Olivia Cunning - Tell Me

She chuckled half-heartedly, knowing he was trying to cheer her up, but until she could see Nikki and know that her friend was truly all right, cheerfulness just wasn’t a possibility.

As soon as the plane landed, Melanie called Nikki. When she didn’t answer, she really started to panic.

“Isn’t there a way to track the location of cellphones?” Melanie asked Gabe. She was ready to go full-out detective if she didn’t get Nikki on the line soon.

On her second attempt, Nikki answered. Melanie breathed a sigh of relief. “Why didn’t you answer?”

“I was in the shower.”

“So where are you? I’m in New Orleans now.”

“At the hotel.”

“In Gabe’s suite?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you been there the entire time?”

“No.” Her voice sounded hollow. The single word, the distance in her voice, was worse than listening to her cry. Melanie swayed and Gabe was right there to grab her before she collapsed on the sidewalk where they stood waiting for a cab.

“We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“We?”

“Gabe is with me.”

“Of course.”

Nikki was quiet for a moment and Melanie didn’t know what to say to break the silence. “Will you tell me what happened?”

“I’m going to take another shower,” Nikki said.

She disconnected, and Melanie told Gabe what she’d said and where she was. He didn’t press her for more information, just helped her into the nearest cab and told the driver to hurry.

When their knock on the door of the hotel suite went unanswered, Gabe used his spare key card and unlocked it. Melanie heard the water running in the bathroom. Was Nikki still in the shower?

“I should probably talk to her alone,” Melanie said to Gabe.

He nodded and stood back while Melanie let herself into the steamy bathroom and closed the door behind her. There were wrappers and empty containers all over the floor—soaps and shampoos, disposable douches, toothbrushes and mouthwash. She recognized Nikki’s need to get clean inside and out. She didn’t need a degree in psychology to know what it meant.

“Nikki, honey,” she said, her heart in her throat. “I’m here.”

“Can you wash my back for me?” she said in a small voice. “I can’t reach. I tried. I tried, but I can’t reach.”

Melanie was almost afraid to open the shower curtain. She had no idea what to expect. Would Nikki be beaten black and blue? Was Melanie strong enough to see someone she cared about like that? Eyes closed, Melanie drew back the curtain slowly. She steeled herself for the worst and opened her eyes. She let out a sigh of relief. Nikki wasn’t completely unscathed. Her lip was scabbed over where it had been split and she had several bruises, mostly on her wrists, hips, and thighs, but she mostly looked like herself. A very subdued, dead-eyed facsimile of Nikki Swanson, but at least she was recognizable. Her skin was red from being scrubbed in unbearably hot water and her eyes were swollen from the fall of countless tears, but were now dry. Maybe Nikki didn’t have another tear to shed, but Melanie did. Knowing she’d completely breakdown if she spoke, Melanie took the soapy wash cloth out of Nikki’s trembling hands and scrubbed her back over and over again while hot tears dripped down her own cheeks.

“Harder,” Nikki whispered. “I can still feel him.”

Melanie didn’t have the know-how to deal with this. She needed to get Nikki some help.

“You’re clean now,” Melanie said, burning with rage at the fingertip-shaped bruises on Nikki’s shoulders. Whoever had done this was going to pay. Melanie would make sure of it.

“I still feel him. Please.”

Melanie washed her back again, more gently this time, afraid to add to her pain.

Nikki started to shake uncontrollably. “I’m so cold.”

How could she possibly be cold? The water was almost scalding.

“Let’s get you dried off and put some warm clothes on,” Melanie suggested. “Do you want some soup, maybe?”

“I don’t know. I don’t… know.”

Melanie turned off the water and wrapped Nikki in every towel in the hotel bathroom.

She opened the door and Gabe jerked away from the wall he’d been leaning against. He met Melanie’s eyes, a question in his gaze. She shook her head slightly. He then looked at Nikki, and both hands clenched into hard fists.

“Why is he here?” Nikki asked dully.

“He’s going to help me take care of you,” Melanie said. “Gabe, Nikki is cold. Can you go down to the restaurant and order her some hot soup and some cocoa.” She rubbed Nikki’s back. “Does that sound good?”

Nikki nodded.

“I’ll just call room service,” Gabe said.

Melanie gave him a stern look. There was no way she was going to help Nikki dress in front of a man. Not even Gabe. “Go down to the restaurant—”

“Right,” he said, and after one last heart-sick glance at Nikki, he left the two of them alone.

Melanie dried Nikki’s hair with a towel, and then dug through her huge overnight bag for warm, comfortable clothes. She ended up dressing Nikki in her workout clothes because most of Nikki’s wardrobe was far from comfortable. She then swaddled her in blankets and sat on the bed beside her, easing Nikki down until she was lying on her side with her head in Melanie’s lap. They’d sat the same way many times before. It broke Melanie’s heart that this was such a familiar scene between them.

Melanie stroked Nikki’s long damp hair gently and said, “Tell me.”

Without embellishment Nikki told her about being alone and bored in the hotel room. About calling that UFC fighter she’d met on the plane. How he showed her a good time on the town. And not such a good time in his hotel room. She left out a lot of details, claiming that she couldn’t remember everything. She had a lot of holes in her childhood memories as well. Her psychiatrist’s prognosis stated that Nikki’s mind had learned to blot out the most disturbing occurrences in her life, past and present. Occasionally her greatest horrors plagued her in nightmares, but she’d been doing well since Melanie had taken under her wing. And now this.

Melanie was still broken hearted for Nikki, but her rage toward Dick Bailey was nearly choking her.

“Did he rape you, Nikki?” Melanie asked.

Nikki nodded, her lower lip trembling.

“When did it happen?”

“Friday night.”

“What have you been doing since then?” Melanie asked.

“Praying for you to come get me.” Nikki sobbed and turned her face into Melanie’s lap.

Melanie cradled her head, stroking her hair to soothe her. “I’m here now,” she said. “I’m here.”

When Nikki settled down again, Melanie asked, “Why didn’t you answer your phone, hon? I tried calling and texting, but you never answered.”

“I left my phone here because I was mad at you and then after he finished with me…”

Her shaking intensified, and Melanie squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay. Just breathe. Take deep breaths.”

After a moment she quieted. “I got lost, Mel. I couldn’t remember the name of this place, so I used your credit card and stayed in some scary hotel near where he dropped me off. I just couldn’t stand feeling so filthy inside. I had to get clean.” Nikki glanced up at her, her brows crumpled with remorse. “I’m sorry I used your credit card again.”

“It’s fine.” She tried smoothing Nikki’s troubled brow with her fingertips. “Don’t worry about it.”

“From that other hotel, I tried to call you, but couldn’t remember your number. I kept dialing some Chinese take-out place in Wichita.” She actually chuckled. “ Stop cawing us, wady ,” she said in a very bad attempt at a Chinese accent. “ I awedy tell you dey no Mewanie here . I didn’t know what to do. I was freaking out. And then I got really tired. I must have slept for an entire day in the grossest bed in New Orleans.”