He ran his hands over his thighs in frustration and closed his eyes. I have to get to her and let her know that everything will be okay, that I will protect her. I know it was him. Everything in Drake’s mind screamed that it was Lake who raped her. He must have come back for her that night. But why, what kind of fucked up bastard leaves a woman who was ready and willing just to come back and rape her? That sick son of a bitch, you are going to pay for what you did to her.
* * * *
When Drake stepped out of the private jet, all thoughts went to Meggie. The words from her book kept repeating themselves over and over in his head. Her cries for help haunted him. He didn’t have to be there to hear it. It chilled him to know what she endured. He couldn’t get to her fast enough. After half an hour of trying to rent a car, the clerk finally told him he should have booked ahead of time. “It’s real busy this time of the year, Mr. Noble. We may not have anything available until tomorrow.” He finally gave up waiting and decided to call a cab.
* * * *
The car didn’t come to a complete stop before Drake opened the door and ran up the stairs to Meggie's house where he knocked frantically on the door. No one answered. Okay, just stay calm, he told himself. She must be out with her parents, where else could she be? It’s Christmas Eve. Drake tried her cell again and it went straight to voice mail. Damn it. He checked for text messages; there was one from Meggie, letting him know she got his message and that she would call him tomorrow. The same message he read before he left NY earlier that afternoon.
Drake turned back to the cab and quickly told the driver to take him to the nearest tavern. Once there, he stepped inside and asked around for the address of Sarah Evans. The second lady he approached was an older lady. She looked kind and Drake lied to her, telling her he was here to surprise his girlfriend Sarah at the last minute for Christmas. The lady was helpful and told him the address to Sarah’s mom’s house. He stormed out of the bar and relayed the address back to the driver.
Within five minutes, he was standing at Sarah’s door. The cabbie waited in the driveway at his request.
After three quick knocks and ringing the doorbell she appeared. “Sarah?”
“Drake, what are you doing here?”
“Where’s Meggie? I need to see her.
“She isn’t here. Haven’t you done enough; why did you come here?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. Meggie looked like hell when she came to my place the other night. I don’t know exactly what happened between you two, but she was obviously crying. She was hurt and refused to tell me anything and…”
Drake had no time for this right now, he interrupted her. “Nothing happened between us; we talked, she was upset and needed some time to herself. Look, Sarah, it’s a long story, but don’t think for a second that there’s anything wrong between us. She had some personal issues she needed to deal with, but we’re fine.” he assured her. “I need to know where she is, please just tell me where to find her.”
“Hey, Sarah, what’s up?” a familiar voice called out from behind him.
Fuck, it’s him. There was no mistaking that voice. Drake turned to face the bastard, and he was right, it was Lake. “You son of a bitch. What the fuck did you do to her?”
Drake turned around to face him before he took off down the stairs. With every bit of strength he had in him and all that bottled anger, he took a swing. Lake stumbled back on his feet and held his jaw. “
“What the fuck are you doing, man?” Lake stared back at him and shrugged it off. He figured he may have deserved that one for lying to Noble about Meggie back in NY.
Sarah started screaming from the door, begging Drake to back off. Drake went after him again and Lake tried to free himself from the hold Drake had around his neck. “What the hell?” John cursed this time. He wiggled out of the hold Noble had on him and stood back. “Look, man, I get that you’re angry, but don’t you think that’s enough? You got the girl, you have her, I fucking walked away. What the hell are you trying to prove?”
Drake went after him again; all he could see was red from the anger he could no longer contain. He grabbed John by the front of his shirt and pushed his back against the garage door. His look was murderous. “Tell me where she is?”
“Who?” John demanded. Blood trickled down the right side of his face and he could feel his eye swell up from the punch. He looked Drake square in the eye. John wanted to fight back, but he wanted answers first.
“Meggie, you sick bastard.” Drake let out between clenched teeth. “I know it was you, Lake, I know what you did to her. Now tell me where the fuck she is or I’ll kill you right here, right now.” He promised.
“What are you talking about?” The two men had a stare down; seconds went by and John racked his brain, trying to figure out what was going on. Sarah ran to where they stood. She was in Drake’s face. She grabbed his arm and tried pulling him off, but he didn’t budge. Sarah could feel the anger pouring out of him.
The thought of wrapping his hands around Lake’s throat and watch him take his last breath immediately came to Drake’s mind. Sarah frantically grabbed his hand again trying to pry the two men apart. The entire time she was yelling at him, begging him to let go.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here,” Sarah cut in, she was growing more nervous and her tone was urgent. “But you better let go of my friend and start talking before I call the police,” dhe threatened.
“Go ahead, call them, but I am not letting this bastard go until I know the truth, until he admits every last fucking thing he did to her.” Drake’s eyes didn’t as much as blink. He stared back at Lake who stood eye level to him.
Drake’s wrapped his fingers around John’s neck the moment he let go of his shirt. His grip was painful. In a strangled voice, he managed to get the words out. “Tell me what’s going on here, Noble. What the hell is this all about?”
Both men were tall, strong, and neither of them were someone to be reckoned with. But Drake was filled with emotions and his adrenaline running high. John didn’t stand a chance. He gripped Drake’s arms tight, tried fighting back, but he was growing weak and focused on trying to get some air back in to his lungs. Or he would definitely pass out.
“Tell Sarah to go inside. I’ll tell you what this is all about, but I don’t want her to hear what I have to say to you.”
“The hell I will, you’re going to let him go, and we are going to talk about what’s going on here,” she demanded.
John’s eye’s moved to the side to where Sarah was standing and his hands moved to loosen the hold Drake had on his neck. “It’s okay, Sarah. Go on in and let me get to the bottom of this.”
The door closed loudly behind her and Drake turned back to Lake right away, “Tell me why you fucking raped her.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind? I didn’t touch her in New York.”
“You and I both know I’m not talking about New York. I’m referring to that night you went back to her house eight years ago, when she was eighteen-fucking-years-old and you raped her.” Drake tightened his grip on John’s throat and squeezed hard.
John choked, begging him to stop, that he couldn’t breathe. “What the hell are you talking about, I didn’t touch her,” he choked out, his voice was scratchy and he was gasping for air.
Sarah walked around the corner, facing both men and her heart racing. Unshed tears surfaced and threatened to fall but she didn’t cry. She held it together, stunned at Drake’s accusation.
“Drake,” Sarah said, her voice trembled. “You better tell us what this is all about, that man you have in a death grip would never hurt anyone, most of all Meg.” She assured him. “Despite any differences in New York, he would never intentionally hurt her, he loves her. I need you to calm down, let him go,” she begged. “I heard what you said, and Meg wasn’t raped. She would have told me. So you better start explaining.”
“Where the
fuck is she, Sarah? I need to get to her, right now.” Drake yelled over his shoulder. He wanted to believe her, he started having doubts himself. He hesitated and eased up on his grip. Maybe Sarah was right, maybe it was someone else, but who? He cursed under his breath and looked back at Lake. Whose face was now a beaming shade of red from the lack of oxygen and veins protruded thick around his temples. He loosened his grip a little more but not enough to let him go, not yet. He shook his head. “How do you explain why Meggie was so freaked out when you were in NYC?” he demanded.
John was almost to the point of passing out. None of this made any sense to him. “I didn’t touch her that night, man. I left her there. I couldn’t do it. She deserved better than that.” John recalled that night clearly; he regretted leaving her to find out she slept with Tommy Jones. He mentally kicked himself for years over what happened. If he had known Meggie would have called that bastard after he left, he would have taken her virginity that night without question, but he didn’t see that coming. “She called Tommy Jones that night after I left.” He gasped, he could hardly talk now.
Sarah put her hand over her mouth, “Oh my God, no, tell me this isn’t happening.” she begged. “If Meg was raped that night, that means…oh no, we have to go. Tommy Jones might have raped her.” Sarah looked at both men, her eyes wild. “She’s at Tommy’s house right now. Let him go, Drake. You got the wrong man.”
Drake let his hand fall away, and John rolled to the ground holding his neck. He choked and gagged until finally he caught his breath. He jumped up and shot daggers at Drake, but this wasn’t the time. They had to get to Meggie; he would deal with that fuck head later.
Drake quickly threw the cab driver a wad of cash and told him to go. All three of them ran toward John’s pickup.
* * * *
Sarah explained that Meg called earlier to see if she would be home this evening. “She mentioned she was going by Tommy’s for a coffee. If he did this, she’s in danger right now.” Sarah had a bad feeling.
On the way to Tommy’s house, Drake quickly explained to both Sarah and John what happened to Meggie eight years ago. He provided them with a short version of that night according to what Meggie had written in her book.
“We’re almost there.” John muttered low under his breath. His lips formed a tight line. His neck was bruised and his eye was throbbing from that punch Noble threw his way, but he ignored it. Right now, he was too busy blaming himself for what happened. He wanted his hands around Tommy Jones’s neck. I’ll fucking kill you, you son of a bitch, you’re going to pay for what you did to her. Guilt seized him. He shook his head, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. This was my fault, if I stayed with you, none of this would have happened. John knew he had to say something, he had to tell them. He recapped the conversation he had with Tommy that night, eight years ago. It was still clear in his head. His voice came out shaky and tight; both Sarah and Drake were quiet, hanging off his every word. “I was at a friend’s house having a few drinks. Tommy was there, and he went on and on about how Meggie called him up that night and invited him over.” It all makes sense now. “I never did confront Meggie. I felt guilty for leaving her the way I did,” he continued. “I had no right asking her why she slept with him, and I certainly had no right judging her.” John’s eyes filled. “All these years, I kept it to myself, all this time, I fucking knew.” If only I knew what really happened, I would have put two and two together, I would have figured it out. “I had a hard time believing that bastard when he told me, I should have asked her, fuck, I should have stayed with her that night. None of this would have happened.” John’s knuckles whitened from the grip he had on the steering wheel. He was ready to kill.
“That sick son of bitch is going to pay for what he did to her. No wonder she couldn’t look at me when I was in New York. Now I know why she didn’t want me to touch her or be around her.” Lake pounded the steering wheel with his fist.
Sarah spoke up. “John, it’s not your fault; you had no idea what was in store for Meg that night. You can’t beat yourself up over this.”
“The hell he can’t.” Noble yelled out in a curt voice. “He’s right. He should have stayed with her that night and protected her or at the very least, made sure that someone was with her. Not just walk out and leave her alone. What the fuck were you thinking?”
John turned his head toward Drake. “You think I wanted this for her? I fucking loved her, I still love her.” He yelled back at Drake just before he stared straight ahead. Both men fell silent.
“I can’t believe she was raped, she never told me,” Sarah whispered.
Drake broke the silence, “Sarah, she had no idea who did this to her. Someone broke into the house that night, and after Lake left, he went after Meggie. She held this secret from everyone and with the exception of the three of us, no one else knows and I need you both to keep it that way. This is Meggie's secret to reveal, not anyone else’s,” Drake spit out.
Sarah hadn’t cried since her father left home when she was a young girl, but tears now threatened to fall. She sucked in a deep breath. I have to stay strong for Meg. She’s going to need me. Sarah sat back with her hands fisted at her sides. She thought of what Meg went through and the fact that she held this inside her for all these years. Why didn’t you tell me?
“Lake, I’m sorry, man. I just assumed it was you. Are we almost there?”
Lake threw him a quick sideways glance. “Almost,” he said in return.
* * * *
John cut the engine just before they got close to the driveway. Sure enough, Meg’s mother’s car was parked right outside in the driveway “Sarah, you stay inside the truck while we go in. If we’re not out of there in five minutes that means something went wrong. Call the state troopers now and let them know what’s going on. Lake you come inside with me.”
Both men approached Tommy’s house. With his stomach in knots, Drake took the lead and headed to the front door. Horrible thoughts went through his head. What if we didn’t make it on time? What if he hurt her? “You stay back and I’ll go inside first. I’ll wave you in once I know it’s clear,” Drake whispered to Lake over his shoulder. Slowly, he opened the door.
John nudged him on the shoulder. “No fucking way. I should have stayed with her that night. This is my fault and that asshole is going to pay for what he did to her,” he whispered back. His eyes were filled with remorse, but there was no mistaking the murderous look that took precedence over the guilt. “You get to Meggie, and let me deal with that sick fuck,” he spit out in a low voice. Drake nodded his approval.
The door opened easily enough; both John and Lake slipped quietly inside. At the bottom of the stairs on the main floor, John motioned for Lake to go down the stairs leading to the basement while he took the stairs leading upward to the second floor.
Quietly, they made their way through the house. Drake came to a dead stop when he heard a male voice as he approached the top of the stairs. He listened, the entire time pleading with God that she would be okay and untouched.
Immediately, he eyed the light gleaming through the seams of the door to his right. It had to be them. He stood back to give himself room enough to break down the door with his weight; he forced his way in with a crash. The door came off its hinges and swung to the left. He eyed who he assumed to be Tommy right away. Hunched slightly over the tub, he rushed to his feet and faced Drake. Tommy held a knife in his right hand and wore a wild look on his reddened face and stared back at Drake. And there next to him, sitting in the bathtub, tape secured over her beautiful soft pink lips and both hands tied securely behind her back with her breasts exposed, Meggie. Wide-eyed and on the verge of hysterics, she let her eyes close in relief at the sight of him.
Lake came running through the door. “Let me have him, let me get my hands on that fucking bastard,” he shouted. Drake grabbed Tommy and threw him out the bathroom door with one shove toward Lake. “Watch it, man. He has a knife in his right hand,” he yelled out just
before turning back to Meggie. When she opened her eyes again, she was out of the tub and Drake held her securely in his arms, their eyes locked. “Meggie, my Meggie, everything’s alright now. I’m right here, baby. You’re going to be okay,” he reassured her. Frantically, he searched her face and touched her everywhere to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Blood trickled down one side of her temple. Drake grabbed the towel hanging on the rack next to the sink and wiped frantically at the blood. No matter how badly he wanted to get his hands on that bastard, he couldn’t let go of Meggie. He wanted to hold her and keep her safe.
He knew he had to think and move fast as both men were just outside the doorway. There was a loud tumble down the stairs followed by a lot of cursing and shuffling. Out of nowhere, a woman’s loud piercing scream was followed by a shivering silence. Drake stilled himself. Sarah, shit. “Sarah, are you down there?” he yelled out into the hallway. “Get out of the house, Lake can handle this,” he ordered.
The silence broke when Drake heard Lake yelling at Tommy. “You fucking bastard, haven’t you done enough?” Lake continued yelling. “Sarah, get the fuck out of here, grab that towel on the counter and cover your face and get the fuck out now,” he screamed.
The sound of fists hitting flesh was clear, followed by the deafening sirens of the fire truck and ambulance that pulled in to the driveway. Loud voices followed by multiple heavy footsteps filled the house. Drake looked at Meggie who was struggling to free herself, searching aimlessly around the room. That’s when Drake realized she was trying to mumble something through the tape. She looked like she was in shock.
Drake placed her on the counter. “Meggie, look at me. Stay with me, baby. Everything is going to be okay. We got him and you’re safe. I’m going to remove the tape from your mouth but it’s going to sting, okay? She shook her head in approval. Drake lifted the corner of the tape and ripped it quickly from her mouth. He cursed hard and immediately covered her mouth was his, kissing her, licking over her lips, soothing the soreness.
Felisha Goulding's Stolen Innocence Series Page 44