Sinner #2
“They were about to leave when one of the guys caught a glimpse of the chain when I moved. He was furious and charged over to me, hitting me in the face with his fist a few times as he shouted for me to give it to him. I fought back, which only infuriated him more. His buddy kept his gun on the clerk while the other kept fighting me. I was knocked to the floor, kicked a few times until he got a hold of the chain and ripped it off. They left. The clerk called the cops.”
“Why the hell would you endanger your life for a necklace?” I snapped.
“It wasn’t just some necklace, not that it’s any of your business!
And I fought because it was priceless to me.
It’s the one piece I have that belonged to my granny, my mom’s mother.
She was the only one who truly saw me and refused to try to change me.
Granny told me I was perfect exactly as I was.
That my family could go to hell and I shouldn’t try to change anything for them. ”
As her explanation sank in, I felt slightly ashamed of the way I reacted. She was right. It wasn’t any of my business. And I understood the sentimental value. There were things from my parents that held that importance to me. Anastasia was glaring at me. I held up my hand.
“Hang on there, don’t fry me with your laser beam glare. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Did the cops catch them?”
“They didn’t. And they’re not confident they will.
They were masked. It seems that two masked men have been hitting up a variety of stores for weeks.
There are no predictable places to stake out.
They jump from dry cleaners to a coffee shop to a laundromat.
They get away in the dark. Cameras haven’t been able to identify them.
No escape vehicle has been noted outside either.
The police are trolling the local pawn shops, hoping they might recover my necklace, but they weren’t too promising. ”
“What is the extent of your injuries?” I asked.
“You’ve seen the eye, forehead, and mouth. My arms are a mess. The bigger thing is the bruising from the kicks. Those are truly colorful. I think they might even rival the ones you had,” she injected a teasing note into her voice.
“Christ, don’t say that. How long do the doctors want you to stay here?”
“They said if all remains stable, which they expect it will, I can go home tomorrow after they do morning rounds. I’ll be sore and slow-moving for a few days. No need to worry, you’ll get your sessions next week. I have a call out to a colleague to have him come in to cover for me.”
“I don’t give a shit about my treatments! I care about you,” I snapped as I came to my feet.
Disbelief swept across her face. Her mouth opened, but before anything came out, there was a double knock, then the door opened, and in walked Sam.
In his hands, he held a bouquet. I was angry that I hadn’t brought her anything, but if I had, it wouldn’t have been flowers.
He appeared surprised to see me. Sam faltered a moment, then kept walking until he reached the opposite side of her bed.
“Stasia, God, I just heard what happened. Arish told me. Why didn’t you have them call me last night? I would’ve been here in a heartbeat,” he told her.
“Sam, my family came. There was no need to worry or keep anyone else awake. I wasn’t in danger,” was her calm reply.
“Still, I would’ve come. Oh, here, before I drop these. I thought these would brighten your room. Hospital rooms are always so bland and clinical-feeling.”
He handed her the bouquet that was in a clear vase. I had to admit, grudgingly, they were pretty. Anastasia smiled at him, then smelled the flowers.
“Mmm, they smell good. Thank you. They’re beautiful. Would you mind putting them over next to the window?” she asked me, since I was on that side. I took them and congratulated myself for being mature and not dropping them.
“Reign, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. How did you know about Stasia?” Sam asked.
“Morgana called to cancel my appointment. From what she said, I found Anastasia and came to see what had happened, to make sure she was okay. It could’ve been so much worse,” I replied.
“Yes, it could’ve. And if you’re here to lecture me, Sam, don’t. I heard enough from my family and Reign. I know I was an idiot, but I don’t need to be told that over and over,” Anastasia snipped.
Instead of being upset, I found I liked that fire in her.
I wondered what else would bring it out in her.
Would she be able to turn it on and off at will?
While I was dominant in many instances, it didn’t prevent me from loving a strong, independent woman.
I thought the perfect mix was someone who could be both.
It was one of the traits on my list of ideal partners.
“She’s even more beautiful when she’s feisty, isn’t she?” I said without thinking.
Sam gave me a searching look through narrowed eyes. Anastasia, on the other hand, had her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“What? It’s true. You’re smart, successful, funny, gorgeous, and now you add a strong, feisty side.
Sam, you’re a lucky man. I’m glad to see you’re not hurt worse, Anastasia.
I’ll wait to hear when you come back to work.
I’ll let Morgana know not to bother scheduling me with your colleague.
If I can’t have you, I don’t want a substitute. I’ll leave you two alone.”
Before I left, because if I stayed, I’d reveal more, I squeezed her hand and brought it to my lips, placing a kiss on the back. I stared deeply into her eyes.
“Take care of yourself, Anastasia. You’re priceless.”
It took every ounce of strength I had to leave that room.
Out in the hallway, I walked to the elevators, but then I stood there, staring out the window instead of pressing the button.
Cars swept in and out of the parking lot below.
Vehicles zoomed by on the road. Tiny figures hurried in and out of the hospital.
I don’t know how long I stood there before my name being called grabbed my attention.
Looking over my shoulder, I noticed Sam bearing down on me, scowling.
Right away, my first reaction was that something had happened to Anastasia.
“What happened? Is she okay?” I asked.
He came to stand before me. At that moment, the elevator opened, and a crowd exited. He turned to smile at them and nod, acting as if everything was fine. It took them several moments to get off and move away from us. After they did, Sam turned back to me.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
“What? Did something new happen to her?”
“She’s fine. I left her resting. What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to check on her. I heard she had an accident. I wanted to make sure she would recover. To see if she needed anything.”
“Bullshit. You’re just one of her patients. You’re not her friend or her boyfriend,” he snapped.
“You don’t have to be either to give a damn about someone. You should be in there with her, not out here barking shit at me,” I told him.
“You stay away from her. And when she’s back to work, don’t come to her office,” Sam ordered.
I chuckled, but it wasn’t in mirth. It was dark and low. “Sam, you don’t know me, so I’ll extend you a one-time courtesy. You don’t tell me what I can or can’t do regarding her. If Anastasia doesn’t want me around, it’s her place to tell me that. I don’t see your ring on her finger.”
“It will be soon. I have the backing of her family. They won’t allow you to mess this up for her.
She needs a man like me. A guy who is stable, has her family’s blessing, and knows what it is she needs.
Once she’s engaged to me, I’ll make sure she adheres to the proper behavior.
That includes having no male friends or male acquaintances not approved by me. ”
“So you’re saying you’ll lie to her until after you get engaged, maybe even married, then reveal you’re as old-fashioned and backward-thinking as her family?” I asked to be sure I understood him correctly.
“It’s only old-fashioned to someone like you, who doesn’t know the sanctity of traditions.
It’s why she’ll never be happy with a man like you.
Stasia only thinks she has to be a modern, independent woman.
It’s what society brainwashes modern women into believing.
They think they can have it all—career, family, and a say in everything.
But it’s exactly those things that cause so many to be unfulfilled and unhappy in the long run.
Women are meant to follow. Men are meant to lead.
Once she marries me and stops this foolish business of hers, she’ll see.
Her true place and happiness reside in her home with her husband and children,” Sam stated smugly.
“What if I tell her what you just said?” I asked.
He smirked. “You can try, but I’ll claim you’re lying. That you want to have her for a plaything and will do anything, say anything to make it happen. Who will she believe? You, a virtual stranger, or me, the man she’s been seeing and who her family will support as not a liar.”
I stared at him, then turned my back on Sam and went to the stairwell door. It sat next to the elevators. I heard his taunting laugh as I pushed the door open.
“Goodbye, Reign,” he called out.
As I sped down the stairs, I let my mind begin to work on how to accomplish my objective: expose Sam for who he truly was.
And I had the thing to do it. I removed my phone from my pocket and hit the stop button.
I don’t know what made me do it, but when he faced the people coming off the elevator, something told me to record him.
I hurriedly opened the recording app on my phone and pressed record.
Let’s see who Anastasia believed. But I’d hold back until I knew she was on the mend, though not too long. Any hesitation I had about pursuing her because she was dating someone was gone. No way would I let him have her, even if I never did.