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“I love that boy and his brother and sister like they were my own.” Mama smiled fondly. “But you’re right. I’d tell you if he wasn’t a good man. No worries there. He’ll be faithful and good to you. Most of all, he’ll protect you ruthlessly. So I’m going to give you two pieces of vital information.” She leaned in close to the camera. “First, he will absolutely do everything in his power to keep you happy. He learned that from Cain when he found Angel. Over the years, both Cliff and Daniel have watched how he treats his wife and followed his lead, coddling and protecting both Angel and Suzie as best they could as children, then even better as they grew into the men they are today.
“Second -- and this may be the more difficult one for you -- if he feels like he needs to avenge you, let him. Trust him to know how far is too far. He’ll see hunting down your attacker as protecting you, and that’s something that’s ingrained into his being.” She smiled but I got the sense it was in pride for Ice and his brother, Cyclone.
“Those two boys brought Suzie to us when they were barely more than boys themselves. Did you know they pretended to do poorly in school when Angel was their teacher just so Suzie would do better than them? All so little Suzie could build her self-esteem. By doing better in school than either of them, they thought she’d feel like she’d accomplished something special. They were right. Though, it didn’t take long for her to really be doing better than the two of them.”
“Wow. That’s so caring of them.”
“They’re extraordinary men, Dawn. Just like other men their age, they’ve not lived like monks. They take their pleasures, and often. But if Ice has committed to you, he’ll be faithful. Love will come later because you won’t be able to help yourself and neither will he.”
I smiled, feeling even more at ease than before. “Now I just have to convince my father. He’s not going to like this.”
“El Diablo will come around,” Mama said with a snort. She frowned. “If not, you come to me. I’ll set him straight.”
“You’re probably the only person I’ve ever met who’s not intimidated by my father.”
“El Diablo is a formidable opponent. I’d be remiss if I didn’t consider him as such. But he doesn’t kill indiscriminately. In fact, he’s painstakingly careful to not kill someone who doesn’t deserve killing. Like Magenta’s mother, Ginger. She tried to get him to kill her parents, saying they were abusing both her and Magenta. His first instinct was to protect his daughter, but he investigated the matter and found it was Ginger who was the problem. So, I respect him. But he doesn’t intimidate me. Besides, I knew him before he was El Diablo.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Trust me on this one, sweetheart.” With one last, encouraging smile, Mama disconnected the call.
I sat on the bed for a long time, trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. I was exhausted but so jittery I knew I’d never be able to sleep.
The wind was raging outside, having picked up even more. I wanted to check the progress of the storm on my phone, but I also didn’t want to use any more of my phone’s battery than I had to. I had it on the charger where I intended for it to stay until the storm passed or the electricity went out. I didn’t figure it mattered much anyway. Ice was probably getting all that information while he waited on me to finish with Mama. I also had to wonder if he’d kept his end of the bargain and not told my father or anyone else what had happened. Because I knew he’d have to talk to my father now that we were settled in for the duration.
I’m not sure how long I sat there, trying to breathe through the adrenaline let-down. When the knock came at the door to the adjoining room with Ice, I wasn’t really surprised. I took several deep breaths, trying to find the strength to stand. I was still shaking -- the call with Mama brought back a lot of memories. The storm was only one small part of it. The beating I’d taken from David had been debilitating. Having to relive it with Mama had been the worst kind of brutal. There were several times I thought I might have to stop the questioning but managed to power through. Now I was completely drained.
“Dawn? You good?”
God, I loved Ice’s voice. I could just sit and listen to him for hours. Days. Hearing that low rumble of his voice settled something inside me like nothing else ever had. I let out a breath I hadn’t even known I’d been holding.
