Page 101 of Defect
“Stop playing, Ezra. You know damn well we have to get custody of Malachi before we start having babies.”
“I know.” I wrapped my arms around her and balanced her against the wall. “That’s coming soon. What did we say? Only positivity toward getting custody, right?”
“Right.” She rubbed the tip of her nose against mine. I saw the moment that bad feeling she mentioned earlier hit her. Her eyebrows furled together and she hopped off me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“My heart feels heavy even after hearing about your psychotic mother being locked up.”
“Heavy how? Do we need to check on Malachi?”
“Yeah, I think we do.” While she burned sage in the front of the studio, I took care of the back and made sure everything was locked up tight. We met up by the front desk and Solana started shutting the computer down. When the monitor went black, her phone lit up with a call. It was from Malachi’s secret phone.
She answered without hesitation.
“Malachi, are you okay?” The panic in her words made my chest twist. She hurried to put the phone on speaker because she knew I’d want to hear too. Malachi’s scared, wobbly voice came through the other end of the phone hesitantly.
“Solo…help. Daddy beat me up real bad and it hurts and he left me alone.” I shut my eyes and pushed out a deep breath.
“We’re on our way, Malachi. You stay right there, baby. Don’t move.” While she talked to him to figure out how bad things were, I started the car. Time was moving too slowly for me. My mind was bending and warping under the gravity of fury. How the hell could someone hit a kid? How could any father do that and then leave them alone? What if he died?
I honked the horn for Solana and she rushed out, locking the door behind herself. She was still on the phone with Malachi when she got in the passenger side. “Can you breathe okay?” She asked him, fumbling around with her seatbelt.
“It hurts when I breathe. I have to breath soft.”
Tears wet Solo’s deep brown face and she pressed her lips together to keep from sobbing. I knew that look. “Okay, breathe softly, baby. We’re coming.”
“Hulk too?” He asked. My stomach lurched.
“Yeah, man. I’m coming too, okay?” Solana’s fingers trembled as she put the address into my GPS. Every time I heard him talk about how badly he was hurting, I wanted to find Vince and kill him. The world would be better off anyway. He didn’t contribute to it.
We arrived at Vince’s place in ten minutes but it seemed to take an eternity. Solana used a key to get in and took the steps two at a time to get to Malachi. I was right behind her. We found him curled up in the filthy bathtub, clutching his midsection. Blood leaked from a cut on the side of his head and he shook like a leaf in a storm.
“Oh my god.” Solana dropped to her knees beside the tub. “I’m right here. We’re going to take you to the hospital, okay?”
“I’m scared though. They’re going to hurt me more.”
“No, they’re not. The doctors are going to help you, Malachi,” I said. “Can you stand up?” I gave him my hand and he grabbed on with a weak grip. I hated that I had to move him because I could see the pain on his face. I didn’t know if he had broken bones or what and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him more.
He complained about his stomach hurting but he could barely stand without crying out in pain. I looked at Solana and said, “We’re going to have to call an ambulance. I don’t want to move him and hurt him even more.”
“Okay. Call the ambulance and I’ll stay here with him.” So I maneuvered my way out of the small bathroom in his bedroom and called the ambulance.
Thankfully, they arrived in minutes and were able to properly remove Malachi from the tub and put him on a stretcher. “Hulk, will you come with me?” He asked, looking up at me. I looked at Solo and she nodded.
“I want to go to the house and get all the files. I know CPS will come to the hospital. I need to call the lawyer too. I want him out of this fucking house. I want an emergency hearing for custody. I’m not waiting three goddamn weeks.” Fire jumped to life in her eyes and I knew there was no fighting her on the issue.
I rode with Malachi to the hospital and Solana went home to grab the files and call the lawyer.
…
SOLANA
I broke the speed limit trying to get home.
Time was ticking and I had to make sure all my ducks were in a row. I only had one shot to get an emergency hearing.
My hands were slick with worry as I fumbled the keys trying to get them in the lock. They jingled and jangled and finally the right one slid in. I bumped the door open with my hips and stepped inside the dark foyer.
