by Rachel Hanna
Knowing it was wrong, she walked closer so she could hear Aaron talking. He was definitely whispering so that she couldn’t hear him.
“Listen, Stan, I need to know where he’s headed… You think the campground? Well, how long has he been on the road?”
Oh, God. Ethan was on the move. She’d have to move her plan up quite a bit to make sure that she had time.
“He left an hour ago? That doesn’t give me much time. No, we aren’t there, but it’s only a matter of time. No, I can’t wake her up. That’ll scare her to death. I’ll just wait until morning and then break the news to her. We’ll stay locked down here, so keep your guy on him. Once he gets to the campground, tell your guy to back off. I don’t want him to know he’s being followed, okay?”
That was perfect. She wanted the private investigator to back off so Ethan entered the campground alone. Tessa sneaked back into her room and quickly changed her clothes, preparing herself for the scariest thing she would ever do in her life.
* * *
Aaron couldn’t sleep after his phone call with Stan. He was wracking his brain about how to best protect Tessa and Tyler, and the weight of the problem was giving him the worst case of insomnia he’d ever had.
If he reported the situation to local police, they would just have to give it to Ethan’s department. And she had no proof. Without proof, she had nothing. And what if Ethan tried to fight for custody of Tyler? That just couldn’t happen, Aaron thought. He’d hide them forever if he had to.
Pacing his room, he decided that a strong cup of coffee was in order. Maybe Tessa was up too, although he hoped she was getting some sleep. She didn’t know Ethan was on his way to find her. She needed a few more hours of peace because the onslaught was coming.
He crept up the hallway, but noticed Tessa’s door was cracked open. Unable to keep from seeing how she looked while she was peacefully sleeping, he peeked in. The room was dark, of course, but the light of the moon was streaming in the window and bathing the bed in a sea of muted shades of blue. But he didn’t see a lump in the bed. He didn’t see Tessa.
Willing to risk her getting mad, he flipped on the light switch. She wasn’t in the bed. “Tessa?” he whispered as he walked around the room. She wasn’t in her adjoining bathroom either.
As he started to run out the door, worried that she’d fallen down the winding staircase, he saw a piece of paper on her dresser. It was a letter to him, and its contents took his breath away.
Dear Aaron,
Wow. Where do I begin? You’ve been such a godsend for me and Tyler these last few days, and I can’t believe the feelings I’ve developed for you in such a short time. I thought I’d never feel that way about anyone, but there you were.
And then it dawned on me that I will never be free until Ethan isn’t. I can’t go on living like a fugitive. I want to grab everything that life has to offer me, and I want Tyler to have the best life possible. So, I had to make a decision.
Tyler is still sleeping soundly in his bed, and I pray that you will watch over him until I get back. I’m sorry to put such responsibility on you, but I couldn’t put him in more danger. This is my problem to deal with, and it’s time to stand up and fight.
And, God forbid, if something happens to me, please take care of my son. He doesn’t have anyone else, and he adores you.
Until we meet again,
Tessa
Aaron’s heart was pounding as he tried to think through what she was doing. He had to get to her before it was too late. But why did she leave in the middle of the night like that? What prompted her…
Wait, he thought. She must have heard him on the phone. That was about an hour ago, so he still had time to get to her.
Aaron made a call to his brother, Kyle, and asked him to come babysit Tyler for awhile. He told Kyle that he had an emergency come up at the campground, but he knew that Kyle didn’t buy it.
After he arrived, Aaron told him what to say to Tyler when he woke up and headed outside to his car. Tessa didn’t take the car, obviously, so he wasn’t sure how she got anywhere on foot. It would take her over an hour to walk to the campground, and it would be dangerous for her to do. Then it dawned on him. The bicycle he normally kept on the porch was gone.
“Oh, God,” he muttered to himself as he started the car. “Why do women have to be so stubborn?”
He peeled down the driveway as fast as he could, hoping against hope that he would somehow get to Tessa before Ethan did.
* * *
Tessa’s legs were aching tired when she pulled into the campground on the rickety old bicycle that was on Aaron’s porch. She had no idea how old the thing was, but it wasn’t nearly as state of the art as she’d hoped when she left.
Her hope was that Aaron was fast asleep and wouldn’t know what she’d done until morning. She prayed that he wouldn’t hate her, and that Tyler was safe with him.
The funny thing was that her adrenaline was pumping so much from the bike ride that she was no longer scared. She was ready to fight for her freedom no matter what happened.
She pulled the old bike behind her dilapidated camper and walked up to the door. Ethan’s car was nowhere to be seen and the campground was eerily quiet with only the sound of the waves off in the distance.
Her plan was to sit in the camper, hot as it was, and wait for Ethan to arrive. As she unlocked the door, something just didn’t feel right but before she could figure out what it was, Ethan’s strong arm came out from the darkness of the camper and pulled her inside violently.
She didn’t have time to scream as he put his other hand over her mouth and dragged her to the floor, kicking the door shut behind her.
Writhing around, trying to wiggle away from him, she kicked randomly in the air. He picked her up and threw her across the room, and she landed on the floor with a thud just beside the bedroom door.
Backing up, she stood and leaned against the wall, hands in her pockets.
“You stupid bitch. Did you really think you could run from me? Get your hands out of your pockets.”
“Ethan, now listen…” she said, begging him to relax as she held up her hands. It never worked, but she needed to buy some time and calm him down. She was sure he had a gun on him somewhere. He always did.
“You ran from me while my father was sick? What kind of person does that?” he said, surprising her with his level of emotion.
“Ethan, you were holding me hostage. For three years. And our son…”
“Where is he? Where’s my kid?” he said, suddenly looking around angrily.
“He’s somewhere safe. It was too hot in here…”
“I bet you’ve been whoring around already!” he yelled walking closer to her.
“Why did you do it?” she suddenly asked, breaking his chain of thought.
“Do what?” he asked staring into her eyes with more anger than she’d ever seen from him. She stared back, which only seemed to anger him more. She’d never stood up to him. Never asked questions.
“Why did you hold me hostage for three long years, Ethan? Why couldn’t you just love me like a normal man?”
“You know why.”
“Tell me, Ethan. Tell me so we can work this out. I want to come home. I want to make things right,” she said softly, the words causing vomit to rise up in her throat. If this was going to work, she had to make him believe that she wanted him back.
“Do I look like a fool? I’m not falling for this little ploy, Tessa. I’m a frigging cop. Don’t you think I see through your little charade?” he said as he stalked closer and closer to her.
“Fine, I don’t want you back. You’re a worthless bastard who held me hostage for three years, and I hope you rot in hell for all of the abuse you did to me,” she said, rage seething through her gritted teeth. If sweetness wasn’t working, she made a last minute decision to see if rage would. She was angry, and if the last thing she did on Earth was blast him with her words, it would be worth it.
“You deserv
ed it. You aren’t worth shit, Tessa. You never were, and you never will be. And now, because you’ve tried to humiliate me, you’re going to pay the ultimate price,” he pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at her head. “And you know what, not a damn soul on this Earth will give a shit that you’re gone. That kid of yours will be mine, and I’ll make sure to find him a nice home.”
“He’s your son. How can you say that?” she said through her still gritted teeth as she eyed the gun.
“I’m a bastard, you said so yourself. I never wanted a kid, but you still managed to get yourself knocked up, didn’t you? And who knows if I’m even the father of him. You were such a slut.”
His alcohol laced breath washed over her face and made her want to throw up.
“I never cheated on you, Ethan, and you know it,” she said softly as she slid her hand into her pocket slowly.
“You flirted with every man in town, Tessa. And that guy on Facebook…”
“Damn, Ethan, I’ve told you a hundred times that I never cheated on you,” she said, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she realized the gun was still pointing at her head and he was getting angrier.
“Stop playing me for a fool!” he yelled as he hit her in the side of the head with the gun. Pain shot through her eyes, and she struggled to stay upright.
There was no more time to wait. Her life was about to end, and she had to make one more last ditch effort to save herself and Tyler. With every bit of power she had in her petite body, she kneed Ethan in the groin. The surprise of it caused him to bend forward and drop the gun below her head. It was only for a moment, but it was long enough for her to pull out the knife she’d bought at the pawn shop and stab him straight in the stomach with it.
Tessa didn’t wait to see the outcome. Instead, she ran straight out of the camper into the darkened woods screaming for help. And that’s when she turned to see Ethan coming out of the camper and headed toward her.
* * *
Aaron drove as fast as he could and skidded into the campground. He had a bad feeling, but he hoped he was wrong. As he pulled into the driveway next to his cabin, he jumped out looking for the bicycle. It was leaned against the back of Tessa’s camper, so he jogged across the yard. Before he could make it there, he heard a gunshot and his heart sank.
“Tessa?” he screamed as he ran into the woods behind her camper. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness of the early morning hours. “Tessa? Please, answer me!” he yelled.
“Aaron?” he heard her answer softly. He pulled out his cell phone and turned on his flashlight app.
Tessa was sitting on the ground behind a tree, shaking in fear and crying. Her eyes were glassy and staring straight ahead.
“Tessa? What happened, honey? Where is he?”
“There,” she said shakily as she pointed to a lifeless body on the ground about ten feet away.
“You killed him? How did you get a gun?”
“I don’t have a gun. I didn’t shoot him. I stabbed him in the camper, but he followed me out here…”
“Then who shot him?” Aaron asked.
“I did,” a male voice said in the darkness. As he walked closer, Aaron realized it was Paul, his right hand man.
“Paul?” Aaron asked incredulously. “But how did you…”
“I was coming home from a date and saw her running. The guy was pointing a gun. You know I always carry mine with me…”
“Thank God you do, man,” Aaron said, standing up and shaking Paul’s hand. “You saved a life today.”
“And I took one,” he said looking down. “I didn’t mean to kill him, Aaron. I was trying to shoot his leg, but I couldn’t see well.”
“How do you know he’s… dead?” Tessa asked softly.
“I checked for a pulse. I’m a part-time EMT. There was no pulse. No signs of life,” Paul said. “This guy, he was the one you were hiding from, right?”
“Yes,” she whispered, still looking straight ahead. The sun was starting to peek up over the horizon now, yet she still sat shaking on the ground.
“Did you call the police?” Aaron asked Paul.
“Yeah. They should be here any minute,” he said.
“Thank you,” Tessa said softly as she finally looked up at Paul. “You really did save my life. He had a gun to my head in there, and he was going to kill me.”
“I’m glad I could help you. Dawn, right? Or Dana?” he asked.
“Actually, my name is Tessa Reeves. And I’m free now,” she said, a haunting tone in her voice.
* * *
The police came moments later and took both Tessa and Paul into Aaron’s cabin for questioning. Aaron sat nervously outside, worried that his friend or the woman he was falling in love with might be taken to jail. Finally, Tessa and Paul appeared outside and the officer drove off in his car.
“Well?” Aaron said.
“That was difficult,” she said softly as he put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them up and down. “But I had the evidence I needed.”
“Evidence? I thought you didn’t have anything?”
“The day I went into the pawn shop, I sold the one thing I had left. It was my grandmother’s wedding ring. I swore I’d never sell it, but I knew that was the only way I would ever get out of this mess. So, I got a little cash and a digital audio recorder from the pawn shop. I also bought a knife. My plan was to put gas in the camper and drive back to confront him so that I could record our conversation, only I heard you on the phone with Stan early this morning…”
“Tessa, are you crazy? Why didn’t you tell me? Let me help you? I don’t understand…” Aaron was more than a little upset. He was hurt and offended that in the end she didn’t seem to trust him.
“I needed to do it on my own, Aaron. I’ve had to depend on a man for everything for my entire life. And those men let me down. I needed to know I was capable of being brave and strong for myself. I can’t depend on you for everything,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “Anyway, I taped everything he said to me. The recorder even kept going during our struggle. It was an obvious case of self defense, so the police aren’t going to bring charges.”
“Guys, I’m gonna go and let y’all talk, okay?” Paul could sense the tension in the air.
“Man, I don’t know how to thank you,” Aaron said putting his hand on Paul’s shoulder and shaking his hand with the other.
“No need to thank me. I just did what I thought needed to be done in the heat of the moment.”
“Let me know if you need anything. Time off…”
“No, I think I need to work. Keep my mind off this stuff for awhile,” he said. “Gotta go try to get some sleep.” With that, Paul walked up the pathway toward his own cabin.
Tessa was now staring out over the ocean in the distance, her hands pressed against the railing. She was somewhere else in her mind, as if she was trying to escape her current situation.
“Oh, God, where is Tyler?” she said suddenly, looking around.
“He’s okay. My brother, Kyle, took him home to play with Kaitlyn today. He just thinks it’s a play date,” Aaron said softly, putting his arms around her and pulling her close. He could hear her sniffing and then she broke into uncontrollable sobs, her body jolting over and over again from the pain of it all. The walls were crumbling down, and it was a violent thing to witness. Still, when he thought about what could have happened if Paul hadn’t been coming home just at the right time, it made him feel ill.
“I can't believe he's dead. After everything he did to me, I still didn't want him dead. You have to believe me,” she sobbed.
“Oh, Tessa, I know that. You're a good person. You'd never wish someone dead. He made those decisions, and it led where it led. It's not your fault.”
“I don’t know what to do now,” she said softly. “I’ve lived in fear for so long, I don’t think I know how to be free.”
“We’ll figure it out together, Tessa,” he said hugging her tighter. She pulled back a
nd looked up at him.
“I don’t think I can do that.” His heart felt like it stopped for a moment.
“What?”
“There’s a part of me that says I need to be here with you, wrapped up in the comfort of your arms. Then there’s another part of me that says I need to see if I can make it on my own.”
“You want to be alone?” he asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.
“I don’t want to be. I think I have to be. I need to find out who I really am. What I’m made of. What kind of mother I can be on my own. I went from my father's house to Ethan's house, and I've never been on my own. I've never gotten to see what accomplishment or independence feels like. I just sat there in that camper, watching my life pass before my eyes, and realized that there isn't much to look back on and be proud of.”
Aaron ran his fingers through his hair, a sure sign of being stressed out, and groaned.
“I’m not going to beg you to stay, Tessa. You’re a grown woman. I have no question what you’re made of, but apparently you do. I want you here. I want you. Can you see that?” he asked looking into her eyes.
“I want you too, but I need to do this, Aaron. I need a new start. I need to make sure I’m at one hundred percent before I give my heart away again.”
“Are you sure you’re clear headed enough to make such an important decision right now, Tessa? You’re tired…”
“No! This isn't about being tired. I know what I need to do for myself, and if you can’t understand that then I’m sorry. I appreciate all of your help, Aaron. Now please take me back to my son, okay?” she said turning away from him. The wall went back up, and Aaron decided he was tired of trying to tear it down.
Chapter 11
It was her final day in January Cove, and Tessa’s stomach was in knots. She’d spent the last few days talking with police, avoiding phone calls from Ethan’s family and looking for a new place to live in Savannah.