My throat painfully tightens as my eyes skim over the flickering screen, absorbing the small snippets of information displayed. A female reporter is standing at the front of an old manufacturing warehouse, similar to the textile mill in Graham, North Carolina. The flashing of red and white lights bounce of the reporter’s rich auburn hair as she hustles other reporters also vying for a prime position. My pupils widen when a picture of Col Petretti flashes up onto the screen. Even though I'm looking at him through a television screen, his evocative gaze still makes my skin crawl. I’ve never forgotten the devastation I felt the night I first laid my eyesonhim……
My heart leaps out of my chest when I'm suddenly grabbed at the side and dragged deeper into mycorridor.
“You need to come with me,” says a raspy voice I don’t immediatelyrecognize.
My rapid heartbeat slows when my head cranks to the side and I'm met with the worldly eyes of Patty. He holds me close to his side, bombarding me with his feverish body heat. Remaining quiet, his eyes drift around our location, similar to the way Hugo’s did at the club months earlier. Without speaking a peep, he guides me to an apartment at the end of the hall. He ushers me inside before securing a mass amount of deadlocks on his thick front door. The queasiness hampering my stomach earlier returns full pelt when Patty spins around to face me. His pupils are wide, and his face isgaunt.
“What’s going on, Patty?” I query, my voicetrembling.
He places a steel baseball bat against the entranceway table and paces closer to me. Seizing the crook of my elbow, he steers me into his kitchen, which is an exact replica of mine. He pulls out a wooden stool from underneath the counter and gestures for me to sit. I shake my head, too shaken to take a seat. I cross my arms in front of my chest and keep my eyes on Patty, never losing sight of him as he moves through the kitchen, gathering sandwich supplies like I'm an invited guest for dinner, not ushered here againstmywill.
“Patty--”
Any further words preparing to leave my mouth entomb in my throat from the wry glare Patty directs at me. My heart thrashes against my chest when I see the edge of calamity in his normally gentle eyes. Noticing my frightened expression, his face softens before he once again gestures for me to sit. Not trusting my shaking legs to keep me upright, I plop onto the barstool and swivel to face Patty. He places a loaf of crusted bread onto the countertop and runs his hand along the edge ofhisjaw.
“The man who followed you to Hugo’s floor. Do you know who that man is?” hequeries.
His voice is stern, but the concern in his eyes is causing my greatestworry.
I shake my head. “I’ve never seen him before,” I answertruthfully.
“His name is Col Petretti,” Patty advises, his tone deep andraspy.
My lips purse, certain I’ve heard his namebefore.
“He is a monster, Ava, a man who will decimate an entire family without a secondthought.”
My pupils enlarge as an overpowering sense of dread grips myheart.
“A brutal, heartless man who destroys everything in his wake, not stopping for anyone oranything.”
“Hugo. He was at Hugo’s apartment,” I say through the tears clogging mywords.
Patty steps closer to me. His face is set as hard as stone. “It is too late for Hugo. He made his bed; now he must sleepinit.”
I violently shake my head, sending tears flinging off my cheeks. I slip off the barstool and rush to the door, my frantic steps only impeded by the fear wreaking havoc on my body. I can barely breathe through my panic. But nothing can stop me. I need to get to Hugo, to protect him from the real life monster who has escaped hisnightmares.
Before I can reach the door, Patty beats metoit.
Pressing his back against the door, Patty’s remorseful eyes dance between mine. “It is too late for Hugo, Ava. If he isn’t already dead, he soonwillbe.”
My eyes burn, unable to accommodate the rapid flow of moisture flooding them. My hand clutches my neck as I struggle to contain the emotionscripplingme.
“He is gone, Ava. He can’t come back from this,” says Patty, pushing offthedoor.
Grief and despair crashes into me when I see the candor displayed inPatty’seyes.
“That is why he said goodbye,” I mutter, hiccupping through a stream of tears, incapable of catching a full breath. “He knew he was never coming back. He knew he was leavingforever.”
Patty’s glossed eyes stare firmly into mine as he curtly nods his head. My knees buckle as the fear paralyzing me becomes too much for me to inhibit. Patty catches me with his arms and cradles me close to his chest. Running his hand down my sweat-drenched hair, he whispers soothing words, encouraging me to breathe through the flood of tears flowing downmyface……
“Ava,” shouts a voice across the room, breaking me from mymemories.
I run my index finger under my eyes, removing any evidence of my tears before spinning towards the voice. My attempts at making myself look presentable are fruitless when his narrowed eyes zoom in on the glistening of tears shimmering on my rosycheeks.
“She doesn’t need to sign in. She is with me,” he informs, peering over my shoulder at the receptionist standingbehindme.
I smile warily at the receptionist, grateful she didn’t refute his inaccurate statement. My high altitude stilettos click along the marble floor as I quickly span the distance between us. His eyes slit as he roams them over my Misha Collection Leyana dress. I run my hands down the knee-length skirt, smoothing out the invisible creases hebelievesare in mydress.
