Page 69 of The Viper

“Sure thing.” She pours two coffees and returns. “Three dollars.”

My eyes widen. “Crap, hang on.” I pat down my pockets and realize I don’t have a cent on me. “I might have something in the car, give me a second.” I run out to the car, unlock it and rifle through the glove box and center console. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Nothing, not a single dime. I run back in, and apologize profusely to the attendant.

“Rose,” Eliza’s voice is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I turn to her and see the hood she’s wearing nearly covers her entire face. She looks down, completely concealing her face.

“Eliza.” I’m grateful she made it here. “Oh my God.” I throw myself into her arms, but Eliza winces causing me to step backward. “Eliza,” I say in a low voice.

She turns to look out the window, but I still can’t see her face. “I can’t stay long,” she whispers. She turns again, and I reach out to push her hood away from her face. “No, don’t.” Eliza grasps my hand, stopping me. “Please.”

Despite that, I manage to flick her hood back. The attendant gasps when we see Eliza’s beaten face. “We have to go to the hospital.”

“No!” Eliza calls. “We can’t.”

“I’m calling the police,” the attendant says as she moves toward the phone.

“Please,” Eliza pleads. “Don’t. I beg you, please, don’t dial the police.” She holds her hand up, stopping the attendant.

The attendant looks confused. “Please,” I implore.

“Here.” She pushes the two coffees over to us.

“But I don’t have any money,” I say to her.

“It’s on the house.” She looks to Eliza and says, “You can’t stay with the person who did that to you.” She points to Eliza’s swollen eye, fat lip and bruised cheek.

I take the coffees and offer her a kind smile. “Thank you.” I turn to Eliza, and pointedly look at the empty seats. “Come sit with me.”

“I can’t stay,” Eliza says.

“You can sit down for five minutes so we can work this out.”

Eliza’s shoulders slump forward and she pulls the hood back over her head. “Five minutes.” At least I can get her to sit long enough so we can work out a plan. She takes the coffee out of my hand and sips on it, wincing when the hot coffee hits her split lip.

“What happened?”

We sit huddled together, but Eliza’s frantically looking through the glass, searching for her dick of a husband. “I was sleeping and he flew into the room, grabbed me around the throat and started beating me.”

“How long has this been going on for, Eliza?”

“Since before the wedding.”

“Why did you marry him? He’s a fucking prick.” Her entire body tenses. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Eliza lowers the coffee to the table and she sits on her hands. It’s clear the reason is something she’s ashamed of. Her body is trembling while she refuses to make eye contact with me. “This has been a mistake,” she says in a small voice. “A misunderstanding, that’s all.” Her entire demeanor changes.

“No!” my voice is strong with assertion. “You’re not going back to him. No fucking way.” I reach for her, but she startles backward. “Why do you think you have to stay with him?” She turns to look outside and blinks several times to hold back the tears welling in her eyes. “If you don’t tell me then I don’t know what to do to help you.”

“I just can’t,” she whispers. My phone vibrates against my hip, and I contort to the side to remove it. I answer it when I see Dominic’s name. Eliza’s eyes widen and she leaps to her feet saying, “Please, don’t answer it.”

“Dominic.” I look to her and gesture for her to calm down.

“Is she safe?”

“For now.”

“What happened?”

“Your brother beat her.”

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