Page 2 of Protect Me
“No! Give me the favor.” My hands flapped with my insistence. “Give me something that I can do to help you. I can’t be in New York with you and your baby and it’skilling meto be this far apart.”
“I know!” she wailed. “I’ve missed you so much. Once the baby is born, Zayne will fly you out to visit. Anyway, Amma will be staying with me for over a month after the birth, so I’ll need your help to keep me from going crazy from all her fussing over me. Within a week, you’ll be so tired of living with me, you’ll wish to be back there.”
“Never!”
“I love hearing that,” she cried. “Anyway, something is wrong with Vikram and we need your help. Amma is a mess.”
My wrung-out heart twisted at the sound of her older brother’s name. It resounded like a dull echo in my brain.
Vikram, the hero of my childhood. The ruggedly dashing young man that became a wild adult. Vikram, the love of my life. The light in my dark teenage sky. The lover of women and carelessness and impulsivity. My breath came fast just thinking about him, the man I intentionally hadn’tthought of in over five years.
The man I’d never have.
“Vikram?”
“We can’t get a hold of him.”
“Tell me more,” I said quickly, because anything else would have been a gasp. When the mention of his name set my heart to racing, I knew I was in big trouble.
“He was supposed to have knee surgery a few days ago. Bastian was going to drive him home afterwards. Amma spoke to him right before, and he seemed fine. We haven’t heard from him since then.”
“You think he’s okay?”
“I hope so, but he’s not answering calls, emails, or text messages. Bastian’s old number isn’t working, and Grady has been on vacation with his wife for a while. I tried finding Hernandez’s number, but I couldn't.”
Stress tugged at her voice, making the vowels slightly longer than usual. I’d do anything that Vinita asked of me. We were sisters from the past. Our lives had combined in all ways as we grew up next door to each other, intertwining like fate meant to braid us together. Without Vinita and the safety of her family, there would be no Katelyn today.
“Do you want me to go to Vik’s townhouse?” I asked.
Her voice elevated. “Would you mind?” Although still bright, I read the hesitation there. Vinita, of anyone, would understand my hesitation. I clung to nine rules for life and ultimate safety.
Never alone.
Never in the dark.
Always lock the door.
Don’t go anywhere new by myself.
Never speak about what happened.
Never talk about my aunt.
Don’t go on a date without someone else knowing every detail.
Don’t share name identifiers, my email, or phone number with strangers.
Never unaware.
In the last five years, the rules never failed to keep me safe. I’d applied them to every situation, job interview, apartment application, friend, and had never strayed once from the boundaries.
So far, safe.
Going to Vikram’s apartment meant I’d need to go alone. Sure, I could bring a friend, but Vikram wouldn’t open the door. Although I hadn’t seen him in over five years, even I knew that.
Vikram of the last year was . . . lost. He dwindled, alone, while his best friends advanced into their lives with new girlfriends or wives. Commitment-phobe Vik probably couldn’t process why they would attach themselves to another human so concretely.
Based on what Amma relayed to me, anyway.
