Lights, Camera, Slut it Up! [Boy/Boy]

Chapter 12: Protecting Angel

Lights, Camera, Slut it Up!: Chapter 12: Protecting Angel

               I stood at the gate with the parents as the children were checked out. "Uncle Nicky!" Angel ran over as I waved, her golden hair trailing behind her.

I pulled her into my arms, "Hey beautiful how was school?"

I listened to her go on about her day as I signed her out and walked back to Maxxie's truck. I laughed at the image of him trying to install her new booster seat. "Uncle Maxxie!" I released Angel before I could drop her.

Maxxie picked her up and his height and width just seemed to dwarf her more. "Hello Angel, are you ready to spend the day with Uncle Nicky and I?"

"Really?" Her eyes lit up and it made me feel guilty that I hadn't made time for her recently. I secured the booster seat before buckling my niece up. I closed the door before turning to Maxxie, "You don't have to spend the day with us –"

Maxxie kissed me, the action immediately shutting me up. "It's a pleasure to spend time with you and Angel." I smiled and walked around to the passenger seat,

              I allowed Angel to play in the designated play area as Maxxie and I talked. We ended up at a local mall and Angel was more than happy with the doll Maxxie bought her at one of the toy shops. She screamed and ran around with the other children as Maxxie and I claimed one of the tables.

"Damn, I miss the times I could run around like a lunatic and my biggest problem was what my favorite color of the day was..." Maxxie smirked at my recollection. "Do you want kids?" I knew it was way too early to be asking such a question for the little relationship we were forming, but having a family was not negotiable for me.

Maxxie's smirk turned into an easy smile, "Yes. I do a lot of work with the foster care system and I want to adopt when I'm ready to start a family." I loved his answer.

I reached across the table and intertwined my fingers with his. "Me too." I looked over at the nearby children, noticing none of them had my niece's golden locks. My grip on Maxxie's hand loosened as I scanned the area. Angel was on the other side of the plastic play equipment and up against the padded boundary wall. A man knelt down opposite her, his hand offering a wrapped cake pop. "Angel!" I rushed over, wondering why this guy was talking to my niece. Then he looked up at me and my anger instantly flooded my system. I pulled Angel away from him and into my arms. "What in the hell are you doing here Keller?!" I ignored the looks from the other parents who had started to gather their own children.

Keller stared at me coolly, "I came to see my daughter. I have that right as her father."

"You have no fucken rights." I hissed, feeling how tightly Angel was clinging to me.

"She's four now - I have a lot of presents to make up for." He reached out to touch her hair and I instinctly stepped back, right into Maxxie's chest.

Maxxie laid his hands on my shoulders, "Let's go Nicky."

Keller smirked as he took us in. "Maxwell Nettle. Is he still fucking your brains out Nicky?" He crossed his arms over his chest, "You know once a slut always a slut."

The only thing stopping me from jumping over the divider and punching his lights out was Angel's terrified whimpers. "Stay the hell away from us and my sister!" Maxxie and I took the nearest exit and despite everything that should be running through my mind, all I could think about was Angel's new doll that had been left behind in all the commotion.

              I relayed the recent occurrence to Liliana as Maxxie drove us back to his apartment. Despite being at work, my sister was screeching obscenities faster than a sailor. Angel, on the other hand, was looking rather traumatized. She was no longer crying but her usual smile was absent. "Oh my god Nicky, what am I going to do?!" Now she sounded like she was hyperventilating.

"Just breathe, Angels okay - we're going to Maxxie's just in case he follows us." I didn't put it passed Keller and Maxxie was in agreeance that his building had better security.

"Nicky I swear I'm going to kill you!" Her screeching had been so loud that I had to hold my cell phone away from my ear. It hadn't been the first time my sister had threatened to murder me, but this is the first time I actually deserved it. She groaned before hanging up. I followed suit with a sigh. What in the hell would I have done if Keller had actually taken her? Would I have noticed before it was too late? What kind of uncle was I? I should have been watching angel.

"Nicky?" Maxxie's hand smoothed over mine. "She's okay."

"I just took my eyes off her for a second. I saw her run that way but I thought she was running with the other kids." I should have looked.

"Uncle Nicky?" Angel's hesitant voice pulled my attention away from Maxxie.

I turned in my seat, "Yes sweet girl?"

Tears balanced on the edge of her eyelids, building up before trailing down her small face. "Is he really my daddy?"

Then my heart really broke. "Yeah, you remember what mommy told you?"

"That Daddy had been mean to Mommy so he was in a grown-up time out." Her eyebrows furrowed, "Does that mean he is going to live with Mommy now?"

"No, mommy likes living with you and Uncle Nicky." She seemed content with the answer and fell silent again.

              Angel's eyes begin to slip shut half way back to Maxxie's home and she was completely knocked out by time he parked. I carried her to the apartment and laid her on the bed. Even while sleeping, she was so small and vulnerable. I couldn't let Keller get his hands on her...

"Nicky, you need to relax." I didn't have time to relax, I had to watch angel. Maxxie's hands settled on my shoulders, attempting to rub some of the stress free.

"What kind of life is my niece going to live?" I hated how distanced my voice sounded. "Will she constantly be afraid of her father when she gets older?"

"What did Keller do Nicky?" With all the commotion, I had forgotten that Maxxie had no idea what Keller had done.

I led him back into the living room, closing the bedroom door slightly behind me. "Do you remember when you and I set up Angel's nursery?" At the time, he hadn't known Liliana was pregnant but I'm guessing he had caught on quickly. "I was trying to make Liliana feel better after she left a lot of stuff behind at Keller's apartment." My voice thickened as the memories came flooding back. His apartment had been damn near clinical. I remember thinking that even the dirt in a potted plant I looked sterilized. "I called the police when I noticed bruises on her arms but it was so much worse than that." That was an understatement. She had been covered in deep purple and yellowing spots. "The worst had covered her ribcage and extended on her back... he kept her locked in the apartment and wouldn't let her leave." Thankfully Angel hadn't been born yet, nor has she been impacted by the abuse.

"He hasn't tried to come around until now?" Maxxie was in boss mode and no hint of the quirky man I was falling for could be found. I actually liked the fact that he was being so serious; it was helping my nerves settle.

I shook my head, "Up until now, he was in prison. During the trial they found other girls that he falsely imprisoned so he got five years – I guess he got out early." I could feel my shoulders trembling with a mix of fear and stress.

Of course, it didn't go unnoticed by Maxxie who pulled me into his chest. "It's going to be okay baby." I melted into his touch, willing to accept his words as truth. I needed the stability that Maxxie offered and I was thankful he was here with me. I tilted my head back and stood on my tiptoes so that my lips would meet his. He pulled me tighter against him and my anxiety fully receded.

Then reality came crashing down when the room filled with incessant banging on the door.