Ricochet (TGC book 2) (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 10

To get it over as fast as possible, Nick and Leo left immediately after the meeting ended. The rest lingered on for a while. I took the opportunity to do one of the two things I needed to do, then.

“Wait for me just one second,” I whispered to my friends as we stood up to leave.

Confidently, I walked toward Pasha, feeling the eyes of a dozen people on me. He was talking to an elderly woman, and I remembered she was one of the members who was on Pasha's side. I decided she had my respect.

Pasha looked up when he saw me approach and smiled kindly my way. “Hey,” he greeted me friendly. “How are you feeling?”

I detected concern in his voice, and it made my opinion of him grow. Smiling back at him, I answered his question with complete honesty, feeling like I owed it to him to tell him the truth. “I’m hanging in there. It all happened so fast, I think I still don’t entirely believe it wasn’t just some nightmare. But I just need some time.”

He nodded understandingly. “That’s good to know. You seem like a fighter to me, so I guess you’ll be okay by tomorrow morning,” he said, full of optimism.

My smile widened. “I hope so. Anyway, I just wanted to come and thank you for, you know, saving my life. And also to tell you that you’ve earned my eternal respect and gratitude,” I said with gratitude.

I was tempted to add that if he ever wanted me to beat up somebody for him, I would do it without hesitation. But I felt like the joke wouldn’t pass along so well with him, or the audience watching and listening.

He chuckled. “Well, it was my pleasure, and I would gladly save you any other day. Let’s not make a habit out of it, though,” he joked, laughing.

I laughed along with him. “No worries. That’s the only near death experience I ever plan on going through.”

He grinned. “Good to know.”

Waving at him and the woman, I turned back to my friends waiting for me. I felt a twinge of regret when I didn’t see Leo; regret that I wasn’t with him. But I tried to put it aside as we left the meeting room and went to relax in the entertainment building's lobby. It was nice to be able to talk freely again.

My concern, and the second thing I needed to do, was to check on Nettie. “Are you alright?” I asked her, worried.

Nettie smiled sadly and shook her head. “It’s messed up in so many ways that you’re the one asking if I’m alright. I’m not the one who had the near death experience, you know.”

I shrugged. “I know. But... I heard you crying when I... after Pasha saved me. I’m allowed to be worried about you, too.”

She sighed, a small smile on her lips. “You know, sometimes, you can be the nicest person in the world,” she teased.

I scoffed, pretending to be offended. “I’m always nice,” I rebutted, even though just a few days ago I had said the opposite to Katherine.

But it had the effect I wanted, which was to make Nettie’s sad smile turn to a full on beam. “Sure you are.”

“I am nice,” I insisted. “Now, shut up and answer the question.”

She laughed. “Okay, okay,” she said. She paused for a moment, turning serious. “I was really scared something happened to you. When you were falling,” –I tried my hardest not to wince– “I was jumping up and down the whole time, trying to find something I could do to help, but there wasn’t anything I could think of.”

Gently, I touched her arm. “You couldn’t have done anything.”

“Yes, I could have,” she objected strongly, and her eyes started to glint with tears. “I could have caught you.”