Page 24 of Shifted

"You owe me several." I heard the sound of weeping from the other room and pushed past him, walking towards the bathroom and jiggling the locked door. The sobs cut immediately.

"It's Angel," I yell the promised words of confirmation. I hear the lock click, and I enter, her daughter in the tub, as Melissa stares at me, "It's okay, you're safe." Her arms wrap around me as she sobs, "It's okay, it's okay." I reassure her as she remains repelled.

She looks with wide eyes, pointing to the masked man behind me, "It's fine." I look over to her daughter, curled up in a ball, scared to look at me.

She leaned over, speaking to her daughter in Dutch, a language I did not know, but it was beautiful. Her daughter stood slowly from the tub. "I want you both to close your eyes and cover hers," I instructed. I took a cloth from the railing and placed it over her daughter's eyes.

"Bun-bun," she mumbled, wanting her abandoned bunny. I paused, told them to wait, and walked back into the room. The brown bunny was on the floor with a silk ribbon across its neck. I grabbed it and went back to the bathroom.

I bent down to her level. "Is this bun bun?" She nodded. "He's very winsome." She smiled at me. “You've got yourself a very good eye to find a friend like that." I looked at Melissa, who was still shaken up.

"I'll carry her out, and you'll follow us." She nodded, and I looked back to Amartolós. "He." I paused. “He'll guide you, okay?" She stood still, shaking from before. She lifted her daughter, looking to be a little older than Joely. My heart aches for her, for this child to have to be here in all of this. She handed her over to me as she clutched her bunny.

"We don't have much time; they'll notice he's not responding soon." His voice grew vexed, and I covered the little girl's eyes with a cloth as Melissa closed hers. Amartolós swiftly picked her up, taking her by surprise. "Put me down," she said quickly.

"It's faster this way," he replied, not listening to her complaints. I walked back into the bedroom and around the bodies that surrounded me. In the hall, I stared at Hugo, a man of betrayal, not to just anyone but to his wife and own child.

We exit down a cold stairwell and stop at the bottom, allowing them to stand and see again, "I need you to go to this address and explain who you are and that you need help and protection, say Angel sent you." I handed her a sticky note, and she nodded.

"Thank you." Her words broke, but a tired smile remained on her face. "Angel, thank you." I hugged her again and broke away.

Amartolós is gone. I look around and turn back to the little girl. I bend down to reach her height, "You are going to meet a few scary-looking people who will help you and your mom along with Bun Bun." I ruffle the fluff on the stuffed bunny, and she smiles at me.

"Bye, sweetie." I closed the door to the cab and left the building, and as I was just about to turn the block, someone grabbed me, and my body was pinned back against a brick wall as I gasped. He looks at me intently, a perplexed look in his eyes.

"I remembered why you didn't let that man kill me." He tilted his head down at me, and he towered over me, "Because you said you'd be the one to do it yourself." He chuckled cynically at my words. My breathing is heavy as I stare at him; he seems lost in thought, "I don't think now's the time, though. I believe you like to stalk your prey, right?" His chest pressed against mine as he drew closer to me.

"You were very good to that little girl. I have to ask why?” He questions my kindness to an innocent child. “You could've let her be traumatized, but instead, you prevented it. You showed that you cared?" I look down at his shoes and dark black boots. “You said you have family?" he added.

"I was the little girl who was traumatized once,” I mumble, "We all have our dark pasts; mine is being exposed to my parents' drunken and bloody fights as a kid." The honesty from me leaves him silent. He still hung above me, staring at me, probably not believing that's the full story. I was a mother with a daughter who would do anything to protect her child and another child if they needed.

"I gave them a federal agent's address, and I tipped them off that she would be headed their way. Now, I think it'd be best if you'd let me go." He backed away as I could finally breathe fully again.

"Bye, Angel."

“Amartolós.” Then, we went our separate ways.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Hope Taylor

"So he did not indicate what the dress code of this date was?" I held a red dress against my torso, unsure. I glanced back to my casual outfit on the bed and then to Bella and Kendall, shaking my head.

"Are you two... going to have some hot, sexy... sex?" I cringed at Kendall as she smirked. She knew I hated the way she just phrased that.

“Ew. Kenny, are you twelve years old?" She giggled, leaning back onto the bed. "If I were twelve, would you trust me to babysit your baby?" I barely trusted her enough as it was, but she’d been helpful at points and disastrous at others.

"Why do you think Bella is here?" she frowned, staring at Bella, who observed in the corner, "And no, I don't think the goal is sex. It's just a date, and maybe he's a bang-on-the-second date kind of guy, but I'm not." I needed to trust a person to commit to an intimate relationship fully; this is due to past personal boundaries.

"Did you just use the word bang? Are you 80 years old?" I stuck my tongue out at Kendall as she did it back. “It’s better than being twelve!” I counter, and she huffed out, squeezing a pillow against her chest.

"I think black jeans, a tank blouse, and tan pumps are the move. It's not dressy or casual." Bella hands me the heels, and I turn to head into my closet to change. When I’m finished, they've both headed downstairs.

"Mummy," Joely stands in the doorway, smiling brightly at me. "Hey, princess, are you excited to spend the night with Aunt Bella and Kendall?" She nods and twirls in her princess nightgown before heading back into her room.

I began applying light makeup, curled my hair, put on lip gloss, and grabbed a clutch. My burner phone buzzed, and I reached for it, flipping it open to see a new text from Isaac.

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