Tell Me I'm Different (Finished!)

(22) Hold Me

 Her whole body seemed to respond to his embrace. She needed this. She needed him.

She thought she was so strong for so long, but with his touch, she just fell apart.

“Ace, I like this. This hugging thing, whatever we’re doing…” she started, unsure of how to convey her feelings. She never really had to do this before.

“..but you need to go. Seriously,” she finished, wiping her tear-stained cheeks.

“What? Why?” he asked, confused.

“There are so many things you don’t know and don’t need to find out. Please, Ace. Just go, and forget about all of this.”

Ace shook his head and sat down on the bed firmly.

“Skye, please tell me what’s going on. It seems like ever since me, Trixie, and Justin came to Cuba things have been weirder.”

Suddenly, Skye’s blood ran cold.

“Justin is here?” she finally got out. Panic was etched into her larger than usual eyes.

“Yeah him and Trixie are somewhere out there,” Ace said, unsure of why Skye seemed to be on the verge of a panic-attack.

She grabbed his arm and started for the door.

“We need to get you and them out of here before Elvis finds you,” she said between breaths. Skye quickly unlocked the door and ran with Ace into the corridor.

They ran past a slew of glitter-covered, mostly naked women until they reached the main room. The women stared at them with curious eyes, but not one came up to them to ask them what was wrong. For a moment Skye felt a swell of sadness grow in her heart. They were already becoming cold. But then, she realized she had a much more dire matter at hand.

The terrifying bass screech of the stereo seemed to announce their arrival into the room. It was darker and the colors of the lights were flashing by even faster as the early morning wore on. Skye knew that none of the clients would ambush her now. They were otherwise engaged.

She tried to scan the room for the familiar tall figure she had grown so accustomed to seeing, but she could see nothing but older men getting lap dances by the girls.

“Do you see them?!” she asked Ace over the music.

Ace stared off into the distance for a moment. His piercing blue eyes glazed over and even though he was right in front of her, Skye felt like he was so far away.

“Ace,” she said and squeezed his hand to bring him back to reality.

Ace blinked quickly then stared at her like he had just remembered that she was there.

“I’m so—“

“It’s okay,” she interrupted. A small, sad smile broke from her full lips.

“We just need to find them quickly and get you out of here,” she shouted into his ear.

Ace shook his head quickly, a look of utter disagreement spread across his features like a wildfire.

“I’m not leaving without you.”

His eyes stared straight into hers and she was left utterly speechless. She wanted to stand on the tips of her toes, run her hand through his mess of dark hair, and kiss him on his moist pink lips.

Skye stopped herself from doing so, but she wove her fingers through his and didn’t blink for a second.

Ace smiled at her and kissed the top of her forehead. Her skin burned with the touch of his lips.

Skye couldn’t help but smile back at him. She rested her hand against his toned chest and said,

“Okay, but we have to find them first.”

Ace nodded and lifted his head up to look for them, but as soon as he did, his eyes landed on the devil himself. Elvis stood only a few feet in front of him with his hands in his sequined pockets. He smiled his evil smile that seemed to make Ace’s blood run cold and Ace knew at that moment Elvis knew it was him.

Elvis stepped purposefully toward them and without a second thought; Skye and Ace ran turned around and ran to the opposite direction. 

“He knows!” Ace shouted to Skye. She could barely hear him over the music.

“Turn to your right, there’s a door that leads to the sleeping room!” she shouted in response.

Ace held onto Skye’s hand tightly as they ran to a black door in the back of the room slightly hidden by two dark red curtains.

Ace held the curtains aside as Skye yanked open the door. They stepped into the hallway and as soon as they did, they stood frozen in place.

Donovan and another equally as huge guard stood with their arms crossed blocking their entryway into the safe haven. Skye’s grip on Ace’s hand tightened. Ace felt his heart drop.

He took a step back only to bump into a cold, unmovable body.

Not a flicker of doubt ran through his mind. It was Elvis. He could feel it from the cold shiver that ran through his hands. He could feel it in the numbing sensation that filled his mind. Like his brain was so scared, he could not even process it.

Elvis lay a sickly hand on their shoulders. Ace felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as Elvis leaned close, right next to his ear and said, “So nice to have you back, son,” in that signature deep scratchy voice that could only be brought on by years of smoking expensive cigars.

Skye turned around with every intention to run, but the guards grabbed his arms before he could even move.

Elvis smiled and in a low voice he said to Ace, “Why the rush? Let’s just talk.”

Skye screamed next to him as the guards lifted her into the air.

“Let her go!” Ace yelled at the top of his lungs. But he couldn’t even hear his own voice as the music picked up.

Skye kicked the air and thrashed back and forth in an attempt to break free. She couldn’t let Elvis tell him. This could not be happening. Donovan clamped one meaty hand over her mouth. Skye’s eyes filled with tears as she violently moved back in forth in his huge anaconda arms.

Skye tried to scream, but every time she got louder, Donovan’s hand seemed to press down on her face with more force. She could hardly breathe anymore.

And then she saw it. The very thing she was dreading.

Elvis leaned next to Ace and whispered something into his ears. Ace’s brow’s furrowed and a look of denial spread across his features. He didn’t believe it. Maybe she still had a chance to salvage his sanity.

But then, Ace’s eyes darkened as realization and anger surged through his mind and body. His fists clenched and he yelled at Elvis angrily.

“You liar!” he shouted in a voice that wasn’t his own.

Elvis shook his head almost morosely as he signaled Donovan and the other guard to follow him. Ace kept shouting, but the guard didn’t even bother covering his mouth. It didn’t matter now.

Every secret, every lie would be exposed and Skye would have to watch another person she cared about, crumble before her.