“Roxie.” My words tumble out at that, at how broken she sounds. “Roxie, you listen to me right the hell now. Nothing,nothing, will make me—” Asher smacks my arm again and I roll my eyes. “Us,think of you any differently. Okay, baby? I promise. You did nothing wrong.”
“You don’t know… I… I’m so fucking… After the first, I don’t know, five times.” My fingers tighten into fists so tightly, I’m sure the skin is close to splitting. “I gave up fighting him. Nothing I did changed the outcome. I tried fighting him, I tried being gross, I tried everything I could think of, but hekeptcoming. The bruising, the hurt, the agony, the fear… I just closed my eyes and pretended I was—” Her voice silences quickly like she’s afraid she revealed too much.
“It’s okay,” I whisper softly. I stand up, and go to the doorway, still hidden, but on edge. Ready to run to her when she lets me. My hand wraps around the trim and I hold myself there, like that flimsy little piece of wood is going to hold me back.
“I’m so weak because I was so tired. So tired of fighting for everything and I… I didn’t see a way out.” I hear her voice flatten, like she’s dissociating to keep herself safe. “I realized if I wanted out, I needed money. And money is something I didn’t have to get out. So I… started stealing.”
She says it like it’s something wrong, not something she should be proud of surviving.
“I went from store to store. At first, just taking small things. A bag of chips here, some cookies, something small and easy and calorie dense. But I got better at it. Eventually I start hitting bigger places, pawn shops and even a house or two. Adding cat-burglery to my ever growing bag of things I should be proud of.” Her voice cracks, and I can hear how disappointed she is inherself. Like she’s holding herself to some higher standard without realizing how much shit she was going through.
My fingers curl into the trim, even tighter this time, and I swear the wood is going to splinter soon.
She lets out a breathless laugh, trembling and broken, a sound that I can tell is stitched together with frayed edges of a sob she’s refusing to let fall. Fuck.
“Keep going, I’m right here,” I say, whispering, pushing as much emotion and support as I can into the words without scaring her. Asher sits behind me, a gentle storm cloud forming. He’s angry and protective to a fault, so hearing this… Especially about someone he sees as a friend...
“I got too comfortable. I got caught. I got caught and they took me to jail. And you know what guys? I wasrelieved. I was able to go into a small cell and besafe, if even for a moment. I remember trying not to smile when they pushed my head down so I could get into the car. The red and blue lights flashing in the darkness as the cops escorted me into the car.I was so fucking happy.”
My heart breaks slightly. Guilt, frustration, and the undeniable need to hold her close.
Because I understand.
“They took me into the station, started the whole booking process and then… Then Mickey walked in,” she says, a sob pulling from her throat. The sound is a beacon, a snap for me. Ilet go of the trim and I fucking dart to her side. I know she didn’t want to see me, but I’ll be damned if I let her go through this aloneagain.
“I’m here,cariño,” I whisper, as I drop to my knees by her side. Her eyes, watery and red-rimmed, pull me in faster than I ever thought I could move. “Roxie,” I say softly, holding her hand gently. “You’re not alone. Not anymore. Tell me, tell us, but let me help you.”
She looks at me, her dark eyes so full of her exhaustion, but that determined grit to keep going. Keep pushing.She’s breathtaking, even with the swollen eye and broken nose that’s bruising already. She’s pure fucking spite and fire.
Just like I remember.
“Promise?” she whispers the aching word so softly I swear it breaks me.
“I promise. With everything I am, I promise you.”
“He walked in and said; “Let’s go home.” They all let him take me like it was normal. His fucking wolfish grin will forever be imprinted in my nightmares. Like someone who was given permission to eat the whole fucking cake while everyone else was waiting for a piece. And right then, right at thatexactmoment, I knew I was trapped. Owned. Fucked.”
I do everything I can to school my features.
But mentally, I’m already strangling Mickey with my bare fucking hands.
“He paid my bail. Got the store to drop the charges to keep it off my record.” My breathing turns shallow as I really take in what that meant, means.
“The seven grand,” I say softly.
“Yeah,” she sobs. “I think in the three years I’ve been trying to pay him off, I’ve gotten two grand down. But it just never gets smaller than five thousand.”
I wonder if I can just pay it off and be done. I can…somehow figure out a way to get that kind of cash.
Maybe.
But honestly, Mickey wouldn’t let that happen. He’s a petty, grudge-holding motherfucker. I could pay him off and he’d still find some fucking way to get his nasty grip on her.
“Okay,” I say softly, nodding. “Okay.”
“What?” she says quickly, her head coming off the pillow in urgency. “What do you mean ‘okay’?”
“I mean,” I lift her hurting hand to kiss her knuckles softly. “We’ll make a plan. We’ll be smart about this and we’ll get you out. I’m not leaving you alone in this. Not again. Not now that I know.”
