“NO!” I scream in the darkness. Grabbing my keys, I jump back in my car and race toward her house. This is not how I will lose her. She belongs to me. With me. I have to make her listen. She has to know she is my lifeline. My oxygen mask on the fallen plane of my existence. At this moment my son could be in her belly growing, being created. NO! She will come back to me. Banging on the door, I scream out her name, hoping her father comes to the door so I can blow past him and kidnap his daughter. Like father, like son.
Nothing. No sound. No light. Fuck this. I kick open the door, screaming her name only to find the house empty…desolate. Like my life without her. In his office, I find a note.
You will never find her now.
On my knees I fall shouting her name. “NOOOOOVAAAAA!”
That was four days ago. Four long, agonizing, dark and debilitating days. At least I think it has been four days. It's funny how much time you lose in the bottom of a whiskey bottle. I spent the first two days looking for her. Scouring any and everything I knew about Simon Michaels. I know he didn’t take her to Russia because I had every manifest, private airline and all traffic channels bugged and watched. But still nothing. Day 3 or what I think was day three, was when the playlist hit Chris Stapleton Tennessee Whiskey and Justin Timberlake Drink You Away.
My phone has long died and so has my heart. without her here to resuscitate it when it stops, it never restarted. Banging on my door has become my new normal as those around me tried to get in. That God for Iron reinforced doors. Now, playing throughout my house is Bob Moses, Nothing but You.
I pass back out at some point. I must have because when the darkness came again I was alone. Now I open my eyes and I am looking at these disappointed faces. “What the fuck are y'all doing here and how the hell did you get in?”
“You forget you gave me the key?” I hear Julius and turn. “Damn cuz. You look like shit.” he says, chuckling.
“Fuck you. All of you can go.” I turn back toward the inside of my sofa, not giving two shits if they go or stay.
“What did I tell you LT. He won’t care that we know where the girl is?” turning, I look at their faces for bullshit, but all I see is stone cold.
“You found her?” I sit up running my hands through my hair like she can see me right now. “Where is she?”
“Michaels has a safehouse, apparently in Florida. I found it under his wife's name. Funny thing is, when we asked her sister about it, she let us know her sister hated Florida and would never own property there. Did I mention no one has seen his wife in weeks?”
“No one?”
“No one. She went to see her sister and never made it and hasn’t been heard from since. Michaels is certainly not looking for her.” Dead fuck.
“Tell Seamus and Halifax I need the 747 ready in thirty.” My mind has switched into rescue mode. She may be with her father but she doesn’t know who he is and what he has done. If he has figured out who I am and that she was sleeping with the enemy, he won’t let her get away with that. Off the couch, I rush to my steel toes and grab my black hat. Keys in hand I'm about to walk out the door when my cousin's words stop me.
“You should tell him the rest.” What the fuck else could there be? My life has already turned into trillions of unrecoverable pieces. She is the only thing I can touch and fix.
“Well someone tell me what the hell is going on. I don’t have time for this shit.” They look at one another before looking at the LT. He turns to me.
“The guy with the tap on Zakharov’s phone came through. It appears that Michaels promised him a young, fertile, obedient, virgin wife as part of the deal.” I am about to ask him what the fuck that has to do with me, right when the blood rushes to my head.
“Nova?!” they all nod and I hear the river running through my ears. Deep breaths. I need deep breaths. “What the fuck. They will kill her when Zakharov realizes she isn’t a virgin. Anyone that doesn’t want to come on this blackspot” that is what we call unsanctioned personal missions, “can leave now and I won’t hold it against you, but I am going to get my woman.” I walk out not sure who is following me and not caring.