Page 8 of Dark Consequences
Lily
“Mommy?”
Mei stares up at me with a kind of innocent hope only a child could have.
She’s only ever known this house. Xiao refuses to let her attend preschool or anywhere else, for that matter. She isn’t aware of the dangers lurking outside these walls. She doesn’t know that there are far worse things out there. To Mei, she sees Raphael as her rescuer, her hero like from one of her stories. But to me, he’s just another man capable of the same evil as terrible as what I’ve experienced for years.
“Can I take Mr. Cuddles?”
“Of course, princess, go grab him.”
Mei squirms out of bed and rushes over to the pile of toys in the corner. She digs through them, tossing aside the dozens of stuffed animals Xiao bought her until she finds her favorite one and the only toy she’s ever received from me. It took more than money to buy, but the smile on Mei’s face was worth the hours of suffering at the hands of Xiao and his men.
Raphael meets my eyes with a raised brow. “Mr. Cuddles?”
My daughter returns and holds up a purple-and-pink dragon with sparkly green wings. It’s nothing fancy or anything, but it’s special to her, which makes it priceless to me.
“Meet Mr. Cuddles! He gives the best hugs. Would you like one?”
Raphael peers down at my waiting daughter and her unique toy with surprise and shock. He tries to hide his smile but fails. There’s a brief tug of his lips, and then it’s gone in a heartbeat. If I hadn’t been watching his handsome face, I would have missed it and—wait? Handsome face? I haven’t thought of a single man as handsome in years. All I see when I look at each one is another bastard intent on hurting me.
I shake my head clear of the unwelcome thoughts and concentrate on the matter at hand.
“I would love one, but can I take a rain check?”
“Rain check?” Mei tilts her head.
“He means not right now but would like one later,” I explain.
“Okay!” she chirps.
Raphael raises a finger to his ear as if he’s listening to whoever is on the other end talking to him. “We’ll be right there.” He closes his eyes and frowns like he’s annoyed by whatever they just said back. “Yes, I said we…I’ll explain when we’re out of the house.” He lowers his hand and looks at me. “Pack a small bag of whatever you need as fast as possible. We need to go.”
I follow his direction and toss in what little there is I want to take with us before bundling us up in jackets over our pajamas. December nights in Florida are just chilly enough to call for them.
As I move around the room, I can feel Raphael’s watchful eyes on me. I’m familiar with having eyes on me. A side effect of being blond and blue-eyed with tits and an ass. But instead of a chill running down my spine, I’m warm wherever his eyes touch me. It’s a peculiar sensation, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, and one that I struggle to identify.
I bend down and gather Mei into my arms. She squirms, accidentally pushing against my ribs, and I hiss as the pain radiates through my chest. I don’t think Xiao broke a rib. Not this time, at least. The pain isn’t the same from the time he broke a few a couple of years ago. But he probably bruised one or two. Again, it's nothing I’m not used to.
“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Mei apologizes.
“I’m okay,” I tell her, swallowing down another wave of deep, throbbing pain.
“What happened?” Raphael demands, grabbing my attention right away. It’s not aggressive but rapt curiosity.
He doesn’t know me, and I don’t know him, so I lie, “I fell…into my dresser.”
Raphael hums low in his throat, fixing me with a doubtful expression. His eyes roam over my figure. Not sexually, but it’s as if his eyes snag on every past bruise, cut, and broken bone I hide, and I hate how it strokes something deep inside me. I wait for him to push the subject, but when he glances at Mei, he decides against it and asks, “What are your names?”
“Lily,” I answer. “And this is my daughter, Mei.”
Raphael starts toward the door, and I follow him. Just before he twists the knob, he turns and suggests in a quiet voice, “You should cover her eyes for this next part.”
I nod, understanding a gruesome sight awaits us out there. Cradling Mei closer to my chest, I tuck her face into my neck and give our “hero” a curt nod. I do my best to keep my eyes on Raphael’s back as we navigate through the dark and silent empty house, but it’s hard not to miss the many dead bodies scattered through the halls and rooms.
We reach the back door, and after he checks to make sure the coast is clear, Raphael holds his hand out to me. I stare at it like it’s a bomb ready to go off, uncertainty and fear paralyzing me. All I want is to escape this prison, and Raphael offers me a way out. So why can’t I take it?
“Hey,” he says. “I know you’re scared. And I know you don’t know me, let alone trust me. I’d honestly be worried if you did. But I need your help too. In order to do that, you just need to take one step toward me. That’s all it takes. Can you do that?”