Crazy in Love

Chapter 4

When I went home after my shift in the bar, I made a short visit at Drake's house.

"You know, I really don't like to give you this stuff, but the wounds are really bad," he replied pitifully and treated some. Drake Sullivan was a doctor and a friend to me and knew my problem. But he didn't know exactly who was abusing me.
"How long do you actually want to go on with this?" he asked me and leaned back. I shrugged my shoulders "I can't go. That wouldn't be right," I replied and carefully pulled my blouse over. "Not right?", he stared at me with big eyes and laughed, "You're crazy."

"Can I just get my medicine now? Then I'm gone," I let him know angry. He handed me the morphine and some ointment. He shook his head "Think about what you are missing in life. Just because you're too stupid to help yourself!"

"Shut up!.", I answered and threw the money on his desk. "If you would stop lecturing each of your patients, I'm sure more people would come to you again", with these words I hissed from his small 80qm apartment and to the next bus stop.

The tower clock a few meters away struck at midnight. The bus should be there in a few minutes, when I let my eyes wander over the dark streets and I saw a shadow on the opposite alley. I heard the voices of drunken youths and breathed a sigh of relief. Not that I was afraid, but the word crime was already written in capital letters in the area. I let my gaze drift on and under the poorly lit lantern stood a man, as I could hardly make out after his stature. I narrowed my eyes a little. Hands in my trouser pockets, head a little lowered. He seemed to look at me. I stepped from one foot to the other. "Hey you!" I shouted across the street. "You okay?" I wanted to know. Are you okay? What was I doing? A strange man standing around in the dark, whether he's looking at me or not. So I decided to ignore him. He could have been a drug dealer or someone who'd grab me and rape me in the corner.
The bus came around the corner, my tension eased when I got in. I sat down in one of the back rows. When I looked over again, he was gone.

***

With a bad feeling I was now standing at the front door. With my right hand on the door, I opened the front door. From there I could already hear cheerful laughter. "Melanie, is that you?!", I heard my father calling. "Yes," I answered and threw my jacket aside. "Could you come here, please?"
"Actually, I was getting ready for bed. It's been a really long day, and...", I was shocked when I entered the kitchen. His buddy, my dad, and a stripper with her ass pointing at them. "Melanie, meet your new mom. Angelica. Angelica, this is my beautiful daughter. Isn't she adorable?" So he pushed Angelica aside to hang onto me. "Does she have a boyfriend?", his friend Damien wanted to know. "She may not be a virgin but..." he waved. I looked at him in horror and said, "I'm going up."

"Stay. We could organize one for you. A man of course." my father suggested. "Or she could just dance for me," Damian replied laughing and winked at me. I made a disgusted face. Damian was definitely not my type with his Elvis Presley hairstyle and his tight-fitting clothes. Also his age. Ugh! At the same moment my mobile rang. "Who's that?" my dad wanted to know immediately and grabbed my smartphone. "Hello? What do you think you are doing?" I got pissed at him and ran out of the room. "No manners, your daughter. I'd give her a beating for that disrespect!"

I got a call from an anonymous number. "Hello?" „Ah Senorita O'Connor.", a feminine voice at the other end said and added "I have tried to reach you today..."

"Who is there?"

"My name is Emily Jackson, Diego Garcia's assistant." I listened. "And to what do I owe this honor?"