Page 66 of In Her Own Way
She paced the room for a moment while everyone watched. “Okay, so how are we going to play this?”
A grin crept up Victoria’s face. Oh, yes, her cousin was going to be just fine.
Five hours later, Victoria sat on the couch in Erin’s apartment. Erin sat on one of the blue swivel chairs, staring at her.
“I might just leave these,” Erin said, tapping the armrest of the chair. “Maybe start fresh.”
“You don’t have to babysit me,” Victoria said. She adjusted on the couch. No position was comfortable. She was stiff and sore from all her muscles contracting from the taser hit.
Erin groaned in sympathy. “I know I don’t have to watch you. I just, you know, feel responsible. And Robby’s coming back with food for all of us, so…”
“You are in no way responsible for what other people do, Erin.” They’d spent a few hours at the Centra Care getting Victoria checked out after leaving the storage facility. Kimo had been escorted out first thing after getting his personal effects from his unit. It turned out not to be his unit at all, and the weights and workout equipment were merely props used to entice Victoria and get her out of the way for a while each shift. New locks were installed on both units, and Miguel was called in for a debriefing. He was livid about what happened, but happy for the overtime. Victoria wanted to simply go home when they left, but Erin had insisted on getting officially checked out by a doctor. She wanted documentation in case she decided to sue or press charges. Yep, her cousin did like a paper trail.
“I’m sorry this happened,” Victoria said, adjusting her body on the couch to no avail.
“Me, too.” Erin shook her head, still in shock that her own family would take advantage of her like that. The most disturbing thing was the fact that her father seemed to be part of it. “I’m done, Vic. Done. And I’m going to make sure that you are properly compensated for their idiocy. I mean, what the fuck? Donny tased you? And, what the fuck? How could they do this tome, their little sister? I trusted them. All of them. Did my mom know what they were up to?”
Victoria simply shrugged.
“I would never have known if it hadn’t been for you, Vic. They might have let me take the fall if they got caught, you know?”
“Yeah, I know all about that,” Victoria said. “First hand.”
“I know you do.” Erin shook her head again.
Robby burst through the door with takeout bags of food.
“What?” Victoria said, a smile lit her face. “No way.” She opened the bag from Rose’s Diner and pulled out a still-hot, drippy grilled cheese. Her stomach growled. She was in ecstasy after one bite. Well, as much as someone can be in ecstasy after getting tased.
After they ate, Erin and Robby headed off to Erin’s bedroom. Victoria’s heart broke when she heard her cousin start sobbing and asking the universe why her brothers and father had done that. To give Erin some semblance of privacy, Victoria hobbled like an old woman to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She’d love to take a shower, but didn’t have the strength.
Once settled back on the couch and finally alone, her brain wouldn’t shut off. She was so wired. Sleep would come eventually; she knew that, but for now she’d check in onKinks. A message from Juicy_Babe would put her in good spirits.
Victoria’s heart swelled when she saw the message that had come in earlier that evening. A weird sort of calm overcame her.
Juicy_Babe:Hi. I took a break from all things Internet. Looks like you did as well. Everything okay?
“You’re so sweet for asking. So mindful of other people,” Victoria whispered out loud.
Daddy_Vic:There’s a lot going on here, actually. I need to fill you in on some things that’ve been on my mind.
And with that, Victoria left several messages. She started with her stupidity in Denton Heights, all of it, every last selfish and insensitive thing she’d done to Bernadette. She laid it all out there and ended that thread, saying she was trying to make it right but didn’t quite know how. She didn’t out-and-out ask Juicy_Babe for help but left it open in case she offered.
The next thread gave a very brief account of her adventures, including being tased and breaking up an illegal fencing ring for stolen goods. She downplayed it, hoping Juicy_Babe didn’t think she was painting herself as some glamorous hero or something. She wasn’t. She had simply been protecting Erin.
And the last message to Juicy_Babe was simple.
Daddy_Vic:I’m going to be honest. I look forward to our chats. In this one week away, I missed our banter and exchange of ideas. I’d like to consider you a friend. Would that be all right? If it’s okay, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to. I need an update on the big work project and…everything. But if you prefer not to know me after learning about what I did back home, then I’ll accept that.
She sent it before she could change her mind. It was late, after midnight, so Juicy_Babe would get it in the morning or whenever she checkedKinksnext.
Regret about sharing so much with Juicy_Babe crept in immediately, so she distracted herself by messaging Madison.
Daddy Vic:Hey, Squirt. How was the Halloween party? Scary? Fun? Did you get to eat candy?
little_peanut: Hi, hi, Daddy Vic!
Oh, shit. Madison was online. It was so late. Victoria’s heart swelled. She hadn’t realized how lonely she’d been until right that second.
