The Relentless Hero by Angel Vane

Author:Angel Vane [Vane, Angel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Sunny slammed the back door of the warehouse open and stomped onto the damp concrete of the alley behind the TIDES office.

“I know I was wrong for what I said to you. I didn’t want you to find out about Reggie and me, and I damn sure didn’t expect you to throw my past in my face. But, I would never, ever do anything to stand in the way of your happiness. You have to believe that I’m not that petty or jealous to stop you from going to Uganda—”

Julian stepped over broken wooden pallets and a rat scurrying toward the garbage bin. He placed his hands on Sunny’s arms, stopping her. “I believe you.”

“Do you? Because I have no proof of what I’m about to tell you. It’s just my word. You’ll have to decide whether to trust it or not,” Sunny said.

“You don’t have to explain what happened back then. I don’t need to know the details,” Julian said.

Sunny jerked away from him, retreating into the shadows of the garbage bin, overflowing with crumpled food wrappers, empty liquor bottles, and large stuffed garbage bags. Swatting at the flies, she stared into the distance. The hollowness in her gaze tore his heart out.

“I’ve made my peace with what I went through. The months with Tubeec when I fought every day to stay alive, not knowing if he would ever let me go,” Sunny whispered.

“But, he did, and that’s all behind you now,” Julian said. She never shared with him the heinous things she’d witnessed as a captive of Tubeec Hirad and his militia. The acts she must have been subjected to month after month. Things that still haunted her.

A gust of wind rushed through the tight space, sending empty plastic water bottles skittering across the surface. The smell of rotting garbage faded from his senses as he stared at Sunny.

“It’s not behind me, can’t you see? Every time I think I’ve freed myself from him, he comes back into my life one way or another. I don’t know if I’ll ever be free of him. But I do know that the time I spent with him, the things I learned can be used for good,” Sunny said.

“If you say he’s not in Uganda, I believe you,” Julian said. Despite what happened between them in the past, Julian knew without a doubt that Sunny would never manipulate him or lie to him. She wouldn’t risk Mena’s life over the past. Whether it was from direct knowledge or a gut feeling, he’d trust Sunny’s instincts over any intel provided by the ASF.

Sunny rubbed her arms, then turned toward him. “He’s not there. He’d never go back there.”

“Okay,” Julian said. Reaching a hand toward her, he took one of her hands in his. “That’s all I need to know. We’ll keep working to get a new lead on where he could be. Let’s go back inside.”

“I need you to know that I’m not making this up,” Sunny insisted, her eyes searching his as if pleading for confirmation of his belief in her.

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