I sit on the edge of the seat. "Do you need anything?"
"No. I'm good. Unless you can convince them to let me go."
"Have they told you how much longer they're keeping you?"
"Few more days. They're pretty vague when I ask for specifics." She points toward the wall. "They gave me those crutches to get around with." London drags up the blanket to reveal her leg. "And they put this cast on me."
"You'll be back to new in no time." Although she and I both know that's impossible. The things that her father did to her will stick with her forever.
"Yeah, probably." London tries her best to reposition toward me. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." I raise my shirt to show her my bruised side. "Nothing like yours."
She draws in a breath. "I'm so sorry you ever got involved with him." Her gaze flicks to the door and back like she's afraid someone will overhear her.
"I am, too, but if I hadn’t, we wouldn't have met." I fidget with a fray on my jeans. "Maybe fate crossed our paths so I could help you."
"Cora," London says sternly enough to draw my attention. "I'm a lost cause. You need to save yourself."
I shake my head. "No. I refuse to believe that."
She fumbles to find the remote for her bed, pushing the button to raise the back up a bit more. "He's tried to kill me numerous times, and one of these times, he won't change his mind. That day is coming sooner rather than later. I've accepted it.”
London pauses and then adds, "If he doesn't do it, the guy he sold me to will. There's nothing left for me."
I stare at this beautifully broken girl and wonder what it is that I can say to make her realize I'm not giving up, not yet. Time might be ticking away but there must be something that can be done to save her—to save me.
"You've made it this far, why would you give up now?" I ask her.
"It's not that I've given up, I just don't have much fight left in me." London motions to her body. "Look at what he's done to me. This isn't the first time he's broken bones or left me in the hospital. Every single time I think there's hope to escape him, but he does what he always does and finds a way out of it. He's like a fucking cockroach."
"Then, together, we will fucking smash him. Once and for all." I lean forward, taking her hand in mine. "I'm not kidding, London, we're going to make it out of this." I don't know who needs to hear the words more, her or me, but regardless, I use them as motivation for both of us, because it's clear we need it.
Tears well in London's eyes. "Why do you want to help me? I'm no one to you."
"No oneshould have to go through what you have. What he's done to you, what he’sdoingto you, it's wrong. I'm not going to stand back when I can help."
"It's only going to put you in danger."
"I'm already in danger. At least this way, maybe I can help you, too."
Our conversation is abruptly interrupted by a man entering the room, my heart nearly lurching out of my chest at his intrusion.
"Well, what do we have here?" The middle-aged man storms into the small space like he owns it, walking around the side of London's bed and stopping. He leans down, pressing a disgustingly sloppy kiss on London's mouth, completely disregarding what condition she's in.
I rise from my seat, noting how much bigger than me he is. "Excuse me?"
The man extends his hand toward me. "Joe Cassidy." He glances down at London briefly before returning his greasy stare at me. "London's husband-to-be."
I shake his hand, and he squeezes mine a bit too tightly, the bones crunching together uncomfortably. "Sarah," I lie. "A friend of London's."
"Any friend of London's is a friend of mine." He licks his lips and raises his brows, showing me exactly what kind of man he is.
For a split second, I consider hitting him in the head with the metal bedpan sitting off in the corner but decide against it. There's no telling if he has any of his pals with him, or if I'd bring London's more harm than good. If I'm going to assault this guy, it's going to have to be final, not temporary.
"Heard you were laid up." Joe turns his attention to London. "Ricky told me you took a fumble down the stairs." He shakes his head. "Clumsy girl."
London smiles politely but I can see straight through that expression...she's no doubt having murderous thoughts, too. "Yeah," is all she manages to say.
