“She’s B… Buddy’s f…f…friend. He introduced me to her,” I said but it took a long time because my voice kept hitching. “She works at a rape c…c…crisis center.”
Hector’s arms went tighter. “Okay, we’ll call Bex.”
“And Daisy,” I went on.
His arms tightened further and I snuggled in closer.
“And Shirleen,” I said though I had no idea why.
“Shirleen?”
“She seems like a nice lady,” I explained to him but also to myself.
“She is,” Hector said quietly.
We laid there and Hector held me. This went on for a long time.
I knew I should put a stop to it. All of it.
But I didn’t.
How bizarre was that?
Finally, once the tears were subsiding, I called, “Hector?”
“Yeah?”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you want to take care of me?”
His body went still for a few seconds then he kissed the top of my head. “We’ll save that for another talk.”
I didn’t think I wanted to have another talk with Hector. This one didn’t go so well for me.
I found out he knew I was his informant (which was kind of embarrassing). I found out he’d been tracking me and doing more to protect me than he and his buddies sitting in cars outside the house. He totally didn’t listen when I explained why we wouldn’t work. And he got me to agree to press charges against two of the Balducci Boys, blowing my plan out of the water and playing my ace in the hole way faster than I intended.
No, this talk didn’t go well for me.
Still, I was getting kind of sleepy, tears always exhausted me and a big old crying fit like that did me in.
Furthermore, I was full of Blanca’s food.
Lastly, but most importantly, Hector’s heat and closeness made me feel warm, snug and safe and I hadn’t felt warm, snug and safe in forever.
So, instead of protesting the very idea of another talk that also could go very badly for me, I said, “Okay.”
Then I snuggled even closer, not even caring what I was doing and doing it because I liked to feel Hector’s arms go tighter and then tighter until he was holding me super close.
And once I was super close, snug, warm and safe in his arms, I fell asleep.
Chapter Eight
Man of the Month
Sadie