Mary held onto her daughter tightly as they walked out of the building. April was trying not to shake as she kept her head down. She could feel Randy's eyes on her as she walked, but couldn't bare to look in his direction. When they got outside, Corey and Carmella were standing out there talking.
"You guys are still here?" April asked surprised.
"Of course. He'd have to drag me out of here to leave you." Carmella answered with a friendly smile.
"Are you the one that called the police?" May asked Carmella.
"Yes."
Mary threw her arms around Carmella, squeezing her as tight as she held her own child while trying to hold back her tears. "Thank you s o much for helping my daughter."
"You're welcome. She's a sweet girl. A
"You okay?" Corey whispered to April as he came up and stood beside her.
April looked up at him and nodded. Her body was able to relax slightly with the comfort of him so close to her. Over the last few weeks, the way Corey interacted with her made her think of how an older brother is supposed to be. Someone to joke with, but who is also looking out for you.
"I just can't believe this was all happening and we didn't know." Mary said as she pulled away from Carmella, blaming herself.
"He's really good at manipulating the people around him." April finally spoke.
"No kidding." Corey blurted out. "I mean we knew he was a jerk, but we didn't know he was a monster."
He draped an arm around April.
"He thinks he's God's gift to wrestling, and women, and everything." Carmella added annoyed.
"So what happens now?" Corey asked.
"They're going to continue with him when his lawyer gets here and try to build a case against him. They're going to start asking questions to the people around him and April and dig into everything. But for now April and I need to find a hotel somewhere. She needs some rest and we have a lot we have to talk about."
"Yes please. I want to go before he comes out here." April almost begged in a shakey voice.
"It's okay hunny. He won't be out here for a while. But we'll get going." Mary said in a comforting voice.
"You can come back to our room and stay with us." Carmella offered. "Maybe if there's more people you'll feel more comfortable."
"But he knows where that is. He knows the room. What if he gets out and we're all still there and he comes looking for me?" April panicked.
"Okay, we'll go somewhere else. I just have to get the overnight bag I packed out of the car and we can get going." Mary told her, then stepped away to the rental car she got at the airport.
The car was a few spots away and her bag was in the backseat. April stayed with Corey and Carmella by the entrance to the police station. While Mary was away a car rushed into the parking lot and quickly pulled into the closest spot to the trio. Corey and Carmella turned their heads to the cars direction while April stepped behind Corey. Aleister stepped out of the car and slammed the door before running over to Corey.
"I was on my way to the next city when I got your call. I got back here as soon as I could.
April peaked out cautiously behind Corey now knowing who was there. She wasn't sure how to react to him. She didn't know what Corey said when he called, she didn't even know that Corey called. She didn't know how he would react when he found out everything.
"April." He said as his eyes went wide. He hadn't seen her behind Corey and thought she was still inside. "Are you alright?"
His stance was strong and he sounded very aggressive. His deep voice and piercing eyes almost made him seem primal. However it wasn't scaring April, though it may have most people. Instead it was making her feel protected. He stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her cheek looking into her eyes letting her know that his anger wasn't towards her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked softly.
"Corey called and told me what was happening." He answered still in a raspy voice, but more softly.
"And you came back?" She asked in disbelief.
"Of course. I wanted to be here for you. Or beat his ass. Whoever I ran into first." Her said with a light smile.
Aleister was trying to make her feel at ease. She leaned into the warmth of his hand. Of course he wanted to be yelling and screaming, even more what he really wished he could go was walk right into the police station and rip Randy apart. But he didn't want to do any more damage to April. She needed someone right now to just be there with her. To treat her like normal. To show her kind and compassion.
"Well I got my stuff but now, who the hell is that?" Mary exclaimed as she came back to the group.
Aleister jumped back slightly, removing his hand from her face.
"This is Aleister. He's a good friend of mine." Corey answered.
"He's been hanging around with us and April over the last few weeks." Carmella added.
"He's been nice to me." April told her.
"Oh, okay. As long as he's on our side." Mary said exasperated. After all of the information that she found out today, she wasn't sure who she could trust.
"I've been trying to look out for her ma'am. I'm so sorry all this happened." Aleister said to Mary and April.
"You're not the only one. But thank you." Mary replied.
"Can we please go now?" April asked quietly.
"Right. That's what I was saying." Mary began. "Bob and I rented a car together when we got here. He put it in his name and his credit card, so I don't think I can take it. Without the chance of him getting the police involved anyway."
"What are we gonna do?" April asked.
"I brought my car after they made Carmella come over in a cop car. I can give you a ride back to our hotel. You still have your stuff there."
"What are we going to do from there? We can't stay at that hotel." April asked, her breathing speeding up as she got more anxious with every word.
"I'll take you somewhere after you get your stuff." Aleister said to her. "I'll follow you guys back to the hotel and after you get your stuff I'll take you wherever you want to go."
"No Aleister. You were already on your way somewhere else…"
"I don't care. I insist." He interrupted.
April looked over to where her mother was. "Mom?"
""Whatever makes you feel comfortable honey."
April turned back to Aleister and offered him the smallest of smiles. It was all she could bring herself to do, but he saw the thankfulness in her eyes.
April was nervous about staying anywhere close to where they were in case Randy was released. She didn't want to be anywhere around in fear that he would get to her. So they came up with the idea that ALeister would continue back on his way to the next city and Mary and April would accompany him. Once they got to a point where April felt like she was safe enough, he would pull over and drop them off. When they got back to the hotel, Mary stayed outside with Aleister while April went in with Corey and Carmella to get her things.
"Thank you for everything." April said as she squeezed Carmella into a tight hug. "I didn't think I'd be free until I went to college and moved away. And even then it was just hope. At least I thought I'd see him less."
"You don't need to thank me. I just did what anyone else would have done if they found out." Carmella told her in a friendly tone. "I just wish it would have stopped sooner."
"I didn't think anyone would believe me over him." April admitted to them.
"I dunno about that. His attitude rubs a lot of people the wrong way. If they heard he was up to something shady, they'd probably believe it." Corey informed her while Carmella nodded along.
"Still it took a lot." April insisted. "Between getting me to open up to what was happening. To having the balls to call the cops and get them involved. To talking with Randy by yourself and trying to get out of him what he did."
"By the way, don't ever do that again." Corey interjected. Carmella just shrugged. "If I had known what he was capable of neither of you would have ever been alone with him."
"And thank you for caring so much." April said to Corey as she hugged him tightly.
Brothers are supposed to protect you from harm, not be the ones who cause it. And that's what Corey did the whole time she was there.
He just put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He wasn't sure what to say to her, but that was the only reply she needed.
"You know, when I got home I had planned on just forgetting these weeks had even happened. I didn't want to be here, I knew it was going to be horrible, I just wanted to try and forget whatever was going to happen and move forward with my life. I never imagined that I would end up meeting people that I would miss. People that I didn't want to forget." April told them as she pulled apart from Corey.
"Uh, yeah, you're not allowed to forget us. You better keep in touch." Carmella said to her, causing her to have somewhat of a small laugh.
Carmella had a bossy attitude, that had become apparent especially over the last few days But it was that personality trait that ended up saving April.
"Well I guess I better get going before my mom starts to worry." April said as she picked up her duffel bag.
Her friends nodded in agreement. She said her final goodbyes and left to go back downstairs to Aleister's car.
"All set?" He asked as she approached the car.
"Yes. Let's go." She replied.
Aleister grabbed her bag and put it in the trunk as he did with Mary's. April got into the front seat of the car while her mother was in the back. They weren't totally sure where they were going to end up just yet, but Aleister just continued to drive. Most of the ride was silent. April spent a lot of the ride looking out of the window. She was still too nervous and embarrassed about everything that went on to look at anyone much less him. He had noticed her staring out the window and reached his hand across the center console and held hers. She jumped slightly. Partially surprised by his act. And partially because thoughts of the day Randy had caught them talking to each other began flooding her brain. She was filled with so much pain from that day she couldn't help but flinch. She knew she had to try and push it away or block it out somehow. It wasn't Aleister's fault. But she just didn't know how.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"You were fidgeting." He replied.
"Oh." April said looking down. She wasn't aware she was showing how nervous she was.
"I can move it back if you want." He told her. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Don't you need it to drive" April asked.
"Nah. I'm kind of a pro at this by now with all the traveling I do." He replied looking over at her with a smirk.
April relaxed in her seat a bit and squeezed his hand a little tighter. He smiled at her before turning his attention back to the road.
"I'm glad you finally told someone what was going on."
"Me too, I guess."
"You guess?" He questioned.
She turned to look at him. "I'm scared. I'm so scared. At first I was terrified that someone would find out and wonder what they would think of me and think I was lying. Now I'm happy it's out and and people believe me and want to help, but I'm so scared of what he'll do."
"He won't do anything." He told her.
"You don't know him like I do. If he doesn't get put in jail, and this gets out to other people or he loses his job…"
"He's not that stupid. He already knows that me and Corey have your back. He has to know that everyone else will want to beath is ass too when they find out. I don't think he even wants to guess what Hunter's reaction will be, having three daughters himself that he knows this man has been around."
"How have you been so cam through all of this tonight?"
"Because that's what you need. You've seen enough people fly off the handle in the last twenty four hours. Believe me, you would have seen a different person had you been in the car on my way to the police station."
April smiled and felt more at ease. Even though all of his tattoos and menacing looks, there was something about Aleister that was tranquil.
They were about forty miles away from where they originally started when April said that she felt safe to stop. Aleister drove until he found a nice looking hotel for the two. It was getting into the early morning hours now and April was exhausted, and she knew there was still a lot to discuss with her mother. He got out of the car with the girls to help them get their bags.
"Do you need me to walk you two in?" He offered.
"No thank you. We'll be fine." Mary answered. "Thank you for the ride."
"You're welcome. It was nice to meet you ma'am. Though I wish it wasn't under these circumstances."
"Thank you for looking out for my daughter." Mary said to him with sincerity in her voice.
"Of course. Please let me know if there's any more I can do for either of you."
Mary nodded and looked toward April.
"Mom, do you think you could go in and get us a room and give us a minute?" She asked.
Mary hesitantly agreed. After everything her daughter had been through she didn't want to leave her side, especially if it was for April to be alone with a man. But if April felt comfortable with it then she knew she had to trust her daughter so she reluctantly began walking into the hotel lobby.
"Aleister, there is something you can do for me." She said once her mother went inside.
"Is it play twenty questions with your mom again?" He joked.
April briefly giggled. "No, sorry about that. I should have figured she would have interrogated you when you were alone."
"It's understandable." He said with a comforting shrug. "What do you need?"
"I need you to listen."
