The car continued, pulling around the corner and finally parked. I sat at the opposite corner, trying to keep out of sight so I could see what was going on. That was when I saw a woman get out holding what seemed to be a gun.
I was about to pull the handle to my door, thinking about my next move. That’s when my heart actually stopped. There were two guys that jumped out of the back doors. The woman that was up front, the one I was now positive was Mallory, looked around. I quickly ducked and redialed Detective Wilder.
This was bad. So very bad.
Thirty-Six
Andi
I knew one of the guys. I wasn’t sure why immediately his name flashed for me. For weeks now, more memories were coming back to me like the doctor had said, but they weren’t regular ones. They were miscellaneous and strange ones. Like this. His name was Mickey. I found it odd that his voice was what I remembered. I hadn’t seen him until both men came out from the back passenger doors. They had hidden themselves in the back seat the entire drive over.
Everything in my body shook, and I tried so hard to keep my wits about me. I knew that Alex had put a tracker on my car. I knew that Cal would suspect I wasn’t home, but would they find me? Would he know enough to track me? And get to me in time?
All of my “accidents” slammed into my vision at once. They hadn’t been accidents at all. Mallory had explained that much to me in the car.
“Mickey.” I said it out loud and immediately wished I hadn’t.
“Don’t call me that. No one’s called me that since I was twelve.”
“Mickey?” The other guy looked at him with disgust but had amusement in his voice.
“Shut up, asshole,” was his only response, but now that I knew it bothered him, I thought maybe I needed to get him talking.
“I thought things had turned around for you?” The question came without thinking, but it was afterward that I remembered Mallory’s little brother had been in and out of juvenile detention so much I had lost track of it. It struck me as odd that this was the type of information that was coming back to me.
“Quit talking,” Mallory bit through her clenched teeth. The gun was pointed at me, like it had been through the entire car ride. I hoped that I had given enough clues to Cal that he would figure it out. Or maybe even go home and realize I wasn’t there. I was almost sure Mallory and her cohorts had no idea there was a tracker on my car.
As scared as I was, anger shot through me when she shoved me to walk forward. My mind raced, hoping to find a way out before entering that building. I wasn’t sure what would happen when we finally reached the inside.
Mallory, I think I could have taken out. The whole car ride over, I had tried to look at what I’d believed to be boys in the back seat. When they got out of the car, they weren’t boys, they were full-grown men. Mickey was no longer the fifteen-year-old boy I had pictured in my mind.
My heart raced even more when Mallory put her gun away and the other man next to Mickey took his out and smiled.
Fear shot through me and hit me hard when Mallory said to them, “Finish her off this time. Don’t fuck this up.”
My heart was caught in my throat and I fumbled, trying to figure out what to say, when she started to leave.
“What? You can’t do it yourself?” What the hell was I saying? Apparently anything to get her to stay and not leave me there alone with those two. But weren’t three people worse than two? Not when my eyes averted back to the two men sizing me up. Even through my thick coat, I could feel their eyes roaming over me. My stomach churned at what I assumed they were thinking.
Mallory’s sinister smile shot a new wave of panic through me as her eyes flicked from the men back to me. “No. I just want you dead. This part, this has to be made to look like a real carjacking.”
Again, she turned.
“Why are you doing this?” I needed her to stay longer, either to put it off as long as possible until I could think of a way to get out of it or…I wasn’t sure what else.
“Please, Andrea. You know deep down why. I mean, you remembered Mickey for some reason. Surely you can remember why I hate you so much.”
I honestly couldn’t, but she was right: I remembered something as stupid as her little brother but nothing about our relationship or why she’d want to cause harm to me.
The sound of her boots clicking against the concrete echoed off the walls, reminding me how desperate the situation was. We were in a horrible part of town, one that I was sure was only used for things like this, and Cal had no idea where I was.
“You stole John from me. Do you not remember that?”
I shook my head. Had I?
“Of course not. It’s like selective memory now. You only remember what you want.” She paused as one of the men came up behind me.
I tried to look around the place to see if there was any escape or something I could grab as a weapon—anything that might help me get out of this. There were busted-up wood planks in the corner, and the door we came in was the only one I could see, besides smaller rooms that lined one side of the building. They looked like old offices made from concrete. The place was clean as far as old buildings went, with no furniture or machines, and try as I could, I had no idea what this building had been used for previously.
“I had wanted John for the longest time. Flirted with him. Hell, I even fucked him a couple of times at some wild parties. But you…” Her lips curled into a sneer, and her words were filled with the hate she obviously had for me. “You always got everything. Even growing up. Your dad had more money. You had better cars than I did. Everything you had was what I was supposed to get.”
Listening intently to what Mallory had to say, I also tried to figure a way out of this. Keeping her talking was my best bet—or at least I thought so.
She took a step closer, analyzing me as she continued. “The worst of it, though: my pivotal moment was when John told me he was done with me completely. Filing for divorce was a pretty good move, Andrea. For me—not so much. That was when John said he wanted nothing more to do with me and we were through.” She snickered as she whispered, “Said he wanted to win you back.” Shaking her head, she pinned her eyes back to me. “He said I was a mistake.”
I tried to process all of what she said, but it was all swimming together in my mind. “Ow!” I screamed as the pain and fear pierced me at the same time. One of the men—I wasn’t sure which, since both were behind me—pulled my elbows back hard. My wrists immediately stung the moment cold metal dug into my skin. Oh shit. This was worse than I thought.
I cried out when my body was yanked into one of the men’s bodies. The feel of what he intended to do with me was clear as I felt the hardness behind his denim jeans. Unable to move my hands, I tried to move forward and he jerked me back to him. This wasn’t just her wanting to kill me.
“You’re going to feel so fucking good,” a male’s voice whispered in my ear while his hand grabbed my ass.
“I’m pregnant, you jerk,” I spat, hoping there was some sort of decency in this scum.
“Even better. I never fucked a pregnant woman before. Not to mention, you’re not showing. These fucking knee-high boots and skirt have been flipping through my mind the entire ride over.” He pushed his groin back to my hands that couldn’t move. “Feel that? Fucking rock hard and I’m going to shove it in you.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected from Mallory—maybe some sort of sympathy. But then again she was the one that set it all up.
“You’re about to get something I finally don’t want.” She turned.
“Mallory. Don’t do this. We were friends once.”
“That ended when we were five. After that you got everything I ever wanted. Including John. Now you’re getting what you finally deserve.”
I watched her walk away, that same sway of her hips even more apparent now.
“Oh yeah. It’s time for a little fun.” The man pulled my arms, and I winced with pain that shot up to my shoulder as he shoved
me toward one of the nearby office doors. I stumbled and tried to break free from his grip, but he only pulled tighter.
“Mallory!” I called out, my desperation obvious, I was sure of it. “You don’t have to do this. We can talk…”
“There’s no talking. You could have died easily in that first car accident. No, this way it’ll look like you were carjacked, raped, and killed.”
Oh, God, I thought. How would I get out of this?
“It’ll link back to you. Mallory, no one trusts you now. It’ll link back to you!” It was the only thing I could think of to say, but I regretted it the moment I said it. I couldn’t have thought of something else to say?
“No. Actually, it’ll link back to John. And he’ll get out of it because he has alibis.”
“But you don’t!”
She stopped as she was about to pull on the door. “Oh, but I do. My boyfriend, the senator, has all kinds of pull.”
“Not when he realizes what you really are!”
“Goodbye, Andrea. Finally.”
With that I was shoved hard into the office, and the rotted wood door—which was barely able to close—shut behind me.
Thirty-Seven
Cal
Seeing Mallory walk outside alone did more than shoot panic through me. Rage accompanied that, and I was about to tackle her to the ground. The thought of beating the shit out of her also crossed my mind but went against all the things my mom had taught me about hitting a woman.
Luckily, I didn’t have to. Two cop cars pulled around me, and they grabbed her before I could even see through the anger I had coursing through me. She was shoved onto the hood of the car and read her rights before I even had time to process what was going on.
Turning, I saw Detective Wilder rush out of his car and hold up his hand to stop me from going any further. He and a couple of other cops rushed to the door and listened for any other noise.
We all heard it, and I started to rush to the door but was pulled back by another officer. “Hang on. We’ll get her out.”
When I heard her distressed cry, I panicked and struggled against his hold. The officers rushed in quickly and quietly, and all I could do was stand there being held back.
A shot was fired and seemed to ring through my ears as everything moved in slow motion. I couldn’t see inside the door after the cops rushed in, because the door swung closed.
In that moment, I lost Andi and my baby. It was like I was reliving another nightmare all over again. Losing Laura in a car accident was gut-wrenching, and I had finally come to realize that I couldn’t have done anything to save her. Nothing in that day would have changed what had happened. But this, this I could have changed. If I had gone with Andi to her appointment, she wouldn’t have been such an easy person to grab. I could have stopped this. This time whatever happened to Andi all fell on my shoulders.
I wrenched my arm away from the cop and rushed to the door. Pulling it open, I saw a guy on the ground holding his shoulder and a gun lying near him on the floor.
Where the fuck was Andi?
Rushing through the door, I watched as the cop slammed the other guy’s head down on an old rusted table. From the corner of my eye, I saw her before I heard her gasp. Crumpling into a pile in the corner of the disgusting floor, Andi fell to the ground. Dropping to my knees, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tight.
“C-al.” Her voice filled with relief while my whole heart broke.
My lips touched her wet cheeks as I whispered, “I’m here. Baby, I’m here. I’m so sorry.” I held her tighter as her body shook from her cries. “You’re safe,” I said over and over again. “It’s all over.”
God, I hoped I was right.
Thirty-Eight
Andi
The nightmares came and went. As did my memories, it seemed. Each time I woke, I received soft kisses to my forehead by familiar lips. Whispers that I was safe echoed over and over again in Cal’s sweet voice.
The memories of my marriage came back to me, as did the ones of my strict parents willing me to marry John for the sake of the family. My parents had been very much into appearances, it seemed.
Unsure of how long I’d been asleep, I asked, “What day is it?”
“Wednesday.” Cal’s voice was hoarse, and when I was finally able to see through my foggy vision, he looked like he hadn’t left my side.
“How many days have I been out?”
“A couple. Do you remember anything?” I wasn’t sure if he was asking if my amnesia had suddenly gone away or if he meant the incident with Mallory. The thought of that made my stomach drop.
“Is Mallory in jail?”
Cal cleared his throat and sat up, pulling me with him. I nestled into the crook of his arm again, awaiting his answer.
“She’s in custody still and trying to make bail. She’s also talking to the press of how John made her do it. She also admitted to stealing the bid numbers for John, saying that he made her do it.”
“Do you think that’s true?”
Cal shook his head. “I don’t know at this point. I don’t think he asked her to, but he did make his bid pretty low. I’m sure that’ll be just one more thing he’ll be investigated for, along with the possible involvement in your kidnapping and the accidents.”
Thinking that I had been in his house and he could have possibly wanted to have me killed made my stomach churn. My hand pressed into Cal’s chest.
He covered my hand with his, patting as if to try to calm me and kissed my forehead. “Know that you’re safe here. I won’t let anything happen to you or our baby.” The air fell silent except for the traffic outside his window, and I closed my eyes, hoping he was right.
I tried to sift through my thoughts about the previous couple of days. I remembered being at the hospital, being thoroughly checked and the heartbeat of my baby monitored. Detective Wilder took my statement and Lana rushed in shortly after to hug me. It was perfect timing to help alleviate some of the pain of having to recite all that I’d been through. Had that all happened days ago? Through all my reoccurring nightmares, it seemed like it was only the day before.
I squeezed my eyes shut, realizing that another vision had come back to me. The real reason I was with Cal. The one question that I hadn’t answered or wanted to think about before.
“I know why,” I whispered, and then swallowed, unsure if I really wanted to get it out right then. But for some reason after all that had happened, I wanted the truth to be out and let things fall where they should. Maybe Cal wouldn’t want to be with me after he found out, but I couldn’t raise a child with him with this on my conscience. “I know why I didn’t tell you I was married.”
Cal didn’t make a sound. He didn’t even seem to move, and as scared as I was to tell him, I knew he was unsure to hear what I had to say.
I sat up on my knees and brushed my hair back. Cal’s eyes were averted, although he seemed like he was trying to look at me.
“I was scared to tell you.” I paused and swallowed. “You were a fling at first. One to help me get over John. That first night I had thrown caution to the wind. Almost wanted to prove to John that I was worth so much more. That someone else would desire me.”
“And did I help?”
A nervous laugh escaped my lips before I pressed them together. “Oh, did you ever. Too much. I was caught in a whirlwind with you. You stole my heart when I didn’t think it could happen.” I inhaled before saying it. “But there was a part of me that thought it was only a one-time thing for both of us.
“Do you still feel that way?”
I shook my head and looked down at my fingernails, unsure of how to tell him how much I really felt for him. Was he seeing me as a person he’d saved or had he really loved me? Did he still? “No. At least I don’t think so.” I peeked up at him from under my lashes, and my cheeks burned with heat from wondering how he truly felt about me.
In one swift move, he pulled me across his lap, my head resting on his arm while my
body melted into his. His lips were mere inches from mine while the beating of my heart pounded loud enough for him to hear.
“Andi, there is nothing I want more than to have you in my life.” His lips feathered across mine, stealing my breath. “The thought of not waking next to you each morning tears at my very soul.” He pressed his lips against mine, and that familiar stirring inside crashed over me like a wave.
This was what was real. It wasn’t only a memory coming back to me or a vision that I had to try to piece together. It was reality, and I loved it almost as much as I loved the very man holding me in his arms.
Epilogue
Andi
“Are you feeling okay?” Cal asked for what felt like the hundredth time. The question had started after the first time we finally had the opportunity to visit my mother in the nursing home. Her inability to recognize me had hit me a little harder than I’d expected. I suppose knowing how she truly felt inside made me realize what she might have been going through. After each of our weekly visits, I needed quiet time to process things. This day was no different.
“Please stop, Cal. I’m fine. I’m not going into labor early or anything like that. I’m at thirty-five weeks. We’ve got at least another month.” Although I wasn’t sure I could hold out that long. While I’d had a wonderful pregnancy, despite my rough start, the past week was starting to become uncomfortable—as if I’d eaten way too much and couldn’t find any relief.
“Well, I’m sure everyone would understand if you didn’t want to celebrate tonight.”
The divorce was final after John had finally conceded and agreed to a nice settlement, seeing as what Mallory had put me through. John had been able to prove his innocence in the whole messed-up fiasco, and while I wanted to believe he really was, I wasn’t too sure. After all, I’d had another very short conversation with Sarina, one in which I wanted to ask her other questions besides the fidelity of my husband, but she couldn’t talk long. It turns out Mallory and John had been having an affair for quite some time—even in college, which seemed to be what Mallory was referring to when she was trying to have me killed. John had been right, though. I had told him to blindfold himself so I could try to spice up our relationship. According to Sarina, I was desperate to become pregnant and the ovulation tests and temperature testing wore on our marriage. My mistake had been telling Mallory what I’d planned on doing. She knew I would finally catch the two of them. Hearing that from Sarina hurt—even more so since I couldn’t get that much-needed hug from my best friend to help ease the pain. I wished she hadn’t signed up for another six months with the Peace Corps, since I missed her so much, but it was something she enjoyed doing and even I could understand that. One day I’d finally get to see my friend again.
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