“He’s on his way,” I whisper.
Bill takes over, holding the ice on the back of my head. “Does he know about all of this?”
“Some,” I mumble, holding my head between my knees.
“Do you want a ride to the precinct? Better yet, you could wait for him at my house. The girls would lose their minds if they could see you again.” I always have the girls as guests at my Louisiana shows, but it’s been a while since the last one. As much as I want their company, I know it’s best to stay put and wait for Wyatt to come to me.
“You don’t need to wait around, Bill,” I say, stretching back up. I’m determined to not look totally tormented when Wyatt shows up. “I’ll be out of here soon.”
“We aren’t leaving you here alone, Maebelle. I mean, what would Wyatt do to us if he found out we’d left his darling girl outside in the cold of night? I saw the other guys.”
This gets a laugh out of me. Feeling comfortable, I lay my aching head down on Bill’s shoulder and am immediately taken back to my childhood; Bill would always come for a welfare check when I didn’t find my way to school for the third time in a week.
“Here comes the lover boy now,” Bill says after a few minutes of silence. Perking up at his observation, I see two headlights lighting up the winding driveway. Bill takes to his feet and reaches his hand out to me. “I’m proud of you, Mae. We all are. Don’t let all of this bring you back down.”
I don’t have time to respond to him because Wyatt has flown from his car into the fray. I thought maybe he’d be taken aback by the condition of the house, or the cop car, or the swamp surrounding us, but his eyes are on me and me only.
Bill passes between us, and then it’s all over. I’m in Wyatt’s arms, safe and sound. After cradling me to him for a moment, he pulls away and puts his hands on either side of my face. He searches me for any sign of hurt; luckily for me, he won’t be able to see the wound on the back of my head. He'd certainly be set off if he could.
“What happened?” He asks, his eyes softening to me when he sees my expression.
I swallow, trying to think of what I should say. I try for the most simple. “My mom stole my car.”
“She also hit her on the back of the head, knocking her out cold.” Both of us turn to Bill who has one foot in his car and one on the gravel. I narrow my eyes at him, but he continues without remorse. “Mae’s gonna play that part down, but since she refuses to go to the hospital, please keep an eye on her. If she starts acting strange, take her right away.”
“I will,” Wyatt answers breathlessly.
“I’ll have Wendy at the station call you if we find her or the car,” Bill says before taking his leave.
Wyatt’s hands are still on me as the scene darkens with the lack of headlights. “Are you hurt?” he asks seriously, steering me away from the trailer.
I shrug. “It’s throbbing, but I’m feeling a lot better than when I woke up.” I feel him flinch beside me, and I silently curse myself for being honest.
He pulls me into his arms again before looking out into the swamp once more. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
I nod into his shoulder, and he leads me to the car. Helping to hoist me inside, he reaches across my lap to buckle me in before returning to the driver side. When he starts the engine, the two of us are silent for merely a moment.
“Please don’t ever do that to me again,” Wyatt whispers calmly. His voice is so small that it causes my stomach to lurch with nausea.
Squeezing my eyes shut, all I see is the look of my mother before she hit me over the head. Crazed, dressed in a gray dress and flip-flops, she had not a hint of recognition on her face when she raised the baseball bat and swung.
My eyes lurch open, and I find that I’m not back in the trailer but instead in a warm car with no one but Wyatt. A man who wants nothing more than to see me safe. He shouldn’t have to keep proving that to me, but he does.
“I promise.” I stutter through the realization of what I’ve just gone through. In a semblance of comfort, Wyatt reaches out his hand, a hand that has only ever held me with respect and kindness. Taking it, I hold on for dear life as we leave my childhood behind.
Chapter 21
Wyatt
I THINK I’VE FINALLY stopped shaking.
From the moment I heard the police sirens during Mae’s cryptic phone call, I wasn’t able to leave fight or flight mode until she was safely in my arms. She’d told me the basics about her situation growing up, but I had no idea it could still be so bad. With all of Mae’s connections and resources, I would have thought some of the things could be remedied. I guess some people just don’t want to be helped; Mae’s mother is one of those people.
Our drive back into Baton Rouge has been silent. Mae still grips my free hand; her own has grown white. From the effort or the anxiety, I'm not sure. I’d offered it up to her in the driveway, if you could call it that, to help ground her. When I saw the state of where Mae had grown up, it made me want to tear the whole thing down and rebuild it to her liking.
Mae is a diamond among the scratched rhinestones of this place. It’s a miracle that she emerged from the life laid before her. Looking over, I want to tell her that I’m proud of her for getting out of this place but then I see the disappointment spread thin across her face. Realizing she might be feeling embarrassed, I clear my throat. “We can talk about it if you want. We can talk about anything you want.”
“I promised you I’d explain.” She sighs, sitting up straighter in her seat before briefly grabbing at her head. I eye her cautiously.
