“You will just have to take my word for it,” he said. “You either trust me or you don’t. Either way, you’re stuck here.”
He had a point. I looked away, feeling my cheeks burn.
He made his way to the door but something made him stop in his tracks. He turned to me and drew in a deep breath.
“Look, Mercy, I know you’re new to all this and everything seems bizarre and scary to you…” I wanted to interrupt him and assert that I wasn’t scared. But who was I kidding? It was pretty plain for everyone to see. I wasn’t an expert at this at all. “But you’ll get there. Just stay alert and do your tasks. In time, you will see that we are nothing like the Silver Knights. Neither are we saints. But we treat our women right. We would never harm a kid. Those are our rules.”
He didn’t wait for me to register his words. He’d spoken calmly and now he opened the door just as calmly. And all of a sudden, I wanted to hug him again.
“Are you coming?” he asked. I was confused for a moment. I didn’t know what he was talking about. Did he want to take me to his house now? Right away? What was in store for me there? I felt that familiar pang of excitement again.
“I…”
“You should come down with me and have a look at Crash before it’s too late.”
Oh. Right.
Why did I keep doing this to myself? Every time he looked at me, it was like I was transported to fantasy land. I couldn’t stop myself from imagining having sex with him. Clearly, that wasn’t what he wanted. He wasn’t thinking about it at all. I had to force myself to remember that I now had a job to do.
“Okay, yeah, of course,” I mumbled and finally followed him out of the door. We were walking down the hallway and I thought about how much had changed in the past hour. I couldn’t have been in there with him for longer than that, and already it felt like my whole world had been turned around.
What would it feel like to not have to worry about my grandmother’s medical bills? I’d forgotten what life had been like before I started stripping at Teasers. I wouldn’t have to strip anymore! At least not for now.
I stared at Ghost’s strong wide back as he led me down the stairs. It was darker here but I could see him clearly. Nobody else seemed to be around and then finally, we were in the basement area. I could see a door at the end of the corridor and two guys from the MC standing guard. Clearly, this was where they were holding Crash.
Ghost stopped in his tracks abruptly.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked, peering into my eyes in the dimness of the corridor. He was whispering to me like we had a secret between us.
“Yes, I think so. Until I see him, I won’t be able to guarantee anything. Like I said, I’m not a fully qualified…”
“Yes, you have mentioned it,” he interrupted me and smiled lightly. His smile made me weak in the knees and I had to look away. “I think you’ll be fine.”
For some reason, this man believed in me. He had no idea who I was or what my capabilities were, and yet, hearing that made me feel more sure of myself. I had never nursed anyone or offered medical advice without supervision, and now I felt like I had been out of touch for a while.
Ghost started leading me to the door and the two guys moved to the side. He had a key.
I was nervous and I hoped he wouldn’t push me in on my own, I wanted him to be there with me. The fact was that he made me feel safe, even though I knew my safety was of no interest to him.
* * *
I wasn’t expecting Crash to look the way he did. I mean, I knew it was bad. He was in withdrawal from heroin after all, but the image of the man I had in mind was very different from the man I now saw lying on his side on a narrow single bed in the corner of the cellar.
Ghost was right behind me and I turned to look at him over my shoulder before I had a chance to stop myself. He gave me a nod.
I took a few steps further toward Crash. He looked so much smaller and thinner than he had just yesterday. He was shivering and covered in sweat, wrapped in a thick blanket. There were uneaten plates of food and bottles of water lying by the foot of the bed. The room was warm and a fresh pile of clothes was by the bed too. Clearly, Crash wasn’t interest in any of it.
The truth was I had never dealt with an addict before, but there were some basic rules I could apply.
“Crash…I’m Mercy. You must remember me from Teasers,” I said. My voice was soft and like a hum. He didn’t move for several moments and then when he did, he simply looked over his shoulder, shuddering at the same time. I couldn’t tell if he actually saw me or not. His eyes seemed closed.
“He’s been unresponsive for a while. Even his sister isn’t being able to get him to talk,” Ghost said.
I went closer to him. I wasn’t sure of how he would react if I touched him but I needed to check his temperature.
“I’m here to help you feel better. Will you let me?” I asked. It was strange speaking to him like this. Just twenty-four hours ago, I would have kept my head down around him and not made eye contact. When he didn’t say anything, I went closer to his bed.
“There’s a first-aid kit under the bed, and let me
