“You shouldn’t play with the food, brother. You ready to feed him to the gators? Because I want to hurry up and get the fuck out of here before they think we’re on the menu, too.”
Holding up a finger to signal I need a minute, I look back at Hammer one more time. “Hold his arms down. I’m going to cut his fingers off so he can feel what Lisa felt.”
Ten chopped off fingers later, I start tossing pieces of David Koch into the swamp waters around Gator Island. I can already see movement in the water where the gators are coming in to eat. It’s safe to say that Cook will never be seen again.
~Paisley~
It has been three days since I last saw Coal, and the eerie feeling that someone is watching me is back. The gym, the grocery store, and even when Des, Morgan, and I went to get manicures, there was a feeling of being shadowed.
They get mani-pedis regularly. Only on occasion do I join them because the nail polish fumes are toxic. Wanting something normal, I decided to tag along this time, only to constantly look outside, trying to shake off the bad feeling. I don’t say anything, though. Whatever is going on is my problem, not Desirae, Morgan, or more so, Coal’s. I can’t risk them telling him.
I considered not going out today. The last thing I want to do is put my friends in any kind of danger. Part of me wonders, though, if what I keep sensing is the shadows of my energy seeking out Coal’s. It seems crazy, but since I literally bumped into him, my whole world seems to be turned upside down.
And I feel like it has been for him, too. I just don’t know how to fix it for me or him.
No matter how strong the connection and attraction is between us, Coal has made it clear he doesn’t want anything to do with me. I can only hope one day he will see he’s not the bad person he thinks he is.
The tension is building in my body. Since I have the day off, I decide to have a detoxifying bath when I get home.
“Paisley, you wanna go with us to get a bite to eat before we head home?” Morgan asks as we stand out front of the nail salon.
“No, I’m in the mood to take a long, relaxing bath,” I tell my friends.
Desirae smirks. “I’d like a long, hot bath with my man.”
I laugh. “You don’t ever get enough, do you?”
“Nope.” She smiles and waves as she takes off toward her car. “Come on, Morgan; let’s go eat so I can get home to my man. See ya in the morning for yoga, Paisley.”
Morgan gives me a quick hug before heading toward the car. I get in mine and sigh before making my way home.
At home, I run the bath water and add baking soda to clear out the chemicals in the filtered city water so my body doesn’t end up absorbing the metals. After five minutes, I then add in Epsom salt, coconut oil, and lavender essential oil.
Climbing into the warm bath, I submerge as much of my body as I can.
Twenty minutes later, my skin feels lighter, my body feels better, but my mind is still heavy with the thoughts of Coal.
Deciding, I need to meditate, I make my way to the outdoor patio.
An hour later, I still can’t shake the heaviness. In a panic and slight desperation to fix things, I leave my apartment and head back to the library.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I quickly find Amber Bridges-Stokes and send her a message about the man she’s looking for. That’s when the weight I have been carrying since Trevor shared his past with me finally seems lighter.
He may hate me when he finds out what I have done, but if either of these two can find the closure they both seem to be seeking, it will be worth it for me.
Chapter Fourteen
~Coal~
Fuck, but I’m tired. Eight hours ago, in the middle of the night, I got a phone call from the hospital saying my mom had been rushed to the emergency room, and I was the only contact on file. I got to my bike faster than I ever have before and raced home, making the trip in record time and exceeding every speed limit the entire way. By the time I got here, the doctors at least had good news for me. Mom was alive.
They are still running some tests, but it looks like she had a stroke.
I sit here for hours in the ICU hospital room, just talking to my mother as she sleeps. I’m not sure if she can hear me, but I hope she does. Then the nurses send me home, since the visiting hours are shorter in Intensive Care.