Junkie (Broken Doll 1)

The girl shook her head. “No. Not Doll. Miri. My n-name’s Miri.”

Without warning, she began to shake all over, her feeble body straining at her bindings. Miri threw her head back, and the taut tendons stuck out from her skinny neck like guitar strings.

“Oh god! Help me, please.” Those sad, desperate eyes locked on mine, a thin ring of green visible around massive pupils.

Despite Miri’s disgusting appearance, her nasty addiction to heroin, and the fact that her maybe-boyfriend had been stealing from me to feed her habit, I felt responsible for her. It was my shit she got hooked on, and she just seemed… frail and in need of someone to take care of her. It was almost as if she were sent here as penance for my past failures to take care of my mom and sister.

Besides, Miri intruded on my property. She knew where I lived. I couldn’t just toss her out. It was highly unlikely, but she could call the cops and get them down here with a warrant in the blink of an eye.

Better to get her dosed up and calmed down before trying to talk.

“Jase,” I b

arked.

One of my men immediately appeared at my side. “Yes, Boss.”

“Bring me the kit.”

With a sharp nod, he left the room and reappeared in less than two minutes to hand me a small zippered pouch. “Here you go, Boss.”

“All of you leave,” I ordered as I began prepping the kit. One by one, I lined the items up on the table, in the order I would need them. Everyone obeyed my command but one.

“Boss, come on…”

“Milo, don’t push me any further tonight.” I turned to give my lieutenant a dark stare that said don’t fuck with me. He better not press his thoughts in front of a stranger.

Milo’s lips pressed tight as he struggled to keep his mouth shut and follow my orders. Nothing new from the big, strong-willed man. He was very opinionated at times. Tense and agitated, Milo gave in and agreed. “Fine. I’m going home then, Boss.”

“See you in the morning.” I dismissed Milo and returned my attentions to the sweaty, gross, trembling girl in my kitchen.

I snapped on a pair of latex gloves, no way was I touching her filthy skin with my bare hands. Using an alcohol pad, I wiped the gloves to kill any germs. Then I picked up a tiny packet of white powder, careful not to spill any, and poured it into a spoon designed to lie on a flat surface without tilting. The rubber tourniquet was long compared to Miri’s razor-thin arm. I knotted it around the tiny limb, holding back a pained grimace at touching her, despite the gloves. When I glanced up to check on the girl, I found Miri intently watching my every movement. I blinked and tore my gaze away from those wide green eyes to search for a vein. There wasn’t a single usable one on her scar-riddled arm.

“Shit,” I muttered when an inspection of her other arm turned up the same.

“I-I use my feet.” Miri’s voice was so soft I nearly missed her response.

Caught in the sliver of emerald in those captivating eyes, it took me a minute to reply.

“All right.” I removed the tourniquet, put it around a slender ankle, and placed her left foot on the floor to get better blood flow to the extremity. A single bluish vein stood out, surrounded by a half-dozen faded and fresh track marks. “There it is.” I grabbed another alcohol pad and swabbed the area. Syringe in hand, I uncapped a vial of sterile water and drew up a small amount, adding it to the powered opiate in the spoon. Using a lighter, I cooked the drugs until the mixture was reduced to a clear, bubbling liquid. As I waited for the chemicals to cool, Miri became frantic.

“I-It’s okay. I c-can take it hot. Really. I-I don’t mind. Please…”

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not safe. You could blow a vein or worse.”

“I don’t care! Give it to me.” She started to struggle in the chair, in danger of tipping it over again.

Fed the fuck up with today’s events and bullshit in general, I caught her chin between my thumb and forefingers and pinched hard enough to hold her still.

“Stop this immediately or you’ll get nothing. Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say it once. I’m never, ever hospitable to intruders, so you should consider yourself lucky to still be breathing right now and not being driven to a remote location where no one will ever find your body.”

Those dull eyes widened with fear and her lip trembled. “Okay, okay. I’m g-good. I’ll be good. I’m s-sorry.”

I ripped open another alcohol swab and wiped off my fingers. Once the mixture was cool, I drew it up into the syringe using a filtered needle and made sure the air was out.

“Ready?” I’m not sure why I bothered—I knew the answer before the question was asked.

“Yes, please, please, please.” Miri vibrated with anticipation.