Wicked Destiny (5 page)

Everything seemed very black and white
, or maybe because everything was black and white.  Looking around, I noticed that all the kitchen appliances were black; his kitchen table was black with white cushions. His couch and love seat was black leather with white pillows. The entertainment center…black. His coffee tables with the matching end tables were black. There was a black and white checkered rug under the coffee table. Looking into his bedroom area, I noted his comforter set was black with black curtains. What was this guy’s deal with color?  Viktor walked out of his bathroom to find me looking at his room.

“Find anything you
like?” He flashed me a grin and I blushed.

“Actually
, no.” And I walked back into the living room where I continued to unpack his CDs.

“Where are you going so fast?”
He had a curious look on his face.

“Well
, you have about a million CDs and DVDs that are taking space on you floor. I figured you might want them on your shelves before you trip over them.”

“You just seem like you’
re running from something. “

“Nope
, not running, but sweating to death. Can you open a window or turn on your ceiling fan?” I took my jacket off and laid it on the gigolo couch.

“Can I ask you something?”  My back was to him as he
opened windows.

“You
can always ask a question. There is a possibility I won’t answer, but go ahead.”  I love being a smart ass.

“Why the angel wings?”
He stood far away, probably in case it was a touchy subject. He obviously wanted to know about my tattoo.

“Well,
I don’t know. I always feel torn in the direction I’m headed. Not that I am a religious fanatic or anything, but I know there’s a Heaven and a Hell. There hasn’t been a lot of good here lately. So one day when I found myself wondering around down town, I walked into a tattoo shop and told them I wanted a set of angel wings outlined in black, the tips colored white. Every now and again I have to get the tips touched up because they fade, and I think I do it mostly because I want to hold on to whatever little bit of good I still have.” That was about as personal as I have been with anyone here lately.

“I like tha
t.  I have a name for you now: Angel.” He was still across the room, but he must have found his feet, because he was walking towards me. He held his hand out and something about this just seemed wrong, but I put my hand in his as he pulled me up. “Dance with me.” It sounded more like a command than a request.

“I haven’t
danced with anyone in a while.” I felt like I was betraying someone who wasn’t even here anymore. Someone who told me to let go, and I did just that.

I let him take me in his arms and
we danced there in his half unpacked living room. It was a good thing the area was big, because we would have tripped over everything. Greg Laswel’s “This Woman’s Worth” was playing, and for some reason I felt at complete ease. I relaxed. I looked up at Viktor as he towered over me and he was looking down at me with big grey eyes. I couldn’t help but wish they were ice blue. I smiled and placed my head on his chest and closed my eyes. He rested his head on top of mine and I thought he actually kissed the top of my head.  We danced like this even throughout the next song, which was Linkin Park’s “Numb”.  Security is what I missed. Someone else’s security, though, not mine. I was tired and exhausted from maintaining this wall I put up. I think it was time to start breaking it down. So, since I shared something, I thought it was time for him to share something.

“Viktor
, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why aren’t there any pictures of your family?”

“Well
, that’s because I don’t have one. Never had a mother or a father and, well, as for friends, guys don’t really walk around with a camera taking pictures so they can frame them.  That’s more of a girl thing.”

“That’s funny.”
He pulled back and looked at me. “No-no. About the camera thing. I didn’t mean about your parents. I never knew my parents, either.”

“Is that why you put
on this bad girl act, so you’ll get attention?”

“No
, that’s not why. If you must know, I trusted someone once and it didn’t end well, obviously. He broke my heart and I haven’t been the same since.”

“What do you mean? You are beautiful. Are you sure you just didn’t
open your eyes and finally wake up?”

“I
never thought of it that way. Back then, I was different. I wore dresses, no tattoos, no hair dyes, and the extreme make-up and clothing I never wore. My natural color is blonde and I was all natural. Shay used to call me Plain Jane.  It’s like after he left everything went dark.”

“So
, it was him?”

“Yea
h, but I really don’t want to talk about him.”

“That’s fine
. Let’s talk about…Florida.”

“Florida?”

“Yes, Florida. Well, Panama City Beach, to be exact.”

“When?”

“I was thinking this week sometime we can leave. I have a condo there. Don’t worry, there are two bedrooms so you can have your own room and bathroom. I’m thinking we can beat all the spring breakers there so it’s a lot quieter.”

“I have to work.”

“Nope, no you don’t. You told that guy Jared that you were taking a vacation. What are you going to do? Stay here in your loft and lock yourself up? Come with me. It will be so much fun.”

I couldn’t believe we wer
e still dancing and he now wanted me to go to Florida with him.  “OK, but I need to know where it is and a number just in case Shay can’t get me on my cell.”

“Wow
, should I be asking Shay for permission first?” He was grinning, but in all seriousness he should.

“It probably wouldn’t hurt if you talk to her.”

“You are serious.”

“I am.
You have no idea how close we are. She is the closest thing to family that I have.”  Then I remembered last night and the fact that he had someone here with him, or he went to someone else’s place. “You know, I think this is a little fast. I mean, you were just here last night with someone and now you want me to go somewhere with you.”

“Sloane
, no one has been here.”

“Shay sa
w you leave with someone else. Please, don’t start off lying to me, because this’ll end badly and I think we’re actually having a great time.”

“I’m telling you the truth.
I did leave with someone, but I walked her to the next club next door to meet her friends so they could take her home. Then I came home and took a shower.”

“How do I know you’
re telling me the truth?”

“You don’t.
You just have to learn to trust me. I just met you. What reason do I have to lie to you?”

“I don’t just trust people
, Viktor.”

“I can see that.
How about we hold off on the trip until you know you can trust me, and then we can go and have some fun?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“You can even bring Shay to make you feel more comfortable.”

Even like this he got me.
Viktor knew Shay was my comfort zone. As long as she was close, I was OK and he seemed just as ‘OK’ with that. Could he be the one to break this spell I was under? I thought about the possibility of me actually be getting over Declan after all this time. 

We continued to dance at a slow pace
, turning in circles as he caressed my hand in his that rested over his heart. What were the odds of two troubled souls finding each other like this? This could be the beginning of something good or a recipe for disaster. Either way, something big was going to happen. We swayed to the music playing on his radio, and before I lost who I was, I excused myself. He walked me to the door and I felt him watching me as I left. I never looked over my shoulder to give him one last smile.
You always leave them wanting more
, I told myself, as I put my key in the door to let myself into my loft.

Chapter 3

Closing my door behind me, I smiled. I glanced at my clock and noticed it wasn’t even noon yet. I was never up this early. Well, I was up and was wired from the Starbucks. I felt like I was all dressed up with nowhere to go. What should I do? Looking around my place, nothing needed to be cleaned because I was never really here; all I did here was eat and sleep. And the image of Viktor was stuck in my head. That incredulous smile he had was intoxicating and the sudden urge to capture it came over me. 

I ran to my room and grabbed my camera
, and then switched into my riding clothes. It was such a beautiful day today that I just needed to ride and take some pictures. I kept my bike in the studio portion of my building. Walking into my studio, I lifted the sheet that rested over it and it was beautiful. Midnight black with a midnight blue pearl and a helmet to match.  It was a 2007 Suzuki GSXR 750.  It wasn’t the 1000 version, but I figured any more power than this would get me in more trouble, or worse. I pushed my way through the door and put the kick stand down so that I could put my riding jacket on. Holding my gloves in my mouth and locking the door, I couldn’t help but look in Viktor’s direction. Another smile crept its way onto my face. 

As I got to the parking lot
, I took the towel I kept in the back compartment and wiped her down. It’d been a while since I last rode her. It took me about thirty minutes to do it all properly, and then I made sure my black riding suit didn’t have any dust on it, either. I put the towel and my camera back into the compartment and started her up as I mounted the back. As I sat there letting the motor warm up, I put my hair into a ponytail to keep it decent for when I took my helmet off. But it really didn’t matter.

My day just went to shit.

Viktor
walked out with one of our neighbors and he stopped immediately in his tracks. Not wanting to ruin the rest of the day with explanations, I slammed my helmet on and left one solid track as I left the parking lot. 

Damn it!
I thought to myself.
Why does this always happen to me
? Do I not deserve to have one ounce of happiness?

I drove
uptown and then did a U-turn to take me back towards the downtown area. Driving was probably the best therapy for me. It must’ve been the feeling of being in control that was soothing to me. Well, I brought my camera, so I might as well take some pictures. I took a shortcut to take me to Lake Oliver. I drove to the top of the hill, above the docks, to see if there was anything worth capturing. Nothing was going on, so I drove back down town towards the river walk. I knew I’d catch something there.

Pulling up at the Coca Cola Space Center
, I parked my bike and looked around. I retrieved my camera and saw some kids playing in the water. I immediately started taking pictures. It was two little blonde kids, a boy and a girl, and they must have been siblings. At that moment, I envied them. I never had that luxury. Shay was the closest thing to a sister I’d ever had and it still wasn’t the same. Maybe if I had a brother or sister I wouldn’t feel so alone in this world. Maybe I wouldn’t be the only alien. 

After snapping about twenty pictures of them splashing and kicking
in the water, their mother tried to get them out, and as if the two of them could read each other’s minds, they double teamed their mother by splashing her as much as possible. I quit snapping pictures to see what the mother’s reaction was. I didn’t know if I needed to run inference for the two young kids. Looking at her face, I would’ve never expected her reaction. I thought they were done for, but then she put all her might into splashing the two little ones. Laughter and cheer filled the air and I felt like I was invading their personal moment. Though, the sight of their mother scooping them up and hugging them tight as their teeth chattered was an amazing sight. 

I watched as she hurried them to their car so
she could get them warmed up. I could tell she was cold too. As soon as they pulled off, I heard a bike pull up behind me. It was red and black with the
Hayabusa
symbol. The rider wore a black and red riding jacket with the helmet to match. Something about him told me I knew him, even though I didn’t recognize the bike.

It was Viktor.

I immediately began
to walk off before he could even cut the engine. I made my way down the steps to the actual river walk and bumped right into Viktor.

“What? How?
” How did he get there before me when I left him by his bike?

“I ran down the
hill.” He pointed to the side. “Why are you running from me?” 

“I’m
not running. In fact, my day is just fine.” I smiled my best smile.

“Yea
h, I bet it is, especially after leaving about a twenty foot drag out the parking lot.”

“Viktor, what do you want
? And most importantly, why do you even care? We just met yesterday? We are nothing to each other, so why are you putting all this extra effort into something that doesn’t exist?”

“Someone really did a number on you. You really don’t trust anyone, do you?” All I could do was look at him and try not to let any emotion show.

“Again, that’s
none of your business. Why don’t you go back and play house with Sophia, the neighbor.” I tried to walk off, but he grabbed me by my arm.

“She saw me knocking on your door,”
he said, grinding his teeth together, “and when you didn’t answer, she followed me out the building. She saw you before I did and slid her arm around mine. That’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, then forget it.” He let go of my arm and started back up the steps, taking them two at a time.

“You asked why I’m making such
an effort, Sloane, and right now I don’t know. Before I actually had fun with you today and I thought it would’ve been something special. I guess I’m just a fool who’s been fooled.” Like that, he was gone. I heard the bike start up and the motor fading out as he sped away.

W
ho did he think he was anyway? I just met him. Viktor was a complete stranger and I knew nothing about him, and yet I felt compelled to be near him. It was the oddest feeling—something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Standing there, I felt the wall I’d been building up slowly chip away. I needed to talk to Shay, but I knew she wasn’t awake yet. So I figured the day shouldn’t be a total wash.

Walking further down the river
walk, I noticed an older couple walking hand-in-hand.  The woman had her head resting on her husband’s shoulder and his was rested on her head. It was so sweet and intimate. I snapped a couple of pictures and the old man must have heard me, because they stopped and they both looked at me.  I felt like a peeping tom, but they smiled and I snapped their final picture. I walked over to the rail and looked out at the water. It was a rusty brown color, but what else would you expect the Chattahoochee to be? Looking around, I saw that everyone and everything had something with them. I saw two dogs playing together across the river; two birds were flying, ducking and weaving through the air. I guess it was couple’s day today. Yep, the lonesome was defiantly taking over. I reached in and took out my cell to call Shay.

“Hey, you’ve reached Shay-Baby.
I can’t answer your call right now, so leave a message and I will get back to you...” 

“Hey, I was just wonde
ring if you were up, but I guess not. Just call me later.”

It was
time to call it a day. I was suddenly tired, and as I was walking back toward the steps, I caught sight of a familiar male stature across the river on the Alabama side. I knew that stance anywhere, and even though I told myself it couldn’t be, it was Declan. He stood there walking along the river bank tossing rocks into the water. I took out my camera again and zoomed in. 
There he was with his sandy blonde-brown hair and piercing icy blue eyes.

It was him for sure.

He was dressed in faded
, holey jeans and a white t-shirt that hugged his body. He looked bigger as if he had either been doing more manual labor or actually working out. Just as I snapped a picture of him, he froze and looked straight at me. Did he see me? He couldn’t have, could he? I lowered the camera and looked straight at him. The wind started to blow and then the force of it grew. I’d hardly noticed. We just stood there, gazes locked on each other. I’m not even sure for how long we stood there like this. It wasn’t until I heard my name in my own head.

“
Sloane?”

Immediately
, I snapped out of it. His stance changed, and before anything else happened, I ran to my bike and didn’t look back. For one, I’d never experienced that outside my dreams and seeing Declan face to face was something I never thought I would ever do. Today was not the day for experimenting.

As I reached my bike
, I quickly zipped up my jacket and threw on my helmet without worrying about my hair. As I switched on the bike. I looked up and Declan was running in my direction. I didn’t think. I reacted and peeled out of there before anymore weirdness happened. I pulled into the parking lot and drove up on the sidewalk. Just as I was walking to prop the doors open so that I could walk my bike in, I heard screeching tires in the parking lot.