I'm Not Broken - TH

•5•

It hurts.
The physical pain that was inflicted upon me from my dad, the emotional pain from the abandonment of my mum, and the generalized pain from feeling alone and unwanted.
I grab the box of hair dye, walking into the bathroom and setting it on the counter. If the word 'missing' with a big picture of me goes all over the internet, then I can't look the way I do. Insert brown hair dye. I open it up, and mix the products together in the bottle.. here we go. Time to change my look.
As the dye sits in my hair, the phone starts to ring and I grab it off the bed, putting it to my ear.
"Tom?"
"Hey Darlin." His comforting voice says.
"Hi, I'm kind of freaking out here.. like I'm seven hours away. By myself." I admit.
"Look I'm figuring this out, but it's difficult." He starts. "I really need Haz's help.. and I can't get it unless I tell him what's going on."
I sigh, knowing that I need to do what I need to do in order for whatever it is he's trying to do to work.
"Tell him everything." I say.
"Are you sure?" He questions.
"Yes. Just help me.. please.."
"I've got you, don't worry."
•Toms pov•
I hang up the phone with Chloe, and walk down the hallway, searching for Haz.
I know I can keep her safe. It's my job to be able to defend against psychopaths like her dad, I just can't bring her into my life and expose her to shit that is scarier than him. She'd hate me if she knew who I really was, or more so who I'm becoming.
When we first became friends, I was normal.. I hadn't been pulled into this life yet. But over the last couple years I started training, so did Haz, and I got to see the shit my dad really does. I'm slowly taking over the mob, as I'm suppose to now that I'm 18.
My mum and dad would love Chloe, and if they knew her and what she's been going through they'd encourage me to protect her in a heart beat, my dad would probably also kill her dad though.. but the point is, I know what is morally right. Yeah my morals may be out of balance, but this is one that I know to be true. You help innocent people being abused.
Could she handle it? Seeing who I really am? Seeing that I'm not the good guy she thinks I am?
"Haz." I say, getting his attention as he sits around with the group of guys smoking cigars.
"What?" He asks and I nod for him to come with me.
He leaves the room, following behind me until we get to a room that I know no one will hear us talking.
"Alright.. Chloe has been being physically abused by her dad, and she ran away." I say simply.
"Woah what? Are you serious?!" He asks, anger rising in him. I can already see his fists clenching. "Did you kill him?!"
"No.. of course not." I shake my head.
"Then I'm gonna." He states and I groan.
"Haz. We're not killing him." I say. "Chloe needs our help.. I can bring her here but-"
"But you think she'll be even more scared of you than her dad." He finishes my sentence, just in a way I wouldn't have put it. He's right though.
"I think I can hide it from her. Keep her in the west wing of the house. She doesn't need to know." I brainstorm.
"Tom there's no way she'd be that stupid." Haz laughs.
"She doesn't need to know we're in a mob.. she could just be in the dark." I try.
"Tom. This is insane." Haz says. "First of all if she knew who we were she'd never go for it, and second of all if she got spooked and left, she'd be a threat. They'd kill her."
I run my hands over my face in frustration. How am I suppose to do this? I know Chloe, she can't be on her own. She deserves to be with someone who cares about her.
"I'll kill them before I let them kill her." I state.
Haz looks shocked by my statement.
"They'd kill you both. Don't be stupid."
"I can't help it... she clouds my judgement." I admit.
"She could expose us." He says fearfully.
"Chloe would never do anything to cause us harm." I say with absolute certainty.
I'd trust Chloe before I'd trust any man in this house. She has always had my back and she has  never let me down. It's time I have her back. She needs my help, and I'm going to do everything in my power to give her that help.
"I have the whole west wing to myself. She'll stay there with me for a while until we come up with a better plan. Her dad is going to be pissed, and if he finds her, I'm scared of what he'll do. She needs us." I say.
"Alright." Haz nods. "If you trust this will work then.. I guess I do too."
I pull my phone, texting Chloe.
Tom: stay where you are. I'm coming to get you.
"Cover for me." I say and grab my keys, heading out the front door.
_____
I pull into the parking lot of the hotel Chloe is staying at. The sun is just starting to rise, and I'm quite literally exhausted but I've stayed up longer as a part of training.
I find her room, and knock on the door.
"It's me." I say so she doesn't get scared.
It's upsetting to know that the lying starts now. That I will have to actively keep her away from all the shit I do.
The door opens, and before I can even see her she slams into me, squeezing me tightly. I run my hand up and down her back to comfort her.
"I'm so glad you're here." She says as she pulls away. Her bright eyes popping even more with the sudden change in hair color. "Is it bad?"
"No darling, you look beautiful." I smile.
"Thanks.."
she opens the door wider, and grabs her suitcase.
"I don't know why you came all this way." She states.
"Because you're ditching the car, just to be safe." I say.
If she's coming to live with me, there can't be any trace of her. No one can know she's with me or they'll start investigating me, and find something a lot worse than a missing girl. She snatched the car keys from me, and I lift my brow at her.
"You drove all night. I'll drive back." She shut the door behind her, walking down the hallway.
"Uh yeah you're not driving my car." I shake my head, following behind her.
"Tom you are exhausted. It's obvious. Your car is safer with me driving than you."
I know she's right, and it's not that I'm worried about my car. In fact my car is the last thing I'm worried about. What I'm really worried about is her inability to remain low key and unnoticeable. I've already seen her photo splayed across the media. Everyone in the school is worried about her, I've gotten at least a dozen texts asking if I know anything. She's going to have to lay low for a while.
"Fine. You can drive a few hours." I say.
"Sick! Your car is so cool." She says excitedly, hopping in the drivers seat.
I laugh, following behind her. I love this girl, and I really hope I can pull this off.