“Well, God damn. That’s why you’re all fucked up over him. He gives you that pipe every night. Whoa girl, you are much stronger than I thought.”
I dressed Jyme in a tank and tee with a pair of denim jeans. Jyme stirred again; he was coming back to life. The bodyguards held on to his arms and told him not to fuckin’ move.
“Jyme, please don’t fight, babe.”
“Cricket.”
I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I asked the two bodyguards to pull the chair back so I could clean the blood off the floor. I poured straight bleach on the floor and wiped all the blood up with the towels. When I was done, I went back to the kitchen sink and scrubbed my hands and arms. I dropped the towels in the washer, poured a cup of bleach in, and started a cycle. I walked back to the foyer.
“Is it okay if I change clothes, too?”
“Sure,” Troy said.
I walked over to Jyme’s duffle and got my clothes off the top of it. I went to the downstairs bathroom and scrubbed my neck and my chest. I was changing my pants when there was a knock at the door. I cracked it open, and Troy asked if he could come in. I stepped back and shut the door and turned the water on blast. I’d been getting to know Troy’s looks for a year now, and I knew what he wanted. I kneeled down to the floor, unzipped his pants, and pulled all of him out.
“Good girl.”
I put all of him in my mouth and gave him all I had; he was finished in less than a minute. He punched the wall like he always did, and I heard a commotion from the foyer. My eyes widened and I stiffened with Troy still in my mouth.
“Don’t hit him,” Troy yelled, sounding a lot like a squeaky girl. “Cricket!”
I pulled him out and apologized.
“Girl, I love that tongue of yours. I’ve missed it.”
I stood back up, slid the tee on, and slipped the jacket over it. I rinsed out my mouth twice, and then I was ready. Troy stood there leaning up against the wall waiting for me, but I knew that look. Troy couldn’t move; he was semi paralyzed from his release.
“Do you need help?” I asked.
“No,” he laughed.
I picked up my dirty clothes and opened the bathroom door. Troy shut it immediately behind me. I went back to the washroom, threw my blood-stained clothes in the basket and the two towels I used to rinse off into the washer.
I walked back to the foyer and I went straight to the corner by the front door. I pulled out a pair of Jyme’s boots and one of his leather jackets. I walked back over to his bag, took out a pair of his socks and pulled them on his feet without ever meeting his eyes.
“Look at me,” Jyme mumbled.
I ignored him and placed one of his feet inside of his boots.
“Look at me,” he said again, loudly this time.
“NO!”
I tried to pick up his other foot, but he wouldn’t budge. I just tied the one boot that was on him. I tried the other foot again, and he wouldn’t move. I looked up at him with watery eyes forming, and then the tears started to fall. He reached for me, but the bodyguards were holding his arms. I was thankful for them.
“Give me your foot,” I demanded.
“God, Cricket.”
“Give me your fuckin’ foot, Jyme.”
He gave it to me just as Troy came out the bathroom with a slow walk. I tied Jyme’s boot up fast. Then I was on my feet. I handed the bodyguards Jyme’s leather jacket, and they helped him put it on.
“Is it okay if I get a couple of bottled waters?” I asked Troy.
“Cricket, you can get whatever the fuck you want, baby,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. I picked up my purse and Jyme’s bag and went into the kitchen. Jyme growled and spit out something in his language.
“Oh no, don’t be greedy,” Troy teased Jyme. “Look, if you’re going to be a part of this circle, you have to learn to share.”
I came back with two bottled waters and two cokes. I shoved them in Jyme’s duffle bag and headed for the door. We all piled up in the SUVs. I slid next to Jyme, and someone buckled him in so he was sitting straighter. He looked terrible, but I couldn’t help with that. Troy and one of the bodyguards sat in the front seats. Two more of the bodyguards sat behind us.
“Awh, look at the love birds…all in love,” Troy teased.
I opened one of the bottled waters and handed it to Jyme. “Can you drink from this?” I asked, sliding a long straw in the bottle. He nodded and took a swig and frowned. I handed him two of my little white pills and he swallowed them.
After about twenty minutes of riding, Jyme started fading in and out. I laid up against him and held his hand. I swallowed two pills for the road trip. I knew Troy would make this trip hell all the way, and Jyme didn’t deserve that. Jyme passed out first, and then the little white pills pulled me in a deep sleep as well.
I woke to a dark starlit night; Jyme was still out, and Troy was asleep in the front seat. One of the bodyguards behind us was snoring. We were obviously in California, but I wasn’t sure what part yet. I looked up at the gas gauge; we were well under a half a tank. We passed a sign that said, “Los Angeles 52 Miles”. I turned to look at the alert bodyguard sitting behind us. He met my eyes, and I whispered to him not wanting to wake the others.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
He nodded, and pulled out his phone, he tapped on his screen a few times and put it back into his pocket. About twenty minutes later, we pulled into a well-lit gas station. Once the truck stopped, everyone stirred but Jyme.
“Pit stop,” Troy called out.
I opened my side door and pulled the seat up all the way. Both of the Bodyguards got out of the back seat and stretched. I climbed out of the truck and headed for the gas station. I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn’t turn to see who was following me. I walked into the station and smiled at the attendant. His face brightened and then he smiled back at me. His eyes instantly went to the person following me and his smile faded. The attendant quickly looked down at the phone in his hand. He didn’t look back up. I walked to the restrooms and then entered the empty stall in the ladies room. I was about to shut the door behind me when a hand blocked me. Troy stepped in right behind me; I wasn’t surprised at all when I saw him. I gave him a quick once over to see if he needed a blow or a piss. He didn’t give me that come hither look, so I went on with my business. He watched me as I squatted over the toilet. Neither one of us said a word to each other. After thirty long uncomfortable seconds, I was finished. He relieved himself while I washed my hands. I knew better than to try and leave the restroom without him, so I just waited for him while he rinsed his hands off.
We exited the station and the guys were still filling up the SUVs. I walked over to the other side of the SUV and I opened the door. Jyme was still sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake him. I pulled the first aid kit out of my purse and cleaned and changed three of his bandages. He never stirred. His face was swollen, and the cut over his eye looked horrible. I cleaned it twice, spread a half a tube of Neosporin on it, and bandaged it back up. Troy walked up behind me, and I turned to face him. I couldn’t read his face. He watched Jyme; I turned back around to finish. I closed the first aid kit and put it back in my purse. I collected the soiled, bloody bandages and all the trash from the new ones and went to the nearest trash bin. I walked back to the SUV and Troy was standing at the back watching me. I tried to walk past him, but he caught my arm. I stopped and faced him.
“I can’t lose you, Cricket.”
“I can train someone else really good, Troy,” I told him.
“I know you. It has to be you,” he told me.
“Until when, Troy? My tits aren’t going to look like this forever. I’m thirty-three years old.”
“Cricket, you got a hundred more years left in you.”
I turned from him and went back to Jyme. We made it to the casino an hour later. I looked at the clock on the dash; it was 2:30 in the morning. The trucks all pulled into the employee’s park
ing lot. Everyone started shifting and I just sat there. Troy got out and opened my door for me to get out.
“Troy, can I wake him up here in the truck alone?” I asked with teary eyes.
He watched me for a long moment and then held his hand out for me to get out. I took his hand, and he held the seat up for the back passengers to get out. He still held the door open, and I climbed back in. Jyme and I were now all alone, and I wasn’t sure if this would ever happen again so I had to make the best of it. I kissed both sides of his face, and then his forehead and both sides of his neck. He stirred a little, and I touched his lips with mine. He woke sleepily, and I whispered, “Hi there” in his ear. He opened his eyes, blinking them a dozen times and looked around us.
“Do you remember what happened?” I asked. He winced at his forehead scar and raised his hand up to it and shook his head. “Jyme, listen to me. I don’t know how long Troy is going to play this little game. But I swear to you I will get you out of here, and when that time comes, you must go, no matter what. Do you understand what I’m saying?” He nodded, sliding his fingers through mine. “He won’t kill me, but I can’t guarantee that for you. But I will get you out before that happens. I have many friends in there, and they will help us. I love you so much, and I know we’re meant to be, and I believe we will be…just maybe not right now. Once we go through those doors, I’m going to be another person. I have to shut down everything inside of me to do this. We need a code word to use to get messages to one another. If I send someone to you that you can trust, what word would you like?”
He sat there and thought about it. I kissed the side of his neck.
“Hurry, babe.” I said.
“Strings.” I frowned and then he smiled. “Strings in the park…your favorite date.”
I nodded, and a few tears fell down my cheek. Troy knocked on the window, and I pressed my lips against Jyme’s. He pulled me closer to him and winced.
“Best?” Jyme asked me.
“The day you rescued me,” I smiled and he looked deep into my eyes. “And you?”
“Our first night in the safe house,” he told me.
“I love you,” I said.
“I can tell,” he smiled.
I opened his door and unbuckled his seat belt. He turned and slid slowly out the truck. One of the bodyguards held on to him under his left side until I got out, and then I slid under his right arm and held on to his torso. We all walked slowly to the employee entrance. Then, we entered the pits of hell.
We walked down the long concrete hall and I remembered the last time I fled these halls. I thought of Cinnamon, Sugar, and Chelle; I prayed they were alright. We walked past the break room, and a few people came out running up to us.
“Cricket, OH MY GOD! What happened? Are you alright? Who is that?”
I smiled at them all and told them I would tell them all about it later. We had officially started an uproar in the hall. We made it to the freight elevators and all piled in. When we got to my floor, we walked down to the suite. Troy used his master key, and we walked in.
Chelle was passed out on the floor all bloody. Cinnamon was getting up off the stairwell; she had a busted lip that was dripping blood. Three bodyguards were holding Trey, and they were struggling with him. He was drunk and coked out of his mind. There were two naked girls on the couch, and they were in outer space right now.
I helped Jyme sit down on the top step and I ran to Chelle who was bleeding on the floor. I sat her up and tried to wake her; she wasn’t responding.
“CHELLE! MICHELLE! MICHELLE, IT’S CRICKET! WAKE UP SWEETIE…WAKE UP AND LOOK AT ME!” I screamed at her. She jerked with a kick and started swinging madly at me.
“MICHELLE, IT’S ME, IT’S ME!”
She focused on my face and started screaming and climbing all over me in pure fear. I’d never seen Chelle like this, and it was splitting me in two. I rocked her like a child, and it seemed to calm her.
“Cinnamon!” I called out to her. She didn’t answer. “CINNAMON, TALK TO ME!”
“I’m okay,” she said groggily. Troy was standing in front of Trey now, and the rest of the bodyguards were scattered all over the apartment.
“Korliss, please check the apartment for anyone else,” I asked one of the bodyguards I knew. He nodded and went straight to Sugar’s room and then passed through the hall entrance going toward my room. Korliss came back and shook his head to me. I closed my eyes and thanked God for this small blessing.
“Troy, I can’t do this.”
“What Cricket?” he sighed.
“Get Chelle out of here. Let her go home. I can’t do this knowing Trey will hurt her. I can’t. This is too much for me and you know it,” I said through tears.
Lance and two more security men burst through the door.
“Cricket,” Lance said. And then he rested his eyes on Troy.
“This is all your fault; you did this. You smug son of a bitch, you did it!” Lance yelled over at Troy.
Someone knocked on the front door and Lance let them in. The house doctor walked in with wide eyes. He looked over at me and asked who had the most injuries. I pointed at Cinnamon, and he went to her first. A few minutes later, he said Cinnamon had a mild concussion.
Then I pointed to Jyme, and he went over to Jyme and examined him. Chelle was still so frightened, and I knew her examination would be a task. Troy walked over toward me, pulled out his cell phone, tapped the screen, and spoke into it.
“I need a flight to Seattle, first class as soon as you can get one.” I mouthed thank you to him, and he turned away from me.
“He has a couple of broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder,” the house doctor announced. I stared at him frantically, and he caught my face.
“I can wrap it and get him into a sling. In ten days, he’ll be fine.”
I pointed to the now silent Chelle in my lap, and the doctor walked over to us.
“Chelle, can the doctor check you out?” I whispered in her ear.
She sat there thinking and then nodded. She turned around in my lap and faced the doctor. I gently pushed her off me and sat her on the floor. I got up slowly and walked to Cinnamon. I pulled her into my arms, and she clung to me.
“Did anyone hurt you?” I asked her. She knew exactly what hurt I was talking about. She nodded, and then I swallowed, “Did anyone hurt Michelle?” Jyme and Troy watched me. But Cinnamon was looking only at me.
“I stopped him before he could.”
At that very moment, one of the naked women on the couch stirred and started pawing on Troy.
“Rod get this out of here, and get someone up here to clean this shit up,” Troy demanded. Rod nodded and retrieved some clothes from off the back of the couch and from the floor. Rod and two more of the bodyguards dressed the two naked women and helped them out of the suite.
Troy’s phone rang. “Alright,” he said and hung up. “Her flight’s in four hours. Will she be able to take a flight by then?”
I looked at the doctor, and he looked Chelle over. “I can give her something to make her calm; she’ll need help once she gets where she’s going.”
I looked over at Troy, and he nodded at me. I went over to my purse by Jyme, and he slid his fingers through mine. I looked at him and shook my head; he pulled his fingers away. I got the phone out of my purse and dialed Ayashe’s number. She answered on the first ring,
“CRICKET, WHAT HAPPENED?”
“We’re fine. We’re ALL fine,” I assured her.
“I need you to listen to me. I’m sending Chelle back to you, and you have to be at her gate waiting on her. She will be out of it and will need help walking. You might need to get her a wheelchair. I’ll text you her flight number and her arrival time.”
“Okay. JJ wants to talk to you.”
“Alright.”
“Cricket, I know you’ll keep him safe. I know that with everything in my soul. I trust you, and I love you both. Call me when you can,” Mrs. JJ said.
“I
love you, too.” I hung up the phone and nodded to Troy.
There was a knock at the door, and Lance let them in. Three housekeepers walked in and started cleaning immediately. The house doctor asked for some water for Chelle. I went to the fridge and poured half a bottle of water into a glass. Chelle swallowed the water down, and the doctor handed me four pills. “She will need to take two of these four hours before the flight, and then these other two are for if she gets anxious tomorrow or the next day.”
I turned to face Troy, and he was staring at Trey. Trey had calmed down, but his breathing was irregular. “Doc, can you check out my brother?”
The doctor closed his black bag and cleaned off his glasses with a white cloth. “He does way too much cocaine; he’s an alcoholic and a sociopath. I don’t need to examine him to tell you that.”
Troy watched the doctor with a sly look in his eyes. I placed my hands on top of the doctor’s hand and squeezed it.
“Cricket, I don’t fuckin’ need you to convince the Doc to check out my brother. That’s what the fuck he’s getting paid to do. And you know what Doc…let me give you a quick news flash. I’m the HNIC up in this bitch, and when I tell you to fuckin’ do something, you best fuckin’ do it!”
The doctor patted my hands and walked over to Trey. He examined Trey while everyone watched. He listened to Trey’s heartbeat and asked Trey if he had been taking his blood pressure meds he had given him last month. Trey didn’t speak. The doctor stood and said, “His heart can’t handle all of his extra activities.”
“Man, just give him something to make his breathing regular,” Troy yelled.
The doctor opened his bag and gave Troy two brown pills to give to Trey. Then the doctor turned to me and said, “I can set his wounds now, but he’ll need to come downstairs with me.” He was referring to Jyme.
“Troy, can Korliss go with him while I take care of Chelle?”
He nodded at Korliss, and Korliss went to help Jyme up off the steps. He watched me as he walked out the room. Troy and Trey followed behind them. As soon as the door shut, I slid my jacket off and went to help Chelle off the floor. I called Cinnamon to follow me. I shut my bedroom door, not bothering to lock it. I took Chelle to the bathroom and turned the shower on hot. Then I told her to undress and get under the water. I went back into the bedroom and kneeled down in front of Cinnamon.
Wounded Love (G Street Chronicles Presents From Love to Loathe Series) Page 7
