"I have good and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
That's all I needed. I certainly didn't expect fairy tales with unicorns after an escape and an accidental murder, but still.
«Tell me the good part, please.»
«Your husband or Gorsky's people are not here.»
«Thanks, cap. That's something I didn't know before." Matt laughed. "What's the bad news?"
"That's a local biker gang that I don't get along with very well, and..."
"And?"
"And seeing a young girl in my relatives' house, I think they'll try to blackmail me through you."
"Holy shit... Well, I'm a master at getting myself into situations like this, right? Will you tell me why the guys on motorcycles don't like a gentleman like you?
Matt didn't want to tell me. So I opened the fridge quietly, rolled up my sleeves, and took out the bottle of wine he brought today. Tea time turned into something stronger.
"Where are the glasses?"
"Upper shelf, on the right." He waited while I poured us some dry red wine. After a few sips, he looked at the mark the wine made on the glass. "I killed one of their leaders by accident."
What the fuck? So the only person I trust is a murderer with ties to a criminal group. Good. I was so shocked that my weak hands clenched the glass, and I almost choked on the wine.
"Don't look at me that way; you did the same thing. You didn't mean to get rid of Gorsky, did you?" He was right. That wasn't what I wanted. If we are found guilty of murder, it will be manslaughter, right?
"Well, they can't get to me because I'm not the easiest, simple person in this area," he said. "But they might try to get revenge through you."
"So, if I understood correctly, now I'm being hunted not only by Gorsky's people and Dreese's men, but also by a gang of mafiosi on chopper bikes?"
Matt just nodded and finished his wine.
"Sorry, I should have thought about that before I brought you here."
"It's okay, bad things happen. It's typical for me. In any case, they probably won't scare me or amaze me with anything."
"That's true. They follow the rules pretty carefully. And they are just banal guys." When Matt smiled, I noticed how strange everything was, which made me laugh out loud. Matt joined in.
We were sitting there laughing like fools while several gangs sharpened their knives on us. Misery brings people together, doesn't it?
"Okay, I believe it's time for bed. For you too, by the way."
"That's fine. Please leave the hallway light on."
"Gloria Usher is afraid of the dark?" I can see that his cute face is turning sarcastic. He's going to tease me about it for the rest of my life.
"It's not funny."
"Oh no, it's the Boogeyman! I'm going to come out of the closet and get you!" He suddenly came close to me, and I reflexively stepped back. When Matt understood what was going on, his laughter died down a bit. "Are you okay? I'm sorry I scared you."
"Yeah... it's just a habit." I quickly stood up and put my hood over my long black hair. "I need to take a shower. I'm grateful for everything you did. Good night."
When I left, Matt was still in the kitchen, drinking the last of his wine while thinking about something. I don't know who he is, what he does, or what to expect from him in terms of his past, but he's the only person who doesn't want me dead right now.
I took a shower and made the water as cold as it could be. The burning cold began to pour over my body, and I let my emotions run free. It was the first time in two weeks that I had shed tears. And not because of fear of the impending danger, but because of a feeling of total hopelessness.
I'm going to get out of this mess, but I need it to go by faster. Yes, there is always a painful, powerful buildup to a story that ends happily. And after the last seven years, I can't even picture how painful the culmination will be before the happy ending.
My hair was curly and a little damp. I dried off in the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. The first thing I did was let my hair fall down and try to comb it. Curls are cute, but I don't know how to style them right here. Also, I have to look great all the time, even when I'm in an escape.
The terrible cold made my whole body shiver a little. My lips were even a little blue. I liked this cold shade that looked like a dead body. The way it looks is nice.
I went to my room after taking care of all the necessary tasks. Matt slept upstairs. The kitchen was empty when I got out of the shower, but he had left the light on. Very kind of you, buddy. I shut the window in my room and lay down on my cool bed. I had a lot of thoughts and a sense that something was going on. Someone was watching me, which kept me from going to sleep.
Several hours passed, and my eyes were still open. I thought about everything, about Mike, about what those seven years had been like, about the last breath Gorsky took, about whether he deserved SUCH a death, and about what it would be like for me to live with that when it will be all over. If I survive, of course.
I heard a strange sound at some point. There was a noise like a crack or a creak, but the doors were already open. It was clear that the sound was coming from my room. The hall light wasn't bright enough to make it clear what it was.
I had to get up and sit down because the sound got louder again.
"Matt? Is that you?" Keep quiet. "Who's there?"
There was still no answer until all of a sudden the closet door started to move.
"Gosh, do you really think the Boogeyman will scare me now after you told me yourself about the closet?"
As the closet door opened a little more, I saw the familiar helmet shining in the total darkness. Oh my god. A gloved hand reached out of the closet and touched me while I stood there still. I knew I should be quiet when I saw the gun in the stranger's hand and knew he meant it.
"There are other people in the house with me. You already know that." When my legs gave out from under me, I wrapped them around my knees and pushed against the wall. The guy didn't say anything and just walked up to me slowly. "I am going to scream."
He had his head tilted to one side, and in the dim light, it looked like he was playing with his future victim. He liked seeing me be scared of him. You, dick, have no idea how many like you I've been through. He came right up to me with the gun still pointed at me. I was so close I could smell his leather jacket.
He moved his other hand away from the gun and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. He then came close to my face. From nowhere, he found a note in his hand. He kept quiet while he waited for me to take it. Oh wow, he is a fucking magician.
I reached out and took it. After looking at me for a few more minutes, the stranger opened the window and walked away. Wonderful. Okay. I'm glad. What else is waiting for me here?
I turned on the light in the room and closed the curtains again. I knew someone was breaking in; I knew it!
As I looked at the note, I wiped my sweaty hands on the bed. It had been folded four times and was a little worn. There was a red stamp in the corner. It featured a skull, a rose, and several screws protruding from the head. Not very unique.
I hesitated, wondering whether to open it. Curiosity overcame me.
"You're too beautiful when you sleep."
I hoped Matt's life would have something important or interesting to say, or maybe even some threats. Are they genuinely offering positive remarks about me? Or do these crazy people think I'll kill myself out of fear that they're watching me?
"Assholes." I crumpled up the piece of paper and ran upstairs to Matt's room. "Get up."
"What the fuck?" It was dark when I turned on the light in the room. A naked man with angry eyes stared at me. Sorry about that. "Do you know anything about personal space?"
"I do, but not your little friends." It took Matt a moment to fully open his eyes before he could read the note. I couldn't take my eyes off of him at the same time. He looked even better without clothes on. "I'm sleeping here tonight; move."
"Where did you get that?"
"He just came over and politely gave it to my hands."
"Holy shit." Matt got out of bed quickly and stood naked in front of me. He was a large, unclothed, and visibly angry man. I would have been scared by this combo before, but now I found it amusing.
"Brave man, put on some pants; he's gone." Matt cursed and covered himself with his hands.
"Turn around."
"Okay, prude, I didn't think you'd be so easily embarrassed." I turned away, raising my hands. "But I'm still going to sleep here, so if my presence embarrasses you, put on a T-shirt too."
Turning around after Matt coughed a little, I saw that he was already fully dressed and moving toward the edge of the bed to make place for me. I climbed under the covers with him.
"I might kick in my sleep, so if you get hit by my elbow, I didn't mean it."
"Don't worry, I scream in my sleep, so we'll work it out."
"So where and how did he appear?"
"He came out of the closet." I gazed at the ceiling, attempting to suppress thoughts of my near-death experience today. But my bedmate wouldn't let me.
"Why didn't you call me?" I turned my head toward him and looked at him intently.
"First of all, you couldn't wake me up even with a cannon, and second, he was pointing a gun at me. I didn't want this wonderful adventure to end so quickly.
"Fair enough." Now he was looking at me. A short pause made the whole moment awkward. He looked at my eyes, hair, and lips, then turned away. "Tomorrow we'll go buy you something to protect yourself. Right now, I want to sleep."
"Fair enough, no problem."
I turned away too and looked out the window, waiting for my personal Boogeyman to reappear. When dawn broke, I had already fallen asleep.