Gracious

Chapter 11

A/N - shorter chapter today 🫶🏾

TW - upsetting scenes this chapter (again)🧍🏾‍♀️

~~~

"Trouble", you need to let him go, "you good?".

I was nowhere near good, hadn't been since I'd left Marco's a week ago. My mind had been at war with itself, constantly debating whether to do what my cousin had told me, or allow myself to be happy for once...even if it put Cairo at risk.

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he got hurt.

Yet I couldn't stay away.

"I'm okay", I tried to force a smile, pulling out my wallet, "can I have a black coffee please?". He nodded, eyes narrowing slightly as he eyed me up and down.

"Haven't seen you for a week", he commented, trying to hide the annoyance in his tone, "everything okay?". My psychotic father has connections all over the place, and your life is being threatened because you like me.

"Fine", I nodded, glancing up at him, "just had a lot on my plate this week". The atmosphere had changed between us, we'd gone from multiple kisses and him coming over to whatever this was...and it was down to nobody but myself.

"Well, you know if you need an extra pair of hands I'm a phone call away", he told me, handing me my coffee and giving me my total, "whenever Zane, I mean it". I needed to get out of here before I did something stupid like bursting into tears or jumping over the counter and kissing him.

It was selfish, leading him on, and I had to think about him- not me...never me.

"Thank you", I said quietly, gripping my drink and clearing my throat, "I'll uh- I'll catch you later". I didn't even stick around to hear what he'd had to say; if I'd have stayed a second longer I was scared I would've begged him to see that I wasn't okay, that I couldn't do this...that I needed help.

~

Three years ago

School was one of, if not the only escape I had from home, from him. And while I loved that escape, knowing my brothers were also safe and away from him, it was only temporary- a few hours a day.

Whenever we weren't in school, or it was the weekend, we were at risk constantly; I was at risk of a beating at any given moment.

Although I took the brunt of my father's temper the most, and by choice, there were times when my brothers- the younger ones, fell victim too.

Which is exactly what was happening right now.

I'd had to stay in school a little later to catch up on some work; I was just grateful that Reed and Delilah picked up my siblings on a daily basis and dropped them home. They knew what went on in our house, they weren't stupid, but I'd told them time and time again, there wasn't anything they could do- I'd pleaded with them to just leave it be...and they still tried to help as much as possible.

I was fifteen, I could take care of them as long as we stayed out of Santiago's way as much as possible- and I found confiding in the parents of my brother's friend a little embarrassing.

I'd taken the twenty minute walk home in twelve minutes, praying that he wasn't home and they were safe; Prescott may have been twelve but I knew he had enough sense to get them all into a room and barricade it if needs be.

Something I shouldn't have to say, but was our reality anyway.

I came home to complete silence.