by Rye Hart
He slammed on the gas, and my face went flying into the car door. I fell to the floorboard and groaned in pain as blood trickled from my mouth. It felt like I was on fire. I could hear the road rumbling beneath the tires of the car.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
“You think Graham could treat you like I could? Fuck you like I could? Make you come like I could? I have a stable job. A bigger house. A nicer car. No ties to a dead family to carry around with me. I’m better for you, why can’t you just see that?”
Tears clouded my vision as my cheek pressed into the floorboard of the car. Paul was speaking gibberish nonsense now, more to himself than to me. I had no idea where he was taking me, but I knew now that he was completely unhinged. I was afraid that if he thought he couldn’t have me, he’d just kill me and dump my body. Then what would happen to Lily? She’d already lost so much already in her young life. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her alone, especially with this monster who claimed to love us.
I looked around me for something I could use to defend myself. A tire iron, a crowbar, anything I could use to get the upper hand on him. Lily was at the house alone, no one knew I was gone, and she was going to wake up in the morning terrified and think I had left her. I couldn’t – wouldn’t – let that happen. If I had to fight with my dying breath to get back to my little girl, I would.
That’s when I saw it.
My cell phone was sitting in the corner of the trunk. In his haste to get me out of the house, Paul hadn’t checked to see if my phone was on me.
“You awake back there, princess?” he called from the driver’s seat.
I grimaced at his nickname as I slithered my way to my phone. I propped myself up and leaned heavily against the car. We were in the woods. I could tell by the shadows of the trees rushing by the part of the window I could see. I prayed I still had cell service as I reached for my phone, and then I craned my throbbing head back as I unlocked it.
I hit redial, watching as Graham’s number popped up onto the screen.
I wanted to cry tears of joy when the call picked up and the seconds started ticking.
“Graham would never kidnap me in the middle of the night,” I said, trying to alert Graham to what was happening.
“Graham this, Graham that. I can’t believe you would choose that murderous asshole over someone like me,” Paul said.
“He’s not a murderer. You’ll never convince me of that,” I said.
“Then I guess you won’t believe me when I tell you he had a hand in killing his own family?”
“You’re a liar, and a disgusting excuse for a man, Paul. Now take me home and back to my daughter now!”
“You are an ungrateful bitch who wouldn’t know a real man if he slapped you across the fucking face! I did everything for you. I planned your husband’s funeral while you were wallowing in pity. I took Lily to and from his parent’s house because you were too doped up on sedatives and antidepressants to drive. You enjoyed my presence then, when it was convenient for you. I gave you my heart, Cindy.”
“You gave me nothing but the promise you said you made to Bradley! But it was a selfish whim, Paul. You didn’t make that promise because he was your best friend. You used that so-called promise as a way to stay close to me after he died and try to weasel your way into our lives to get what you wanted.”
“I’ve got a bigger dick than him anyway. And before I’m done with you, you’ll know it,” he said.
The car came to an abrupt halt, and I looked down at the phone. The minutes were still ticking so I knew Graham was still on the line. I shoved the phone underneath the seat as Paul flung his door open, and then I listened as he made his way around the car.
“Paul, you stay away from me,” I said. “Why did you drive me here out to the middle of the woods?” I asked, trying to give Graham a location to go on in case he wasn’t able to track my phone.
“I cleaned your house before you moved back to Bend,” he said. “I checked up on you and made sure you and Lily were adjusting okay. I ran background checks on everyone you came into contact with so you could be safe in the bubble of a life you live in, and you want to throw it back in my face like a selfish little bitch?”
He reached out for my hair and yanked me out of the back of his SUV.
“Paul, please,” I said through my sobs. “I have a daughter. What in the world are you going to tell her?”
“I’m going to tell her that her mother couldn’t swallow her grief. That after finding out some asshole she was whoring around with was nothing but a dirty, rotten mobster, you couldn’t cope. You killed yourself in the woods, and I decided to take Lily in because I loved you and her. So much.”
“You will never be my daughter’s father,” I said.
“I should’ve been the father of several children with you,” he said as I heard him fiddle with his buckle. “But I’ll settle for a bit of fun now. You like it rough, right? That bite mark on your neck tells me you do.”
I threw my knee at him and nailed him right in his crotch. He buckled to his knees, and I stumbled back into the car. My hands felt around behind me for my phone, and I took off, hoping I was heading for the road and not farther into the forest. My lungs were heaving for air, and I prayed Graham could hear this. I prayed he could figure out where I was and come after me.
Or at least get Lily out of town before Paul killed me and went back to the house.
“I can hear you!” Paul said.
My lungs were burning as twigs and branches cut open my face.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, beautiful.”
He was echoing off every corner of the woods, making it hard for me to pinpoint where exactly he was. My legs were carrying me as fast as I could, but I could feel them buckling from exhaustion. I kept imagining Lily, waking up and running to Paul as he announced I was dead. I saw Graham arrested and in prison for something I knew he wasn’t capable of.
I saw Bradley the night I met him, smiling while standing next to that disgusting son of a bitch.
I had to get back to them.
I had to get back to Graham and Lily.
“Gotcha!”
Paul leapt out of the woods and tackled me to the ground. A searing pain ricocheted up my shoulder as I cried out into the night. I heard my cell phone crunch, destroying whatever hope of rescue I thought I had. I could feel him pawing at me. His hand groping my breast, while the other worked to get his cock out of his pants. His lips were on my cheek, and I turned to bite him. I bit down so hard, I could taste his blood on my tongue.
“Ah, so you do like it rough. What about this?”
His hand cracked against my cheek, and I wailed, screaming for help when I knew no one could hear me.
“Scream all you want,” Paul said. “It’s a beautiful sound.”
I felt my pants being ripped down my legs before Paul grunted. I heard him fall to the ground and the sound of punches being landed. Bones cracked, and twigs broke. Leaves rustled as I tried to sit up. My head was pounding, and blood was still pooling in my mouth. I was shivering on the cold forest floor as my shoulder burned with pain.
Then the fighting stopped, and I heard someone scrambling for me.
“Please. No. Paul, just stop. Please stop,” I said.
“Cindy. It’s me. Sh, sh, sh, listen to my voice.”
“Graham?” I asked.
“It’s me. I’ve got you. I found you. Paul’s unconscious.”
“Graham,” I said as tears rose to my eyes.
“It’s okay,” he said.
“H-h-he tried to … Lily. Is Lily okay?”
“Lily’s fine. Daniel’s at the house with her. Your screaming woke her up,” he said. “She came running over to my house and as soon as I realized you were gone, I called the police.”
“My baby girl,” I said breathlessly.
“I’ve got you,” he said. “Oh, Cindy, I’ve got you.”
I leaned into his body as sirens
sounded in the distance. I felt my body being lifted into his strong arms as he cradled me against him. Cop cars came careening down the dirt path and surrounded Paul’s body, and his groaning caused me to flinch.
“He’s never going to touch you again,” Graham said. “I’ve made sure of that.”
And for the first time in days, I felt a blanket of peace settle over me.
Graham was my protector, and I knew, if nothing else, I could trust that.
CHAPTER 30
GRAHAM
ONE WEEK LATER
Paul had been arrested and charged with a host of things. Attempted rape, kidnapping, assault. Multiple counts of drug and illegal arms trafficking. He was going to jail for the rest of his life, but the wounds Cindy had incurred would take some time to heal.
Lily crying out for her mother had caught my attention. Daniel and I had been celebrating our victory when we heard Lily on the porch screaming for Cindy. I opened my door to find Lily crying, wiping her eyes as she clutched her blanket. I had gathered her in my arms as Daniel ran to the house, trying to see if he could find Cindy.
But she hadn’t been there.
I had just gathered the police at her home when my cell phone rang. And as soon as I picked up, one of the officers hooked up my phone and began to trace her call. Another officer was recording everything that was being said on her end of the phone, and I felt my blood boiling. I had instructed Daniel to stay with Lily. Then a few officers and I left to go find Cindy and get to her before Paul killed her.
Had those officers not been right behind me, I would’ve killed him, beaten him with my bare hands until he choked on his own blood. Between that phone call, the evidence the CIA had, and the injuries Cindy had sustained, Paul would never see the light of day again.
And I finally had answers as to what happened to my family.
It came to light that Paul meant to kill all of us that day. He had set one of the Fresco family’s soldiers up to come after my family to shut us up. It was my constant digging that kept Paul on his toes and having to cover his tracks, and he was getting tired of it. The plan had been to kill all of us that morning.
I ached. I hurt in places I never thought I would feel again. I wanted Paul dead, and yet I wanted him alive to suffer every second in the prison they would haul his ass to. They were nailing him to the wall. No one was willing to cut him a deal because they were going to make an example out of him. And I loved it. The dark part of me that wanted to rip him limb from limb was ecstatic that they would make him suffer.
Death was too easy for men like him.
I watched Cindy come and go from my house. She had sustained a mild concussion, a dislocated shoulder, a sprained wrist, multiple lacerations to her face, and bruising on her arms and legs. But the emotional wounds she had would take years to heal.
Possibly a lifetime.
But my plan still hadn’t changed. Had I not messed with her or allowed myself to get so close to her, Paul wouldn’t have been triggered. He probably would’ve stayed creepy, I’m sure. But his anger over Cindy and I being together wouldn’t have thrown him over the edge. It was still my fault that she’d had to go through all she had.
I knew what I had to do, but she deserved an explanation. Now that my name had been cleared and Paul was off the streets, I knew it was safe enough to explain to her what was going to happen.
She deserved at least that much.
I went over and knocked on her door. I shuffled from foot to foot as I listened to her walk across the kitchen floor. I could tell she still had a slight limp, and it killed my soul.
It also reminded me that I was doing the right thing.
“Graham,” she said. “Hey.”
Her face was still covered with scabs waiting to heal.
“Hey, Cindy. How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Better every day,” she said. “I still need to thank you.”
“Then come to dinner with me,” I said.
“Tonight?”
“Yeah. If you want to thank me, let me treat you to dinner.”
“Graham, I’m not sure if—”
“Or I’ll cook. But I don’t want you to cook. I know you like to, but you need to rest,” I said.
Her eyes were darting around like she was wondering when Paul was going to pull up.
“He’s not here, and he’s not coming back,” I said. “Ever.”
“I know that,” she sighed. “But I still can’t seem to convince myself of it. I’d have to see if Nicole could watch Lily,” Cindy said.
“That’s fine. I’ll come over and get you around seven or so.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
Two hours later, the two of us were heading to the outskirts of town. I knew Cindy was still hesitant about being seen in public because she didn’t want to be more fodder for the town gossip mill than she already was. She was trying so hard to keep things as normal as possible for Lily. Fortunately, I knew about a great diner tucked away in a small corner of town. Not many people frequented the place, but they had great milkshakes.
And with Cindy’s jaw still bruised up a bit, she probably wouldn’t be up for eating anything solid.
“Cindy, I’m so sorry,” I began.
“For what?” she asked.
“For everything you’ve been through. Had it not been for me, you would never have been put in that situation with Paul.”
“You think what happened to me was your fault?” she asked.
“Our relationship triggered his unraveling,” I said.
“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn't be alive right now, Graham. He tried to force himself on me. He tried to kill me. He said all these things about raising Lily on his own and…”
I watched her shiver as our waitress set her milkshake in front of her.
“I still would’ve been in danger because of him,” Cindy said. “I declined his advances, and it would’ve pissed him off enough eventually for him to do what he did. But you wouldn’t have been there to save me.”
“You would’ve called 911 instead of me had I not been there.”
“And they wouldn’t have gotten to me in time. You know that. I owe you my life, Graham.”
“You owe me nothing,” I said.
“I would’ve been in danger with no one to turn to,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. For saving me.”
She reached out for my hand, and I took it. Even in her fragile state, her touch could still send shivers down my spine. I heaved a heavy sigh as a plate of hot French fries were set between us, but she didn’t let go of my hand.
I could feel her trembling as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Everything happens for a reason,” she said. “There was a reason I met you. There was a reason you came into my life.”
“Cindy.”
“No. Let me finish,” she said. “There are times where I felt like angels were watching over me after Bradley died. There were moments of peace I couldn't explain and moments of relief I had nothing to attribute to. But with you, I feel all those things all the time. You’re my angel, Graham, and I think, in a way, I’m yours.”
Fuck. I wished Cindy would stop talking. Her words were making this harder than it already was for me. I felt tears rising in my eyes as I pulled her hand to my lips. I kissed each knuckle on her hand as my eyes studied the bruise around her wrist. She was so beautiful. And she was right. She had been my heaven-sent angel sent to pull from within me things I never thought I would feel with another woman ever again.
Which only heightened my need to protect her.
“I can’t keep putting you in danger,” I said.
“Graham, you didn’t put me in danger,” she said.
“I have to go.”
“What?” she asked.
“Even though my name has been cleared and even though Paul is gone, there’s an entire criminal network out there who I can only assume still wants me dead. I can’t stay. I can’t keep putting you at risk with d
ecisions I’ve made. I already lost one family to it. I won’t lose another.”
“Graham, please don’t,” she said.
“I don’t have a choice. I care for you, Cindy. You and Lily. And I won’t stick around and watch you get hurt again because I can’t shake you off.”
“There’s another way. I know there is. You don’t have to run. That isn’t always the answer.”
“I’m sorry, Cindy. I wanted to tell you in person because, after all you’ve been through, it’s the absolute least you deserve.”
“And what about you, huh? What do you deserve?” she asked me.
I felt my jaw trembling as I tried to keep my tears at bay.
“I know you don’t understand now, but you will,” I said.
“I want you to take me home. Now,” Cindy said.
She tore her hand from my grasp and rose from the table. We rode back to her house in silence, her entire body pressed against the door of my truck like she was trying to get as far away from me as she could. I could see her crying. I could see her shoulders shaking. I could hear her muffled sobs as we pulled into my driveway.
I walked her to her porch, and she turned to me, her body flush against mine.
“Please, don’t do this,” Cindy said breathlessly.
“I don’t have a—”
She rose up and crashed our lips together. I wrapped my arms around her, memorizing how she felt one last time. I took in the swell of her chest against mine and how her hips instinctively rolled into my body. She was soft and warm, with just a touch of innocence I hoped would never go away.
Then I released her and settled her down on her feet.
“Goodbye, Cindy.”
“Graham, please.”
“Give Lily a kiss for me,” I said.
“Graham, stop it!”
I stepped off her porch and walked across her lawn, forcing myself to not look back. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to remember her this way. I didn’t want to remember what a broken heart looked like on her face. I didn’t want to remember tears streaming down her cheeks or scabs on her face or bruises on her jaw.
I wanted to remember her panting in my ear, chanting my name as our bodies writhed together in ecstasy. I wanted to remember the look of her skin illuminated with the morning sun. I wanted to remember her with a smile on her face, a smile I somehow managed to put there.