35
O ne disaster after another. That summed up last night at Savile. One of the grills broke down, so the orders piled up. The service door the wait staff went through somehow jammed up, and we had to wait for maintenance to fix it. Some of us got stuck on the wrong side of the broken door, and Betty had to usher us out onto the casino floor and around to the other exit. On my first day on the job, I was given strict instructions never to venture out where the paying guests gamble and drink because I was a lowly kitchenhand and people like me should stay behind closed doors.
Thankfully, I saw Ronan twice briefly. He smiled and said hi but didn’t harass me, which annoyed me. I liked him. But I couldn’t hang out with a man when I had a crazy stalker breathing down my back every second of every day.
Speaking of crazy stalker. Fucked me upright in the college gardens. Whoa. After using a knife to cut a hole in my pants. I shouldn’t be surprised by his depravity, but I was more surprised by how turned on I was. He brought out a different side that I didn’t know existed, which was scary and exciting.
Yep, Gunner was Annika’s type.
Every step I took, every time I sat down or bent over, the lingering sensation of Gunner’s cock left his mark inside of me. And I loved it. The way he held me in those powerful arms and rocked me back and forth over his size was wonderful. Simply glorious.
As I was about to leave for my first class of the day, I remembered that Sergeant George Tindale had left another voicemail on my phone last time while I was working. I discovered it during my break and forgot to listen after my shift.
I had ten minutes spare, so I sat on the edge of my bed and opened my voicemail to listen to his message.
“Hi Riley, it’s Sergeant Tindale here again. You didn’t get back to me after I left the previous message, so I just wanted to touch base and ensure everything is okay. Is there anything you need that we can help you with?
“But, ah, look, there are a couple of issues that I’m scratching my head over, and I just need to ask you about them. One issue is that I was surprised you decided to study at Gotland University in Gothenburg, among other places. It’s likely a security risk, and I’m pretty surprised and concerned that Judith thought Gothenburg was an acceptable option.
“Look, ah, please get back to me ASAP so I can clear these discrepancies up, and you can explain why these choices were made. It seems very odd to me.
“Anyway, like I said, get back to me…preferably sooner than later, so I could put this mystery to rest.
Click.
The sergeant’s voicemail left me cold, particularly when he questioned why I transferred to Gotland. I thought it was obvious why I came here, but maybe Judith hadn’t updated my profile, and gaps were missing in the reports.
There was no time like the present, so I called him, and it went to voicemail, so I left a message. “Hi, Sergeant, it’s Riley Laws. You were asking why I came to Gotland University in Gothenburg. It is mainly because it has a good Marine Biology school, both practical and theoretical. That’s the reason why.
“I have a class now, so I’ll call you later in around two hours, so hopefully, if you’re available. Thank you. Oh, and sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.
I swiped off and left my room as his words circled in my mind, increasing with every turn. It wasn’t what he said that bothered me. It was how he said it. He was confused and concerned for my safety, but maybe he was new to the job and didn’t realize I had been doing this gig for years. You might call me an expert at faking my way through life. Hopefully, we could clear this up soon, and he and I could rest easily.
Naturally, as I left Hallen Hall, I glanced as I always did down the road, searching for the shiny, black Mustang, and as usual, disappointment came over me when I didn’t see it. It was strange how his treacherous darkness was light for me, guiding me through the storm. It was a ridiculously romantic way to view a crazed stalker freak in a mask, but it worked for me for now.
Once I reached the end of the street, my phone rang, and it was the sergeant. “Hello?”
“Riley, Sergeant Tindale here,” speaking flat but reassuringly. “I know you said you’ll call me back in a couple of hours, but can you speak now so I can tick off a couple of concerns?”
“Um, let me find a quiet corner first,” I said as I ran across the road to an evergreen tree on a patch of grass in front of a dorm and leaned against the trunk, expecting this call to be short. “Okay, I’m good now. Fire away with your questions.”
“Well, I listened to your voicemail, and you said you went to Gotland for Marine Biology, but I’m sure many universities teach marine biology, so why…I thought Judith would’ve talked you out of that particular city and college for obvious reasons,” he stated.
“Obvious reason? What obvious reasons?” I asked him.
“Are you not aware? Has Judith not informed you? Hang on, let me check,” he said, and then I could hear tapping on a keyboard. “It’s here in black and white, so she definitely knew.”
“I’m sorry, Sergeant, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about, and your abstract language is making me nervous,” I breathed as my chest tightened with every word he spoke.
“Hold on,” he said again. “I need to speak to my senior officer for a few seconds. Can you hold on the line. Don’t hang up.”
“Sure.” I crouched down to make myself smaller because, for some reason, that made me feel better as my mind raced with a hundred scenarios, yet only one fate was worse than death. The line fell silent, so he must have the receiver covered over, so I couldn’t hear him talking. The lack of noise only made this situation worse.
He finally came back on the line, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever happened here needed some clarification because it might not be as bad as I had imagined.
“There’s been a terrible oversight,” he said methodically, careful with his wording. “You shouldn’t have transferred to Gothenburg.”
“Why? Just tell me, Sergeant. Please. Tell me what’s wrong with this city,” I begged him to relieve me from my misery. Yet, I could almost sense what he was going to say.
“Okay,” he exhaled. “I don’t know how to say this to you, but you’re in the same city as the Kaisers. Did you know?”
“No. You’re mistaken. They’re in Larsson. Larsson is their territory,” I explained.
“They’ve expanded their territory to Gothenburg and other cities, and I’m deeply disturbed that Judith didn’t tell you this. I can’t for the life of me understand her logic by keeping this a secret, especially with Mikael…”
The pounding in my head was so loud that I barely heard him as his voice faded in and out like sea waves. “Mikael?” I managed to compose myself enough to ask, “Mikael is out of prison?”
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry, Riley. You didn’t know. Look, I need to talk to Judith to get some clarification because not only is this unprofessional, it’s a security breach,” he stated, trying to make me feel better. He was miles away in Larsson, though, and I’m here in the same city as some of the Kaisers.
“Please, Sergeant, please tell me who is here in Gothenburg? Is Mikael here? Give it to me straight without fluff,” I pleaded.
“The Kaisers bought a club in Gothenburg a couple of months before Lars Kaiser was murdered. Mikael and his main sidekick…, an Irishman surnamed Bryne, ran the club while Mikael was in prison. Sylvie Kaiser still remains in Larsson…”
I breathed a sigh of relief because although Sylvie was a kind person privately and a great Mom, she was tough and dirty professionally. She wouldn’t hesitate to cut a man at his knees. I intended to avoid Sylvie Kaiser for the rest of my life.
“So, Mikael is here in Gothenburg?” I asked again.
“Yes,” he replied.
I swallowed nervously, finding the courage to ask the most challenging question. “And Gunner? What about Gunner Kaiser?” I hurt so many people, but Gunner's beautiful heart was the hardest to shatter.
“He’s in Gothenburg, too. Studies at Gotland University. That’s why you should not be there. Riley. It’s too dangerous. I’ll arrange for you to be transferred,” he promised.
Sweltering heat surged into my cheeks and prickled my neck, yet I felt freezing cold and faint as a dull ache pulsated behind my eyes. “I don’t understand…”
“I’m sorry, Riley, I can’t understand why and how this happened. Of all the cities and universities…” he fretted, and a voice in the background spoke to him. “That was my senior officer. We’ll get you out of there and investigate how this happened.”
“But, Sergeant,” I had to get the truth out before I exploded. “Sergeant, it was Judith who recommended Gotland to me.”
“What?” he snarled. “How…what the hell was she thinking?”
“She sent me Gotland’s degree programs outlining the curriculum and even helped me fill out the application form. She said she had contacts here that could get me in,” I explained.
“Right. There’s a lot to unpack. But first things first, we need to get you out of Gothenburg,” he directed. But even as he said it, my entire body fought against the possibility of another move to an unfamiliar place with a new set of people to lie to. I was tired of running; perhaps it was time to meet my demons face-on.
“Okay,” I sighed in deep sadness. “I like it here, but it’s too dangerous. Send someone to pick me.”
“Doing that now. Pack your bags, and I will contact you when an officer arrives to pick you up,” he said sternly, taking control of the situation.
“I’m returning to my room now,” I told him.
“I will call you soon.”
I swiped off as my head spun, but my heart ached in grief and fear. I didn’t want to leave. I had a good job, and I was making friends…well, I had one friend…
Then it struck me.
That penetrating stare from behind the mask, those hands, that voice. Part of me always knew it was Gunner, yet it was too farfetched to assimilate, and my rational mind knew it simply could not be true.
My feet were running again back to my room as my heart thudded in my chest, and warm tears trickled down my cheeks. Why was Judith so neglectful? Was she aware that she virtually lured me to the lion’s den?
I didn’t stop to catch my breath until I arrived at Hallen Hall, ran up the stairs to my floor, and paused before opening the door, half expecting the masked man to relax back on my bed. It was a great relief to find my room empty because I didn’t know how I would react to him being there. There was no way I could fake it at this moment of extreme stress and fear.
It was Gunner all along.
And every cell in my body knew it.
My shadow.
My Crushing Winter.