Waking up to the phone ringing in the middle of the night is never good. Adrenaline immediately kicks in as I fumble for my cellular on the nightstand in the dark. Items clatter to the floor as I knock over my smart watch and vitamin bottle before finally making contact. I squint against the bright, glowing screen, then inhale a sharp breath.
It’s Mara.
I smash the answer button. “What’s wrong?”
“Hey,” she sniffles.
“Mara, what’s going on?”
“Someone robbed me,” she whispers.
“Where are you?”
“I’m being taken to the hospital.”
“What!” I bolt upright and throw off the blankets. “Which one?”
“General Hospital on Potrero—”
“I’m on my way!”
If Mara is being taken to the hospital, it means she was more than just robbed. A sudden ache radiates in my chest and I have to swallow the knot forming in my throat. I head straight for the walk-in closet but pause with balled fists bracing the threshold’s frame. I’m going to lose my shit if she was sexually assaulted.
Only cowards hurt women, and whoever did it will pay.
I throw on the pants I wore to an earlier business dinner, shove my feet into a pair of running sneakers, and yank my coat off the hook on the way out the door. It’s too late to call Charlie, so I rush down to the garage tear the cover off my motorcycle, and roar out of there. Usually, I’m a very responsible driver, but tonight I cut through traffic, going full throttle to get to the hospital.
Somehow, I get there as Mara is arriving in the ambulance. So, I hover anxiously while the red and white lights flash across the emergency entrance. The paramedics pull her out on a gurney with a giant ice pack pressed against her forehead. She spots me instantly, and her watery eyes light up with relief. I’m relieved too.
Mara is in one piece.
She’s here.
She’s safe.
As the paramedics roll her past me, I brush a few curls away from her face and press a quick kiss to her forehead.
Unfortunately, I only get to stay with her for about forty-five minutes because her sister shows up, and makes it clear I’m not welcome. So, I leave. Yet, I’m not upset with how Lydia treated me. I’m glad Mara has someone who will fiercely protect her. So, I do not doubt that she's in good hands.
When I get home, I strip off my clothes and climb into bed, where I’m greeted by cold sheets. Yawning, I pull the blankets up to my chin, and try to get cozy, but falling asleep is impossible after leaving Mara at the hospital. Her swollen face and the drowsy look of exhaustion in her eyes pierced my heart with an ache that I still feel even as I lay here in bed.
Listening to her explain what happened, made me angrier and angrier as I paced the foot of the hospital bed. It wasn’t my finest hour, and I showed a less flattering side of myself as I snapped at the nurses like some entitled asshole. But I can’t bear the thought of Mara being seriously hurt, and her care being delayed because of negligence.
Women’s pain is dismissed far too often, and there is no way in hell I will let that happen on my watch.
A few years ago, I almost lost my mom because no one was taking her concerns seriously. I had to step in and throw money around to get her proper medical care. That’s when a giant tumor was discovered in her uterus. So, now I refuse to stand by and take no for an answer anytime someone I care about is suffering.
But now, more than anything, I want to find the coward who harmed Mara.
No, I need to find him.
Mara said that a homeless man called for help. I should find him, too, and thank him. Maybe arrange a warm place for him to stay. What would have happened if he never intervened?
Throwing the blankets off, I sit upright and grab my phone from the nightstand. The screen glows as I scroll, searching for Noelle’s name. She picks up after five rings, her voice is groggy.
“What?”
“I need a favor.”
“Ask my dad!”
“I can’t. This is only something you can do.”
“I thought you didn’t get your hands dirty, Enzo?”
“I don’t. I just need you to find someone.”
“It will cost you double for waking me up at five AM.”
“Done. Now will you help me or not, Noelle?”
“Ugh, curse you for calling me by my legal name.”
“Fine. Bishop, will you help me or not?”
“You know I can’t resist your old and wrinkled Italian charm. When do you want to meet?”
“Now.”
“Oh, hell no!”
“Please. You know I’ll pay you well.”
“Fuck. Alright. If I’m gonna be up then I might as well go jogging. Meet me at Ocean Beach.”
Throwing on a pair of sweats and a hoodie, I race out the door. If anyone can track down a lowlife thief, it’s Noelle, a.k.a Bishop. So, I head down to the garage once more and zip off to the ocean to meet her.
When I get there, she isn’t difficult to spot with her ash blonde hair tied in a top knot revealing the sides of her shaved head. She’s always been a Tomboy and was never afraid to wrestle guys in school or shove their faces in the dirt. The years she served in the military only intensified her gives-no-shits attitude as she climbed ranks and landed on a Special Ops team.
This is how I know she’ll find the prick who hurt Mara.
“Protein shake?” I hold one out for her, and she looks over her shoulder at me, then snatches it.
“This better have banana in it…” she mutters, and takes a sip. “So what’s so important you need my help?”
“My friend Mara was mugged around two AM. I want to find who did it.”
“Alright.” Noelle takes another sip. “And what will you do when I find the asshole?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Enzo.” She narrows her eyes. “I’ve known you since I was a kid, and you’ve never gotten your hands dirty.”
“I’m aware.”
“This Mara chick must mean something to you if you’re asking me to hunt down her attacker.”
“Something like that.”
Noelle scoffs, “You don’t fool me, old man. Underneath that cool guy facade is just another boy who desires to be loved.”
“Listen, I’m not paying you to psycho-analyze me.” I reach into my wallet and pull out a wad of cash. “I’m giving you half upfront. This should be enough.”
“I haven’t given you my price yet,” she laughs, but when I hand the money to her, Noelle thumbs through the bills, and her smile disappears. “You must really like this girl because this is way more than I was thinking.”
“I just want the asshole found.”
“And I’ll find him.” She pockets the cash.
“Good.”
“I just need more details. You can tell me while we jog the beach.”
“I didn’t come here to exercise.”
“And I didn’t come here to stand around chatting. We’re jogging!”
Noelle takes off, so I sprint after her and give her as much information as I can about Mara’s attack.
YOU ARE READING
Sugar Daddy Season (ONC 2024)
Romance𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 | 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 When Mara Santiago is laid off from work and dumped by her boyfriend, she moves in with her parents. Struggling to find another job as a ballerina, she begins go-go dan...
