Chapter 8 #2
Carlos picked at an invisible piece of lint on his shirt sleeve, his watch glinting in the light of the fire. I raised my brow when he finally settled back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, making his tight shirt stretch across his muscles.
“I thought you wanted to see me. It doesn’t seem very urgent,” I said.
He laughed, shaking his head, his eyes sizing me up.
“God, that mouth of yours.” It felt like a threat, not an observation of my attitude. I involuntarily shivered in disgust. Images of Pedrofilo’s dick in my mouth plagued my mind. Shut up! I nearly gagged but clenched my jaw shut.
Carlos picked up his phone from his desk, placing it against his ear and moments later he spoke. “She’s ready.”
My heart leapt and I looked between Carlos and Adrian for a sign as to what was coming.
The door suddenly opened, and I spun in my chair to face a man in a white button-down and black slacks. His sleeves were rolled, hair receding slightly, and he smiled widely at me like he was actually a decent human.
“Alright, just a couple of questions, before we begin,” he said, setting down a black bag on the coffee table in the lounge area. “Has she taken any drugs in the last twelve hours?”
“No,” Adrian said confidently. Of course, because he’s been stalking me. Fucking pervert.
My chest heaved with sharp breaths as the stranger pulled out medical supplies.
“Pregnant?”
The stranger looked to me now and I blinked. “N-no.”
At least I fucking hope not.
“Wonderful,” he hummed. He knelt in front of me, reaching for my hand and I flinched, staring at the packaged needle balancing on his knee.
“What’s going on?” I asked, turning to stare at Carlos.
“Just making sure you don’t have any answers I need.”
My eyes widened and I flicked my gaze back to my hand where the cold air tickled my skin from the alcohol wipe. I closed my eyes as he pushed the needle into my vein. It was another moment before something burned my veins and trailed up my arm inside my body.
I slowly opened both eyes when nothing else immediately happened. I watched the man as he cleaned up his mess of wrappers.
“I don’t feel anything,” I said, my brows furrowing.
“Don’t worry, you will,” he said with a soft nod.
Maybe he just put saline in my veins or something because I—
I blinked, my brain suddenly swimming, like I’d just chugged six beers. He pinched my arm, and I turned my head to glare at the man.
“That was rude,” the thought slipped past my lips without effort.
“She should be good,” he spoke, but not to me.
I breathed deeply, the pain in my side from expanding my lungs painful but not at the same time.
“That’s strange,” I mumbled, poking myself where I knew the bruises were.
“Who did Javier work for?” Carlos asked. I blinked slowly, my chin dropping to my chest as I stared at him.
“You,” I muttered. I could feel the anger, simmering just beneath the surface, but I couldn’t hold onto it. If anything, I was fighting an urge to smile.
“Who else?”
I stared at him with confusion.
“I dunno, whoever he sold drugs to I guess.”
Carlos tilted his head, his eyes flicking to the man kneeling beside me.
“Drugs? What kind of drugs?”
I blinked again, my mind feeling fuzzy.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I couldn’t hold back the laughter. “Are you going senile?”
“What drugs?” Carlos repeated.
“Javi sometimes gave my dad stuff. He preferred coke, but sometimes it was Oxy or meth. And weed.”
My eyes flared, heart racing. Why the hell did I say that? Fuck, what if Javi gets in trouble.
“I didn’t mean that,” I paused, uncontrollable laughter bubbling up my throat. “Javi doesn’t give Dad drugs.”
I bit my lip, trying to stifle my laugh but I couldn’t hold it back anymore and burst into peals of laughter. “Sorry. I don’t know why that’s so funny,” I wheezed. “I’m not lying.”
I remembered that I was actually currently on something, and I looked down at the needle taped to my hand.
“Push some more,” Carlos ordered. The man pursed his lips in a thin line before nodding and holding my hand. More burning warmth spread up my arm.
“Wait, is this the kind of drugs you sell?” I laughed. “I can see the appeal.”
I smiled to myself, enjoying the hazy glow the drugs had offered me.
“Focus, Shiloh. Who did Javier work for?”
“You, fuckface,” I stated again, getting slightly annoyed. “Does he need a hearing aid?” I whisper-shouted at Adrian, behind my hand.
Adrian bit down on his lip like he was trying not to laugh.
“Don’t laugh,” I giggled. “He might shoot us.”
“Did Javier tell you about anyone he might have met with?”
Javi. This was wrong. Something about this was wrong but I couldn’t get my brain to care enough.
“What? No. Javi never tells me anything. Doesn’t even tell me when he’s not going to come home for the night.”
“Did you ever hear Javier speaking to anyone on the phone, did he mention any names?”
“No.”
“Do you have an account with North Austin Credit Union?”
“What?” I blinked, trying desperately to get my brain to function properly. “I don’t even have a fucking birth certificate or social security card.”
“So, you’ve never opened a bank account?”
“No,” I said with an incredulous scoff. “What fucking money do I have to put in a bank account? Have you seen where we live?”
Carlos seemed to be getting annoyed. I couldn’t help that he was asking stupid questions.
“Did Javier tell you he was acting as an informant for law enforcement?”
I pursed my lips together. I needed to protect Javier, but how did I lie? Did I need to lie? What was the truth?
“No.”
Carlos leaned forward in his chair, studying me. I squirmed, that uncomfortable laughter building in my chest.
“Did you suspect that Javier was being disloyal to Los Siete?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, but my mouth still slipped open.
“Okay. Okay. He said something the other day. We got into a fight.”
“What did he say?”
“He said…” I sighed, trying to get my thoughts to stop spinning. “He said that soon this will all be over.”
“What will be over?”
“I don’t know.”
Carlos sighed with frustration, his hand clenching into a fist as if he meant to punch his desk but thought better of it. “Focus, Shiloh. What did Javier tell you about things being over?”
I pouted. Javi.
“Te quie—”
“He never fucking tells me anything because I’m too fucking weak,” I muttered, closing my eyes. Fuck, I’m tired.
“Why did he have to be right there? Why did his eyes have to be open, like he was watching me…watching them, waiting for me to stop being so fucking weak. And I fucking tried, but they trapped me. I swear I tried, I tried, and I finally got the knife.”
There was a pause of silence, the heat of the fire flushing my skin.
“What happened, Shiloh? What happened when I left you with Peter and Kush?”
What happened? What happened…There was this overwhelming desire to tell the truth, and I couldn’t fight it.
“Oh!” I giggled, my eyes popping open as I smiled with glee at Carlos. “I stabbed Kush! Is he dead?”
“No,” Carlos shook his head. “He’s not.”
I pouted, “Why not? I pushed the knife in as far as I could.”
The urge to cry was there again and suddenly I needed to be honest. “I wanted to kill him. I really wanted to. But Peter was going to shoot Javi again if I didn’t let him finish first.”
“Let him finish?” Carlos tilted his head as he studied me closely. “Shiloh…did Peter rape you?”
“Peter…Peter-phile…wait, that doesn’t sound as good in English. Pedrofilo.” I chuckled. “Funny name. Pe-dro-fi-lo.”
I sobered, and blinked, confused by Carlos’s concerned expression.
“It’s okay, don’t cry. See, I’m not crying,” I pointed to my face and noticed the needle taped to my hand. When did that get there? I shook my arm like I could get it fall off, but someone held my hand. Dark eyes met mine and I studied the unfamiliar face.
“Do I know you?”
“No. You don’t know me,” the man responded.
“Shiloh, did Peter rape you?”
I looked back at Carlos, thinking hard.
“Um…well, how does that work? Like, does it count as rape if his dick wasn’t you know…down there? ‘Cause technically, Kush was the one…” I grimaced, unable to get the rest of the words out. “Which is why I stabbed him. I just wanted him to stop. Stop before he finished.”
“Fuck,” Adrian cursed under his breath.
“I’m sorry. Do you know him?” I asked turning to Adrian. “Do you think he’s gonna try and take the baby?”
“For Christ’s sake,” the stranger kneeling beside me muttered. “You said you weren’t pregnant. Are you pregnant?”
“N-n-no,” the laughter was there as I tried to find the right words. “Maybe,” I giggled. “Sorry, it’s not funny. It’s just, it’s only been three days. I can’t be pregnant already, can I?”
The man smiled sadly and shook his head.
“No, carino,” he said, patting my hand gently.
I sighed with relief.
“Oh, good. Can you imagine what the baby would’ve looked like? The worst match of DNA. Poor thing would’ve been bullied its whole life if it looked anything like me.”
I laughed to myself, cradling an imaginary baby in my arms.
I suddenly yawned, my eyes feeling too heavy to open.
“Can the baby and I just take a little nap?” I said, pinching my finger and thumb together.
I looked down, realizing my arms were actually empty and laughed. “Wait…” I laughed hysterically, my eyes starting to water. “I’m gonna pee,” I wheezed.
I squirmed in my chair, clutching my stomach as I gasped for air between chuckles.
“She’ll probably be out for at least an hour or two,” the man on the floor beside me said.
I was suddenly lifted from my chair, and I careened, laughing all over again when I nearly fell to the floor. Adrian propped me on the couch beside the fireplace, and I slouched over onto the arm, not enough energy to get into a comfortable position.
“Sleep,” Carlos’s face filled my vision between slow blinks. “We’ll talk when you wake.”