“You could say that again. Simmons completely dropped the ball on our new account, and somehow I got stuck with picking up all the pieces. What an idiot. He never should have been promoted to corporate. If I had a—”
She stopped suddenly, her eyes locking on Brooke. “Oh, hello, Brooke. I didn’t realize you were over.”
Brooke sensed a storm brewing in the Abrahamson household, and she had never been a fan of sudden changes in weather. “I was just going actually. See you at book club, Jesse.”
She was so flustered, she took the glass of mulled wine and the afghan with her.
Chapter Nineteen
Annabeth
The street lamps illuminated only part of Annabeth’s path, leaving fear-inducing pockets of darkness along the way. Mondays were full days for her with her last class letting out at 9:00 p.m. Her professor had wanted to talk to her about her paper, so when she left, she was forced to walk to her car by herself. She recalled Vi’s warning and Marcus’s constant concerns about her walking alone after her classes let out. He’d offered to pick her up several times, but it seemed so silly. Tonight, though, she felt like a Jack-in-the-box right before it pops out.
The sound of her boots on the cement sidewalk echoed down the long deserted street. Annabeth squared her shoulders and walked with purpose. Her skin prickled.
I should have asked someone to walk with me.
Her breath quickened and her heart thundered as she approached a dark alley.
I’m being silly. Nothing is going to happen to me...
A rush of air teased the back of her neck making her yelp. Annabeth slowed her pace as she tried to calm herself. Just as her heart was starting to calm, an arm shot out of the darkened alley and wrapped itself around her chest and shoulders like a snake. The sharp blade of a knife pressed against her carotid artery, breaking the skin.
“Gimme your wallet, your watch, whatever jewelry you have. I don’t want to have to hurt you, girlie girl.” The man’s voice sliced through her. He meant business.
Eight years of self-defense training went out the window in an instant. Annabeth couldn’t move—paralyzed with fear.
I need to do something.
Her brain screamed at her body. The blade pressed deeper into her neck making her choke.
“Your wallet.” His fetid breath on her neck made her gag.
I need to get away. What am I supposed to do to break free? His thumb.
Annabeth reached with her free hand and grabbed the thumb and yanked it back—hard. His grip on her loosened. While she yanked his thumb she used the heel of her boot to crush her attacker’s foot.
“Ahh!” The man cried out as he doubled over.
Annabeth brought down the hard point of her elbow on her attacker’s skull, and he dropped his grip.
RUN!
She turned to flee and his hand reached out and grabbed her leg, sending her crashing down hard on the street.
Blinding pain shot through her body. Her right arm, which she’d used to break her fall, was now useless. Sprained? Broken?
“You, little…!” The masked attacker rose from his spot on the ground.
He limped toward her with frightening speed.
Annabeth’s breath quickened, and her heart raced. She tried to get up. Pain…Ugh, so much pain. All she could do was inch away in a frantic crab walk. But it wasn’t enough...
Oh, man…I’m screwed.
Before she could even blink, he was on her, pinning her down. “You’re going to pay for that.”
Annabeth thrashed and screamed.
I have to get away. He’s gonna kill me.
His gloved hand silenced her. A single tear slid down her cheek as she writhed under his bulky weight. Her efforts weren’t making a difference. Pain and fear had weakened her.
This is it...
Her attacker used his weight to hold her still as he poked around in her pants pocket with his free hand. When he came up empty his hand tugged at her tank top.
“Nooo...,” she cried out against his gloved hand. Not that. In a panic, Annabeth brought her teeth down hard on his hand. He yelped, pulling his gloved hand back.
“Help!”
In the blink of an eye he toppled forward, crushing her. Then, he slid off her and onto the concrete. She let in an anxious breath.
“Are you okay?” a familiar voice asked.
When she looked up and his coal black eyes met hers, she cried in relief.
“Fin!”
“Annabeth!” Fin reached down and helped Annabeth to her feet. The pain in her arm shot up through her shoulder. She cradled it as best she could against her abdomen.
On the sidewalk beside her was a blood-stained brick. “You hit him with a brick?”
“Yeah, I guess I did. Hey, you’re hurt.” He pointed at her arm which had already started to swell. His normally flirty nature was gone and in its place was a look of genuine concern.
“Yeah, it might be broken.”
She shuddered to think what might have happened if Fin hadn’t shown up.
Ugh! I’m so stupid! The attacker started to stir—a soft moan escaping his parted lips.
“I should call the police.” Annabeth used her one good hand to pull her phone out of her pocket.
“Call campus police. They’ll get here quicker.”
Fin took a roll of electrical tape out of his book bag and began wrapping it around the attacker’s wrists and ankles several times over.
She dialed the campus police and cradled her wrist to her belly as she sat on the curb. After she had given the dispatcher all the relevant information, she hung up and waited. She felt a shiver run through her. Her teeth began to chatter as the sound of the sirens drew closer.
“You’re going into shock.” Fin reached inside his bag, pulled out a sweater jacket and draped it around her. He pulled her close and rubbed her upper arm. “Need to keep you warm.”
Embarrassment washed over her. She didn't like to be perceived as weak and yet she was grateful that Fin had chosen to act when he did. She relaxed against him. He felt good.
“My hero,” Annabeth said in a teasing tone that made her cringe. “How did you—”
Fin tightened his hold around her. “I...uh...was going out to get my car when I heard a scream. I thought about just calling the police and going home. I’m really glad I didn’t leave.”
“That makes two of us.” Annabeth pulled the jacket tightly around her to stave off the chill that ran through her.
If he hadn’t...
No it was best not to go there. The warmth of his jacket and his embrace calmed her. His palm cupped her cheek and pulled her head so that she was resting on his shoulder.
Why am I so tired...?
His warm breath tickled the hair on top of her head. “Rest. I’ll be right here.”
I’ll just close my eyes for a minute.
Two hours later, the mugger was in police custody and Annabeth had her sprained right wrist wrapped up in a sling. Fin had insisted on taking her out for a quick drink to help loosen her back up a bit. As they passed the long string of bars and music venues that lined the infamous Sixth Street, a familiar face jumped out of the crowd of college students and came bounding toward them.
Amy. It’s like even the universe wants me to protect this girl.
“Oh, look. My favorite faculty couple.”
“We’re not a couple—or faculty for that matter,” Annabeth corrected. The last thing she needed was to encourage Fin.
In a teasing/not teasing kind of way he wrapped his arm around Annabeth and gave a tight squeeze. “I’m working on it, Amy.”
In her pocket, her phone buzzed again. It was Marcus. The timing of his call caused her to blush with embarrassment. She had been ignoring his calls all night.
He’s gonna be so pissed at me.
She just couldn’t bring herself to talk to him. The thought of getting into all of this with him exhausted her. Annabeth shot off an awkward left-thumb-typ
ed text message to Marcus that she was on Sixth Street having drinks with friends. After it had sent, she turned her phone off and let Fin lead her into the Funky Monkey Bar by the small of her back.
Three beers later and she was feeling it. She had always been a lightweight. It was then that she remembered the pills she had taken at the urgent care for her arm. Oops...
Amy looked at her phone. “This has been fun, but I’m going to have to take off, y’all. I have an 8:00 a.m. class tomorrow. Don’t forget we are meeting tomorrow to go over my paper, Annabeth.”
“I’ll be there. Where are we meeting again?” Annabeth felt a little fuzzy-headed about some of the particulars. It had taken a bit of finessing to get the girl to meet up. She couldn’t very well keep an eye on Amy if they didn’t get close. Following her around campus had not yielded anything useful. Their carefully put together profile had led to almost catching one of the sex-traffic low level operatives in Detroit in the act of taking a girl. They had failed on that front. This was their chance to make things right. Marcus was sure she would be the next one. He tended to be right about those kinds of things.
“I dunno, here look it up.”
Amy slid her phone across the table to Annabeth. She quickly flipped through the calendar function on the girl’s phone and made a mental note of the girls schedule for the next week. At least this way she could be more strategic about her creeping. She backed out of the calendar and slid the phone back to its owner. “Ten at the fountain.”
“Great.” Amy hiccupped and took two cautious steps before falling forward—conveniently right into Fin’s arms.
He steadied the drunk girl and reached for his phone. “Let me call you a car.” Fin pulled up an app on his phone. “My treat.”
Amy smiled. “Aw, thanks. You’re so sweet, Fin.”
Annabeth noticed her phone was off.
She stretched her arms up over her head in an exaggerated motion. “I should get going, as well.”
Fin was all too quick on the uptake. “Do you need a ride?”
The suggestive glint in his eye told her that he was offering much more than a seat in his car. And while she enjoyed his company—when he wasn’t boring her with Proust—she wasn’t looking for yet another relationship. The one she already had was more than enough work for her.
“No, I’m good.” Annabeth gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He had just saved her life, after all. “Thank you, though.”
“Any time,” he said with a wink. Before she could walk away, he tugged the strap of her bag—reeling her in. His deft fingers weaved through her hair and tilted her head to the side. Her heart thundered as his mouth found hers. The somewhat chaste kiss sent a rush of warmth.
“Goodnight, Anna.”
She didn’t bother to correct him. “Goodnight, Fin.”
Annabeth stumbled out of the bar with her head down and almost ran straight into a large man. When she looked up, she was startled to find the former love of her life standing before her.
“Marcus, what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I’m out looking for you. I don’t hear from you for hours and then I get some ridiculous text about you going out drinking. Then all my calls go to voice mail. What the heck is going on Anna?”
His entitled tone bristled her. “Yeah, that happens when you turn off your phone. Maybe you should have taken the clue.” Annabeth tried to shoulder past him, but he blocked her with his bulk. He had been a fullback in college; he could block her path until the cows came home.
“Oh no, you don’t. We’re going to talk about this.” He reached out and grabbed her hurt arm to hold her still.
Annabeth yelped in pain. Marcus’s eyes shot down and bulged when they landed upon her brand new sling. He released his hold on her. A look of concern washed over him.
“Oh, man. Anna what happened?”
“I got mugged.” She tried to push away from him but he blocked her again.
Fin emerged from the bar and inserted himself between them. “Anna, is this guy bothering you?”
She sighed. “I’m fine, Fin. He’s just my roommate.”
“Just, huh? And what’s he doing calling you Anna?”
“Marcus, you’re making a scene.”
Marcus glared at her while Fin assessed the man in front of him.
Fin took her uninjured hand and brought it to his lips, “Well, if you’re sure you’re all right, but... Call me if you need anything or if ya just want to talk.”
“Goodnight, Fin.” She watched him walk in the direction of where they had parked their cars.
“What the heck is going on, Anna? You were mugged? I told you not to walk alone. You just don’t think.” Marcus growled through clenched teeth. She had never seen him so angry. “And that guy. I told you he wants to sleep with you.”
So what if he does, she wanted to shout at him. She didn't owe him an explanation for anything she did with her personal time.
“This is why I shut off my phone. None of this is any of your business,” she spat back.
Marcus towered over her. His nostrils flared and his lips pursed in a look of controlled rage. “Look—I uh—I know you’re still angry with me, and I get that. I take full responsibility for everything that got us to this point, but we can't keep going like this, Anna.”
“Annabeth.”
Her correction seemed to anger him even more. “Darn it! I'm not talking to some fictional version of you. I'm talking to you. I love you, Anna. Why can’t you see that?”
And, just like that, he was kissing her.
No, this was definitely not okay. She shoved him away with her one good arm. “Marc,” she said using his given name for the first time in weeks. “If you loved me, then you wouldn't have slept with that slut at the bar.”
His face fell. For a second she thought he might even start to cry.
“It was a mistake, and I can't be any sorrier for it than I already am.”
Tears started to spill down her cheeks.
I'm drunk and crying like an idiot.
She took a deep breath in a last ditch attempt to rein in her emotions before they came spilling out for all of downtown Austin to see.
“I’m the one who's sorry. Sorry that I thought I could put all that aside to do this, but I was wrong. I can't let it go, and I don't know that I ever will.”
Having said all she needed to say, she gave him one last glare before taking off down the sidewalk—in a hurry to get away from him. At that moment the inner rage she’d kept locked away inside had been let loose. She wanted to smash something. Before now, she had kept her hurt feelings in check, but now it all came crashing down, suffocating her.
“Anna, wait!”
Her eyes darted around for a cab, but there was none in sight. She knew she was too drunk to even try to drive.
I should check into a hotel. There has to be one nearby.
She couldn't go home, that was for sure. There was a bus on the other side of the street. She quickly dodged the incoming traffic to the other side.
“C’mon, Anna. Please stop.” Marcus was just a few yards behind her.
“Go away, Marcus! I don't want to see you ever again!”
She couldn’t hold it back any longer. The past few weeks playing the perfect little couple weighed too heavily on her. A small crowd had stopped to watch as their sad drama unfolded, but she was past the point of caring.
Annabeth turned to see Marcus start to cross the street.
Why won't he just leave me alone!
He had gotten halfway across when it happened. The black sedan had turned onto 6th Street from Trinity. The driver had gunned it. Marcus hadn't stood a chance of getting out of the way.
The screech and sickening thud of his head connecting with the windshield would be etched in her mind for the rest of her life.
After that everything happened in slow motion, just like it did in the movies.
“Noooo!” Her piercing scream
filled her ears.
A pool of blood began to form around his head like a halo.
The car quickly flew into reverse as it backed into the side street doing a wide U-turn on the narrow road, just missing taking out a few pedestrians along the way.
Annabeth watched in horror as it sped away.
The sound of everything around her had become muffled and far away like she was hearing it from under water.
Her wobbly legs carried her over to him before they gave out and she sank down onto her knees beside his body. She barely noticed the gravel that dug into her knees.
There was so much blood.
Is he dead? He can’t die. Not like this. Not when the last thing I said was... No.
His eyes were closed and his body was twisted in an unnatural way but his chest still rose up and down.
He’s alive. Thank God.
“I'm calling the police!” yelled someone from the crowd. “It didn’t have a license plate... it was black... four door... hurry!”
Her stomach churned as she touched his bent arm. It looked broken just like the rest of him. She watched in horror as his breathing became shallow. The sirens were getting closer. “Marc…hold on.”
Please, hold on.
Chapter Twenty
Vi
In the distance Vi could hear the sound of the train that ran along the back side of their subdivision. The familiar clickety-clack and whistle blowing soothed her for the moment. In the back of her mind, a little voice told her she needed to talk to someone before she descended so far into the darkness she couldn’t find her way back out again.
Ricky. The loss of him left a hollow place inside her that ached like a phantom limb.
When her parents died there had been no room for her to process her grief. So every day she carried it around with her. Each year since their passing, the weight of her sadness got heavier and heavier. She felt the fissures in her sanity widening. The dam of emotions was fixing to burst.
A northern gust of wind carried with it a new sound—crying. It was coming from the direction of the Kings’ backyard.
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