Chapter 25 Stargazing
? Grey ?
It's fucking pitiful the way I am when I'm not around her. It's ridiculous.
I've never jacked off so much in my fucking life. It's getting sad. My right arm is getting stronger than my left, I'm fucking sure.
And here I am thinking about fucking jacking off to the thought of her naked when I should be focusing on the huge ass house we're fixing to go in.
And the longer I go without seeing her, the worse I get. I haven't seen her in two fucking days. I'm fucking dying.
We've talked yeah, fuck that. I need to see her. We haven't even talked much today really at all. Whatever the fuck she's doing, is keeping her busy. I'm busy too but does that keep me from talking to her? No the fuck it doesn't.
Now four and a half hours away at the most southwestern region of Tennessee, basically fucking Memphis, we pull up to the old run-down 18th century mansion.
Shit's piling up. A trafficking house, the worst type of shit we're called to deal with, and I haven't seen my favorite fucking person in two days.
I'm about to lose my shit.
One single person on this shitty earth with all it's seven billion shitty people is the one who can take all of the shitty thoughts away.
Speeding through all the basic idiotic chit-chat with the fucker that owns the place, I'm finally set free to knock his teeth out when he accidentally bumps into me.
I almost don't want to touch him just from the way he fucking smells. I didn't know someone could buy cologne that smelt that bad. And to put it over BO? Come on motherfucker.
"Where are they at?" Jai glares at the guy who holds his now fucked up nose. Bored, I check my phone again. She hasn't even read my texts. I grit my teeth and shove my phone back in my pocket.
"Who?" the crusty fuck still refuses to answer.
I step on his hand. He squeals like a pig. Fucker.
"Where are your workers? And where are the girls?" Jai asks. This top floor, so far, is deserted. There's no sign of anyone. But they're here.
Sanfred has never led us to the wrong place even though he's dumber than a box of fucking rocks.
"It's like you want to get punched in the face again," Jai rolls his eyes. The guy quickly shakes his head.
"The girls are in the basement," he breathes out, "my guys aren't here today, it's their day off. I swear, I promise."
Fucking idiot.
"Oh my gosh! Really?" Jai gasps, "there's no basement you idiot, we know that."
Does this guy think we just walk into houses without knowing the basics of the floor-plan? That's what drugs'll do to you.
It's fucking ridiculous that 'drugs' remind me of Azalea.
Two long-ass hours later, he finally confesses. After both of his hands are broken, each finger, and two of his motherfucking toes.
"Do I have to go first?" Maxon whines like the little shit he is.
"Your ass is the biggest, we're here to push you down in case you get stuck," Linc smiles and Maxon's mouth drops open.
It's not like he's a big guy. His momma is just known for feeding him and his brothers carbs.
"It's not my fault carbs go straight to my ass!" he rolls his eyes.
"Straight to your mom's too," Theo bites his lip.
"Are you really gonna talk about my momma right now?"
"Your mom's hot," Theo purposefully pisses Maxon off.
"When I get out of this fucking hole, I'm going to kill you," Maxon glares.
"Hurry up and get your ass down there," Roman rolls his eyes.
Maxon drops himself down into the hole in the ground in the back of a closet in one of the house's bedrooms. The place the owner says leads to the hideout. One by one we all jump down.
"I'm scared," Theo mumbles when it's his turn. The guy is scared of his own fucking shadow.
"Get the fuck down there before I push you down there," I give him a shove.
"But I don't know what's down there! It's just a black hole," he steps away from it.
"You idiot, there's five of us already down here!" Jai calls up.
"Oh shit! There's a snake!" Linc calls out.
"I'm just kidding you bitch get down here," he adds.
"I'm scared of the dark," he mumbles. I step forward and push him down into the hole before going down.
"You could've been one man short from doing that," he tells me once I'm down there.
"Not much of a man," Linc nudges me. I give him a look for touching me and he steps away.
"This dude hates being touched so much, I don't even know how he has a girlfrien-"
"Focus," Jai hisses, "I agree with you but focus."
We shine our lights at the huge iron door that keeps everyone out of the people's hideout. I take out the key that the owner gave us and I stick it in and turn it.
Theo sneezes.
"Can you shut the fuck up?"
"God Theo, idiot."
"Theo, goddamn."
"Dumbass."
"Learn how to shut up."
"I'm allergic to dust!" he defends himself. I creak open the door and there's almost no sign of anyone. I push it open all the way and we file in quietly.
Rotting couches and chairs fill up the huge main room and in the center are even a couple of poles. But there really are no workers.
Which only means there's gonna be more of these type busts down the road.
We look around the empty place and Jai spots a hallway. We slowly walk down the hall and more than a dozen doors are on either side of it.
"Spread out," I wave to all the doors.
I grab the handle of the door closest to me and I push it open, walking in slowly. I flash my light around the room and sure enough, a small group of three girls is huddled in the corner.
I find the light switch by the door and right before I can flick it on another girl, one I didn't fucking see, throws herself onto me.
She doesn't weigh much, most likely from malnourishment and I quickly flick the light on.
She does everything she can to hurt me. Kicking, punching, even tried to fucking bite me.
I don't blame her though. The shit she's been through I can't even imagine.
I wish she wasn't fucking touching me though.
"Don't touch them!" She yells.
"How 'bout you not touch me?" I grumble. Maybe a little harsh, I just don't like when people touch me. No matter who it is. Except for Lilah because of reasons I'm not sure of.
"Do whatever you want with me, but not them!" She shouts. I pry her off me and she lands on her feet in front of me.
"Please," she pleads, "they're too young."
"I'm here to help you," I try the best helpful voice I can manage but most of the time when we go on these busts, I'm not the one that should be talking.
It's obvious I don't come across to people as 'approachable' or 'nice'.
At fucking all.
"Help?" A girl's quiet voice from the corner asks.
"No, don't listen to him," she turns her head to them, "they've said that before."
"I'm not gonna do anything to you," I shake my head.
"We work with the FBI," I explain, "we're here to help you."
The brown-haired girl in front of me thinks over my words. It's obvious she's got terrible trust issues and I can understand that.
"I think he's okay Raven," a girl walks up behind her, "I believe him. He doesn't look like them."
I almost want to thank her for saying that I don't look like a greasy-headed druggy.
Raven nods.
"Girls, it's safe," she tells the rest of them over in the corner. I look over and see a redhead and a light blonde.
Way too fucking close to Lilah's blonde.
My heart drops to my stomach. She's small like her too.
And she hasn't texted me back almost all day.
I rush to the girl and grip her arm, turning her to me. She gasps and brown eyes look back at me instead of green.
The biggest feeling of relief I've ever had in my life washes over me.
"I thought you were someone else," I let go of her and she looks relieved too.
That scared me way too much.
I lead the way back into the main room where all the girls are being asked for their names, birthdays, and everything else.
We spend hours collecting all the information about all the fifty-six girls in the hideout. Each second that goes by, I grow more antsy to see her. My mind is fucked.
The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it sounds that she would be all the over here and at this place. But it wasn't impossible and especially with the dim lighting in the room, their hair looked the same.
I realize I'm clingy as fuck. God, I want her so bad. I'm fucking vulnerable.
"On the road again," Theo sings as we pile into the SUV. I take my place in the passenger seat and my knee bounces up and down.
"You alright?" Roman questions from the driver's seat.
"Just get me home," I pick up the scrunchie I carelessly tossed on the dashboard when we first got here.
For four hours, I anxiously fuck with the scrunchie.
It isn't any better that my phone died ten minutes into the car ride.
I'm in deep.
Eight in the fucking morning is when I finally make it to my place.
I shower as my phone charges and as soon as I've got my damn pants on someone knocks on my front door.
When I open it, Lilah stands there, the most worried look on her face.
"I've been up all night worried 'bout you," her voice shakes and I pull her inside, scoop her up, and hug her to me.
She always smells so fucking good.
She hugs me back just as tight, not even knowing a reason why. She just does.
"I missed you," she tells me softly.
I force my head out of her neck I and I kiss those lips of hers four times.
I kick my door shut and carry her all the way to our room.
She demands I wait for Bear to waltz in too and I'm not the one to tell her no when she uses that tone.
What have I become?
I shut the door once he's in and I lay her on the bed. I take a second to admire her small pajamas before I lay on her, in between her legs. She says she's crushed but she'll be fine.
If there was one place I'd always want to be, it'd be right here.
"Are you okay?" She questions softly, running her hand through my damp hair. I only nod.
"Were you up all night?"
"In Memphis," I answer.
"Your texts woke me up at three in the morning and I've been awake ever since. I got scared when you didn't answer me," she explains.