Sighing, I got out of the car and headed inside and up to my sister’s room. I refused to step foot in the den; in fact, I wouldn’t even look in the shadowed recesses as I’d passed. I hated the room that my mother had drawn her last breath in.
Passing by the closed door of my old bedroom, I fought the shudder of revulsion that skated down my spine. Another den of torture.
Jasmine’s door was open, and she was rapidly throwing things into a large suitcase. There were a duffle bag and a box on the floor with items spilling out.
“Help me,” she said with worry in her gaze. “Before he comes home.”
I scoffed. “He isn’t coming home. Not yet, anyway. The bars will be open now.”
“Still,” she murmured. Conceding to her fear, I nodded and helped her gather up her belongings.
Once she was satisfied we had everything she wanted, I helped her drag her things down the stairs and out to the car. There wasn’t much. She’d already brought most of her important things to her dorm room.
“Do you want to stay in my hotel room tonight or do you want me to take you back to the dorms?” I asked as we loaded up her stuff.
The sky flashed as I closed the trunk. Ominous thunder rolled. We got in the car as the first drops fell. It went from sprinkles to deluge in seconds.
“Can you take me back to school? I don’t want to stay here.” I couldn’t blame her one bit. Though my father had never raised a hand to her, she’d heard and seen what he’d done to me and our mother. Thankfully, she had no idea what else I’d endured to keep her safe.
The drive to Ames was quiet. The entire way, we held hands and stayed lost in our heads. The rain finally let up right as I drove onto campus. “I’m not going home again. Ever,” she murmured as she stared out the window.
Slowly, her head swiveled my direction. The golden center of her eyes seemed to glitter as the chocolate brown darkened around the edges.
“I understand,” I offered.
“I know you do,” she said. “‘Thank you’ seems so inadequate.”
“What do you mean?” I asked uneasily. But my confused frown eased when she leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Promise me you’ll be safe?” she asked with a sad smile.
“I’ll do my best.” I couldn’t make that promise when I was set to deploy in less than a month.
She nodded, understanding.
I helped her bring her things to her room, where she hugged me and we parted ways. I’d wanted to take her out for supper, but she’d declined, saying she didn’t have an appetite. Not that I did; I’d just wanted to spend more time with her.
When I got back to my hotel, it was getting late. I stripped out of my uniform and pulled on some jeans and a hoodie. After grabbing my wallet and keys, I slipped on my ratty Converses and walked across the rain-soaked street to the bar. Right before I stepped through the door, I had an uneasy feeling and glanced around. Nothing jumped out at me, so I went inside.
Country music played from the jukebox in the corner of the dimly lit room. Two guys played pool, a table of women laughed and clinked their glasses together, old guy at the end of the bar, couple in a booth, dude chatting up a chick in the middle of the bar. I clocked all the patrons before I sat at the opposite end of the bar from the old guy.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked as he wiped down the surface in front of me.
“Whiskey and Coke,” I replied as I rested my elbows on the bar. “Make it a double.” My hand ran absently over my shorn hair.
I knew this was the last place I should be and drinking was the last thing I should be doing, everything considered. Except I didn’t care at that moment. For the next few hours, I simply wanted to forget.
By the time I was on my second glass on an empty stomach, I was feeling warm. When a large man sat on the stool next to me, I smelled the leather, motor oil, and smoke immediately. I didn’t need to look his way to know who it was.
“How did you find me?” I asked as I sipped my drink and stared ahead.
A snort was his answer. “Really?”
I sighed and shook my head. Then my gaze slid over to where Hawk was watching me, much like his namesake. “What do you want?”
“Just wanted you to know that we’re here if you need us. It’s not a one-way street. We don’t want you with us just for what you can do. We want to be there for you as well. Not just watching out for your sister. That’s what we do.” He turned his barstool to face me. “If you want us to take care of him, we can,” he said quietly.
I turned to face him too. “No. Leave him. Let him live in his own misery. If his time comes, it’s because the Creator has decided it. Unless he forces my hand, or yours, let him rot in his misery.”