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“No, I understand what you meant. I might have still been fucked up, but when my life was in chaos, a safe place where I had someone to shield me would have made all the difference. You know how I know that? Because once upon a time, you were that shield for me.”
He makes a noise that sounds like he’s fighting back tears, which makes my own start flowing again.
“I’m crying like a baby here.” I laugh, wiping my cheeks, when I hear him grumble, “me too.”
“Anyway. Once I started coming into contact with people again, the visions returned. It’s basically why I’ve been a recluse all these years. But the woman I saved from being raped? I couldn’t not try to do something. I knew if I told her the truth, she’d ignore me. So, I did something I’ve never done before when it comes to my visions. I lied. I told her the man who I saw raping her had raped a friend of mine and that I overheard him bragging to his friends about what he wanted to do with her.”
“That was risky and easy enough for her to disprove if she asked questions.”
“I know. And in a case of my word against his—or anyone’s—I’m always going to lose with a reputation like mine. But rape and murder aren’t the same.
“Women have a built-in creep radar. Most of the time, we ignore it, though. We don’t see the signs until it’s too late or we’re in too deep. But there are always a red flag or two. You just have to pay attention. She listened to me and watched him, and she saw him looking at her. And on a crowded bus…” I let myself drift off because the rest is obvious.
“A red flag,” he huffs. “So many times, people ignore their instincts or brush them off because they think they are overreacting. When, in reality, they aren’t reacting enough. I’m glad she listened to you, though. You did good.”
“It felt good. I’ve never stopped a vision from happening before. I never gave much thought about how I was delivering what I saw. I just always wanted people to know. But this time…” I take a breath. “My lie saved her, and it felt right. Like something just clicked into place. And I thought, I did that. I saved her, and because I lied, Glory went home safe and sound, and I saved her daughter from living in the aftermath. So, I started thinking, I have this gift, and if you’re right, it was given to me for a reason. But all I’ve been doing is hiding like a coward—”
“Tell me what you need.” Just like that. Dear God, this man…
“I used to wish you were my dad. Did I ever tell you that?”
“Oh God, you’re killing me, kid. I would’ve been honored to be your father, Astrid. I really, really would have.”
I smile, feeling lighter. The sadness will always be inside me. My body and mind were shaped by tragedies that ripped me apart at the seams and changed the very fabric of what made me…me. But I’m done being afraid.
“I need your help. I have resources, or the money for resources.”
“Okay.”
“I can fund a team of people, buy you a freaking plane if that’s what it takes.”
“Okay.”
“I—Wait, what?”
“I said okay. Let’s do this.”
“But… don’t you want time to think about it? I mean, do you even realize what I’m asking?”
“First, she tries to talk me into it. Now, she tries to talk me out of it. Women are so confusing. No wonder I’m divorced.”
I wince. “I’m sorry. I’m happy, don’t get me wrong—ecstatic, actually—but I didn’t think it would be this easy.”
“We both know that what you’re asking will be anything but easy. But that doesn’t stop it from being the right thing to do. I’m divorced, Astrid. My kids are grown, and I can visit my grandchildren whenever I want.”
“You said you love what you do—”
“And I do. But you don’t get multiple visions a day. I’m still going to have plenty of time to work on cold cases. They kind of go hand-in-hand, actually.”
I snap my mouth shut, feeling completely overwhelmed.
“Astrid?”
I take a few deep breaths to get my shit together.
“Astrid, are you okay?”
“Would you like to come visit me? We can iron out all the details and—”
