Page 12

But this guy? Fuck him. I don’t care what his excuse is, if he even has one.
I’m just about to open my mouth and give him a piece of my mind when he’s suddenly yanked backward by the collar of his shirt. Marcelo slams Patrick against the opposite wall, smashing him face-first against the concrete. He stands several inches taller than the asshole. Even in the midst of chaos, my bodyguard’s expression doesn’t change from boredom.
“Apologize to the lady,” he says in a calm tone.
“Fuck you,” Patrick grunts.
Marcelo twists the material of the guy’s shirt, and the collar digs into his neck. His face starts to turn red with his restricted airflow.
Marcelo leans over so his mouth is closer to the guy’s ear. “Apologize to the lady.” His tone doesn’t change in the slightest. “Now.”
I watch as the guy’s eyes start to bulge and the red deepens to a maroon.
I’m surprised he can make any sound at all when he wheezes out. “Sorry.”
“Like you fucking mean it,” Marcelo states.
The guy sucks in a sharp breath when Marcelo loosens his hold on his shirt.
Pure hatred twists his face when he grates out between clenched teeth. “I’m sorry.”
Marcelo lets him go, and the guy stumbles a couple of steps before he catches himself. He plants a hand on the wall, hacking and sucking in air.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Marcelo grunts.
The words barely leave his mouth before Patrick hightails it out of the hallway. We watch as he staggers out of the door, the bell over the frame tinkling.
Marcelo turns to me, his one green eye analyzing. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I rub the hand not holding my phone down my jeans. “I’m fine.”
His eye narrows, assessing me for a moment before he grunts in response.
We leave the hall, and he goes back to his same spot as before, and I retake my seat at the table with Em. I act like nothing happened, so she doesn’t ask questions. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, just a guy being an asshole.
I shrug the incident off my shoulders and pretend it never happened, once again feeling that lurking presence watching me.
Only this time, it feels dangerous and is filled with menace…
CHAPTER FIVE
HER
Istand by the door and watch as Liliana settles Harper against her chest, tucking her as close to her as she can get before pulling the blanket over them both. It’s like she’s trying to pull her into her body to protect her. She reminds me of a mother kangaroo and the pouch on her stomach.
It’s been four days since they were brought in, and she still hasn’t spoken a word directly to me. She talks to Harper, and that’s it. I don’t really blame her. She doesn’t know me or anyone else in this house.
It goes to show just how bad her situation was before Bishop and Ryker brought her and her daughter here. She hasn’t tried to leave the house. She doesn’t even leave this room. For her to opt to stay with people she doesn’t know or trust says a lot. She’d rather take the chance with the unknown than go back to where she was before.
I wish she would talk to me. I’ve told her that my family could help her, but she just ignores the words like I never spoke them.
Trust. It’s a bridge I have to build, and I’m determined to do it.
This is my role in The Raven Group. To make the client feel comfortable. To build a bond and camaraderie. To become their friend, someone they can talk to and confide in. It’s a role I very much enjoy. I like knowing that I’m part of their healing process.
I’m still having a hard time grasping that this woman is a mother to a five-year-old. She’s only nineteen, which means she must have gotten pregnant when she was thirteen. Was it consensual? Or was she coerced or even raped? Is the father of Harper the one who beat her so badly? Any time I think of those last two scenarios, I want to stab something and watch it bleed.
I continue to observe for a few minutes, the lumps beneath the duvet going still. I can see Liliana’s face peeking out of the top. The bruises that covered most of her face have turned a yellowish brown, and the swelling has gone down. When she woke that first morning, she could barely move without releasing little whimpers of pain, but she’s getting along better now. When Dr. Bale stopped by, he asked if he could perform a rape kit and Liliana adamantly shook her head.