Sookie thought this, and indeed, acted upon it. When Enzo wasn’t paying attention, she secretly messaged Kalvin. She didn’t know why she chose to seek help from that damned ex-boyfriend, but she had to get away from this dangerous man first and foremost. After all, Enzo seemed like he could take on ten Kalvins by himself. To ensure everything went smoothly, she snuck the Taser gun from under Enzo’s bed. She needed to make good use of it.
Perhaps he was lost in thought, or maybe he was asleep, but the man with his back turned to Sookie didn’t notice anyone approaching. Suddenly, Enzo’s vision blurred, and while he struggled to remain upright, he roared, “What the hell-” thinking Sookie was attacking him.
“Take your hands off the gun,” a stranger’s voice suddenly emerged.
Enzo blinked hard, his vision still blurry, and suddenly, he lost his balance. He could feel something, maybe blood, dripping from his neck. Meanwhile, Sookie trembled, holding the Taser gun in her shaking hands. Seeing the blood on the floor, Sookie instantly collapsed, “Wait, this is more complicated than you know,” Enzo bellowed. He hadn’t told her about the Poles, he hadn’t told her that leaving this place now would be much more dangerous for her, regardless of her opinion of him.
“The Poles-I mean those guys from the bar. They are looking for both of us. You can’t go out and-”
“Stop, no,” Sookie shook her head. “I don’t care what you have to say. Listen, I won’t go to the police, I swear. I just want to leave here, I just want you to leave me alone, okay?”
She was still trembling, and she didn’t want to either.
“Sookie, listen to me-”
“No!” Sookie’s voice trembled. “I won’t say a word about what I’ve seen, I just…” She swallowed hard, her eyes glancing down for a moment. This was what he needed.
He staggered towards her, pulling the gun from its holster. Sookie screamed, and as he reached out to touch her, suddenly everything turned white, and pain pierced through his body like liquid flames.
He struggled in agony, the gun slipped completely from his hand, and he fell to the floor like a damn brick. He groaned, attempting to push himself up, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.
Everything before him began to fade, as the pain consumed him, dragging him into darkness. He fell to the floor, and everything became calm.
Kalvin, who stood nearby, saw Enzo fall and immediately went to help Sookie up. They quickly made their way downstairs and got into Kalvin’s car.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” Sookie murmured, gazing at the floor.
Kalvin cleared his throat. “Well, of course.”
As they silently drove, Sookie looked out the window.
“I never expected you to be with a man, I mean, we could continue-” Kalvin began.
“I told you, I’m at a friend’s place.”
“Are you sure?” Kalvin asked skeptically.
Sookie fell silent; she didn’t want to engage with him right now.
Why Kalvin? Because she had no friends. Against the opposition of her parents and siblings, she had insisted on being with Kalvin, the playboy. As a result, she had almost no social circle left. She had no one else to call. Of course, she had her family, but they were all busy with their own lives-marriages, children, successful careers, and so on.
Her? She felt like she was still… a stagnant pool.
Daisy would come to pick her up, she knew. She might even bring Carter and drive to this crappy area to pick her up, and maybe not ask any questions until tomorrow, because she’s a good sister.
With everything else gone, she only had Kalvin. She had escaped from Enzo’s factory building and found shelter in the worst corner store half a mile away, where she called him.
“Thank you for coming to get me too.”
He nodded.
“Listen, what I did was terrible, I-”
“That’s my fault, Kiki,” he sighed. “Baby, it was just a misunderstanding, wasn’t it? That night, I just drank too much and mistook that woman for you. I just-” Kalvin sighed and shook his head. “I’m lonely, I’m afraid of you leaving me, Sookie.”
Sookie bit her lip, looking at Kalvin. “I set your house on fire, all your things-”
“It’s just stuff.”
“Do your friends hate me?”
“No, they’re mad at me,” he laughed. “Well, they might hate you too.”
The difference between him and Enzo was astonishing.
Kalvin carefully avoided every critical question, his sly little eyes blinking cunningly. Although she hadn’t spent much time with Enzo, he was focused, responsible, and… offered a sense of security.
Sookie couldn’t believe she was even thinking about him. She still sat here, thinking about that damn foolish kiss, about the man’s hands grabbing her and tossing her over his strong shoulders like a caveman.
She was still thinking about how rough, dangerous, and calculatingly cold that man made her feel.
This must be Stockholm syndrome, right?
“So, what about your friends?”
She blinked, startled by her damn kidnapper’s dirty and entirely wrong thoughts.
“Well, it’s fine, I- I have to go somewhere.”
“Do you need me to drive you?”
“No, it’s okay.”
“You’re going like this, and I’ll just drop you off?”
“It’s fine, no problem… I…”
Her voice trailed off. Somehow, Kalvin seemed to give up.
“Well, then, want to come to my place? After all, you can’t go anywhere now.”
It seemed like she didn’t have much of a choice. She shouldn’t be thinking about the man who disturbed her mind. Right now, all she needed was a ride, maybe a couch to sleep on, and to figure out what she had to do tomorrow when she would take the train to her parents’ house in Sheltport to sort things out.
“Thank you.”
She sat on Kalvin’s couch, taking the beer he handed her.
“Listen, if this is weird, I can call a friend.”
Perhaps that was the right thing to do.
She told Kalvin she had left her apartment keys at “her friend’s” place. She didn’t mention that the person who kidnapped her had her driver’s license and knew where she lived.
“Or, find a hotel or something.”
“Sookie, it’s really fine. You can take my bed, and I’ll stay here-”
“The couch is fine, thank you.”
Kalvin nodded.
“Hey, can I…” He looked down. “Listen, can I play something for you?”
She raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. “Play something for me?”
“A song. I’ve been… thinking a lot since that night. I know I messed up. I just know you mean a lot to me.”
He was really heavy. Even though she was glad he had answered her call tonight, it didn’t mean she still thought he was a slimeball deceiving her.
“Listen, can we not talk about us?” She waggled a finger between them. “Can we talk about it later?”
“Yes, of course,” Kalvin smiled. “Can I still play this for you?”
“Of course.”
He smiled and picked up the acoustic guitar resting on the TV, then strapped it on. As he started to sing, he played the chords.
She was so tired.
Kalvin kept singing, and she could tell it was about her because she kept hearing her name in the lyrics. But as the weariness of the night began to engulf her, it was hard to focus on anything else. She took a few sips of her beer, and her eyelids started to feel heavier.
Damn, why was she so tired?
The room suddenly started to blur and spin a bit, and then, a terrible feeling began to spread in her chest.
No, not tired.
Something was wrong.
The room spun even more, the walls pulsating like a heartbeat.
It was hot in here, and suddenly, it felt like her mouth was stuffed with cotton.
Sookie realized the song had stopped, and Kalvin had put down the guitar, unbuttoning his shirt as he approached her.