Page 69 of The Protection Agreement
“I am sorry,” he pleads.
“Tell me this. The girl that once accused you of rape, though no one could prove it, did you rape her?” I ask.
“I don't know. I was high that night. I don't know what I did or didn't do,” he mumbles.
“But you are not high tonight, so touching my woman was intentional and premeditated.” I punch him again, my blood seething with rage. I want to hurt him for daring to touch Jola. I release a sad chuckle. “Aren’t you a lucky motherfucker?” I turn to Ice. “Get him out of here.” I command.
He practically hauls David out of the chair and takes him out. Dad is quiet. I see the headlights of Lincoln’s car getting closer to the house. Dad knows David is a lost cause. Right now, I do not give a fuck about my brother. I need to figure out how to tell Jola. “I promised her she was safe here,” I say out loud.
“I am sorry, Bruce. I didn't know he was capable of this.”
He sounds sad; he has a big problem on his hands.
“When I am here, he better not be here. I suggest you get him help for whatever his issues are, or someone out there might make him a good meal for animals.” I see the fear in my dad’s eyes. David has and always will be Dad’s pain.
I leave and head up to get in bed with Jola. I do not want to sleep, but holding her is the one thing that calms me. Before getting in bed, I lock the bedroom door so she cannot leave before I wake up. I need to speak to her first before she goes down. She is sometimes an early riser and I do not want anyone else to tell her what happened but me.
Chapter forty
Lexi/ Jola
I stir in his strong arm that’s wrapped around me. I manage to crawl out from under him after kissing his chest and touching his face. In the bathroom, I brush and shower, and I apply lotion. With my hair up, I notice a bite mark on the nape of my neck. Bruce doesn’t give me hickeys, not his style. Maybe he decided to guess, but it feels weird. I let my hair down and get dressed. When I come out, Bruce is still asleep. I move quietly to open the door, but it’s locked; that’s strange. I look around for a key, but I can’t find any. I go to the window to look out, maybe Ice or Mr. Powell will be there, but I only see the vast Greenland and the driveway with Ice’s car parked. I look around for my phone to call Ice, but it’s nowhere to be found. Sighing, I have to wake Bruce up.
I’ve learned that Bruce isn’t a guy you wake up with a startle; he might reach for a gun. I get in bed and start to kiss his lips and his face. I tickle his ears and whisper, “Wake up, Bruce.” He stirs and smiles when he sees me, but his smile is replaced with a frown. “What’s wrong?” I say.
He shakes his head. “The door is locked,” I say. “Did you lock the door? Or did someone lock us in?”
“I did. I locked the door. I didn’t want you to go down without me.”
I laugh, getting out of the bed before he pins me down.
“Okay, can you please let me out now?”
“We need to talk, Jola,” he says, sitting up in bed. His tone is serious.
“What’s wrong?” I’m worried. Most times, I can read him, but today he’s stoic in a manner I can’t explain. “You are scaring me. What’s wrong?” My voice shakes. He pats the bed and puts his other hand out to me.
“Come and sit, please, Jola.” I take his hand and sit with him. “Please, be quiet and let me speak.”
I nod, my heart racing. This cloak and dagger isn’t Bruce; he’s usually direct, but whatever it is, he’s scared to tell me. Jonah.
“Is Jonah okay?” I blurt out, squeezing his hand tight. He doesn’t respond. My tears are immediate.
“Jonah is fine, Sprinkles.”
I sniffle. He wouldn’t lie to me, would he?
“Promise?”
“Yes, as far as I know. That’s not what I want to talk to you about.”
“Okay, I’ll be quiet,” I say and notice his exhale.
“Last night you took the pill before we started the movie. At some point, Ice and I got an emergency call, and we left you sleeping to take the call.”
“Is Ice okay?” I interrupt. I can’t help it; I’m scared of losing another person.
“Ice is fine,” he says. “While we were working, David found you on the sofa sleeping and he…”
