“We’ll guard the entrance,” Malachi offers.
I roll my eyes because they’d sit and watch me pee if they could. But I must admit their protection makes me warm inside.
“Daisy, you coming?”
She looks between me and the men and trots after me, glancing behind her as if Malachi bites. Perhaps wanting to prove her point, Mal flashes his teeth at her.
The place is empty, which is crazy considering it’s such a busy route, but I’m grateful for it.
Pulling Daisy to one side, as she’s about to enter a stall, I sigh. “Okay, what gives? You’ve been squirrely ever since we left.”
“I’m worried about tomorrow.”
But that’s not it; I can tell.
Or I should say, that’s notonlyit.
“Of course you are, but there’s something else going on. I can sense it. Daisy, please tell me what’s going on in your head.”
Tears gather in the corners of her eyes and my heart clenches.
“Come here.” I try to hug her, but she freezes and steps back.
What the hell?
“Daisy?”
“I saw that room.” She glances at the door as if the men can hear.
“What roo—oh.”
“Yes, oh. You are living with three men, Ophelia, who are doing very bad things, and now I find out they have that room. It was… satanic.”
“No.” I hold my hand up at that, angry. “It’s not satanic, Daisy. Not at all.”
“What is it, then?”
I sigh. “It’s a longer conversation than we have time for now, but Roman believes in more than one god, but he still is spiritual and a good man.”
She puts her hands on her hips as she stares me down. “There is only one God, Ophelia. The Devil himself has put these ideas into your head, trying to lure you to him. I’ll pray for your soul.”
Turning from me, she walks into the small cubicle and shuts the door firmly. Crap, this is not going well. I don’t want my friendship with Daisy to be over, but I also won’t take her being so dismissive of my men and their beliefs. It’s not okay for her to be so judgmental.
Then I think back to my own initial thoughts. I’d been the same way, hadn’t I?
Scared. Confused, but also, if I were being honest, I’d judged, too.
I pee, and as I’m washing my hands after, Daisy comes to join me at the next sink.
Meeting her gaze in the mirror, I say to her softly, “I will do all I can to help you and your family, Daisy. I know you need time to get your head around all of this, so I won’t push, but I really hope we can still be friends. You mean a lot to me.”
She listens and nods once but turns away without answering to wipe her hands on the paper towels.
I leave her to do a run of the fast food choices on offer, and buy what we need from the small store at the rest stop. Returning to the vehicles, we carry all the food we’ve bought. Mal with a burger, fries, and lemonade. Cain with a chicken wrap. A smoothie for Felix’s friend, and the same for Roman, and two mozzarella, tomato, and pesto paninis for me and Daisy.
She hadn’t been speaking to me, so I bought her the same thing I ordered.
As we settle into our seats, Mal diving ravenously into his burger, eating fast so he can get back onto the road. I hand Daisy her sandwich.
