“Stubborn ass woman,” Ellis mutters under his breath. “Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you.” He turns to Atlas. “You think you can call the cops?”
I freeze in place. “The cops? I figured we'd just go by the police department like last time.”
“What in the hell do you mean by like last time?” Atlas glares at us through slitted eyes. “Y'all have a lot to explain.”
Ellis glances down at his feet, guilt clearly written across his face. “Yeah, man. We do. But let's take care of this first, yeah?”
Atlas grunts but agrees. “Guess I'm calling the cops.”
I shoulder past Ellis, hell-bent on seeing everything he doesn't want me to.
“Scar...” He heaves out a resigned sigh and steps out of my way. “At least let me come with you.”
How bad could it really be?“Fine.”
I stop short the second I cross the threshold. It’s so much worse than anything I ever could have imagined. The meal from last night has been tossed all over my kitchen. It's smeared across the table, the wall, and the floor. My couch is flipped on its side, and my throw pillows are scattered around the room. My TV screen is shattered, like someone beat it with a baseball bat.
Unsteady and shaking, I venture in further. “Who would do this? I croak, trying like hell not to cry.
Ellis squeezes my shoulder, offering me silent comfort before adding, “I don't know, Princess, but we're damn sure gonna figure it out. Have you seen enough?”
In all honesty, I have. In my heart of hearts, I know no good will come from me venturing into the bedroom. But my own morbid curiosity outweighs my fear. “I can handle it.”
I step into my bedroom and double over as the sight I'm met with hits me like a freight train.
My mattress is shredded. Blankets and pillows, too. My clothes are tossed all around the room, most destroyed.
But it’s the big, dripping red letters on the wall that truly stop me in my tracks.
I didn’t take you for a whore, Petal. Don’t you know? You belong to me.
“Fuck.” My heart beats wildly in my chest as I sway on my feet.
“Hey,” Ellis says, stepping up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. My head lolls back onto his shoulder as he instructs me. “Just breathe, deep breaths, like this.” He inhales deeply and holds it, before releasing it slowly. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
“Ellis,” I whimper, wishing like hell I could crawl into a deep, dark hole and never come out.
“I've got you.” He runs his hand up and down my arms.
“What do I do?” I cry, shaking out of his hold and glancing around the room.
The only thing untouched is Fefe's cage. She pops her head up at the sound of my voice, juking happily when she sees me. “It's okay, pretty girl.” I lift the hem of my shirt and wipe my tears, only for fresh ones to take their place. “We’ll figure this out.”
I want nothing more than to take her out and hold her, but my hands are shaking so hard, I worry I’ll drop her. I’ve had Fefe about a year or so—I bought her in the aftermath of everything that happened with Nora—and while obviously a ferret can’t be an official emotional support animal, she soothes me in a way nothing else does.
“You're goddamn right we are,” Ellis agrees. “But for now, try not to touch anything. The cops will want to catalog everything.”
“What am I going to do?” My voice sounds frantic even to my own ears. “Where am I going to stay? My mom's out of town and?—”
Ellis spins me to face him and thumps his fist against his chest. “You’ll stay with me.”
“I can't.” I’m sure he’s only offering to be nice or out of some misguided sense of chivalry. “I can't impose on you like that.”
“You're not imposing.” He’s trying to hide it, but I can hear the exasperation in his voice and see it in the tight line of his mouth.
“We’ll kill each other.”
He narrows his eyes in annoyance, but I don’t miss the way his lips twitch in amusement. “You're staying with me, and that’s final.” I try to argue but he presses his index finger to my lips. “You staying with anyone else puts them at risk. Staying at a hotel is not safe enough. The way I see it is, I’m your only option.”