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“I have a secret,” Aunt Molly blurted out.
“No, you do not, Molly. Look at me. There’s no secret. This isn’t about you anymore; it’s about others now,” I couldn’t believe that my Aunt Hilary appeared ready to sew my Aunt Molly’s lips together. What in the world is the secret?
They both sat up straight in their chairs, not uttering a word. I looked at one and then the other. “You must be joking; you can’t just stop there. I have to know the secret.”
“There is no secret,” Molly confessed. “Sometimes I say that just to see how Hilary will react, and she always reacts the same way. She gets angry, thinking I’m going to reveal a secret.”
I knew my aunts were keeping a secret, but I didn’t push it further because I saw the distress it caused Hilary. But whatever the secret was, it was big, and I didn’t know if I wanted to learn what it was.
This was the first time I thought of my aunts as real women who loved someone so much that it could destroy their lives for others. Damn, am I going to cry? We continued to eat, and I decided to lighten it up a little. “So, what should I wear for my workout with your handsome neighbor?”
“Oh, he is so cute with those dreamy silver eyes and all those muscles,” Hilary said. “You should wear those tight leggings with that violet tank top. He’ll soon realize that you’re also quite fit but in a sexy curvy way.”
“Auntie, are you trying to embarrass me?”
“No, dear, I’m just telling the truth. You should wear your hair in a braid down your back; it’s beautiful however you wear it. I’m so happy you are getting this help from Steel. If anyone can make you one hundred percent better, he can. You’ll be running in these hills in no time,” My aunt looked at me. “Do you miss Texas? Did you have someone special there?”
“I miss Texas a little, and no, I don’t have anyone special. Once, I thought I did, but he turned out to be a bastard, so nope, no one.” If I had looked at my aunts, I would have seen the excitement in their eyes upon hearing this news.
27
Steel
I arrived at Molly’s door promptly at six-forty-five, and Molly answered. “Good morning, Levi. How can I assist you today?”
“I’m here to pick up Charlie,” I replied.
“Oh dear, please come in; I forgot you were picking up Charlotte,” As Molly turned to get Charlotte, I couldn’t help the anticipation building inside me.
Then Charlie was there. “Here I am, ready to start my workout,” I turned my head, and she stood with her crutches. My heart did something, and I shut it down before it could do anything else.
“Great, are you comfortable with those?” I asked, gesturing towards her crutches.
“Yes, I am. I haven’t tried walking outside with them, and I thought if I’m going to give it a shot, why not with you nearby to catch me if I stumble?” Charlotte replied.
I nodded, “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“How about I carry you to my truck? That way, your first experience outside with the crutches won’t involve going downhill.”
“I’ll carry your crutches to the truck while Levi carries you,” Molly said. I held Charlie in my arms, holding her perhaps a tad closer than necessary, and gently placed her in the truck. Her scent filled my senses.
“So, how mobile are you? I want to make sure you don’t overexert yourself, I inquired.
“I’m not as mobile as I want to be, but the doctors all said I’d never walk again. So, I’m happy to say I showed them.”
“Can you stand on your own at all?” I asked.
“Yes, but not for a long period of time. I need to strengthen my legs. It’s been five months since they told me I couldn’t walk. I understand that using crutches isn’t exactly walking, but it’s a start.”
“You are doing an amazing job,” I assured her. I looked into your accident, and it was truly horrific.”
“Yes, it was, but it wasn’t an accident. The man wanted me dead. He blamed me for his brother dying in prison because I was the arresting officer, and he was determined to kill me. They were part of a gang connected to the cartel, involved in human trafficking and murder.”
“Do you think they will follow you here?”
“No, they don’t know where I am. My cousin is an undercover FBI agent within their gang. The leader, Ruben, was angry that Pao went after me without their knowledge. If Pao hadn’t been killed, Ruben would have killed him, all because he wants to kill me himself.”
