Page 1 of Destined Chaos
1
Libby Slaughter
“Libby, tell me you at least had the decency to explain?” Champ Beaumont breathlessly asked as he tried to keep up with me.
We’d jogged seven miles. One more and he’d give out and call it a productive morning.
“Peter was getting clingy, and I warned him in the beginning not to get attached.” There was a reason I didn’t want the emotional entanglements. There was a reason for everything I did, but most people that didn’t know my secrets wouldn’t believe me if I ever tried to explain.
“Right, because you don’t do serious. You’ve got another five years before you have to worry about keeling over and dropping dead. How do you even know it’s going to happen to you?” he asked, touching my sweaty arm and pulling me to a full stop.
He squatted and rubbed his calf, massaging the painful-looking tight knot while I jogged in place.
“It’s inevitable.”
“Then why all of this running? Are you trying to outrun fate, because, if it were me and I was dying in five years, I’d be eating all the fried delicious goodness and eating my weight in everything chocolate while chasing it with alcohol, all the while gambling my fortune away. Or better yet, I’d go out with a big bang and throw one massive elaborate party that will be talked about for years to come.”
“That’s the difference between us. I’m not going down without a hard fight, and why would I want to make any lasting relationships that could potentially leave someone hurt when I’m going to die? It’s just plain cruel.”
He righted his stance and swiped at the pouring sweat drenching his brow. “I thought cruel was your middle name.”
She grinned. “Only in the pit.”
The pit was the one place I could let go of my personal frustrations. The main area where the self-defense classes were taught and where I had a multitude of punching bags and mannequin-sized dummies to beat up.
“I think this is as far as I go,” he said, resting his hands on his hips.
“Wimp. I’m only going one more mile.”
“I’m not a wimp. I’m not made for this kind of torture, but now you…” He gestured to my body. “You normally go ten, so who’s slacking today? Hmm?” he asked with a chuckle.
“I had a bad dream and then a visitor.”
The smile faded off his face as quickly as it had arrived. “Anything I need to know?”
There was a lot he needed to know, but it was too late to undo the damage that had been done. “I’m not going to ruin your productive morning. You’ll have to deal with it soon enough. I’ll see you in the office.”
He turned and waved his hand in departure as he moved to the street to hail a cab.
He was a good sport. He was my best friend. I’d tried to run him off like everyone else, but he overlooked my crazy need to keep people at arm’s length.
The sound of thunder rumbled overhead as dark clouds formed in the distance. I grinned. The rain would cool me down and replenish me for the next few miles.
I finished my full run, showered, and dressed for the rest of the day before making my kale smoothie and pouring it into my travel cup. The first time I’d tried it, I almost gagged at the taste, but it was just my new normal now.
* * *
I pulled up outside the five-story Beaumont Foundation building. I’d helped Champ pick this place. It was a hidden gem just outside the downtown district. Close enough to be in town and yet far enough away from prying eyes that they wouldn’t see people coming and going. Champ Beaumont excelled in helping people, and so did I by association.
I grabbed my favorite rose-colored lipstick and adjusted the rearview mirror, watching as I swiped the color over my lips. I mashed them together and checked my teeth.
Grabbing the VIP badge out of my center console, I clipped it to my skirt and grabbed my briefcase, locking the car after I got out. Double doors stood in the distance. It was a welcoming sight. I knew everyone in this building, from the mail pushers to each vendor the Foundation worked with. I’d consulted on it all, like it was my baby to mold into something great, and I had. Well, Champ had listened to my nagging prophetic suggestions. That was all I could have ever asked for since I wouldn’t have a legacy of my own to leave behind. Less paperwork like that.
I knew things, all kinds of things that I couldn’t explain. I’d tried to explain it once that my secrets came from the other side, but people didn’t really care how I came up with my predictions, just that they were accurate.
Champ was a good man. A strong innovator. He was sort of like me. He saw things that others couldn’t. Whereas I saw ghosts and things that went bump in the night, Champ saw upgrades to the industry of personal safety, and he was damn good at his job. That was why we worked so well together.
I pulled the door open and smiled as I passed workers coming and going. I headed straight for the executive elevators. I pressed the call button and stepped inside, swiping my key to the top floor.
