Her Eyes

Chapter 33: CRUELTY

As soon as Alex left the hospital he sped over to the Bates' house. Norma wasn't in the office and she wasn't answering the door. He was worried about her—more worried than he has ever been about anybody. He quickly searched the steps, remembering Keith kept a spare key underneath one of the planks. Once inside his ran throughout the house looking for her. He ended up in her bedroom. A feeling of guilt washed over him as he entered. It's not like he hadn't been in there before—it's just this time she wasn't there and there wasn't a dead body lying in her bed. Soon he heard the front door slam shut. As he got to the top of the steps she was already inside the house peering up at him. "Where the hell have you been?" he shouted, jogging down to steps to meet her.

"I went to the phone store. What are you doing in my house? What's going on?" She looked at him as if nothing had happened, though he knew something had. He hated how nonchalant she was about everything.

"Why haven't you answered any of your texts for thirty-six hours? I thought you were dead." He huffed; he hoped she noticed that he was hurt.

She stared back at him dumbfounded. "I just lost my phone. Why does everyone immediately jump to I died?" She didn't notice his injury. She turned and walked over to the kitchen.

He followed her. "Maybe I jumped to it because you put yourself and me in a vulnerable position making that 'alleged' deal with Bob Paris." He stared into her eyes when he finally reached her.

She wasn't the same. She was keeping her distance from him. "Alex, don't start. I am not dead." She stared back at him plainly. "I'm alive...you're alive. Whoopie." His heart panged as she walked away from him to set her bags on the counter.

She didn't care that he was hurt—that's what hurt him the most. "Well somebody tried to kill me, and I can only assume it was a message from Bob." He hoped she knew what he was getting at, but—

"Are you sure?" she asked in disbelief. "Bob seemed fine." And now she was taking Bob's side. He was losing her. "I just don't think that you should assume that he's the one that tried to kill you." She shot him a matter of fact look before turning her back to him.

She was unbelievable. He would do anything for this woman, but she wouldn't even give him an ounce of sympathy. "You know I could be dead. I did get shot at." He hoped it hurt. He hoped it hurt as much as him spending all night and day worrying about her safety.

She turned around to face him. "Well it looks like it went right through you."

Out of all the arguments they've had, this one was the worst, mainly because he could tell that she didn't care how he felt. Normally he would have brushed it off, but nothing could numb the pain he was feeling. He was done hoping that she'd notice him the way he noticed her. He was done being nice. "Where's the flash drive?"

"Why do you have to drag my flash drive into it?" He'd hit something. He could see the rage rising within her.

He couldn't believe the way she was treating him after everything he's done for her. "You wanted me as an ally." He shot her a hard look. "I gave that to you. I respected you."

She sighed, thinking it over. "Fine. Dylan hid it at the farm. It's taped under a grow light timer at the cabin. Some kid named Gunner knows how to open it." He began to walk out of the kitchen—he had everything he needed. "What kind of a name is Gunner anyway?"

"A stupid one." He felt his anger fume as he left the house.

He had calmed down by the time he got to the farm. When he got out of the SUV a dog ran up to him. It reminded him of the german shepherd he used to have—Jack was his name. Alex smiled at the thought as Gunner approached him. "Hey, Gunner."