baby on the forehead and followed after them.
I caught up to them just before they entered the door. “Okay listen to me, she’s in a really bad way, I need you to prepare yourselves, no don’t cry Dani if you cry I won’t let you in there and I need you in there.”
I willed her with my eyes on hers to suck it up. I saw the struggle the two of them had as they fought back emotions. I’d forgotten how close they all were, that even though I’d been shutting her out, she was already a part of our family in her own small way because she knew the girls.
That too had changed in the twinkling of an eye. Now she had an even greater claim to us, to our home, she was mine. No longer just a friend, an outsider, but one of the fold.
“We straight?” they both nodded and I studied them to make sure they weren’t bullshitting me before opening the door and leading them inside. “Baby I’m back, I brought the girls to take care of you.”
Just as I expected, they didn’t ask any questions when they saw the bruised and battered woman lying on my bed. Dani was the one to approach while Gaby made sounds of distress before she got control as she stood back.
They both looked at me with knowing eyes. They knew what kind of men their fiancés and their brothers were, so they also knew what seeing a woman in that condition would do to me.
I saw her battle back tears as she went right to it; saw the compassion and the tender way in which she touched the young traumatized girl.
I felt helpless standing there, helpless and mad enough to kill. Neither of them should be seeing this shit, not only because it wasn’t right, but also because they were both with child. What if the strain was too much?
“Shit, what was I thinking? You two shouldn’t be here either, you shouldn’t be dealing with this.” Con and Lo would kill me if something happened to their women. I grabbed my head thinking what the fuck will I get wrong next?
They shushed me and Gaby came to stand on the other side of the bed as Dani did her thing. We both looked on as she tried first to calm Vicki’s fears. She seemed a bit jumpy still and who could blame her?
She hissed and cried each time she was touched in a tender spot, and the sight of the silent tears coursing down her face enraged me as much as the bruises on her face did.
I wanted to go hunt the one responsible, but I couldn’t leave her, it was like being torn in two. As if she sensed my inner turmoil, her eyes popped open and she stared right at me for the first time.
Pretty soon it became obvious that she didn’t want me out of her sight when I tried to leave the room as Dani started undressing her.
She started freaking the fuck out, reaching out to me; that shit broke my fucking heart. My girl is a fighter, she’s usually giving me shit, but here she was, scared, her arms reaching out for me in fear.
I sat next to her on the bed and took one of her hands in mine. “Go ahead Dani.” I held her eyes with mine until I heard both Dani and Gaby’s exclamations.
I bit back the roar of rage that started crawling its way up my chest when I got a good look at her body, at what had been hidden under the torn dress.
I looked back at her eyes, willing my strength into her. Could she see it? I can feel it but can she see what’s in me for her? Does it matter; will she let it? I knew without a doubt that she was never leaving my home again, but will she stay willingly or will I now be the one having to fight her to stay?
The sight of her bruised and battered body amped up my aggression but I held it in check. Up until a few months ago I didn’t know this girl, not really, had no idea who she was except for the few times we’d been in the same place at the same time and she’d given me those looks that every man knows means she’s interested.
I had avoided her at every turn, just wasn’t interested, until here lately she’d been wearing me down. I was still putting up a fight, even last
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