by London Casey
The gravity of her choice hit her all at once: Ethan was involved in criminal activity, he had a mentally disturbed wife, he was deceitful and he was soon to be the father of her child.
The room began to spin. Ethan was holding her tight, but she still felt as if she was going to fall.
“I can’t breathe,” Selene said.
Her vision was clouded with stars. She felt consciousness slip away and darkness take over.
When she came to she was on the floor. Ethan was above her. She heard a sound to her left and jumped. She was convinced it was Ethan’s wife, out to harm her. Then she remembered she was at home.
Ethan spoke to her, but she couldn’t understand him. His voice echoed and amplified in Selene’s ears as if he was speaking to her from the other side of a long tunnel.
“Can you hear me?” Ethan’s face was serious, the baby forgotten.
Selene nodded. She sat up too quickly and felt dizzy again.
“Easy,” Ethan said.
There was a knock at the door.
“Are you expecting someone?” Ethan asked.
“No.”
“Stay here.”
Ethan went to the window and pulled back the curtains, his face sober and unreadable. Selene couldn’t tell what he was thinking, if anything.
He moved away from the window quickly. Before she could ask what was going on, he had his hands around her waist and was pulling her to her feet.
“Ethan…”
“Shh.”
He led her to the kitchen. Opening a back door, he peered out into the courtyard behind Selene’s home. Deeming it safe, Ethan grabbed Selene’s hand, ushering her out the back.
As the door closed behind them Selene thought she heard someone enter through the front. Ethan grabbed her, pulling her around a corner before she could get a good look.
They walked through the backyard of her neighbor’s home and down an alley before coming to Ethan’s car.
“Get in,” he said.
“You parked all the way down here?” Ethan walked around the car, opened the passenger side door and pushed her inside. “You knew they were coming didn’t you?”
He slammed the door on her without answering. They road in silence. Ethan constantly checked his mirrors. He would take side roads, randomly change lanes, run red lights; Selene could only watch and wait, captive to his actions.
When they came to a long stretch of road on the outskirts of town he turned to her and spoke: “I didn’t know they were coming.”
An odd calm had descended on Selene. It occurred to her that it may be shock. “What?” she asked.
“Earlier, you said I knew.” The look of determination left his face and was replaced with concern.
“But you suspected, or else you wouldn’t have hidden your car down the street.”
Ethan sighed. “I was trying to be cautious.”
“Not cautious enough. They know where I live now. Should I even bother asking who that was or what you’re involved in, or are you just going to blow me off again?”
“Selene I-” Ethan’s voice was sweet, bordering on pleading.
“Don’t start with your promises and innocent little-boy-lost routine. They came to my house. Do you understand what that means? Whether you like it or not, I’m involved. I’m right in the middle of this shit because of you. I deserve answers.”
Ethan drove on in silence.
“You’re unbelievable you know that? Pull over. I want out.”
Ethan kept driving.
“Fine.” Selene opened the door.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Ethan yelled. They were driving nearly ninety. “Okay!”
Selene closed the door. The car came to a screeching halt on the shoulder. Selene jumped out and began walking away from the car and through a field. Ethan was on her heels.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
Selene said nothing.
“There’s nowhere to go,” Selene continued walking. “Will you just answer me? You’re being childish.”
Selene turned around and punched him in the face. She hit him hard enough to nearly knock him off his feet. After regaining his balance, he touched his cheek and eyed her intensely. Selene felt relieved. A swell of emotions had risen inside of her and been released.
Ethan swallowed hard, as if trying to contain his anger. “Do you feel better now?”
“No.” In truth, she did. “What’s going on? Tell me the truth. I swear Ethan, I’ll take the baby and the money and I’ll run to Costa Rica or wherever. You’ll never see either of us again.” Her voice was calm and cold.
Ethan looked around. “I own a home, near here. It’s safe. I’d rather discuss it there than in this field.”
“Fine,” Selene walked back to the car, leaving Ethan to follow behind her.
The house was an old Victorian mansion hidden in the woods. ‘Spooky,’ was the first word to come to Selene’s mind when she saw it. It was dark, deserted and falling apart.
“It suits you,” she murmured.
“What?”
Selene shook her head dismissively: “Nothing.”
Ethan tried to take her hand as they walked up the stairs to the front door, but Selene pulled away. Ethan sighed and unlocked the door. The house was as silent as a tomb.
The inside was beautiful but it gave Selene the chills. The antique furniture made the home feel frozen in time. She kept expecting to see ghosts around every corner.
Ethan led her to a parlor and pulled out a chair for her to sit on. It was surprisingly clean given the condition of the outside of the home. Selene brought her hands to her face and rubbed her temples.
“All this stress is bad for a woman in your condition.”
“My condition?” Selene had completely forgotten about the baby. When realization dawned on her she put her hands in her lap and breathed out heavily.
“I’ll get you water.”
“No,” Selene said, “I’m fine. Just tell me what’s going on.”
Ethan’s eyes wandered across the room, as if he was trying to decide where to begin. “My business – wait, let me go back. My family – they ran out of money a long time ago. I’ve been trading on their name: calling in favors, granting favors, helping acquaintances cut through red tape-”
“ ‘Cut through red tape?’” Selene raised her eyebrows skeptically.
Ethan cleared his throat. “It’s not all strictly legal, as I’m sure you’ve surmised.” He smiled at her sarcastically. “As I was saying, it’s sometimes necessary to perform opposition research. I hire someone to find out what my competitors are involved in: shady business dealings, infidelity, drug abuse, etc. I then present them with this information and well, persuade them to cooperate.”
“You black mail them.”
Ethan sat back in his chair and shrugged. “The important thing is that they cooperate.” He paused letting the implications sink in.
“Let me guess: you fucked with the wrong person.”
Ethan laughed and rubbed his face. A fresh stubble of beard was growing. When he was clean shaven he had an innocent, boyish look. Now he looked like a man who knew where a few bodies were buried. Unconsciously, Selene placed her hand over her stomach protectively.
“I’m not sure who I ‘fucked’ with, as you put it, or what they want, that’s half the problem.”
“And the other half?”
Ethan sighed. “The private investigator I employ has disappeared, presumed dead. I’ve found out something that someone really wants to keep secret.”
“What?”
“That’s the other half: I don’t know.”
“How does Belle Amie fit into this?”
“Things have been difficult for me financially. I use the girls to supplement my income.” For the first time Ethan looked ashamed. “I provide Belle Amie with access to my rolodex, they give me a cut of the profits.”
“So the girls service your rich friends,” Selene said more to hers
elf than to Ethan. “And those dummy corporations…”
“A way of laundering the money. Now you know what I know.”
A heavy silence fell on the room.
“What do we do now?” Selene asked.
“We wait. I have people on this. We should know more by later this evening.”
“Now that I’m-” Selene had trouble using the word, “pregnant, we’re through.” She said it more as a question than a statement.
“If that’s what you want.” He studied her closely. “I want to be clear with you: that’s not what I want. I know things are crazy now…”
Selene scoffed. She still couldn’t believe how cool he was about the situation. She suspected this wasn’t the first time someone had tried to kill him.
“…but once we figure out who’s behind this, I’ll take care of them.”
“I take it you won’t be going to the police.”
“These people operate outside of the law.”
“And so do you?”
“Yes, it’s how I’ve stayed alive and it’s how I’m going to keep you alive.”
“What if I went to the police?” Selene said defiantly.
“You could, but they’re easily bought off. I suspect most of the cops are on the payroll of half of the cities worst criminals. You’d basically be turning yourself over to the enemy.”
“Does that mean you’re the good guy?”
Ethan looked taken aback. “You thought I was the villain in all this?”
“How was I supposed to know? This is the first time you’ve been honest with me.”
Selene rose and walked to the window. She pulled back the curtains and looked out. The woods surrounded her completely. The trees grew so thickly you wouldn’t have to wander far into them before getting lost, she thought.
She folded her arms and leaned against the window seal. The scent of pine carried on the air through a crack in the window. She closed her eyes and thought of her life before. The debt, the stress, the tedium; she thought her life would never change. Now she was in the middle of… what? She wasn’t sure. If she could take back her decision, erase Ethan from her life, would she?
She heard Ethan approach her from behind. His hands went to her shoulders, massaging them gently. She made no attempt to evade his touch. In truth, a part of her welcomed it. When they were intimate she felt a sense of security and comfort. She knew now it was false, but it felt right. She was like an addict. Selene stepped away from Ethan.
“You seem at peace about all this,” Selene said. She kept her back to him. If she looked in his eyes she might lose her nerve.
“I’m not. I’m concerned about us.”
“By ‘us’ do you mean me, you and the baby, or you and your business?”
“You know I mean the three of us. Don’t talk like this.”
“Like what?”
“Bitter and cynical. It’s not who you are.”
“Because you know me, right?” Selene turned to him.
As soon as she was face to face with him, she knew she’d made a mistake. He looked hurt; seeing him vulnerable made her weak.
In that moment, she knew a part of her was devoted to him no matter what. She had to make a decision: would she stay and fight this with him or run away and raise their baby on her own. The seconds ticked away. Agonized, Ethan waited for her to be speak. He could sense she was coming to a decision.
“Okay,” Selene said, “we do this together.”
Ethan wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Selene was reminded of their first night together. He held her this way just before dropping the bombshell about his wife.
A new steely resolve consumed her. “This is about us: you, me, and the baby. No one else. Sink or swim, we’re in this together now.”
Ethan nodded earnestly.
“In the mean time…”
Selene grabbed Ethan’s collar and pulled him to her. She kissed him hard. His whole body was stiff; he hadn’t been anticipating a kiss, another punch in the face seemed more likely.
Selene pulled away. She searched Ethan’s eyes for an answer she didn’t know the question to. Deciding she would find no answers, she kissed him again. This time Ethan was ready.
He lifted her onto the edge of the window. A small stone border extended out from the glass. There was barely enough room for Selene to sit. It creaked and wobbled under her weight.
Selene braced herself against the frame while Ethan undressed her. Free of her clothes she wrapped her legs around Ethan’s waist.
He unzipped his pants and pulled her close. Selene watched as he took out his thick cock, positioned himself between her legs, then stopped.
Ethan lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. When he had her locked in his gaze he penetrated her.
Selene gasped. Ethan fucked her again. The force was so strong it pushed Selene against the window nearly breaking it. The cold glass made goose bumps break out on her flesh.
It barely registered with Selene. Her attention was focused on Ethan. He moved in and out of her quickly, never breaking eye contact.
Selene balanced herself by gripping the window frame. Ethan was relentless, he fucked her fast and hard.
The clouds parted sending sunlight through the window into the house. Selene watched the light dance around the room, their shadows writhing and twisting like marionette dolls.
Ethan buried his face in her neck. She could feel his hot breath. She began to close her eyes when a flicker of light caught her attention. Something in the room had changed. Selene looked around for the source but she couldn’t place it. What was different she wondered.
Ethan continued to fuck her making it difficult for Selene to concentrate. She was so lost in the sensation of him inside her, his cock gliding in and out, that the change in the room barely registered with her.
Selene watched their shadows come together, then part. How could their shadows part when Ethan was still fucking her, she thought. Suddenly it dawned on her: their was a third person casting a shadow through the window.
“Ethan!” she cried.
Mistaking her cries for ecstasy, Ethan ignored her.
Selene grabbed him by his hair and pulled him away. “Look!”
Confused at first, Ethan stared at Selene liked she’d gone mad. Then, looking over her shoulder he saw the source of the shadow.
He lifted Selene off the window seal and threw her to the floor. He landed on top of her, shielding her with his body.
Bullets shattered the glass, flying within inches of them. When the gunfire stopped Ethan jumped up, grabbed a chair and threw it through the window. The already fractured glass broke into hundreds of pieces, cutting Selene’s legs and stomach.
Ethan didn’t hesitate. He leapt from the window and chased after the man.
Shaking, Selene rose to her feet. Careful not to cut herself further on broken glass, she cautiously peered over the edge. Ethan disappeared into the woods, in pursuit of a man.
Turning her back to the window she gathered her clothes and dressed slowly. The situation felt surreal. Someone was trying to kill them, the words repeated in her mind over and over.
When she was dressed she walked to a mirror and stared at her reflection. She touched her face: it was flushed red; her hair was wild. She began methodically straightening it with her fingers. In that moment nothing seemed more important than making sure her hair was perfect. A small part of her realized she was in shock and this was her minds way of trying to find control. Her physical appearance was the one thing she could fix.
She continued combing her hair with her fingers until drops of blood on her hands caught her attention. She held them out in front of her: blood dripped from a dozen tiny cuts. Her hands began to shake. She moved away from the mirror and sat down.
The sound of birds chirping and the scent of pine drifted through the broken window. Selene sat staring at the square of light reflected on the floor. Just moments before she had been entranced by their shad
ows. With a shudder she realized it could have been the last thing she ever saw.
A crash and the sound of a man swearing temporarily brought her out of her state of shock.
Ethan entered. He had a small, round bald man in a choke hold. The man was bleeding from his nose and a large gash on his brow. Ethan looked no worse for wear. He didn’t appear to be hurt except for a few small lacerations on his hands similar to Selene’s cuts.
Ethan’s face was a mask of anger and concentration. The cold expression on his face scared Selene. She was again struck by the feeling that this was not his first time in a situation like this.
Ethan released his choke hold on the man. “On your knees,” he ordered.
“I thought you were smarter than this,” he said to the man. “Did you really think it would be that simple? You could just kill us and walk away? Are you that stupid?”
The man looked as if he might cry.
“Do you know him?” Selene asked timidly from her seat on the couch.
Ethan turned. He looked surprised, as if he had forgotten she was there.
“Yes,” he said, “this is – was my private detective.”
“They threatened me… my family… I couldn’t – I had to take their money,” he said pathetically.
“If they threatened you, then you should’ve come to me. I would’ve protected you. We could have stopped them. Instead you chose to try and kill my girlfriend, not to mention me.”
Selene was momentarily taken aback by Ethan referring to her as his girlfriend. Was that what she was now? Her words from earlier echoed in her mind: we’re in this together now.
The man reached in front of him picking up a large, pointed piece of broken glass. He swung it at Ethan, but kept his distance.
“You can’t stop them!” he said. “You think I want to do this? That I want to hurt people? I don’t want to hurt anyone.” His voice broke up and tears filled his eyes.
“Easy,” Ethan said, “just tell me who they are.”
“You can’t stop them,” he said again weakly, tear streaming down his face.
The arm holding the glass dropped and Ethan stepped towards him. Selene sat frozen on the couch, she could tell Ethan was going to attempt to disarm the man. The thought terrified her; she was certain he would be stabbed to death.