“Look.”
I looked to the screen he’d been pointing at. In the right corner was a picture. It was a bit grainy, but I could still make out a little boy with sandy blond hair, sucking on his thumb. “Is that Lilo?”
“I’ll have to confirm it for sure, but I think so.” Tarek replied.
“What now?”
“Tonight, I’ll go over to get a closer look.”
“What about me?”
“I’m going to need you as look-out.” Tarek told her.
“Maybe you should get Xman or Bunny.” I trembled. “I don’t know if I’m the best person to do this. I don’t want you to get hurt. It would kill me. Please kiss—”
Tarek kissed me. He kissed me until I lost my mind and melted into his chest. As I returned his kiss, Tarek lifted his mouth.
“You’re panicking, Ellie. I need you to breathe for me.”
“It’ll be okay.” Tarek told me. “You’ll see.”
We watched the screen for a while, and just before nightfall, Tarek hauled himself to his full height and headed on over. I held onto the small radio he’d given me to warn him should someone showed up. As long as I could see Tarek, everything was fine. When I couldn’t see him, I almost lost my mind. My heart throbbed inside me so fast, I winced.
“Please, Tarek.” I whispered repeatedly. “Please.”
But my silent plea wasn’t answered. Something wasn’t sitting right, and I hated it. I leaned forward, staring at the screen. “Please…”
Still nothing.
An eternity later, a loud bang pierced the air.
“Tarek!” I screamed.
All I had back was silence.
I lifted the radio to my lips. “Tarek!” I called. “Answer me! Tarek, please baby. I need you to—”
“I’m okay.” Tarek grunted. “Stay put.”
How did he expect me to stay where I was knowing there was a possibility he was hurt? He didn’t sound okay—I knew he wasn’t okay.
“Tarek? Talk to me. Please don’t stop talking to me.”
“We’re coming.”
“We?”
“I promise.” He was breathy.
A moment later, Tarek made an appearance at the side of the house then hobbled across the street. I dropped the radio and rushed to him. He held a child securely in his arms and I locked the door then followed him into the kitchen. He set the little boy on the island.
“Call Xman.” Tarek spoke through gritted teeth while handing me his phone. “Give him the address.”
While I did as he asked, I watched the way Tarek interacted with the kid. Lilo was filthy with a black eye and matted hair. It was as though he hadn’t bathed in forever and someone had taken to beating on him.
It broke my heart and made me angry.
He didn’t seem as if he’d eaten in a while either. Though Tarek tried speaking with him in English and Spanish, Lilo said nothing, but when he offered him a donut, Lilo grabbed it and all but shoved it all in his mouth at once.
