Chapter 18
Watching Margarie and her cohort as they were cuffed and led to the back of a squad car was surreal, almost like an out of body experience. I felt like I was a voyeur watching on the sidelines, except, I had been part of that. I had helped bring the girl from the dance club bathroom tojustice.
The man that Margarie had been working with was just an average guy she had picked up and paid to unclothe the girls and take incriminating pictures of them. According to Margarie, there had been others and none of the girls had ever actually been raped – something I hoped the girl from the dance club bathroom would soon find out wherever shewas.
Marv assured me that he would inform all of the families that had been interviewed and their daughters would be informed as well. Whoever the girl was, he told me she would know. Even knowing the truth though, I hoped she understood that even if somethinghadhappened to her, it wouldn’t have made her any less of a person. She wasn’t weaker because of what had or hadn’t happened; she was stronger for walking through the flames and coming out on the other side of all that pain andanguish.
From the camera I had retrieved, the cops had been able to pull prints from Margarie as well as a few other of the guys Margarie had paid to work with her. I didn't like thinking about the images that might have been saved on theobject.
Natalia was, thankfully, going to make a full recovery. Isador was at her side later that night and their parents, within a few hours, were touching down at the local airport. Apparently, they hadn’t been very far at all, despite not having been able to make their daughters pseudo-cotillion debut. Mr. and Mrs. Sevilla were both beautiful people, tall and dark skinned. They were regal and angry, their concern for their daughter as obvious as the love that shone in their eyes when they visited her hospital room. Natalia hardly remembered a thing and when I had finally managed to convince the guys to let me visit, she had told me that she only remembered hearing my voice when she was really scared. Mr. and Mrs. Sevilla had thanked me profusely and offered me more money than I would have ever known what to do with. It didn't feel right for me to takeit.
Delilah was waiting outside of the hospital when I exited with Knix and Marv behind me. "Harley!" she called. I turned towards her and Knix put a hand on myshoulder.
"We'll be waiting in the car when you're done," he said. I nodded, and they walkedaway.
"Hey," Delilah said as she approached. Her eyes trailed after Knix and Marv. She sniffed and wiped her cheek. It was then that I realized that – like me – she was still dressed in last night's clothes. The early morning sunshine rose on the horizon and she shivered as she closed her hands over her bare arms. "What happened?" sheasked.
I sighed. "Natalia was attacked. I walked in and stopped it. The guys were there – they chased the guy and caught him." I wasn't quite sure if I should reveal what I knew about Mr. Wallace'sdaughter.
Delilah's eyes were dull, haunted. She took a breath, dragging her gaze directly to mine. "It was Margarie, wasn't it?" sheasked.
I tilted my head to the side. "Why do you saythat?"
Delilah sighed, looking at her feet. I looked too. Neither of us were wearing our heels. It almost made me laugh, but I didn't. Delilah swallowed. "I-I pushed Kayla to see the guy," she admitted quietly. I waited and seconds later there was a tell-tale sniff as tears tracked down her face. "We were friends and she loved him so much. I told her to just go for it. Margarie knew. When Kayla...when she died...Margarie told me that I was the one that had really killedher."
It struck me like a freight train. TheherMargarie had been talking about wasn't Kayla or Ms. Enders. It was Delilah. Delilah was openly crying now; gushing tears ran down her reddened face. “I never meant for it to happen,” she said between gasps. “Kayla was in love with him. I thought he loved hertoo.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said, stepping forward and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You have to know that. None of thiswas.”
“You don’t understand,” Delilah sobbed. “She was right – Margarie was right. He – the guy that Kayla…” she sniffed hard. “I didn’t know that he was using her. She was my friend. I should’ve been looking out for her.I–”
“You can’t make decisions for other people,” I cut heroff.
Delilah’s eyes widened. She looked up at me and I could see it, the hope there in the depths of her deep, pain-filled eyes. I glanced over my shoulder at the waiting car. All of the guys were there. They had returned one of the two cars and now we were going to ride to the airport in the one remaining. A part of me wanted to rush this conversation with Delilah, but I knew I needed to pay attention and be detailed. Not everyone understood this fact as well as I did, but because of my days with my mom, I knew especially well that Delilah couldn’t hold herself responsible for the choices of both Kayla and Margarie. I turned back toher.
“It doesn’t matter that you were there,” I said slowly. “It doesn’t matter what you said or what you could have said or done differently.” I reached for her hands and held them in mine. “You are not responsible for the choices that other people make, Delilah.” I squeezed her fingers. “There is – absolutely – no way you should feel responsible for Margarie or for Kayla. What they chose to do, yea, I get that it hurts. Maybe you could have done something to stop it–” I shrugged, and her shoulders tensed. “But that’s not up to you.” I looked at her and urged her to understand me. “Everyone has power over theirownchoices and not anyoneelse’s.”
She sniffed hard once more and then nodded. “Thank you,” she said. When I let her hands go, she reached up and wiped her fingers under her eyes once more, catching the lingering smudges of her mascara. “I think I needed to hearthat.”
“I’m glad I could help.” I slowly released a breath and stepped back. “Well, I should getgoing.”
Delilah raised her head and glanced over my shoulder. A small smile stretched her lips. “Knix isn’t your cousin, is he?” sheasked.
I blinked and glanced behind me. The guys were still in the car. All of the windows were tinted and rolled up. I turned back to her. “Um…”
“It’s okay,” she said. “He kinda toldme.”
“He did?” I asked, shocked. That wasn’t like Knix. Actually, that was the exact opposite of like Knix. I narrowed my gaze on her and she quickly raised her hands, palmsup.
“It’s not like that,” she said quickly. I didn’t know what she meant, but I kept my gaze narrowed. “He didn’t tell me in so many words. Last night, though, I thought he offered to escort me because he was into me, you know and well...it was obvious that he wasn’t. When he ran off, he kinda dumped me on some of the girls from the camp and said he had to go check on you. When we talked that night, too, it was all aboutyou.”
I blushed fiercely, and my eyes widened. “What?”
“I think he’s in love with you,” shesaid.
“No, you’re wrong. He’s not. He can’t be.” I shook my head. It was impossible. We had only known each other for a little over a month. I mean, yea, we had practically spent 24/7 together since we met, and we were living together, and he had seen me when I didn’t have any makeup on and when my face was puffy from crying over my mom, and he had told me about his mom and his dad, but that didn’t mean he loved me...didit?
“And that other guy, the big one?” Delilah rubbed her arms and looked at meexpectantly.