Saving Zola

7

She made her way over to Miguel's condo and parked her car. She saw the light on and saw a shadow that was unmistakably Zola's and she let out a slow breath, smiling that her little one was okay.

There was a knock on the window. Her first instinct was to reach for her gun but upon realizing it was Elliot she retracted and unlocked the doors.

He slid in the car and handed her a coffee. "Figured you were out here."

"What are you doing here?" asked Olivia. "Look if you came to watch me or keep an eye on me, go home. I'm fine and I can handle myself."

"Good to see you too."

"El,"

"Kathy kicked me out."

"Why? What happened?"

He huffed and laid his head against the headrest. "Lizzie wanted to go to a party and I said no. I found out Kathy let her go and I got mad. We fought and exchanged a couple words I punched a hole in the wall. Threw me a shirt and a pair of pants and told me to leave."

"I've always told you that anger issue of yours would get you in a world of trouble."

"Yeah well," he bent over a bit squinting Im his eyes to get a better look at the penthouse. "What's going on up there?"

"Nothing as far as I can tell. I just wish she'd cut the stubborn act and come home."

"Smack in the face, Liv. Not until after the smack in the face."

*
It had been three days and Zola missed her mom but she knew she couldn't go back. Everything was going fine... or so she thought. At a party Miguel had thrown she'd seen him throw himself at several girls. She even saw him take Abbey to his room and judging by the way they both came out, disheveled and smiley, they were doing more than having a conversation about business or whatever he does.

Zola sat on the bed, her feet dangling and irritated at him for cheating.

"What's that look, baby?" Miguel asked going through his drawer.

"Don't baby me. You had sex with Abbey and I saw you! She's my friend!"

Miguel found the bag he was looking for and looked at her. "You ain't see nothin."

"I did! You two came out of the room and-"

Before she knew it he'd taken three steps and smacked her across the face. Hard. She grabbed her stinging cheek and whimpered, opening and closing it to make sure it wasn't broken. Zola felt a wet substance running down her lip and she knew he'd drawn blood from her nose.

"You listen to me," he hissed. "What I do ain't none of your business. You don't yell at me, and you mind yours, you hear me lil girl?"

She didn't say anything. She just stared down at the floor shocked and furious that he'd hit her. Miguel grabbed her by her hair and yanked her. "You hear me!?"

She looked into his eyes and nodded cringing at the pain and the harsh sound of his voice. He let her go and sat next to her turning his attention back to the plastic bag in his hand. He pulled out a tray and started to cut a hard white substance. Zola's eyes went wide at the realization and her sobs became hushed cries. She couldn't believe it. He was so beautiful, so soft and kind, but he hit her and did drugs too?! How hadn't she seen this? The young girl turned her head as she heard him sniff. There was no way she could bare to witness that. She loved him.

Miguel tapped her leg. "Here, baby. Take some." She slowly looked over her shoulder to see him holding out his pinky covered in the powdery substance and her stomach turned. He smiled and said, "it'll take the edge off." She had seen what that stuff did to people, the things it made them do. In her mother's line of work knowing those things came like second nature.

"I-I don't want it."

"Do it!"

"No, please, please don't make me!"

He grabbed her by the back of her head and forced her down making her breath in the substance. "You don't get to tell me what you want!" He yelled. "You're mine. This is my house, my place, my money, my clothes you're wearing! I own you."

Zola began coughing and then she felt the bile rising in her throat. She shook herself out of his grasp and ran to the bathroom throwing up in the toilet. Her nose burned, her head hurt, her ear still ringing from how hard he slapped her, the vomiting was relentless and she'd just done a line of coke.

She heard him laughing above her. "Babies," he hissed. "I gotta lotta work to do with you."

Zola wasn't sure what that meant, but she felt the pang in the bottom of her stomach that told her whatever he meant by that wasn't good.

The room started spinning and no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she couldn't get up. The next thing she knew Miguel had thrown her over his shoulder and everything went black.