Chapter 7 #2
There was a team that took care of my daily needs: groceries, cleaning, and laundry.
They popped in to do the chores when I wasn’t around.
For rare occasions like today, when I had guests, they would pop in and out of the apartment within a given time frame.
There was a smaller apartment downstairs that accommodated them.
Then there were two security teams: the visible one and the invisible one.
Clare and Dave were obviously the visible ones.
And the duo organized the other team that kept watch on me twenty-four-seven.
I did think that it was unnecessary at times.
But this was like insurance, people only realize how important they are after they’ve been in trouble.
My teams were often hiding in plain sight – like in the movies, where the undercover officers dressed up as hotdog sellers, street cleaners, the old man on the bench in the park, etc.
Everyone on the team was tracked, and Dave kept watch of their positions on his tablet.
The building across the street from my apartment was their base, where they watched for any suspicious activities around the neighborhood.
Dr. Rose came back, and she seemed a little more refreshed. Even her smile had a makeover. Happier, and more genuine. I was glad that she had had a pleasant break.
Jenny agreed to the examination after June had a chat with her after dinner, while the staff were clearing up.
I was a little surprised by that. Jenny wasn’t known for her decisiveness.
Especially when it came to decisions that could sabotage her life or her future.
It was like June had put some kind of spell on her. Or whispered some sense into her.
I didn’t know how long the exam would take. I knew I had no say on this matter anymore. June had sort of taken over. Thank fuck.
Waiting was the only thing I could do.
I paced up and down the hallway. Mainly outside of Jenny’s room.
Every step I took heightened my anxiety even further. Yet, I couldn’t stop.
When I first bought this apartment, I had promised Jenny that I would reserve a room for her.
Why not? One room out of the fourteen for my favorite cousin was the least I could do.
I thought it would end up being another guest room, and never thought that Jenny would ever show up and actually use it.
She had been so busy with her life and kids, I just couldn’t see her traveling here at all.
Now, I was glad that I stuck by my promise to her.
I was glad that she came, that she trusted me enough to come. There was hardly any trust in my family, which made this special bond between us more precious than gold.
I was glad that June was here too, because I wouldn’t know what to do without her.
When I saw Jenny right after I landed, it didn’t even occur to me to find out what happened to her.
My stupid instincts told me to leave her alone.
And I listened to them. It was a good thing we came back and nothing bad happened to her.
If Jenny did something stupid, just because I decided to leave her alone , I wouldn’t have ever forgiven myself for that.
Self-harm.
Suicide.
The things Dr. Rose said about Jenny echoed in my mind. The thoughts gave me a shiver.
Forty-five minutes later, or what felt like forever, June appeared in the hall. She seemed a little surprised to see me there. Did she think I would just leave at a time like this?
“How is she?”
“She’s fine. There’s no significant signs to support rape. But she is covered in scars.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m sorry, that was really unprofessional. That’s why I normally make it a point to not be too friendly with my patients.”
I pulled her into me and whispered a thank you into her ear. Her hair smelled nice, a combination of coconut and vanilla. June collapsed in my arms. “And uh, there’s something you should know.”
More bad news?
I tried to pull to look down at her, but June shook her head. “No, I really needed this. Please, one more minute.”
Just like that, I held her tighter, and we stayed glued together for another minute. We said nothing to each other. I knew that I needed a hug as much as she did, and I wished that we could stay like that forever.
June slowly peeled herself from me and opened her mouth like she was in a slow-motion video.
I leaned in and kissed her. I had wanted to do that ever since I met her.
I’d almost done it when she was 18, but that would make me some kind of creepy guy, because I was older than her and it was her 18 th birthday.
She had the most kissable lips. Either that, or I was too stressed right now to make any judgments.
Even though I had met girls with plumper and more luscious lips, hers reminded me of a cherry, but tasted nothing like it, just a hint of honey.
“Kai–” June seemed to struggle with words. Was that how she dealt with her patients? It must have been hard for someone as sweet and kind as her to deliver any bad news.
“You can tell me.” I planted a kiss on her forehead hoping that would ease her anxiety.
“She’s pregnant.”
“Jenny?” I realized that I had just asked a really stupid question. Who else?
“Yes.” If it were her brother, he would take the opportunity to mock me. I was glad that she didn’t as I wasn’t in the mood to deal with any mocking.
“Is that bad news?”
I didn’t know what else to say. People see pregnancy as good news most of the time. The way June delivered the news though, meant that there was more to it.
“It depends. Jenny was very angry when she found out and she started throwing things and it took a while to calm her down. She isn’t sure if she wants to keep it.”
I had made all the rooms soundproof and that was why I didn’t hear a thing while waiting for them.
My plan was to be able to have fun with any of my female guests as loud as we wanted without disturbing the neighbors, or anyone else in the apartment.
Perhaps my decorating team had done too good a job because I hadn’t heard any smashing – and that was a bad thing.
If things ever did go south in the apartment, nobody would notice, no one would hear anyone crying for help.
“What are you thinking? You can tell me anything.” June needed reassuring. “I won’t get mad, I promise.”
Her smile confirmed her reservations and concerns. “However it happened, I suspect she didn’t even think that it was rape. Some partners force themselves on their other half. Just because they’re married, it doesn’t make it okay – consent still matters.”
June paused to rub her palms on her skirt.
“Are you sure it’s her husband?” I knew this was a sensitive topic, but it needed to be discussed.
“I hope I didn’t offend her at all. But when I asked if she had any other partners outside of her marriage, she gave me this look, then she shook her head. Unless she was lying – that means the baby is her husband’s. And given how she reacted so strongly about keeping the baby…”
“Got it.” I pieced together the picture. The son of a bitch raped her.
“How long has this been going on for?”
This might not be something June would know.
Her old scars indicated that whatever had happened between the two of them had gone on for quite some time.
Scenarios were flying through my head with all sorts of things I wanted to do to that bastard.
Names of bad scary people floated in one by one, and I wanted to hire them to make him suffer.
“Are you okay?” June stroked the side of my arm.
I leaned in to kiss her. That was unfair to her, but I couldn’t help myself.
I wanted an escape, and she was right there.
I had always liked her, but she was my best friend’s little sister.
Now she’s all grown up, oh so gorgeous, sexy, and smart – so much smarter than the women I usually dated. She deserved the best of men. Not me .
Not me.
She deserved better.
I pulled back and I knew I needed to apologize for my rudeness. “I’m so–”
She jumped on top of me and our lips locked.