NERTHUS
The next morning, I find Jenna already gone. All she left is a little note at the coffee machine.
At least something.
It states that she had to leave to get ready for another appointment and I try to think nothing into it, even though it kind of hurts me.
As I get ready to go home, it just gets worse. I get text after text from clients cancelling their appointments or from my boss, telling me that someone just cancelled. I have multiple calls with her as she asks me what is happening.
I would like to know too.
This can’t be a coincidence anymore. In a timely range of two to three hours, my week is practically cleaned out with only one still standing prominently.
Rodberg on Wednesday night.
Slipping into my coat, I shake my head as if wanting to get rid of the thought creeping into my mind.
I get on the street and hail a cab to get home. During the drive home, I have a bad feeling and suddenly find myself watching my back. Realizing what I am doing, I giggle to myself while shaking my head. Jenna really got under my skin with her panicky mobster stories.
Even if he is a little gangster and could watch everyone in the club that he might be managing for his big boss, it wouldn’t mean he has an eye over entire New York.
As if I would be able to impress a boss when I’m ordinary street material for low drug dealers.
Turning into the street of my real apartment, the cab pushes the button for his fare and I take out a few bills to pay him. As I get out of the cab, I groan as I can already see someone standing in front of my entrance. Unfortunately, it’s too late to get back into the cab and drive away as he is already smiling widely at me.
Putting the straps of my purse over my shoulder, I clench them as I walk to my entrance.
“Good morning, Ms. Amber. Were you out for a morning walk this wonderful S-Sunday morning.” Kyle’s eyes sparkle as I walk towards him.
“Hey, Kyle. No, I’m coming home from spending the night at my friend’s house.” I say, taking my keys out of my purse.
He steps uncomfortably close as I go to call the elevator and it seems like I’m completely out of luck because, for the first time since I live in this building, there is no one at the concierge desk. He is blabbering constantly, making me feel annoyed as hell.
What is he even doing here?
“Kyle, please. I’m tired. Maybe we could continue our conversation another time?”
He nods repeatedly, but still steps into the elevator with me.
Damn it.
Putting my keys back into my purse, I cross my arms across my chest as we ride up to my floor.
There is no way I’m opening my door and letting him in to my apartment.
Seemingly adamant about wanting to get into my apartment, he stays close and continues to talk to me about unimportant things as well as showering me with compliments.
Where are the huge brooding men when one needs them?
“Kyle.” I say, with a deep sigh as I stop in front of my apartment door.
“And the next day. I was making a delivery on fifth avenue. There I saw the same dress I saw you wearing last month. And I thought what a nice and noble lady you are.”
Ha! Sure.
“Listen, Kyle…”
“I’m sure your apartment is furnished very beautifully. The peaks I get are already witnessing your elegant taste.”
What the…
“Well, thank you. But I really have to go.”
He seems to get increasingly annoyed by the fact that I don’t open the door and gives the first signs of getting aggressive.
Stepping closer, I see his demeanor shift swiftly before he smiles creepily again. Clearing my throat, I take a step back, taking my phone out of my purse.
“Kyle. I’ll wait here until you take that elevator down because, unfortunately, I have to get changed and get going. I’m sorry, but there are people waiting for me.”
He nods repeatedly but doesn’t move to go away. After a second or two, he starts talking about his strange life again and I unlock my phone to call the concierge service to have him escorted out of the building. Just as I’m about to type in the number, Kyle snatches the phone out of my hand, having it crush on the floor.
“Are you insane?” As I look up, his face has morphed into something deadly. Inexplicably, the first thought that passes my mind is Rodberg’s strong frame and I curse my weakness. I have surely been attacked several times and never had I even thought of the possibility of relying on someone. Now, as soon as a good-looking guy smiles my way, I’m already getting strange thoughts.
I don’t even get to cover in time as the first slap reaches my cheek, making my head snap to the side. Before I can fall to the ground, he grabs my throat, pinning me against my door.
“Open the damn thing already.” His voice seems to have changed as he orders me through his teeth.
“Go fuck yourself!” I manage to shout before he tightens his grip on my throat, cutting my air supply.
Lifting my hands to his, I bury my nails into his skin, making him hiss in pain. As soon as he retrieves his hand, I pull back my leg to kick my heel into his leg. As he stumbles back, I finally get free and run to the door next to me to pound my wrist against it. Shouting for help. I get pulled to the floor as Kyle tackles me and holds me down. My air gets cut off once again, as he gets up to put a knee on my stomach.
“You stupid bitch!”
Finally, some words of reason.
My scream of pain is brusquely shut down as he slaps me a second time, having my head hit the floor. The metallic taste of my blood invades my mouth, signaling me that he must split my lip.
The asshole.
I’m still trying to fight him off even if it seems useless as I feel his weight suddenly lifted off me.
“What’s the meaning of all this?”
The deep voice of my neighbor rumbles through the stairwell and I cough, finally being able to take a proper breath. Holding my throat, I look up to see him holding Kyle by the back of his collar before he can push him and run away.
My neighbor runs after him and disappears from my view while his wife gets out of the apartment belonging to the door that I just hit my fists against.
As soon as she reaches me, I clench on her stretched out arms.
“Honey, are you OK? I’ll call an ambulance. Come in.” She helps me back to my feet as I whimper in pain.
“No, please. No ambulance.”
She tsks, shaking her head and helps me into her living room and sits me on her floral sofa coated with plastic.
“I’ll make you a cup of tea, darling.” She says soothingly as soon as she has ensured that I’m sitting comfortably.
“Thank you so much.”
She straightens her spine just in time to see her husband barging back in through the door. “I lost him.” He breathes out, passing his hand through his white hair.
“Oh, honey. We are too slow for these young people.” She chuckles and gets to the kitchen to prepare the tea.
“Maria, give me the phone. I’m going to call the police.”
“No, please. No police.”
Maria looks over to me from the kitchen, her eyebrows pulled down. “But, honey. You were just brutally attacked.”
“No. Please. I can’t have police around. I just started a new job, and this would be bothersome. My boss would fire me right away if he knew of such an incident.” I turn around to Michele just to see him frown at me. “He is old school. He would think it is my bad company that caused that.” I lie, pleading.
Maria sighs, shaking her head as she pours the hot water into a few cups from her kettle. “Oh, dear.”
“It’s OK. Thank you so much for coming to my rescue.”
Michele waves his hand dismissively and murmurs something about how I need a strong man by my side. I’m happy for Maria handing me the cup of tea as, again, the image of my handsome hulk passes my inner eye.
So stupid.
Flinching at the hot water touching my cut, I get Maria to spring back to her feet and get the first-aid kit.
“Thank you so much.” I whisper again as she dabs my lip with an ointment.
“This is nothing, my dear. Thanks to our Lord and Savior that we were home. Because we were supposed to visit my daughter, but her kid got the flu and she wouldn’t let me come. Can you imagine?”
“How sad. But yeah. I hope she gets better soon.”
“Oooh, my little Mary is a strong little thing.” She says proudly, throwing the cotton-wool ball away with a smile.
“Yeah, she is.” I smile back at her and look back at Michele coming back into the living room.
“In my country there are a bunch of people who never call the police either. That’s not good.” He says, offering me a shot glass filled with a dark liquid.
I accept it hesitantly and thank him before I empty it in one go. Distorting my face, I hand the glass back to him.
“An Amaro is better than any medicine!” He says loudly, making his wife click her tongue. “Go away, old man. Stop saying stupid things.”
I laugh at their cute bickering and focus back on Maria, who looks at me worriedly. “Will you think about the Police again? I can gladly accompany you, if you want.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll think about it.”
The thing they don’t know is that I cannot got to the police as I would have to disclose my real name and my real documents. Even if my real profession wasn’t already enough to stay away from any police station, there is an open missing person’s report on my name dating a few years back that would lead to me walking straight back into my family’s arms.
And I’m not going back there.