“Uh, I got thrown up on and had no change of clothes?” She arched a well-groomed brow, and I winced at my own, unsteady voice. “Mikayla, I can’t talk about it. Basically, everything that happened the past week, I got paid a lot of money to pretend it never happened. Let’s go inside.”
“Oh-h-h . . . like, ten thousand dollars a lot, or . . . whatever happened, I don’t care. I’m glad you’re back, Lucy. Your mom said you were going to be back around noon. You’re early. This was supposed to be a surprise, damnit.” Swatting my arm, Mikayla glared at me, her thin cheeks turning pink under her hat, and I nodded tiredly as I shuffled onto the patio. My back-sliding door was open, but the screen was shut, and I walked into my house for the first time in over a week.
Everything was where I’d left it, and a strange emotion flooded my chest, like this place was dark and dank and I didn’t want to be here alone.
“Will you stay with me for a few weeks, Mikayla?” The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it, and I twisted to watch her nod without hesitation. Warmth suffused my chest, and I pulled open the refrigerator to grab the full pitcher of lemon iced tea that had been empty when I left for work that fateful morning. “To be honest, it’s a lot. Like, okay, don’t tell my mom, but it’s ten thousand dollars times, like, five thousand. I couldn’t just tell my mom that, though, because you know how she gets. And you can’t tell anyone, either, Micky.”
“Okay, as long as you never deny me a loan.” A huff escaped me as she smirked cheekily, and I nodded as I set the heavy pitcher down and grabbed two large glasses. “No, seriously, Lucy. I’m just glad you’re back. I felt like I was the only one seriously worried about you. You know, Seth didn’t even want to go to the police to report you missing? He said you probably went for a hike or something, but you always bring Marshal.”
“I just told you I have fifty million dollars and you don’t even care.” The constant ache in my eyes spread to my whole face, and I gulped down the dense lump in my throat as Mikayla sucked her teeth sadly. “You’re a gr-great friend. . . ”
“Oh, Lucy.” The crack of my voice struck the kitchen like lightning, and Mikayla wrapped her arms around me to stroke my hair comfortingly. “You’re my best friend. I love you.”
10
Lucy
Panting furiously, Mateo held himself up with powerful arms braced against the concrete, and my heart threatened to explode. He tensed, his eyes narrowing on mine before his entire body jolted from the impact, and the sharp whistle and snap of metal breaking skin echoed in my ears over the blood drumming. He only grunted, his teeth clenched so hard his gums were white, and he ducked his head to blow out a fiery, heavy breath through his nose.
“Fuck. Shit.” Mateo took a few breaths while I couldn’t see his face, and that maniacal, gloating laughter bounced off the concrete to rattle my brain. The man with the whip pulled back his arm again, but a shout from outside the room stopped him from delivering another blow. The frigid sweat creating icicles on my skin started up again, and I reached trembling, cold fingers to cup his face.
He was so pale, and his eyes were unhealthily bright, and even as darkness closed in around us, Mateo’s silhouette shimmered from sweat and blood. The smell of him was almost nausea-inducing, but I didn’t recoil when he collapsed against my chest. All I had to do was hold my breath, but there was no point in that because I couldn’t escape the smell. I just had to get used to it.
“Mateo!” Jerking up as the croak echoed in the silence, I panted as furious shivers strafed my spine, and I blinked blearily while my brain struggled to recognize my own bedroom. Tensing as Marshal crawled into my lap to lick my chin and neck, I sniffled hard and closed my eyes to throw myself back onto my pillow. My dog sprawled atop me, and I rubbed his short fur as he slathered saliva all over me.
“What!” Bursting into my room, Mikayla frowned as I lifted my head, and I covered my face with my arm. Marshal licked my sternum with long, slow strokes of his tongue, and a huge breath squeezed past the tightness restricting my throat as I groaned.
“Ugh-h-h! I just want to sleep. Oh, my God!” How was I supposed to get used to this again when I couldn’t close my eyes without picturing Mateo? I couldn’t stop thinking about him even when I focused on something else. He was an ever-present image in my head that I couldn’t shake.
“It’s almost one p.m. Do you want to eat something?” Gingerly pushing Marshal off me, I sat up again to rub my face roughly, and Mikayla eyed me cautiously. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.” But even I wasn’t convinced by my tone, and I threw my legs over the side of my bed to heave a massive sigh. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost one p.m.” Repeating herself, slower this time, my best friend watched me like a hawk, and goosebumps pocked my skin as I stood up. My pajama shorts and shirt clung to me from the sweat seeping from my pores, and I swept back my hair as I arched my back sharply. “Who’s Mateo?”
Pausing to glance over at her, I pursed my lips thinly as I debated what to say. No one ever told me I’d have nightmares, although, I suppose it was expected. My mouth dried as the blood drumming in my ears faded, and my heart stabilized against my ribs as sadness gripped it in a vise.
“He’s a better man than Seth, for sure.” Seth wantedequalityin everything, from everyone, and I scrunched up my nose as what could’ve been flowed through my mind’s eye. “I’m gonna break up with him.”
“Okay. Why is this time any different than the last time you said that?” She didn’t pose it as an accusation, or even particularly sassy, and I shuffled out of my room as my dog slid off my bed to follow us. “Is it because of this Mateo guy? Did you find someone better?”
I almost snorted at that on the way through the living room, and we entered the kitchen at the back of my house. The tiled floor was cold against my feet, a stark contract to the carpet elsewhere, and I popped open the refrigerator to peer inside. Nothing immediately jumped out at me, but I had to throw away a bunch of stuff, anyway.
“Yeah, I did. I don’t know how to explain it.” The truth was that I did, I justcouldn’t, and Mikayla hummed softly as she leaned against the counter by the sink. Pulling open the cheese drawer, I gathered all the contents and dumped it in the trash with a more force than necessary. “I get it, okay. I get why it had to end, but . . . I wish it didn’t.”
“Well, whatever happened, if you’re gonna break up with Seth, you should do it and not put it off. Otherwise, it’ll just be the same.” No, I wasn’t the same anymore. Shaking my head as I grabbed more stuff— wilted vegetables, the half-gallon of milk, and a small package of ground beef— I didn’t even bother looking at the expiration date. “Your phone is done charging, too. Your moms called a few times. She left a really nasty voicemail about Marshal peeing all over the entryway rug, I guess. I deleted it.”
“Thanks. I really don’t need it right now. She’ll come over and pretend she didn’t ream me out on the phone and get mysteriously quiet when I told her I’m ten thousand dollars richer.”Speaking of which, I should call the bank.Supposedly, the money would be there today, but I wasn’t sure if keeping that much in one place was a great idea. Emptying my fridge, I frowned at the sheer enormity of it. How could someone just give me fifty million dollars. Wasn’t that a lot for any corporation?
Then again, considering what those guys were involved in, maybe it wasn’t a lot.
“You know, I think it’s a good thing you lied to your mom. That’s alot, and it seems bottomless when it’s not. It’s easy to spend someone else’s money, too, and it’s worse when it’s your mom. She can shame you like crazy. Are you gonna pay your student debt off?” I shot her a dumb look, and Mikayla blushed at how stupid her question was as I dumped my armful into the now overflowing trash can. “I guess that’s a given. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m gonna call in a bit, and then I need to go to the grocery store. I’m gonna make bacon burgers.” I closed the refrigerator and opened the freezer, but everything in there was, well, frozen. “Maybe, I’ll get Marshal some meat.”
“He’ll like that.” Licking my lips heavily, I nodded to myself. I gave my dog raw lamb on a semi-regular basis, about once every two months. He loved it, and I liked how it made his fur soft and shiny. Glancing over as Marshal watched me, sitting by the trash can, I reached to pet his head, and he grumbled happily. “How about I make dinner, and you can take him to the dog park? He’s probably been cooped up at your mom’s house.”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Mikayla.” Anxiety pooled in my gut at the idea of leaving my house. No one knew I was back yet, and I inhaled deeply as I rocked on my heels. “I should go to the police station, too, and let them know I’m not missing.”
