“I’m looking for Torrent,” I answer her, clearing my voice and shifting back and forth on my feet. I feel way out of my depth here for sure.
“Torrent?” she parrots, studying me. “Are you her natural father?”
I blink. Fuck, I’m not that old. Torrent is younger than me, sure—but she’s not that damn young.
“Hell no,” I answer before I can stop myself and I instantly see the distaste on her face. “I’m… I’m a friend.”
“A friend?” she asks, her eyes narrowing.
“This is the guy that Sister Torrent was sneaking off to see, Mother Superior,” a girl answers from the corner of the room.
I look over at her and it doesn’t surprise me that it’s the chick that followed Torrent to the park three days ago.
Three days.
I haven’t seen Torrent in three days. I kept going to the park, hoping she’d change her mind or at least come back to scream at me—something. But she’s been silent. I haven’t so much as caught a glimpse of her and that’s bullshit. She owes me at least a little more of an explanation.
“I see,” the woman referred to as Mother Superior responds and I swear the temperature in the room drops another ten degrees.
“I want to see Torrent,” I state again, refusing to back down. If this gets her in hot water, then she has no one to blame but herself.
“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” she responds.
“I’m afraid that’s not good enough. I came here to see Torrent and I’m not leaving until I do. So you need to get her… Now.” I counter.
“I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can—”
“She means she can’t because Torrent’s not here,” the other girl answers snidely. I don’t like the bitch. Sometimes you can look at someone and see the hate in them. This girl is chock full of hate. How they ever let her in this place I don’t have any idea. I thought nuns had to be loving and giving? The only thing this chick could give you would be a fucking headache.
“Where is she?”
“She left,” the girls answers, speaking over top of the other one.
“Where did she go?”
“I—”
“That’s enough. Go back to your room, Elise. This is not your concern.”
“But—”
“Now.”
“Yes, Mother Superior,” Elise says. She casts me another look full of hate and bitterness and walks away.
“Where is she?”
“I’m afraid I do not know. One of the sisters reported that Torrent got an urgent call in the middle of the night from her family. She was missing when we reported for breakfast the next morning. She left in the middle of the night and took all of her belongings.”
“Did you contact her family?”
“We did, not that I can see that it is your business. How well do you know Sister Torrent?”
“I know enough to know that she doesn’t belong here,” I growl. I want answers and I’m not getting a damn one.
“Where does she belong? With you?”
“She’d be happier with me than here,” I defend, suddenly feeling like an idiot.
“Just because one gives their life over to God, it doesn’t mean they are unhappy,” she says and immediately I feel out of my depth.
“I didn’t mean that… Not exactly.”
“If something is not your choice that doesn’t necessarily make it a wrong one.”
“I’m sorry, Sister…” I’m getting the feeling that I’ve had my ass handed to me.
“In any event, Torrent isn’t here and I don’t know where she is.”
“You don’t know how to contact her?”
“I’m afraid not. She had family, but we don’t have their information and—”
“But—”
“And even if I did, Mr….?”
“Dupree,” I answer, feeling the last hope I’ve harbored fade away.
“Even if I did, Mr. Dupree, I couldn’t give it to you.”
“I want—”
“I don’t have any information, but maybe you should consider something, Mr. Dupree.”
“What’s that?”
“Maybe Torrent left because she made her choice and you weren’t it,” she says and then she walks away.
She leaves me standing there and with her she takes away the last hope of talking to Torrent.
It’s over.
No… That’s wrong… It never really began.
Torrent was never in my reach.Devil“What in the hell is wrong with you lately?” Diesel asks. I look up at the son of a bitch and frown.
“Not a thing, why?”
“Ever since I sent you on that errand for Skull you’ve been sullen as a damn mule.”
“Sometimes that country boy in you comes through, Diesel,” Fury cracks, thinking he’s funny. Diesel flips him off and ignores him. He’s not wrong but Diesel doesn’t laugh much these days. Hell, considering they’ve tried to kidnap his boy over and over, I can’t say as I blame him. Diesel is a walking poster child for why you should be careful where you stick your dick without protection. Of course no one realized Vicky was a complete whack-a-doo—until it was too late.
“Well?” Diesel asks and I run my hand through my hair and look at the almost empty bottle of beer I’m holding. He’s right. I’m a fucking mess. I’ve been grieving the loss of Torrent for a fucking month. Grieving a woman who was playing games and was never mine.