I did not show the shock on my face from dem stories she told. That would not be helpin’ her to release her inner demons to me.
I had helped to save souls in my younger days. I had worked for a shelter, among other jobs, and tried to help those who needed an ear to tell their hardship to, and feed dem and let dem know they weren’t alone. I understood. This little one had slipped through the cracks. For that, I was deeply sorry. William had us all fooled.
I heard not a whisper of a child being raised in that home. I would have paid dearly to save this soul, had I known. But for now, this child, Whisper, be safe. She may have paid deeply for the sins of this vile man in blood and with her soul, but he be dead now.
Evil always loses out. That I be believin’.
Boxer is good at keepin’ things hidden that need hidin’ and cleanin’ up evil, and then we can see how much damage has been done to the skinny mullet’s mind. I can tell she be strong just from how she was when she be tellin’ me of her life.
There were no tears. She be all dried up like a drought-ridden riverbed. I think a tear has not slid down those soft cheeks in almost a lifetime. She be hard on the surface, but Boxer will be able to help me see beneath and look for what needs fixin’. For now, sleep and warmth is what she needs. I be lookin’ after her from now on. This is my place now to do because she gots nobody else.
Most are not smart enough to fear me, but this child should not. I am not what she needs to worry about...but what be comin’ for her.
I fear there is still danger to her heart that be comin’ for her over the horizon.
My phone rang past midnight, waking me up. Miss Catherine was in need of my services, the services only the few I trusted know about.
They call me Boxer because I’m an ex-boxer, among other things. I was here playing a part in this small town, and Miss Catherine had received a visitor who needed both our help.
I arrived at Miss Catherine’s to find a stunning female, who had a story of a lifetime, long asleep, knocked out by a strong sedative—the weapon of Miss Catherine’s choice in case of any danger she needed to contain.
I gave her this sedative. It’s something nobody will see coming. Given on an offer of food or drink, they’re all welcoming things, that with a little sleight of hand, can incapacitate the danger until help arrives. This time, she used it solely for comfort, to ease the girl into a deep sleep.
She lay naked under the blanket, and I got the short rundown of events that led this girl to Miss Catherine’s doorstep, while we both checked her over without uncovering her to my eyes. I didn’t want to see what that bastard had no doubt touched without permission.
Her wrists were a shredded mess and her hands needed stitches, the cuts too deep to leave to heal on their own. She would have been in pain, but Miss Catherine said she was stoic, strong of body and mind...until it would come time for it to crack open.
It always eventually does.
Now, as I really look down at her for the first time since I arrived, I see she’s beautiful. Her long, thick brown hair has dried from the heat of the fire. Miss Catherine had undone her braid while she slept. It is now in need of a good brushing. Her young face is haunted, even in her sleep. I doubt she has gotten a good night’s rest in a long time. The best thing for her is a chemical induced sleep.
The stories she has told Miss Catherine painted a pretty damning picture. I agree to look into it for Miss Catherine. I just need to go over to the house and validate the girl’s stories. I’ll question her when she wakes in the morning, then make a visit to William’s home.
I will need to be careful; it sounds like I’ll be the only other male she has laid eyes on in person. That will be a frightening thing to a female who has only known one other male in her whole life, a son of a bitch who had abused her in more ways than one.
I’d seen William around town, but he seemed to be acting like a model citizen and he kept mostly to himself, but inside him was a dangerous monster, a master of deceit.
I trust in Miss Catherine’s bones and what they are telling her, and they are telling her getting the police involved this early wouldn’t bode well for the girl, nor would the public attention. Miss Catherine believes the media circus it will turn into would only damage her more.
I need a lot more information before I go turning to the local police, for my own peace of mind. The way it reads at the moment, she has been badly abused. This town is small, and none of us knew she had been living close by. William wanted her kept a secret for reasons this girl can’t fathom. I’ve seen evil, and if William had abducted her, then there is more to her story than even she understands. I want to see the evidence of her stories for myself, then take it from there.
I send Miss Catherine off to bed after she gives me a warm blanket and makes me promise to wake her when the girl comes to. For now, I’m here to protect them. I throw another log on the fire and make myself comfortable in her chair to see the rest of the night out.
***
SMASH!
My training has me jumping up out of the chair where I’ve nodded off, the blanket falling in a heap at my feet. I’m instantly alert, ready to protect the females in the house. I focus on where the girl had been asleep and realize she’s now awake and must have knocked an antique vase off the sideboard, trying to snatch her clothes from the fireplace, where they had been hung on a rack. She obviously wants to get away from me.
The vase has shattered into pieces on the wooden floorboards. She gasps and freezes, more afraid now of having broken something that isn’t hers. She has forgotten about me for a second, while her eyes are fixed on the damage. She’s deciding what she should do.
“It’s ok, love.” I keep my voice light and hold my palms up as I sit back down in the chair to show her I’m not going to come after her. “My name’s Boxer.” She doesn’t know whether to clean up the mess, hide the evidence, or move away from me.
She has her clothes in her hand held to her chest, trying to hide the fact that she’s naked under the blanket, which is slipping off her shoulders, exposing her long legs beneath.
She’s stunning, even in her messed up state of mind.
I can see she’s losing her grip on the blanket as she tries to keep a hold of her clothing, which is adding an extra protective layer between her and me. Her hands must be stinging, since the pain will be kicking in now that she’s awake. She loses her battle with the blanket and drops the clothes to the floor to save it from falling, and snatches it tighter around her small frame. I make sure to lower my eyes to the floor while she adjusts herself. I know she’s watching me the entire time.
“Whisper, your body is safe around me. I will not touch you in a manner that will cause you distress, and you are free because nobody here will cage you or take away your rights.” Her face reddens at my bluntness. “If you will allow me, and if you won’t run, I’ll slowly get up and go wake Miss Catherine. She made me promise to alert her when you woke up. I’m a trusted friend of hers, and that means I’m a good guy. She does not suffer fools.”
She looks like a wild child, flighty and anxious. I carry on trying to give her a little peace of mind that I’m here with good intentions. “She called me last night while you slept and we fixed your hands up. Your body was safe from my eyes. I stayed the entire time to protect you both, in case there was a threat we did not know about.”