Chapter Eleven
It was a painful event, but Cassidy finally managed to clean herself thoroughly enough that she felt almost human again. Maya sat behind her on the bed, brushing her hair out for her so she didn't have to move her arms. "So, you're a blonde now?" the dark skinned woman teased as she pulled the bristles through her wet, sandy colored waves.
"Now that Marco is gone, I'll dye it back to normal. I don't feel much like myself with Barbie hair." she shot back with a smile.
"You excited to see Violet tomorrow?" she asked, checking her friends newly patched up abdomen.
"Yes. She makes everything so much better." Cassidy couldn't keep the grin off her face that came with any conversation involving her daughter. She was the reason she breathed no matter how hard it was sometimes.
The young Italian grabbed her pillow from her bed and walked out into the living room, tossing it on the couch before lowering herself onto the cushion. Rio was on the other end, storing his phone in his pocket when the girls joined him in the room.
"You sleepin' out here?" he asked, eyes knitted in confusion.
"I'll go wait in the car. I was serious about coming back to check on you in a few days. Please try to get some rest." Maya kissed the top of her head, shutting the front door quietly as she left.
"I can't sleep in my bed right now." she eventually answered, making the smallest movements she could to lay down on her back against the plush couch. Her bare feet hit the outside of Rio's thigh before she recoiled back, the sudden jerk causing pain to shoot down her side with a newfound intensity.
"Why?" he asked, spotting an over sized blanket in the wicker basket beside him. He stood, shaking it out before draping it over her tiny, broken frame. She curled up underneath it, her face etched with misery and discomfort.
"I'm so tired, Rio." her voice pleading as she retreated even further into herself, her knees pulled up to her chest. "Please don't make me explain the nightmares I will undoubtedly have in my bed tonight. Not after everything that happened." she begged him, blinking her eyes hard enough to keep from crying.
He crouched down in front of her head, pulling his phone out as he did so. "I told Maya to head home. Get some sleep. I'll keep the monsters away tonight."
"Don't be ridiculous. You have work. You're a busy man." her voice slurred towards the end, her eyes shut completely, her breathing almost even.
"I'm the boss. I can take a day off when I need to."
"What makes you think I need you?" she whispered, her voice laced with sleep as she pulled the blanket closer to her chest, holding it under her chin tightly.
"Why don't you do me a kindness and humor me for the night." he clarified, brushing the damp, heavy waves from her forehead.
He stepped outside to make a few calls, checking in on Demon and the rest of his crew. He made sure Maya got home and called Bri to make sure Violet was okay. When he got back inside, he shut off all the lights, emptied his pockets and shrugged off his black hoodie. Dragging the dark gray recliner across the room until it was right beside Cassidy's head, he made sure she was within reach before he settled down into it for the remainder of the evening.
Rio felt surprisingly rested when he awoke, considering it was still pitch black outside, the living room absent of all light except the barely rising sun streaming through the single pane window to the side of the front door. He was about to question what had woken him up in the dead of night, but the question soon answered itself when he looked over to the young woman tossing and turning on the couch beside him.
"Don't, please." she begged painfully in her sleep, the blanket that had been covering her was now on the floor, forgotten.
"Cassidy, wake up." he pushed himself out of the chair and bent down on his heels until he was at her level.
"Don't touch me." she pleaded in her sleep, fighting with an unknown force as she turned from one side to the other, ignoring the agony of her injuries in her unconscious state.
"You gotta wake up, girl." he shook her shoulders with enough force to rouse her, her small frame sitting up immediately, wild eyes glancing around the darkness of the room.
Rio let out a string of curses when he saw her nails buried into the top of her thighs, small crescent shaped marks scarring her olive skin. He wrapped both her wrists up in one of his large hands, using the other to brush the hair away from her face that was damp with sweat.
"I'm sorry." she mumbled, instantly aware and embarrassed.
"What the fuck you got to be sorry about? I'm the one who let that sick son of a bitch put his hands on you." he sneered, angry with himself as he glanced at the clock on the far side of the room. It was nearly five am and she was still heavy with exhaustion.
"It wasn't him." she shook her head, swinging her legs over until her feet could touch the ground.
"Come on." his voice was rough, leaving no room for argument. He wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her to her bedroom. She immediately shook her head, trying to turn away from the space completely as they came to a halt in the doorway.
"Doctors orders. You gotta get some sleep. No one is coming to hurt you tonight." He pulled back her duvet and waited for her to slide in underneath it.
"He's still out there somewhere." she explained as she got settled against her king sized mattress. Rio crossed over to the other side, laying down on top of the covers, giving her as much space as possible across the vast area of the bed.
"Who is?" he asked, eyes full of rage and protectiveness.
"I never have nightmares about my father. Not much my subconscious can create that didn't already happen. I dream about that night in the alleyway..." she trailed off, turning on her side to face him in the darkness. His fists tightened at his side, his jaw clenched as he looked over at her.
"The guy that knocked you up?" he clarified, running his tongue over the top row of teeth in his mouth. He wasn't sure if he'd ever felt so angry.
"You sure have a way with words." she smirked, reaching across the space, her hand face up between them.
"He's dead." he said easily, ignoring her hand and closing his eyes to avoid any further questions. Of course, he should've known better then to think something like that would work on an intelligent woman like the one beside him.
"I don't even know who he is." she snapped back, leaning up on her elbow, her eyes boring into his.
"And now you never need to. Now go to sleep before I call my sister and get her to shoot you with a sedative." his threat was weak, well-meaning.
"When?" she asked frantically, her nails digging into her palms as the memories flashed through her brain in quick succession.
"The day you told me." he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world, one eye cracking open just enough to gauge her reaction.
"Why?" she asked, her voice small. She felt like they were miles away form each other as he stayed put on his side of the bed, as far away from her as he could manage.
"He raped you." he spat, looking up at the ceiling, his fists opening slowly so he could flex his long fingers, trying to relax his muscles. He'd never felt such rage before, burning a fire in his veins and spreading through his entire body.
"I know, Rio. Why did you kill him?" she asked again, throwing the thick comforter from her body and moving closer to him on the bed.
"Don't." he shrunk away from her, his voice a hard warning. "I don't deserve to have you anywhere near me after what I did."
"Why did you do it?" she asked again, annoyance in her voice as she continued to shift closer to him until their arms brushed one another.
"Couldn't have him coming after the kid." his voice was steady, trying his best to downplay the incredible act of service he did for her. She'd never felt so at ease; so free of the daily anxiety that haunted her waking and unconscious moments. She'd barely even known Rio when she told him what had happened. To say she was shocked would be putting it much too mildly.
Realization hit her hard, the new emotion clear on her face. "You did it to protect her." This wasn't a question. He shrugged in response and she rolled her eyes.
"Didn't even think you liked her." recalling his callous tone towards the little girl in the past.
"She's your daughter." offering no other explanation as he crossed his feet at the ankles, arms across his chest. He avoided her gaze at all costs even as she lay directly beside him, begging him to look over at her.
"So?" she prodded, fishing for some kind of answer from the stoic man next to her.
"So, I love her." He turned his back to her, closing his eyes as a headache started to form at the base of his skull. "Get some rest."
She wanted to resist the order; force herself to stay awake and persist until she forced more information from him. Unfortunately, her body fell into a well deserved, restful sleep.
It was late in the afternoon when she cracked one of her dark eyes open. Her room was full of sunlight that streamed in through both of the windows on either side of her bed. Cassidy forced the pain away as she swung her legs over the side of the mattress and got to her feet, almost falling to the floor as her bones protested from sheer agony.
"Take it easy there, Sleeping Beauty." a voice called from the hallway. Maya set an armful of folded towels down on the end of her bed before hurrying to her side, helping to steady her.
"My stomach feels like it's on fire." Cassidy rarely complained or made any type of acknowledgment towards an injury, but this was something she'd never experienced before.
"Let me see it." Maya insisted, her face etched with concern. "There shouldn't be a burning sensation."
Rio must have been listening in the hallway because he joined them in the bedroom after his sister's worried tone.
"She ok?" he asked coolly, trying unsuccessfully to appear unworried. Maya ignored his question and lifted the younger woman's shirt enough to see the wound. Once she peeled back the soaked bandage, she gasped quietly.
"Well, that doesn't sound good." Cassidy said, wincing in pain as she examined the laceration further.
The tall, dark skinned man muttered something she couldn't make out and walked out of the room, pacing a few rounds in the hallway.
"It's infected. I'll grab some antibiotics from work today and it should clear right up. I can grab you some pain relievers too." she offered, Cassidy shaking her head violently at the suggestion.
"No, no, thank you. I want to be able to take care of Violet and I don't like how pain killers make me feel. Are you sure you wont get in trouble at work for stealing medicine?"
Maya waved her off. "I take them all the time for the guys. And I'm very cautious. It'll be ok." she promised with a reassuring smile. "Come on. I'll help you into the kitchen. Someone is very excited to see you."
Cassidy's eyes lit up as she made her way into the kitchen, her gaze falling on her daughters sweet face immediately.
"Mama." she cried out, reaching her tiny arms out from her spot on the floor. Her peanut butter sandwich fell abandoned beside her as she flexed her fingers towards her mother.
"Violet. I missed you so much." her steps were slow but strong as she fell to the floor beside the two year old and wrapped her in her arms. Rio watched from the living room, his arms crossed over his chest.
"You can go talk to her, yanno." Maya said, appearing beside him.
"Yea? And say what?" his eyes flashing towards her angrily.
"Apologize. Sincerely and thoroughly. Nothing about the two of you is ever going to be easy. You both come from such fucked up situations." she started, her lips curving into a smile as Violet touched her mothers scarred face gently.
"Ouchies, mama?" the little girl asked, her chubby fingers touching the large bruise covering Cassidy's cheek.
"Mommy's ok." she gave the toddler a reassuring smile before hugging her a little too hard, burying her nose in her daughters hair. She inhaled the scent deeply before turning her attention to the listening siblings across the room.
"Thank you both for everything. We'll be ok now, though." she smiled weakly, taking her daughters hand and leading her out into the backyard. Enzo ran excitedly across the yard when he saw his owner open the screen door. Violet let out a shrill, playful scream as she met the large husky halfway, wrapping her arms around his large neck.
"I didn't know you had a dog." Maya said, Rio walking across the lawn ahead of her, crouching down beside Violet. Cassidy turned back towards the door where the older woman stood and nodded.
"Violet's birthday gift from your brother." she explained, touching her injured stomach briefly, watching the man in question talking to her daughter. The little girl babbled with such elation, her hands moving in a frenzy as she spoke in made up words and sounds.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Maya laughed as Rio nodded quickly agreement to whatever Violet was attempting to describe.
He couldn't get over the connection this small child had with her dog. Enzo tolerated every ear pull, every rough pet, every tug on his tail. He sat with his tongue hanging from his mouth, panting as he let Violet rub his fur over and over with her tiny hands.
"You pet." she insisted, grabbing Rio's hand and placing it on the dogs head, right between his eyes clumsily.
"He's a good dog, aint he, kid?" he smirked, patting the dog a few times gently on the side.
"Good boy." she agreed with a playful giggle.
"Did you have fun with Briella?" he asked her, remembering how he use to engage with Levi when he was a toddler.
Her eyes lit up at the mention of the young blonde. "Bri Bri." she nodded excitedly. "Kitty!"
"Ah, yea, I forgot they got a cat over there." he picked her up in one quick swoop, putting her on his shoulders with ease.
"Mean kitty." she babbled, patting the top of his head as she looked around from her new perch.
"Cats suck. Stick with dogs, darlin." he held on to her tiny feet as he walked towards the door where his sister and Cassidy stood.
"Get outta here, Maya. I got it from here." he said with a tone that would've peeved anyone else. Maya only laughed, punching him in the arm.
"I'll bring the antibiotics over later tonight. The infection is pretty bad, so I don't want to wait any longer then necessary to start you on it." she explained, grabbing Violets tiny fingers in her hand, shaking them playful as she looked up at the curly headed girl on Rio's shoulders.
"I'll bring Levi over soon to see you, ninita." she smiled at Violet before showing herself out the way she came.
"You really don't have to stay. I feel fine." Cassidy said, touching her elbow and holding one arm in front of her body shyly.
"It's weird seeing you like this." he said suddenly, watching her even as she avoided his gaze.
"Like what?" she asked, looking up at him from under her dark lashes.
"Timid." he seemed to be searching still for a better word. "Maybe skittish is more accurate." he said, his lips pressed in a hard frown.
"Mommy has ouchies." Violet repeated her earlier words from high up on Rio's shoulders.
Cassidy bit the inside of her lip and looked down, ashamed of her daughter seeing her in such a state.
"You don't gotta worry about your mama, mija." Rio said, pulling the small girl down from his shoulders, holding her in his arms against his chest.
"I'm gonna make sure she's ok."
Enzo sat patiently at Cassidy's feet, waiting to be let in or for attention, she didn't know. She gave his ear a soft tug, rubbing it between her fingers gently for something to do.
"She needs to go down for her nap soon." the subject change wasn't subtle as the young Italian woman reached out for her daughter.
"Don't need your stitches openin up and gettin blood everywhere in front of the kid. I'll put her down. Go sit down." he ordered with a soft tone. "Wanna talk to you about some shit before I leave you alone for the day." he didn't leave room to argue, tickling Violet's legs as he carried her inside, the piercing giggles of her daughter only being muffled when the screen door shut behind them.
She drew in a large gulp of air, the pain much more present now that her head was free of motherly distractions. She took the few steps away from the door towards the patio, sitting down carefully on the wicker love seat that occupied the small, concrete space. She relaxed as best she could, pulling her ashy locks over her shoulder and leaning her head against the arm of the sofa.
She didn't remember closing her eyes but when she opened them to find the seat beside her occupied, she knew she must've dosed off. She mumbled an apology before sitting up straight, her hand instantly flying to her side, biting her lip to keep from groaning. He reached his hand out on instinct, but brought it back to his side before he could touch her.
"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, masking the pain as quickly as she could and pulling her hair over both shoulders to frame her face.
"Think you'll keep the new hair?" he asked, avoiding her question with one of his own.
She picked up a chunk of waves and examined them between her fingers. "No." she said quietly. "I don't feel like I know who I am when I look like this. I'm not myself."
"You aint seem like yourself for a while." he pointed out, regarding her carefully as he sat with his chin in his hands, elbows resting on his knees.
"It's been quite a year. Had to move across town in the dead of night with an infant, create a new identity, plan every step I took with the utmost care to stay safe from my father. It might take me a little while to find my way back to who I was when you knew me." her voice sad. She was not unaware of the changes he must see in her. Apologetic, cautious, timid. All the things she never was before.
"Don't need to find your way back to who you were. Just gotta be who you are. I'm gonna like whatever version you throw my way." she had never heard him speaking so candidly.
"I missed you." she whispered suddenly, his eyes snapping to hers, positive he must've heard her wrong.
"What?" his eyes narrowed as he watched a single tear escape the corner of her eye before she brushed it away.
"I barely knew you." she started. "Met you in that rundown apartment building one day. A few run ins at the park or the hospital. Nothing to write home about."
"That all it was?" he dared, his brows still pulled together in curiosity.
"Is that all it was." she repeated with a laugh, reminding him just how much he missed that sound. He hadn't heard it in so long.
"Of course that wasn't all it was. One day you were just some guy I worked for, and the next I loved you." she admitted, rolling her eyes at her own foolishness.
"When?" he interrupted her, his voice gruff with seriousness.
She finally met his gaze, finding it hard to breathe all of a sudden as she tried to explain.
"The night one of Jake's guys broke into my house." she started, watching his expression to see if he recalled.
"I remember." his jaw clenched in anger at the memory.
"First thing you asked me was if he hurt Violet. I could see the genuine rage in your eyes at the mere thought that he could have." she continued, biting the inside of her lip. "That's when." she finished, crossing her arms across her stomach, looking at her feet now instead of his dark brown eyes.
"I was such a dick that day." he seemed displeased with her answer. She let out another breathy laugh, her face showing a hint of its old, stubborn self.
"You're a dick to me every day." she was void of judgment, but none the less sad at her own words.
"Wanted to get you away from me. Couldn't go a fuckin weekend without hearin that somethin happened to you. Couldn't help thinkin that was my fault. I got a target on my back every time I leave the house. I didn't want that for you and your kid."
"How'd that work out for ya?" she sneered, regarding him with annoyance. She was surprised when the corner of his mouth turned up in a grin.
"There she is." he laughed, patting her thigh once before letting his hand rest there. "Glad to see the fire isn't completely gone."
"You'll have to excuse me for being a little soft spoken around you." she snapped, pushing the blonde waves out of her eyes to fall down her back. "I still half expect you to turn around and hurt me."
He gripped her thigh a little tighter then, knowing he deserved that. "I missed you too, yanno." he managed to exhale.
"I'm sure you found ways to entertain yourself. Fuckin left and right, didn't you use to say?" she fired his old words back, earning another smile for him.
"Nah." he let his head fall back against the back of the sofa, looking up at the cloudless sky. "Only woman I wanted to fuck changed her name and moved across the city."
"She didn't have much of a choice." her tone lightened, the burning sensation on her abdomen becoming more painful by the minute. She winced as her shirt brushed the injured spot.
"I told Maya to get out of here so I could get a chance to apologize, but I can't figure out what the fuck to say." he rubbed the back of his neck, watching from the corner of his eye as she pushed her palm against the skin beneath her shirt.
"Have you never apologized to anyone before?" it was the best she could manage to lighten the mood given the events of the last 24 hours.
"Saying I'm sorry doesn't make up for what happened. I held you down." he was furious with himself as he reiterated everything that happened even though it was still fresh in both their minds.
"I know that." she whispered, waiting for him to finish.
"You told me not to trust Marco. You let your guard down for a split second and I saw how terrified you were of him. Then I delivered you to the man you feared the most like it was nothing. You screamed under my hands as he sliced into your skin and I just held you down tighter while you cried." his fists were clenched in his lap now, jaw rigid.
"None of that is important to me. My father is dead and I am finally safe for the first time in my entire life. My entire life, Rio." she enunciated, wanting him to understand the depth of her suffering.
"I never left the house without a healthy amount of fear. Worried he would find me, worried the man he sold me to would come to collect. Worried he would find out about Violet. I never slept peacefully, never made any friends, never let myself relax. I knew he was always looking for me. He wasn't going to give up until he had me back. That night I knocked on your door and asked to borrow your baseball bat, I was filled with so much panic thinking that he'd found me." she turned towards him now, taking his hands from his lap and smoothing his fingers out from their clenched position.
"You did a terrible thing." she whispered, nodding her head, wanting him to hear her. She moved her small hands up to cup his cheeks. "But then you saved me."
"I broke you." he spat, outraged at her generosity and forgiveness. "I aint save you." he said, taking her wrists and pulling them away from his face, holding them in his lap.
She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, regarding him warmly. "Then why am I sitting here with you feeling completely put back together?" she asked.
"Never should've given you that baseball bat. Shoulda told you to fuck off."
"What a boring couple years you would've had without me." she smiled, pulling one of her hands free, running her fingers lightly across his jaw.
"Aint never gonna let you get hurt like that again. You or that kid." he vowed, pushing both hands back, threading his fingers through her hair. He grabbed on to the thick waves roughly, pulling her mouth to his and kissing her deeply. She kissed him back for barely a moment before pulling back, their dark eyes locked on one another.
"I know you wont."