Thea
After a while of waiting, Angel returns and I stopped pacing about when I saw him. His anger had dissipated and I could tell that a lot of that pent up anger had been released. I was surprised to see his white shirt clean and not stained with blood but I was still doubtful.
“You’re back.”
“Yes.” He said calmly and my face squeezed as my heart bled and tears tried to make it’s way down my face. I don’t know what he had done but this appearance was a deception. He probably took his clothes off to do what he had to do or maybe he got his men to do the job.
I moved closer to him and began unbottening the rest of his shirt. He looks at me curiously but I don’t stop.
“What are you doing?” He asks but I remain silent and sniff him with care, making sure he didn’t notice I was doing just that. I grabbed both his hands and left looked d carefully for any tiny blood stains but found nothing so I looked at his face, worried.
“You killed him.” I accused. He kept quiet for a moment and scoffed then he pulled his hand from my hold. He walks past me and grabs a shirt from his wardrobe which he hands over to me. I didn’t think he’d bring another shirt for just one night. He obviously brought extra in case he got himself dirty and needed to change after the deed was done.
“I got this for you.” He said handing it to me. The shirt was long enough to cover my butt. “In case you didn’t want to walk around all night naked or in your club wear.” He said and I realized that I had my earlier guess wrong. That was very thoughtful of him but that wasn’t my major interest now.
“What did you do with him?”
“Get dressed, we are heading home now.” He was totally ignoring me and I wasn’t going to accept that. I pause and anger swells in me. I shouldn’t be scared nor go easy on him if he actually did it. I throw the shirt at him and he shuts his eyes impulsively. The shirt falls to the ground and he looks at me clenching his jaw.
“If you really did it Angel….” I started with a shaky voice. “You’re never going to know what it feels like to have me in your arms.” I said and had an instant regret when I realized I should have threatened him with this earlier.
He remains silent and picks up the top then he looks at me.
“You’re too forgiving.” I was shocked to hear the words fall off his lips. Was it a mockery? That I’d forgive him even after hurting someone?
“What?” I muttered.
“You want me to let that person go without dealing some blows to him. He disrespected you Thea.”
“It’s not enough to kill him.”
“Someone like that will rape and kill if he has to get himself under a ladies skirt.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You know that I do and I know that you know it too.” He said and I blinked giving myself up.
I was once a stripper and our instincts about danger were usually strong because we were constantly at risk of getting hurt so it was usually easier to identify people with ill intentions. I hate to admit that Angel was right but I didn’t have the heart to hurt someone when I didn’t end up being hurt actually.
“Just answer me. Please…. Did you kill him?” I asked and he blinked.
“No.” I sighed deeply and held my chest feeling relieved.
“You’re that grateful?” Angel said looking disappointed.
“So where is he?” I asked instead.
“You don’t need to know that.”
“How I’m I supposed to believe you then?”
“I just told you I didn’t kill him.”
“Then take me to him. I want to see for myself that he is alive.”
“You don’t trust me.” He said said and scoffs. He looked hurt at the level of trust I had shown him tonight but he couldn’t blame me for it.
“No, I don’t trust you Angel. Not in matters like this. You’re a mafia man.”
The place falks silent for a moment and I begin to doubt that he was telling the truth.
“You don’t want to see what I did to him. Trust me my love.”
“Then you’ll never have me in your arms.” I say with finality in my voice and Angel studies me to know if I was being serious. “This will be the end for us Angel.” I say making him understand that our relationship was on the line. He needed to understand that he couldn’t get away with just anything. I may have forgiven him for the cruelty he showed to me before but that didn’t mean I couldn’t walk away the next time he did something so cruel. Seeing that pervert alive would only mean that he takes my threat seriously and knows that he could lose me too.
“Fine.” He says after a prolonged silent. “But you should know I cut off three of his fingers.” I gasped as the image of it flashed through my mind. “I beat him to a pulp.”
“You don’t even look like it.” I say surprised at how clean he looked.
He pauses for some seconds before speaking.
“I wouldn’t take bloody clothes up her would I?”
So he made sure he cleaned up real good. What a smart devil.
Angel took me downstairs and we got to what seemed to be a store house. I entered and heard the voice of a man groaning in pain. I walked slowly and saw some of Angel’s men guarding the place.
“Thea, you don’t want to see this.” He said trying to convince me but I ignored him and continued to walk till I saw someone crouching on the ground, his entire body soaked in blood. The floor on which he crawled was smeared with blood as well. He was in pain, deep pain. I gasped and whimpered dreading the sight before me.
“Thea, Angel called but I continued to inch close to the man to get a better view. I had palmed my mouth so I didn’t let myself throw up. It was such a terrible sight.
I looked at the bloody face of the man. His teeth almost gone. His nose was displaced, one of his eyes bruised terribly. I looked at his hand and saw his missing fingers wrapped with a white cloth turned red and the rest of his fingers were broken.
“Angel?” I called in shock looking back at him and he didn’t seem fazed by the sight rather a little uneasy about my reaction. How could he be moved when he did this himself.
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
“H-help me….” I turn my head towards the man hearing him whisper with every strength he had.
“Were you going to leave him to bleed out here? You can’t just leave him here. We need to get him to the hospital.
“And then what? I get arrested for doing that to him?” He said.
“Then what’s your plan?”
” He’s not dying yet at least not until doctor Robert arrives. That’s the least I can do.” He said without a hint of care or remorse. Why was I even expecting all those from him.
I couldn’t stand being in such a place so I hurried outside and heard him coming after me. I needed to leave this entire environment. I wish I had gone home with the girls.
“Thea!” Angel called after me while I ran outside. I held my spew till I found myself outside then I vomited all that was hanging in my chest. I let it all out while I felt Angel’s hand on my back trying to soothe me. He withdraws a handkerchief from his pocket and hands over to me which I snatch from his hand to wipe my lips.
“Where’s the car?” I say walking away from him.
“Coming this way.” He said still trailing behind me. I knew that man harassed me but I didn’t like the way he was handled. I felt guilty or maybe I was too forgiving like Angel said. I mean I forgave Angel despite all he did to me and now this one. While I was walking I heard the sound of a car approaching.
“Watch out.” Angel said pulling me out of the road. The car stops in front of us and seeing the driver I hurry to get in. Angel follows as well and shuts the door after him. I sit close to the window away from him and hopefully he didn’t come close. How could he do that to a man?
Carl was right, mafia men were ruthless but then I already knew this. I watched him shoot Carl in front of me.
“Home.” He said to the driver and soon we were on our way home.
Once we got to the mansion, I left the car walking ahead of Angel. I met Florentine and the rest inside waiting for us. I was certain they heard about what happened.
“Thea….” I heard them call but I didn’t answer any and just hurried to my room. I locked the door but Angel just couldn’t let me be.
“We need to talk Thea, please open up.” He pleaded knocking on my door.
“Just go away! I don’t want to see you Angel!” I yell but he kept pleading with me. I couldn’t get the image out of my mind. It was horrible.
I folded myself, resting my back on the bed. I was shivering and tears began to flow down my eyes. I let it all out ignoring Angel untill the noise finally died down. My phone began to ring and I received series of text messages from him but he wasn’t getting my attention this night.
I finally picked myself up and dipped myself into the bath tub then cleaned myself up but that wouldn’t wash away the image that played in my mind. I shouldn’t have insisted on seeing but I just wanted to make sure that the man was alive.
I got out of the bath tub and dried my body. When I came into my room I heard the sound of something hitting my window. I went towards it, with my hair damp and a towel around my chest. I looked through the window only to see Angel down, with stones in one hand.
I gasped, he was really unbelievable. I shake my head surprised at his efforts.
“Can we talk? Please… ” He yelled but there was nothing to talk about. He wasn’t sorry for what he did and he was making it clear by not apologizing. From his perspective, he was defending the woman he loved and putting that pervert in his place and the truth was that I had no idea how I wanted him to handle things because the truth remained that that pervert will do the same to another woman.
I stared at Angel for a while before drawing my curtain across the window.