La Belle Ile en Mere Pt. 11

George pumped his fist in the air. He felt like he could take on a whole army of those shadow creatures. He'd just gotten an amazing handjob from his mother, and nothing could get in his way.

~~

The door to Kapnos's temporary room was open when the Zaals checked in on her. The smile that had been on George's face faded. He walked into the empty room. The barricade looked like it had been disassembled from the inside. "Mrs. Salazar?" Worry gripped his heart. Nothing good seemed to last on La Belle Île.

"She's not in here." Anna pulled her head out of the bathroom. "What do you think happened?"

A green light blinked in the air over the nightstand. George stepped over and waved his hand to turn on the message.

An image of Delores's disembodied face blinked into existence. "I had hoped to go to the top of the tower with you two," Kapnos said. "But I have decided to return to the others on floor one-oh-three. You will hopefully find transport and return quickly to retrieve us for our flight home." The recording paused. Kapnos stared into space, took a deep breath, and continued. "When you return, please forgive me if I pretend my time climbing the tower with you never happened. It's too difficult for me to acknowledge what happened with young Mr. Zaal. Good luck on the rest of your search. Goodbye." The image blinked out.

"We have to go after her! Those shadow things..." George's words died away when he saw his mother shaking her head.

"She's long gone, Georgie. She could already be back with the others." Anna sighed. It was awkward having Delores along after discovering the widow riding her son, but it had been helpful having a third person to search each floor. A thought occurred to her. We don't need a third anymore. We know where to go. "She's safest with the others."

"But, Mom, what if -"

Anna held up a gloved finger. "She made her choice to leave us. I know you still have feelings for her. Let her go, sunshine. I'm sure she's fine. Now, let's get to the armory to make sure we're fine, too."

"Yeah, okay." George didn't know how to make her understand. And he couldn't truly explain without giving up Kapnos's secret. He'd promised he wouldn't do that. What are you doing, Nossy? Had she abandoned him? If so, why?

"I see you're upset by her leaving. Don't worry, just because she's returned to the others doesn't mean we can't... do stuff again." Anna took a deep breath and walked out into the hall. She straightened her bodice and turned to her son as he lingered in the room. "I showed you my hand to distract you from Mrs. Salazar and Ms. Pemberton. Not to congratulate myself too much, but I think that was a success. Additionally, what we did today... was more than just a distraction. It's something... I never would have considered before coming here. But now that we're here, in this situation, I think..." She had a hard time getting words out.

Mom wants to give me another handjob! George tried to calm himself. He walked out into the hall, straightened his tie, and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What do you think?"

"I think that our new closeness is good for both of us. With any luck, we'll have only one more night away from the others. And then we'll all be heading to the transport if our luck holds." Anna pressed her lips together. "So tonight, before bed, I'll do the thing I did in the bathroom. It will help us deal with the nightmare we're in. And that's important. Getting us through this is important. You're important. Understand?" She wasn't being very clear. Nothing in motherhood had prepared her for these last few days.

George solemnly nodded. "I'm going to do everything I can to keep us alive until tonight. I'm not missing a chance to be close to you. Not ever." He put his hands on his backpack straps and pulled his pack into a better position on his back. "On that topic, let's get to the armory. Nothing is going to happen to us today. Not on my watch." He marched toward the stairs.

"I believe you, sunshine." Anna fell in next to her son. She had to quickly pump her legs to keep up with his long strides. "You keep saving my life. How could I doubt you?" She was pleased when that got a little smile out of him. He seemed so shaken by Delores's departure. She reminded herself that he was a teenager and didn't have much experience with heartbreak. She thought of something to change the subject. "Do you remember your pistol lessons?" All young men had to take fencing and firearm classes in case they were challenged to a duel. Anna's heart fluttered. They would have to deal with Mr. Dmytruk and that detestable man's honor before leaving the hotel. She tried never to wish ill on anyone, but she wouldn't grieve if one of those shadow creatures pulled that horrible man away.

"If they have pistols, I should be able to handle them." George glanced at his mother. She was biting her bottom lip, clearly worried about the path ahead. "If we see any more of those monsters, they won't get within ten feet of us." He gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Come on, I think the closest armory is two floors up." He turned onto the stairs. "We'll be there in no time."