Earl met me at the door. "Well, look at you. You're as hot as the pictures you sent. I was a little afraid you'd be ugly, or a fat cow like some of the other girls I've talked to." He licked his lips and bit his bottom lip. "Mmmm. Mmmm. Mmmm." His hand went to his groin. "Calm down, boy." He laughed as I walked in.
"Hi there." I winked as I slipped inside, making sure to rub against him as I entered. "So, you want to get to know each other a little more, or get straight to business?"
"Well, hell, that don't sound like there's even an option, Stephanie. I don't think I want to waste any time talking when I've got such a fine piece of ass right here at my disposal."
Little did he know he would be the one being disposed of. "You want to play a little game?" I pulled out the tie and held it up for him.
"What in the hell is that for?" He cocked his head.
"I want to tie you up and have my way with you. How does that sound?" I unbuttoned another button and ran my fingers down my chest, licking my lips as I held eye contact with him.
He unbuttoned his jeans and let them fall around his ankles. "Why tie me up, when I'll just give it to you?" He held his erect penis in his hand. "Come on over here. I want to feel those pretty little lips of yours wrapped around it."
Repulsed by the sight, I fought back the urge to dry heave. "I really want to tie you up with this thing. It… turns me on. Don't you want to make me wet?"
"Oh fuck, I guess you talked me into it." He took my hand and led me down the hall to the bedroom.
I set my tote bag down and pushed him onto the bed. "Come on, big boy, put your hands over your head." With his arms stretched out above his head, I wrapped the tie around his wrists and tied it to a slat on the headboard, giving it one last pull to get it as tight as possible.
"Hmmm… so you like it rough?"
"I guess you could say that."
"Well, go on, get to work." His nude body was eager to be touched.
I retrieved my tote bag. "Just a minute."
"Come on, Stephanie, you're going to give me blue balls if you don't start doing something."
I pulled out the first syringe and took off the cover. I held it over him as I flicked the side with my finger. "Where do you want this one?"
"What the fuck are you doing, you stupid bitch?" He started to wiggle his hands to break free.
When I got closer to him, before I could inject him with the needle, he kicked at me, causing me to lose my balance. I tumbled onto the floor by the side of the bed. Once I was back on my feet, I saw he was free. Fuck. My heart started pounding so loud, I couldn't hear anything over the blood pumping against my ears. Everything went into slow motion. My first thought was to cover my body, so I grabbed my shirt and slipped it on. I felt for my keys in my jeans pocket… they weren't there. I must have put them in my tote bag. By the time I realized where they were, Earl had a hold of my shirt.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Who the fuck are you? You stupid whore."
I tried to take my shirt off, to slip away from him, but it was too late. His hands were tight around my neck, my body pressed up against the wall.
"I said, who the fuck are you?" With his eyes bulging out of his head, his spit covered my face. His grip became tighter, and everything started to fade to black. I thought about Tim and Gabe and the girls from group. I finally had the life I always wanted, and it was going to be extinguished before I had the chance to live it.
Everything around me went black. In the blackness, I saw a bright white light. Someone was walking toward me. I didn't know who it was, but a sense of peace washed over me. All of my worries were replaced with warmth, and the purest love I'd ever felt encased me. I began to make my way to the glow of the light. I was drawn to it like a moth to a lamp. "No, Valerie, keep fighting. It's not your time yet."
The light slowly started to drift away until the darkness returned. When I opened my eyes, I was free. Earl no longer had his hand around my throat. I placed my hand on my neck to soothe the pain his hands had caused. I gasped when I looked down.
Earl's body was on the floor in front of me. He had what looked like a gunshot wound to the head. I took a step to the side to get away from him, unsure if he could get up and come after me. I turned my attention away from Earl and scanned the room to see who was in the cabin with me. In the doorway, a familiar face smiled back at me. "Don't worry, dear, The Executioner is here."
"Norma?" Relief and shock swam around inside my stomach. The warmth of the love I had felt moments before returned. "How… how did you know I was here?"
"Oh, honey. This isn't my first rodeo." She made her way over to me and helped button up my blouse. "Let's get you cleaned up and get all your stuff out of here." She wiped the tears off my face.
"You saved my life. I thought he was going to kill me." The tears she cleaned off my face returned.
"I'd never let that happen. I love you, Val." She took my hand in hers and squeezed it.
"But how did you know I'd be here?"
"I've been following you. We're a lot more alike than you know."
"Following me?"
"I know about Donald Brice. I saw what you did to him." She brushed the hair out of my face. "I wanted to give you the satisfaction of completing the job. But I didn't want you to get a taste for it."
I swallowed hard to remove the lump in my throat. "You knew?"
"I knew about your plans for Seth and Jimmy, too. I just couldn't let you take those risks."
"How?"
"Like I said, you and I are a lot alike. I saw the way those stories affected you. The same way they always have me. I knew you wanted to protect those girls and the only way you knew how was to eliminate the problem." Norma continued to talk as she helped me gather my things. "I didn't want you to fall into the life I have. You're young and have your whole life ahead of you. I knew the job needed to be done, so I just got there before you could."
"Wait… you're the…"
She giggled. "The Executioner? That's a silly name if you ask me."
"So… you killed… them all?"
"I don't like to talk shop. Let's get out of here." She took a CD from her purse and tossed it next to Earl's body.
"What's that?" I bent down and saw a copy of Fly by the Dixie Chicks.
"That's my trademark." She winked. "And, for the first time, I actually have an Earl to dedicate that song to. Goodbye, and good riddance, Earl."
"But why? What made you want to… kill?"
"Oh, honey, that's a story for another day."
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to the people who helped Confidentiality come to life:
Victoria Cooper for the amazing cover. Her work can be found at Facebook.com/VictoriaCooperArt.
Proofreading by the Page: Samantha Wiley, Rachel Pugh, and Anne Dailey for editing and proofreading.
Jill Nichols, Debbie Russell, Michele Avery, and Caitlyn Page for beta reading.
To the victims of domestic violence who become survivors; I believe you. You are stronger than you think. You are not alone. Never stop believing in yourself. You are worth so much more. Take time to love yourself first; you won’t regret it.
Thank you to the readers. Without you, my characters would never have any fun! Your honest feedback is always appreciated and helps improve my craft. Reviews help other readers as much as they help me. Please consider leaving one.
Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling, please know there is help.
Domestic Violence Hotline
www.thehotline.org
1-800-799-7233
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
1-800-273-8255
Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-4-A-CHILD
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
www.nami.org
1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
About the Author
Jessica Aiken-Hall, author of
her award-winning memoir, The Monster That Ate My Mommy lives in New Hampshire with her husband, three children, and three dogs. She is a survivor of child abuse and domestic violence and is a fierce advocate. Her mission is to help others share their story.
She has a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling, with over a decade of experience as a social worker. She is also a Reiki Master and focuses her attention on healing.
When she is not writing, she enjoys listening to Tom Petty, walking along the beach, looking at the moon, and watching murder shows.
To follow what she’s doing next check out http://www.jessicaaikenhall.com.
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