no turning back

• forty one •

elijah

Throwing open the car door, I stepped out and headed toward the house. A huge sigh of relief filtered out of me as I thought about coming home at last to my little wife. The days had recently blurred together while I worked on opening a new warehouse in Little Rock. My logistics company was expanding rapidly, and while busy business was good business, I didn't like leaving Gladys as often as I did. Pencil Dick was, ironically, the only reason I felt comfortable doing so.

Since their expedition to the pharmacy went well a few days ago, she had been rather subdued. I expected her to relish her newfound freedom, but they hadn't left again. It was something I'd been wanting to interrogate Gladys about, but she was usually asleep or eating dinner. With my preoccupations with work behind me, I decided I would corner her and talk about her mood lately.

My entrance through the side door was met with silence. Kicking off my shoes, I checked the kitchen and the living room but they were empty. I headed directly upstairs to the master bedroom. The sheets on the bed were askew but vacant. My pulse pounded a bit harder as I walked to the window to scan the yard beyond.

Aside from the horse grazing in the pasture, there were no signs of life. My mind conjured those abominable thoughts I tried to stave off, knowing they did me no good.

Has Ammu come? Did Pencil Dick take her away? Did she run away?

My gaze landed on the bathroom door, my heart climbing into my throat. I didn't allow any thoughts to follow and rushed to the door, throwing it open. Bubbles dappled the surface of a full tub, a small head poking out of it. Her eyes peeled open and focused on me.

I sighed and dipped my head back, taking a hand through my hair. She was fine. She was always fine. Why the fuck can't I keep this anxiety under control?

"Hey," she greeted softly. "You okay?"

Approaching the tub, I sat on the rim and dipped my hands in the lukewarm water. "I didn't know where you were is all. How long have you been in here?"

She looked up at the ceiling and shrugged. "Maybe thirty minutes."

"Well, the water's cold now. You'll get sick," I said as I got up to grab a towel. When I turned back, she made no move to drain the tub or get out. I frowned. "Is something wrong, Angel?"

Shaking her head, she leaned forward to pull the plug from the drain. Her silence and lack of eye contact did not convince me. I folded my arms, tucked the towel under my pit, and glared. After a few still moments, she looked up at me.

"What?" she asked while hugging her knees to her chest. The water slowly lurched toward the drain, receding around her and exposing her freckles and smooth complexion.

I forced my eyes to hers before my train of thought derailed. "Something is wrong. Tell me."

She looked away, biting the corner of her mouth. "It's just not anything you can help."

"Try me, Princess."

"I already know what you're going to say," she pouted.

"And what's that?" I asked, my amused tone earning a venomous stare.

Without looking away, she leaned back against the tub and crossed her arms. Her breasts swelled at the action and I couldn't stop myself from taking a long gander at the view. The water had now recessed to her waistline, showing the plush hourglass shape of her core. I swallowed back a groan as my cock twitched.