Chapter Six.
Amy
“Thank you for tonight,” I said several hours later.
“You’re welcome. And thanks for the introduction to that comedian. The man’s damn amusing,” Vortex replied.
“Michael McIntyre is hysterical. I love the clip about his wife and sons,” I agreed.
“I don’t often get English humour, but he’s able to carry the distance. Parents across the globe probably agree with that footage. When putting the kids to bed, you start angry! Fuck that was funny.” Vortex chuckled.
He’d been dubious when I put it on, but he’d fallen apart laughing at the man. McIntyre was short, rounded, and very humorous. I’d be checking out more of his shows, that was for certain. From him, we’d moved onto Steve Harvey; now that man was a trip.
“Do you watch many English comedians?”
“Mixed, really. Papa moved around a lot when I was young, and we spent a couple of years in England. But Papa decided the constant moving was too much, so we settled in the States properly when I was ten,” I replied.
“You were an army brat?”
“Yup.”
“Do you see your mum?” Vortex asked.
“No. My dads have been together for years. They used a surrogate; it wasn’t a case of one of them marrying a woman and having a kid. Funnily enough, it never hindered Papa’s career. I think he could have maybe gone further, but Papa got his promotions, although he had to work extra hard for them.”
“Being gay in the army wasn’t accepted for a long time,” Vortex replied.
“Nope. It caused huge scandals. But they couldn’t hold Papa back; he was too talented, and after involving lawyers twice, they gave up trying to block his career.
Then Papa became the face of homosexual recruitment, which was ridiculous.
Papa retired two years ago and drove Dad mad being underfoot all the time. ”
“What does Duke do?”
“Dad’s a crazy inventor,” I said with a laugh.
“Really?” Vortex asked, looking interested.
“Yeah. Dad’s had a lot of success with various things. His mind works on a different level than mine and Papa’s.”
“Wow, I didn’t see Duke being creative,” Vortex mused.
“Oh, Dad is. Trust me, he’s very successful.”
“And you worked in kindergarten as a support worker?”
“Teaching assistant. And I suppose you could also call me a children’s event planner. I recently qualified as a teacher, so I’m looking for a job.”
“You’re not working as one now, a teacher, I mean?” Vortex asked.
“No. Talk about a shitty day. The morning we boarded the zeppelin was when I received the redundancy notice. I planned to spend two weeks relaxing and then start applying for jobs.”
“Yeah, I remember you saying you’d just graduated. Where do you want to work?”
“Around this area. I don’t mind anything between a thirty- and forty-minute drive, but positions are hard to find,” I said.
“How about Merritt?” Vortex asked.
“Isn’t that the Wild West town that’s being put back together? I think I’ve read about it. The zeppelin crashed there, didn’t it?” I replied.
“The town was allegedly built in the late eighteen seventies, but we’ve found proof it existed a good fifty years beforehand.
And no, not quite the Wild West, it was a logging camp, but grew over time before the fire in eighteen-ninety-three.
That closed everything, and everyone moved out.
The buildings fell into disrepair, and it became a ‘ghost town’. ”
“How do you know so much—? Wait, I read a motorbike club bought it and was restoring it?”
“That’s us, Unwanted Bastards MC,” Vortex replied.
“Why didn’t I figure that out?” I wondered. It had been big news, and there’d been loads of teaser articles about Merritt being restored and reopened.
“Because you’ve had a lot on your mind,” Vortex excused.
“True,” I said with a yawn.
“Brave girl, I’m going to make a move. Is there anything you need?”
“No. Thanks for tonight. It was my first night home and…well, you saw my tears.”
Vortex got to his feet in a smooth motion and hauled me to mine. “Give me your cell.”
“What?”
“Phone, Amy,” he ordered again.
I handed it to him, and Vortex jabbed at the screen. He passed it back, and I checked my address book and let out a bark of laughter.
“Hero dude?” I asked, smiling.
Vortex offered me a smirk. “I would have put in Hercules, but I have a brother called that, and when you meet him, I didn’t want to cause confusion.”
“When?”
“Yeah, brave girl. When? I’d like to see you again, if okay with you,” he said softly. “No pressure, Amy.”
“Why? I’m a wreck.”
“Because even in a mess, you’re strong, courageous, beautiful, funny, and sweet.”
“Wow, you got all that from the few times we’ve met?” I asked, shocked. Vortex continued to surprise me. Natasha would have loved how he kept me off guard. Sadness swept over me, but I pushed it aside as I selfishly waited for Vortex’s answer.
“Yes, all that and more. And how you handle things in an emergency says a lot about a person’s personality. Despite your shock, pain, and grief, you continued battling, Amy.”
I stared at Vortex, lost for words. He smiled and kissed my forehead gently. “Everything is raw for you right now. I’m happy to be a friend and let this grow over time, if you’re interested. Shh—don’t answer me yet. Think about it. Walk me out, brave girl, and lock the door behind me.”
Like a lamb, I followed Vortex to the front door, and he gave me a brief hug before letting himself out.
“Locks, Amy,” his voice filtered through the barrier between us. I snapped my locks into place, and his boots clumped down the stairs. Moments later, a Harley roared and pulled out of the car park.
For the first time since the crash, I had a genuine smile on my lips.
◆◆◆
I blinked awake and frowned. It was pitch black outside, so I wondered what had disturbed me. As I stared into the darkness, my eyes adjusted, and I peered around my bedroom. Something had woken me.
Confused, I climbed out of bed and padded to the door, which stood open. Ever since Natasha had forced me to binge-watch horror movies, I never slept with it shut. I was absolutely terrified of waking in the middle of the night and having someone creepily open the bedroom door.
I listened carefully, but everything seemed as it should until I heard the scrape.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up as goosebumps erupted along my arms. I cocked my head, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from.
The noise returned, and this time I left the bedroom and padded across the living room.
The scratching noises became louder as I paused in the small hallway leading to the front door.
Without hesitation, I ran quietly back to my bedroom and grabbed a baseball bat I kept by the bed. I picked up my phone and hit the dial button.
“Hello?” a sleepy voice answered.
“Papa! Someone is trying to get into the apartment,” I cried softly.
“Amy?”
“Vortex?”
“You dialled the wrong number. Hang up, call the police, I’m riding,” Vortex ordered now, sounding awake.
“I…”
“Do as you’re told.” Vortex hung up, and I quickly hit nine-one-one. The operator informed me to remain on the line and assured me someone was coming. She asked if I had cameras, and I said no.
“Stay in your bedroom, officers are on their way,” she instructed.
Minutes ticked past, and then the scraping noise stopped. Every so often, the operator checked to see if I was still present. Tense and worried, I finally heard footsteps running, and then blue lights flashed in my window.
“The police are here!” I gasped.
“Stay on the line and wait for them to introduce themselves,” the operator ordered.
I did as she said, and once I’d identified the officers, I thanked her and hung up.
It had taken them fifteen minutes to arrive.
As I was inviting them in, I was relieved to see Vortex appear, taking the stairs two at a time.
He swept me into a hug and then held me at arm’s length to check me over.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. The police just got here.”
“Good.” Vortex started walking us back inside, but something caught my eye.
“What’s that?” I asked. Vortex flinched and tried to stand in the way, but I moved past him and blinked.
To the side was an ornate wreath. It had a silver ribbon diagonally across it that said, ‘RIP AMY.’ “What the hell?” I gasped.
“Amy, come on. There’s something seriously off here,” Vortex stated. I allowed him to pull me inside, where the two officers waited. One frowned when he saw Vortex.
“Did you see that flower arrangement?” Vortex asked.
“Yes, does it mean anything?” the female officer inquired.
“Amy, sit down. You’ve gone pale,” Vortex ordered. I nodded and let him lead me to the sofa. “Amy is one of the eight survivors of the Titanic of the Skies crash. Her name has been kept out of the media spotlight. That wreath outside, yeah, it means someone majorly fucked up.”
Instantly, their demeanour changed. “The Feds are leading this?” the male officer asked.
“Yes. We have to let them know. This could be a mistake, but Amy’s name hasn’t been released anywhere,” Vortex said.
My hands began shaking, and I stared at them. What was happening? How had a wreath with my name on it been sent?
“Could it have been meant for Natasha and sent here by error?” I murmured.
Vortex shook his head. “Not at three in the morning, babe. And I checked your locks on the way in. Somebody was trying to get in. There are scratch marks around the lock.”
My breath shuddered as I tried to understand this. Vortex moved away and spoke to the cops. I was quite happy to let him deal with this.
Was the wreath a threat? Was this a warning to me that they knew my name and were showing me that? No, that didn’t make sense whatsoever.
“Babe.” I looked up into Vortex’s face. “The officers are calling the Feds, but you’re not staying here alone tonight. Can you pack a bag with some clothes and stuff? I’m taking you to Merritt. You’ll stay with me.”
I flinched when he said Merritt. That’s where the accident happened. Vortex seemed able to read my mind.