Page 66 of The Plan

“Sir, I—”

“Stop calling me sir! I’m not a middle-aged white man!” I shake my head when Vid flinches as his voice raises, but there's no stopping him. “Why the fuck did he get here before you!? Maybe if you can do your goddamn job—”

“I’ll give the report now—” Vidia speaks louder, and August looks down at her, his voice a hell of a lot softer as he talks to her.

“V, you—”

“I want this to be over.” She looks up at him and then over at me, and I let out a sigh before giving her an encouraging nod.

She keeps her eyes on me as she answers their questions. She tells them about knowing him prior to today from the alley; he broke in, and they struggled in the living room where she cut him. She definitely put up a hell of a fight before calling me, and that’s evident in the living room.That’s my girl.

“I know this is hard for you, but I need to ask. Were you raped tonight?” Her eyes start to water again, and I feel my jaw clenching. I search her eyes for an answer but can’t decipher the look she’s giving me. She looks between my eyes like she’s trying to stay focused and takes a deep breath.

“I wasn’t.” A new sense of relief washes over me at her words, and I hold her a bit closer.

“Ma’am, are you sure you—”

“She said she wasn’t. If that’s all you need, get the fuck out.” They end up taking Larry, if that’s even his real name, out of the apartment after she refuses to go to the hospital.

“I had to literally threaten Hazel to stay in my car out front until I knew it was safe, but I don’t think I want her to see all this.” He’s right, she shouldn’t. The house is a mess, and she’ll just break down if she sees Vid like this. She’s going to blame herself for missing her call, and we don’t need both of them crying right now.

I wait for Vidia to tell us what she wants to do, but she doesn't. “Take Hazel back to her place. Tell her Vidia is okay, and she’s going to spend the night with her.” Vidia closes her eyes, and my heart sinks when a few more tears fall.

“Hazel moved in with me, remember?” August reminds me.Right…“But you can stay with us, V. I’ll pack your—”

“I’ll take care of it.” August doesn’t reply, then walks out after a beat, leaving us alone. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She opens her eyes and looks right at me.

“You pulled the trigger.” Her voice comes out with no trace of emotion, and I let out a sigh.

“It was empty, Vid—”

“You didn’t know that. You were going to kill him.”

“I’m still going to kill him.” I correct her, and she looks between my eyes, trying to find a trace of a lie, but there isn’t one. “He’s a dead man walking for what he did to you tonight and if—”

“You’re going to lose everything you have if you take his life. Your career. Sire, are you insane?”

“What I have now means nothing to me.”I don’t have you.

She doesn’t protest again, but I know she’s just saving it for later. When I reach for her shirt, I pause and look into her eyes, asking a silent question. When she gives me a nod, I take it off, leaving her in her bra and underwear.

“Thank you. For everything you—” She stops, trying to catch her breath, and I know she’s thanking me for more than helping with her shirt, but I don’t want her to feel like she owes me anything because I helped her tonight.

“It’s okay, Vid. Don’t thank me for that.” She shouldn’t have needed me because she shouldn’t have been in danger to begin with. I know I got here as fast as I could, but I wish I had gotten here sooner. Saving her from even just a minute of extra pain and fear would've been worth it.

I throw the shirt to the side. It's ripped and covered in blood, and I could be wrong, but I think it’s mine. It looks like the one she’d wear when she’d slept over at my place back in college.She kept it?I shake my head at the possibility. When I turn back to her, she’s taking off her last piece of clothing.

I keep my eyes off her and turn the water on. Grabbing her washcloth, I soak it under the faucet and pour soap over it. I bring down her detachable shower head and run the water over her.

She keeps her eyes on the blood draining away, and when I scrub her arms, she takes the cloth from me and wipes away the bloody handprint on her mouth. I briefly close my eyes and take a breath, trying to calm myself.If that motherfucker makes it tonight, he’s dead tomorrow.

When I look back at Vid, she’s scrubbing the rest of her body. I pull her head in and press a kiss onto her forehead, then walk out of the bathroom, letting her shower.

When I go to close the bathroom door, she stops me. “Wait! Where are you going?” God, she still sounds so scared.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I quickly reassure her. “Shower, and I’ll pack a bag for you.” Her bathroom is in her room, and I can see right into her closet across the room. The closet doesn’t have a door, so it makes sense that she tried to hide in the bathroom.

“Don’t close the door. Please.”

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