I LAID ON the couch and stared at the wings pin I had gotten from TransGlobal. It was silver, with two wings surrounding a circle with T & G written on it. Silver wings meant I was new. When I hit five years with the company, I'd get gold wings.

I snorted. Like I'd hit five years. I'd be lucky to last five months.

A gust of wind hit the windows hard enough to make them shake. Useless whined and curled up against me. A nor'easter was about to make landfall, complete with blizzard conditions and wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour.

I'd never been in a nor'easter before. I thought it sounded fun. We could pop popcorn, wrap up in a blanket, and watch Netflix and chill.

Not Alex. He wanted to get out of the city ASAP.

"Do we have to go?" I asked and set the wings on the coffee table. "Are you sure we can't stay here?"

Alex sat on the couch opposite from my, iPad in hand. His mouth was all tight and pinched and his forehead was all frowny. Whatever he was looking at on the iPad had him all worked up. Maybe it was the weather.

"Alex." I waved my hand had him. "Earth to Alex... are you sure we can't stay?"

He barely glanced up. "What? Oh. No. We're leaving."

"Now?"

He didn't answer.

I sighed. "Alex, do we have to go? The news says it's only Long Island that has to evacuate." I pointed at the T.V. "We're safe here."

"Not safe enough," he muttered and shut the iPad. "I have to run an errand. Are you packed?"

I sat up. "What? Where are you going? They're going to close the bridges and tunnels, Alex... we won't get out!"

"It can't be helped." He slipped on his coat. "I'll be right back. Tell me you're packed."

"I'm packed." I watched him fiddle with his scarf. "We need to go if we're going."

"We will." He opened the closet and pulled out a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic. "Go upstairs and get your bags. I want you ready to go the moment I get back."

I watched him load a fresh magazine of bullets into the gun. "Alex, what is going on?"

"Nothing, baby. I'll be right back." He stared at me for a moment, like he'd forgotten who I was. "Siobhan... I'm serious about the bags. If they're not down here, you're going as you are." He left, the door slamming behind him.

"What is your problem?" I yelled after him. "Why are you freaking out?"

Useless whined.

I glanced back at him. "What? He's freaking out."

He got up, turned in a circle a few times, and laid back down with his back to me.

"Oh, so it's like that, huh? Whatev." I went upstairs and got my bags. Once I carried everything downstairs, I took a picture and texted it to him. See? Downstairs. Ready to go. Where are you?

He didn't text back.

Alex? R U OK?

No reply.

My stomach started twisting. "There's no reason to freak out," I told Useless as sat down beside Useless. "He'll be back in a moment." I turned on the T.V., but it was all Stormpocalypse. I get it, it's a storm, we're all going to die. I PMed Frances.

What are you doing?

Getting out of New York, she PMed back. Where are you?

At the townhouse. Waiting for Alex.

Get out. This storm's a killer... gotta go. Taking off.

I sent her a gif of a monkey waving bye, then opened Netflix. What to watch, what to watch? I deliberated between The Making of the American Mob and Mob Boss: The Salvatore Cosetino Story, when my phone buzzed a text.

Finally. I grabbed it and swiped it open.

Dammit. It was Molly. Are you going out?

No.

Please? I need Dr. Bach Rescue Remedy.

Amazing how I could hear her whining through texts. Seriously? Could you be any more white?

Siobhan. Do you know how hurtful it is for you to say something like that to someone like me?

I snorted. What?That you're white?

Yes. It's hurtful. Now, run out out and get me some Dr. Bach's. I have an anxiety disorder.

These people. I sighed. We all do. It's called a nor'easter.

My phone rang. It was Molly. Guess she decided texting wasn't whiny enough. "Molly, I'm not going out in this to get your whatever crap."

"Siobhan, please," she wailed. "I'm going crazy! Julian left me all alone here! I don't... I can't... the help left, Siobhan. The help has left and I'm not finished packing!"

"Well, good luck with that." I hung up on her and went to the kitchen to make popcorn.

My phone rang. Call waiting told me it was Amelia. This should be good. "What is it?" I answered.

She didn't miss a beat. "Siobhan, I need you to go out. We need candles."

What is it with these women? "You don't have candles there?" I put the popcorn in the microwave and poured a Diet Coke. "You seem like a woman who always has a fully stocked supply of candles."

"I don't have Diptyque Feu de Bois candles. I want the house to be appropriately scented, and there's a store down the street from you." She paused. "For some reason, Barneys isn't delivering."

I hung up on her. Diptyque Feu de Bois candles were these fancy scented candles. I was not going out into blizzard-like conditions for fancy scented candles. The popcorn finished popping; I dumped it in a bowl, tossed cheese on it, and took everything out to the living room.

I selected Mob Boss: The Salvatore Cosetino Story. Useless and I ate popcorn and watched my soon-to-be father-in-law commit mayhem, until my eyes grew heavy.

I texted Alex. How much longer?

No response.My gut started twisting.

I pulled the blanket up to my chin and closed my eyes. He'd be here soon, and we'd leave. It would all be okay.

It was all going to be okay. The wind, the dog's body heat, the comfortable pillows were too much. I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, it was black as pitch. Had I turned off the lamp? I leaned over and clicked it a few times, but no luck. Power was out.

Where was Con Ed when you needed them? I dug my phone out from under me and called Alex. It went to voicemail.

I called Molly.

No answer.

I called Amelia.

No answer.

Had they left me? For a moment, I sat, frozen. No. No way. They might have, but Alex wouldn't. He wouldn't leave me. Whatever he was doing must have gotten messed up. 

I tried him again. No answer.

My hands were shaking.

"Calm down," I whispered. "You can handle this. We'll wait out the storm until Alex gets back. There's an emergency generator on the third floor. We'll just go upstairs, turn it on, and everything will be fine."

Useless whined.

"It will, too. Don't worry. I got this." I stood up and looked out the patio. All that was out there was a sheet of white. It was kind of pretty, in a violent and distressing way. I snapped my fingers. "Come on, Buddy."

The wind slammed a patio chair into the window. I jumped back as Useless tried to burrow through the couch. It slammed the window again, then flew up in the air and floated for a minute, then disappeared.

I forced myself to my feet. "Upstairs, dog. Now."

Useless whimpered.

"Dog, you're a pain in my butt." I picked him up like a baby and carried him to the second floor.

I could handle this. I was a Midwestern girl. I grew up with tornado drills. Find an interior room, no windows and take cover until it's all over.

I carried Useless into the master bathroom and made him a bed of towels. He hunkered down against the wall. "Okay, buddy, I'm going to turn on the generator. It'll be fine."

He buried his head in the towels. I wanted to bury my head in the towels, too. "It'll be fine," I told him. "You'll see."

I took a deep breath and marched into the bedroom. It seemed like the wind was even stronger up here. I rubbed my eyes. "Alex... where are you? This is so not cool... "

Something crashed downstairs. Another chair? Probably another chair. Whoever didn't tie down the patio furniture was getting fired. "Shit... Alex... " I tried his phone again. Still no answer. The wind howled.

"It's fine," I said out loud. "He's late, but he'll be home soon, and we'll just stay here. It'll be fine. Everything's fine."

A massive bolt of lightening lit up the room. I dropped to my knees and covered my ears. "One, two, three..."

Thunder boomed so loud it shook the building.

Hands shaking, I tried Alex one more time. When it went to voicemail, I started talking.

"Where are you, Alex? It's freaking me out. Just call me, okay... the dog's scared. The dog is really scared, and it's not right you're doing that to the dog. Me, I'm fine, but you shouldn't scare an innocent dog like that. Okay? Okay. Come home now. My bags are packed. You'll see. I'm ready to go like you said... see, I can do what you tell me - "

An obnoxious voice interrupted. "If you're pleased with your message, dial one."

I hung up.

He's not here. Only I'm here. I need to protect myself. First things first. Find the generator.

The house was dark, but I didn't need the lights to know where I was going. I walked down the darkened hall, fingers dragging along the wall until I reached the stairs. I was about to go up when a flash of light in the living room caught my eye. Was it lightening? Maybe I saw a flash of lightening in a mirror.

It flashed again. I took a tentative step down. "Alex?" I called out. "Are you home? Alex?"

A few more steps... then all the way down. I turned towards the garage, then walked into a wall.

I backed up. Not a wall. A man in a Kevlar vest with a mask over his face.

I pushed him and ran for the stairs, but a hand in my hair yanked me off my feet. Arms of steel wrapped around my waist and neck. I fought as hard as I could when a second man appeared. "There she is." Nicolai Constantinov yanked off his mask and smirked at him. "Miss me, baby?"

"Son of a bitch!" I tried to twist myself free. "No, not really... Jesus, Nick, this is so not fair... we're in the middle of a nor'easter."

"I've noticed." He pulled out a syringe and tapped it. "Shh... sleepy time now," he said and jabbed it in my neck.

A sharp sting. My legs melted. Blackness embraced me.

_____ * _____ * _____ * _____ * _____

Siobhan's in trouble, but you know Nick had to show up one more time. Strange that she's freaking about the snow, but weather catastrophes are scary. She's all alone, in a dark house, and there's a winter blizzard pounding the area. I'd be freaking, too.

Anyhoo, thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think, and if you like it, please vote!

©Copyright Liz Charnes June 2018

This work is protected by copyright and cannot be copied or used in any way without my express consent. Please don't steal it. Thank you!