As usual, the house was silent at this point in the afternoon when Eva came home. She detested the peace and quiet. There was a time when that was the only thing she desired, but no longer. Zoe contributed joy, levity, and happiness to their home, but the Art Gallery had sucked Zoe's enjoyment out of life. Eva felt nothing but contempt towards the Gallery because she felt like they had beaten the fun out of her wife.
"Zoe!" Eva called out and was met with more silence. "Zoe, where are you?"
"Bathroom," Zoe's voice echoed down the hallway. Eva knew that tone and felt her anger rise the closer she got to the bathroom.
Eva saw the awful bluish/black bruise that ran from the side of Zoe's neck to her bicep, and she almost gasped. It wasn't the first time Zoe had been hurt, but this wasn't an accident. It was a vicious attack that needed to be dealt with. Zoe had covered her eyes with a towel.
Eva knelt down and placed her arms on the rim of the bathtub. She extended her hand and stroked Zoe's forehead. "So, anything interesting happened today?"
Zoe snorted and pulled the cloth from her eyes. Eva couldn't control her shock on seeing the gash above Zoe's eyebrow. "What the hell did that asshole do to you?"
"News travels fast."
"I was listening on the radio, and they were interviewing the letch," Eva replied and tenderly touched Zoe's forehead, avoiding the angry wound. She got up from the floor, kicked off her shoes, and removed her jacket. She motioned for Zoe to scoot over in the tub.
"That's your good suit, Evy."
"Don't care," Eva responded and positioned herself behind Zoe and put her arms around her waist. Zoe scooted back and sat between Eva's long legs. "Wish I could blame Mabel for how you look. I would have preferred it if you had fallen off."
"Well, that's a first."
"You know what I mean. I'm not thinking straight right now. I'm angry."
"I know. Your hands are shaking. I'm alright. I'm banged up a bit, but I'm all right."
"You didn't report the bastard, did you?"
Zoe snorted. "Everyone was so concerned about his well-being that they fell over themselves to get him medical care. I was left with Mr. Palamo and Alice to help me. I despise that place, but I can't quit and let him win."
"Sometimes you have to walk away, love. You have to, or else they take away what makes you amazing."
"Like the biscuit factory? That was a horrible place for you." Zoe looked up. "You sacrificed so much for me to get this job."
Angry with the situation, Eva let out a guttural growl. "That was different. No one attacked me, and the first opportunity I left."
"He will think he's won, and I don't want to give him the victory."
"What about if we talk to Captain Reggie's daughter?"
Zoe groaned. "We can't do that either. I can't go back to her and tell her that the award-winning artist is mean to me!"
Eva took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She needed to stay calm, allow Zoe to be obstinate, and work through her anger.
"Don't do that. I can't read minds, Evy."
"I want to bash that man's head in. Then I want to chop off his dick," Eva said quietly. "He hurt you, and he has to pay." She could feel the smile directed her way even though Zoe was facing away. "Stop grinning."
"Did it make you feel good to say that out loud? You've been thinking it and bottling it inside you..."
"When did you become Dr. Hannah?"
"I've learned a few things from her in the last couple of years."
"I can't stand to watch you suffer and be stuck in that hellhole. I don't know how Alice stays sane, but you can't survive in darkness." Eva tried to keep her anger at bay, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. "I'm putting my foot down."
Zoe stayed quiet for a long moment before she looked up. "You're putting your foot down? I'm sorry, but who are you? You look like my Evy, but you sound like me!"
"I know you don't like ultimatums, but I don't want you to work there. You have to quit."
"I never quit," Zoe mumbled.
"Please, Zoe, I can't stand seeing you so unhappy. I promise you that I will take care of this."
"Don't promise something you can't deliver."
"I've been thinking about it, and I have a plan. Has the Gallery given you any sick leave?"
"Yes, ten days. It's usually five days, but they extended it because of their negligence in not having proper storage of the frames and ladders, blah blah blah, malarky. What were you going to ask me?"
" I was getting to them."
"You're overthinking this. Go with your rage and ask me the questions that have been swirling in your head since you found out." Zoe turned and gazed at Eva. "It's all right. I fought back and hurt him more than he hurt me. He won't forget this in a hurry."
"How did you get that gash on your head?"
"He pushed me into the pallet, and I hit a frame corner, and his hand went down there..."
Eva tried hard not to let her anger overwhelm her. The thought of Fletcher's hands on Zoe's body infuriated her.
"Evy, you're too quiet."
"Tell me what happened next, love."
"We struggled for a bit. Fletcher was surprised I was fighting so much."
"Did the pallet fall on him after you pushed him away?"
Zoe laughed. "Not exactly. I kicked him in the shins..."
"Were you wearing your riding boots?"
"Uh-huh. When heavy leather boots meet skin, it hurts." Zoe giggled. "The bastard still got up after that. He's tougher than he looks. I kicked him so hard he should have gone down, but he came back up. I'll give him that; he's a tough bastard."
"How did the knife end up in his ankle?"
"He smacked me so hard that I couldn't breathe. I felt this rage fueling my body. I rolled and grabbed the palette knife he had lost..."
"Why didn't you go for his legs?"
"If I had stabbed his leg, he would have been able to still get to me. I chose the ankle because it incapacitates you." Zoe touched Eva's ankle and indicated the spot she had chosen. "You can't stab someone in the ankle; you meet bone, which will hurt but won't do that much damage. I drove that knife just above the crook of his ankle, which I'm sure was excruciating."
"Is that something Ellie taught you?"
"No, Papa taught me. When I was learning to hunt, he told me I should aim for the ankles to prevent the animal from escaping. If you shoot them in the legs, they can still limp away, but not if you aim for the ankles.'"
Eva felt queasy at the mention of hunting and killing animals. "The thought of killing an animal is too much for me."
"I know, and that makes you a gentle soul. I don't hunt for the thrill but to get food. There is a difference." Zoe looked up at Eva. "I love that you are so gentle."
"Fletcher isn't an animal; what made you think of using that on him?"
"My first mission with Ellie as part of the Resistance was the first time I used it in combat." Zoe paused thoughtfully before carrying on. "I had killed the first truck driver carrying Jewish children, and the plan was to rescue them, but things didn't go as planned. When the troops inside the truck with the kids started shooting at me, I dove under it for cover. One of the soldiers got out and started shooting at me in the dark. He didn't know where I was, and eventually, he figured if he shot indiscriminately, one of his bullets would get me. There was no time to waste; I had to rescue the kids. The only way out was to shoot him, so I loaded the crossbow and shot him where I stabbed Fletcher."
Eva added, "It's the mission where you lost Ellie," and she understood why Zoe had avoided discussing it. Zoe's quick thinking impressed Eva.
"Ellie died a Spartan hero. We brought her back on her shield, and the children were saved," Zoe said quietly. "I was saved from being killed many times that night, but fate had other plans."
"So we have Papa Lambros to thank for that maneuver."
"We do. Fletcher went down like a sack of potatoes and brought down the entire pallet with the frames on it." Zoe chortled and picked up Eva's hand and kissed it. "I love that you want to defend my honor, but you don't know how to fight."
"Fighting hand-to-hand combat is how you choose to fight. I choose another method, one that is effective for me. The gauntlet has been thrown, Zoe. I have to pick it up."
Zoe leaned back against Eva's chest. "We're now talking about gauntlets? Are you going to be my knight in shining armor?"
Eva smiled and leaned down and whispered. "I'm going to be your Widgie knight."