Lizzy
“What are you guys yapping about?” a weary voice asks. I glance to see Tom approaching our trio, where we’re eating lunch by the Flamingo exhibit. Bash reddens further, the color now reaching his ears. Meanwhile, Nik and I are clutching our bellies, laughing.
“The time Bash’s sister-in-law thought he was gay and made me the spokesperson of the intervention,” Nik explains through chuckles. We hold our breaths, waiting for Tom’s reaction. His eyes widen, then a grin spreads across his features.
“Carry on,” the very interested elderly man insists.
“So, Katerina, that’s my best friend and Bash’s sister-in-law, gets it in her head that Bash must be gay. To her, that’s the only reasonable explanation as to why she’s never seen him with a woman in all the years she’s known him.” Bash’s soft eyes meet mine, and I’m filled with butterflies. “Being her closest gay friend, Katya insists I be the one to show him that they love him the way he is.”
“What happened next?” I demand, frothing at the mouth for the ridiculous story. It only reinforces my love for Bash tofind out he was so wary of other women because of his obsession with me that his family thought he was gay. It’s almost endearing.
“I’d like to add that I was completely ambushed in my own home,” Bash cuts in.
“We show up uninvited to his house and go up to his office. You were clueless, man. We start our spiel about how accepting the Syn–familyis.” Nik catches himself mid-sentence. I look at Tom to see if he caught it, only to find him staring at Bash speculatively. “Bash is flabbergasted. He keeps denying the gay accusations, but Katerina won’t hear any of it. Not until his office…” Nik trails off.
It only takes a glance at Bash’s guilty expression for it to click together. His office warned him of my arrival home. I’m sure the televisions showed the camera footage of my house. That’s how they knew about me.
“Not until his office does what?” Tom demands, but sensing his question, I deflect at the same time. “Oh my God! What did he say when y’all accosted him?” I ask.
Nik looks at me with relief and answers my question, earning me a glare from Tom. “Bash kept repeating, ‘I’m not gay,’ but Katya wouldn’t listen. She was hellbent on making him accept himself. She’s stubborn like that,” he clarifies for Tom.
He nods understandingly. “I get it. My Betty can be stubborn when she has her mind set on something.”
“And Dom, Bash’s brother, was just quiet. I think he felt guilty for not realizing his brother was gay.”
“I’m not gay,” Bash grumbles, pulling me into his side as if to highlight the statement.
“That’s exactly how he sounded then.” Nik barely gets the words out through his laughter.
“I can attest to him not being gay,” I add with my own grin. Only for it to freeze when I see Tom glaring at Bash. My strong mafia man pales under Tom’s scrutiny. I guess the boyfriend will always fear the father-figure finding out what they do together under the blanket of night.
“So, what changed?” Tom asks in a firm voice.
“I was never gay.” There’s an edge to Bash’s voice, one that I’m worried may offend Tom.
“Not that. If you hadn’t been seen with a woman in years, what changed that now you’re with Lizzy? Unless your family doesn’t know about Lizzy.” I don’t understand why Tom is so hellbent on an answer. I mean, I get that he’s protective of me. But there’s more than that. It’s as though he doesn’t trust Bash or even Nik for that matter. Having him believe that Nik is a friend of Bash’s who’s interested in zoo work which is why he’s interning under me was a hard sell. And I don’t think Tom is that gullible. But he hasn’t pushed.
“Lizzy is what changed. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was the one. An angel among mortals. Nothing could keep me away.” Bash stares down at me, pure pride in his gaze. “And now that she’s mine, I intend to keep her forever.”
The promise in his words blooms in my chest, wrapping around my heart. Because I know he means them. This man loves me deeper than anyone ever has. He’s not going anywhere.
I excuse myself from the conversation as they start discussing the upcoming hockey game. Bash hold his own in the conversation, surprising me. I didn’t realize he kept up with sports.
Nik follows me to the restroom, something I’m sure Tom notices. He stays outside the bathroom as I go inside. I enter the third stall since the first one is occupied. I do my business, then go to the sink.
A foreboding feeling washes over me as I clean my hands. The pit in my stomach grows as I hear the click of a lock being turned on the bathroom entrance. I look up in the mirror and see a dark figure behind me. I whirl around, ready to scream, when a hand covers my mouth.
“Is that any way to greet your man?” a menacing voice asks.
I knew he was alive. I trusted Bash when he told me, and I’m convinced I’d seen him following me. But having him in front of me, touching me, is surreal. It turns the nightmare into reality.
With him muzzling me, I can’t respond, but that doesn’t stop me from fighting. I scratch at his hand, trying to pry it away, but he grips it instead, taking control of my wrist. He steps into me, forcing me against the wall next to the sink.
“Elizabeth, you’ve been such a bad girl. Shooting me. Running away. Six years of searching. All for this moment. I thought I’d get a nicer greeting. After all, I deserve your groveling after what you did to me.”
Vincent tilts my head back using the hand gripping my mouth shut. Then he leans in and presses his filthy nose against my exposed neck, and inhales sharply. “You still smell so good.” When his tongue flicks against my skin, I struggle to keep my lunch down. It’s a vile feeling. “Still taste so good. So mine.”
Instead of giving in to the tears that threaten, I tap into my anger. How dare this man touch me? How dare he try to claim me?
