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She stands there for only a second before I see her shoulders tense up, her hand going to her mouth, and a gasp coming from her as she carefully enters the room.
I frown, moving to stand beside Malcom and Travis before the door and only then does my stomach sink as I watch Mia stand in the middle of what was once her room.
Now, her bedsheets are ripped to shreds and thrown across the floor, feathers from her pillows cover the surface of her bed, the dresser in pieces with her things everywhere, as if someone has taken a sledgehammer to it.
Everything she owned is now reduced to rubble on the floor. Her records she had collected had been smashed and broken.
I watch as she squats down before a broken record, her hands shaking as she picks it up, running her fingers over the surface before I see her shoulders begin to shake with silence tears.
I act before I think, my feet carrying me to her, getting to my knees and pulling her to me as she begins to cry. She closes her eyes, her face going into the crook of my neck until all I feel is her hot breath there and the boiling anger inside me at whoever did this.
Whoever it was, it wasn’t random. This shit is personal, and when I find the fucker, they are dead.
An hour later,Mia is asleep in my bed. She couldn’t sleep in her room, and I honestly feel better having her close. Once her breaths are even, and I am sure she is asleep, I exit the room and leave the door ajar so I can keep an eye on her. Danny comes in from the living room, the cops now here with the boys.
My jaw tenses from suppressed anger and the need to punch something as I cross my arms over my chest and wait for Danny to speak. His face is soft and compassionate as he explains, “So the cops think it was a personal attack, considering only Mia’s room was hit. They probably stole the money because they had the opportunity.”
I scoff. “Yeah, no shit, but who was it?”
Danny shrugs. “That’s for Mia to tell us. Cops understand she may need some time and that this is a lot, but they need answers if we wanna get the bottom of this.”
“And what if she doesn’t know?”
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Anyway, the cops searched the room, and they didn’t leave anything behind, so maybe talking to her might be helpful.”
But before I can say anything, I hear, “I’ll talk to them.”
We both look to my bedroom door where Mia stands, still dressed in the workout clothes she wore earlier, her hair a mess and her eyes still red and dull.
“I thought you were sleeping.” She looks at me with emotionless eyes as she shrugs.
“No way I can sleep right now,” she mumbles as she walks past Danny and I to the living room to answer what questions they have.
They sit her down on the couch and she leans forward, resting her forearms on her knees, answering each question as honestly as she can. I sit myself on the couch beside her, not touching her, but as a silent way of letting her know that I am there and she is not alone.
She doesn’t look at me, but focuses on the cops before her. One with greying hair and a female with her dark hair in a tight bun.
The female asks the questions while her male companion looks around the apartment and they’re both done quickly.
The female furrows her brow as she tucks the pad she was writing on away, telling us that she will be in touch.
Mia doesn’t move from the couch but merely looks down at her hands clasped in her lap as I escort the guys to the door, Danny putting a hand to my shoulder as he says, “I’m gonna close the bar for tonight, obviously, and we’ll sort everything out tomorrow.” He looks over my shoulder and gives Mia a long look before telling me, “Keep an eye on her. I’ll look into getting new locks and stuff to keep you guys safe.”
I give him a tight smile, hating the helpless feeling taking root inside of me, before closing the door behind Danny, leaving Mia and I in the apartment on our own.
The silence thickens as I make my way to her, waiting for her to look at me as I say, trying to get her to speak, “Everything will be alright.” I want to slap myself for saying something so stupid. It’s such a cliché line that doesn’t do shit and here I am saying it, but instead of laughing in my face, Mia hangs her head more until her chin touches her chest, her lips moving, but I can't hear the words.
I move to squat down before her until I'm level with her, my hands on her knees as I ask, “What?”
She bits her lip, shaking her head, but doesn’t look at me when she asks, “Why is this always happening?”
I cock my head. “This?”
She finally meets my eyes. I see the hopelessness again, and it kills me. “I try to make it on my own and shit like this happens.” She shakes her head again. “I get attacked at work and now this. I can’t even make it on my own without messing it up.”
I watch as the tears fall down her cheeks and I instantly clasp her hands in mine, squeezing them and making her meet my eyes, holding them. “Hey, none of that is your fault. Some guys decided to be dicks. That’s not your fault. Some horrible people decided to destroy someone’s belongings, not your fault.” I squeeze her hands again. “Yeah, bad shit happens, and that’s life, but you will get through this. You have been through hell and back, yet you’re still standing. You are an amazing person with friends that love you and have your back. Remember that and you will always win against the evil in this world, because unlike them, you have so many reasons to fight back.” I squeeze her hands again. “So fight back.”
She regards me with a thoughtful expression before asking with a cracked voice, “Why do you believe in me so much?”
