– the one who chose to live, to keep going despite the shit hand she’d been dealt. I didn’t have that person, there was nothing inside me. That person was still crushed inside steel on a two lane highway 20 minutes south of where I now stood.
“Put it on your head, Eleni.”
Hesitating for only a second more, she finally shrugged and brought the frozen bag to her forehead. When she complied, I nodded and moved back to the fridge to pull out ingredients for our meal.
“Can I get some water?”
If I hadn’t been listening intently, I wouldn’t have heard her words. They were spoken so softly, I couldn’t be sure that they were real. Turning around slowly, I glanced at the sullen look on her face.
“Admitting defeat so soon?”
She smiled shyly and I couldn’t help but return the gesture. Holding up her hands, she sighed before she stated, “I’m thirsty, okay. You’re right. I’m dehydrated as fuck and I feel like shit. I still don’t want to eat your damn food and I hate asking anything from you at all; but, you’re right about one thing: I fight. I’ll fight you or any other bastard who attempts to hurt me…”
“But you won’t fight yourself?”
“Will you stop with that, please?” Tears threatened her eyes and I watched as she struggled to control her reaction. “You’ve got me trapped in some strange place, in some stupid fucking pink nighty and instead of being a NORMAL fucking kidnapper, all you want to do is throw it in my face of how fucked up I am? Do you enjoy pouring salt on my fucked up wounds? Is this some kind of added insult to the injury that makes you feel somehow better about yourself? You’ve stolen a living, breathing person – a HUMAN FUCKING BEING - and I don’t even know what to say about that. What the fuck is your name anyway? I don’t even know what to call you!”
“Master.”
Her eyes widened and I laughed. In all honesty, it would have made me vomit if she acquiesced so easily to using that term.
“My name is Gabriel.”
For the first time since I’d met her, she looked at me without animosity or some false front. Staring for a few seconds, her hand moved to her thigh and, without conscious thought, she ran her thumb over the tattooed angel and said, “I love that name.”
Slowly, I took steps towards the table, grabbed a chair and turned it backwards to sit down. “Yeah, about that…” I said while lowering myself into the chair. “Why the angel Gabriel, Eleni? What caused you to pick that image to permanently brand onto your skin?”
The silence was thick between us and I watched as she battled herself, not knowing whether to tell me to fuck off or to finally just give in and talk.
She surprised me when she opened her mouth and spoke.
Chapter Seventeen
~ Eleni ~
At that moment, something shifted between us. I wouldn’t forget what he’d done to me, but I didn’t see him solely as a monster. Small bits of another side him flashed out every so often, making me realize that beneath the black clothes, the tattoos and the bitter exterior, there was a man who was as lost as me. He was just as vulnerable as I was, even if he didn’t allow his hardcore front to be impacted by my angry words. Now, as I was sitting there with him, guzzling down a glass of water he’d served me, I took the time to tell him about my most important tattoo.
“Did you know when the angel Gabriel appeared in the bible, he scared people?” I paused for a moment, and let that fact sit with him for a moment. I had his undivided attention and it was obvious that he hung on my every word. His attention was new to me and I felt shy to finally have someone listen – really listen – to what I had to say. He wasn’t some drunken asshole out for a piece, or my idiot friend pretending to understand my thoughts – he was a man who I’d only known for a day or so and one who seemed to understand the person I was inside.
“When Daniel met the angel Gabriel, he was so
“Put it on your head, Eleni.”
Hesitating for only a second more, she finally shrugged and brought the frozen bag to her forehead. When she complied, I nodded and moved back to the fridge to pull out ingredients for our meal.
“Can I get some water?”
If I hadn’t been listening intently, I wouldn’t have heard her words. They were spoken so softly, I couldn’t be sure that they were real. Turning around slowly, I glanced at the sullen look on her face.
“Admitting defeat so soon?”
She smiled shyly and I couldn’t help but return the gesture. Holding up her hands, she sighed before she stated, “I’m thirsty, okay. You’re right. I’m dehydrated as fuck and I feel like shit. I still don’t want to eat your damn food and I hate asking anything from you at all; but, you’re right about one thing: I fight. I’ll fight you or any other bastard who attempts to hurt me…”
“But you won’t fight yourself?”
“Will you stop with that, please?” Tears threatened her eyes and I watched as she struggled to control her reaction. “You’ve got me trapped in some strange place, in some stupid fucking pink nighty and instead of being a NORMAL fucking kidnapper, all you want to do is throw it in my face of how fucked up I am? Do you enjoy pouring salt on my fucked up wounds? Is this some kind of added insult to the injury that makes you feel somehow better about yourself? You’ve stolen a living, breathing person – a HUMAN FUCKING BEING - and I don’t even know what to say about that. What the fuck is your name anyway? I don’t even know what to call you!”
“Master.”
Her eyes widened and I laughed. In all honesty, it would have made me vomit if she acquiesced so easily to using that term.
“My name is Gabriel.”
For the first time since I’d met her, she looked at me without animosity or some false front. Staring for a few seconds, her hand moved to her thigh and, without conscious thought, she ran her thumb over the tattooed angel and said, “I love that name.”
Slowly, I took steps towards the table, grabbed a chair and turned it backwards to sit down. “Yeah, about that…” I said while lowering myself into the chair. “Why the angel Gabriel, Eleni? What caused you to pick that image to permanently brand onto your skin?”
The silence was thick between us and I watched as she battled herself, not knowing whether to tell me to fuck off or to finally just give in and talk.
She surprised me when she opened her mouth and spoke.
Chapter Seventeen
~ Eleni ~
At that moment, something shifted between us. I wouldn’t forget what he’d done to me, but I didn’t see him solely as a monster. Small bits of another side him flashed out every so often, making me realize that beneath the black clothes, the tattoos and the bitter exterior, there was a man who was as lost as me. He was just as vulnerable as I was, even if he didn’t allow his hardcore front to be impacted by my angry words. Now, as I was sitting there with him, guzzling down a glass of water he’d served me, I took the time to tell him about my most important tattoo.
“Did you know when the angel Gabriel appeared in the bible, he scared people?” I paused for a moment, and let that fact sit with him for a moment. I had his undivided attention and it was obvious that he hung on my every word. His attention was new to me and I felt shy to finally have someone listen – really listen – to what I had to say. He wasn’t some drunken asshole out for a piece, or my idiot friend pretending to understand my thoughts – he was a man who I’d only known for a day or so and one who seemed to understand the person I was inside.
“When Daniel met the angel Gabriel, he was so
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