“Look, I already said I didn’t…”
She grabbed my hand and put it square on her chest. The gesture itself wasn’t sexual and it completely blew me away. I felt her heart beating like a racehorse, I could feel her breath coming in and out of her chest in deep pants. On the outside she looked as calm as a bird but I could feel her fear.
“I know you didn’t, I knew you didn’t from the start. I see you Alex. Vida is my baby sister and it is my fault that she’s in this mess to begin with. I didn’t trust my gut when I should have and now we are stuck here. I heard her screaming for someone to stop but even as I struck you I knew you hadn’t done it but I didn’t want to take the chance I could be wrong.” She let my hand drop and I moved back a step. “I’m sorry, I hit you. Do you want some pain killers for the head?”
I instinctively put my hand back up to the bump even though I had already forgotten that it was hurting me. “You know for someone who knew I was innocent, you were sure swinging to kill.”
She gave me a smirk and reached down to her boot. She pulled out an ice pick at least the length of my forearm. “If I wanted to kill you Alex, you’d be dead.”
“Yeah, that really promotes good sleep.” I rolled my eyes and turned back towards the bed.
“So do you want the meds?”
“No, I think I want to stay away from any narcotics for a little while.”
“Ok, I think that’s a good idea. Well I am sorry again, try to get some rest ok.”
I told myself that what happened to those girls was not my concern but there was no way that I could go to sleep without knowing if they were really in danger.
“Mikayla, I won’t ask you who he is, but is the fuck who hurt Vida gone or is he still around?”
“Alex, I hope he’s gone. I really hope he is.” She shook her head and walked out of the room.
Well shit.
I laid on that bed for at least an hour trying to force myself to go to sleep but the sandman would not come to visit. I couldn’t stop going over what happened when I tried to wake up Vida. Then I started to look around my surroundings, no matter how far gone I was, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how to protect those around me. The room that the girls were in was the main room. Meaning if anyone decided to break the door down they would go through them first. The room I was in had only two small windows that I was sure the girls could get through if they needed to escape and the window size would make it harder for a grown man to get through them to hurt the girls. I could keep the bastards away from them if I was in the main room long enough for them to climb out the window. I tried to not care, I tried to not think about it but there was no way that I was going back to sleep without switching rooms with them.
I got up for the second time that night and walked into the small main room.
Vida and Angel were cuddled up together on the couch while Mikki was curled up in a small chair. It didn’t even look comfortable.
I went over to wake Mikki up first, I learned my lesson the first time.
I tapped her softly on her shoulder. “Mikki, wake up.”
She stirred but didn’t get up. A lock of hair dropped down over her cheek and I had to stop myself from moving it from her face. Her beautiful face.
All the air was sucked out of my lungs. I hadn’t so much as looked at another woman since I had been with Laura at least not thinking they were beautiful.
Only Laura, no one else but My Laura.
My eyes filled with tears again, I don’t know why I couldn’t stop crying. The littlest shit would set me off and I would cry like a hormonal teenager.
“Alex? Alex, what’s wrong?” Mikki’s soft voice asked from behind me.
I raised my hands and wiped my face of any tears. I didn’t want her to see me crying.
“Nothing.” I started to walk back to my room but then I remembered what I came out for in the first place. “Actually, I was thinking we could move the girls into the room, you know just in case. Plus, it’s got to be more comfortable than the sofa.”
She sat up in the chair, “But you’re hurt. You need the bed.”
“I have had worse.” I shuffled from foot to foot, uncomfortable. I didn’t like this shit at all. “Look I just thought it would be safer for them and you in the room. Excuse the fuck out of me for trying to help.” I turned on my heel.
“Hey, hey, grumpy. I didn’t say it was a bad idea, I was just telling you our perspective.” She stood up and walked over to me. “If you think you can handle the couch then yes I think they would be more comfortable in the bed.”
“You too.”
“Sorry killer, all three of us would not fit on the bed. And there is no other furniture in there for me to sleep on. I’ll stay here on the chair.”
“Whatever.”
“You think you will be able to get Angel? She’ll never wake up.” Mikki walked over and started to caress Vida.
I walked over to the couch and picked up the small child, she was tall but she was so light. “How old is she?” I asked over the small girl’s head.
“Six.” Mikki finally got Vida up.
Six? The little girl felt like she weighed thirty or thirty five pounds. I could feel
