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Authors: A.T. Douglas
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it
because he knew that if he left, Mark would hurt Stella again. If we tried to
get Stella out, too, Mark never would have stopped looking for her. Leo wanted
her to have as normal of a life as possible. That’s why he took Mark’s abuse
all those years.”
There are no words to properly describe
what I feel inside. They seem irrelevant, not up to the task of conveying the
full weight of what Leo has carried on his shoulders for so long. He has spent
the majority of his life standing up in the face of evil to shield someone
else. He tried to protect me from Mark just as he protected Stella. He was
willing to sacrifice himself for me just like he made sacrifices for her all
those years.
His scars. His pain. Everything he’s
been through. It’s all been in the name of making someone else’s life better.
“He never mentioned her,” I manage to
say, still in shock from Jack’s revelation.
“Some things are too painful to
remember. He cared about her deeply. He was devastated when she died.”
I wish Leo was here, not so that he could hold me, but so that I could hold him . I want to comfort him, grasp his face between my hands and kiss every aspect
of his skin to tell him just how much he is loved and how much he should be
appreciated for his selflessness and sacrifices.
Jack wipes the fresh tears from my cheeks with the backs of his fingers. “He was a
strong kid. He still is. If anyone was going to live through the shit that
Mark dealt, it was Leo.”
My attempt at a small laugh comes out
as a half-sob. “He is amazing, isn’t he?”
Jack smiles at me, and we continue to
talk about Leo. For hours we sit there as Jack tells story after story of
Leo’s adventures growing up that all ended in a home doctor’s visit: the time
he was showing off for Stella on a skateboard and broke his arm after spilling
off a railing, a stop for ice cream ending in a brawl
and a broken nose, a motorcycle ride in the rain landing him with severe road
rash and a mild concussion.
We don’t talk about the injuries that
Mark inflicted upon Leo that required Jack’s attention. We focus on all the crazy
and exciting things Leo did that brought Jack in for a visit, and the stories only
make me love Leo more.
8
Her Screams
∞
In all the horrors
I’ve seen,
through pain and
death.
Blackness.
Nothing compares
to that sound,
the haunting sound
of her screams.
Terror spun into
vocalization.
Piercing, echoing
into the world.
Siphoning life.
And I am helpless.
∞
The sound of clinking glasses
reverberates between me and Robert. I’ve missed that sound.
I’ve had my share of celebratory
beverages before, usually after Mark and I closed a significant deal or when we
successfully moved an impossible shipment. We shared
drinks when Mark was released from prison and a few days after that when he
congratulated me for holding up the business while he was locked away , though
I didn’t know at the time that he planned to take Morgan from her family and
her life only days later.
These successes were miniscule compared
to the victories Robert and I have achieved in the last month . One by one we’ve taken down the distributors and key players who
are vital to Mark’s business, the people on the ground who sell for him, move his products, and collect from his debtors. We’re
chipping away at Mark’s organization and financial stability from the ground
up, one bit at a time.
Robert grabs my glass and pours me
another shot of bourbon before refilling his own. We’re sitting at the dining
room table while Cindy busies herself in the kitchen, insisting on making us a
home-cooked meal since we’ve been on the road so much lately .
With a tip of his glass toward me,
Robert smiles slightly and makes yet another toast. “To being one step
closer.”
I raise my glass to his with a grin.
“One step closer.”
The chiming sound of our glasses
because he knew that if he left, Mark would hurt Stella again. If we tried to
get Stella out, too, Mark never would have stopped looking for her. Leo wanted
her to have as normal of a life as possible. That’s why he took Mark’s abuse
all those years.”
There are no words to properly describe
what I feel inside. They seem irrelevant, not up to the task of conveying the
full weight of what Leo has carried on his shoulders for so long. He has spent
the majority of his life standing up in the face of evil to shield someone
else. He tried to protect me from Mark just as he protected Stella. He was
willing to sacrifice himself for me just like he made sacrifices for her all
those years.
His scars. His pain. Everything he’s
been through. It’s all been in the name of making someone else’s life better.
“He never mentioned her,” I manage to
say, still in shock from Jack’s revelation.
“Some things are too painful to
remember. He cared about her deeply. He was devastated when she died.”
I wish Leo was here, not so that he could hold me, but so that I could hold him . I want to comfort him, grasp his face between my hands and kiss every aspect
of his skin to tell him just how much he is loved and how much he should be
appreciated for his selflessness and sacrifices.
Jack wipes the fresh tears from my cheeks with the backs of his fingers. “He was a
strong kid. He still is. If anyone was going to live through the shit that
Mark dealt, it was Leo.”
My attempt at a small laugh comes out
as a half-sob. “He is amazing, isn’t he?”
Jack smiles at me, and we continue to
talk about Leo. For hours we sit there as Jack tells story after story of
Leo’s adventures growing up that all ended in a home doctor’s visit: the time
he was showing off for Stella on a skateboard and broke his arm after spilling
off a railing, a stop for ice cream ending in a brawl
and a broken nose, a motorcycle ride in the rain landing him with severe road
rash and a mild concussion.
We don’t talk about the injuries that
Mark inflicted upon Leo that required Jack’s attention. We focus on all the crazy
and exciting things Leo did that brought Jack in for a visit, and the stories only
make me love Leo more.
8
Her Screams
∞
In all the horrors
I’ve seen,
through pain and
death.
Blackness.
Nothing compares
to that sound,
the haunting sound
of her screams.
Terror spun into
vocalization.
Piercing, echoing
into the world.
Siphoning life.
And I am helpless.
∞
The sound of clinking glasses
reverberates between me and Robert. I’ve missed that sound.
I’ve had my share of celebratory
beverages before, usually after Mark and I closed a significant deal or when we
successfully moved an impossible shipment. We shared
drinks when Mark was released from prison and a few days after that when he
congratulated me for holding up the business while he was locked away , though
I didn’t know at the time that he planned to take Morgan from her family and
her life only days later.
These successes were miniscule compared
to the victories Robert and I have achieved in the last month . One by one we’ve taken down the distributors and key players who
are vital to Mark’s business, the people on the ground who sell for him, move his products, and collect from his debtors. We’re
chipping away at Mark’s organization and financial stability from the ground
up, one bit at a time.
Robert grabs my glass and pours me
another shot of bourbon before refilling his own. We’re sitting at the dining
room table while Cindy busies herself in the kitchen, insisting on making us a
home-cooked meal since we’ve been on the road so much lately .
With a tip of his glass toward me,
Robert smiles slightly and makes yet another toast. “To being one step
closer.”
I raise my glass to his with a grin.
“One step closer.”
The chiming sound of our glasses
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