Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
ORION
We belonged to a group of twenty competitors, including Chantel and Sabrina. It was a five-mile course with obstacles like the Crazy Block Maze, Pyramid Net, Cage Crawl, and Cry Baby. The ten-mile course was on the other end of The Mudstacle Course. Thank God, Elena chose the smaller course.
“You think you can make it?” Elena looked up at me. The tight tank and shorts were like a second skin on her fabulous body.
I was grateful she’d gotten me shorts that kept the mud from attacking my dick.
“It’s a team effort. Everyone’s supposed to help each other finish the race. Water and snacks are available at various posts along the way. You good?”
“Never been better.” I glared at the mud. “What’s in the mud?”
Laughing, she shrugged. “Dirt and water? I don’t know.”
“Gross.” I winced.
“Just get dirty this once for me, okay, preppy boy? Think of mud as a luxury. Soil is crucial for life. Without it, plant life won’t exist. Think of it that way.”
I snorted. “I can’t see mud like that, Sunshine. Not gonna happen.”
As we approached the Crazy Block Maze, Chantel and Sabrina did too, but they stood on the opposite end.
I didn’t know how much Elena had to deal with until today. Not only was she carrying the weight of her father’s debt, she was also dealing with toxic people at work. Despite that, she didn’t stop researching a family friend’s death or helping me with The Condor’s investigation. She did all of this with a smile. However, underneath that smile were layers of anxiety. Unlike me, she wasn’t trapped by it. At least not in the same way.
Perhaps this was why I was attracted to her from the beginning. She wasn’t affected by the monster who had gripped me for so long. What was her secret?
“Mud race!” Elena cheered with everyone.
I flicked a glance at the bright sky, wondering if God was being sarcastic. I’d watched several videos on mud racing from around the country. Why would people want to get dirty like this? How long would it take me to clean myself? My dick would be covered with mud, reminding me of chocolate sauce hardening over ice cream. Why the fuck was I even comparing my dick to that?
Obviously, I was out of my element. I didn’t know how to act at this event. My initial reaction was staring at the pool of mud and trying to calm my nerves. My skin trembled from the impending grossness.
Over the years I’d taken all kinds of extracurricular activities that had gotten me dirty and sweaty, but none of them had gotten me this dirty.
Elena had lured me here. She wanted to do this with me , and even though I’d prefer any other physical activity like fencing, archery, or even the slingshot, I came here for her. To learn more about her.
I turned to look at her, and excitement and irritation splashed on her expression. Determination gleamed through her eyes.
James, the announcer, gave a brief speech about the rules. This race differed from others in that everybody won as long as they finished the race. There was no gold medal waiting for us at the finish line.
“You’ll earn the magnificent feeling of accomplishment—of working together,” James said. “To get through the muck is a victory worth celebrating.”
I wrapped an arm around her. “Ready for victory?”
“Always.” She smiled.
When the horn blew, we all ran into the pool of mud. I was right behind Elena as the mud engulfed us. It was fucking gross. The cool mud covered my legs as we tried our best to trudge to the next obstacle. When we finally emerged from the nasty pool, I slipped once, got up, and saw Elena had fallen on her ass.
I bent down to help her up and slipped again. She roared with laughter, pulling me up.
The guy in front of me also slipped, but when he got up, his mud-strewn shorts were halfway down his ass. Fuck, I didn’t need to see that horror of a butt crack.
As we continued, Butt Crack lost his footing and slipped again. When he stood up, his shorts fell to his knees.
Elena gasped, and I cursed, blocking her vision with my hand. Butt Crack let out a series of curses too. But his girl came to the rescue and helped him along.
I stood there shaking my head, while Elena tried her best to suppress her laugh.
“If that happens to you, I’ll help you,” she said.
“You know you can pull down my shorts anytime. Just not here.” I wiped the mud off my face and arm, but that only made it worse.
“If there’s anyone I want to be nasty with, it’s you, Slingshot.” She embraced me, smearing more mud on me.
But I didn’t mind it. I’d try my best to achieve victory with her.
We climbed over wooden barrels, hopped into rows of tires, zigzagged our way over cones. Then we arrived at the Pyramid Net, a forty-foot climb up and down a net structure. Unlike the other obstacles where she dove ahead immediately, this one had her feet rooted to the ground.
Chantel and Sabrina approached, flicked us a bitter look, and moved on. They jumped onto the net and climbed.
Elena didn’t see them or her mind was too focused on the pyramid net. Anxiety strained her face, and she inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“You okay?” I asked.
Her hand trembled. “Not a fan of heights.”
I remembered her hesitation on the balcony of my office and gripped her hand. “I’ve got you. One step at a time. There’s no rush.”
“There is a rush. We’re part of a huge team. I don’t want to be the last couple.”
“Who cares?” Even though I hated losing, I’d rather she be safe. “This is for fun. We’ll be losers together.”
A smile fought its way to her lips. “You don’t seem like a guy who likes to lose.”
“This course is to promote teamwork, comradery. There are only winners.”
“Okay. We’ll be the last winners together.” She wiped the patch of mud on her chin, smearing her face even more and looking adorable.
Ten people had already climbed to the middle. We gripped the rope and pulled ourselves up. Elena looked scared, but also brave.
Not too far away, Chantel looked at Elena moving slowly on the rope. She exchanged a glance with Sabrina and they jumped on the net, making it more unstable for everyone, but especially for Elena.
Another contestant shouted to Chantel. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
But Chantel and Sabrina ignored her.
Elena yelped as she lost her footing. She tried to find it and got one foot on the rope again, but Chantel shook theneteven more.
“Stop it!” I told Chantel.
But she arched a defiant eyebrow and continued. Anger soared in me.
I reached for Elena just as her other foot slipped. She screamed and gripped the rope with both hands. The fear in her eyes was . . . unforgettable.Her fear pierced through me. It was worse today than what I’d witnessed on my office balcony.
I stepped to the next grid, reached out, and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her to me.
With her feet balanced on the rope, she tightened her arm around me and held on tight. Her face was in my muddy shirt.
“I’ve got you, baby,” I whispered.
“You guys need help?” asked an older man who stopped climbing with his wife to check on us.
“We just need a minute. Thank you, though.”
“Take your time. Don’t rush. This is our fifth time here.” The friendly woman smiled. “Just have fun. No one will care if you’re the last to finish.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Elena’s heart pounded against my body, and tears filled her eyes.
Chantel and Sabrina just earned themselves the top spots on my shit list.
“Yo! Stop that shit!” shouted another team as Chantel kept jumping on the rope.
A guy yelled at them. “We’re on the same team. What the fuck?”
“Kick them off the course!” a woman with red hair barked at them. “They’re making it dangerous for everyone!”
I wanted to go over to Chantel and Sabrina and toss them out, but I needed to keep Elena safe with me.
Chantel and Sabrina shrugged, grinned, and climbed over to the other side and down.
Then Elena looked up at me. “I’m okay now. Let’s finish this. If I don’t, they’ll win.” She jerked her chin toward Chantel and Sabrina, who were already onto the next obstacle.
“We’re doing this our way.” I gripped her hand, lifted it into the air. “Victory is ours.”
She rolled her eyes, and I had my Elena back.
“You go ahead, I’ll be right beside you.” With each climb, she looked over at meand smiled. Finally, we made it to the other side and down to the ground.
She leaped into my arms, slipped from my muddy shirt, but I gripped her ass, holding her tight. “We did it!”
The next obstacle required us to crawl under this mesh, which she accomplished with ease.
When wearrived at the finish line, to our surprise, Butt Crack was limping along with the help of his friends. A crew member emerged with an ATV to help him. His friend told the group that he’d sprained his ankle.
“Poor guy,” Elena said. “We were second to last place, but that was because we didn’t train.”
“You’re supposed to train?”
She nodded. “Some do, to help their bodies adjust. Especially those who prefer the ten-mile obstacle course.”
“Excellent job!” The girl who had shouted at Chantel and Sabrina high-fived us. “You okay? I made a complaint about those bitches. I mean, seriously. This is a teamwork course, and they wanted to hinder people’s progress. You could’ve gotten hurt.”
“I don’t know why they’re here,” said another woman. “Getting their hair done and shopping is more their style.”
“Oh, the manager said one of the girl’s fathers had placed a bid to purchase this place. Maybe she came here to check it out. If she’s going to be a regular attendee, then I won’t be coming back. There are other places I can support.” The lady with the ponytail placed two hands on her hips, looking toward Chantel and Sabrina talking to the crew. “She has spoiled brat written all over her.”
“The world of privilege differs from ours, Terri,” said a woman with mud all over her blonde hair.
“Glad we made it to the end.” Elena forced a smile. “I’m going to be so sore tomorrow.”
“Make that a few days.” Terri straightened her back, stretching out her arms and legs. “Nice meeting you both. Hopefully we’ll see you again.”
“Have a good evening.” I waved to the women.
I turned to Elena, trying to wipe the mud from her forehead, cheek, and chin. “Need a massage?”
“You give massages?” She reached up, removing the mud from my face.
“No. But I’ll make an exception for you,” I said, wanting to ask her more questions about the source of her fear of heights. But I held back, seeing how tired she looked.
After spraying mud off our bodies, we went back to our hotel, washed up, and spent the rest of the evening in bed, watching a random science show on television.
Elena snuggled into me, looking drowsy.
“I can’t believe we spent four hours on the uphill terrain,” I said.
“It would have taken us nine hours if we had done the ten-mile course.” She looked up at me. “Did you enjoy your time in the mud with me?”
“You’re the highlight of it all.” I kissed her gently.
“I’ve always wanted to do it, but didn’t have anyone to go with.”
“Why did you want to go through this mud course?” I asked.
She looked at the TV screen, which was showing abnormal weather around the world.
Sighing, she sat up and looked at me with weary eyes. “The obstacle course reminds me of life. The ups and downs, the difficult sections that make you want to give up, but you don’t because you see people in front of you succeeding.” She paused, tugging at the bedsheets. “I agree the mud is gross, but there are so many things in life that are worse. The evil things people do to one another are worse than mud. I can wash the mud off, but some things don’t come off that easy, you know?”
I also sat up and shifted to face her, letting her words flow into my heart.
“You’re right. See? This right here—” I tapped her forehead “—is why I love Madame Sarcasm. Not only does she possess sarcasm, she also possesses innate wisdom.”
She blushed and looked at my shirt. Curious, I glanced down at my black V-neck shirt, not seeing anything strange about it.
“What are you looking at?” I asked.
She met my eyes. “What did you do with your necklace?”
I knew this moment would come, and she had a right to know.
Her shoulders slouched. “Today is one of those days that makes me wonder about a lot of things. I want to know what’s going on in here.” She placed a hand over my heart. “Were you married to her?”
I gripped Elena’s hand and kissed it, wanting to remove her vulnerability and self-doubt.
“No. We were engaged for a week before she died,” I said, and finally described the dark memory that had made me feel guilty all these years.
Excitement rushes through me as I stop by Tasty Thai and place an order for shrimp pad thai and tom yum soup. Kate loves Thai food and I’m hoping she’ll forgive me for missing our lunch date today. I stared at the text messages we had exchanged earlier today.
Kate: Can’t wait for our date. Love you so much!
Me: Sorry, babe. I’m stuck in a meeting. Can we reschedule, please?
Kate: You’re always in meetings. Can’t you just leave earlier? I have something to tell you.
Me: I can’t today. Sorry. Please don’t be mad. We’ll chat when I get home.
Kate hasn’t responded yet. It’s been hours. I sit in the chair and wait for my order, watching the cars rush by. I check my phone again, but no messages from her. She must be furious at me. Or she’s busy working. Kate works for her mother’s real estate company, so her hours are flexible.
She wants a small wedding, and I’m fine with whatever she wants. We’ve been together for three years, and I’m excited to start our future together.
She doesn’t know about my extracurricular activity, and I don’t plan on sharing it with her. Her father works for INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization. If he finds out what I do as a hobby, he won’t let her marry me. No father wants his daughter to be with a criminal—a thief. Right now, he knows I’m a successful entrepreneur and heir to my father’s wealth. I don’t want Kate to be in a difficult position.
We’re similar in so many ways. Both of us suffer from extreme anxiety. On top of her depression, she also has to deal with thyroid issues, which have made her hair thin over the years.
But we love each other, and that’s all that matters.
My order arrives, and I head home. I walk into her apartment, place the takeout bag on the kitchen counter. The stack of cardboard boxes is pushed against the wall. She has one box open, but there is nothing in it. We’re supposed to pack her stuff and move it into my new house next month. This is my first house in Sweden. I’ve always stayed in a luxurious apartment, but Kate wants a backyard, so I’m giving her a big house with a big yard.
“I’m home, baby.” I walk into the living room, but she’s not in the comfy chair I got her last Christmas.
The house is exceptionally quiet. She has to be home. Her car is parked in the spot next to mine. A sick feeling clenches my stomach. I walk into her bedroom, but I don’t see her. The closet door is ajar. I open it and my heart collapses.
“ Kate!” I cry, rushing to her limp body, dangling from a rope that was secured to a steel bar.
I know she’s gone from the look of her pale skin. With trembling hands, I remove the rope from her neck, carry her out to the bedroom, and gather her into my arms. I cry like when my mother died.
Why is this happening to me? Why are the people I love dying? Am I cursed?
Call the authorities, I hear an inner voice call out.
I wipe the tears from my eyes so I can look at the numbers on my phone to call the authorities, giving them my address. They ask more questions, but I don’t hear them. I don’t have the energy to think. I just want to hold on to Kate for as long as I can.
“Please hurry,” I say to them and hang up, turning to my fiancée. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you. I’m so sorry.”
While I wait for the police to show up, I intertwine my fingers with hers. The simple engagement ring gleams from her finger.
Why, Kate? I know it’s a stupid question, but I can’t help but ask it. She must have been devastated that I missed our lunch date. Her depression has gotten worse in the last few weeks.
What kind of fiancé am I?
I glance at the opened bottles of medicine on her nightstand. I’ve seen her moody, but didn’t know it was this bad.
My chest feels like it caves in, andI know that a part of me has died with her.
“I’ll never forget that day,” I said, feeling lighter by sharing this memory with Elena. “I shouldn’t have cancelled our date. She tried her best to fight the internal monsters, but they were too much for her. I wish I could’ve helped her.”
Elena threw her arms over me. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She drew back, her eyes full of emotion. “I think she knows how much you wanted to help.”
“I always wondered what if I hadn’t been out that day. Would she still be alive? The guilt ate at me. The toxicology report showed high levels of antidepressants.”
I saw a part of me in my father, who had always placed work before his family. I had done that to Kate on that awful day.
Elena’s hand rubbed the area below my neck where my necklace had been. “It’s hard to know what goes on in someone’s thoughts. I’ve seen people who always wear a smile, and yet they’re suffering inside. I know this is hard, but you shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“Thank you for listening.”
An understanding smile slid onto her lips. “You’ve worn the necklace for so long. Seems too bare around here.” She brushed her fingers around my neck and collarbone.
“Seven years.” I took her hand and interlaced my fingers with hers. “But it’s time I give myself permission to heal and move forward.” I kissed her fingers. “You inspired me to do that.”
Surprise and honesty gleamed in her eyes. “I tried to be understanding, but it’s hard to see your boyfriend wearing another woman’s ring, you know? I don’t mean to sound petty. I’m just being honest.”
My heart swelled. “I appreciate your honesty. I wouldn’t want you wearing another man’s jewelry either.”
Her eyes brightened. “Oh, I almost forgot this.” She got out of bed and rushed to her purse, searching for something. She found it and brought over a gray box in her hand. “For you.” She placed the box in my hand.
“You proposing to me or something?” I teased.
“Nope. I’m not that kind of girl. Though I’m all about empowering women and all, I prefer a man to get on his knees for me.” She wiggled her eyes, and I knew the horrible event she’d experienced had faded from her mind. “Open it. I made it for you.”
I removed the lid, dropped it to the bed, and held up a masculine bracelet in my hand. It had small leather straps intertwined together, creating an exceptional texture along with the metal accents and a unique clasp. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Joy burst in me as I watched her put it on. No woman had made me a gift like this. My mother had made me wonderful things, but that was different. I couldn’t explain this happiness enrapturing my entire body. It was like watching a new life form in the dark universe, where a new star just emerged revealing itself to the world.
“What did I do to deserve this special gift?”
She shrugged. “Because you braved the dirty obstacle course with me. I knew it wasn’t your thing, but you did it anyway. That deserves a reward.”
A thought occurred to me. Though I wasn’t thrilled about the mud course, after reaching the end, a sense of accomplishment overcame me. But being with her made it more special.
“I’d do the course again with you,” I said.
“Okay.” She smiled.
Then I asked, “Do you want to talk about it? Your fears?”
She kissed my jawline. “Another day, okay? Right now, I just want you to touch me.”
“I’m always happy to comply.” I pushed her down onto the bed.