“Stupid,” I muttered to myself. Focusing on my own inadequacies helped me not be struck down by terror.
Kennedy’s front door was ajar and I pushed it open all the way. It swung easily, making no noise. For just a second, I thought I might be able to sneak up on them. But then I took one step inside and the floor creaked loudly.
“Jordyn, darling. We’re in here.”
The sound of Ben’s voice was paralyzing. It had been so long since I had heard him say my name. With great effort, I crossed through the entryway and entered the living room. I saw Kennedy first, tied to a chair with duct tape over her mouth. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen- she’d been crying.
“Glad you could join us.”
Ben was seated across from Kennedy, nursing a cup of tea with his feet kicked up on the coffee table. His smile was pure evil.
“Ben.” His name tasted like bile as it rolled over my tongue.
“Happy to see me?” He dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward. “Have a seat, Jordyn.”
I looked to where his hand pointed, the empty cushion next to him, and my stomach turned over. A puddle of water was forming at my feet.
“Fine. Just let her go.”
Ben’s eyes flashed angrily and he slammed a hand on the coffee table. “You are not in charge right now, girl. Sit down!”
My feet shuffled forward involuntarily and I sank onto the farthest edge of the seat. When I turned to look at him, he was grinning again.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, trying to keep the fear from my voice. It only partly worked.
“What do you mean?” His head tilted. I remembered that during the first few weeks of our relationship, my heart would jump when he looked at me that way. Now it sent a shudder down my spine. “You’re my girl, Jordyn. I just came to reclaim you.”
“Reclaim me? I’m not your property.”
That evil grin. “Oh, but you are. You’re mine.”
“You are disgusting,” I spat.
His fist came out of nowhere, swinging through the air and hitting me flush under my jaw. My head snapped back and my vision went black.
I closed my eyes and waited for the world to stop spinning. When I reopened them, my vision had returned, but it was blurry. Ben had moved closer to me.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, sounding regretful. “Why do you have to make me so mad?”
“Your uncontrollable rage is my fault?” It was risky to keep challenging him, but I found him so abhorrent that I couldn’t fake tolerance.
Ben’s hand shot out again and I flinched, waiting for another sharp pain. Instead, he opened his fist and stroked my face.
“I always did love your spunk.” He leaned close enough that I could smell the tea on his breath. His hand trailed down my neck. “Among other things…”
I jerked away as his hand reached for my breast. “Stop.”
“You don’t really want me to stop. You’ve always been such a tease.”
“I wasn’t teasing you, you big idiot. I was rejecting you.” I gave him what I hoped was a hostile stare.
“You love me!” He jumped to his feet, hands clenched into fists.
I stood up, facing him without fear. “I never loved you.”
“You’re a liar.” He grabbed my arm and his fingernails dug into my skin, drawing blood.
“I love Nolan.” I knew this would set him off, so I didn’t give him a chance to hit me again. I swung my knee up, catching him in the groin. He doubled over in pain and I lunged for the knife sitting on the arm of the couch.
Ben threw himself at me, knocking me to the ground. Pinning me with his legs, he reached for the table lamp and hoisted it over his head. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact that would no doubt kill me.
~NOLAN~
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The second I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. I remembered drifting off to sleep with Jordyn stroking my hair. I also remembered her kissing my cheek and whispering that she loved me. I wasn’t sure I had said it back. Then, I opened my eyes and she was gone.
I called out and got no answer, so I checked the house as quickly as possible in my condition. She was nowhere to be found. I stepped out onto the balcony to see if she had gone down to the ocean. It was nearly dark, but there was just enough light to see that no one was swimming in the ocean. Finally, I checked out front and my stomach sank when I saw the empty spot that usually housed her bike.
The adrenaline coursing through my body made my heart race and my chest ache. I hobbled into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. Before I could collapse into it, I spotted Jordyn’s phone on the counter.
Thumbing through it, I saw that she had been texting people as recently as thirty minutes ago. I scrolled through looking for Kennedy’s name, hoping that Jordyn was with her. The text I found send ice water through my veins.
“Shit.”
I tossed the phone down and hurried into the bedroom. My own phone was on the bedside table and I was dialing it in seconds.
“He’s got her,” I said, no explanation necessary. “Where the hell are you?”
“I’m watching her.”
“If you’re watching her, then how does he have her?” My voice was bordering on shrill.
The ever-patient voice on the other end of the line sighed. “I’m waiting for the right time to make my move. Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine.”
“Fuck that.” I hung up the phone and started looking for my shoes.
Standing outside, rain pouring over me, I looked down the road in the direction of Kennedy’s house. With no vehicle available, I didn’t have a lot of options. So even though the pain was excruciating, I took a deep breath and started to run.
~JORDYN~
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I was braced for the contact, but it never came. My eyes opened and Ben was still on top of me, lamp aloft over his head. But he was no longer intent on bashing in my head. He was staring at the doorway.
“Who the hell are you?”
From my vantage point staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t see who had intruded on us. I wondered briefly if it was Nolan, but Ben would have recognized him. Given that he had been stalking me for a long time now, he would know anyone that I knew. Whomever was standing behind me was a stranger.
“Get off of her, asshole.”
The voice was deep and calm, and also strangely familiar.
“Are you going to make me? You take one step toward us and I will kill her.” Ben was trying to match the calculated tone of the new arrival, but he couldn’t pull it off. He sounded like a scared little boy standing up to a bully.
“If you touch her, I will kill you. Simple as that. Now get up.”
Ben looked at me, then back at the stranger. Looking into his eyes, I knew that he wasn’t going to kill me. As demented as he was, Ben really did believe that he loved me. He might kill everyone in my life, but he wouldn’t kill me.
Ben seemed to suddenly remember that he was still hoisting the lamp. He launched it over my head and I heard the man grunt as it made contact. Then Ben was running.
The man ran after him, tackling him in the hallway. I grabbed the knife and hurried to Kennedy’s side. The ropes cut smoothly and she ripped away the duct tape.
“Are you okay?” I asked, looking over my shoulder to where the two men were still struggling.
She nodded. “Help him.”
I stood uncertainly, watching the men wrestle. I wasn’t sure how I could even help, short of trying to stab Ben, which seemed like a bad idea. If I missed, I could potentially kill my mysterious savior.
Fortunately, he managed to overpower Ben and delivered a fierce blow. Ben’s head bounced back and his eyes rolled up in his head.
“Hand me that rope,” the man commanded.
I did as he asked, and once Ben was properly detained, the man turned to me.
“You alright?”
“Yeah.” I gave myself a quick once-over
to make sure that I wasn’t injured. “Who are you?”
He smiled and suddenly looked very familiar to me. “Ted Meyers. You’re dating my little brother.”
At that moment, the front door crashed open and Nolan hurried inside. His eyes were wild and his face was flushed. He was panting and doubled-over in pain, dripping rain water everywhere, but he looked wonderful to me.
“Jordyn!”
I hurried over and caught him just as he was about to tumble to the ground. “Nolan! What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“You were in trouble. I ran. Came to save you.” He panted the words and clutched his side.
“Aw. My hero!” I rewarded him with a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re a little late though. Your brother saved the day.”
“You look like shit, man.” Ted clapped his brother on the back.
The police were called and Nolan and I sat on the couch while we waited for them to arrive. Ted stood watch over an unconscious Ben, and Kennedy went into the bathroom to clean her wound.
“Not that I’m not eternally grateful, but why is your brother here?”
Nolan’s face was gray- the run had sapped his energy. “I called him. When I found out about Ben, I asked him to come here. Ted is what you might call an enforcer. He does security work, assists private investigators, and even does some bail bondsman work. I like to think of him as an all-around badass.”
“So you asked him to come here and find Ben?”
“I asked him to keep an eye on you whenever I wasn’t around. I figured that was when Ben would make his move, and I knew Ted could handle him.” Nolan smiled sheepishly. “You might say I brought in a stalker to protect you from your stalker.”
“That’s one way of looking at it.” I frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You would’ve said no.”
He was right. I had wanted to handle the situation myself, and I would’ve hated the idea of having someone following me around. Even if it was Nolan’s brother. I glanced over to make sure everything was still under control. Ben hadn’t moved and Ted was leaning against the wall looking bored.
“He looks like you,” I said.
“No way. I’m much better looking.” Nolan smiled smugly.
I pretended to think about that. “I don’t know… he’s got that rugged bad-boy vibe that ladies can’t resist.”
“Did I mention that I ran all the way here with broken ribs just to save you?” Nolan exaggerate a grimace of pain.
“It’s just too bad you’re in so much pain. I’m going to have to think of a different way to repay you now.” I snapped my fingers. “I’ll bake you cookies!”
“That’s a start,” he reached for me, arms encircling my waist. “But I was thinking more along the lines of bedroom activities. I’m sure I can muster up some strength.”
I kissed him hard and said, “You’ll have to prove it to me.”
He returned my kiss. “Gladly.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I can’t believe this is your last day in Serenity.” I sighed dramatically and pouted. “What am I going to do without my best friend?”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to survive. You’ve got that gorgeous boyfriend to keep you occupied.” Kennedy untied her apron and tossed it on the counter.
I had been giving her crap all day for leaving, but now I was legitimately starting to feel sad. Kennedy was the first person I had met in Serenity, and in the last few months I’d grown to think of her like family. Now she was moving back to New York and leaving me behind.
“Nolan is a boy,” I complained. “It’s not the same as having you around.”
Kennedy laughed. “Oh, stop. You’re living the dream.”
I gestured to my Seabag apron. “Really?”
“Yes, really. This job may not be glamorous, but look at that view!” She pointed to the beach and ocean. “Add to that your superstar boyfriend, the house he promised to build for you, and the fact that you’re going back to school in the fall… I’d say your life is just about as good as it gets.”
She was right. I didn’t deserve my abundance of wealth.
“I’m going to miss you.” I let her hug me.
“You will just have to call me all the time.” She held up her phone. “And you can visit. Nolan will need to come to New York every now and then for games and there’s no reason you can’t tag along.”
“I know.”
Kennedy was doing her best to sound upbeat, but I could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I’m going to miss you, too,” she said.
Now it was my turn to hug her.
“No more mushy crap. You’ll be in New York! This is supposed to be exciting.” If Kennedy could fake happiness, so could I.
“That’s right. And when you visit we will go to the best clubs and have such a great time.”
“And don’t forget that we still have your going away party tonight. Brian has promised that it will be an epic bash.”
“Epic indeed.” Kennedy sighed. “Okay, I should go. I need to finish some packing.”
“Go.” I waved her away.
“Later, friend.” She blew me a dramatic kiss and sailed away.
I finished closing down the Seabag and walked home slowly. I never got tired of this walk. When I stopped in front of my house, I was surprised to see Nolan waiting for me. He was seated on the hood of his new ride, something slightly less ridiculous than the last one. It was still a convertible, but at least it could seat more than two people.
“I didn’t think I would see you until tonight,” I said.
“Plans are meant to be broken.” He greeted me with a kiss and a pat on the bottom. “Get in. I want to show you something.”
“Sounds enticing. I’m in.”
He drove along the coast and I closed my eyes, reveling in the feel of wind blowing through my hair. For the first time in a very long time, I felt calm. Nolan took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and threading our fingers together.
In a couple of days, Nolan would be leaving me, too. He was finally cleared to play ball again and the team was expecting him. As sad as I was to see him go, I loved how excited he was at the thought of pitching again.
“Where are we going?” I asked, confused when he took a turn that seemed to lead nowhere.
“Stop trying to ruin the surprise.”
We drove several yards up a gentle cliff. At the top, he killed the engine. I waited while he exited the car and walked around the front. He opened my door and held out his hand.
“Are you going to murder me and throw my body over the edge?” I guessed, letting him pull me from the car.
“Your house is on the ocean,” he reminded me. “If I wanted to get rid of your body, a quick toss into the water would’ve done the trick.”
“Fair enough.” I followed him closer to the edge and took in the amazing view. “If you aren’t planning to murder me, what are we doing here? We could get into trouble for trespassing.”
Nolan scoffed. “This is ours, Jordyn.”
“I’m sorry…what?”
“I bought this land. We’re going to build our house here.” Nolan laughed at the shocked look on my face.
“You bought all this land?” I looked around, amazed.
“We needed a foundation to build on. I figured this was as good of a place as any.” He ducked his head shyly. “Also, I’m still going to need an answer.”
“An answer? I thought I already agreed to move in with you.”
“That wasn’t the question.” He took my hand again, holding it up for both of us to see. I gasped, shocked to find a glittering diamond on my ring finger.
“When did you… how did you… what?” The words came out in a jumbled mess.
“I have my ways.” He smiled faintly. “Will you marry me, Jordyn?”
He must’ve slipped it on in the car when I thought he was just holding my hand. I looked from the ring, to the ocean in the distance, then back at Nolan. I cou
ldn’t picture a scenario where my life would make sense without him in it so I replied confidently, “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He pulled me in for a kiss and I knew once and for all that I had finally found my serenity.
~NOLAN~
EPILOGUE
My heart pounded in my chest. The roar of the crowd sent a shot of adrenaline through my body. This was the moment they were waiting for, the moment where they would decide if I was the same pitcher I used to be.
I stepped out of the bullpen and crossed over the plush grass. The crowd roared even louder and took up an echoing chant of my name. My manager handed me the ball and said, “This is it, Meyers. This is your moment.”
My warm up pitches were decent. Not exactly my best work, but enough that I felt confident as the batter stepped to the plate.
I dug a toe into the dirt and glanced at the scoreboard. We were in the ninth inning and my team was up by two runs. The bases were loaded. If I could get us three outs, we would win the championship game.
The next thing I did was look into the stands, two rows behind the dugout. My eyes immediately found Jordyn, her beauty impossible to miss. She smiled at me and nodded. I knew that she believed in me and I wasn’t going to let her down.
Eight pitches. Each one was faster and better than the last. Now I just had one more pitch, one more throw to prove to everyone that I was back.
I wound up and kicked my leg hard, releasing the ball at the perfect moment. It sailed smoothly over the lower outside corner of the plate. The batter swung, a perfect homerun swing, but he was a second too slow.
Strike three.
The crowd went insane and players swarmed me from every corner of the field. I got swept away in the celebration. After a dozen interviews, I finally broke away for the stands. Jordyn was waiting for me at the wall.
“What took you so long?” she teased, her eyes wild with excitement.
I threw my arms around her and lifted her over the wall until she stood in front of me. “I’m right on time,” I said, giving her a hungry kiss.
Finding Serenity (Serenity Beach) Page 12