Dulce

11

Isit with my legs dangling off the roof, the cold night air making me shiver, but I don’t make a move to leave. I have nowhere else to go. Nowhere else I can hide and be me for a little while. I’ve spent so long being someone else. All the lines are blurring together. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not anymore.

These people shouldn’t mean anything to me. This is just another job, and once I’m finished, I should be able to walk away, but a part of me is so tired of leaving a piece of myself behind each time. I look over my shoulder a lot and put it down to the target I can always feel between my shoulder blades. I never realized that the reason I looked back was to see if anyone thought I was worthy of following.

I hear laughing and see two girls step into the light, leaning on each other. From the way they seem to be swaying and stumbling along, I’d say at least one of them is drunk off their ass. It makes me miss my girls.

Nothing says friendship like holding back your hair while you puke or sharing the best stain removers to get blood out of your clothes.

But now I’m alone and I can’t say I’m a big fan, even if it is for the best.

I shake my head. “It’s just a job, just a job,” I mutter to myself, but I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince. Somewhere along the line, this job suddenly became a lot more.

I stare at them, wishing for what I don’t know. Something different, something more. I have my girls, but when I go back to my apartment at night and close my door, I’m still alone.

Most people would tell me to live it up at my age. I’m too young to settle down, and perhaps they are right in a way. I’m sure as hell not responsible enough for a kid or even a pet at this point, but I miss that connection you feel with someone you care about.

I want someone to miss me.

“God, I’m fucking pathetic.”

A noise catches my attention. My eyes move back to the girls just in time to see one of them slip to the ground. The girl with her looks around as if seeking help. I’m the only person stupid enough to be here at this time of night, so I guess that leaves me.

I pull my legs back over the edge of the wall and stand up, brushing myself down as I head to the fire escape. The sound of laughing makes me look back down. I guess she woke up again.

Only something isn’t right.

It takes me a moment to see that the person now standing next to the sober girl is not female at all. Even from this distance, I can tell it’s a man who is older than she is.

That’s not the most disturbing part, though. He has the passed-out girl over his shoulder, and after a quick conversation with the sober girl, he turns and jogs away.

What the fuck? I can’t get a clear look at him, but the sober girl steps back into the glow of the streetlight, and this time her back isn’t to me.

“Cassandra.”

I hurry down the fire escape, wondering if I’m overreacting. If I didn’t know what I did about this place, would I still be concerned? Yes, I would. Because, friends or not, I would never leave an unconscious woman in the care of a man and walk away unless they were her family. Even then, I’d only do that if I knew them and trusted them. I’ve seen too many wolves in sheep’s clothing to take chances.

I drop the last few feet and land with bent knees, thankful I’m in running gear with sneakers, or that would have hurt a hell of a lot more.

I jog to the spot I last saw them, but nobody is here now. Torn between wanting to chase blindly after the mystery man with the girl or Cassandra, I reluctantly turn toward the direction of Cassandra’s dorm. At least I know where to find her. The other two could be anywhere, and I can’t ask for help because I have nothing to go on.

Still, just in case, I pull my cell phone out and dial the security building near the gate where the two officers patrol.

When they answer, I tell them a man just carried an unconscious drunk girl somewhere, only I don’t know which direction they are heading.

I hang up before they can bombard me with questions and head toward Stonecroft. I keep an eye on my surroundings and scan the buildings and area as well as I can, but nothing seems out of place.

“Crap.” I pull my cell out again when I remember I need to let Sugar know.

The phone rings and rings, and for a second, I’m not sure she’s going to answer.

“Hello?”

Deep, dark, sexy, and definitely male.

I look at my cell to make sure I dialed the right person.

“Is Sugar there?”

“Hmm…Sugar, yeah, hold on.”

What the hell is going on there?

I hear some rustling before Sugar’s sleepy voice replies. “You’d better be either calling me from the ER or the police station.”

“How about hell? Does that count?”

“Dulce? What’s wrong?” All traces of sleep are now gone from her voice.

“It could be nothing, but I just saw an unconscious girl being carried off by some mysterious man. Her friend handed her over so he could be a friend or a family member, but something about it just feels off. I know who the friend is and where she lives, so I’m heading that way now, but I know nothing about the other girl or the man.”

“You let security know?”

“Yeah, I called them before I called you.”

“Okay. I’ll call Nix and get him to check out the cameras. As you know, there aren’t many of them. Privacy trumps everything else in the world of the rich and stupid, but they have them at the security desk, exits and entry points, and the parking lot. I’ll check to make sure there are no suspicious activities.”

“Thanks. I’ve gotta go. I’m going to check out the other girl. One other thing…who the hell does that sexy voice belong to?”

She hangs up without answering.