After paying for our net guns, we exit the hunting store and Abraham drives us to the hotel. Mitch sits in the back seat and stares at his laptop, while I stare at my phone. Trevor hasn't texted or called yet and I'm anxious to know how the animals are doing. Taking a deep breath, I click his name and hold the phone to my ear. It goes straight to voicemail and I leave a message, trying to ignore the worries inside my head.
"Hey, Trevor, I'm just calling to see how things are. I am currently in Mississippi, staying in a fancy hotel that the French Government is paying for. So, guess who is going to be getting shitfaced tonight?" I laugh. "I hope you're ok. I miss you. Call me when you can."
I end the call with a sigh and stare straight ahead out of the window.
"Everything ok?" Abraham asks with a small smile on his face.
"I think so." I glance at him fleetingly. "I'm just worried about the animals. Trevor knows what he's doing, but I miss being at a place I call home."
He chuckles. "I miss Botswana. The sunsets are amazing." He pauses as if he is unsure how to phrase his next words. "Are you and Trevor together?"
This time I laugh. "No. We tried it for a bit, but I was in a bad place and we're too the same. You know the saying 'opposites attract', well Trev and I are too similar. After that, I never really had time for a relationship. I was always too busy with the animals or intercepting illegal pet trades."
"I hear you. Life is way too complicated for relationships. I mean, who really has the time to go out and meet someone?"
I smile sadly. "Once this is all over, I am going set you up with someone. I firmly believe in soulmates. You just need to find the one."
"It's a deal." He grins.
We arrive at the hotel before the others and Mitch checks us in. Chloe and Jamie are sharing a room and so are Abraham and Jackson. Mitch and I have our own rooms; thank god. I don't think having Mitch and me in such close quarters is a good idea. On the other hand, being alone for the first time in a long time is scary. I usually surround myself with animals or Trevor to prevent my thoughts from taking over. I guess alcohol is the only option here.
It's a bar, but everyone is attempting to appear proper in their high-end suits and attires. I'm the only one that looks normal ... but I guess 'normal' is relative, right? It's a fancy place alright, a sort of minimalist-classical, but that's okay for me. I was born to stand out and the whiskey here is pretty darn good.
I swirl the whiskey in my glass, listening to the chinking of the ice cubs, breathing in a fragrance that only years in an oak barrel can achieve. Already the worries of the day are beginning to fade, even before the first taste. Just watching its gentle vortex is hypnotizing enough. There is no animal apocalypse, no crazed wolf to track, no family problems; there is just aged single-malt direct from Scotland. It is my one vice and I intend to make a virtue of it, savour it, not race to the bottom of the bottle like I did after the divorce. When the liquid settles, I bring it to my lipstick faded lips and let the amber fluid sit in my mouth a while before swallowing. I close my eyes, dwelling only on the flavour. God, it is good.
My phone ringing breaks me from my heavenly trance. Immediately my mind goes to Trevor and I press the small green button.
"Hey!" I exclaim excitedly.
"I didn't think you'd be so happy to hear from me." A familiar, but unwanted voice mutters.
There seems to be a ringing in my ears as the rest of the world goes silent.
"Danny." I gulp. "What a pleasant surprise."
"I'm not sure the word 'pleasant' is what comes to mind."
I sigh. "What do you want?"
"We need to talk in person."
"I'm not part of your life anymore, Danny. I don't have to drop everything and run to you like a good dog."
He scoffs. "I never asked for you to be like that."
"You were controlling!" I growl. "You put me down every time you could. I told myself every time that you loved me." Tears prick at my eyes, but I'm determined not to cry.
"I made you a better person!" He defends. "We changed things that mattered to people."
"We made the rich richer." I mutter. "We didn't do anything good. I'm a completely different person. A better person."
He laughs. "A better person? You can't change your past, no matter how hard you try. The things you did. The people you hurt. You can never change that. No matter how much money you donate to charity or how many animals you rescue. I know the real you."
Tears fall silently out of my eyes as memories of my past life surface. My hand trembles as I down the rest of my whiskey.
"What do you want?" I snarl.
"As I said, we need to talk in person. Where are you? I can fly out tonight."
"Biloxi, Mississippi."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
He ends the call abruptly, but I remain in the same position, staring at my empty glass as silent tears drip down my face.
"Eleonora?" A voice asks as Jackson sits on the bar stool next to me. "Are you ok?"
I turn to him, my eyes filling with tears.
"No." I whisper.
I think I'm going to have to face my past.
YOU ARE READING
Falling for Oz
FanfictionFor centuries, mankind had been the dominant species. We've domesticated animals, locked them up, killed them for sport. But a series of recent events seem to suggest all across the globe animals have decided no more. And, so, we were hired. A team...
