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“Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you, sweet girl.” My heart hurts for her. “We’re going to have to go downstairs, but I need you to close your eyes really tight and not open them until I tell you.” She doesn’t say anything but digs her head into my shoulder and squeezes her arms around my neck. I scoop her little body up while I stand and her legs wrap around me. She’s like a spider monkey holding on for dear life.
“Okay, I’m going to walk you downstairs. Keep those eyes shut,” I say as I back out of the closet. Her little body starts to shake, and I’m not sure if she’s going into shock or she’s crying. “Shh … I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay, Lexi.” I don’t know what else to say. It’s a load of bullshit because I know firsthand that it’s not going to be alright. As I’m walking downstairs, Harper notices me. Her eyes get huge and she’s about to say something, but I put my finger to my lips. She meets me at the bottom of the stairs.
“I need you to find Damon. Meet me in the guest room.” I already know that the guest room is clear, and we need to make sure to keep her out of sight of the media. For now.
I walk into the room, shutting the door behind me. “You can open your eyes now, Lexi. Can I place you on the bed?” I ask softly. She shakes her head violently, not even looking up to me. “I’ll sit on the bed and you can sit with me.” She doesn’t move so I guess she’s okay with that suggestion. Damon comes into the room right as I sit down. His eyes widen in disbelief.
“What? Who is that?” Damon asks as he crouches in front of me, looking her over.
“Lexi, this is Agent Damon Flores. Can you say hi?” Again, she shakes her head. Damon looks at me, tilting his head with an arch of his brow. I can’t just come out and say her friend was killed, so I ask, “Lexi, did your friend spend the night with you last night?” She slowly nods her head. Damon nods his also in understanding.
“Can you tell us her name?” Silence.
“Lexi, are you hurt at all? Can I take a look at you?” Damon softly touches her back and the most God-awful scream comes out of her mouth. I jump at the horrible noise and shove his hand away, hoping it’ll make her stop.
“It’s okay, Lexi. Shh … Damon isn’t going to hurt you.” I begin to rock her. She quiets, but her vise grip is suffocating. “Alright, sweet girl, I’m not letting you go, but you’re going to have to loosen your grip a little bit.” She does exactly that, just a little bit. Damon finds this amusing. I kick my leg out, kicking him in the shin.
I mouth to him, “What do I do?” He shrugs. I narrow my eyes and twist my lips. I’m seriously in unknown territory here with this kid.
He mouths back, “You’re the woman.” My mouth drops open. I roll my eyes and flip him off. Asshole.
“Stay here, I’ll go find out what we need to do.”
As I’m rocking Lexi, I feel her breathing slow and her arms fall lax against my shoulders. I’m fairly certain she has fallen asleep. I hesitate to move her because I really don’t ever want to hear that shrieking noise that came out of her little body again, but my arms are falling asleep. I gently and slowly stand up and her body is still limp, so I lay her down on the bed as softly as possible. I manage to get her on the bed without waking her up. I shoot my arm in the air. Yes!
I look over her, making sure she isn’t noticeably hurt anywhere. I exhale quietly, relieved. My eyes gloss over thinking about the long road this beautiful little girl will have to endure. Long, caramel curls with soft highlights frame her little face. She’s got the perfect little button nose and her long lashes flutter as she drifts further to sleep. I cover her with a blanket and walk to the door.
Wrapping my hand around the doorknob, I turn it so slowly that I wonder if it’s even turning, hoping it doesn’t make any noise. When it stops, I turn and look back at Lexi. She hasn’t moved, so I pull open the door. Light floods the room, so I quickly shut the door from the other side.
I rub my face with my hands. The heavy burden I feel for that little girl is already messing me up. It has to be because I know what it’s like to be in her shoes.
I stay posted outside the door, not wanting to leave Lexi. Damon’s watching me as he’s on the phone. He’s shaking his head, clearly as lost as I am about what to do. Harper comes up to me. “I’ve started on Lexi’s room. What the hell happened here?”
“I don’t know. She won’t talk, but I’m assuming she might have heard something and hid, and the killer didn’t know about the friend,” I say.
“How are you doing?” she asks, concern in her voice. “I know this might hit a little close to home for you.”
I shrug. “I’m okay. My heart breaks for her because … well, you know.” I take a deep breath and blow out my cheeks.
Damon struts over to join us. “So we need to get Lexi to the hospital to have her checked out. But we need to keep her status under lock and key since we don’t know if she’ll be in danger when the killer finds out she’s still alive. We also need to find out if she saw him. She might be the biggest lead we’ve had on catching this guy,” he says, crossing his arms.
Oh, my God! I didn’t even think about her being in danger. I shudder at the thought. “That asshole will not touch Lexi,” I say through gritted teeth. My need to protect Lexi catches me off guard.
Suddenly a scream comes from behind the door, sending chills down my back. I rush through the door with Damon and Harper right behind. Lexi is screaming, thrashing all over the bed. She’s still asleep. The monster that kids are always afraid of that live in the closet has now invaded her sweet dreams. He’s real and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
I scoop her up in my arms and hold her tight against my chest. Her arms are flailing as she continues to scream. She’s fighting her monster. As I’m trying to grab hold of her arms, a small fist connects with my lip.
I let out a groan. Shit, her little hand packs a punch. I grab her hands and wrap my arms around her. “Lexi, wake up. It’s just a dream.” I automatically start rocking her. After a few minutes she settles down, opening her eyes. When she sees me, she digs her head into my chest and starts bawling.
“I want my mommy,” she hiccups through her sobs. It’s the first time I’ve heard her voice. I look to Harper and Damon for assistance, but all I get is silence. Harper’s hand is over her mouth, her eyes watering. Damon turns away, aggressively running his hands through his hair.
What the hell am I supposed to say? I am not going to be the one to tell this child that her mom is dead. Since it’s obvious I’m not going to get any help from the two people standing in this room, I murmur, “Lexi, your mommy had to go to the hospital.” Two sets of eyes land on me in surprise. I shrug, tightening my lips. When they both nod, I continue. “So we’re going to take you to the hospital, too. Okay?” I lightly brush the hair off her tear-soaked face. Her bottom lip trembles, but she slowly nods.
“I’ll pull the SUV into the garage. We’ll load her up in there,” Damon says, backing out of the room.
“You go with her. I’ll call CJ to update her and have Alyssa come take over so you can finish up here.” Harper gives me a soft smile before leaving.
The ride to the hospital goes as smoothly as possible. Lexi’s hold on me never lessens. A couple uniformed officers and Damon escort us into an exam room. I try and place Lexi on the bed, but her unwillingness to let go of me has me sitting on the bed with her.
