Page 97 of Atlas
“Yes.”
There was another picture of Niklavs and Velna together. He was stocky and only an inch or two taller than her.
“With that crooked nose, it’s easy to see he was a boxer,” Atlas commented and leaned closer.
“I feel bad for his wife. When I talked to her on the phone before he attacked me, she was afraid of Niklavs. It took a lot for her to break her loyalty to him and tell me how scared she was of him. I think it’s safe to say that she risked a lot to warn me.”
Atlas looked out the window. “Yeah, he’s bad news, and the sooner he gets convicted, the better.”
I reread the part of the report that mentioned his criminal past. His list of offenses painted the picture of a man prone to anger and with little conscience. The list of places he’d worked showed random low-paying jobs that he couldn’t hold on to for long.
“You have to get a new phone number when we get back, and you’re not staying at that place you rent. I know he’s in jail, but Niklavs might have connections to people whom he could send to hurt you.”
I slid my arm under Atlas’ and leaned my head against his shoulder. “I wish I’d never come in contact with Niklavs, but I don’t regret reporting him. I helped a little boy get away from a violent and abusive father, and that gives hope that Benjamin won’t grow up to be violent and abusive himself.”
Atlas intertwined our fingers and kissed my hair. “Think of how many future victims you might have saved by changing Benjamin’s future.”
I turned my face and looked up at him. “That’s a nice thought.” Placing a soft kiss on his lips, I traced my finger over his bruised eye. “The yellow color is fading. You’ll be back to normal soon.”
“Mmhh. And what about you? How is your head feeling?”
“Better. I didn’t have any trouble reading the report.”
“That’s good.” Atlas kissed me again.
Half an hour later, the flight crew dimmed the light in the cabin. Most people were watching movies, reading, or sleeping. Atlas opted to see a thriller while I curled up with a blanket and a pillow to try and sleep. Only, once again, my mind was running off and raising questions that I couldn’t answer.
“Atlas?”
“Mmhh?”
“What happens when we get back to Chicago?”
His brow lowered. “I have a driver waiting for us.”
“No, I meant with us. What happens with us?”
Atlas paused his movie and sunk lower in his seat as he turned his body to me. “That’s a good question.”
I bit my lip. “Brian and Diane will sense a difference in the way we behave around each other. Do you plan to tell them?”
“With the way Brian blabbered to the news; I’d prefer he doesn’t know anything about my life. I’m still annoyed with him for giving that interview.”
“I understand.” My heart sank a little because even though we hadn’t defined our relationship, I’d hoped Atlas would make it official. His family knew for sure with the way he placed an arm around my shoulder or from the noises coming from his room, yet he hadn’t announced that we were a couple. Not to them or me.
Atlas’ thumb stroked the back of my hand. “I promised that we would take it slow, but the wolf is getting restless. He wants to take you to my apartment, close the door, and devour you.”
Pulling the blanket higher, I fixed my gaze on his shoulder. It sounded like Atlas wanted us to go back to the way things were, except that we would now be lovers. How did I tell him that I was in love with him and wanted all of him without sounding desperate and potentially overwhelming him?
“Don’t look so scared, Jo. I’ll never let the wolf take it too far. You’ll have your safe word.”
My small smile didn’t cover up the sadness I felt inside. Atlas was still not accepting his sexuality as an integrated part of himself. He would talk about the wolf as a separate part of him that wanted me, but that was just another way of saying I was his lover and not his girlfriend.
“What’s wrong?” Atlas brushed a lock of hair from my face. “Did I say something wrong?”
I should confront him and explain how I felt, but I was exhausted from the last few weeks of events, and getting into an argument now was the last thing I wanted, so I took the easy way out. “No, I’m just tired.”
Closing my eyes, I thought about how I’d ended up in this situation. I wasn’t a broken woman who always picked emotionally unavailable men. The men I’d dated had been nice and treated me well. None of them had made my heart flutter the way Atlas did, but at least we’d been equals.
