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Mercy's dazed gaze speaks for itself and my heart tightens as I wonder whether Willa is as messed up as her friend.
I get her to tell me the location of the hotel and slide a business card into her hands before leaving.
"If you need anything Mercy, call me," I tell her firmly. I don't want to say it outright, but I can already tell this is a fucked-up situation. "I can help you."
"I'm fine," she mutters defensively, moving to close the door before changing her mind at the last second. "Will you tell Willa I love her?"
When she asks that question, she sounds like the little girl I met three years ago at a club with Willa. An intense feeling of sadness renders me unable to speak, and I merely nod before sprinting to the elevator.
With Mercy's instructions, I find the hotel fast enough. The desk won't give me Willa's information until I give the receptionist some money. Finally, she gives me a room number and a key.
My heart pounds with expectation as I head to the floor where her room is. Am I really going to see Willa again in mere minutes? And just how bad is this going to be? Seeing Mercy has alerted me to the fact that something's clearly not right here. I can only pray Willa is doing better than her friend.
I knock on the door but there's no answer. I hear voices inside, and they're making my stomach turn.
I use the key card to get inside the hotel room and storm inside, discarding my suitcase at the door.
I see the man first, blocking my vision. He's sitting on the bed, but he turns his head at the sound of me entering.
"Hey man, what the fuck?" he says in way of a greeting.
"Where is she?" I storm past him, looking for Willa.
"What the hell, you can't just walk in here like you own the goddamn place," the man barks. "Get the fuck out or I'm calling security! Willa, get the phone."
My gaze goes to the bed and I see her for the first time in a year. She is so small and frail, I almost missed her tucked under the duvet. But there she is. Looking tiny and fragile, she makes my heart hurt.
Willa's eyes find mine and they’re the same bright blue I remember. A choked sob escapes her lips as we stare at one another, and I remind myself not to get too emotional.
I notice a cup-a-soup on the nightstand table along with the spoon. What the fuck was happening in here before I arrived?
I look back at the man just as Willa's lips part and she brokenly mutters my name.
"You know this guy?" the prick next to her asks. "Who is this fucking clown, Willa?"
"Who the fuck are you?" I hiss in response, wanting answers before I fucking kill the guy.
He flexes, smirking at me. "I'm Willa's stepfather. We're just having a little reunion. Aren't we, my good little girl?"
All the stories Willa told me about this man come flooding back. He isn't a good guy. He's a fucking monster. And somehow, he got his claws back inside my sweet girl.
Willa stares wide-eyed as he touches his filthy fingers to her cheek.
"Step away from her," I demand.
"Are you fucking deaf, man? I'm her stepdad. Who the hell are you?"
"Me?" I smirk, cracking my knuckles in anticipation of breaking every bone in his body. "I'm her daddy, you pathetic piece of shit."
Chapter 25
Willa
The crunch of bone under Raphael's fists brings me back to reality. Everything that's happened comes dripping back. Coming to the hotel, realizing my stepfather had tracked me down yet again. He kept me here for a full day. I was so shocked and shaken up by his reappearance I went along with it. Besides, I had nowhere else to go.
But as Raphael knocks my stepfather out, I retreat somewhere in the recess of my mind. It's safe here, in the darkness where nobody can hurt me anymore.
I feel like I'm on autopilot as Raphael throws my stepfather out of the room and pulls me into his arms. As happy as I am to see him, I can't react, can't give him what he needs. I merely shiver in his arms and pray that one day I'll come back to reality.
"I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner," he whispers against my hair. "I have so much to tell you. Are you okay?"
Wordlessly, I shake my head. The past two days have wrecked me, and it feels like my voice and my mind are both gone. I can't speak. Can't tell Raphael the truth. I remain mute but grateful for the embrace he holds me in.
"What can I do, Wills?" he asks, his caring voice sending butterflies fluttering in my stomach despite the horrible situation. "Do you want to go back home?"
