Page 19 of Girls Night
“Who did this? Do you know?”
Tati,I think with a smile as I slowly turn my head toward the other side of my bed. She’s sitting opposite Papa and looks so worried that I would be amused if the situation were different.
“No.”
“Did you see what I got for you?” I ask my father, turning my face back toward him. He shakes his head as he takes one of my hands in his, and I nod as best as I can toward the dresser.
“I’ve seen your brush before, mija,” he says softly with a kind smile.
“No, not that,” I respond as I struggle to sit up, but he reaches forward and gently pushes me back down onto the bed. “Mateo,” I say with a sigh as I close my eyes again.
“What about him?” he asks.
“On the dresser.”
“There’s nothing there, Sofi.”
Fuck.
“Señor? Everyone is gone now,” Anabella’s voice says nervously. I smile at the sound of her voice. It always has such a soothing effect on me.
The bed creaks once, then a second time as both Papa and Tati stand up. He leans down and kisses me on the forehead, his bushy beard tickling my skin, then Tati does the same. I’m sure that her lipstick has left a mark on my skin, but today, I won’t mind.
Feelingmeans that I survived what was done to me, and for now, that’s good enough.
“Rest, Sofi. I’m going to leave Santiago and Hector in the room with you, but you won’t notice they’re here.”
I nod.
I know there’s no point in arguing with him, so I won’t waste my breath. Instead, I’ll go back to sleep and hope that when I wake up, this was nothing more than a very vivid dream and I’m still downstairs at the party being my father’s perfect little daughter instead of lying in this bed reaping the rewards of being his dangerous little killer.
* * *
When I open my eyes next, it’s nighttime again. The window is open, the breeze that slowly drifts in touches my arms, and I shudder.
The bed creaks softly as I push myself up to my elbows, and Hector gasps himself awake. When our eyes meet, I put a finger to my lips and nod toward Santiago, who’s still asleep.
I don’t fault either of them for being tired because I can only imagine the excitement that rippled through Papa’s home when I was found.
Adrenaline can be a man’s best friend or his worst enemy, something I’ve learned a time or two myself.
He stands up, and I shake my head slightly as I sit up and rearrange the pillows behind my back. Resting my head against the headboard, I close my eyes again for a moment, allowing the breeze to try and bring me some calm.
“Sofi?” Hector asks quietly as he walks to stand at the edge of the bed.
“I’m fine,” I tell him quietly with a smile as I raise my finger to my lips again. “Go back to sleep. I won’t tell Papa that my guards took a well-deserved nap.”
He rubs the back of his neck, uneasily. He’s one of my favorite friends. When we’re sent to retrieve whomever Papa wants interrogated or worse, I know that after Mateo, there will be no better person to stand by my side than Hector.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he says softly, his shoulders drooping.
I reach for one of my pillows and hurl it at him playfully. It bounces off his chest. He looks at me curiously, and my smile becomes a smirk.
“I’m fine, Hector. You can’t always be there like I can’t be if something happens to you. Everything will be okay,” I promise him as I turn my face toward the window.
It has no choice but to be since I can’t be a feared killer and a damaged girl at the same time.
He lets out his breath slowly before he nods and goes back to his post by the door. I turn my head just enough to be able to watch him out of the corner of my eye. While I know he would never do me harm, someone in this house has, so I trust no one that isn’t my blood.
