“Remember what we did? What you said you wouldn’t even tell Margie about?”
“Why are you bringing that up?” she asked through her teeth, feeling the wave of shame overwhelm her as it had for so long. “I told you unless it’s about Margie—”
“Listen to me, Ollie. She did it too,” he said, shutting Olivia up immediately. “She was high but willing when we tried the threesome with another girl. But like you, she said she’d never want to with two guys. We started spending a lot of time down in my brother’s basement, not just when he wasn’t there, but when we had friends over partying. Sometimes . . .”
He stopped and Olivia felt the air sucked out of her as she clutched her chest. Was this true or were these all lies? All the ugliness she’d felt for so long when she’d finally opened her eyes and realized how stupid she’d been for letting Jay drag her down as he had for so long, inundated her.
“Sometimes I had to leave. I had drops to make.” He continued. “When people want their fix, they want it now. They don’t like waiting. But I knew she couldn’t go home high, so she’d stay at my brother’s place and sleep it off. Last month one of the times I left her there, partying with my brother and his friends, she wasn’t the only girl there, so she said she’d be okay. When she’s on weed, she’s different, Ollie, way braver and outgoing. Things between her and me were never like they were with you and me either. I didn’t tell any of the guys she was off limits, so I’d seen a few of them flirt before, and they knew I didn’t care. I was gone longer than usual, and when I got back, she was passed out naked in bed with two of my brother’s friends. My brother assured me she’d been the one who instigated the whole thing. It wasn’t rape. He said he even tried talking her out of it—that she’d regret it in the next day—but she was pissed that I’d left her for so long and was sure I was with another girl.”
“Were you?” Olivia asked as if she didn’t already know the answer.
She could hardly believe she’d ever cared about such a monster. How could he leave Margie in that place with all those lowlife losers for so long?
“No! That’s the thing, babe—”
“Don’t call me that!”
Olivia was livid now, but she still wasn’t sure if she believed it all. Two guys? Not Margie. Up until she’d been with Jay, she’d been a virgin!
“That’s the thing, he said again. “You know me. Even with everything we went through, I looked after you. I did the same with her. I was trying to get back, but I got caught up. It happens.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it does,” she huffed. “What I’m not sure about is if I believe you.”
“Believe it, Ollie. It did. Only she was so wasted she didn’t remember any of it. I knew she wouldn’t, so I made them all leave the bedroom, and I lay down next her. When she woke, she thought she’d slept with just me. Later, when I talked to the guys, they admitted to each having sex with her more than once. I wasn’t going to ever tell her. I knew she’d freak the fuck out. I figured it was better if she never knew. Then she got pregnant.”
“Oh my God,” Olivia gasped as it dawned on her what he was saying.
“Yeah, and the worst thing is one of those guys was Samoan and the other one was Mexican. No way will she believe that kid is mine when we’re both vanilla white. It’s why I kept telling her she should get an abortion. I preferred she think I’m a total asshole with no regard for her beliefs than to tell her the truth. But she wouldn’t listen, so I finally had to tell her.”
“What did she say?” Olivia asked, almost terrified to know the answer.
Olivia had since fallen back on the sofa, unable to stand anymore as she heard all the horrific details.
“At first, she didn’t believe me, but I swear to you on my baby sister’s life it’s the truth. And then, I don’t know. I guess maybe she remembered bits and pieces because she suddenly broke down, crying hysterically. She said she’d been having flashbacks but thought maybe it was something she’d dreamt when she was high or something, because she didn’t think it could possibly be true. She also knew I wouldn’t know which guys were in her so-called dream, and the more she talked, the more she remembered and was even more hysterical.”
Olivia covered her face now. She could only imagine what Margie was feeling. She remembered the night she’d agreed to the threesome, and she’d only had a few strong drinks. The next day she actually wished she’d had more because she remembered it all. The shame had been unbearable when she’d sobered up and realized what she’d done. It was all she could think of for weeks, months. And she’d done it with Jay and another girl, not two completely different guys.
“The night I told her two days ago, well three now, was the last time I heard from her. I was hoping she was with you because, aside from your house, I can think of only one other place where she might be.”
That jolted Olivia to sit upright suddenly. “Where?”
Jay explained how when he questioned Sailo and Julian, the two guys she’d been with, he hadn’t told them about her being pregnant. He knew both would be against her having it. Jay’s brother ran with the lowest of the lowest. But it was worse than he initially thought. His brother warned Jay these guys might actually hurt Margie if she didn’t agree to an abortion.
“Julian already has two different baby mommas with two kids each,” Jay said, sounding even more worried suddenly. “The last thing he wants is another one on his ass about giving her money. So I knew it was crucial that he didn’t find out about it. But my stupid-ass brother got drunk and let it slip that Margie was pregnant. That’s when I knew I had to tell her, and then later that night I made my brother promise that if his thug friends went after her he’d let me know before they hurt her. I’d convince her to abort one way or another. The night I told her, when she finally calmed down, she mentioned needing to get away. I encouraged her to, but she was so freaked out already I didn’t want to tell her she might be in danger on top of everything else I’d just dumped on her. The next day she was gone, but my brother said he hadn’t heard anything. Then he got pinched. He’s been locked up for days now and has limited access to talking to anyone. That’s why I came down here. I was hoping she’d be here. I’m waiting on a call from my brother. He should know something by now, but I’m pretty sure I know what the answer’s gonna be, and if it is, I really think you should come with me. My brother was sure of one thing when it came to Julian: that guy don’t fuck around. Like all his friends, the guy already has blood on his hands. Not so much Sailo, he’s actually been known to have a heart, but my brother said Julian’s as cold as they come and he knows how to cover his tracks well. If he’s gotten to her, there are only two possible outcomes: either she’s already had the abortion or she’s dead. My guess is she had it. I know when she was so hysterical the idea of an abortion was suddenly not such an impossibility. I told her what she’d be getting herself into if she ended up stuck with a baby from one of those two thugs. She didn’t want any part of that lifestyle. She hasn’t been taking her anti-depressants in a while, so if she had the abortion, we both know the state of mind she must be in.”
Olivia had already started gasping with every new horrid detail Jay explained about this whole mess. But this was so much worse than she would’ve ever imagined. Even if they hadn’t killed her best friend, Margie could still be in grave danger.
“Suicidal,” Olivia gasped again.
She’d been on her feet almost as soon as Jay started explaining about Sailo and Julian not wanting any part of possibly being Margie’s baby’s dad. Now she stood there with her hand over her mouth, shaking her head. How unfair was all this shit? They took advantage of her being high and out of her mind and didn’t bother taking precautions. Now they were going to threaten her life if she didn’t abort? The bastards!
“Hold on!” she said as something suddenly came to her.
She began scrolling through her text messages until she came to the last one she’d gotten from Margie days ago. It had appeared to
be incomplete and didn’t make sense, but now it might. She found it and reread it.
I really NEED to talk to you. I don’t know how I’ll . . .
That was it. Olivia remembered feeling so frustrated because, if she had to guess, this was another distress signal from Margie. Her best friend needed her then and now possibly more than ever, but she hadn’t been able to get a hold of her since.
When she got back on the line, Jay wasn’t there anymore, but she could hear him talking to someone in the background. Jay’s voice was doing all the talking, so she figured he was on his cell. She tried to listen because she couldn’t make out what he was saying, but based on his tone he didn’t sound happy.
Continuing to clutch her chest, she waited anxiously. She heard him trying to calm someone now, and that only alarmed her further. Finally he got back on the phone.
“Okay good news and bad news,” he said. “She’s with Sailo. My brother was right; the guy’s nowhere as bad as Julian. She called him. He didn’t go looking for her. I guess they’ve been talking on the phone and shit even before the threesome, but she always begged him not to tell me. She called him and asked him if he’d take her to get the abortion. She needed someone to drive her home, and she didn’t wanna call me. He said she’s pissed at me for not having told her sooner about her night with Sailo and Julian. He fucking didn’t either!”
“Who cares!” Olivia said, barely able to believe that Margie had actually willingly had an abortion and this is what Jay was concerned about. “What’s the bad news?”
“She had it yesterday, and now she’s freaking out on him. Keeps talking about wanting to die. She’s off her meds and doesn’t have any with her but refuses to call her parents or go home and get them. He’s been with her since yesterday at a hotel room, but now he’s freaking out because the last thing he wants is to have to call 911. The guy has all kinds of warrants and shit. He’s threatening to just leave her there.”
“No! He can’t!”
“I told him to get her some meth or at least weed. It’ll calm her down at least until we can get there and you can convince her to call her parents.”
“He should call her parents,” Olivia said frantically. “I’ll call them. I just need to know where she’s at and they can go down there and take her home.”
“Are you nuts? You know what her parents are like. They’ll call the cops! I can’t do that to the guy. He did the right thing and hung with her all night. He probably would’ve been willing to hang with her longer if she hadn’t started flipping out on him. But he’s really freaked. He said she has moments where she gets really loud when she’s crying and he’s afraid someone in one of the other rooms might call the cops.”
Olivia had seen firsthand how hysterical Margie could get. She understood why Sailo would be freaking out.
“I gotta make a call to get some weed and shit out to Sailo’s hotel room,” Jay said quickly. “I’ll call you in a few.”
Her mind spun now as Lorenzo came to mind. Understandably, he’d be livid if she left with Jay. The thought of how quickly he went from her sweet beautifully tender boyfriend to the hard ass Rosie had first told her about and she’d already experienced in small doses, made her cringe. This could cost her, but she had to believe that if he really loved her he’d understand. Margie had been there for Olivia during one her darkest hours ever—a time when Olivia had also entertained thoughts of taking her own life.
Olivia had sent Margie a text the moment she’d hung up with Jay. She needed some kind of confirmation that what Jay was telling her wasn’t some kind of elaborate lie again.
I want to be there for you if you need me, but I need to be sure this is you, Margie. So answer me this. Who did I say for years would someday be my husband?
After a few minutes went by with no response, she felt stupid for sending the text in the first place; then her phone pinged and her heart was suddenly at her throat. It was Margie. Her response was two words.
Tim Tebow
With tears in her eyes, Olivia texted her back immediately. Her phone didn’t even ring one full time when Jay called back. “The drugs are on their way to Margie’s hotel room, but there’s no guarantee she’ll take them. I gotta get there before he bails on her. You don’t have to go, but—”
“Come pick me up,” she said as she finished throwing another change of clothes in her bag. “I need to be there for her.”
She rattled off her address, figuring he’d already found her address once when he sent her the flowers so no need to try and keep it from him now. Instead of worrying about that, she went over her half-baked plan to buy her some time so she wouldn’t have to tell her brothers or Lorenzo the whole truth until she was able to talk to them in person.
The morning had started as one of the most exciting and sweetest in her life but had quickly spiraled to one the most terrifying mornings of her life. She didn’t know what they’d find when they finally got to Margie, but just as harrowing was the thought of having to tell Lorenzo she was with Jay.
Seventeen
Lorenzo
I’m about to board a plane to Dallas. I finally got a hold of Margie, but she’s in bad shape. I need to be there for her. I’ll explain everything when I talk to you later today. I love you!
Lorenzo stared at the text from Liv again. It was the first thing he’d read when he landed in North Carolina hours ago and he immediately turned on his phone. He’d yet to hear from her since, despite his attempts to call her several times. Oddly his call had gone straight to voicemail each time. He was trying to keep an open mind, but like yesterday his gut was telling him something was wrong. He cursed the fucking timing of this deployment. He could’ve been there with her. He also cursed the fact that all this time he hadn’t thought to exchange numbers with any of her brothers for times like these when he was worried about her.
Once he’d reported to duty he was required to turn his phone off. The little time he had during breaks he hadn’t wanted to spend making phone calls to try and track her brothers down. That would likely have Lorenzo leaving messages only to have to turn his phone right back off when his break was over. Lorenzo wasn’t sure he wanted everyone in on this yet. It could be nothing more than Liv wanting to be there for her despondent friend. He wasn’t sure yet how much her brothers knew about the situation if at all. He decided it was best to wait at least until tonight when he was done with training. If he hadn’t heard from her by then, he’d have no choice but to start making calls, even if it might open up a can of worms.
He was on his lunch break now and he’d hoped that by now he would’ve heard more, but he still had nothing. The damn knot he’d had in his stomach ever since he read her text earlier was only getting tighter. He hated the memory it brought on of when he’d last felt this bad: the night he got the call about Linda being in a wreck.
Lunch break was nearly over, and Lorenzo hadn’t bothered getting anything to eat. For obvious reasons, he didn’t have much of an appetite. Still lost in thoughts of what Liv might be doing but most annoyingly who else might be with her, he flinched when his phone rang in his hand.
His eyes were immediately on the screen, but he didn’t recognize the number. Under the circumstances he didn’t care. He swiped his finger across the screen anxiously and answered.
“Lorenzo?”
His brows pinched at the female voice he didn’t immediately recognize. “Who’s this?”
“It’s Emilia,” she said. “Livi asked me to call you.”
“Em? Yeah, yeah,” he said, standing from where he’d been sitting and gripping the phone a little tighter. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine,” Em said quickly. “She just lost her phone. She thinks she left it on the plane. She doesn’t have your number memorized. I had to call the firing range and get it from Vince. But she wanted me to call you as soon as I did and let you know she’s fine. She’s with Margie now.”
Lorenzo was already heading bac
k to his training. He had precious little time before he had to report back, but he needed to know a few things first. “What happened? Why’d she have to go so suddenly?”
“I don’t have all the details. She just said Margie had some kind of nervous breakdown and she had to be there for her. No one was here when she left, so she didn’t get a chance to explain to anyone. We didn’t even know she’d gone to Dallas until she called me. I’m the first one to hear from her.”
That last comment made Lorenzo slow down. “She didn’t call your brothers?”
“Uh, she might’ve now,” Em said, and if Lorenzo weren’t mistaken, he caught the slightest bit of unease in her tone. “My number was the only one Margie had on her phone. She didn’t have my brothers’, but I gave her their numbers.” She laughed softly but even that sounded strangely forced. “It’s crazy how nowadays no one memorizes numbers. She didn’t remember their numbers either.”
“But Margie’s okay now?”
“Yes,” Em said readily. “They got her back to her parents, and everything is gonna be fine. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to get a hold of Vince since I was in class when I got the text from her, so she asked me to leave you a message as soon as I did. She didn’t think I’d get a hold of you because you’re in training. But she also wanted me to call her as soon as I was done leaving you a message with your phone number so she can call you or text you. You want me to do that now since you’re available?”
Lorenzo glanced down at his watch with a frown. He didn’t have time. He needed to report back in less than two minutes. Already he was rushing back toward the training grounds.
“I was on a break,” he explained. “But it’s over now. Tell her to call me after five tonight. I really wanna talk to her.”
“Okay, I’ll let her know.”
“Em?” he said before she could hang up.
“Yeah?”
“Who’s they? Who else is she with?”
The line went quiet for a moment. Then he heard her clear her throat. “She, uh . . . didn’t say. It was just a couple of texts that I couldn’t even read until after class because we’re not allowed to have our phones on in class. She didn’t answer when I tried calling her after class, so I just went ahead and started to track Vince down. I just now got the phone call from him, and I was going to try to call her again as soon as I left you her message.”