Antonio
I was starting to panic by the time Melinda was really and truly ready to go. She was so brave – I was incredibly proud of her. It was so hard for me to empathize with what she was going through. I couldn’t imagine the level of hurt and betrayal she felt when it came to Rodrigo Cantonneli.
She was turning out to be one of the strongest people I’d ever met.
“Antonio, I love you,” Melinda whispered.
We were standing by the open window in Rodrigo’s dressing room, looking out at the world below. The sky was streaked pink and orange with the first signs of daybreak, and I could hear birds singing a frantic, throaty rhythm below.
“I love you,” I told her, pulling her close and kissing her. She tasted like salt, fear, and sweat – but a delicious kind of fear, a taste that told me freedom was just around the corner.
I climbed out onto the roof of the patio. The night air was cold, but I welcomed the chill – it helped me feel more awake. Reaching inside, I held my arm out for Melinda.
Melinda squatted down and climbed out carefully. She put her backpack on then tip-toed to the edge of the patio roof.
“There’s just one more drop below,” I told her. “You can do it, Melinda. We’re almost there. We’re almost free, baby.”
Melinda smiled. She looked nervous as she got down on her hands and knees and crawled over to the edge.
“What if I fall?” Melinda asked nervously. “What if I land on my ankle and break a bone anyway? Antonio, what’s going to happen?”
“Then I’ll scoop you up and carry you to Cassandra’s car,” I whispered. “Now go! Now’s the time.”
Melinda was white in the face as she slipped a leg over the patio roof, then another. She turned to face me, bracing her weight with her two hands on the roof. I could see the muscles in her arms were trembling with the effort of lowering herself down.
“You can do it, babe,” I told her. “I’m right here.”
Melinda smiled and nodded. She looked nauseated and dizzy, but I knew she wasn’t going to give up now. As she lowered herself down to the ground, I closed the window as quietly as I could.
Thanks for nothing, Rodrigo, I thought, peering into his bedroom. Actually, you know what? Thanks for giving me Melinda.
“Melinda?” I called softly.
There was no answer.
“I’m coming down now,” I called in a loud whisper, figuring she hadn’t answered me because she hadn’t heard. “Just hold tight.”
The patio roof was steeper than I’d thought it would be, and as I walked towards the gutter, I almost slipped and fell. I managed to catch my balance at the last minute. Turning onto my knees, I grabbed the edge of the gutter with both hands, then swung one leg over.
The air beneath me felt thin, too precarious. I had a horrible thought of myself falling and breaking a bone. What would happen then? Melinda wouldn’t be strong enough to carry me to Cassandra’s car herself. She’d have to run, get Cassandra, then come back. But I couldn’t do that – I couldn’t let her risk her own safety just to watch out for me.
The gutter felt flimsy and light as I gripped it, lowering myself down. The feeling of my legs kicking through the air was enough to make me panic, but finally I stretched out my arms until I was dangling from the roof.
With a soft thud, I fell to the ground.
“Melinda?” I climbed to my feet, wincing slightly. “Are you okay?”
There was no answer. My heart skipped a beat in panic, and I whirled around.
Melinda was standing with her back to the house. Her eyes were wide with fear, and there was a hand clamped over her mouth.
Alexander Rex was standing behind her with one arm wrapped around her waist and the other covering her lips. He was grinning.
“Hey, asshole,” Alexander said. “Looks like you got a little delusional about what belongs to you.” He leaned close to Melinda, running his nose along the side of her cheek. Melinda’s face tensed and she closed her eyes, whimpering loudly behind Alexander’s hand.
“She doesn’t belong to anyone,” I snarled. “Let her go before I kill you, you little fuck.”
“I’ve been suspicious of you for a while,” Alexander said. He sneered. “This big dumb oaf acting like a little puppy around Melinda just because she has a pussy.” He rolled his eyes and Melinda whimpered again. The sound was like an icepick straight to my heart.
“Let her go,” I repeated. My blood was boiling in my ears, and I reached into my waistband for my gun.
Alexander shook his head. “Oh, Antonio, can you bring me chicken nuggets?” His voice was cold and mocking. “You’re so fucking pussy-whipped you can’t even see straight in front of you,” Alexander added, snorting derisively. “You deserve to die like the pig you are.”
“Let her go,” I thundered, grabbing my gun and pointing it at Alexander. Alexander pinched Melinda on the mouth then took his arm away from her body and pointed a pistol straight at my head.
“I’ll shoot you first,” Alexander said. “But not in the head. I want you to die painfully,” he added. “And I want my little wifey here to watch every last second.”
Melinda shrieked behind Alexander’s hand.
“You shouldn’t be so uppity,” he told her smugly. “Your best friend, Cassandra, was the one who told me about this little plan.” He smirked. “She was so happy to call me and confess everything!”
Melinda whimpered and I felt my blood boil. Cassandra! I couldn’t believe it. She was supposed to be Melinda’s best friend. I’d trusted her!
I clicked the safety on my gun. I knew it would be hard to shoot Alexander and not hit Melinda, but I thought if I fired it into the air, the sound would be enough to stun Alexander. Sure, it would attract Rodrigo…but Melinda and I could take off and hopefully outrun them.
My hopes for the future were crumbling around me.
Alexander opened his mouth. Just as he was about to speak, a loud clang! rang through the air. Alexander’s eyes rolled back in his head and he stumbled, falling backwards. Melinda managed to pry herself away from his arms just in time for Alexander to fall to the ground, his mouth hanging open and his eyes closed.
Cassandra was standing there, holding a shovel. She looked angry and murderous. Before Alexander could move, Cassandra stepped over his body and swung the shovel down at his head. The pointed end connected with Alexander’s head with a loud crack. For a moment, he looked exactly the same. But then he made a funny noise, and a massive flood of red began streaming down his face.
Cassandra looked from Melinda to me. “I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t betray you, I promise.”
Melinda was staring at her best friend with her eyes wide. “Cassandra, what happened? Why did you do that?”
Cassandra whacked Alexander’s dead body again with the shovel before throwing it to the side. I noticed she was wearing gloves. Good girl, I thought. You’re smarter than you look.
“He raped me,” Cassandra said flatly, staring down at Alexander’s corpse. “One night he caught me outside of Hurricanes. I was drunk, waiting for a cab. Gloria had gone home.” She sniffled and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. I was trying to think of a way to tell you, Melinda, but I knew your father was planning something diabolical, and I didn’t want you to think I was trying to pull you away from your family.”
Melinda rushed into Cassandra’s arms, and I watched as the friends embraced. They rocked back and forth for a moment before Melinda turned to me.
“Hey, let’s get out of here,” she said in a shaky voice. “We need to get going before Dad finds out what happened.”
I grinned. “Music to my ears, babe,” I told her. “Absolute music.”
# # #
I told Cassandra and Melinda to sleep in the backseat of Cassandra’s car as I drove. Cassandra fell asleep almost immediately, but Melinda stayed awake, her eyes wide with fear as I drove out of Wilmington. I wanted to talk to her, just to tell her that we were almost safe and that her ordeal was over, but I couldn’t find the words. So we just stared at each other, locking eyes in the rearview mirror.
We made it out of Delaware by the time the sun peeked over the horizon. Melinda yawned, leaning forward and peering at me between the seats.
“Where are we going?”
I shrugged. “Anywhere,” I said. “What did you bring?”
Melinda looked through her bag. “Not much,” she said. “Just the essentials. My ID, a copy of my birth certificate, and my passport.”
“Smart,” I said. “Cassandra brought the same.”
“Do you have a passport?”
I nodded.
Melinda grinned. There was a twinkle in her eye. “We should go someplace warm,” she said. “Wouldn’t that be nice? A break from the winter.”
I laughed. “Yeah,” I said. “Like Florida? Or maybe New Orleans? You were disappointed that you weren’t going to go with your friends.”
Melinda shook her head. “I was thinking more like Mexico,” she said with a wink. “Doesn’t that sound amazing?”
I had to admit that, as usual, she was right.
An hour later, I left Cassandra’s car in the long-term lot at JFK, towards the edge. Cassandra, Melinda, and I sat on a shuttle bus, nervously glancing at each other as the bus moved.
“How are you feeling?” Cassandra reached over and touched Melinda’s forehead with her hand. “You’re being quiet. I know you – that means you’re not well.”
Melinda bit her lip and frowned. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m just kind of nauseous.” She wrinkled her nose. “Does something smell really bad in here to you?”
Cassandra shook her head. “No,” she said. “Are you sure you’re not sick?”
Melinda shook her head impatiently. “I’m fine,” she said. She smiled. “Just, you know. Completely exhausted and ready for this shit to be over.”
“It’ll all seem like a dream when we’re in Mexico, drinking margaritas by the side of a pool,” Cassandra said. She studied her arm. “God, I’m so pale. We should buy lotion at the airport.”
Melinda nodded. She looked queasier than ever – her delicate, lovely face was now a horrible shade of green.
“Are you okay?” Cassandra pressed. “Did I say something?”
“Margaritas,” Melinda mumbled. She put her head between her legs and threw up.
Cassandra glanced at me in alarm before putting a hand on Melinda’s back and rubbing her gently.
“Oh, god,” Melinda moaned.
“What?” I demanded. “What’s wrong? Do we need to go to a hospital?”
Melinda shook her head and smiled weakly. She wiped bile from her chin with the back of her hand and blushed.
“I think I’m pregnant,” she said softly.