“Oh my God, you hit him!” Amelia smiled but she was concerned.
“I did. And somehow I feel this is only the beginning of it all.” Grabbing an ice pack from the freezer, he applied it to his fist and pulled Amelia in for a hug. “I won’t let that piece of shit do anything to you, Amelia. You’ll be safe here with me.”
“I know. I just didn’t want you pulled into my ex drama.”
“He’s with Susan. It’s too late for that and it’s not your fault.”
Now he had to be extra vigilant with Justin. He took Phillip as the type of person who would do anything for revenge. Susan was right along for the ride. It was going to get worse before it got better.
***
“Everything okay, Amelia?” Her boss patted her on the shoulder, his brow creased as he passed by.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Why?” She knew exactly why, though she felt like she might be hiding it better than she apparently was.
“You’re not talking much. You look like someone just ran over your dog or something.”
Amelia forced a smile and dusted down the counter next to the cash register. “I’m okay. Jut a lot going on right now.”
“Still working at the bar?”
Shaking her head, she tossed the dirty towel in the pile that needed to be washed and said hello to a customer that came through the door. “I’ve taken a leave of absence from there. Just short term. I’ll be going back.”
“Yeah? What’s going on for you to take a break from there? Not that I object - you’re worn out. You deserve a little downtime.”
“Just like you said, taking a little break.”
Amelia went to help the customer, partly because they looked lost and partly because she wanted to get away from her boss’ questions. Her stomach was in knots over everything that had happened - Rodney had decked Phillip and knowing her ex-boyfriend, he’d do whatever he could to make Rodney’s life a living hell. It was drama they didn’t need and she felt guilty even bringing Rodney into her drama with her ex. It was such a small world. His ex-wife was now with Phillip. There had to be an ulterior motive for that.
She tried to focus on the positives - another blissful night spent with Rodney brought a smile to her face. The sex was incredible but there was so much more to it. There was a connection she had never felt with anyone else. He sent her to places she had never been, both physically and mentally.
“Amelia, do you have that item?”
The customer was staring at her like she was from another planet, pulling her from her trance. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she didn’t even know what he was asking about. “I’m so sorry. What were you looking for?”
“Do you carry weed eater string for this model?” He handed her a piece of paper with messy handwriting on it and she led him to it.
“I’m sorry. I think this is what you’re looking for.”
After finishing up with the customer, her boss followed her to the break room. She anticipated that he would get onto her and she cringed as he opened his mouth to speak, but surprisingly, he was very supportive.
“Amelia, why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”
“I’m good, really.”
“I know you are but it’s not a suggestion. Go home and get some rest. I’ll pay you for the full day, okay? It’s been slow. I can handle the rest of the day until we close.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Go home. I’ll see you tomorrow, nice and refreshed.”
Amelia gathered her lunch box and purse, pulling her phone out. She tried to call Rodney but he didn’t answer - he had mentioned that he would be busy all day on a roof so she shot him a text, letting him know she was home early if he wanted to come over later for a nice dinner. She could stop off at the store and buy all the things she needed for steak, potatoes, and salad. He was always hungry right after work and hopefully, the food would hit the spot. He deserved it after everything she was putting him through.
After stopping at the store and preparing what she could, Amelia climbed in the shower. After the past few nights together, she wanted to fix herself up nice for him. Making sure her legs were shaved and smoothed, she also touched up her wax job, still tender from the pleasure and attention he had given her multiple times. Tracing her fingers over her clit, she thought about how good his tongue was on it, suddenly aroused and ready for him to be home.
Grabbing her phone, she took a picture of herself, naked in the shower, with a subtitle in a text message to Rodney that said, “Fresh, clean, and ready for you.” Before talking herself out of it, she sent it, her face warming at what she had just done. She had never sent naked pictures to anyone. Rodney brought the adventure out in her and it excited her.
Her phone dinged and she reached for it, smiling at his response. “Screw finishing this roof. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Finishing her shower, she chose a tight-fitting tank top that exposed enough cleavage to get him fired up along with a low rise pair of jeans that hugged her hips like they were tailored just for her. Staring at herself in the mirror, she debated on how she wanted to wear her hair. Rodney always loved it down and she enjoyed when he’d run his fingers through it. She’d leave it wavy - it would just end up messy anyway. She never was one to wear much makeup but she applied some light brown eyeshadow, mascara, and a thin line of eyeliner, bringing out the blue in her eyes. Putting the final touches on it, she applied a light pink lipstick that likely wouldn’t last long either.
Taking one last look in the mirror, she went to the kitchen to begin cooking. Rodney sent another text saying he’d be done with the job in about forty-five minutes, and that was the perfect time to get the steaks and potatoes cooked. Time got away from her and before she knew it, Rodney would be home any minute.
Pulling the steaks from the grill, she set everything out on the table and waited. If things went well, the dinner wouldn’t take long and they’d be busy doing other things the rest of the evening. Her stomach growled at the sight of the food but she would wait, only nibbling on a piece of cucumber from the salad as she waited.
Another fifteen minutes passed and he wasn’t home. Shooting him a text, he didn’t respond. Maybe the roof took longer than she thought. It wasn’t an exact science in construction. Standing, she paced on the front porch. The food was getting cold and her mind immediately went to the worst case scenario. Phillip was lurking and Amelia wasn’t one hundred percent certain what he was capable of doing.
Forcing herself to calm down, she sat on the porch swing and took a deep breath. Rodney probably just had to work late. She had to stop allowing her imagination to conjure up stories. She had read one too many mystery books. Things were fine. Rodney would be home soon.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rodney stayed behind at the job site to get the trash picked up. The rest of the crew had been working longer hours than him since he had to leave to pick up Justin all of the time. Carol was picking him up that day and spending some time with him. At first, Rodney had hesitated. Carol was Susan’s sister and he worried she’d take him around her but Carol swore she wouldn’t, and over the years, Rodney had learned to trust Carol. She was a lot more level-headed than her sister and not once had she ever lied to him.
He also couldn’t wait to spend some time alone with Amelia. After the steamy picture she sent him, he felt himself rushing to get the job done, though that wasn’t a good idea. Gathering the last bit of trash and nails, he threw the plastic bag in the bed of his pickup and went to climb in, stopping when he felt the warm feel of metal jab into his side.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The voice was familiar and Rodney looked over his shoulder, his heart skipping a beat when he saw Phillip smiling. Susan was next to him, both making a wall that he couldn’t get past.
“What the hell are you two doing?” Rodney cringed when the metal pressed harder against him. It was evident it was a gun and he had to be careful - Phillip had proved he was
psychotic and if he said one thing wrong, the man probably wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
“You’re coming with us, Rodney boy.”
Rodney wanted to say so many things but he couldn’t risk it. He also had the urge to hit Phillip but from the angle he was at, it wasn’t worth it. The metal pressed into his rib and he groaned as Phillip pulled him from the truck, leaving the keys in the ignition and the door hanging wide open. His phone was still in his pocket - he had to hope that they would be too ignorant to search him and take it.
“Get in the trunk.” Phillip motioned to an older model car parked in the back alley of the building Rodney had been working on.
Rodney hesitated. He was a tall man and fitting inside it would be a stretch. A sharp blow hit him in the back of the head and he fell to the pavement, landing on his knees behind the car. Phillip moved close to hit him again but Rodney moved backward, missing his swing.
“Give me a chance,” Rodney said, holding his hands up. His head pounded and the edges of his vision went black. “Don’t hit me!”
Phillip pulled Rodney up by his collar and shoved him toward the trunk again. “Don’t make me tell you again. Get in the fucking trunk!”
Rodney looked over at Susan. Her lips were pursed in a smirk but her expression revealed that she wasn’t completely agreeing with what was happening. He could play that to his advantage - use the sympathy card and hopefully get her to help him if it got far enough.
“Susan, don’t do this.” Rodney prepared for another blow from Phillip but it didn’t come. “Why are you doing this?”
Susan opened her mouth to speak but Phillip interrupted her. “Because your bitch ass hit me last night! Because you’re fucking Amelia! You’re ruining Susan’s life! Now get in the trunk.” The blow came, hitting Rodney in the back of the head again. Vertigo hit him hard and then his vision went completely black.
***
Amelia was trying hard not to panic but after a couple of texts and two phone calls, Rodney was still not answering. It was well past the time that they were supposed to meet and her mind immediately went to worst case scenarios of what could be happening. Was he in a wreck? Beat up somewhere? Was he cheating on her? She hated that she didn’t have that trust but with her past, it wasn’t unheard of for a man to do that to her.
Getting in her car, she sped to the shop where he worked. His truck wasn’t there but someone else was and she ran inside, knowing in the back of her mind how psychotic this must look to others.
Opening the front door, bells jingled similar to the ones where she worked, letting staff know someone had come in. A man looked up from a computer, his expression blank.
“Ma’am, we are closed.” His tone matched his blank look.
“Is Rodney here?”
“No. He was out on a job today.”
“Is he working late?”
The man coughed and arched his eyebrow. He’d soon be annoyed with all of her questions but she was going to try to get as much information out of him as possible. “Not that I know of, ma’am.” Looking at his watch, he shook his head. “They never work this late unless there is a high priority job.”
“Well, was the job he was on today high priority?” Amelia’s voice shook and she was starting to yell. It was way too soon to get so riled up but her instincts told her that something was wrong. This was not Rodney just working late.
“Ma’am, can I ask who you are? Why is this so important for you to know?”
She ran her hands down her hair and took a deep breath. “I’m his girlfriend. He was supposed to come over tonight but I haven’t heard from him.”
“Sounds like a relationship problem to me.”
Amelia wanted to jump over the counter and hit him but she controlled herself. If she was going to find out anything about the job Rodney was on, she couldn’t make an enemy with this guy. “He’s not answering his phone or his texts. It’s very unlike him. I was just wondering…” she trailed off, her mind flashing to the genuine look of concern on Rodney’s face when he talked about what Susan was capable of. “I was just wondering if he was working late.”
“Nope. Nothing documented about a late job today.”
“Thanks for the information.” Amelia backed out of the door before the man could say anything else and ran to her car.
Gripping the steering wheel hard, she checked her phone again, the bile rising up into her throat. She tried his phone once more but this time, it went straight to voicemail, signifying that he had turned it off or it was dead. She wasn’t sure where to go. She didn’t know where Susan lived and Phillip never disclosed who had moved in with once she had kicked him out.
Merging out into the street, she debated on going to the police station but she’d likely have the same response that the man back at Rodney’s work would have - it was just a few hours and they’d chalk it up to relationship problems. She drove down Rodney’s street, checking his house again just to make sure. His truck wasn’t in the driveway or under the carport and his house didn’t have a garage.
Amelia parked anyway and ran up to the front door, knocking loudly just to make sure. Maybe his truck broke down. Maybe he had parked in the back. It still didn’t explain why he wasn’t answering her texts or phone calls, and why his phone was now off.
“Rodney! Rodney, are you in there?”
An old woman next door looked up from her flower bed, glaring at Amelia for the loud outburst.
“Sorry, ma’am. Have you seen your neighbor come home this evening?”
“Can’t say that I have. He get arrested?”
Amelia scoffed and rested her head on the screen door. “No. I don’t know where he is.” Going down the front porch steps, she pulled a piece of paper from her purse and jotted her number down on it, extending it to the woman. “Can you do me a favor?”
The woman eyed the piece of paper like it was covered in germs and didn’t take it at first. “What?”
“Can you please call me if he shows up? Please.”
The woman hesitated but put the piece of paper in her pocket. “I suppose I can, if I remember. I’m an old woman. My memory is failing me.” She tapped her temple and went back to digging holes for flowers. “You youngsters and your boyfriend problems! You all need to realize you don’t need no damn man to survive.”
Amelia ignored her rambling and hurried back to her car. What if he had gotten arrested and didn’t get a phone call? It wasn’t like Rodney at all - he had mentioned being taken in years ago for a DWI but that was a very long time ago. It didn’t fit the current situation but she stopped off at the county jail just to make sure. Covering each base would help the process of elimination of where he could be but it also was unsettling each time she came up empty.
Stopping at the front counter, the desk sergeant didn’t look up from her paperwork but said, “Can I help you?”
“I need to see if someone was brought in today.”
“Name?”
“Rodney Keller.”
The woman still didn’t look up at Amelia but typed some things in on a computer. “Nope. No Rodney Keller in the jail right now.”
“Okay, thank you.” Amelia was relieved and worried at the same time. Another rock turned over with no Rodney underneath.
Sitting back in her car, Amelia tried his phone again. It was the very definition of insanity - attempting the same thing over and over and getting the same result each time. Rodney’s voice mail came on immediately again and this time, she left him a message, though she knew he rarely even checked it.
“Rodney, it’s me, Amelia. When you get this can you please call me? I’m worried sick about you. We were supposed to hang out tonight and…” She bit her bottom lip as warm tears streaked down her cheeks. “I love you, Rodney. Please, call me back.”
Just as she ended the call her phone buzzed in her hand. Immediately thinking it was Rodney, she answered, her heart skipping a beat hoping she’d hear his voice on the other end.
&nbs
p; “Hello?”
“Amelia… Amelia. I’m glad you picked up.”
Her stomach sank when she realized it wasn’t Rodney - it was Phillip, and she’d recognize his voice anywhere. It made the hair on the back of her neck raise. “What do you want, Phillip?”
“You sound like you’ve been crying, my dear.”
She wiped the moisture from her face and looked around, seeing if she could spot him. Surely he wouldn’t be stupid enough to come after her while she was parked in front of the jail but he was crazy. She wouldn’t put it past him.
“What do you want, Phillip? Why are you calling me?”
“Seems you’re having a pretty bad evening.”
Amelia looked around again - could he see her? How did he know that? Was he following her? Looking over her shoulder through the back window of her car, she expected his face to jump right at her but there was nothing there. A few deputies walked past, a lady went inside, and the traffic was light on the road. He was probably hiding in plain sight and she was missing him.
“What makes you think I’m having a bad night?”
“Because I have something you might want.”
“Rodney is with you?” Her hand began to shake and she almost dropped the phone. “What are you doing, Phillip? Why?”
“I’m hanging up now. You’ll receive a text message here in a minute. It’s one you might wanna see, so don’t delete it.”
“Phillip!” The other line went dead and she yelled again. “Phillip! Don’t hang up!”
Her phone screen flashed call ended and just as Phillip had said, an incoming message came in. Her hands shook as she opened her messages. A picture downloaded and she screamed when she saw the picture. It was Rodney, tied up, duct tape over his mouth, blood all over his face, and he looked like he was asleep. Was he dead? Amelia had to hope not.
Another incoming text came in: Go to the cops but they’ll never find us. This is a burner phone.
Amelia had to calm herself enough to be able to answer him. What does a person say in a situation like this?
Never Let You Go: Save Me Series Book 2 Page 15