"Then I'll make the story short and to the point. Basically, my mentor wanted much more from me- a relationship outside of student and teacher. When I said no, his attitude changed. He stalked and threatened me, and made me think I was in the wrong. One night, when I was coming home from a friend's house, he-" Vivid memories of his face leering over hers filled her head. Her stomach knotted. It's just a memory.
Hunter drew her close. His whole face turned a shade of red, but he stayed quiet.
"It never got that far. Vince got to him before anything happened."
"So Vince saved the day?" Hunter asked.
"Not quite. He might have kept that man from doing anything to me, but I think he killed him." It physically hurt for Becca to say the words. She hadn't thought about this in years, not even when her grandparents pushed Vince in her life. Like Hunter, her memories opened up recently, allowing things to come back, some of which she wished she could forget.
"So he's capable of murder." Hunter shook his head in disgust. "I don't doubt it."
"It gets worse." Becca's voice came out in a squeak. "I don't have proof that Vince killed him. I do know that after that night, I went into the state of panic you saw me in recently. Anyway, all of a sudden, Mr. Ellis disappeared and a new teacher took his place. I was still paranoid about what happened, and one night Vince and his father came to talk to us about something. I don't remember a lot of it. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital with a claim that I attacked Vince. They even have video, which I've seen, but it's silent and only 30 seconds or so. I don't think that was the whole story. I definitely went after him for something, but it's not enough to tell what really went on."
"A hospital? You mean like-?"
Becca nodded. "Yes. I think Vince's father, or possibly Vince himself, admitted me to the psych ward. I still didn't know Vince was a psychiatrist at the time. I always knew his father was, but I only saw Vince on occasion."
"If Vince's father lost his license to practice, no way did he have any merit to do anything to you! But he could still get through with his son." Hunter straightened. "You wouldn't have attacked him, at least not without a valid reason."
Becca laughed bitterly. "Right, kind of like the woman in the bathroom or that guy outside of Rissi's apartment?" Sometimes, in her dark moments, she wasn't too sure what she was or wasn't capable of.
"Bec, we went through this already. You had reason to be afraid," Hunter said softly, pulling her in his arms. "If you supposedly attacked Vince that night, something had to have provoked you. Maybe they told you something that made you snap. If you were almost- well, I can't even say it ... then I can imagine how your mind must have been. Why wouldn't you tell me this? Wait, that doesn't matter right now. This is my shock talking. I figured you declared emancipation to get away from their overbearing and controlling ways, not because you couldn't trust them or the people they associated with."
"I remember everyone blaming me, as if I led my teacher on, but I didn't! I thought he really believed in my talent. After I was released and went through the mandatory counseling, I pushed for emancipation. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I think the anxiety medication prescribed to me helped me forget. By the time I was emancipated and I met you on the island, I only had foggy memories of everything. When I moved out, I didn't have to take any more of the medications, but the damage had already been done. Then as years went on, I remembered less and less of it. I think a part of me closed off the idea that I could ever go further with my art because of what happened. I still don't know what happened to Stuart- Mr. Ellis." Becca looked away from Hunter, feeling shamed.
"With how Vince and his family are, they covered something up. Maybe they told you a part of it and you couldn't handle it. Maybe they waited until they thought I was out of the picture to give you an idea of marrying Vince. Damn it! Giving you meds when you didn't actually need them? I could, well, after what you just said I won't finish that sentence." Hunter was livid. "I wish when you claimed emancipation that I'd thought of getting you out of that state then and there. I had no idea!" Hunter let out a string of curses. "Do you want me to ask Jed to look into what happened to Mr. Ellis? Just for peace of mind?"
"Yes and no," Becca admitted. Now that this was in her thoughts again, she did wonder what happened.
"The family gets more twisted as things come up. Why the hell would they do that to you unless they were trying to cover something up?" Hunter shot to his feet.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Becca said again in a small voice. His anger, while well warranted, intimidated her a little.
He turned back to her, taking her hands in his as he helped her up. "Don't apologize. I wish you'd told me, because I always wanted to know everything about you, but I understand why you didn't. So, your teacher- he didn't-?" Hunter cleared his throat.
"No. I never wanted anything more. I'd been so excited someone else saw potential in me. He used to leave messages and letters and things in my locker. I'm glad he left me alone after that night, but I thought maybe he'd moved, until Vince said something to me about it later. I still don't know what he said and why I think he killed him. Now as I look back on the last few years and the recent things Vince told us, I wonder. I don't like all these memories resurfacing." Becca exhaled a shaky breath, overwhelmed with all the feelings. She decided to change the subject. Enough about Vince and the past. "So what were you going to say earlier?" Please let him drop the subject for now.
Hunter sighed. "Dr. Ryan asked if I'm ready to return to flying."
"And are you?" He hadn't brought it up in a while, but then they'd been dealing with a lot.
"I'm not sure. It's been the last thing on my mind lately."
Becca kissed his cheek. "Maybe we both need to find our normal." No doubt there'd been one blow after another. For once, Becca wanted to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Hunter wanted normal months ago when he first found out about the PTSD, and while Becca didn't quite understand his need to not think about it, she got it now.
*****
Hunter missed a few meetings at the PTSD support group, but tonight he decided to attend. Before he left, Hunter also called Jed and gave him the new information from Becca. She still hesitated about it, but anything that would help uncover what the Langes or Vince's family knew, the better. They weren't getting anywhere about Becca's family, but the least he could do was uncover something, or hope to.
He spotted Jesse and waved. The few times Hunter did show, he hadn't seen Jesse, not in a while. He wondered what happened to him. Had he shown in the last month in the meetings he missed?
"You're back!" Jesse grabbed a cookie from the table and ambled up to him.
"Yeah. It's been a rough few weeks. Where have you been?" Hunter asked. "Haven't seen you in a while when I did manage to get here."
"I went back home. My mother had a stroke."
This was the first time Jesse had ever mentioned family. Hunter could barely get a word out of this guy, other than the few bits and pieces Jesse offered up at the meetings. What was his story?
"Sorry to hear," Hunter said sincerely.
"She's recovering well now, but she already has a handful of other health problems. I'm..." he hesitated, "the only one she has left, and I'm out of state. It's hard being away, but I had to get out of there."
"I know what you mean." Hunter liked this small bonding they were doing. Jesse was the one guy he'd actually talked to more than anyone else before and after the meetings. "How long have you been back?"
"Three weeks. I wondered where you were. Figured maybe you didn't feel the need to come back."
"Sometimes I don't," Hunter admitted. "But Becca and I took a trip, and things happened. The last few months haven't been easy."
"I'm sure. It seems that way for all of us. Well, I guess it's showtime." Jesse gestured to the circle of chairs.
Hunter stared at the man's retreating back as he followed, trying to figure him out. Jesse had been gone for
a month or so, ever since Hunter returned from Rhode Island. He felt for the guy. Jesse appeared to be a loner, and from the sounds of it, only had his ailing mother. He plunked down on the chair next to Jesse, ready for the meeting. Maybe they'd have some advice on him returning to flying and Becca's avoidance of feelings after killing a man in self-defense.
"Hey, look who's back!" One of the group leaders waved. "Glad to see you, Hunter."
He almost said he was glad to be back, but for some reason, it didn't sound right to him. Hunter just gave a small smile. "Sorry about missing so much in the past two months," he finally said. "It's been crazy."
"How's your beautiful fiancée doing?"
"She's good, for the most part. We had a ... something happened during our trip to Maryland, and I'm not sure how she's honestly handling things."
Jesse coughed, and Hunter looked over at him. "Sorry. Cookie went down the wrong tube." He jumped up and headed for the water fountain.
"And how are you healing physically and emotionally from the events in Rhode Island?"
Hunter crossed his ankles and leaned back in the seat. Before answering, he glanced over at Jesse, finding the man watching him intensely. "Physically, I'm fine. I hardly have pain from any of those injuries. Emotionally, I still have my moments. Nightmares are occasional and there are times I disassociate, but nothing to that extreme. This is why I wish Becca would work through hers. She's strong, I know she is, but I wonder where her breaking point begins, and she's looking for that same sense of normal I've craved for years."
Jesse returned to his seat next to Hunter with a cup. Hunter couldn't help but notice how nervous he looked, and kept sending glances his way. What was up with that? He'd been that way a lot in the past few encounters they had, and when he mentioned Maryland, Jesse all of a sudden acted more odd.
By the end of the meeting, Hunter felt better. He'd reluctantly discussed returning to flying, and gave a few details about what happened in Maryland without putting out too much information. He watched Jesse's reactions, feeling unsure all of a sudden. Hunter thought back to every time he told his story at these meetings. The guy was so secretive and he'd also been away. He wondered about him. Jesse gave no last name, but he wasn't expected to. Jesse's eyes had been on him for the duration of the meeting, especially when Hunter talked about Maryland. The concern forming in his mind made his skin crawl. Most likely, Hunter was being overly cautious, but something about Jesse's reactions today really had him bothered.
As he usually did, Hunter offered Jesse a ride home. No surprise, Jesse declined. This time, Hunter wrote his number on a piece of paper and handed it to Jesse. "Hey, if you ever need to talk, you can reach me here. I hope your mom continues to progress for the better. Seems we both have a lot going on and our meeting attendance is hit and miss. Take it easy, okay?"
Jesse took the paper from Hunter hesitantly, as if he thought something was wrong with it. "Yeah. Cool. Thanks man." He stumbled and darted away.
Hunter hurried to his car and drove off, but not in the direction of home. Instead, he trailed behind Jesse as the man climbed on a bike, unlocked it from the bike rack and headed west. He couldn't believe he was really doing this, but when it came to Jesse's reaction when Hunter mentioned Maryland, he wasn't taking chances. He sure as hell hoped this guy wasn't linked to the incident, but why else did he get so rattled after the conversation?
Jesse could have easily turned around at any point to notice Hunter, but he didn't. About a mile and a half of twists and turns, Jesse finally stopped and climbed off his bike. Normal, right?
What wasn't normal, or at least it struck Hunter as odd, was Jesse putting the bike in the back of an old, beat up truck, then driving off.
Hunter grabbed his phone and aimed it at the truck before Jesse drove further away and snapped a picture, then had to brake hard for a red light. Damn it! He slammed his fist on the steering wheel. Why the hell would Jesse ride his bike for a mile and a half, then drive off in a truck? While he waited for the light to turn green, he checked his picture. Blurry as hell, but he could get a little bit of the license plate. This was going to Jed.
Hunter took a second look and froze.
Jesse drove a vehicle with Maryland plates.
Chapter Eight
Becca fought hard with her nerves and lost most of Friday. After work, she'd go home and get ready to meet Brock tonight, and then take a tour of his gallery. The first real good snow of the season was also predicted to hit, and there had already been flurries falling off and on all day.
Liane stopped her on the way out at the end of the day. "Good luck tonight! Brock seems like a nice guy, and he's been talking nonstop about your art while he waits for results on his daughter."
"I'm so nervous," Becca admitted. Liane followed her to the office as she clocked out. Part of the nerves was meeting with someone so interested in her work, the other had to do with her admission to Hunter about what happened all those years ago. This time, she had people to back her up. Really, she shouldn't worry so much. One bad event shouldn't have kept her from giving this a shot, and with Hunter's gentle prodding, she finally had the courage to do this.
"You'll be great. Drive safe. The snow is starting to stick." Liane smiled, then it faded. "Oh, and I'm sorry you had to run into Vince. I know you guys have some history."
Who told her that? Becca masked her annoyance and kept her tone cool. "I figured I'd run into him. I just wish he'd leave me alone. I don't want to talk to him." Maybe Brock said something, since Liane just said he talked about her artwork. Harmless. Becca should have figured word would get around about Vince. Hopefully they didn't know all the details of their tangled history. Those were better left buried, or at least not so out in the open for others to know about.
"I'll do my best to warn you beforehand when I know he's here. Get out of here and prepare for your dinner. I can't wait to hear all the amazing details!" Liane patted her shoulder. "Your art is great on our walls, but I expect to see galleries far and wide picking up a great name. I can say I knew you when."
Becca laughed. "You've been hanging around Hunter way too long," she teased, grabbing her purse. "I'm going, I'm going. Have a great weekend."
The trip home took twice the time, but Becca made it in one piece. The snow fell heavy in some spots and light in others. She debated on canceling, but the worst of it wasn't supposed to hit until overnight. As soon as she made it through the front door, her phone rang.
"Hi Hunter," she answered after checking the caller ID.
"Hey, you make it home yet? It's snowing pretty bad here. Todd wanted to know if I could stay a while longer, but he knows you have a dinner tonight." He sounded torn.
"Why not meet us at the gallery then?" Becca suggested. She wanted him to be there the whole time, but if Hunter at least made it to the gallery, she'd be okay.
"Are you sure? I can head home now."
"It's okay. Help out at the airport if you're needed. I promise I'll call and update you with anything."
"How's the weather at home?" Loud sounds cut into Hunter's words.
"Hit and miss," Becca replied, climbing the stairs to put her purse in the bedroom. "It's fairly light now, but driving home took twice the time."
"I hope the worst doesn't hit until we're both home safe. Okay, if you're sure..."
"It's totally fine! Call me when you're done and I'll let you know where we are." Becca opened the closet door and stared at the row of her clothes, debating what to wear.
"All right. I don't want you to be so nervous. After what you said the other night..."
"I'll be fine. Promise." She had her worries, but she'd shove them aside.
"I love you, angel."
"Love you too." Becca smiled. They hung up and she set her phone on the charger to keep it full, in case anything happened this evening. She faced the closet again, indecisive on what to wear. If Rissi were here, she'd be all over the place, pulling clothes, accessories, and shoes out. Stylish stuff
Becca had always left to Rissi. She missed her best friend, but at least she was here in spirit.
Finally, she settled on a forest green turtleneck that came with a long scarf worn around the neck. The scarf was a lighter green with the same dark green fringe at the end of it, and a pair of black pants. She found a pair of thick heeled boots. Becca showered and changed, then fixed her hair in a simple ponytail. She stood in front of the full length mirror on the inside of the closet door and studied herself. Turning left and right, Becca nodded in satisfaction. Brock wasn't going to be picking at her clothing. He wanted to talk art. She looked fine.
She grabbed her phone and purse, then headed out the door. Outside, the temperature had to have plummeted at least another five degrees in the less than one hour time frame she'd been in the house. Large snowflakes fell in between tiny ones. So pretty, but she wished it would wait. Mother Nature waited for no one.
Becca drove carefully through the flurries. Cars slid, but most of them gained traction and avoided a crash. She cringed each time a car spun out of control, fearing an accident. Maybe she should have canceled, but she was more than halfway there now. It was a little too late to turn back. She'd looked up the address online and had a map, which was a good thing, since Hunter didn't end up making the trip with her.
Up ahead about thirty yards or so, a car in the lane going the other direction sped up, obviously trying to get around a slower moving car. "Geez! Someone's in a hurry!" Becca feared the worst when the speeding car spun out of control, throwing it in her lane. Cars before her slammed on their brakes, just as she did. The black car continued to spin and slammed full force into another one, pushing it into one more. A total Domino effect happened as the pile up continued. The worst was when a large delivery truck couldn't stop and hit them all with a loud, sickening thud.
Most likely others were already calling 911, but Becca wasn't about to assume. Traffic behind and ahead of her halted to a complete stop. She pulled out her phone and dialed, her fingers shaky as she pressed the buttons. Shouts rang out over engines. She spoke to the operator, letting them know of the large pile up. Becca couldn't count the cars. There were so many of them!
A Forever Masterpiece (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 3) Page 8