The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 - I Need You

”Roxie!” Zac shouted through the speaker.

She grabbed the phone with both hands, but her fingers were so stiff she almost dropped it again.

”I’m...” Her voice cracked. She swallowed, tried again, and only a sob came out.

”Roxie, stay with me,” Zac said. His voice was rough, with the truck engine low behind it. ”You don’t have to explain. Just stay with me.”

She nodded even though he could not see her.

The door went quiet.

Roxie stayed in the corner, knees tight against her chest, the knife shaking between both hands. Her teeth had started to chatter. She pressed her jaw shut, but that only made her whole face tremble.

Something scraped outside the window.

Her head turned before she could stop herself.

The curtain shifted.

Steve’s face appeared behind the glass.

Roxie’s body locked.

Her mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

”Roxie?” Zac said. ”Talk to me.”

She stared at Steve.

He smiled at her through the window.

”Smart girl,” he said, his voice muffled by the glass. ”Locking the door.”

Roxie shook her head fast. Her hands tightened around the knife until her fingers hurt.

”But this window never locked right.”

A small sound broke out of her throat. It barely sounded human.

”Roxie?” Zac’s voice sharpened.

She tried to answer him.

Her tongue would not move right.

”He...” she forced out.

”What?”

Her breath hitched hard. ”He’s... he’s...”

Steve’s hand moved to the bottom of the window frame.

Roxie started crying harder.

”He’s here,” she whispered.

Zac swore. ”Stay away from him. Keep the knife up.”

She lifted the knife because he told her to, but her arms were shaking so badly the blade dipped again. She tried to raise it higher. Her wrists gave a weak little jerk, and the knife wobbled in the air.

Steve pushed at the frame.

The window jumped upward.

Roxie screamed.

The sound scraped her throat raw.

”Mom!” she cried. ”Mom, please!”

Her voice broke on the last word.

The TV kept playing in the living room.

No footsteps came.

Steve laughed once. ”She’s not waking up.”

Roxie shook her head, crying too hard to answer. She wanted to tell him to stop. She wanted to tell him to leave. She wanted to sound brave enough that he believed her.

All that came out was a broken, breathless, ”Please.”

Steve pushed the window higher.

Cold air touched her legs.

Roxie pressed herself deeper into the corner. Her shoulder scraped the wall. Her knees were shaking so hard they knocked against each other. The knife pointed toward the window, but it kept trembling lower every time she tried to hold it steady.

Zac kept saying her name through the phone.

”Roxie. Roxie, listen to me. Keep it up. Keep the knife up.”

She heard him, but the words were far away.

Steve’s fingers curled over the sill.

His face moved closer to the opening.

Roxie tried to say something. Anything. Her mouth moved twice before sound came out.

”D-don’t.”

It was so weak she hated it.

Steve smiled wider. ”What was that?”

Roxie sobbed.

”Don’t,” she tried again, but it shook apart before it could sound like a warning.

”Roxie,” Zac said, louder now. ”Look away from him.”

She could not.

Steve shoved the window higher.

Wood cracked near the frame.

Roxie flinched so hard the knife almost slipped from her hands.

”Get...” She swallowed, choking on the word. ”Get back.”

Steve leaned toward the opening. ”You won’t do anything.”

Roxie cried harder because she did not know if he was wrong.

She wanted her hand to stop shaking.

She wanted her legs to work.

She wanted to be able to stand, run, scream, stab, do anything except sit in the corner while he climbed into the room where she slept.

But her body would not listen.

Steve got one arm through the window.

Roxie kicked from the floor, but she hit nothing. Her heel scraped the carpet. The movement knocked her sideways, and the knife slid halfway out of her grip before she clutched it again.

”Zac,” she sobbed.

”I’m here.”

”He’s...” Her breath caught. ”He’s coming...”

”I’m almost there. Keep the knife up.”

”I c-can’t.”

”Yes, you can. Roxie, baby, keep it up.”

Steve’s arm reached farther inside.

Roxie tried to scream again, but it came out thin and broken.

Then Steve disappeared from the window.

It happened so fast her brain could not follow it.

His arm was inside her room.

Then it was gone.

His body jerked backward, hard, and vanished from the opening.

Steve shouted outside.

The sound cut off when something slammed against the side of the house.

Roxie stayed frozen in the corner, knife clutched in both hands, breath stuck high in her chest.

Then Zac’s voice tore through the yard.

”Get away from her window!”

Roxie blinked through her tears.

Zac was there.

He was actually there.

Outside, Steve tried to speak. ”Hey, kid, this isn’t your problem.”

Zac hit him.

Roxie flinched at the sound.

Steve crashed against the side of the house and slipped in the dirt. Zac grabbed him before he could get away and shoved him back so hard the window rattled above them.

Roxie cried harder.

Steve lifted one hand. ”Listen, man, she’s dramatic. She always lies.”

Zac hit him again.

After that, Steve’s voice changed.

He stopped sounding angry.

He sounded scared.

Roxie could hear him coughing, begging, trying to crawl. Zac dragged him away from the wall before he could get far. Steve made a weak, panicked sound, and then there was another heavy impact against the dirt.

”Zac,” Roxie tried to call.

It came out too soft.

She swallowed and tried again.

”Z-Zac.”

He did not hear her.

Her hands were starting to go numb around the knife. Her arms shook so hard her elbows bumped against her knees.

She wanted him inside.

That was all.

She needed him away from Steve and inside the room with her. She needed him close enough to touch. She needed him between her and the open window because her body still believed Steve was coming through it.

”Zac,” she cried, louder this time.

Outside, Steve made another broken sound.

Zac still did not stop.

Roxie pushed herself up from the corner.

Her legs gave out almost immediately.

She caught the wall with one hand and nearly dropped the knife. Her knees were shaking so badly she could barely stay upright.

”Zac!” she screamed.

Her voice cracked through the room.

His fist lifted again.

Steve covered his head and curled into the dirt.

Roxie slapped her palm against the window.

The sound cracked through the yard.

Zac stopped.

His fist stayed raised.

Roxie stood behind the glass, crying so hard she could barely see him. The knife hung low in her hand now, useless and shaking.

”Please,” she sobbed.

His head turned toward her.

His chest was moving fast. There was blood on his knuckles. His hair had fallen into his face.

Roxie shook her head because she could not get the words out fast enough.

”I need...” Her voice broke. She pressed her palm harder to the glass. ”I need you.”

Something changed in his face.

She cried harder. ”With me. Please. I need you with me.”

Zac looked down at Steve.

Steve was curled in the dirt beneath the window. He was quiet now. His body barely moved.

Zac’s fist lowered.

His hand flexed once, like stopping hurt.

Roxie’s legs started to fold under her again. ”Please.”

That got him.

Zac let go of Steve’s shirt and stepped back. He stayed there for a second, breathing hard, staring down at him.

Steve did not move.

Then Zac turned toward the front door.

Roxie dropped back to the floor as soon as he disappeared from the window.

The knife slipped from her fingers and hit the carpet.

A few seconds later, her bedroom door opened.

Zac stopped in the doorway.

His eyes went to her first, then to the knife on the floor, then to the open window.

”Roxie.”

She tried to answer.

Her mouth moved, but only a sob came out.

He moved toward her quickly, then slowed when she flinched without meaning to.

”It’s me,” he said. ”It’s just me.”

She reached for him with both hands.

Zac dropped in front of her and pulled her into his arms.

Roxie grabbed his shirt and broke down against him. Her face pressed into his chest. Her whole body shook so hard he had to hold her tighter to keep her upright.

”He...” she sobbed. ”He was... he was...”

”I know.”

”I couldn’t...” She sucked in a sharp breath, but it broke apart. ”I couldn’t move. Why couldn’t I...”

”You did. You held your knife.”

”He was coming in.”

”He didn’t.” Zac’s voice cracked. ”I’m here.”

Roxie clutched him harder. ”Don’t leave me.”

”I won’t.”

”Please.”

”I’m right here.”

Her fingers twisted in his shirt.

She kept trying to talk, but the words would not stay together. Everything came out broken

Outside, Steve stayed in the dirt below her window, coughing and groaning.

Roxie did not ask about him.

She could not think that far.

Zac was inside now.

He was holding her.

And she held on like letting go would put her back in that corner alone.