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Alina:

“Alina!!! Open the fucking door!!!”

The pounding jerks me awake, though I’m instantly wishing I was unconscious again. The pain that erupts across my face is brutal. I can tell I’ve been breathing through my mouth as I go to lick my lips and not only taste caked-on, dried blood, but have absolutely no saliva to help relieve the dryness.

My fucking house is destroyed.

Blood is all over me, the couch and carpet beneath it and where I passed out. My hair’s lying in a puddle next to me where I puked my guts out from Luke’s assault. I jump, my body stiff as shit, as more hysterical pounding comes through the door.

“ALINA TIMBER!!! I swear to fucking god you better be alive in there!!” My heart bursts open when I recognize Bash’s voice. Then sinks just as quickly as I realize what he’s about to see. It probably smells fucking awful in here, though my swollen nose isn’t letting much through. My whole body feels heavy like cement. It takes me a few seconds to crawl to the door, unlocking it from the floor. I can barely open it before Bash tries to barrel inside, knocking the wood into my legs. “Fuck! Alina!! Are you ok? Alina, I…” His voice trails off. And then he sees my actual face and he stops speaking altogether.

Time stands still.

His eyes zoom around, looking over every inch of me upon the floor, pathetically huddled before him. I gingerly move my legs so he can fully enter. He’s assaulted by the smell and immediately grabs for his nose as he bends down to help me up, but to his credit, he says nothing. He carefully gets me to my feet as I cling to him, my head spinning dangerously.

“I’m gonna puke again,” I croak as he goes to move me, but I projectile vomit all over his shirt before he can. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I mumble as he does his best to hold me up. “I’m so sorry,” I whimper, my eyes closed. He sighs heavily.

“It’s ok, Lina Girl. I need to get you in the shower. Let’s go into your room,” he suggests, but I cry out, making him freeze, afraid he’s hurt me.

“He fucked up my bathroom, Bash,” I whimper as he nods his head, understanding that we can’t use it. Tears are forming in his eyes as he leans me against a small half wall behind the door and strips himself of his nasty shirt. I suddenly look down at the clothes I’m wearing. Hysterical howls leave my mouth as he hurries back to me.

“I’m paying to have someone clean the house, Alina. Don’t worry about your bathroom, baby,” he assures me quietly. I shake my head, gesturing towards his clothes on my body, covered in my blood.

Sebastian:

“I wanted to keep these, as a reminder of you…” she cries, emotionally broken. I’m shaking with both anger and terror as I hold her before me, her nose swollen and covered in dried blood, her eyes puffy and her purple hair matted with barf. “I tried to change but he wouldn’t let me. I ruined your clothes,” she finishes on a wail. I try to be mindful of her face as I pull her into my body.

“I’m right here, Alina. You don’t need to remember me. I’m not going anywhere,” I say fiercely as she cries harder in my arms.

“He knows who you are, Bash. You need to leave me alone,” she whispers as I shake my head in disbelief.

“ I’m not fucking going anywhere ,” I repeat. I hold her face up to mine, so she has to look into my eyes as I tell her again, “I’m not fucking leaving you, Lina Girl.”

“He’ll kill you,” she moans softly.

I laugh bitterly.

“He can try. There have been a lot of people who have attempted to throughout my life. I’m scrappy and tough as shit, I promise,” I try to joke as a tear slides down my cheek. She watches its descent. As it hits my lips, she looks away.

“There’s a bathroom right here,” she says changing the subject, pointing to a door around the other side of the half wall at the entrance. We walk towards it and stand at the entrance as I begin to help her strip out of her clothing. I’m turning on the shower as she sits down on the closed toilet naked. I open the small window located above the shower, then close the door, hoping to help alleviate the offensive smell from the living room. She avoids my eyes as I stare heavily at her. She looks absolutely exhausted.

“ So ,” I begin as Lina sighs with a roll of her eyes. “Are you going to tell me what the fuck you’ve gotten yourself into yet?” She closes them next.

“I really don’t want to,” she answers through a clenched jaw.

“I don’t really think you have an option here, Alina. I need to know what’s happening so I can protect you,” I reply with an edge, my voice rising. She only scoffs.

“That’s the thing , Sebastian. This whole thought that you actually have a chance of saving me. It’s misguided and it’s not going to happen,” she yells back at me.

We’re both fuming now.

“Not if you refuse to fucking fess up to whatever got you into this mess! Of course, I can’t do shit then!” I say incredulously.

She only shakes her head, infuriated.

“You can’t win, Sebastian!! Luke has money and power and a paid army to back him. He’s got planted moles in law enforcement looking the other way and deliberately keeping the police off his scent. He will never let me go. My debt increases daily and after this fucking stunt with you showing up and beating my client, I’m sure he’ll make it even harder for me. I knew when I accepted Luke’s threat of employment that I would die working for him. It was welcomed. Until you appeared yesterday and made everything that much more complicated,” she sneers ungratefully. I’m blown away, trying to process everything she’s said. Lina’s face is a mask of fury as she gets up to enter the shower. “I will never belong to you again. It breaks my heart too,” she continues as more tears leave my eyes. I turn away, irritated at my show of emotion. “Please, just listen to me and save your beautiful fucking self, Bash. If you want to do something for me, do that! ”

“I’m a piece of fucking shit, Alina. You’re the only one who’s ever called me beautiful or thought I could be considered as such,” I spit at her as she moves the curtain to the side.

“I feel the same way about me, baby. You wishing things were different won’t make them magically change.” She climbs into the steaming water and disappears. I scrub my hands down my face, feeling empty and hopeless and mad as all hell.

“We need to get you to a hospital,” I say in a daze. I feel like my heart is shredding inside of my chest.

“No hospitals,” she protests quickly. My eyes roll into the back of my head. Of course, she’d say that. “It looks worse than it is. Luckily, he didn’t break my nose.”

“Why don’t we go back to my place, then?” I suggest and when she doesn’t immediately shoot me down, I continue. “Like I said before, I’d like to have someone come in and clean your house. You can stay with me until it’s done.” I cross my fingers, hoping she’ll take me up on my offer. I just need to be able to see her, to calm my racing heart and frayed nerves that her one evening of absence caused. In reality though, it’s been a hell of a lot longer than that.

She releases a long sigh. I feel the weight of her troubles laced within the sound as it leaves her. She opens the curtain, our eyes finally meeting. She’s crying and I’m crying and everything we’re each not saying is hanging between us like garbage. Pure, fucking trash. “Why?” It’s so much of a whisper, I almost don’t hear it. But I figure the truth is what this situation calls for. If I want to hear it from her, then she needs to hear it from me.

“Because I’m still fucking in love with you and need to keep you safe, Lina Girl.” It feels so scary, yet so right to just let that be. To allow it to exist. My love for her. It never stopped. Her face crumples and so do her legs. I’m suddenly jumping over to her, holding her against my bare chest as she clings to my body from inside the tub.

“I never stopped loving you either, Bash,” she admits and when I hear it from her lips, something inside of me springs back to life. Something I’d lost so long ago. I don’t know what it is, other than to say that a piece of me has returned from the land of the dead.

And it’s all because of her.

“Let me help you,” I respond as I shimmy off my pants, briefs, and shoes and join her in the shower. I lean her up against the wall as I wash her hair, taking my time to ensure that the vomit is gone. She stands with her eyes closed, but her hands are softly resting upon my outer arms for support. She looks so peaceful. It’s hard to imagine the carnage that must’ve taken place here the previous evening.

I have no idea how I’m going to get her out of this. And suddenly I wonder if maybe going to the source would be better. I could buy Alina out of her contract from the douche bag outright. She wouldn’t have to be involved, and I could skip town with her immediately after, finding someplace new to start a life together.

I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do. And honestly, I’m more inclined to slit this fucker’s throat than work alongside him. So, I let it marinate in my mind as I wash her delicate body. Besides, she’s coming home with me anyway, so I can at least watch her for the next few days. I’m not sure I’ll let her out again if she tries to return to work though.

I’m so goddamn fucked. But it’s always been like that when it comes to Alina Timber.