Chapter 45
Rachel
Half an hour later, Vicky still hadn’t got the message that none of us were interested in talking to her.
She kept trying to get attention by mentioning how sick she was feeling, or how her hair had never been healthier.
I kept reminding myself that she was young. And stupid. A lethal combination. But it at least gave me something to focus on, preventing me from gouging her eyes out and nailing her to the bar by her empty eye sockets.
Luckily, I was saved from having to show any form of restraint, as Heather returned home with both children, giving me the perfect excuse to leave the bar.
“It’s no problem!” Vicky grinned at me when I said I had to go. “Hey, maybe I should come with you? After all, we’re going to be one big, happy family soon enough.”
“Come on,” Shark said, clamping an arm around my shoulder, fingers digging in hard enough to ground me.
I concentrated on the pain, rather than the need to rip Vicky’s eyes out and use them as love eggs on Dante. And then nail her to the bar. “I’m sure the kids will be dying to see you.”
“Rain check,” I said with a tight smile. “Shark’s right. The kids are—”
“Oh, I get it. I heard what happened. How lucky for you, though, that you managed to avoid some serious jail time.”
Shark spun me around and hissed down my ear. “Her dad is the chief of police. React to her, and there’s no getting out of it.”
“Why the fuck was Dante messing around with the chief’s daughter?”
“Intel. And it’s Dante. He likes living dangerously.”
“He likes being a fucking moron. Hi, Heather,” I smiled as she rounded the corner, a happy Axel on her hip. “Where’s Bee?”
“I…” her eyes flicked to the stairs. “She ran upstairs the minute we got here. She was moody in the car as well. I think she’s had a bad day.”
“I’ll go talk to her,” I replied, feeling my heart jump into my throat. “Would you mind watching Axel for a little longer, please?”
“I’ll take him,” Shark offered. “You get off, Heather. Have an early one.”
“Are you sure?” She asked, although there wasn’t much point since Shark was already pulling my son from her arms. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she laughed. I quickly kissed Axel on the cheek and then jogged up the stairs.
“Bee?” I called, knocking on her door. “Is it okay if I come in?” I wasn’t expecting a response, but it felt wrong not to at least ask. I gently pushed the door open and poked my head around, seeing her sitting at her desk, staring out of the window.
I looked around at her room, seeing how pristine and clean it was—a stark difference to the room she used to own.
Back then, it had been messy, chaotic, lived in .
Now it was sterile. Cold. It was beautifully decorated, with everything a little girl could want or desire.
But it was clear she didn’t touch a thing.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, crossing the floor to stand next to her.
“Bee,” she signed with a vicious scowl.
“Bee it is,” I sighed, crouching down next to her. “Heather told me you had a bad day today. Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head, almost snarling at me.
“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
I stayed silent a moment, giving her the chance to respond, but when she didn’t, I tried a different angle.
“Okay, you don’t have to tell me what happened. But can you tell me you’re safe? You haven’t been physically harmed, have you?”
Bee shook her head.
“Okay. So I’m going to hazard a guess here and say that you’ve had people saying things to you that are perhaps a bit unkind?”
She didn’t reply to me, but I had a feeling I was right.
“Would you prefer to write it down for me instead?”
She shook her head, but I saw the tears in her eyes and knew she was close to becoming overwhelmed.
“Okay. I’m going to give you a moment to process. I’ll be right outside, and I promise not to move a muscle. If you need me, all you need to do is open the door. But if you would rather be alone, that’s okay, too. I’ll be waiting there either way.”
I waited a few seconds and then got back to my feet, turning away and heading for the door.
I fucking hated leaving her, but I also didn’t know the correct way to navigate this situation.
All I knew was that if I was in Bee’s shoes, I’d have shut down at her age.
Hell, I still shut down now. I like to open up in my own time, rather than feeling like I was being forced or pressured into it.
I reached for the door handle, but as I twisted it in my hands, I heard a small noise that almost made me burst into tears.
“Rachel…” Bee whispered.
I froze. And then I turned to face the broken little girl.