Page 6 of Broken Cracks
"Noooo! It's so frustrating, I want him so bad, but he won't."
"Well, you'll be eighteen soon, right? Trust me, he'll touch you once you are."
"I hope so. But I don't know, I think there's something else he's not telling me."
"How can you stick around wanting him, knowing that he may never be with you?"
"Somebody at this club murdered my father, so I'm just keeping my enemy close, until the time to strike is right."
A swelling of fear rises within me again, but I let it go, slipping out as the girls smile at me. “We will let you get some sleep, okay? You look fresh!” Fiona remarks.
“Thanks,” I answer and as soon as they close the door behind them, it’s lights out for me.
***
My eyes flutter open and I can feel someone is watching. As they peel back into vision, I look up and into Damon's eyes. I admit it’s alarming, but this time I don’t feel scared, and his icy blue eyes have a cooling effect on my soul.
“Hi,” I utter quietly as I place my hands under the side of my face and really look at him.
He’s attractive in a rebellious bad boy way, but his offbeat smile makes me feel that he’s kind.I can trust him.As I look closer at him, I can see that the hair he has left on his head is of a reddish hue. I don’t know how long he’s been sitting beside me, but he’s the first man to tell me the truth. He’s not going to harm me, because if he wanted to, he would have already gotten his hooks into me. Miguel’s belt unbuckling flashes into my memory bank, forcing me to blink the memory away and stay present with the man next to my bedside.
“Hey Isabella, I came to check on you and make sure you’re okay.” His deep crystal eyes are captivating and it’s as if he’s reading my soul bare. His tone is pleasant and has this low baritone edge to it. It could go either way, I imagined, low and sexy or low and dangerous. He’s not intimidating at all; he’s a real-life earth angel just like the shirt he wore. That’s all the sign I needed to let me know there’s hope for me.
“I can speak English. I teach English in my village.” I smirk sheepishly at him, thinking it’s a clever way to break the ice.
“Oh wow! You let me go that whole time making those crazy hand gestures,” he said. “I must have looked like a total dork to you.” He rubs his head and I think it’s a cute gesture.
“Yeah, I did. I didn’t know if you were a good person or not. I had to make sure. I’ve met many bad people recently.” I stifle a giggle at his funny expression, even though the changes of my life are not laughing matters. It’s him that makes me want to feel a small piece of joy.
“Fair enough.” He nods in appreciation as he picks up part of the sheets and perks up an eyebrow. “And now?”
“I feel you’re good. Well, you’ve been good to me. Thank you for having the girls help me.” I keep my mouth shut about what I overhear. There are things I don’t know and it’s best I work on staying alive. That’s all I can handle for now.
“I don’t think the good part is right, but I’m true for those I ride for. I meant what I said to you. I’m not going to harm you.”
“Thank you.” I close my eyes, finally letting out the pressure inside.
“Tell me about you, where are you from? How did you get to the border?”
“You want to know the story?” I ask him reluctantly, knowing it’s not a good one or one I want to discuss openly. I used to be so happy in life, but so many things have been taken from me. I sit up, flipping my hair to one side, feeling ashamed that I even have a story to tell.
“Yes, I care. I want to know.”
I stare at his neck tattoo, wanting to touch it for a strange reason, but hold off and gather myself as best I can. Deeply sighing, I dive into my life story. “I have no clue where to start, but I guess I’ll go back in time.” I stare at the closet in front of me, not wanting to cry in front of him. I check his face and his eyes are on mine, listening carefully without judgment. It gives me the courage to speak.
“I grew up in a loving family. A normal Mexican family in a small village. I’m the eldest and have a younger brother named Carlos, and I’ve been protective of him along the way. He is my love,” I say fondly as my eyes tear up at the memory. Psych is so present, and his hand softly rests by my leg as I tell the story, and it makes me feel as if I can continue.
“I work as a schoolteacher at my village’s school. I used to anyway. What is life now,” I sigh as I look to the ceiling, trying not to cry. My life was the best and now it’s filled with pain, darkness, and fear. “I had a beautiful life, it was filled with laughter, happiness, and love. Our village in Tres Olivos is like one big family. We all look out for one another.” At this moment I can dream, at least I can do that. “I was getting married this year, but-but…” I stumble over my words and Psych’s thigh comes closer to mine as he leans in, touching my arm.
“What, Isabel? Keep going, tell me more.”
“Bad people discovered our happy village and my life has not been the same since. Our village was ransacked, and young men were recruited to join their sick cause. They help themselves to women as they like. That’s why the soldier you saw looked at me like that. They do this, and they care for nobody, only themselves. They’ve raped and pillaged our poor village.”
Heart-wrenching sobs take over as the pain I’ve struggled to hold in breaks me; it’s all too much. I can’t take it, but I rest my head on Psych’s chest. It feels good to hear his strong heartbeat. “A very bad man kidnapped me. He’s a cold and calculated brute. His wife and I became friends over time, and she treated me well, but she didn’t know the truth. The truth,” I relay, shaking my head in anger and pouring out my pain as I wipe the tears from my eyes. “I cared for his son as if he were my own. We developed a strong bond, but because of him, my family was killed. He kept me as a nanny, like a cover and I had to pretend to do that.” I swallowed down the hard lump in my throat. “It was so his wife wouldn’t find out about why he really wanted me there. I had to hold it in that her husband had kidnapped me to be his little play toy.”
My innocence was taken by Miguel, and it’s never coming back.The more I talk about his savagery, the more I want to throw up, but I take a deep breath and Damon’s warm embrace stabilizes me.
“Man, this sounds insane,” Damon responds as he strokes my arm softly.