The Years After (30 page)

Olivia.

“Olivia! Olivia!” He screamed at her as he rushed forward before grabbing her arm. A pulse. He shook her hard, but it was like moving a puppet.
Fuck.
There was a pulse. Nothing else mattered. He fell to his knees beside her and checked her body out, but found nothing. No wounds. No bruises. She was completely unconscious and her breathing was shallow and faint. What had Quentrell done to her? His panic overtook his brain, which wasn’t working right. His fingers shook as he tried to grapple with his phone and call the police for an ambulance. Now. He was nearly hysterical on the phone.

Overdose
. His entire body stilled. He must’ve given her an overdose. Derek’s reeducation was overdosing Olivia! There was dirty bedding on the floor, which he grabbed to wrap her in as he waited while climbing onto the bed beside her.

Tony
. He had to call Tony. He had to tell Tony what he’d done to his daughter. He had to make sure Tony was there.

He shook so hard, he could not dial. But he managed eventually.

“Derek? This is a surprise.”

“They hurt her. You have to get to the hospital. Now!” he burst out without any thought or articulation as to what he should have said.

Tony’s tone immediately sharpened. “Who hurt who? What the fuck are you talking about, kid?”

“Olivia. They overdosed her. I called the police. They’re coming. She’s breathing, but they overdosed her. But—”

“We’re coming. Now. On what? What did they overdose her on?” There was shuffling and moving as he yelled at Gretchen. They were at home together. Good. They’d come for Olivia. She needed them so much. Because she had to live. She had to be okay. She completely had to be just fine. Otherwise… no, he would not even contemplate the alternative. No. Never. Life without Olivia would surely result in him walking into oncoming traffic, or shooting his father’s gun into his mouth.

What was it? What caused this? Contrary to his lifestyle, he didn’t hang around the users he supplied. But what was it? OxyContin? That was his main staple, and the biggest narcotic he supplied since it was in the most demand. It had to be. Quentrell’s perfect, fucked-up justice.

Tony hung up at some point, and Derek heard loud sirens before the clatter of boots came tromping up the stairs and a loud rapping on the door announced the fire department. He rushed to throw it open and let the paramedics in as they fired questions at him in calm, authoritative voices that almost made him think they knew what they were doing. Firemen and paramedics filled the stinkhole. Three men and two women, who were equivalent to super-heroes straight out of comic strip to Derek. No one had ever come in so fast to help him until now, when he felt more scared than any other time in his life. Nothing like it had ever happened to him. Olivia’s vitals were taken and they put her on pure oxygen before he could gasp out his disjointed story. A cop walked in as he spoke. Always the enemy. He avoided cops like mosquitoes avoid Deet. But not this time. He told them what he knew, which was shit. He told them who his brother was, how he’d been lured there and how little he knew of the place, but felt sure about what was done to Olivia. In the process, they took Olivia out on the stretcher, all the while hurrying, but their obvious confidence gave his aching heart some faith that they had gotten to her in time and could save her. They would do what he could never do for her.

He hung back as the questions seemed to shoot from all directions. What should he say? He didn’t know. He couldn’t even recall what he’d already said. He fully expected handcuffs to be thrown on his wrists, and in a way, he was ready for them. Finally, he could stop running. From all of it. The lies and cheating and hurting and wanting to die. He could just stop being a monster.

But they didn’t do that. Instead, they offered him a ride to the hospital. Turned out, he had no drugs on him and no one had ever heard of his name. At least, that he knew of. He just went by
Derek
on the streets. That’s all he ever responded to. Few people knew what his full name was. He didn’t think anyone knew that Quentrell was really Quentrell Salazar either. He was one-named to the rest of the world. Part of what kept Derek safe all those years was his scarce knowledge about Quentrell, which was just enough to keep him alive.

In a chaotic, fuzzy sequence of moments, he ended up in the ER, waiting on Olivia. He barely registered driving himself there. Once inside, he waited in a faceless waiting room and stared at the white vinyl floor tiles without seeing them. Unfeeling, and still in denial. No this could not have actually happened. He did not nearly kill Olivia.

But he had. At least, he had nearly gotten her killed. Directly or indirectly made no difference to Derek. He never dreamed, not even for a second, that Quentrell would ever go after her, but especially not now, since they weren’t together. He had no warning that could happen.

Noises entered his brain with the strange, tunnel-like affect that made him feel like he was underwater and couldn’t surface to breathe. Then he saw Tony and Gretchen Lindstrom rushing past him and down the hallway. They were totally oblivious he was there. His stomach contracted and the contents of his insides nearly heaved out of his mouth.

He sprang to his feet and followed them. He knew he did not deserve to, but was unable to stop himself. He just had to make sure she was okay.

They were talking to a man in scrubs and nodding. Their heads were all bent down as they listened intently with stricken expressions. Then Gretchen seemed to wilt before falling against Tony. Derek saw her smiling in a soft, kind of breathless way.
God. Damn. Olivia had to be okay.
No other way she’d be smiling. Derek backed up and fell onto a bench. They were in a long, busy corridor where hospital staff passed as well as patients and their families. He leaned forward, breathing deeply as he held his face to his hands and nearly bent over to lean on his knees.
She was alive.
That’s all that echoed through his head.

Except that didn’t mean she wasn’t permanently damaged. His head shot up.
Rape. What if they raped her?

Gretchen spotted him first and instantly, her eyes flashed and hardened. She pointed her finger towards him as her voice lifted above the crowd and din of movement. “
You!
Get the fuck out here, you murderous, little shit! You almost killed her!”

He sprang to his feet when she came rushing forward. Several people turned towards them. A doctor looked ready to go after Gretchen, in order to protect Derek. Tony came up after her, his long strides easily outdistancing hers. He grabbed Gretchen around the waist and pulled her back before saying something into her ear. His expression was intense as he talked for several long moments. Her body sagged into his and tears fell from her eyes. She suddenly grabbed Tony’s shirt and began bunching it in her hands. She nodded to whatever he said. He rested his chin on her head and finally, with infinite gentleness, he eased her away from him. She glared hard at Derek before turning to follow the doctor they were talking to. Tony stepped towards him. Derek waited. Ready and willing to let Tony hurt him. Instead, Tony motioned for him to follow him. He took a step and it hurt so much he felt arthritic.

Tony stopped down another small corridor where there was no traffic, only a couple of vending machines and restrooms at the other end.

“She’s going to be okay. They’re treating her with Narcan. Which has all kinds of its own wonderful side affects. But her condition was bad enough they felt it was necessary to give to her. You called the paramedics?”

Derek nodded, falling back against the wall as his legs gave out.

“You might have saved her life.”

Derek didn’t respond.

“You also did this to her, didn’t you? Whoever did this was tied to you and whatever you wouldn’t tell her you were into. The dangerous stuff? I let it go. Believing her when she said she would never speak to you again. I almost came and ripped your larynx out when she told me what she discovered. But she said she was sure you two were done.”

“I’ll leave. I had no right to come. I just needed to know that she was okay.”

“Gretchen was about to hurt you. I’ve never seen her like that.”

“You’ll never see me again. Neither will she. I swear.”

Tony reached out and grabbed his shirt, twisting it in his fist as he nearly lifted him off the ground and shoved his face into his. “What are you into? What is all this? What was she brought into? I have to protect her and you’re going to tell me
everything.
What are you into?”

He nodded and wilted under Tony’s grip. “Drugs. I’m a drug dealer.”

Tony’s breath exhaled and his eyes grew wide. His mouth opened and then shut before he shook his head. “Are you fucking with me?”

“No. I sell OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, Vicodin, and the list goes on. But I’m known for the painkillers more than the hard stuff. I make the most in this town because of the college students. I have an elaborate ring that sells it for me, without knowing they do. I work for someone named Quentrell. I had purposely slowed down the last weeks. I wanted to quit. Even if I knew better. This… what he did, was to make sure I understood I can never quit. I swear to you I never dreamed he’d come near Olivia.
Never.
I would have killed him or myself before letting her get involved in this. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he chanted over and over again as tears filled his eyes. His stomach churned and started to force bile to climb up his esophagus. He pushed Tony off him and rushed into the men’s room before falling onto his knees and puking into the toilet. It felt like he must have dislodged his liver or stomach with the amount he regurgitated. He eventually plopped back on his ass and leaned against the metal partition.

Tony was just a few feet back, still standing in the bathroom. Derek finally got to his feet and flushed the toilet before coming out. Derek did not meet Tony’s eyes as he splashed water all over his face. He was shaking.

“Are you coming down now or something?”

He reached for a paper towel. “No. I’ve never taken a pill, or a hit, or a smoke, or injected any drugs for my entire life. I’ve never even had a beer or a vaccine. I watched what it did to users, so what possible reason would there be for me to use it?”

“Why should I believe you?”

Derek shook still and his hand trembled. “You don’t. I swear to God, I’ll never come near her again. I never meant—” He threw his head back and closed his eyes. “No, I never dreamed anything would happen to her because of this. I always thought it would be me.”

“My daughter was dating a drug dealer? That’s who she finds her freshman year in college?”

He closed his eyes in shame. He felt Tony’s horror at what he’d done and exposed Olivia to. “I—yes. That’s what she found. Just a drug dealer.”

“How do I know she’s safe now? You stupid, lying sack of shit! Do you realize the kinds of people whose radar she’s on now? All the scum and low-lifes I’ve been trying to protect her from. Fuck!” Tony took his fist and shoved it into the metal bathroom partition only to swear again when his knuckles felt the pain.

“I’ll go to him. The guy who did this. I’ll make sure he understands he has me, and promise to start performing at my best as long as nothing happens to Olivia. I’ll make sure he knows that I got the message. As long as I perform, and get him his money, that’s all he wants. He doesn’t want her. He wants me.”

Tony’s breathing was ragged. “So I pin my daughter’s safety on the word of a drug dealer? My daughter who is lying right now in a hospital bed from a drug overdose?”

It didn’t sound like Tony could very well do that, which Derek realized. His helplessness washed over him.

“We’ll have to pull her from school. She can’t stay there. She can’t be just a sitting duck, or a pawn in your evil, sick trials. Fuck you, Derek. You just succeeded in ruining the life of the only person I think that ever loved you.”

Tony spun on his heel.

“Did they rape her?” It shot out of his mouth. He had to know.

Tony’s glare should have hurt him. “No. Not that you deserve any relief. No one raped her.”

“I’m sorry. Tell her…”

“What, Derek? Tell her the first boy she ever loved sells drugs on the streets for a living? Tell her she can no longer continue at the only school she’s ever wanted to go to because we don’t know if she might be abducted and hurt again? By what? A gang? A drug cartel? I don’t know what or who you work for, but you totally ruined her life. There is nothing more you deserve from her.”

He nodded and let Tony disappear. Then Tony walked back in. “No. Fuck this. Follow me. Tell her yourself what you are and what you did. I know my daughter, I don’t need to warn you away from her; she knows what’s right for her better than anyone. But she deserves to say whatever she needs to say to you. And then, we’ll never see your miserable, scummy, loser ass again.”

Chapter Fourteen

OLIVIA FIGURED OUT WHAT happened to her hours later, although she was drowsy and light-headed. The antidote was administered through her IV as the hospital staff kept track of all her vitals. Her parents were there beside her, crying and caring as they held her hands, or rubbed her forehead. Her entire body felt weird, almost as if she were in a deep daze. She came in and out of consciousness. She had overdosed on drugs. Like any junkie. What if the hospital workers thought that? The idea of it sickened and repulsed her.

The big man with the name that started with a Q must have slipped her the overdose. He must have put it in the alcohol, which made the effects that much more potent. Mixing scripts and alcohol. Lovely. What every pathetic, sad drug addict did.

It was shocking. There was no other word to describe what happened to her. She was drugged, kidnapped and left naked and alone to die, and could have if help had not been immediately administered. Her breathing could have ceased at any point. The horror of the experience kept playing through her head. Shock and surrealism. No way could this have happened to her. She was just attending a regular, college party. How could those things have happened?