I gasped then, my feet sliding on the floor as I ran to the bathroom and locked the door. My heart pounded in my chest, my ears filled with the sound of rushing blood. Nausea filled my throat from pure fear. Tears streamed down my face as I heard footsteps racing up the stairs, followed by scuffles and hollering.
“You are a weak little boy. She needs a man. When I have finished with you, I will make sure she knows what a man feels like.”
His vile words made me retch, but I racked my brain thinking of what I could do. My phone wasn’t in the bathroom, and if I went out there, I’d be at risk.
I couldn’t leave Cal though.
That man was bigger than Cal and clearly fought dirty. I glanced around the bathroom, searching for anything I could use as a weapon.
Fuck!
All I could see was bottles of shampoo and shower gel.
Bangs from outside the door startled me, then a thud slammed against it.
As sweat dripped down my back, my fight or flight kicked in.
Fuck this.
I opened the door gradually, peeking through the crack in the door; I couldn’t see anything. I opened the door more, and the crack expanded to allow me to see legs sprawled beside the bedroom door. I wept as I walked towards them, and I prayed they weren’t Cal’s.
They weren’t moving.
I walked forward, my hand over my mouth as I saw Andre.
I recoiled at the blood that covered his face, and as I crept forward, I jumped at the sight of Cal leaned against the wall, his right eye swollen shut, his face purple with bruises. Andre had split Cal’s lip open, the blood trickled down his chin as he stared ahead.
“Baby,” I whispered. He didn’t look at me; he didn’t even blink.“I'll call an ambulance, okay?” I looked around for my phone desperately, spotting it on the stand beside Cal’s bed as I ran over.
“Don’t,” Cal hissed.
I stared at him, stunned. “But—”
“No. He needs to die, okay? I’ll explain. But he needs to.” His voice was eerily calm. He nodded towards his phone, which was on the floor near the bed. “Can you pass me that? I’m not sure I can move just yet.” He tried to smile and winced.
My mind raced as I handed him his phone.
What is going on?!
The man was a rotten apple, but did he deserve to die?
I slumped onto the floor against the bed, closing my eyes.
Suddenly, Andre gurgled and coughed, and Cal’s eyes widened as he jumped up, roaring with pain as he did, his hand clapping over Andre’s mouth and nose.
I froze, covering my eyes as Andre tried to fight Cal pointlessly. His eyes were wide as he tried to speak, but Cal stared at him as he leaned in close to his ear.
“This is for Lucia, you sick fucker,” he spat in his face, as the light faded from Andre’s eyes. Cal didn’t remove his hands, pushing down repeatedly until he was sure he was dead.
I choked out a sob then, and Cal whipped his head towards me, as though he’d just remembered I was there. He leaned back and reached for his phone as he beckoned me to his side.
I shook my head.
No.
Cal made a call, his hands on his head. “Can I speak to Verno? It’s Leo.”
I stared at him, a million questions in my head.
