“God, when the fuck is she going to wake up? It’s been fucking three hours, this shit is getting boring!” a male voice whined through his nose. “The other one won’t say anything and all she does is fucking cry. At least when the redhead wakes up it will be fun. I heard this bitch is feisty.”
“Shut the hell up, man. Even if she did wake up, we have to wait until she gets here before we touch her. You know the rules,” another male voice said. “Besides, I think she’s waking up now.”
I lifted my head and opened my eyes…my head felt like it was splitting in two. I looked around and tried to focus on where I was. Nothing looked familiar to me. When I moved my head, my skin felt tight and itchy around my temple on the left side of my head, and I could only guess that I had dried blood crusted to my face. Once my eyes focused, fear crippled me as I saw Marissa sitting tied to a chair to my right with tears pouring down her face. She looked over to me, her eyes wide with terror.
I struggled against what was restraining me, and I then realized I had been rope tied to a chair. We were in some kind of abandoned warehouse, and two men were sitting backwards on two folding chairs directly in front of us. I didn’t recognize them at all, and I had no idea why they would do this. “Marissa? Are you okay? Did these assholes touch you?”
One of them laughed out loud, and Marissa jumped. “See? I told you she was feisty.”
I glared at them. Both of them were stocky and overweight, but one was bald and the other one had spiky blonde hair. “Fuck you!” I yelled. “You assholes are so fucking stupid. If you knew where to find me, then you also know that my fiancé is a cop, right?”
Baldy answered first. “Oh, we know all about your pretty boy fiancé, little lady. By the time he finds out what we’ve done to you and your hot little friend over there, we’ll be long gone.”
Okay, keep calm, Rory. Keep them talking. You don’t see any guns on them, so just keep them talking long enough to get loose and then you can kick their asses and get Marissa the hell out of here. “Oh, you really think you’re going to touch me or her without a fight?”
“I love it when a woman fights, baby. Give me all you got,” Baldy said.
Spiked Hair Guy growled. “Paul, shut the fuck up. Don’t say anything else until she gets here.”
“So, you have to do dirty work for some fucking bitch that can’t face me herself, huh? What a bunch of pussies,” I laughed, even though fear was racing through me. I looked at Marissa and she was sobbing quietly. “Who is the stupid cunt that got you two assholes to kidnap me and my friend?”
At that moment, a door opened and closed, and I heard heels clicking toward us. I felt a mixture of anger and fear as the figure moved closer toward me. “Erica fucking Darling, you have to be kidding me!” I shouted, trying to remain tough even though I was scared as hell now. This woman was the reason Mason was killed, the reason I lost my baby…and now the reason Marissa and I were tied to chairs in a filthy warehouse and were probably going to be killed. If I could just reach my phone…
“Hello, Rory. I would say you are looking well, but it’s hard to find a way to compliment a piece of trash like you.”
“Why the hell did you take Marissa? She has nothing to do with this,” I spat at her.
“Oh, that little bitch got involved in this when she slapped me across the face that day trying to defend you and that little weasel Mason,” she said, and she stopped before me. I glared at her and before I could even blink, I felt her hand slap hard across my cheek.
I turned my face back to her and spit a loogie at her. It landed on her expensive looking dress. “You think that hurt? Please, you slap like a fucking pussy.” I wiggled against my ropes, still trying to get free.
She turned her toward her two hired goons and nodded at them. They both stood up and walked over to Marissa, and I felt the bile start to rise in my throat as I saw Baldy pull his hand back and slap her as hard as he could, causing her to scream out in pain. “Don’t you fucking touch her again, you fucking asshole! I’ll kill you, I swear to God, I’ll kill you!” I screamed, and Erica grabbed my hair and pulled my head to face hers. She looked over to the men again, and I heard another hard slap and another scream of pain. Tears stared pouring out of my eyes.
“If you scream like that again, I’ll let my guys Paul and Doug have a little bit of fun with her, you got me? I told you that this wasn’t over,” she began, and her words from that day on the front steps of Liam’s parent’s house came back into my mind…
‘You think this is over, little girl, but it’s not. Just remember that.’
Her shrill voice snapped back into the moment. “You humiliated me in front of every single person in my circle that matters. I haven’t been able to show my face anywhere for three weeks. I got fired from my job at the firm I helped build because a bunch of little shitheads came forward and said I sexually harassed them. It’s all because of what you said about that little shit Mason. You have ruined my life, Rory, and now, it’s payback time!” she said, before slapping me again.
I turned back to glare at her and spit out a mouthful of blood. “Don’t you get it? You’ve already ruined my life! You took the man I loved away from me and the baby I’ll never get to know! My parents disowned me because I broke down from the grief of everything! What do you gain from this, Erica? Tell me! You can beat and kill us both, but you will never get back what you lost! Liam and his partner will find out you did this. They have been investigating Mason’s murder since we came back from the Hamptons, and let me tell you, they are on to you,” I bluffed, hoping to throw her off her game. I felt my ropes beginning to loosen. I just needed one free hand… “They know you were involved. Hell, they are probably on their way to your apartment to pick you up!”
Her eyes widened for a moment, and then narrowed. “You’re full of shit. You are just trying to buy time, but it won’t work.”
“God, for someone that claims to be smart, you really are fucking stupid. No matter what happens, you’re going to jail, Erica. Instead of being charged with three murders, save yourself some jail time and just be charged with one.”
Before I could say anything else, I felt another hard slap across my face, and I heard Marissa scream. I looked over to her and one of the men was tearing at her clothes and trying to take her shirt off. “Don’t touch her!” I screamed. “She has nothing to do with this, Erica, let her go!” I cried. “Fight, Marissa, fight back!”
Erica tugged at my hair again and she craned my head back so far that I thought she would rip my head clean off. “No one can prove that I had anything to do with Mason’s death because I didn’t. It was supposed to be just a mugging attempt to get him to come home with me. I can’t help if it that jack off over there really pulled the trigger and shot him, and no one even saw me there anyway, so your little shit boyfriend can’t prove anything.” Suddenly, the room was spinning and I felt like I was going to be sick. Oh my God…she really was responsible for it. She set the whole thing up as a way to seduce him. I was actually in the same room with the man that took my world away. Suddenly, Erica made a move and I felt searing pain in my lower back. I screamed out as I felt her twist the knife and plunge it deeper. “Too bad you won’t be able to blab to your little boyfriend about this, because you’ll be dead in a minute. The last thing you will ever hear is the sounds of my guys over there gang fucking your friend before we kill her too. Don’t cry though,” she said, removing the knife and sinking it into my lower back again, “you will get to see Mason and your dead baby again in just a few minutes.” She took the knife out of my back and stood behind me. She pulled my head back and placed the bloody knife at my throat.
“Rory, NO! PLEASE DON’T KILL HER! STOP!!!” I heard Marissa scream.
“Goodbye, you little bitch. Say hello to your little shit of a boyfriend for me,” and she pressed the knife into my neck.
Before she sliced my life away, I heard a loud booming sound and someone shouting, “NYPD! Don’t move! Hands in t
he air!” Erica jumped back, knocking my chair to the ground. I was weak and couldn’t struggle against the ropes anymore. I was beginning to feel sleepy. The last thing I heard before I slipped into unconsciousness was screaming, gunfire, and the sound of Liam’s voice telling me to hang on as he untied my ropes. As soon as I was free, I fell slack in his arms.
“Oh God, baby, I got here as fast as I could. Just hang on, angel, help is on the way. Please don’t leave me,” he cried, and suddenly everything was black again.
I heard voices that sounded far away, like I was hearing them through a tunnel. “Are you sure she’s going to be okay, doctor?” Liam. He sounded like he had gravel in his voice. “She lost a lot of blood.” I was still alive…where was Marissa? I heard gunfire…where were the two men? Where was Erica?
“The knife lacerated her right kidney, but we were able to stop the bleeding and there shouldn’t be any permanent damage.”
“Liam, she’s going to be okay. Dr. Kilpatrick is one of the best surgeons in the state of New York, and I have complete confidence in him. If he says she’s okay, she’s okay,” another voice said. Brody. Marissa. Oh god, Marissa! Where was Marissa? Why won’t my eyes open? Why couldn’t I wake up?
“How long will she be out? It’s been two days.” Liam asked.
“Sleep is actually good for her right now, Liam. Her body has been through a trauma, and she needs time to heal.”
“And what about…” he trailed off and I slipped back into darkness.
“Liam, you need to go home and get some rest,” said a female voice. Vivian.
“No, I’m not leaving her,” he said, and I felt something grip my hand. His hand. Damn it, why couldn’t I wake up? I needed to let him know I could hear him. “How’s Marissa doing?” he asked. Marissa! Oh no…what happened to her? I swear if they touched her…
“Brody said she’s okay. Thank God you boys got there when you did, before those filthy men could…God only knows what could have happened to both of them,” Vivian said, audibly crying. “All Marissa has been asking for is Rory. She’s dying to get up and see her.”
“I don’t know why they won’t let her. Hearing her voice might make Rory come out of this,” he said, and I heard him sniff. “Mom, I swear to God if I’d lost her…” he said, and I heard him break into full blown sobs. Oh Liam…I’m here…I’m okay…
My eyes fluttered, and a bright light was shining in my face. I blinked to adjust my eyes. I opened my mouth and tried to talk, but my throat hurt. I felt something heavy on my hand, and I realized it was someone’s forehead. I tried to talk again. I needed Liam… “L-Liam? Where’s Liam?” I croaked.
The weight that was on my hand snapped up. I heard several people gasping and a lot of shuffling around. I blinked my eyes a few more times and suddenly I saw Liam’s handsome yet tired and careworn face in front of me.
“Rory? Oh my God, baby,” he said, leaning in and kissing me. “You came back to me.”
“I’ll go get a doctor,” I heard someone say, and I saw Nick run out of the room.
I coughed, my throat dry. I needed water. “Liam…Marissa? Is she okay? Did they hurt her?” I growled.
“She’s okay, baby. She’s in a room down the hall.”
“They didn’t…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
“No, angel, they didn’t. We got there just in time.”
“Erica? Did you catch her?” I had to know that we were safe from her trying to attack again. Everything that happened came rushing back to me in that instant. The screaming…the slapping…Marissa’s screams of pain and terror…Erica admitting she played a role in Mason’s death…the man who killed Mason attacking Marissa.
Liam was gently stroking my hair. “Listen, we can talk about all of this later. Let’s let the doctors check you out first okay? We have all the time in the world,” he said, a glint of hope in his eyes.
A doctor and several nurses came in my room and spent the next thirty minutes poking and prodding me, and asking me a million questions. Once they were done examining me, they left, and I reached my hand out for Liam. He came right over to me and gently pressed his lips to mine. A tear ran down his cheek, and I felt tears stinging in mine. “Babe, don’t cry. I’m here, I’m okay,” I said.
“I really thought I was going to lose you for a second,” he said, and I ran my hand over his cheek and wiped the tear away.
“You should know me by now, baby, I’m a fighter,” I said, cracking a weak smile, and he chuckled.
“Yes you are. Marissa said you put up a hell of a fight,” he said, a weak smile on his face. “I’m proud of you baby.”
“Where is Marissa, Liam? I need to see her.”
“Soon, sweetie,” he said softly, and he turned to some other people that I just now realized were in the room. “Can you guys give us a minute please?” I looked around and saw Grayson, Vivian, Nick, and Samantha smiling at me.
“Sure, we’ll let Marissa and Brody know she’s awake,” Grayson said, and they all walked toward the door. “Welcome back, sweetheart,” he said to me, and with a wink he followed the group out the door.
I was starting to get worried. “Liam, why did you need to talk to me alone? What’s wrong? Did something else happen?” I was starting to panic.
“Shh, it’s okay baby, calm down,” he said, looking much calmer now. “Nothing happened, but I have two things to tell you. One thing I think you will be happy about, and the other, well, I don’t know.”
I was in complete panic mode. “Liam, just tell me, please,” I begged.
He sighed. “Well, when they brought you in, they did all kinds of tests to check to see if you had any internal bleeding or other things wrong, and while you were in surgery one of the doctors came back with the results. Sweetie, they found something in your blood work,” he said.
My mind immediately started to race, and my heart sank. I bet they found out that Erica caused such internal damage to me that I wouldn’t be able to have children at all now. I started to tear up. “What is it, Liam? What did they find? You can tell me, I can take it.”
He took my hand in his and he kissed it. “Rory, baby, it turns out I was right. You are pregnant.”
I blinked a few times, and I felt warm tingles radiating all through my body. The tears started to flow. “I…I’m pregnant? Are you sure?”
He nodded and smiled. “Positive,” he said, and he grinned so brightly at me that I thought the lights in the room would dim.
I cried even harder. Everything that Erica did to me came rushing back. “Oh God, is the baby okay? She didn’t take this child away too, did she?” I cried, and I started to shake.
He moved up on the bed and wrapped his arms around me. “No, angel, no. The baby is just fine. They brought in an ultrasound machine while you were in recovery and did a quick check to make sure the baby was okay, and everything looks perfect. Do you want to see?” he said.
I nodded, and he pulled out a picture from his back pocket. He handed me a little black piece of paper, and on it was a white blob, a black circle, and a tiny blurb of white dots. He pointed to the tiny dots and said, “That’s it,” and I burst into tears.
“That’s our baby? Oh Liam,” I cried, blinking away tears, “it’s so beautiful. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yes. The baby is safely snuggled away in your uterus,” he smiled, and I grinned. I leaned and kissed him. “Everything is just fine.”
I held the picture in my shaky hands and stared at my baby for a full minute. “Our baby’s first picture,” I said. “I guess we can start that baby book now,” I said, and he smiled. I handed him the picture and he placed it safely inside his back pocket. “Okay, so that was the first thing you were going to tell me, now what is the second?”
He sighed, and his brows furrowed. “Well, I guess I’ll just come out with it. Your father is here, Rory.”
I blinked again, and my eyes went wide. “Excuse me, my who?” I had to have heard him wrong…that can�
��t be right.
“Your father. He heard what happened to you and Marissa from Brody and flew up here from Indiana. He’s been here at the hospital and at your old apartment with Brody for the past day and a half.”
My dad came to see me? I was so stunned. “Did he…has he seen me?”
Liam shook his head. “No, he hasn’t yet. Brody said that after the way he and your mother left things with you that it’s up to you to decide if you want to see him. He said he was glad your dad stepped up when he found out you were hurt, but that you needed to be the one to ultimately decide what’s best for you.” I really hope my brother knew how much I loved him…I really did.
“Where is he now?”
“The last time I saw him, he was in the waiting room, I still think he might be there. Do you want me to get him?”
“I don’t know yet. I want to talk to Brody first, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.”
“Did my mother come with him?” I asked, hoping his answer was no. I know that I almost died, but my mother was one person that I knew even in a situation like this that I would never, ever be able to forgive and definitely didn’t want to see. My father was one thing, but that poisonous woman was someone that had no place in my life anymore.
He shook his head. “No. I will let Brody tell you about that.” Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Liam said, and the door opened. Grayson, Vivian, Nick, Samantha, Brody, and a bruised and tired looking Marissa came into the room.
As soon as my eyes met Marissa’s, I reached my hands out for her, motioning for her to come to me. “Marissa,” I cried, and she walked over to me and immediately wrapped her arms gently around me.
“Rory, I’m so glad you are okay! I thought…I thought she was going to kill you,” she cried.
“I’m okay. I was so worried about you. I thought that those men were going to…”
Back to Life Page 21