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Six answered on the second ring, and I began barking out orders.
Eight
Aspen
When I opened the door and stepped out of Levi’s room into the hallway, he was leaning against the opposite wall, texting on his phone. He lifted his head, and his gaze traveled down my body. His sweats were huge on me, but I’d tied them at the waist, and the elastic at the bottom caught the excess length at my ankles. The shirt had fallen to my knees, so I’d tied it in the back.
“I have your things coming,” he told me. “Let’s go downstairs so you can eat something.”
He nodded his head toward the direction of the stairs, and I followed behind him. I wanted to ask where I would go today, but I decided to wait for him to tell me. I was nervous about him leaving me with someone new. My dependency on him wasn’t good. I had to get over that. Levi wasn’t responsible for me. He’d gone above and beyond already.
He reached the bottom step and glanced back at me. “I know you have questions, and I promise we will talk about everything while you eat.”
“Okay,” I replied, wishing I could tell him I would be fine. That he didn’t need to concern himself.
There were people I had known in the church back in Robertsdale. I could possibly go back there. Irish had put Gran’s house up for sale, but I still owned it. There was a lot that needed to be replaced that I didn’t have the money for right now. Then, there were the utilities I’d need to pay. When the thought of using Irish’s car, using the money she had in savings, hit me, so did the fact that she was gone.
The lump in my throat made it hard to swallow.
The morning sunshine flooded the bright kitchen as we entered. The smell of food, however, did nothing but make my stomach roll. I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to cry. I wanted to see Irish again and tell her I loved her.
Why hadn’t I hugged her yesterday before she went to work? We’d talked about my new binge-watch,Gilmore Girls, before she left. She told me to order pizza and left me money on the table. I argued with her that I needed to get a job, and she said that she wasn’t comfortable with it yet. Not wanting to fight me on it, she went to leave, calling out that she’d take me to the hospital tomorrow to see about my volunteering. I’d smiled, happy that I was going to serve a purpose again. Not sit there all day and watch television. But I’d do it just to have my sister back.
“Hello, Aspen,” Trinity said, walking over to me and hugging me as if we were old friends. “I hope you got some sleep.” Letting me go, she reached over and picked up a plate. “Get all that you want. I overdo breakfasts. We always have too much.”
There was no one else at the table. It was just the three of us in here. As much as I liked Trinity, I hoped her fiancé didn’t come in to eat while I was here. He didn’t like me, and I didn’t want to remind him of my presence.
“The homemade cinnamon rolls are a favorite. You need one of those,” Levi told me as he came up behind me.
I was going to have to eat something even if I didn’t feel like it. Not eating wasn’t going to help me fix anything. Taking a cinnamon roll, I put it on my plate, then added some berries and a slice of bacon.
“What would you like to drink?” Trinity asked. “Coffee, milk, juice? You name it, and we probably have it.”
“Milk, but I can get it,” I replied.
She was already getting the milk from the fridge when she smiled back at me. “You go sit and eat. I’ve got this.”
Feeling tears threaten again, I walked to the table, hoping to stop myself from crying. Levi pulled out a chair for me, then turned and took my milk from Trinity. As I sat, he placed the milk in front of me. I picked up the slice of bacon and watched as he walked around the table and sat down across from me with a cup of coffee in his hand. His hair was messy, and I hoped it was from sleep. I didn’t want to think he’d stayed up all night because I was in his bed and he was on the sofa.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Trinity said.
Levi looked up and gave her a nod, and then his eyes came back to mine. “You eat. I’ll talk,” he told me.
This talk made me nervous, which didn’t help with the eating either. However, having a reason to stare at Levi would give me a little distraction.
“The man who came to your house last night was a member of the Vagos. A dangerous gang out of Miami. Whatever they wanted from your sister, they won’t let it rest. You’re not safe there or anywhere else. Other than right here with me. At least until this is over and I can be sure it is done. When that day comes, I will help you navigate getting a place, somewhere you feel safe, make sure you have a job and any other needs. Even if you had someone out there you could go to right now, you would be in danger. Staying here for now is the only option.”
I put the bacon back on my plate, untouched. “I can’t stay here. The other man, Huck, he doesn’t want me here. And if I’m in danger, then I could be putting everyone in this house in danger,” I said, wishing I didn’t sound like I was about to break down. Hearing that the nightmare I’d survived wasn’t over sent a rush of dread through me.
Levi cocked his head to the side and gave me a smile that seemed to make the bad things fade even if only for that moment. “Sweetheart, no one can touch us here. We aren’t scared of the fucking Vagos. As for Huck, he had a change of heart. We’ve all agreed we want you here.”
“But why are you helping me? I’m not your responsibility. And it’s a gang, Levi! A gang. Why aren’t you scared of them?”
“We can handle a gang. As long as I have you with me, I can keep you safe from the bastards. I found you. I got you out of there and have kept you alive. You’re alone now, and I’m not a good guy, but I have some redeeming qualities. I can’t let you leave here. Not right now. I wouldn’t be able to fucking sleep at night. I need you to stay for my sanity.”
I leaned back in the chair and let out a deep breath. I hadn’t expected this to be the talk we were going to have. The idea of being in danger was awful, but I couldn’t help the trepidation I felt at putting them in harm’s way.
“What if I went to my gran’s house in Alabama? I could probably get my old job back. I can make a call today.”
