Page 113 of Devil Inside

Where did I go?

Helland back.

“There he is,” Gil says the second he sees me. “Mr. Mystery, back in action.”

“Good to see you, too...”

“I doubt it,” Gil laughs.

The clinic on Broad Street has been kind enough to open a tab for me. The therapists who work here are all saints. That includes Gil.

“Been a hot minute,” he says. “I was wondering if you’d bailed.”

“Miss me that much?”

“Hardly.” Gil doesn’t talk much about himself. Most here don’t. What I’ve gotten out from him during our sessions is that he was a combat medic, serving overseas on three different tours. His Humvee rolled over an IED, sending it spiraling through the air, landing upside down. He survived. Barely. Had to drag himself thirty yards through the desert to avoid rifle fire. Made his own tourniquet to stop the bleeding long enough for medevac to arrive hours later. Lost his left foot. Now he’s here, working with soldiers and citizens alike, who need help recuperating. Reconnecting to the rest of the world.

Gil shows up. He makes the effort. The least I can do is match him. “Let’s see what we can do today,” he offers. “You been doing your exercises like you promised?”

“Absolutely.”

He chuckles.Bullshit.“Nice try. I’m not gonna go easy on you today, you hear me?”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

He gives me a once-over on the mat. It’s strange, being scrutinized like this. His hands are on me, lifting my arm. Squeezing my bicep. “You got in a fight or something?”

“Chalk it up to a one-night stand with a Tasmanian devil.”

“Damn,” Gil says. “Hate to say it, but... I think the devil won.”

“Tell me about it.”

“This devil got a name?”

“I’ll ask next time.” There’s a part of me that wants to open up to Gil and spill, tell him all about it. About her. What shedoes to me. Ever since Lilith slipped into my life, I’ve had these flare-ups, a brush fire in my muscles, singeing the sinew. I feel like I’m burning without any flame.A beacon, Lilith called me. A lighthouse. Maybe I am. For what, though?

What am I drawing in?

“Wanna tell me where you been?” Gil asks. “You ditching me for some new flame?”

“I didn’t think you’d take it so personally...”

“Just keeping an eye out on you.”

Gil sprawls me out on the mat for some stretching exercises. My body is a ball of rubber bands, just hundreds of muscles bound together, all strapped into a single taut knot. There’s no unraveling it. I’m going to snap if I don’t relent on some of this tension.

“Breathe much?” Gil asks.

“Been holding onto a lot lately.”

“Yeah, no shit... You’re all wadded up.”

“Is that your professional opinion?”

“Professional? Hell no. I’m just speaking from the heart, man... You want myprofessionalopinion? Shit, I’d say your body is fucked ten different ways to Sunday.”

“Glad I asked.”