Closely Guarded Secret
Page 28
I scream but a clash of thunder drowns me out. The pain from his fist as it connects with my face is excruciating. I fly backward and hear a thud as my head hits the concrete “Thomas,” I barely call out. My eyelids flutter open and closed.
There’s heaviness on my legs. I force my eyes open and focus on the person who I thought would never hurt me. Hurt the life growing inside me.
The blows, one after the other, are swift and painful as they connect with my ribs and abdomen. My survival instincts take over. I have to protect my baby. With renewed vigor, I will myself to fight him off. My body bucking wildly pushes him off balance and I pull one leg up, and with my entire strength ram my heel into his chest. I try to scramble away, but he grabs my ankles pulling me back. My shirt does nothing to protect my skin from being ripped by the concrete below.
He hovers over me as he raises his arm. Shiny metal flies toward my belly. Hot pain sears through me as his arm flay at me again and again. I put my hands up in defense and feel a slash across my palm. I’m pleading for him to stop. He’s trying to kill me. I see his arm moving back and forth but it no longer hurts. I’m numb. I stop fighting.
All movement stops. The heaviness on my legs is gone. My head lolls to the side and I see him running away. A door slams and gravel splatters as a car screeches away. Headlights shine on me. Oh god, he’s going to run over me.
A girl screams, “Oh my god, call 911. Call 911.”
I can’t focus. I think I see lights.
“You’re safe. We’re going to help you.”
I try to keep conscious but it’s hard to do.
“Stay with me, okay?”
Help me . . . my baby.
“Hold on. We’re at the ER.”
It hurts to breathe. Mama . . . Da . . .
“Stay with me. Don’t let go.”
I’m floating.
“We’re losing her.”
My phone rings, snapping me out of my daymare and back to the present. It’s Jodi. I can’t talk to her now, so I let it go to voicemail. I can’t talk to anyone.
Detective Reed’s words echo in my ears and I bolt up. My shaking hands fumble as I check all the windows and doors, making sure they’re shut tight and locked, then close the blinds. I lean against the wall for support, but my legs are too heavy to hold me upright.
My phone rings again. It’s Bryce. Bryce. Oh, god. I can’t tell him about this. I can’t bring him into this fucked up world of mine, which has fallen from under my feet. My first instinct is to protect him from this, and at any cost. There’s only one-way: to end things between us. The thought makes me cry harder.
“No, no, no, no,” I scream at the top of lungs, pounding my fist into the hard surface of the floor.
Jodi and Bryce called several times. As I listen to the messages, Bryce sounds frantic and said he called my work. Shit. I know he’ll come here.
“Ali, I was so worried. I’m walking out the door on the way to your house.” I hear the relief in his voice. “With this weather . . .” he trails off. His confession makes me smile but sadness surrounds me.
“I slept through my alarm,” I say hoping he can’t tell I’ve been crying.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yes, I’m fine.” I put up a false front. “I’m leaving for work now,” I lie again. He won’t know if I’m there or not. I continue, “I’m sorry I worried you. I’ll call you later?”
“I need to see you tonight,” he says. I know I can’t see him right now and the thought breaks my heart. My face will show something’s wrong, and I’ll break down if he asks ask questions.
“Let me get to work and I’ll call you later?” I ask again.
“Okay, baby.”
We hang up, and I know my world will never be the same, which places a heaviness upon my heart.
Jodi’s going to be pissed or worried to death. “Hi Jodi. I’m sorry I haven’t been in. I woke up not feeling well, then went back to sleep and slept through my alarm,” I spit out before she has time to say anything.
“Thank goodness you’re all right. Bryce called here looking for you. Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes. I think I ate something which didn’t agree with me.”
“Go back to bed and don’t worry about coming in today. We have it covered. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Jodi. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say as I hang up.
I have to find a way to break the news to my mother and Steven, but I need to wrap my brain around it first. After crying myself into exhaustion, another horrific thought crosses my mind . . . those feelings I had of being followed, was it him? The hang up phone calls at work? I thought it could have been Mara, but now . . . oh my god. I don’t know what to think. Okay, okay. I’m freaking myself out and need to stop. There’s no proof he knows where I am. I have to get a handle on my fear. I won’t be afraid of him. Once was enough and at that thought, I get angry.
Ending my pity party of one, I draw from the strength I’ve learned through Martial Arts. I will not give him power over me anymore. Alone in the eerily quiet house, I dash upstairs and gather my things, so I can head out to my gym. Tae Kwon-do has taught me not only how to defend myself, but also how to commit myself to something and not quit. It has taught me confidence and control. Even though my confidence wavered earlier, I must always remember. Now’s the time I need these qualities the most. I can’t falter.
“Where are you, you bastard?” I whisper to myself. He’s out there somewhere and said he’s coming for me. Gone is the scared and timid teenager he once knew. He’ll meet the woman she became who won’t let him hurt her anymore.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natalie Money is a former corporate travel agent, a wife, and a cat wrangler. As far back as she can recall, she has always loved to people watch and make up stories about their lives. After many years of creating and getting to know the characters and their stories in her mind, she has finally decided to bring them to life on paper in her first novel, Closely Guarded Secret.
With her husbands job, they're known to relocate often, so when people ask where she lives, she describes herself as a World Citizen.