Mitch bent and I watched by the light coming through the opened door as he carefully deposited Billie on Derek’s man cave couch, arranged her comfortably and then reached out an arm to grab a throw from the back of it. He tossed it over her, twitching it so it covered her.
Then, when she was down, we all heard another pound come at the door.
Everyone’s heads twisted in that direction except Mitch’s. He moved swiftly, his movements controlled, fluid but economical like he was holding himself in check. He also didn’t hesitate and Bray, Brent and Elvira had to jump out of his way as his long legs took him out the door.
My arm still around a trembling Billy, I hurried after him, guiding Billy with me and giving him a firm squeeze.
“It’s going to be okay, honey,” I whispered as we moved and his head tipped back woodenly, his terrified eyes hit mine and my heart clenched. “Promise, Bud.” I kept whispering. “Everything’s going to be okay.” I gave him another squeeze. “Promise.”
We made it to the living room but Billy didn’t even nod and the terror didn’t leave his face. I stopped us when I heard Mitch speak and looked to the door.
He had it open, his body was blocking it and I saw Aunt Lulamae was standing on the other side.
“Five minutes,” he bit out.
“Fuck five minutes,” Aunt Lulamae returned. “We been waitin’ an hour.”
“Then you’ll wait another five minutes or you’ll find your ass in the back of a cruiser and you’ll be facing harassment charges,” Mitch fired back and I just got the chance to see her head jerk and her eyes narrow before he shut the door in her face.
Then he turned, walked directly to Billy and crouched in front of him.
One of his hands came up, curled around the side of Billy’s neck and he pulled him roughly yet tenderly away from my body and to within an inch of his face.
“I got this, Bud,” he said in a low, deeper than normal voice, his eyes locked with Billy’s.
Billy didn’t respond.
Mitch gave him a gentle shake with his hand at his neck.
“I promise you, I got this. You believe me?”
Billy didn’t move nor did he speak.
“Bud?” Mitch prompted on another gentle shake and finally Billy nodded.
My heart skipped when Mitch pulled Billy to him and rested his forehead against my cousin’s for half a second before he let him go and straightened.
Then he looked at LaTanya.
“Door closed to Billie. Shit goes down, I don’t want her hearin’ it. You gotta move her back to your room, I need you to do that. Yeah?” he asked and LaTanya nodded then rushed to the man cave.
Mitch looked to Derek.
“I don’t want those women around the kids and I don’t want them knowin’ I live across the breezeway. That’s why we’re here. In a minute, Mara and me are goin’ out there, we’re takin’ them into Mara’s apartment and we’re dealin’ with ‘em. You hear shit you don’t like, like those bitches gettin’ loud and threatening, you call Slim. He knows what’s goin’ on and he’ll know what to do. You don’t like what you hear, you call. No hesitation. Right?”
Derek nodded.
Mitch looked at Bray and Brent.
“Keep Bud company. He’s freaked.”
Bray and Brent nodded, Brent detaching from Bray and moving toward Billy.
Mitch’s eyes came to me, they moved over my face, I knew he didn’t like what he saw but he powered through it and said quietly, “Let’s go, sweetheart.”
It was my turn to nod.
“I’m goin’ with,” Elvira announced right as I started to move toward Mitch and both Mitch and my eyes went to her.