LOGINTabitha:There was a soft knock on the door. I opened my eyes and sat up. Everywhere was hazy, and it was still cold. The bottle of whiskey had been reduced to two-thirds of its original volume. At the door stood a tall black man in a suit. He walked slowly towards me, but I still couldn’t make out my face. My heart started to race; I rubbed my eyes furiously as I backed up against the chair. I wanted to scream, but I was too weak, too dizzy. My bones felt like a sack of rocks.“Stay away! Stay away! Stay…”The figure stopped, and slowly, my vision began to sharpen. I would have been surprised if Enzo hadn’t told me already. “Hello, Tabitha.” Collin purred, his eyes resting calmly on me. He was smiling softly; that soft smile he always gave me, the smile that made me think that he was safe to be around. It was not a lie. He was a monster. “What are you doing here?” I snapped, still squeezing my body against the velvet cushions. “So much venom for someone who has drunk most of my w
Enzo:The train moved slowly along the tracks. Everyone else was conversing in low tones while I was looking at the security footage. From what I could see, Tabitha had left her room for the kitchen. She was sitting at the kitchen island, talking to Edwardo, who had just made a tray of samosas.Nothing looked out of the ordinary. I had checked the time stamps, and everything was in place. There was nothing strange going on. Maybe whatever Edwardo told her must have lifted her spirits a little. Maybe we would actually have a better chance of figuring this mess out as soon as I got back. “So are you sure that you have no idea of what the Ma..”The girl was pinched sharply, and she immediately kept quiet and looked around. Even though we were alone, we couldn’t risk talking so carelessly. “If I had the faintest idea of what they were after, then there would be a point to me dragging you all along on this,” I muttered, not lifting my head. “I would have given them what they wanted with
Tabitha:I opened my eyes, and the first thing that hit my lungs was the smell of wine mixed with cigarette smoke. I tried to stand up, but my head hurt, and my wrists felt raw. I looked down at them; they were red like someone had used a sponge and aggressively scrubbed them.“Where am I?” I sat up, and I looked around. This wasn't a familiar place. The ceilings were too high. The furniture looked old and distinguished. The rug smelled slightly of alcohol and smoke. This was not a place that I knew.I tried to stand up, but my knees gave out, and I collapsed to the floor. My mind was going haywire, questions popping in and out, and slowly, I began to remember how I got there.Edwardo…I was talking to him in my room, and then he gave me some samosas to eat, and then the next thing I knew, it went dark, and I ended up here. I sat up and hugged myself tight, looking around the dimly lit exotic ancient room. Why did he have to do this? Who was asking him to do this? What did they want
Enzo:“Let me get this straight. You want us to follow you to Westlean Avenue Road so that you can search the house of your old friend to retrieve some information that he might have had about the Red Mafia when he was working for them back in the day?”I nodded slowly. And here I was thinking that I was going to have to explain it multiple times before they could understand what I was saying.“And what makes you think that we would want to put our lives on the line for you? I mean, look at Sandy. She didn't even do anything serious apart from helping you decode a piece of paper, and they slit her throat for it.”“I am well aware of what the Red Mafia did to send Sandy,” I said calmly, “but if we don't stop them they are going to do something much worse and do you think that they will just stop at Sandy, or me, or my ward?”They all looked around the room at each other, and I allowed the question to sit in the air.“I am not asking you to put your lives on the line; I'm only asking yo
Tabitha:The knocking stopped. My heart was still racing. Who was at the door? Had the person gone? Was it a burglar?I moved on the bed, and then a soft voice came from the other side of the door.“Tabitha? It’s me.”“Edwardo?”Without a second thought, I hurried to the door and flung it open. Edwardo stood at the door, oven mitts on his hands while he held a tray of samosas. I wanted to cry right then and there. I wasn’t alone anymore. Oh, thank God!“Are you alright?” he asked, coming in, setting the tray on the bedside table and taking a seat in the chair at my desk. The door was wide open. I wasn’t surprised. After the last incident, there was no way that he wanted to incur Enzo’s wrath.“What’s happening, Tabitha?” he asked, passing me a samosa. I tasted it. It was just as amazing as the first time I tasted it. I didn’t even know when tears began to roll down my cheeks.“I’m a failure, Edwardo,” I cried, still stuffing my face with samosas because what else was I to do? “Enzo is
Enzo:The hospital was fortified like a fortress. I had guards posted at every level of the hospital, and there were two standing next to Sandy's door and Andrew's as well. There was no way I was going to take any chances with their lives.I paced the hallway trying to reach Tabitha, but there was no answer. What did I even expect? Of course, she was ignoring me on purpose. Sometimes that girl could be so infuriating.“Trying to call your other woman?”Natasha came up behind me, smiling from ear to ear. She has gone home, had a bath, changed up and come back to the hospital, which was very surprising for someone like her. I thought that once she got the opportunity to go home, she wasn't ever going to come back. It seemed like she cared more about her nephew than I thought.“Tabitha isn't the other woman,” I replied firmly, folding my arms across my chest, “and Sandy is helping me with something important.”“Sandy?’ Natasha tested her name and made a face. “Did I ever tell you that yo
Tabitha: I couldn’t hold back the tears, and I was grateful that the Uber driver was a lady. She let me cry in peace, handing me a box of tissues and playing some music to soothe me. It was what I needed: comfort without words. Words weren’t going to do anything for me in this situation. All nigh
Enzo: She walked away. She really walked away. I was still wrapping my head around what I had seen: Tabitha kissing another person. I didn’t care if it was a guy or a girl. She was mine. Those lips were mine. I called the driver. Tabitha wasn’t going anywhere. Not on my watch. The party was s
Enzo: “Darling? Is everything alright?” I turned back to Natasha and Mr. Hudson and smiled. “Yes. Everything is fine. Forgive my distraction. I thought I saw something going on over there in the corner.” Mr. Hudsone continued his talk about the ongoing growth of crypto and what it meant for
Tabitha: My head was lowered. Tears welled in my eyes, and when one wet the back of my hand, I couldn’t take it anymore. He just… walked away. After everything, he just walked away like it was no big deal to him. Nira patted my hand softly. I felt her hand stop for a minute when she grazed the







