The Agency

XXXVIII. vicious

TW: Domestic violence

"Help me! Help me! Help me please!" Virginie woke up screaming, grabbing at her sheets, looking for a familiar place. She immediately quieted as she saw she wasn't in a house; she was in the Jamaican villa.

Oh, please, God. Don't let Robert be here.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Virginie slowly turned her head to the bloodshot eyes of Robert. His white tee was stained with blood and dirt and she could see dried drool on the side of his mouth highlighted in the moonlight. The smell of liquor hit her nose like a truck. He was sleepy and intoxicated. Terrible combination. She just hoped that he could keep it quiet.

"Babe...I'm sorry, I just get these nightmares and―" Her pleading was cut off by a sharp smack and Virginie braced herself as her body slammed on the floor. So much for keeping it quiet.

She looked up at Robert from her place on the ground. He was fuming; his face red with anger and his breathing was heavy. He cracked his knuckles and neck. "You can't control your own body so that you can't wake me up screaming every five fucking minutes? Calm down. What are you even dreaming about that has you so stressed? I'm the one who should be screaming night now. I'm the one who had a terrible night, not you."

Virginie tried to smile at him in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "What happened, baby?"

Her eyes widened in horror as she watched him place his foot on her throat. "It's none of your fucking business. If I wanted to tell you, I would've told you what happened. I'm certainly not going to tell you now that you've interrupted my sleep for the millionth time."

He put a little bit more pressure on her throat and Virginie could feel her lungs tightening. Spots were beginning to show in her vision. She heard choking sounds coming from her throat. "R-R-R-obe―" She couldn't get the words to form.

He released her throat and Virginie desperately gasped for air. She relished the feeling of the cool air filling her lungs again. Robert kicked her stomach as Virginie began coughing up blood. She wouldn't be able to go out tomorrow without bruises showing. She would have to make up some excuse as to why she couldn't go out. She couldn't let anyone see her like this.

When the kicking ceased, Robert looked satisfied with himself. He headed back to the bed. "That should keep you quiet for a while. Stay on the floor like the pathetic bitch you are."

Virginie was reaching in the air for nothing, wondering what she was doing. She was in a strange daze, not understanding why her body was reacting this way. She like every time she took a breath someone stabbed her heart. She could only take short, sharp breaths through her nose to avoid the pain. The taste of her coppery blood filling her mouth was nearly inescapable. Once she coughed some of it up, she knew there was more to come from the next. The room wouldn't stop spinning and she wasn't sure if she was laying down on the floor or the ceiling.

A sudden bang on the front door snapped her back to reality and she realized Alex must've heard their fight. The man was too caring for his own good. She knew that he could handle Robert but she didn't want Alex to get arrested. Then again, he was a lawyer. He would know how to handle Robert without getting in trouble.

But Alex wouldn't want to leave without seeing her and that wouldn't help the situation at all. Robert would get even angrier.

Robert got back up with a groan and looked down at her groggily. "Now I have to get rid of your lap dog because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. Don't come out or else you won't be able to scream anymore." He stormed out the door. She wished that she could just snap his neck but the image of the girls she had saved earlier in the day flashed in her brain and the urge went away.