In the Rough by Sara Brookes

Author:Sara Brookes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-05-10T18:24:02+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Marcus wrapped his hands around a mug, absorbing some of the heat as he scanned the coffeehouse. The first few hours after group session was always tough, leaving him feeling as though he’d been scraped raw, his past quickly seeping through the scars of the attack. Ground Hogs in Sacramento had always been a good place to decompress afterward. He’d found the trendy café’s sister store in San Francisco while attending the Fordham Street Fair. The once-a-year kink-centric festival was always a good way to let loose and relax with people of similar interests.

“Mind if I join you?”

The familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Hey, cupcake. Always room at the booth, my gorgeous best friend.”

In the twenty minutes since group, Zoie had pulled her long cascade of wavy chestnut hair into a high ponytail. Though her eyes were dry, the delicate skin around them was still red from where she’d been crying.

He gave her an understanding smile. “I see you’ve brought snacks.”

She adjusted the plate of bite-sized pastries she’d arrived with as she sipped her coffee. “We both had a tough session tonight, so I thought we deserved chocolate.”

The harsh sound of her voice grabbed Marcus’s heart, twisting it hard. No one else in his life understood the kind of pain he lived with daily. “I keep waiting for it to get easier.”

“It will. Someday.”

He hoped she was right. Every day was a struggle, but at least it wasn’t as prevalent as it had once been. He wanted to point out that Zoie was still attending group too despite the fact she considered herself past the tangle of emotions related to her own trauma. Though their situations were remarkably different.

“I know you don’t believe me,” she began. “But it really will. You’ll be able to bury your anger over the ordeal and make peace with it.”

A level Zoie herself hadn’t achieved yet. Not if tonight’s session of waterworks was any indication. “Thanks for meeting me. I know you’re busy.”

“Are you doing all right?”

Marcus shrugged. He hadn’t felt all right since Zoie had called to report about Davis’s parole months ago. “Do you know where he is now?”

“You know I shouldn’t be talking to you about this.”

“Then you wouldn’t have come.”

Zoie smirked. “Yeah, I know. Just thought you needed a friend. And that you would feel better if you knew everything is normal. No trace of him. It’s like he’s disappeared off the face of the Earth.”

“He was a good student in high school. Just never had the motivation to apply himself. All it would take is the right contacts. You’ve said it yourself, contraband flows pretty readily despite all the controls you guys have in place.”

“As much as the system tries to stop it from happening...you’re right. He contacted you so soon after his release, he had to have set about obtaining information while he was still inside. I’ll see if I can’t find out more.”

Words couldn’t express how grateful Marcus was for Zoie’s continued involvement. She’d worked his case as a rookie cop.

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