have.”
“Glad that’s obvious. Let’s focus on busting me out of this joint, yeah?”
“What do you think I’ve been doing?”
“Distracting me from breaking free,” I grumble.
“Man of such little faith.” His brows bounce to a suspicious beat. “I’m the damn calvary.”
Survival tip #28: Find a reason to move forward, even when heading backward is easier.
What’s an accidental experiment I recently solved? Two weeks apart from Halder feels like two months. It probably doesn’t help that eyes rarely stray from the clock. This wasn’t some worthless waste of time I set out to prove. It doesn’t seem like a choice at all as I wait for this forced separation to end. My composure is stretching thinner by the minute. The spacious layout of my apartment has become suffocating. I’m not capable of being tested to this magnitude.
My final hours in the wilderness are what I’m clinging to. The local authorities are on a power trip and still haven’t granted me a visit with Halder. They’ve been keeping him under high surveillance until the smoke from our disappearance blows over. Depending on who you talk to, he’s either a flight risk or a potential victim of retribution. It’s a bunch of bullshit if you ask me. It’s not like he’s responsible for abducting himself, or me for that matter. His speculation of why Stefano took me turned out to be accurate. The men who were assigned to dispose of us told the police every detail. A shudder worms through me just replaying the key highlights. At least I’ve had plenty of time to get over the initial sting. That doesn’t seem to be helping Halder’s case, though. The hoops that our justice system is forcing him through are higher than a circus performance.
I thump my head against the back of the couch. A deep inhale fills me with a fake sense of being in the woods. Artificial pine and campfire wafts through the air from my recent candle purchase. The scent is a poor substitute for the real thing. I had to at least try. Nothing else has done the deed of distracting me. These hours are dragging like frozen molasses. I don’t have the grind of my job to occupy me, either. My boss granted