I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to my chest. "The only thing that is too much for me is the idea of never seeing you again. Everything else is just a problem to live through. I wasn't expecting to hear that someone, that a man who should have thanked God for every day he got to spend with you, nearly killed you. Just thinking that without your neighbor coming to your rescue I'd never have gotten the chance to know you makes me feel ill."
I felt her tremble slightly in my arms. The memories were still assaulting her and I was nearly powerless to take them away. But I knew someone that always brought a smile to her face.
"Hey," I tipped her face up to look at me, "how would you feel about having dinner with Aiden and Becca?"
Her face lit up and I knew I was right.
"I wonder if Scott can walk yet," she mused.
"Only one way to find out," I answered and reached for my phone.
A couple of text messages later and we were set to go to their house for dinner. Within a few hours a small dinner of just the four of us turned into everyone coming over. I was a little concerned how Cameron and Jeremy were going to get along, but they needed to figure their shit out sometime. Tonight worked as well as any other night.
I pulled my truck through the heavy security gate that Aiden had installed at their house. There were cameras around the perimeter and a pair of Dobermans wandering the grounds. Aiden and Becca's house was a normal-looking two story Tudor, but it may as well have been Fort Knox with a state of the art security system he had installed.
"Every time I come here I'm still surprised by how much security Aiden has put in," Kate said looking around.
I helped her out of my truck and turned her toward me. "I used to think Aiden was being irrational with all of this, and the way he hovers over Becca. But I get it now. I have to warn you, I'm going to be just as crazy about your safety."
"I never understood why Becca put up with all of this, until now. Aiden spent an entire night fearing that Becca was dead. She loves him and it's her way of making him feel secure. After seeing that desperate look on your face, I would do anything never to see it again," Kate replied.
We walked in the door and a flash bulb went off, temporarily blinding me. Aiden was a photographer and he was getting ready for his first show at one of the local art galleries. I thought the light made me see spots, but I quickly realized a full-scale photo war was in progress.
When Aiden and Becca lived with Jeremy they would compete to see who could take the most abstract photos of each other. Their new house was decorated with the best pictures of all of us. Becca and Jeremy had a good eye, but Aiden was the real artist with a camera.
Judging by the lingering blindness I was experiencing, someone took a close-up of my left eye. My vision had only started to return when an expensive camera was shoved into my hands.
"You aren't getting out of this," Becca chirped and ran off with her own camera.
"What is it with them and their photo wars?" I whispered to Kate.
She shrugged. "Some people play board games, they do this," she said and accepted a camera from Jeremy.
Kate took a picture of my hands holding the camera and ran off. Her mood was lighter after our talk this morning. I was mesmerized by her resilience. She saw herself as weak, but it took courage to reinvent yourself again and again. Each time daring to hope that she could find happiness.
I chased after her and managed to get a shot of her hair blowing behind her. I don't know how Aiden managed to see a baseball in the grass or a toy on the floor and find a great picture. I'm pretty sure I took a stupid picture of hair, but as long as Kate was my subject there would have to be some beauty in it.
Scott scooted across the floor, headed directly for Kate. He had a baby blanket in one hand and a plastic bowl on his head. When he got near the coffee table he pulled himself up and shuffled his chubby legs around the edge until he reached her pant leg.
"Up!" he demanded.
Kate reached down and scooped him up in her arms. He offered her his blanket and placed a slobbery kiss on her cheek. I lifted the camera and snapped a picture of her looking down at him.
I looked at the screen and saw something I missed when I took the picture, a single tear running down her face. I hadn't thought about how hard it was for her to be around Scott. It was obvious she loved him, but he still reminded her of what she lost years ago.
The picture was hauntingly beautiful, but also incredibly private. I took the memory card out of the camera and stuck it in my pocket. I was focused on preserving her privacy and I didn't notice Aiden walk up behind me.
"Sometimes the camera sees things we don't," he said.
"I'll replace the card," I replied, without acknowledging his observation.
"You're good for her," Aiden began, "I've never seen her smile this much. I know what it's like to find that one person you can trust with your secrets. It's liberating." Aiden glanced at Becca and smiled. "I've worried about Kate. She's important to my wife, which makes her important to me. I'm glad she's found you."
We needed to tell our friends that Kate's ex-husband might have found her and what that meant for their safety. I hoped that Aiden would still feel the same way about her when he knew danger might have followed her to Ellensburg, and to Becca. We were still waiting on Toni to show up and I could feel Kate's tension rising.
Kate set Scott down when he started to squirm and found her brother sitting by himself in the living room. Cameron and Jeremy were actively avoiding each other. I doubt he would have even come over if Kate wasn't going to be here. Cameron was becoming more and more isolated, and I worried his problems with Jeremy were going to rip this group apart.
The front door flew open and Toni ran in. Her eyes were wide, and she appeared to be terrified. Jeremy rushed to her and Cameron watched while Jeremy wrapped his arms around her tiny frame.
"Toni, what's wrong?" I asked, my cop instincts taking over.
Jeremy led her to the sofa and sat next to her. She was shaking violently, even though it was warm in Aiden's house. Becca noticed too and handed Jeremy a blanket to wrap around her.
"She's going into shock," Kate said moving closer to check Toni's vitals.
I sat on the coffee table in front of Toni and waited for Kate to let me know I could ask her some questions. After checking her pulse Kate nodded letting me know I could begin. "Toni, can you tell us what happened?"
"I...I was in m...m...my room," she said, teeth chattering. She paused and took a deep breath, "...changing my clothes. I only had on my shirt and underwear when I heard the glass shatter on the back door. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Mine was the only light on in the house and he was headed straight for me."
She reached up and rubbed the back of her head, before continuing. "I quickly closed and locked my door, but before I could get to my phone he kicked in the door and grabbed me by the hair. He pulled hard until my head tipped back."
"You don't have to tell everyone right now," Jeremy interrupted.
I glared at him. I knew he meant well, but the longer she went without telling me, the more details she would forget. I couldn't protect any of them if I didn't have all of the information.
"No, I'm fine," she reassured Jeremy. She looked at me and I could see she was making an effort to calm herself down. "I only saw his face for a second. He pulled my hair until I was looking up at the ceiling. I can only tell you he was white, taller than me, and wearing a ski mask. The weird thing was he kept asking me where Anna was. I told him I didn't know anyone named Anna and he threw me to the floor."
"Did he say anything else?" I asked, sneaking a peek at Kate.
Toni shook her head, and leaned into Jeremy. "When I heard his footsteps crunch over the glass on the floor I finished getting dressed and ran to my car. I didn't want to wait for the police to show up, and I was afraid that creepy Officer Pratt would be the first to respond. Did I screw up?" she asked me, looking very much like a little girl.
"No, you did just fine. I'm going to go call it in. I'll tell them I took your statement and you won't have to tell anyone else," I reassured her.
I started to pull out my phone, but Kate put her hand on my arm stopping me. "I think it's time I told them what I got them into."
"None of this is your fault," I said, willing her to believe me.
"That may be true, but it's still happening to them because they know me," she said sadly.
I watched their faces while Kate told them about the death of her parents, her abusive marriage, and ending up in the hospital after he nearly beat her and Cameron to death. She left out a few details, mostly how badly Cameron was hurt. She probably wanted to let him share that information or not as he chose. When she was done she looked into the faces of people who had been her only friends for years and I saw nervousness in her eyes.
Jeremy was the first to speak up, as usual. "They sure as hell can't go back to that house. What the fuck are we going to do?"
I took a deep breath. I knew they weren't going to turn on her, but I had a small doubt.
Aiden paced back and forth. I was concerned that he was going to be angry with Kate, because of the possible danger to Becca and Scott. As soon as he began to speak I knew I had no reason to question his loyalty. "He asked for Anna right? That means he hasn't discovered your name yet. But, I agree with Jeremy. You two can't go back home. I don't think Kate should be working at the hospital either. Not right now."
"She can't come stay with me either. I'll be the first one he'll look for," Cameron added.
"You shouldn't stay at your place either Cameron. If he's found Kate, he has to know you aren't far away. It's only a matter of time before he comes after you," I warned him.
"Not. Going. To. Happen," Jeremy spit out.
"What do you suggest I do? I can't stay anywhere with Kate. He'll be asking around for twins. Ellensburg isn't exactly a booming metropolis. It's only a matter of time before he runs into someone that knows us and tells him where to look," Cameron pointed out.
"You and Toni will stay with me. Kate will stay with Reed," Jeremy informed him.
"I don't need you to protect me," Cameron seethed.
"Stop being such a stubborn ass. There is safety in numbers and you can help me protect Toni," Jeremy snapped back.
Toni's mouth dropped open. "Hey...uh...never mind, I'm actually pretty cool with that."
"I thought you would be," Jeremy replied, never taking his eyes off of Cameron.
"Do you really think this arrangement is going to work? You have no idea what John is like. He won't think twice about bashing your head in because your gay," Cameron argued.
"I have a pretty good idea what people like him are like, Cam. I know you don't need my protection, but if you think for one second I'm going to stand by and let you face this alone, then you still don't know me very well," Jeremy said and walked out of the room.
"Go," Toni ordered Cameron. "Go talk to him. I love you like you were my own brother, so take what I'm about to say with that in mind. You are majorly fucking up. If you don't fix it fast, you're going to regret it forever," she finished.
Cameron silently stood up and followed after Jeremy. It was obvious to all of us that they were meant to be together, but Cameron held himself back. He and Kate were a lot a like in that way, but at least she was learning to trust.
"He's got to figure it out in his own time. Look at us. If they are really meant to be together Jeremy will forgive him," Kate said quietly so that only I could hear her.
"You mean like I forgave you?" I teased.
"Have I thanked you for that yet?" she flirted, catching on to my efforts to lighten the mood.
"Well, we are shacking up. You'll have plenty of time to thank me properly," I said and playfully waggled my eyebrows at her.
Kate rolled her eyes at me. "Oh good lord! Who's going to save me from you?"
I stalked toward her. "Katie girl, I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with me forever."
"Promise?" she whispered.
Chapter 19
Kate
Jeremy, Cameron and Reed took Toni and me back to our house to pack some clothes. I pushed open the unlocked back door and heard the crunch of glass under my feet as I walked in.
Toni flinched. I knew exactly what it felt like to hear a sound and relive John's rage. I was relieved when Aiden quit playing baseball, because the sound of a bat cracking against a ball brought back the helpless horror I felt watching John hit my brother over and over.
Reed followed behind me carrying a large sheet of plywood. He placed it over the broken window and began to hammer it into the doorframe.
"It isn't a great fix, but it'll do for now," he said.
I nodded and walked back toward my room.
Toni stood frozen in the hallway, too afraid to go back into her room. I swallowed hard. I reached out and lightly touched her shoulder and she jumped. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Do you want me to go in with you while you pack your stuff?"
She squeezed my hand, which I took as a yes. We walked slowly toward her room and she reached inside and turned on the light before stepping inside. She stared at the floor in front of her closet.
"How did you live with that fear every day?" she whispered.
"I wouldn't call it living. I was existing back then. Toni, I'm so sorry I brought this into your life. I honestly thought he wouldn't find me. I feared he would, but I'd started to believe he wouldn't. I guess I let my guard down."
"Don't you dare apologize to me. You didn't do a damn thing to me, do you understand? We all have our secrets, Kate. Are you going to blame me if mine came crawling to the surface?"
"Are you in trouble, Toni?"
"No more than usual. We should get our shit packed. The guys are as jumpy as I am," she said changing the subject.
I knew the signs of someone hiding. As much as I wanted to push, I couldn't. I'd have to trust her to come to me eventually. Trust has to be earned and I didn't give mine easy. I couldn't expect her to open up to me because I'd finally let her in.
After her clothes were quickly shoved into a duffle bag we went into my room. I flipped on the light and stood back in shock.
"Holy shit!" Toni shouted.
I heard the guys come running after her exclamation. Reed walked in past me. "What the fuck!" he yelled.
I shook my head. It was my turn to be stunned silent.
My room was destroyed. My clothes were shredded. Anything breakable was smashed to pieces and scattered around the room. My mattress had foam and springs exposed by violent gashes cut into it. The word "whore" was carved into my wall. A note was impaled next to the "e" by a large knife from the kitchen.
"Kate, don't touch it," Reed warned when I reached to pull out the knife.
The letter was only pierced at the top. I wasn't going to let someone else read the venom I knew would be written there. I quickly grabbed the paper and ripped it free before Reed could stop me.
I flipped up the fold. It was a picture of Reed and I walking Belly earlier that morning. My hand started to shake. "R...R....Reed," I stuttered and held out the picture.
"Motherfucker!" he shouted and punched the wall.
The dry wall crunched under the muted thwack of his fist. I scrambled backwards and tripped over the remnants of my broken desk chair. I continued to scoot back until my back hit the wall.
I tried to remind myself that Reed would never hurt me, but I wasn't seeing Reed crouching in front of me. My mind wandered back in time, and the only thing I could see was John in the last moments I spent with him before my brother came to save me.
I saw my death in his dull brown eyes. I had been running for five years, but I'd never really gotten away. I still carried the fear and shame with me. I'd bought myself time, but not freedom. Worse, I'd brought my friends into the same hell I couldn't escape.
I fought back the fear and started gathering all of my clothes that weren't destroyed. There w
eren't many left, but things are replaceable. I couldn't replace the people I loved. I promised Reed I wouldn't run, but if it meant keeping him safe I would have to break that promise. This time when I left I would be leaving Cameron behind. I refused to put him in the crossfire again.
"I'm going to go make myself some tea," I said, and headed toward the kitchen. I discretely picked up the small bag I set by the door.
Reed lightly touched my shoulder to get my attention. "Kate, I'll put that in the car for you."
I wanted to protest, but if I made a big deal out of it, he would know what I was planning. Besides with the amount of clothing that remained intact, I would have to purchase a new wardrobe anyway. I wouldn't risk their safety to hold on to two pairs of jeans, three of my least favorite t-shirts, a stained hoodie, and a handful of granny panties.
"Thanks," I said stiffly. In the kitchen I turned on the water, open and closed cabinets, and clanged some mugs together to continue the charade of making tea. I grabbed my key off the hook and quietly slipped out the back door.
My heart pounded in my chest while I made the short walk to my car parked in the driveway. The bright moonlight cast shadows from the trees and I scanned the yard for any sign of John waiting to ambush me.
My hands shook as I picked out the right key to unlock my old Buick sedan. I dropped my keys and crouched down to pick them up. I was so focused on locating my keys that I didn't notice the sound of crunching gravel coming toward me.
My heart jumped into my throat and I swallowed a scream. I wouldn't bring them out to share my fate. I curled up and waited for the first blow. I felt myself shake and my pulse pound painfully in my throat for every second I waited, but it didn't come.
"Katie, stand up," Reed ordered gruffly.
I lifted my eyes away from my knees and I felt the tightness release from my chest.
"You promised you wouldn't pull this shit," he grumbled, and extended his hand to help me up.
I accepted his help and brushed the gravel off my ass. "Toni was hurt tonight because of me. My brother almost died protecting me. How many more people need to get hurt?" I snapped.
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