Battling Guilt Part 4: A Date With Ivan

Petra felt a shit-storm of nerves brewing inside of her while she was on the phone with Ivan. She shifted the weight on her feet from left to right while occasionally chewing on the fingernail of her right index finger. "What, what could you possibly want from me Ivan? We ended things, remember?" she said in a soft tone, trying desperately to hide her nervousness. Ivan let out a gentle chuckle. "Oh Petra, you know me better than that," he began, "I always finish what I start," he said with a growl.

"I'm not getting back with you Ivan. I left you for a reason. But if you want to talk we can talk, just let my cousin go! How do you even know who he is anyway?"

"I hired some cousins of mine. They were willing to do it for free because of how devoted they are to me, but you know me. Go big or go home, and nothing is too good for my family."

Petra sucked in a huge gust of air and then released her breath. "So then you know how important Thor is to me. Please let him go. Please."

Ivan let clicked his teeth. "Tsk tsk tsk. Petra. Begging is beneath you. Just come meet meet me at the address I just texted you, and we will discuss the terms of your cousin's release." Before Petra could respond, Ivan hung up.

"DAMN IT!" she said, attempting to slam her phone on the table. Luckily Frank grabbed her wrist before she could damage it. "Thanks. Did you hear any of that?" Frank nodded. "I did," he replied. "We need to call the cops." Petra shook her head. "The cops in this town are shit. And Ivan is good friends with a lot of them. They won't help. I'm going to meet him," Petra said before shoving her phone in her pocket and storming out of the club.

She whipped out her phone again and took a look at the address. 9084 Cherrytop Lane. It was an abandoned hospital that shut down in the 90s. How romantic, she thought to herself while rolling her eyes. As she started for the hospital she heard a flurry of footsteps behind her. Ready to throw a punch as she turned around, she lowered her fist to see Frank frantically following her.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"Honestly Frank, you want to stay out of this. Please. You don't know Ivan, he-"

"Know Ivan? Please. I have a bachelors degree in Ivan. I know what drinks he orders when he's happy, sad, mad. What he looks like when he's impatient. He was one of our regulars for years."

"No, you think you know him, but you don't," replied Petra. "Just, for your own safety, stay out of this!" she begged.

Frank grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. "I'm not leaving your side," he insisted. Petra growled, rolled her eyes, and yanked her hand away from his. "Oh alright. You're stubborn as hell, you know that?"

Frank replied with a wide smile as they continued walking. She knew that was Frank's way of saying "I know, thank you."

"So where does he want to meet?" Frank inquired. Petra scoffed. "Some abandoned hospital that mysteriously closed down about thirty years ago."

"Ivan, the hopeless romantic," Frank joked.

"Not funny!" Petra huffed.

Wheny they finally arrived at the hospital, it was exactly as Petra pictured it. Rustic and grey, broken windows, and what looked like two main halls spanning about 50 feet between two separate towers. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. Petra had sparred with several predators and creeps even before she discovered her powers. So why was Ivan any different?

Part 5 will be out at the end of next week. Like what ya read? Follow me on instagram at dre.amerwithapen and on FB "Dreamer With a Pen,". And feel free to show your support by subscribing, liking, and sending me a tip. Have a great day :)