Semua Bab Drengr: Bab 31 - Bab 39

I looked at my watch again as we lay in bed. Charlotte was still asleep. It was Saturday morning and almost five a.m. I rolled over and started tapping her on her shoulder with my finger.“Stop it,” she groaned.I chuckled and started tapping her shoulder again. She shifted away from me and I smiled.“What’s wrong with you?” I moved closer to her and kissed her shoulder.“It’s time to get up,” I said.“Why? It’s Saturday,” she complained and pulled the covers over her head.“Because I said so. I’m the boss of this house,” I said and started tapping her shoulder again.“Blake, I’m going to hurt you,” she said with her eyes still closed.“Promise?” I asked and laughed. I shifted on the bed and hovered over her. “Get up!” I fell down on top of her and started tickling her. She was screaming and laughing at the same time and once or twice called me words that should never pass a woman’s lips.I ducked at the door as Charlotte’s shoe flew past my head and went downstairs. She was awake and

Nataly opened the gate and we all drove into the parking area of her building. We made our way over to the elevators and an old lady was looking us up and down.“Hello, Mrs. Duffard,” Nataly said.“Oh, hello dear.” She leaned in closer to Nataly and looked disapprovingly at us. “You shouldn’t hang around with all these men. What will people say?” I started chuckling and Nick jabbed me in the ribs.“These are just friends from work,” Nataly said.“If you say so, dear,” the old woman said and got off on her floor.“Yeah, Nataly. What will people say?” Charlie quipped as the doors closed again.“Oh, shut up,” Nataly said and laughed.It felt like old times, the team working together, laughing, joking and competing together. It almost felt like Nataly was my friend again. We ordered food and settled down in her living room.My phone vibrated in my pocket and I saw it was Max. “Excuse me,” I said and walked toward the back of Nataly’s apartment and answered.“Hi Max, can I call you—”“Blak

“Hi,” I answered my phone.“You clean up nice, little bro,” Jack said and I smiled. His call was right on schedule.“You would hate it. This really isn’t your scene,” I said and he laughed. I could picture him in his dimly lit office in front of his many computer screens, typing away and listening to radio calls and checking camera feeds.“Yeah, I can only imagine the torture of free booze and uninhibited women everywhere. Horrific,” he said as I scanned the room.I saw Lydia walking towards the bar and she glanced at me. Her smile widened when we made eye contact and I smiled back at her.“Is that why you called me?” I asked him.“No. I just called to say that June’s invited you to the kids birthday party on Sunday,” he said.“I’ll let you know. You do realize that I’m already supposed to be alone with the wife,” I said.“Have fun,” Jack said and smiled.I placed our call on hold and I watched Lydia from across the room. I could wait patiently. The perfect timing was when the laughte

I parked the bike in my apartment building’s parking lot and went upstairs to my apartment. I didn’t even bother to switch the lights on as I took the bloodied clothes off and stepped into the shower. I stood under the scalding water and scrubbed everything off me.I sat down on the edge of my bed and for the first time in my life, I cried. I cried out the guilt of Robert’s suicide because I might as well have killed him myself. I hadn’t felt bad when I killed Lydia, only afterward when Robert found her, did it hit me. His pain had become my pain.Robert Gold had been my friend for ten years and even though most of what he knew about me had been a lie, we’d still been friends. We had spent real time together and I couldn’t be sure that my reaction was due to me never having suffered a personal loss or if I was losing my edge.I got dressed in my riding gear and packed my backpack. I locked up my apartment and drove home to Epworth on the bike. The highway was basically empty but not o