Battling Guilt, Part 3: The Ex

Petra was tempted to lose her cool because her gut feeling caused her to assume the worst. Was he mugged?? Did he get hit by a bus? Was he violently accosted because he took a turn into the wrong alley at the wrong time? Petra was ballistic on the inside, but on the outside, she stood calm and cool, her stance solid as a brick.

She held her head high put her shoulders back, and took one firm step after another to go find Frank, the bouncer. Maybe he noticed something that could help her figure this out.

"Frank," she said, finally stepping outside of the club.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Have you seen Thor recently?"

"Who?"

"My cousin, the guy who was with me earlier."

Frank paused to check a few IDs and then asked one of the other bouncers to temporarily fill in for him, and took Petra inside. "Sit," he said, pointing to a suede purple booth.

Petra started to feel even more shaken up, but she kept a plain expression and a collected attitude. "Are you still with Ivan? I really hope you're not," Frank asserted.

"What does he have to do with anything?"

"Well he came in here saying you, Thor, and him were supposed to meet up shortly after this so I assumed that's why your cousin was leaving without you."

Petra's patience was starting to wane. "Did you see him leave with Ivan?!" she exclaimed, a slight squeal escaping from her voice.

Frank gave a curt nod. "But what I don't get is why you're back with that troglodyte."

Petra could feel the heat leave her head as her palms started to sweat. "FRANK."

"What? He's an asshole. I don't see-"

"I'm not dating him! And I never introduced him to Thor!" she blurted, her voice raising an octave. Stay cool, she tried to reassure herself.

Frank's jaw dropped. "Oh."

At this point, Petra's anxiety had turned to rage, but no matter what, she was going to suppress it, for her own sake and Thor's. "Which way did they go?"

Frank shrugged his shoulders.

Petra raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't know?" she said, holding back a growl.

"Just that. I don't know. I had turned to check some IDs after we were talking, turned around and they were gone."

Oh Frank, she thought to herself. If you weren't so damn lovable I would punch you right now. "I gotta do something. Because Thor's not answering his-"

All of a sudden, she could hear her Elton John ringtone go off. It was an unknown caller; normally she would have blocked it but that gut feeling from earlier came whooshing back. Answer it, she told herself. "Hello?" she answered softly. "So now you answer my calls," a smooth voice with a charming rasp replied. At first, Petra was so consumed with rage she couldn't find the words to say. So she was silent.

"Petra. Come on, don't be shy. What's one conversation with your old boy Ivan?" Petra scoffed. "Please, we both know I wouldn't have given you the time of day if you didn't have something I want. And right now, YOU HAVE SOMETHING I WANT!" she demanded. She could feel her nonchalant facade start to wear off. "There's the Petra we know and love. I always loved that spitfire tongue of yours."

"Ivan, I swear if you so much as look sideways at Thor, you and I are both going to prison. And that's a promise."

"Tsk tsk tsk," Ivan said. "Now now Petra, there's no need for violence. This can end amicably if you give what we both know I WANT."

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