NIP 18

“Oh baby. You’re home now. You are home. With me. I gotcha’ya.” Mark wraps his arms around Sari. He tries with all of his might to melt his body into hers. “I love you sweetie.”

“Get the FUCK off of me!” I violently convulse causing him to lose his hold on me.

“Sari, honey…” Mark whimpers with surprise.

He is actually pretending to be surprised. I am dumbfounded. Oh please. I stay still while gazing in his eyes. They are bloodshot from either stress or possibly even tears. The contrasting irises are bright blue like a bewildered child.

“Tell me everything.” I hiss.

“Everything?” Mark stammers. “About what?”

“About what!?!” Pure unadulterated shock and rage rush through my body. It is as if a gust of wind lifts me into mid-air…a flaming ball of anger. I find myself in our galley kitchen. “How about this??”

I yank the butcher knife out of its custom block. Mark jolts and leaps backward.

“Did he kill her with a knife like this!?!” I ask coolly. As cool as a homicidal maniac, I think to myself. “Or a knife like this? Or this one!” I belligerently jerk every knife out of the block and slam it on the counter. The volume of my voice steadily rises with each slam of a knife. Mark remains silent…a safe distance away. “Did he gut her with this knife? Stab her with this one! Huh? How did he do it??”

“Sari…Sari…” Tears fill Mark’s eyes as he tries to coax words up his throat and out of his mouth. Instead, he stands there choking on his lies.

“Speak! Goddamnit Mark.” I sigh. “I am Amanda Hayes. Amanda fucking Hayes. And you have known all along. Haven’t you? Haven’t you…you shit!” I demand my tear ducks to close. I force my eyes wide open. It is easy to ignore the stinging. I refuse to waste another tear on the likes of this guy.

Mark doesn’t move, not even a twitch. I lunge at him. My hands balled in fists of fury. I flail at him…my arms and legs ferociously propelling. I attack him with all of my might. I don’t have to dig deep for this violent charge. My father is Ed Hayes after all. I seethe at this thought. I grab fists of Mark’s hair and yank it. I want to hear him scream. I want to put in the exact same position I am…hurt and fear.

It takes Mark a few unsuccessful attempts to grab my wrists but he conquers. He forcefully pins me against the wall. He rubs his body up against mine to restrain me. I squirm, my wrath not yet finished.

“Shhhh….” Mark rests his head on my shoulder and sobs.

“Why? Why? Why Mark?” I give up, I remain still and I sob but I will not to rest my head on his shoulder. I will not give him my emotions.

“I was only trying to protect you.” His voice quivers. His tears drain on my shoulder.

“From what?” I gulp. “The fact that I am the flesh and blood of a murdered.”

“Yes.” Mark rubs his nose on my shoulder. He kisses my shoulder.

His scent is making me nauseous. His touch is making me dizzy. I retrieve power from my ‘power house,’ my legs, and cruelly heave him off of me. He lands on his ass and I listen for a crack…hoping it is tailbone. Nothing.

“Well, you can’t beat down DNA. Counsel, you should know better.” I stand over him and maintain his gaze for only a moment. This, I know, will be the last time I ever look into those deceitful eyes.

“Sari, please. You have to listen to me.” Mark pleads as he trails me into our bedroom. “Please don’t. You have to give me the chance to explain. You owe me that much.”

“I owe you. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I sneer and continue shoving anything of my mine in my wing span into a duffle bag. “You are Ed Hayes’ attorney! It’s pretty clear to me.”

“Yes, but….only so I could keep him in prison for LIFE!” Mark’s appearance turns even more disheveled as he realizes he has lost control of this entire situation. “I got the case 5 years ago. It was in my first pile of cases my first day on the job. Dan made a big deal about making sure Ed never saw the sun again. I was new, curious, young, whatever so I did what was I told. It’s a bizarre coincidence. When I met your aunt I recognized the name Clara Holland. That is when I pieced it all together. Aunt Clara begged me not to say anything.”

“Aunt Clara.” I freeze. My insides and all…immobilized. “You and Aunt Clara discussed this? Behind my back.”

“Yes.” Mark nods. He carefully approaches me. “You see Sari. I didn’t start this. She did.”

“Don’t you dare touch me!” I squint my eyes at him hoping to burn the grin off of his cowardly face. “Shame on you!”

I throw the overstuffed bag of my clothes and other necessities over my shoulder and coldly sidestep him. Without one single care for him in the world I head toward our door.

“Sari…listen to me. I am the one protecting you! You cannot leave!” He leaps in front of me, blocks me from exiting and tries to wrestle my bag out of my grasp. I hold my grip for dear life.

“You are not protecting me Mark! You are suppose to be the one person in this world I can trust and believe in. You have been lying to me! LYING TO ME!” I nearly lose my balance from our struggle. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the foyer mirror. What is staring back at me is just a premeditated disguised. “I am an entirely different person. You knew! My father is not who I thought he was. YOU KNEW! My parents were murdered not killed in a car accident. YOU KNEW. You know everything. How could you keep this from me.” The air coming out of me is fiery hot like an enraged dragon. “Why won’t you tell me? Because Aunt Clara told you not too. That didn’t seem strange to you? I never would have kept this from you. I love you too…loved you too much to ever hurt you like this.” I pause to put my thoughts back on track. “So there is only one question I have to ask myself. What do you love more, me or the life we were destined to have?”

Mark’s lips part.

“Don’t you even think about answering you bastard. You already did. And now Ainslie and Clara are dead.” I bash my shoulder into his as I saunter past him. The slamming door announces my final exit from our condo and everything it symbolizes.

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Mark cradles his head in his hands. But only for a second. “This is not the way this ends”, he says under his breath. “Not on my watch. I deserve you Sari. I deserve our life. Yes, this is our destiny. I am correct.”

Mark stands upright and brushes the wrinkles out of his suit. He cracks his neck and embraces his dark side. He is out of options.

“Doug. This Mark from 3206. Make sure you find out where Sari is off too. Well she did enter the building and now she is leaving it. I want your best cabbies keeping tabs on her every move. Yes, call my cell.”

He calmly sets his phone down. He is done crying like a baby and wallowing in self-pity. In fact, he is slightly aroused by his and Sari’s passionate encounter. No two people would act so irrational if it weren’t true love. Mark feels a tingle in his pants.

A soothing hot shower should do. For now.

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