Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
A groan escapes him as she digs the small blade into the side of his neck. Blood trickles down from the laceration.
“Talk some sense into her,” Solomon barks out to me. “Don’t sit around and watch. Fucking do something.”
This man used to unnerve me, especially when Romy came into the picture and was in his orbit. Now I see him for how truly weak he is. He’s nothing but a sick older man who rapes and abuses the undeserving. At one time, he got away with it. Not anymore. His time is up.
“LuLu,” Romy says gently. “Let one of these guys handle him. You don’t want this on your conscience.”
LuLu trembles at Romy’s reasonable words. “I want to watch him bleed out and die.”
“You can,” I assure her, “but not by your own hand. You don’t want that on you.”
“Now wait a minute,” Solomon mutters. “We can talk this out. I have money. I have a fuck ton of money. Surely we can sort something out.”
LuLu’s arm shakes and I can tell she wants to kill him, but the good part of her that’s deep inside is keeping her from doing it. Her hesitation is a mistake.
As if in slow motion, I watch Solomon grab her wrist, yanking it away from his neck. Caught off guard, LuLu stumbles, landing on her own knees in front of him. In a matter of seconds, he’s turned the knife on her.
“No!” me and Romy yell out at once.
The air becomes thick and the seconds slow to a stop. I’m afraid to move for fear of LuLu getting her throat cut by the monster in her story.
“That’s right,” Solomon hisses as he jerks both of them to their feet and backs away toward his desk. “I’m in charge here. Stay still and no one gets hurt.”
The manic gleam in his eyes tells me he has every intention of hurting her, no matter what he says otherwise.
I don’t think or plan.
I just react.
Aim, squeeze, fire.
LuLu’s mouth is parted in shock, but it’s Solomon who’s the most confused. At least he is for the last few seconds of his existence. The bullet hole in the center of his forehead sends rivulets of blood running down his nose and brain matter painting over the sick picture of his daughter.
Solomon’s body collapses to the ground with a heavy thud, but LuLu, my almost-sister, remains standing.
She bursts into tears and launches herself at me. At first, I think she might be angry that I took this from her, but her arms cling to me as she sobs.
“You saved me. You saved me. You saved me.”
“I wish I had done it the first time,” I admit, voice choked with emotion. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re going to be okay now, LuLu. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Romy
Several weeks later…
Is summer over yet?
I’m going to die from this heat. But Kaitlyn can’t get enough of her pool time, and like the good mom I am, I’m out here indulging her.
And dying.
Being pregnant during the summer seems like a punishment of some kind that I don’t wish on anyone.
My phone buzzes and I snatch it from the table, eager for a text from Caius bearing good news.
It’s just LuLu.
LuLu: They don’t understand why I can’t just magically get better.
Despite not being Caius, I’m grateful to have this new relationship with LuLu. After our trip to deal with Solomon, we’ve grown closer.
Me: What does Penelope say?
LuLu: Penelope says whatever she thinks I want her to say. I told Mom therapy is a waste of money. We’re not getting anywhere.
Me: At least your therapist isn’t like mine was. She made me feel crazy and pushed prescriptions on me.
Now that I know what lengths Gideon went through to make me forget about the sexual abuse by my own mother, I can’t help but feel like my therapist was a cohort in keeping me in the dark.
LuLu: We talked about Caius a little bit.
This piques my interest.
Me: Oh yeah?
LuLu: I told her I did something behind his back and even though I knew he was mad at me, he still stood up for me. And that it meant a lot to me.
That’s a gross understatement of what truly happened, but Penelope doesn’t need to know LuLu tried to kill her sex trafficker abuser and almost got herself killed in the process. The only reason I was there, directly disobeying Caius’s order to remain at the motel, was that she was going with or without me. I did what I had to do to keep an eye on her.
Me: Caius cares for you.
LuLu: Because he still thinks of me as Calista.
Me: No. He cares for you, LuLu. Like a real little sister. You know that.
LuLu: I do. That’s why I want to come live with you guys. My parents said no.