Broken Dreams (21 page)

We needed to talk about managing his anger at some point. Preferably sooner rather than later, since he could no longer go to the gym. He opened the other bottle, and took another long pull from it. Nothing like a Southern Comfort chaser after some Walkers.

“He can’t just hang out here, like he’s hanging with his mates! This is not a swanky fucking lounge!” Henry was not trying to talk with a lowered voice.

“Let me finish, please, and keep your voice down. We don’t want him out there if he’s going to put us at risk. You saw what he did when he thought that boy bit me.” Henry took another drink. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to accomplish with drinking.

Whenever we went out, before all of this madness, it always involved booze in some way. I had seen him out drink pretty much everyone I knew. And whenever we had dinner at my apartment, it generally involved a bottle, or two, of wine. He fully stocked the kitchen with booze.

We stood in silence, looking in each other’s eyes for a minute.

“I think you’re right,” he said in a normal tone. I was in shock. He actually agreed with me. “I’ll go with you and Sophie.”

“No! Absolutely not! You’ve already been out two times today!” I was so angry at him that I forgot about trying to speak in a soft voice.

“I will be fine.” He clenched his jaw.

“Henry. Please. I don’t want you to be too tired.” Or drunk.

“I’ll be fine.” He sounded like a programmed machine.

“Then who will lead here at the apartment?”

“I will put Nick temporarily in charge.”

“You’re not a machine, Henry. Regardless of your training and what they did to you, you are not a goddamn machine. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to shoot you. You’re right about that.” I choked back a whimper.

“I can trust that Sophie will take care of me, if need be. I’m going, and that’s final.” He moved me away from the door and stormed out, while taking another long pull from the bottle. I followed behind, stunned. I don’t like “Angry Henry”, but now I had to deal with the possibility of “Drunk Angry Henry”?

“Sophie!” I yelled. “Henry said he’s going with us. You have got to talk him out of it.” She didn’t look surprised.

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean
you can’t
?” I mocked her accent and she scowled at me. My maturity shone bright again. “He won’t listen to me. You could at least try!”

“Once he makes up his mind, that’s what’s happening. I can’t change it. I never have been able to.”

“But he’s already been out twice today!”

“I know!” There was worry dripping from her voice. How convenient for Henry to ignore our conversation while he readied himself for battle.

“I don’t want him to be too tired. Plus, he has drunk a lot.”

She touched my shoulder. “Trust me. He will be fine. He’s an adrenaline junkie, if you haven’t figured that out yet. If anyone can handle this, it’s him.” I didn’t like it one bit, but what choice did I have? It was settled. Henry was going with Sophie and me, whether I wanted it to happen or not.

“Fine,” I snarled. I glared at Nate, while pointing at him. “You win. You get to stay. Are you happy now, Nate? If something happens to him, I will come in here and fucking kill you myself! I won’t hesitate, mark my words!”

He didn’t say a word. As a matter of fact, he looked terrified. Good, he ought to be. He thought Bridezillas were scary. Well, he had better hope that Henry came back in one piece, or he would find out how fucking mental I could really be.

Obviously, I wasn’t pleased one bit with how it all unfolded. I didn’t intend for Henry to take Nate’s place. I was angry with myself, as well. I needed to learn to keep my big, fat mouth shut.

Chapter 9

enry, Sophie, and I made it to the front door of the apartment building without incident. He paused at the door, and scoped out the area.

“Coast is clear. Stick together, and be ready to shoot.” Sophie and I both nodded. We opened the door and walked out into the war zone.

The first building we were going to clear was the shoe store just down the street from Henry’s building. As angry as I was at him for leaving on his own to get clothes and supplies for us, I have to admit that I was pleased I didn’t have to wear his clunky boots anymore. I hoped that we would have the time to grab a few pairs of shoes for future use.

Henry stopped about a foot away from the door. Sophie was behind me, covering us. I kept my eye on the street in front of us. He looked through the door. “Two visible,” he said. “Elaina, same routine as when we picked up Nate.”

“Got it.” I took a deep breath and Henry moved to the other side of the door. I put my hand on the handle. I peered back over my shoulder, and Sophie was scanning the street. Nervously sweating, I tugged at my shirt to free it up from my tacky skin.

“Now, Elaina.” I pulled open the door and Henry jumped into the store. He fired once, taking out one. He went to fire again, and nothing happened. “Shit! I’m jammed! Fire, Elaina, fire!”

I aimed at the female undead coming toward us. Her name tag said ‘My name is Marion’, and ‘How can I help you’. Henry was fiddling with his Sig.

“Damn it, Elaina. Fire!” he yelled.

I said, as caring as I could, “Sorry, you can’t help me, Marion, but I’m here to help you.” I pulled the trigger and Marion dropped to the tiled floor like a pile of wet laundry. Henry pulled another Sig out of his pack.

“Let’s head toward the back room.” He ran toward the door. I stopped at Marion, and apologized again under my breath.

“Is Sophie going to be okay out there by herself?”

“Yeah. She knows how to handle herself.”

***

Sophie stood outside the shoe store. She heard the door from the apartment building open. With speed and grace, she hid herself in the hope that whoever it was didn’t see her. She didn’t recognize him, but she assumed he was the man from the first floor. Her nerves prickled in excitement. She needed a fix.

He walked up to a true dead woman that Henry killed earlier and touched her hand. He bowed his head for a moment, whispering something. Sophie tucked her Sig in her pants while turning around, trying to grab her supplies from her vest. He was quite vulnerable right then, and she felt she could take advantage of that. She figured she would make him pass out, and then she would perform a draw while he was out cold. Easy enough.

“Shit. Thanks, Elaina, for fucking up my vest,” she snarled as she tried to pull the zipper apart. It was stuck, and she valiantly fought with it. A warm hand cupped over her mouth. She let out a small whimper when whoever it was grabbed the gun out of her pants and held it to her temple.

“Well, hello there, Barbie,” the harsh voice grumbled in her ear. “Guess what?” Sophie contemplated a smart ass response, but since his hand was over her mouth, it would have been pointless. “Since that crazy fucker that you’re hanging out with killed my wife, I’m going to take care of you. Let’s move.”

He grabbed her arm and pushed her toward the next shop…Gemelli’s, the café. He assumed they would be heading that way since he saw them enter the shoe store. Plus, he knew if she disappeared, they would look for her everywhere and anywhere. He figured he would just sit tight until they arrived.

Sophie was feeling uncharacteristically frightened. She was trying to decide which way she should attack him, but he was as strong as Roger. She feared that strength. She felt herself shutting down, but she knew she had to stay tight. It was near impossible, and the panic was setting in.

Henry would save her. He always did.

***

We continued toward the backroom. We stopped at the door and peeked in. There were aisles and aisles of shoes. Claire would have been in heaven. I thought about bringing her there when all this was over.

The shelving units went from floor to ceiling. We couldn’t see past the first aisle so I pulled a flashlight out of my pack. “Here,” I whispered to Henry. He shined it down the aisle.

“Clear. Cover me,” he said as he stepped in. It was so quiet. No moaning or growling. I felt relief sweep over me. In silence, we crept up and down the ten aisles, finally clearing the store.

We headed back out the front door. Henry stopped short and I ran right into his back.

“Sophie?” I looked around and Sophie was nowhere in sight. “Sophie?!” Henry called out louder. He grabbed the walkie talkie off his belt. “SJ, location?” Static. “SJ, do you read me? Location!” I could hear the worry in his voice, and panic was ripping through him. “Sophie!” he yelled out. Still nothing.

I began to worry, as well. I wasn’t her biggest fan, but after we chatted while cleaning up the mess Claire made in Henry’s bathroom, we bonded a little. I could see Henry still cared for her. After all, they had bonded in more ways than one back in the program.

“Do you think she went back to the apartment for something?” It was a stupid question, but I felt it needed to be asked.

“Why the fuck would she go back there?” he snapped at me.

“I don’t know, Henry. Maybe she forgot something.” In my peripheral vision, I saw something staggering off to my right. “Henry, three o’clock.” He turned.

“Got it.” He shot and missed. He growled.
Missed?
I thought. I hadn’t seen him miss yet. I think he was a little shaken up by Sophie’s disappearing act. He dropped the undead on his second shot.

“We’ll find her. Let’s just head to our original destinations. She may have gone ahead into the next store.” Henry nodded, and we moved toward the café. My breath caught in my throat.

Oh, that café brought back some fond memories, but they would be forever ruined. Hopefully, we don’t die going back for another visit.

We frequently went on dates there. It’s where Henry proposed. They had the best cake, and they sold it by the slice. I think I tried every type of cake that they served, but the chocolate ones were my favorite. The coffee was pretty tasty, as well.

Henry took me there so much that we were on a first name basis with the owners. The cake slices were the perfect size for two people. Although, I do admit I could polish off a whole one myself on a bad day. I proved that after a dress-fitting with my mother.

-September 2014-

The afternoon after the dress-fitting with my mother, Henry sat me down and went to the counter. He ordered two coffees and a slice of chocolate cake covered in ganache with a raspberry crème filling. It was so indulgent, I ate every last crumb of it without an ounce of shame. When I put the last forkful in my mouth, I worried that Henry was going to judge me and my binge. I remember apologizing, and he just had a good chuckle. He said he knew never to get in the way of a downtrodden woman and her piece of chocolate cake. Such a smart man.

We hung out at the table for what seemed like hours. He finally got me laughing and chatting, instead of grumbling about my mother’s demands and insults.

That day was when I knew I was making the right decision marrying Henry. He was mesmerizing, and I could listen to him ramble on for hours about nothing. He always knew what to say or do to make me feel better. And his eyes, his brilliant eyes, had some sort of power over me.

-October 2013-

It was the one year anniversary of my flat tire incident, when Henry insisted on taking me to the café while I waited on a tow truck. We always made fun of all the public cheesy proposals, but what he did fit the bill. It made me laugh, and won me over. It was so cheesy, but so sweet.

I honestly didn’t suspect that he was going to propose. We chatted about it a few times, but never had any heavy conversations about getting married.

“Sit tight, and I’ll be right back,” he said. I watched him walk up to the counter, pick out a piece of chocolate cake and order some coffees. I watched my man stand there, while admiring his amazing ass. He was waiting patiently, and he looked to be zoning out. He was jamming his hand through his hair, messing with the zipper on his coat, and rocking back and forth on his heels. It was obvious something was on his mind. He brought over our slice of cake and coffees, and sat down.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. Why?” He smiled. God, he was so damn adorable.

“You look like there’s something on your mind.”

“Oh, just work stuff. Have some stressful, pressing shit to get done tomorrow.” He spun the piece of cake so the frosted outer edge faced me, and handed me a fork. “Dig in, my black-haired beauty.” I smiled. He knew I wanted that frosting.

I took a bite and moaned. I closed my eyes, savoring the rich and creamy taste and the feel of the frosting in my mouth. I opened my eyes to fork another bite, and he was smiling.

“Promise to make that sound later?” he groaned, looking at me through his long, soft brown lashes.

“Yeah, and many more. I’m going to have to work off these calories somehow.”

He smirked. “I’m quite certain that could be arranged.”

We sat and chatted about nothing for several minutes, and several bites, until I saw something in the cake.

“What the hell? There’s something in the cake.”

“Really? What is it?”

I stuck my fork around it, and realized it was a huge ring. “Oh, geez. Someone’s ring must have fallen into the batter.” I turned in the chair to grab a napkin, and started to clean it up. “It’s a nice one, too. Christ, it must have cost a fortune.”

“Do you like it?”

“Of course I do. It’s stunning. Looks like Tiffany’s.”

“Good. Let me see it.” I handed it over. He took my hand and made me stand up.

“Are we leaving? What are you…?” Immediately, he dropped to one knee. “Oh, my god…Henry…” My body trembled. I looked around, and everyone was looking at us in silent anticipation.

“Elaina, you are the love of my life, and I couldn’t imagine one moment without you in it.” He looked down for a second to take a couple breaths, and when he looked back up, he had tears in his eyes. “I know it hasn’t always been perfect with me, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

“Yes! Oh, my god! Yes!” He jumped up and kissed me, spinning me around.

“Christ, I was so afraid you would say no. I’ve been stressing out over this since I bought the ring.” He slipped it on my finger with shaky hands. Even with chocolate cake on it, the ring was divine.

“Are you kidding me? Of course I would say yes!” There was an eruption of applause in the café. We thanked everyone for their kindness.

We walked up to the counter and thanked the Gemellis for helping with the surprise. They said they were honored to help, and Henry said we would be back in a couple months to pick out a cake for the reception.

We got into his truck, and I started hysterically laughing. “What?” He looked at me with that devious smile.

“You are such a cheeseball.”

He laughed. “That’s why I did it that way. I knew you would see the humor in my clichéd proposal.” He knew me all too well.

-November 2014-

“Elaina? Are you with me?” Henry waved his hand in front of my face.

“Uh, yeah. Yes. I’m sorry.” I looked down, and spun that gorgeous six carat Tiffany cushion-cut ring around my left ring finger. “Let’s go.” I opened the door for Henry, and he went in. I followed behind, watching our backs.

“Sophie!” I whipped around when I heard Henry yell her name. There was some mental-looking guy holding a gun to Sophie’s head behind the cake display counter. “Easy there, neighbor,” Henry said, like he was talking to a spooked horse.

“Henry, who is this guy?” I asked.

“I’m your downstairs neighbor.” He had a grin on his face.

“Let her go, Jacob,” Henry demanded.

“Hmm... No. I don’t think so.” Sophie looked terrified. I raised my Sig, aiming right at the middle of his forehead. He started laughing like a mad man. It was an evil, maniacal laugh. “Aw, look, Barbie. It’s your rescue party.” He laughed, then became serious in an instant. “I don’t think so!” He spit the words out with force.

“Listen…Jacob, was it?” Henry looked at me when I started talking. “Why don’t you let her go?”

“No!” Jacob screamed at me. He brought new meaning to batshit crazy. I could hear Henry’s breathing become more rapid. “Why should I? Huh? Tell me why I should let her go!”

“You don’t know her.” Henry was working hard to keep his voice even and calm, but I knew he was seconds from tweaking out. “Just let her go, Jacob.”

“Piss off, you sick son of a bitch! I saw you kill my wife.
My wife
!” His voice was resonant. Oh, Christ. I have never heard a voice so loud and full of venom. Jacob had an exceptional talent for animated body language while holding someone hostage. It was almost mesmerizing to watch. “You ran over her with your truck! Like she was a piece of trash in the fucking street!” He was struggling to keep his harsh persona up but, in reality, I could see he wanted to shatter into a million pieces on the floor. Henry was allowing him to say what he needed to say. “My wife was an amazing woman! You have no idea who she was, and what she did for me. For everyone! And now? Now, I’m going to make you watch me kill your Barbie!”

He shoved the gun into Sophie’s temple. She winced in pain. She was trying to stay strong, but I could see she was slipping into the darkness and wanted to give up.

“If you kill her, I will take you out, as well.” I put on my big girl panties that morning, and I was wearing them with pride. They may have been all lacey and sexy, but they made my inner “don’t fuck with me” persona come out, ready to dominate the situation.

Sophie looked at me with watery eyes. I think she was assuming that was the last moments of her life. Jacob laughed again.