by Jani Kay
The gushing became louder, yet I couldn’t hear any sirens. Did that mean nobody else heard it? Strange.
I swung my legs off the side of the bed and yelped as I stepped into ice-cold water. Oh. My. God. What the fuck was happening?
Pulling my legs back up, I huddled on the bed, drawing my knees to my chest as I tried to work out what to do. If the apartment was flooding with water, I had to call somebody. But who? My brain was still muddled from sleep, and I honestly didn’t have a clue what to do in these situations.
Funny how it was especially in moments like these that I wished I had a man sleeping in my bed. Someone I could turn to so that we could solve the problem together. Or in this case, to find the source of the water and fix it, and then carry me to dry ground so that I didn’t need to get my feet wet.
Maybe it was the shock from the cold water, because my teeth clattered and my chest burned. Warm tears spilled over my cheeks, and I bit into my lower lip as I realized I had nobody to call.
Except Levi. Maybe.
Red was away for an extended weekend with Beckham; they’d left early Friday morning already to make the most of their time getting to know one another better, so she wasn’t any use in this situation.
Not knowing what time it was, because the clock radio had died, too, I reached for my phone. Two thirty-three A.M. Great. Levi would be fast asleep and definitely not appreciative of a call at this hour.
Still weighing up my options, a crashing sound from the direction of the en-suite bathroom startled me. Oh God, the place was falling apart, and I was sitting scared and naked on the bed in the fucking dark.
Time to get brave and check it out.
Gingerly, I placed first one then the other foot on the soaked carpet. Every step I took my feet squelched, creeping me the fuck out. Feeling my way around in the dark, I bumped into a piece of furniture and stubbed my toe.
“Ouch. Fuck,” I yelled, jumping on one foot until I made it to the bedroom door. I reached for the main light switch and flicked it on. Nothing. No fucking power. Goddamnit!
Like an idiot, I’d forgotten my phone on the bed. Hopping back on one foot, I felt around the bedcovers desperately to retrieve my phone, remembering that I’d downloaded an app that served as a flashlight. Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier?
Panic rose in my chest. The phone had disappeared, swallowed by the darkness. Worry knitted my brow. Had it fallen off the bed and onto the drenched carpet? I shuddered at the thought of my phone being rendered useless by the water that rose slowly but surely.
Please God, I need light. I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes, becoming the kid again who was afraid of the dark. I promise to be a good girl, just help me find the phone so I can have light. Please, please, please.
Crawling around on the bed, my hands frantically moved over the sheets and pillows, but I couldn’t find it. Long moments passed before my fingertips made contact with the cold glass face. Thank fuck! I gripped it in my sweaty palm, relief flooding my body. The damn thing had been wedged between the mattress and a pillow, only inches from the edge of the bed.
Thank you, God. I owe you one.
Holding onto the phone like a lifeline, I flicked through my apps until I found the one I needed. I could have cried with happiness when a bright light cut through the night like a laser. At last I could kind of see around me.
The light beamed down the hallway. The water was inches deep and rising. Grimacing, I placed my feet back onto the soaked carpet. Even though I knew what to expect, it still caused my stomach to churn over. I waded through ankle deep water toward the kitchen, my heart beating in my ears. What would I find? It would be just my damn luck that a water pipe had burst in the early hours of the morning.
Standing in the doorway, I held onto the doorjamb. My jaw dropped. It looked like something from a movie—a bad movie. Water gushed from the walls with pipes protruding from them, and pieces of broken tile floated on the water. I’d seen too many movies where the girl nearly drowned to not be worried. I mean, where would all the water go if it wasn’t stopped?
I had to get help. And I definitely had to get out of there. But first, I needed clothing. Oh God, that meant going back to the bedroom. I shivered, a chill seeping into my bones. I grabbed the first pieces of clothing I found—a T-shirt and jean shorts I’d thrown over the back of a chair. Quickly slipping the top over my head and then shimmying into the denim pants, I sucked in a sharp breath as the phone dropped from my hand into the water.
No. Oh God, no.
I leaned over and grabbed it as quickly as I could, but the light had already died. Wiping it with my shirt, I prayed for a miracle. I couldn’t believe my luck when the light flickered back on.
A deep sigh of relief escaped my lips. With quivering lips and tears blurring my vision, I searched for Levi’s number. He’d know what to do. He’d help me, even if it was nearly three A.M.
Wouldn’t he?
I dialed his number with trembling fingers and held my breath. Waiting. Listening to the familiar ringtone as my heart beat against my ribs.
Pick up the damn phone, Levi.
It rang out and went to voicemail. Damn. Surely the man couldn’t be sleeping that heavily. Or maybe he had his phone on silent. I hit the green button again, hard and desperate.
Come on Levi, wake up.
“Hello. Montana?” The sound of his croaky voice was heavenly. Allowing the tears to stream down my cheeks unchecked, I nodded like a fool.
“Who is calling at this time of night?” A shrill woman’s voice came down the line.
Just as my heart shattered into a million pieces, my phone gave up and finally died.
Chapter 26 — Montana
There was only one place I could think to go. The loft. I’d be safe there, even if I were alone. I’d never actually slept in the bed for a full night, and I was looking forward to its warmth and comfort. But more than that, I’d feel closer to Levi.
Still shaken by hearing a woman’s voice, my heart twisted achingly. Levi had moved on remarkably fast. What if he was at the loft fucking her in our bed?
Before I could fret any more, a crash came from the direction of the bathroom. Hell, I wasn’t hanging around to find out what had happened. I grabbed my car keys and waded my way to the front door. I fought against the rising water to pull the heavy door inward, but I managed to crack it open just enough to squeeze my ass through the gap before it slammed shut.
I stamped my wet feet on the concrete floor because they’d gone numb from the cold, then ran down the stairwell, taking two steps at a time. No way was I taking an elevator. I was too freaked out. What if this was sabotage? I’d watched way too many action movies not to be worried.
Once inside my car, I rested my head on my folded arms against the steering wheel.
My inner child sent up a prayer.
Thank you, God, for getting me out of there alive. I’ll be a good girl now, I promise.
Sometimes when I hadn’t slept well for a few nights in a row, I took a sleeping tablet to knock me out. Thankfully I’d run out and needed a new prescription, otherwise I could just imagine the headline: “Montana Marx found dead floating naked in her flooded apartment.”
I shuddered and quickly started the car. I had to get as far from there as possible.
*****
Thankfully nobody saw me creep toward the elevator barefoot, disheveled, and trembling. I hit the button for the top floor and leaned against the wall, rubbing my arms to warm me up as it took me to the only place I wanted to be at that moment.
Of course I wished Levi would be there, welcoming me with a warm smile and hugging the shit out of me. I needed a hug that led to fucking. It was the only way I’d calm my nerves and get to sleep.
Once inside, I didn’t turn on any lights because the blinds were still open, and the moonlight and NYC lights came streaming into the room. Shadows played across the wood floor and the huge bed invited me into its warmness.
; My shoulders relaxed for the first time, and I sucked a deep breath into my lungs.
This feels like home. I’m never leaving this place again.
I used the landline to make a call to report the flooding water. Heaven knew how high it was, the way it had gushed out.
My apartment was comfortable and by New York standards it was quite spacious because the building was so old. I’d set roots down there even though I hadn’t spent that much time at home.
Rubbing my temples I tried to remember if my insurance covered flooding and water damage. When I’d moved into the apartment after arriving in New York, I was struggling for money and I took the cheapest insurance option available at the time. Since I’d been promoted and started earning the big bucks I’d meant to find another place to live just as I’d meant to upgrade my insurance, but it was one of those things on my to-do list that never quite got ticked off as done.
I shuddered to think of the damage the water did to my belongings, especially my treasured designer shoes and handbags. I’d worked hard to afford those and it was my way of measuring how far I’d come in my career.
Most of the furnishings were replaceable except for one item I’d brought from home when I first moved to the city—an antique buffet that had belonged to my great grandmother and was passed down from generation to generation. It was priceless and no amount of money could ever compensate for its loss. A dull ache settled in my chest as I imagined water seeping into the wood and irreparably damaging it.
Funny how things happened because now I probably didn’t have an option other than to find a new place. The universe was pushing and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. I felt more alone than ever.
I hate moving.
Since high school Mom and I had to move around from town to town to get away from wagging tongues. Every time I just thought I could relax and settle down, the past somehow caught up with us, forcing us to move again—until my mother had a breakdown.
Quickly discarding the damp clothing I wore, I crept under the covers, the bed enveloping my body and caressing my skin with its whisper-soft sheets. I felt so small in the huge bed, utterly alone.
This is how my life will be from this day forward. No more fuck buddies.
It was an easy decision to make, because frankly, nobody could replace Levi, and besides, it just wasn’t safe while Jake was around. My head still hurt every time I thought about him.
I reached out for Levi’s pillow and snuggled down, hugging it between my breasts. Wafts of his aroma floated to my nose as I inhaled deeply. This was the closest I’d ever be to Levi again.
I let the emotions go that I’d pent up. Tears flooded my pillow. I didn’t try to be brave; I just let them happen. I’d cried more in the last few weeks than I had in years. It was cathartic and therapeutic and I wondered why I’d tried to hold it all in for so long.
If my heart and soul needs to shed the pain that way, so be it.
Somehow I ran out of tears and drifted off to sleep.
The heaviness of my body as it sank into the mattress was like a dead weight. The bed sucked me in and I couldn’t move my limbs. I knew what was coming. It meant I was going to have that nightmare. The one where I’d relive that fateful day when my life went to shit. I fought the sleep, but it was useless.
I was falling, falling, falling.
*****
I screamed in my head, but not a word escaped my lips.
“No, Daddy. Please don’t do it.” My feet were glued to the floor.
High on drugs, my father stood in front of me, his pants zipper down. “Your bitch of a mother won’t give me sex. I pay for your school, your clothes, and your fucking food. It’s time you showed your appreciation. Tonight you’re gonna be a good daddy’s girl and suck my dick.”
I stiffened. God, no!
“Show me what you got, baby girl,” he slurred, as he moved toward me.
“I . . . I can’t,” I said, staggering backwards. I lifted my chin. “I won’t.”
“Come here, you little ungrateful bitch. My friend Mick tells me his daughter sucks his dick all the time. He even fucks her. Don’t pretend you’re so precious, that you haven’t sucked some boy’s dick yet.”
I recoiled in disgust. “Don’t touch me. I’ll tell Mom.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Go ahead; make my day. I’ll make the bitch watch me fuck you. That will teach her to say no to me.”
He grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me toward him. With an iron grip, he pinned me against his body. I fought against him, writhing and wriggling, but it only seemed to excite him more. I drew in a sharp breath and closed my eyes tightly as his fingers pushed my panties aside and slid over my pussy.
“I bet you’ve had cock, haven’t you? So why not share this pussy with your old man? Only seems fair.”
“Let me go,” I cried. “Please let me go, and I won’t tell anyone.”
“Of course you won’t tell anyone. I’ll have to kill you then.” His finger found my clit and stroked circles around it. “Get wet for me, Monty, like a good girl. Mick tells me fifteen-year-old pussy tastes good. Sweet and plump and juicy. I’m going to fuck your tight little cunt after I taste you.”
Adrian wasn’t my biological father, but he was the only father I knew. He hadn’t always been like this. He hadn’t always been a loser, high on any drug he could lay his hands on. But that had changed after he’d had an accident and lost his job. He wasn’t ever the same.
“You can’t do this,” I pleaded.
“Watch me.”
“No,” I screamed. “Let me go.”
“What’s going on?” my mother shrieked. “Adrian, what the hell are you doing? Let my daughter go.”
Thankfully, Adrian let go of me and I slumped back onto the bed in a state of shock about where he’d touched me. Nobody had been there, ever. I was saving it for the man I’d fall in love with one day. Now I was sullied. Dirty. Disgusting.
Lost in my own despair, my head snapped up when my mother screamed. My stepfather had ripped her dress off her body.
“What’s better than having you suck my dick while I eat your daughter out? I hit the jackpot tonight with two bitches to fuck blind.”
He grabbed my mother by her hair and pulled her face toward his groin. She turned her head away. “Don’t Adrian, please. Not in front of my child.”
“Shut up, Kathryn. Let’s see if this turns little Monty on and gets her wet,” he goaded, as he threw her on the floor and kicked her legs apart. With his dick in his hand, he fell to his knees between her thighs. My mother’s eyes were wide and filled with fear.
“I’m going to fuck you and Monty’s going to see what I’m doing to her next.”
Mom’s eyes squeezed closed as she shut me out.
I couldn’t watch. I just couldn’t.
I leaned over and grabbed the heavy glass plaque sitting on my nightstand. The award I’d won for Best Student made the perfect weapon. I staggered over to where Adrian was huddled over my mother’s body, ready to penetrate her while pinning her down.
A loud thud sounded above Adrian’s grunt and he fell with his whole weight on top of Mom. Blood dripped from his head onto her skin.
“Oh God, Monty, what have you done?” she wailed.
I stood there with my head pounding and my mouth hanging open.
Cold and empty.
*****
I bolted upright in the bed, shaking from head to toe. Cold and empty, just like that day, even though I was sweating. I groaned and willed my eyes to stay open. I wasn’t falling asleep again to just slip back into that nightmare. I hated when that happened, when the dream continued on.
Although I hadn’t had the nightmare in a long while, I never knew when it might show up and that was one of the reasons I never wanted to have sleepovers with Levi. I couldn’t trust myself once I’d fallen asleep to not have Adrian take over my subconscious.
What if Levi didn’t want me any more once he found ou
t just how damaged I was?
That I’d killed a man.
Sobs wracked my frame and I added more wetness to the already drenched pillow. I wiped the snot from my nose and turned the pillow over, but the flood of tears didn’t stop. Not even Levi’s pillow could console me.
I needed the man.
I needed him to hold me and hush me and tell me everything was okay.
To tell me that I’d killed my stepfather out of self-preservation and that I shouldn’t feel guilty that my mother had taken the rap for me. That even though she’d pleaded self-defense, the cops had mishandled her case and made her believe she’d failed as a mother and I was a slut. Or that she’d landed in a mental institution because of me and it was all my fault.
Chapter 27 — Levi
Montana’s call ended before she uttered a word or I could ask any questions. She wouldn’t call at that hour if something wasn’t wrong. I tried calling her back, but the calls went straight to voice mail.
I pushed the bed sheets back and got up, pacing the room while thinking about what to do. I hadn’t drawn the curtains, but the full moon lit the room enough for me to see.
I had no choice; worry took over as I went through the possibilities. I desperately wanted to go to her apartment again to check if she was okay. Even if she didn’t want me there. Had Jake the Snake gone back to pester her? I’d skin the fucker alive if he hurt my girl.
Or maybe it was a mistake and she never meant to call my number. She hadn’t said a word and I couldn’t reach her afterwards, so did that mean she didn’t want to speak to me and had turned her phone off?
I slipped into my jeans, adjusting The Monster to sit to the left, then pulled a T-shirt over my head. I padded my way to the front door and picked up my keys. They slipped through my fingers and crashed to the floor. Fuck.
A high-pitched voice rang out behind me. “Where are you going at this time of night?”
I instantly regretted inviting my aunt to stay over for a few nights before she flew to London. We’d gotten along well when I was a kid because as a late arrival, she was only nine years older than me, but I wasn’t so sure we’d be friends any more. She was nosey and interfering, asking me all sorts of questions about the news reports and Montana. Tyler had warned me about her and told me I was crazy to offer her accommodation. I hadn’t seen her for years since she lived so far away and I hadn’t thought four nights with her would drive me this crazy.