Page 11 of Deceived Wrath

"I know." I get to my feet.

It's almost ten p.m. on a Sunday, which means it is officially past my bedtime.

"So, how does Friday night sound?"

"For what?"

Zoe gives me an exasperated look in the mirror. "For dancing, silly."

Oh, crap. I had hoped she had been so high on the bleach fumes that she had forgotten I had agreed to go out.

"Oh, that... Sure, Friday is good."

"Don't try to bail. Otherwise, I will personally come round to your apartment and drag you out kicking and screaming."

The annoying thing is, I know she's not joking.

I laugh as I head to the door. "Noted. Have a good week. Try not to catch anything."

"If I do, you'll be the first to know!" she calls after me.

I'm still chuckling to myself as I close the door behind me and head out of Zoe's building. It's only a few blocks away from my own, so I don't bother hailing a cab despite it being the middle of winter in New York City.

The walk will do me good and help to get rid of this lingering headache that has been pestering me for the past few days. I know it's from stress, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do about that.

College might be over and done with, but that doesn't mean life suddenly becomes all rainbows and unicorns. Trust me, I should know.

If anything, a permanent black cloud seems to be following me around these days.

Bundling my scarf tighter around my neck, I pull my hood up to try to keep my ears warm as I pick up my pace.

It takes less than a block for my feet to become numb and my cheeks to feel chapped. But I've committed now, and stubbornness happens to be my most defining quality. So, Ipower through, thinking of the scalding hot shower I'm going to take and the cup of mint tea I'm going to have in bed while I read my book.

How Zoe can think a night out grinding against sweaty men and having to queue for twenty minutes just to take a pee is better than that is beyond me.

"Miss Callahan! Please tell me you weren't just out walking." Waylan holds the door open for me.

He's been the doorman of this building for over fifty years and the first true friend I made when I moved to the city, fresh out of high school. He's like a surrogate grandfather to me, which is nice, seeing as I never met my real grandparents. They were long gone before I was even born, so I guess a doorman is the next best thing.

I really am pathetic.

"Uh..." I lower my eyes as I quickly stomp my boots on the mat to get rid of some of the snow.

"You'll catch your death."

"I know, I know. But I'm here now and still alive, so it's all good."

"Good, because you have a visitor waiting for you."

I pause.

It's ten o'clock on a Sunday night, and the one person who would even consider visiting me at this time, I was just with. And there's no way Zoe would risk going out into the snow with a fresh blowout.

"Who is it?"

Waylan shuffles back over to the desk. "Oh, can't remember the name... He was on your visitor list."

I don't have a visitor list, but I decide not to remind Waylan of that. He's already pushing his late seventies, and the last thing I want to do is give him a heart attack.