His Little Angel Nora

chapter 5

My head was pounding.

That was the first thing I could focus on. Then there was the string of curses I heard coming from a deep voice.

The voice was familiar, I knew it. Yet my mind was still too foggy to place where I knew the voice. Or where I was.

What had happened? Had I passed out from one of father's beatings again?

I needed to get up. If father saw me passed out like this he would only hurt me further. He would call me weak.

I stirred, fighting my heavy eyelids.

"Nora, jesus christ. Nora, wake up angel. Please."

Angel? I knew that voice, that nickname. This was not my father.

I finally pried my eyes open to see the interior of a car. A really nice car by the looks of it.

"Hey that's it. You're okay."

I looked around the car, trying to shake the confusion and fog from my brain. Then my eyes landed on him and I remembered.

Oh god. All those men, those hands on my body. And their crude words. The way they leered at me. Until he showed up. Lorenzo. He stopped them.

But then I passed out. What happened? And why was I in his car? Did he do something to me? Maybe he only stopped the men because he wanted to hurt me himself.

I started to shake in fear.

"Hey, you're okay Nora. It's okay, it's just me."

I leaned as far away from him as the car door would allow me to and slowly turned my head to look at him.

He had his hands up, palms facing me, as if trying to tell me he was no threat. His face was etched with confusion but above all else, concern. He looked so worried, his jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed.

"Nora, can you breathe for me please?"

It was then I realized that i was still shaking, nearly hyperventilating in the confines of his car. I tried to get it under control but I was too aware of his presence, too scared of what he might do to me.

"I-I need t-to go. P-please let m-me go. I-i'm sorry, s-so sorry-"

"Angel please, I'm not going to hurt you. Never. I just need you to calm down for me. I need you to breathe, yes? Can you do that for me love?"

His voice was soft and unlike anything I had ever heard before. His words were filled with so much care, I didn't understand it.

But somehow these words calmed me. My breathing began to regain control.

"That's it. You're doing so good."

I kept focusing on my breathing and soon the shaking had stopped and I felt more calm. I turned to face him again.

He gave me a small apprehensive smile. It was weird to see this big man, all tattoos and intimidation looking so nervous at me.

He looked so cute.

Cute? What am I thinking? Him? He would never- and I shouldn't even be...

I blushed and formed a small smile of my own at my silly thoughts.

"There she is."

"I r-really didn't m-mean to pass out like t-that. I'm s-so-"

"God please don't apologize to me right now Nora." His voice carried an edge again, like he was holding himself back from being very angry.

I looked down, choosing silence rather than to upset him with my words.

"Fuck," he muttered. "I'm sorry, i'm not mad at you, love. Those men- fuck. They shouldn't have put their hands on you like that. What were you even doing there? You shouldn't be in a place like that?"

I felt bombarded with all his questions and the growing anger he was showing. He said he wasn't mad at me but he had to be lying. He seemed furious about something and it had to be me.

I kept my eyes down, pulling at the tight black dress that had ridden up my thighs. His eyes zeroed in on the movement.

"And what are you wearing? God it's freezing out and all those men- fuck. They saw you and you look-" He nearly growled. "What is this?"

His fingers brushed my wrist where a purple bruised hand print sat. I didn't know if it was from my father or from the men inside with their tight grips. It didn't matter, it was my fault.

"Nora." His voice was lethal.

I flinched away from his touch. He was asking too many questions, looking too closely. I couldn't handle it. It was too much.

"Nora. What the fuck is all this on your arms? And your legs, jesus christ."

I started to shake again, my eyes burning with tears. Questions like this would only get me in trouble. I couldn't tell.

"N-nothing. It's n-nothing."

"It's not fucking nothing. Did they do this to you?"

"W-who?" My voice was shaking. The tears in my eyes barely kept at bay.

"The men inside. Did they leave these marks?" He was practically vibrating next to me.

"N-no."

"Don't lie to me Nora." He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and I jumped.

My hand instantly reached for the car door handle next to me. I needed to get out of here. Now.

I shoved the door open, stumbling out of the car as fast as I could.

"Nora, shit. I'm sorry! Fuck." I heard his voice, desperately calling out to me but I was already running.