Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)(26)
Miriam nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Call me, text me. Something. Just…I need to know you’re okay. If you see Ben, call me. I’ll come get you. Okay?”
She nodded again. “I will.”
Had she glimpsed a hint of fear in his eyes? She couldn’t be sure, and she didn’t want it to be there. But he would be prudent to be afraid of her. She was beginning to be afraid of herself.
*
Miriam had managed to avoid Ben for a while. When he did call, she ignored his messages. She switched shifts, and called in sick a couple of times. Larry knew the score and understood what Miriam wanted without her having to spell it out, for which she was grateful. She knew she’d have to face Ben eventually, but the longer she could put it off, the better.
He finally showed up at her apartment a few hours after Jack dropped her off. He pounded on her door so hard she thought he was going to break it down. She went out to him rather than letting him inside. She wouldn’t bother Jack, though. She didn’t want him to get hurt on her account, and this was her problem to solve anyway.
“Where the f*ck have you been, Miriam?” |Ben demanded. “You ignore my calls, avoid me at work? What the hell?” He was sober, but livid, a particularly bad combination. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to his car, shoved her in the passenger side, nearly bashing her head on the side in the process.
“I needed space, Ben. I still do.” She moved to get out, but he locked the door and gunned the engine so she couldn’t get out without hurting herself.
“Space? What the f*ck do you need space for? You’re the freak, remember?”
“Wow, Ben. Awesome. How loving and supportive of you. I’m a freak now?”
He had the grace to look chagrined at least. “I’m sorry, okay? That was uncalled for. It doesn’t excuse you avoiding me, though. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, Ben. If I knew, I wouldn’t need space, would I? And you being like this isn’t helping.” She found herself not caring what he did or said. She had decided, in that moment, to break it off with him, no matter what, and that freed her tongue. But she did expect to get hit at least once.
“Whoa! Where’s this coming from?” He genuinely seemed surprised at her outburst. In all the time he’d known her, she’d never talked back like that. Miriam was enjoying the sense of freedom she got from letting him know how she felt.
“It’s the truth, Ben,” she said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, okay? It’s scary for me, and it would be nice if you could act concerned for once, and support me. Instead, all you seem to care about is yourself. You drive around in this stupid goddamn car like you earned it or something.”
“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense, Miri.” He never called her Miri unless he was trying to be all lovey-dovey.
“I’m talking about your new phone and this stupid car. Where the hell do you think they came from? Stuff like this doesn’t just magically appear, Ben. Except it did, didn’t it? Who do you think made that happen?” She knew she shouldn’t make the connection for him, but her mouth was going faster than her good sense.
Ben jammed the brakes, skidding to a stop in the middle of the street, cars honking and lights flashing as they swerved around him. “You think YOU are responsible for this stuff?”
“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know. But it’s the only thing that makes sense, and you know it.”
“So you’re a f*cking…wizard now or some shit? Wow, Miriam. You’ve finally lost your actual damn mind.”
“You know what, Ben? Fuck you. Let me out. I’m done. We’re done.”
Crack. She didn’t even see his fist move. She felt it, though, like a ton of bricks. Her head snapped back and slammed into the car window. She felt a sticky warmth gushing from her nose and trickling down the side of her face. She pinched the bridge of her nose and peered at Ben through throbbing eyes, but he was driving again, knuckles white on the steering wheel. He jerked the car around corners, driving like a maniac.
He pulled the car into a deserted parking lot, threw open his door, and circled around to the passenger side. Miriam knew what was coming and tried to lock the door, but it was too late. He had her door open and yanked her out, and this time she saw his left fist flying at her so fast she had no time to duck. The impact connected with her cheekbone, toppling her backward. Madness burned in his eyes, an unseeing haze of hatred and violence seething within him. His fist bunched in her shirtfront and he held her up, the other fist crashing and bashing into her face and chest and stomach, over and over and over, an ocean of pain rolling over her, subsuming her, drowning her, burying her beneath its suffocating weight.
She retreated into herself, locked the core of her soul away and allowed the pain to scorch away what remained. One last blow struck her mouth, splitting open her lips and loosening a couple of teeth. At that moment the fires within her burst open and set her alight.
She was flame, she was burning, a living torch kneeling on the gravel of the parking lot. Ben was stumbling away, cursing and shielding his face with his arms. Miriam looked up through the flames erupting from her skin and saw Ben, his arms and hair singed and smoking, frantically patting the fire on his shirt. Miriam held up a hand in front of her, marveling at what she saw: There was no skin, no bones, no blood, only fire, her hand carved out of flame. She sobbed, and she was extinguished. It was only a moment, and in an instant the flame was gone as quickly as it had come, so fast that she wasn’t sure it was real.