Two hard knocks echo from the front entrance to the apartment.
My wide eyes make Skyler chuckle, and he holds up a finger over his lips to tell me to zip it, pointing back down the hall and mouthing "Bathroom. Hide."
I'm not sure what the hell he's doing, but I do as I'm told.
As I disappear into the bathroom, I think I can hear the kitchen sink turn on, but the sound of the shower drowns it out before I can be sure.
Adding mine and Sky's clothes to the pile, I hang my head, running my hands over my hair.
I can sort of see Brigit through the steamy glass shower, but I don't dare look too close. She's there. She's safe. She's washing her hair. I don't need to get closer and take the last bit of dignity she has left.
Instead, I lean against the wall, breathing and taking the first quiet second I've had to wrap my head around what just happened.
From the second she texted me, my whole world condensed into two things. Keeping her safe and tearing whoever dared to threaten her from this fucking planet.
I've done both.
And I don't feel a lick of guilt for doing so.
I'm responsible for creating a corpse and the hole in my chest where something should be that regrets it is empty, a yawning crevice instead of a heart.
Whistling reaches my ears from the other side of the door before Skyler strolls through it. He looks at me strangely, then at Brigit in the shower. And I look strangely back at him. He's got a towel wrapped around his hips, and his dark hair is soaking wet, the strands dripping water onto his face and chest.
"I thoughtfor sureyou'd be in there with her," he whispers. "Anyway, I need Brigy for a minute."
"What?"
He rolls his eyes, "They're suspicious."They have a right to be. "They just want proof of life. They can't say as much, but they need to see that she's not stuffed in a rug somewhere."
Part of me wants to gouge his eyes out for even being this close to her while she's naked, but the detached way he's approaching all of it, not even looking at her, is all business, and at this point, I have no choice but to trust him.
"Brigy," he calls over the shower, "Babes, I need you to put on a towel and come here please."
Brigit's furious eyes meet us over her shoulder as she grabs the pink cloth, wrapping it around herself before leaving the safety of the glass.
Her feet slap across the ground as she walks towards him, "What?"
"I just need you to make an appearance at the front door for like two seconds," he grins. "You look perfect, actually. Smudged make up. Wet, messy hair. Red cheeks. Totally looks like we went a few rounds."
I slap his chest, but he just chuckles, "I'll bring her right back."
Waiting very impatiently, I count the minutes they're gone, itching to sneak out and at leastseewhat's happening; if they're buying it. Instead, I take that time to take my clothes off and throw them onto the bloody pile of Brigit’s, using the scalding hot water from the sink to scrub my fingers of the dark red liquid.
89 seconds.
90.
91.
92.
The door opens again, Brigit slipping back through alone, returning to where she was before he interrupted her, dropping the towel unceremoniously on the floor just outside it.
"They're gone," she says. "Skyler needsyou."
"Doyouneed me?"
Please say yes.
