"He didn't take me home to my dad." She swallows hard. "He took me to the alley you found me in."
"What exactly did he do to you?"
"He was just getting started when you got there." She begins to tremble. Her breaths come as sharp inhales and slow exhales.
"He said he hoped I tasted like my mom. I remember not knowing what that meant." She begins to shake uncontrollably and I can't take another second of it so I pull her against my chest and hold her tight. The fucking rage inside me is scratching to get out and be released on some mother fuckers. Trying to tone that shit down is hard as I feel her physically and emotionally breaking.
"He put his dick in my mouth. I was so confused. He kept shoving it into my face. I kept fighting him until you arrived." I clench my fist at her back. I'm so fucking glad I had no mercy on that mother fucker that night. I'd kill him all over again if given the chance.
"I wanted him to die. I hated him. Then you came along and made it happen." My heart is pounding in my chest as I think about the look on her face so many years ago. I knew he would've killed her that night if I hadn't shown up. I had just hoped he didn't succeed in killing her inside before I saved her.
"My mom never came home. Everything became chaotic after the press started unraveling everything and I spent weeks in counseling after spending weeks with investigators trying to remember the details about who took my mom."
"Did they ever find her?"
"They found her remains when I was eight."
"Did they ever find the other guys?"
"No."
Her reply sounds so definite and final. My heart is hurting with a murderous desire to find the people who did this.
"What was your mom's name?"
"Annie Douglas." The name Douglas strikes a memory with me. I remember my grandmother saying it that night helping me find where to take her.
"So you see, you were the only good thing to happen that night. Meeting you changed my fate." She sits up and looks down at her hands, sliding her fingers between each other.
"So now that I've told you what happened that night, you need to tell me what brought you to that alley so many years ago."
Chapter Thirteen
Six
I can see everything flashing through my memory as I tell Blade everything that happened that night. I've never talked about it as an adult with anyone except Piper. It's just too hard, plus I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me. Yeah it was tragic and I lost my mom that night, but dwelling on it won't bring her back; believe me, I tried that for years.
I wait on him to share part of his life with me. It's only fair. From one private person to another still doesn't make it any easier. I just have a feeling his secrets go so much deeper than mine, I guess that's why I feel safe telling him everything.
I silently wait and listen to his breathing quicken as he struggles to find the words. He shifts onto his knees to lift the window before sitting back down and lighting a cigarette. He inhales slowly before exhaling, blowing it toward the open window.
"Shit. I don't ever talk about my past because that's what it is. It’s the past." He's closed off. I bet he doesn't tell anyone everything. I guarantee he doesn't have a person. It makes me appreciate Piper even more. I start to move to get up and finally take my shower, but his words stop me.
"That was the last night I saw Piper. She was screaming for me to help her, but I had no control of what was happening and everything I tried didn't work. They wouldn't let me have my little sister because I was too young myself." He takes a draw from his cigarette again not talking as he does, visibly appreciating it as he waits to begin again.
"I’d just been released from jail because I had beaten the shit out of my dad." I slide my hand over his on the ground beside us while we both sit in the silence for a few more minutes before he speaks again. He's struggling with words and I completely get it.
"You saved my life that night too, ya know. I was numb ‘til I saw you in that alley. Seeing what that asshole was doing to you pulled out a deeper hatred and allowed me to find my place in this world. I met Tex that night. When I came back to clean up the scum from the alley, Tex caught me. I thought I was busted, but he helped me get rid of the body that night and then took me under his wing, giving me a place to stay. Over the years he taught me what it meant to have a real family." I keep listening while he talks about the few things he actually shares. His blue eyes pull me in and I catch myself watching his beard a few times. The side of his head is buzzed very short, yet the hair on top is longer. Right now it's messy and I fight the urge to run my fingers through it to fix it while he continues to talk. Does he have any idea how fucking sexy he is?