by T. R. Graves
"There's no way to casually bring Pepé Le Pew into any conversation... not even one where you’re talking about good cartoons."
"I disagree with you, and you need to know that I love Pepé and his romantic determination."
"Only you could find it in your heart to love a stalking, stinking skunk."
"And I rest my case. I love every stalking, stinking inch of you, Pepé."
"I really have a reason to hurt Tope now." He laughs heartily. "Surely, you can think of a more fitting nickname for me."
"Actually, I can think of a lot of wonderful things to call you," I say tenderly.
"That's what I'm talking about. Love and adoration. That's what I want from you."
"You have that, Levi."
"Same here, babe."
"Now, back to what we're talking about. Pepé will be my safe word. If I ever use Pepé in a sentence and you hear it, I need you to call Tope so he can come and get me outta this hellhole."
"I don't love that safe word, but it’ll definitely help me know you need me. And, Em, if you ever need me, I'll be there with Tope. No matter the time of day or night.”
"I know, and I appreciate that."
"Did he hurt you, Emily?" Levi asks. He is no longer angry, just worried about me.
"No. He just caught a glance of me in my underwear."
"I heard more than that so there's no need to try and protect me. What are you going to do so he doesn't mess with you while you're in your class?"
"I'm gonna tell Tess what he said. She and the mothers of those kids will have a thing or two to say about that. Don't worry. None of that will ever happen. He just wishes." I assure him.
"Did he do what I thought he did?"
My face burns red. "Yes. He marked his territory, and I'll have to clean it up. That's better than what could’ve happened, though."
"He better not ever touch you, Em. You're mine. Only mine, and I won't share you with anyone. Ever."
"You won't have to, Levi," I say, yawning despite all the sleep I've had over the last few days.
"I want you to lay back down and get some sleep. I'll call you again tomorrow. I love you."
"I love you, too. Good night."
Tope
"What's going on, Levi?" I ask after checking to see who was calling me this late at night, seeing it's my cousin, and answering my ringing cell.
"Tope, Emily can't stay there. I've got to get her out. I don't care how far away from here we have to go. I'll do it for her," Levi says. I can tell he's hopped up on anger, anxiety, and stress, and I'm worried what he'll do now that he's like this.
"Give her some credit, Levi. She's been living with these people her whole life. She hasn't survived this long without knowing what to do, when to do it, and how to avoid trouble," I say, trying to convince myself as much as I'm trying to convince Levi that she's safer than we think.
"Tope, that fuck Lorenzo tried to rape her tonight. I was on the phone and heard all of it. It's just by luck that she got away and was able to hide in the bathroom. Then, he taunted her while jacking off all over her bed. If she hadn't locked herself in the bathroom, he would've..."
I close my eyes and count to ten. The environment she lives in is exactly the one I've been worried about. I silently curse Tess for keeping things away from me. She wants me to help, but only when it suits her.
"Did you hear what I said?" Levi yells.
"Calm down. I heard you. You're right. She can't live like that. None of those women can. How safe is she now?"
Levi sighs. "She's locked up in her father's house, so I guess she's as safe as she can be."
"Good. Give me some time. I'll see what I can do." I pause and squeeze the bridge of my nose. "Levi, don't you do anything without talking to me first. Do you understand? It isn't going to do me or her any good if you go over there and get yourself in trouble."
I hear Levi breathing, but he doesn't say anything for a long time.
"All right, but you better figure something out quick. I'm not going to stand by while she gets raped. I can tell you that."
"I understand. I'm packing some things. I'm going to stay at Meme and Gran's with you until some of this blows over."
We hang up, and I begin throwing clothes into a duffle bag. After hearing how anxious Levi is, I know he’ll break into that commune the next time he's made to listen to anything remotely similar to tonight's exchange between Emily and Lorenzo. I can't blame him. If I'd been on the phone, I'm not sure I would’ve been able to hold back. In fact, I may have been arrested for murder.
CHAPTER 12
Outside Intervention
Emily
Like the night before, I'm up and down all night long. I'm groggy as hell when the alarm goes off the next morning, and I'm way too tired to even pretend I'm going to try to walk to the union hall. I just turn off the alarm, roll back over, and hug my pillow until exhaustion takes back over.
The next thing I know Tess is shaking me. Based on the bright sun shining through the handkerchief-thin curtains, I gauge the time to be sometime around noon. I've slept on and off for two days and feel like I could sleep for two more. I slap Tess's hands away from my upper arms.
"Aunt Tess, I'm tired. Let me rest for just a few more minutes. Then I promise I'll come teach the class," I mumble right before I sink back into my exhausted oblivion.
After what seems like seconds, I awaken to find Tess shaking me again. When I sit up and look around, I realize the sun coming through the window is setting. Hours have passed since the last time Tess tried to wake me.
"Aunt Tess, I'm so tired," I try to say, but it just comes out as an incomprehensible moan.
"Somethin's wrong with you, Emi. I'm goin' to find Lorenzo and get you to the emergency room before you get any worse," Tess says.
Usually, Tess's face is flawless and wrinkle-free. Hiding her every emotion prevents aging. Today, she has lines I've never seen before. Right now, I may not know exactly what she's thinking, but the fact that she's aged by a decade in the last two days tells me she's beyond worried about me.
I open my mouth to refuse Tess's demands. The last thing I want to do is go to the emergency room, but I don't have the energy it would take to argue with her. I just lie there trying to trudge through my foggy thoughts and understand what’s wrong with me. I've never felt so tired in my life.
"We'll be back in a few minutes," Tess says, interrupting my scattered thoughts.
As soon as she slams the front door, a tiny burst of anxiety wakes me up enough for me to remember I'll be missing my nightly call with Levi. I grab the phone, click on the blurry envelope symbol in the corner of the screen, and type a very brief message.
Me: Going to hospital. Can't talk tonight. Love you.
My logical side fights for control and begs me to ignore the exhaustion just long enough to hide Levi's phone. Deep down, I know Lorenzo will nose around my room while I'm gone. Even if he has to drop me off at the hospital and come back to do it.
It takes every bit of energy I have to turn off the phone (before Levi has a chance to respond), unplug the cord from the wall, and sink to the floor next to my bed. There, I slide my hand along the mattress until I find the tiny hole where I hide everything near and dear to me and anything I don't want the boys to cruelly take from my as punishment for some perceived infraction.
With logic still guiding my every movement, I stumble over to my dresser and find a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved flannel shirt that can be buttoned to the neck. The last thing I want is for Lorenzo to make it back to my room and find me in a tank and panties.
As soon as my pragmatic side is appeased, I plop back down on my bed and wait for Tess to make it back. My eyes bounce heavily until I give in and sink back into the same stupor that’s been controlling me for days.
In a world more dreamlike than real, I feel like someone is carrying my down the stairs. Peeking through my lashes, I see it's a worried-looking Lorenzo. His jaw is clenched, and his teeth a
re gritted.
"Jesus, Tess. She looks like she's almost dead. What the hell’s wrong with her? Do you think she's got ahold of the whores’ stash of drugs? "
Irritated, Tess yells, "She's not doing drugs, Lorenzo. She's sick. That's all."
Lorenzo uses lots of care when putting me into the back of his giant four-wheel drive. Before he and Tess hop in the front of the cab, he tucks a pillow under my head and covers me up with the quilt from my bed.
I'm only vaguely aware of the frantic way Lorenzo speeds down the dirt roads, hitting every bump at full speed. I'm even less coherent when we come to a complete stop... apparently at the check-in station. Lorenzo and Alex's conversation is just one more facet of my dream world that seems way too real.
"Listen, bitch, I'm takin' her to the hospital. Tess's with me. Unless you want to tell Owen you let her die, you better move the fuck outta the way and let me by."
"It's okay, Alex. She really is sick, and he's only doing what I asked him to do," Tess says in a reassuring way filled with the same worry I saw on her face earlier.
Alex's words are jumbled, but within a few seconds Lorenzo is speeding down the road. Again, we're on our way. Just as quick, I'm unconscious.
Tope
It's already been a long day. I've spent it begging every judge in the parish for a search warrant so I can explore—and get Emily out of—the commune while Owen and his gang are gone.
I can't believe I couldn't get one fucking person to see how much safer it is for the women for us to go in there while most of the men are away.
Even I knew it was a long shot. Bradley Garriman, the corrupt DA who lost his thirty-year position when I ran against him, still has the ear of every one of them. Everyone knows (but can’t prove) they all still do what he says because he has evidence that would send them to jail. They owe him a favor that he's collected on by requesting they not sign search warrants geared toward searching the commune. Or he's scared them by telling them Owen's arrest would put them and their families in danger. Actually, I have to admit that the judge signing his search warrant and that judge's family will be in danger because Owen and his men will hunt and kill every last one of them if he ever gets out.
I run my hand through my hair when I think about the David and Goliath battle I have in front of me. I try to stay focused on the illegal activity going on in the commune, but I know deep down that I'm as worried about the conditions Emily's being forced to live in as much as I'm worried about the drugs and moonshine they’re putting out on the streets.
As soon as I remember Emily, I glance down at my watch and see it's late enough that Alex should’ve sent her nightly update. Based on the one from the day before, Emily's sick. What I'm not sure about is if Emily really is sick or if she's still pretending to be sick in order to stay away from Lorenzo.
As if on cue, the computer in my home office pings, and I dash away from the endless black that had been staring back at me from the window to the bright, colorful computer screen.
As soon as I see the email is from Alex, I pop it open.
.
From: Herbert, Alex Andria
To: Bryson, Elijah Tope
CC:
Subject: Emily
Tope,
Emily's real sick. I couldn't tell much about her because Lorenzo wouldn't let me get a good look, but she looked like she had the flu or something. It didn't look to me like he’d beaten her up.
Lorenzo and Tess are taking her to the hospital now. I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from them.
Alex
.
What the hell?
I know Tess won't respond to my text, but I send one anyway.
Me: What's wrong with Emily?
I get no response from Tess. After slamming the palm of my hand against the desk, I do what any DA worth his weight would do. I call my grandfather, the Chief Medical Officer for Black Water Lake Memorial Hospital.
Emily
I don't wake until bright lights are blaring in my eyes and a woman wearing scrubs and a stethoscope is wrapping a cuff around my arm. I feel it tighten right before a wave of nausea hits me. All I can do is lean over the side of the bed and throw up.
The nurse, who should be immune to any bizarre illness coming through the door of the emergency room, is panicky in a way that tells me I'm worse off than I suspect.
"H-how long has she been throwing up blood?" the nurse asks. There's no mistaking the urgency in her question... the need to know now. She even sounds a little like she's holding Lorenzo and Tess responsible for whatever’s wrong with me.
I open my eyes and look down at the blurry red pool on the floor. The nurse is right. There’s a whole puddle of fresh blood splattered on the floor. There’s so much there that I can't help but wonder if there can possibly be another ounce flowing through my veins. When the scent of copper pennies and stomach acid hits me, I roll over and cover my nose so I won't be sick again.
"What the fuck?" Lorenzo yells as soon as he comes around the corner of the bed and sees what I saw. "Is someone gonna help her?"
The nurse straightens her back and is suddenly the voice of reason. "Sir, we're going to take care of her. In order for us to do that, we need you to go out to the waiting room. We'll let you know as soon as we have some information about her condition."
I hear a very worried Tess whisper choked words in my ear. "Sweetie, we'll be right outside. They'll come get me if you need me. While they take care of you, I'm gonna call Owen and let 'em know you're here."
I don't know why Tess is calling Owen. He's never cut their summer work short for anything. I'm sure his only daughter's hospitalization won't change that. Even sick, I resent the fact that if one of his boys were this sick, Owen would kill himself trying to make it to the hospital. As soon as the emotion hits me, it’s gone. I’m just too tired to care anymore.
Before Tess leaves, she leans over the bedrail, kisses my cheek, pulls my hair out of my face, and kisses me again. "I love you, Emi."
I can tell Tess is real nervous about leaving me. I pat her hand and say, "Don't worry about me, Aunt Tess. I'll be fine."
Tess wipes a tear from her eye and nods before turning to leave the room. I'm shocked when Lorenzo leans over the same rail and gives me a kiss that’s just as tender as Tess's, only his is on the lips. Even more surprising is the fact that his kiss wasn't the groping, perverted kind. It’s the I'll love you to death and am very, very worried for you kind.
"Emi, we all need you to get better. Nothin's the same at the union hall without you," he says sincerely before his voice hitches. "Nothin's the same anywhere without you."
Before he leaves, he looks at the nurse and says, "I'm her fiancé. I want to know right away if anythin' changes."
The nurse nods. As soon as Lorenzo leaves, a team of people—too many for me to keep track of—dash into the room. They all seem extremely focused on me and highly stressed. They insert needles in my arms, hang bags of clear liquids, give me vein-stinging medicines, and talk nonstop using medical jargon that sounds more like a foreign language than anything else. I decide dozing while they work on me is as good a plan as any.
Every few minutes, I'm startled awake by a new poke or prod, but seconds later, I'm nodding back off and ignoring every ounce of the pain being inflicted as these nurses and doctors save my life.
Dragging me from my stupor, someone insists I pay attention to him. "Miss Riddle, can you hear me?" The man's voice is stern but warm.
When I blink my eyes open, I'm met by an elderly gentleman who looks vaguely familiar. His face is kind, and his concern is obvious. I grin and instinctively reach out for his hand. His ice-blue eyes remind me too much of Levi and Tope for me to stop myself.
"Emily, I'm Dr. Bryson, the gastroenterologist who’ll be treating your peptic ulcer. It looks like its ruptured, and you've lost a lot of blood. We don't have much time. I'm going to have to do an endoscopy. Do you know what that is?"
Bryson... Bryson.
.. How do I know that name?
I glance around and see that there's only two people, Dr. Bryson and a nurse, in the room with me. Suddenly desperate, I completely ignore everything the doctor has just said about my ulcer and the endoscopy and instead focused on the one person who controls my thoughts. "Do you know Levi Bryson?"
Even to my ears, my whispered words are slurred. The gentle doctor breaks into a grin and winks at me. "I believe you've met my grandson, Miss Riddle. Did you go to school with him? Who are your parents?"
Shaking my head, I mumble, "No, I didn't go to school with him. I-I met him and Tope while they were camping."
With an amused glint in his eyes, Dr. Bryson says, "Ahhh! You're the one who's caught our young Levi's attention. My wife Barbara and I have long sworn that he’d never be anything more than amused by women because they've always flocked to him too easily. The last few days, we've been proven wrong. He's paced around our house like a caged rat, snapping at Tope for every breath he takes." Staring at me in a new light and from his grandson's point of view, Dr. Bryson says, "Your beauty is such that I now understand the infatuation he and Tope have for you."
I blush. It warms my heart to know I'm not just another girl for Levi. I don't know how to respond to the comment about Tope and am about to ask him about it when a machine behind my head alarms. Loudly. Dr. Bryson glances at it. Then, he looks back at me with brows that are severely knitted.
"If I don't do something quick, Miss Riddle, I'm going to have two grandsons to answer to. Let me take care of you. Then, you and I can catch up later."
I nod, and he smiles.
"Now, I'm going to put a tube down your throat and into your stomach so we can see where the ulcer is. Given the amount of blood you've lost, I suspect I'm going to need to cauterize a vessel or two in order to stop the bleeding. Once you're better, you and I'll sit and talk about all the things in your life—including my grandsons—that might be causing you to have stress ulcers. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Miss Riddle?"
