Tragic Desires by A.M. Hargrove

You’re unconscious, I have a group of men chasing me, and it’s obvious it’s you they want. So yeah, we needed to find out everything we could about you. That’s how we know about Nick.”
    “So what about Nick?”
    Her hand clenches her napkin and it’s only inches from mine, so I reach over and pick it up. “I’m sorry to tell you, Gemini, but Nick is gone.”
    “What do you mean? Where did he go?”
    “He was killed.”
    “What? Killed? Oh my God! None of this makes any sense. What happened?”
    “I’m so sorry.” Then I tell her what we know. I also tell her about her house in San Angelo.
    Her head is lowered and she doesn’t say anything for a while. Then I notice it’s because she’s crying. Not the loud, obnoxious sobbing, but the silent, valiant type that I wouldn’t have even noticed if it hadn’t been for her shaking shoulders. She must’ve loved this Nick guy.
    Handing her some tissues, I ask, “When did you last talk to Nick?”
    She shakes her head and shrugs. I’m not sure if she can’t remember or just doesn’t want to talk about it. I give her a moment, because eventually there will be questions.
    She finally comes around and says, “The last time I spoke to him was when he left. He couldn’t deal with the way I ’d changed. Who is doing this and why?”
    The muscles in my neck are tense . I roll my head, trying to ease the tightness. “I don’t know. That’s what I hope you can help me with. Tell me about your family.”
    S he wipes her nose and tears. “I don’t have any. My mom died in a car accident when I was eighteen and I never knew my dad.”
    “Do you at least know his name ? Maybe we can find him.”
    “No. My mom never told me his name.”
    That raises a red flag. In this day of full disclosure, the fact that her mom withheld that kind of information is a shock.
    “And you never checked your birth certificate or wondered about that?”
    Her lids drift shut, and I think she’s trying to shut me out. “My mom told me not to worry about him because she had more than enough love to go around. I heard that story forever so I never questioned her. I always assumed he died and that she loved him too much to want to talk about him.”
    “That’s not good enough for me, but we’ll let that slide for now.” I hear her suck in her breath, but I don’t give a damn. I need to figure out her attachment to Aali Imaam, and if this is the way to flush it out, so be it. “So about last night. You were drugged by two men who we suspect are involved in human trafficking. We had Red Skies staked out and those two guys who wouldn’t leave you alone were the ones we think might be the culprits. When you disappeared out the back, I went out just in time to see them drug you. But as we were waiting for our team to arrive, my leader informed us that a different group of men were closing in. So I picked you up and ran. That’s how you ended up here. But what we wanna know is why those guys were after you.”
    She stares at me. When she speaks, her voice is so quiet, I have to lean in to hear her. “Why didn’t you leave me there? Maybe they would’ve killed me.”
    “ Maybe. Maybe not. We don’t know what they would’ve done to you because we don’t know why they want you. Do you know why, Gemini?”
    “ No, but maybe they would’ve put me out of my misery.” Her voice is raw and bitter.
    “You wouldn’t say that for long.” I see that she’s earnest in her comment. She doesn’t care if she dies. “Because if these people get you and don’t want you dead, your worst nightmare would begin. They’d bring new meaning to the word pain for you.”
     
     
    Two days and she doesn’t stray from the same story. Her headaches are brutal. They debilitate her and she’s absolutely dysfunctional when one hits. One thing is solid, and that is her story has been consistent.
    “You know, this might be easier on you if you just tell us what you know.”
    “Might be easier on