Unstoppable

by Amity Cross

  I shook my head. Somehow, this felt different. Worlds apart from their drama and not knowing was doing my head in.

  The door opened, letting in a worried looking Blair and my anxiety levels went through the roof.

  “What did she say?”

  Blair grimaced and it did nothing to soothe the raging beast that was rearing its ugly head inside me.

  “Blair."

  “Give her some time, Rob,” she replied. “Smothering her will only make her run faster."

  I curled my fingers into tight fists and sunk back down on the couch. Let her go? Give her time? Time to what? Run away? Disappear?

  “He’s so in fuckin’ love,” I heard someone say, but it was so small and far away, I didn’t really hear it.

  There was only one explanation for Lilly’s reaction to the photos and I didn’t like it one fuckin’ bit.

  Who the hell was she hiding from?

  I’d never comforted a woman before. Not until the night I heard Lilly scream.

  Apart from a fuck, I’d never wanted anything from a woman. Not until Lilly put her hand in mine, a fuckin’ stranger, and asked me to never let go.

  I told her I’d look after her, but here I was, pacing back and forth in my hotel room doing nothing. I’d paced so much I’d probably worn the fuckin’ carpet down.

  How to emasculate a man in one easy step. Tell him he can’t protect his woman. Tell him to stay away and do nothing. It’s the next best thing to cutting off his dick and balls. Whoever this fuck was that hurt her, I’d emasculate the prick with a blunt kitchen knife. Then I’d-

  There was a soft knock at the door and every nerve ending came alive, hoping it was her. Checking the peephole, I sighed in relief. Purple.

  Wrenching open the door, she stared up at me with her beautiful fuckin’ eyes.

  “Hey,” I murmured.

  Her lips curved into a ghost of a smile. “Hey.”

  Stepping back, I gestured for her to come in. She stepped across the threshold like a timid little animal, her shoulders hunched forward.

  “What’s going on?” I asked as the door closed.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her back to me. “I panicked."

  Sensing that this was difficult for her, I waited, letting my gaze drink every part of her in like this would be the last time I’d see her. From the conclusions I’d been jumping to all afternoon, I had to tell myself it was a very real possibility. Lilly could walk out of this room and never come back.

  “Blair said I should trust you,” she said.

  “You should,” I replied. “I told you I’d take care of you. I fuckin’ meant it.” I reached out for her and this time, she let me tug her into my arms. “What are you running from, Lilly?"

  “I can’t tell you,” she wailed, curling her fingers into my T-shirt.

  “Tell me."

  “It’s not that simple,” she began to argue.

  I pushed her back, forcing her to look me in the eye. “It is, Lilly. It fuckin’ is that simple.”

  She was struggling with what to tell me, her lips parted and words died on her tongue, and she stared at me with hollow eyes.

  “Please."

  “I’m hiding…”

  “Hiding?"

  “My ex-boyfriend. He hit me. Abused me. I couldn’t stand it anymore.” Her voice shook. “First chance I got, I ran away."

  Red. That’s all I could see. Fucking red.

  “If he finds me…”

  “I’ll give him something to fucking find,” I hissed.

  “He’s not a nice man."

  “Anyone who hits a woman isn’t a nice man, Lilly."

  "If he sees the photo and recognizes me, he'll come."

  "Let him," I snarled.

  "You don't understand-"

  "I understand enough.”

  “Please,” she whispered.

  “Please, what?"

  Her blue eyes searched mine and it took me back to the night I first met her. It felt like a bloody age ago when I’d pulled that junkie off of her. She stood there, beaten, tears streaming down her beautiful fuckin’ face… She put her hand in mine and asked me to stay. I saved her, I made her feel safe and now? She looked up at me with absolute terror and I knew this was a million times worse than that night. Whoever this guy was, she was terrified of him.

  I knew some nasty people. I’d fought the bad guys when I was one of them. I was sixteen when I first learnt how to fire a gun. I was seventeen when I first shot someone. I was a few days before turning eighteen when the cops caught me on the way to an armed robbery. If we’d gone a few days later, my life would be another story and I wouldn’t be here to save Lilly at all.

  But I was here now and fucked if I was leaving her to face this shit on her own.

  “Lilly,” I said before she could answer. “I don’t understand shit about what you’re hiding from, who this guy is…fuck, even what’s going on between us, but I do know that I won’t leave you. I won’t let you run."

  “Rob, I can’t let you sacrifice your life for me. You don’t-“

  I covered her lips with mine, kissing the words right out of her mouth. Caging her body to mine with my arms, I deepened my hold on her, forcing her to take my tongue and she sunk into me with a soft moan.

  When I finally managed to tear away, I said, "Pack a bag and come back to the hotel. Stay with me for a while.”

  “What happens when you need to leave?” she asked, breathlessly. "Aren’t you finished recording?"

  I didn’t have to think twice about it. “Come with me."

  “Rob-“

  “Don’t argue, Lil. You should know by now that I don’t offer shit I don’t want to."

  She nodded, tightening her grip around my waist. Fuck, the shit she must be living with, no fucking wonder she never wanted to talk about herself.

  I kissed her temple like she was something precious. “Stay here tonight. I’ll get some food and you won’t have to worry about anything for now. You can get some sleep."

  “I’m just…I’m really tired of everything."

  “Tomorrow we can figure out what to do, okay?”

  “I don’t deserve this,” she said. “After everything I’ve done…"

  “Don’t ever let anyone tell you you don’t deserve good things in your life, Lilly.”

  “I lied to you.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t care.”

  I guided her toward the bed and pulled her down into my lap. When she curled up against my chest, I felt this overwhelming ache in my heart. I thought I didn’t know her, but it wasn’t really true, was it? I knew she was kind, shy, intelligent, a great fuckin’ listener, she liked ice-cream with tons of sprinkles and would sit there whipping it with a spoon until she got the right consistency. I knew she liked reading those girly magazines and reading out those stupid embarrassing stories they printed to me. I knew more about her than I realized and every one of those things were important.

  I knew nothing about her circumstances, but I fuckin’ knew her.

  “Rob?” she asked, her breath tickling my neck.

  “Yeah?”

  Her hand covered mine. “I think I’m falling for you."

  I couldn’t think of any words to describe what I was feeling, so I tilted her chin up and kissed her. I poured all the things I was too scared to say into the way I held her against me, the way I tasted her, the way I sucked on her pouty fuckin’ lips and hoped to hell she got it.

  That night, we slept together.

  It didn’t feel right, doing more than that, so I held on to her as tightly as I could, like my arms around her would make everything go away.

  When she woke, her eyes looked a little brighter.

  I’d had plenty of time to think over everything that had happened, but I still didn’t know what we were going to do. Going to the police didn’t seem to be an option. There was nothing to press charges over. Nothing concrete with evidence we could supply. We just had an accusation.

&nb
sp; Lilly also had time to think things over and when she finally broke her silence, she said, “I need to go home and get some things."

  “Let me take you,” I said.

  She shook her head. “I think I just need some alone time. To get my head on straight. I’ve got a shift at the bar tonight anyway.”

  “You can’t go to work.”

  “I’ll be fine while there’s people around.” She sounded convincing, but I wasn’t sure she was on that list.

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Rob,” she said, her fingers tracing my jaw. “I can’t let him win. If I run and hide, then he’s won.”

  “There’s a difference to letting him win and putting yourself in the line of fire."

  She shook her head. “I know how he works. I know who his people are. If something happens, I’ll call you."

  “I can’t let you go on your own."

  “I’ll call you,” she said with a smile. “I promise.”

  “Lilly.” I grabbed her, curling my fingers around her tiny arm. “Please come back to the hotel tonight. Don’t face this on your own.”

  She smiled, but it never reached her eyes. “Okay.”

  Cupping her cheek, I pressed my lips to hers. Why did she have to be so fucking stubborn?

  “If anything happens...if he tries to hurt you,” I whispered, “I’ll kill the fucker myself.”

  If I was ever capable of a declaration of love, then that was it.

  Lilly

  Even as I ran away from the studio that afternoon, I knew I’d go back.

  It was too late, wasn’t it? I think it was too late the moment I put my hand in his that first night. He was the only man who’d tried to save me. Our fates were intertwined now and whatever happened next…I didn’t know.

  I caught the bus back to my apartment, not wanting to pull up in a cab. I got off two stops before I needed to and walked the rest of the way, scanning the street. If he was already here, then there’d be someone around watching and waiting. If he was here, then he knew the name I’d taken.

  Sighing, I knew I had a lot more to explain to Rob. I had to tell him everything, but right now I just had to get through today. Get my stuff, clean the apartment and be ready to disappear. Get ready to assume a new name and life because that might be my only option. I knew it’d break Rob’s heart if it came to that, because he feared that I’d abandon him like everyone else, but I had to protect him, too. He wasn’t the only one who got to sacrifice things. I had nothing to lose and he had everything.

  The street outside my apartment building was clear, so I pushed through the door and took the stairs. I had a few hours to kill before my shift at the Lightbox, but I’d need that time to sort out my shit. If I was running, then I’d need money and the tips were good at the bar.

  Unlocking the door, I stepped inside and tossed the keys on the kitchen bench. My gaze drove straight into that of pure malice and I almost died on the spot. I wish I actually did, because that would be better than facing the wrath of the man who was my waking nightmare.

  He was sitting in a chair, my chair, in the middle of the room, his legs stretched out lazily, a sleek looking handgun aimed right at me. He hadn’t changed one bit. Slicked back hair, suit jacket, open collared shirt, fancy shoes. Gorges Cassano, one time love of my life, now wannabe Mafia boss and an absolute fucking psychopath.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  “Hello, Fiona. It’s been a while.” His lip curled up into a sneer. That same sneer he got when he was about to beat the crap out of me and this time it would be so much worse. “You know I always find you, sweet pea. Don’t look so surprised."

  The photo. He’d seen the photo. I began to back away toward the door, but I knew the moment I ran, he’d catch me. Even if I managed to get away from him, there would be someone already waiting outside in the hall or on the street. I thought I knew how to spot them, but I was clueless. It had only been blind luck that had gotten me this far.

  He saw the look in my eyes and began to laugh. “You can run, but you can’t hide."

  Rising to his feet, he took a step toward me and my back hit the wall. There was nowhere to run. I was absolutely and totally fucked and all I could think about was Rob. How I knew I loved him more than anything was beyond me and I wouldn’t get the chance to tell him.

  Gorges grasped my face, his fingers digging into my skin and forced me to look him in the eye.

  “You’re mine,” he snarled. “No one else has the right to touch you but me. Did he fuck you, Fiona? Did he stick his rich fucking cock in your cunt?”

  I started sobbing, blind with terror and he pressed the barrel of the gun below my chin.

  “Do you want to know what I do to people who touch what’s mine? Hmm? Do you want to know what I do to my whore of a fiancé when she leaves me to fuck another man? Do you?"

  “Please,” I choked out.

  “Please what?"

  “Don’t hurt him."

  He let me go, the gun leaving my skin, but before I hit the ground, I felt steel connect with my temple. Stars burst through my vision long before I felt the pain and I fell on my side, stunned. A boot connected with my stomach and I cried out, curling into a ball. No, no, no, no, no…

  “You’re my property, Fiona,” he shouted between kicks. “First, I’ll take everything he has. Then I’ll cut off each one of his fingers. Then I’ll cut off his cock and shove it down his pretty boy mouth."

  “Please,” I begged, pain exploding all over my body. “Take me. Do what you want with me… I’ll do anything…"

  “You think I want to touch you now?” he said, pulling me up off the floor and backhanding me. “You think I want to fuck sloppy seconds? Catch a fucking disease from a rock star’s dirty cock? Imagine how many women he’s fucked, Fiona. You think you’re special to him? You’re just another cunt in a long line of many."

  It wasn’t true. It wasn’t true. It wasn’t true.

  “Please, please, please,” I sobbed as Gorges shoved me into the chair he’d been sitting in.

  “Shut the fuck up,” he hissed, slapping me around the mouth.

  I tasted the familiar coppery tang of blood and knew there was a split in my lip. I was bleeding from my head someplace, because I could feel a warm trickle down my forehead. Everything spun so fast I felt like throwing up. Terror. Pain. Longing. Anger. Gorges grabbed my arms and began taping each wrist to the chair - he taped them so tight I felt the circulation cutting off. He’d come prepared, he always did.

  The third stage of grief was bargaining. I tried to bargain for Rob’s life, for his reputation, his family, his happiness, but Gorges wouldn’t listen. He was about to make this personal, I just knew it.

  Once he’d taped my ankles to the chair, he snatched my cell from my pocket and began tapping at the screen.

  “How about we give your little fuck buddy a call, eh?”

  I jerked against my bindings, but couldn’t even budge the chair. Gorges began laughing manically at my reaction. It was all a game to him. Just a game.

  “How about we ask him a few questions, Fiona?”

  “Leave him out of this,” I pleaded.

  “How about we see if he really loves you. Wouldn’t that be something? Someone loving a worthless whore like you?” He traced the barrel of the gun along my cheek and across my lips. “How much do you think you’re worth? Five hundred thousand? A million?"

  “Don’t."

  “How much do you think he pays for his whores?”

  I spat as hard as I could, spraying blood from my split lip over his face.

  His eyes darkened as he wiped my spit off with the sleeve of his jacket. “Just for that, sweet pea, after I take his money and cut off his cock…he gets to watch me put a bullet in your head."

  Straightening up, he hit the screen and pressed my cell to his ear.

  The fourth stage of grief was depression. What time did I have to be depressed about it? I probably only had hours to live.

 
That just left the last stage of grief. Acceptance.

  I was going to die and that was it.

  Accept it.

  Rob

  Lilly.

  The more time passed, the more agitated I became. The album was playing through for about the millionth time since the day before, but I didn’t even hear it. I couldn’t focus on anything.

  Sasha gave my knee a squeeze and I was grateful she was nice enough to understand. I wouldn’t be able to calm down until Lilly was at the hotel, safe with me. I should’ve gone after her. I should’ve made her stay while I went to get her things. What if she thought the best thing to do was pack her bag and run? Run without me...

  My phone started to vibrate in my pocket and when I saw Lilly’s name on the screen, my heart skipped about a trillion beats. Ignoring everyone and their concerned looks, I shoved out into the hallway.

  “Hello?” I said, fucking glad she’d called, but there was nothing but silence. “Lilly?"

  “Nope. Try again.”

  I blanched at the male voice, starting to feel sick. “Who is this?”

  “Lilly is a pretty name,” the man said and I instantly picked up on the malice in his voice. It had to be the asshole ex-boyfriend... The guy who'd used her as a glorified punching bag.

  “Where is she?” I asked, thinly.

  “She’s a little tied up right now.”

  “What the fuck is this?”

  “My name is Gorges Cassano, Mr. Hancock, and I believe you fucked my property. When someone takes from me, I demand payment."

  My heart stopped beating, my blood ran cold, all of the things that happened when your world was about to die started sledgehammering into my body.

  “I’m a bad man, Mr. Hancock. When I get mad, I like to hurt people.”

  “You lay a fucking finger on her…”

  He started to laugh. “I can see why she likes you. Why she let you fuck her like the whore she is. A few sweet words-"

  “Fuck you, asshole.”

  “Listen to me, Mr. Hancock. I have a gun pointed to your precious Lilly’s head. You come to her apartment with one million dollars and I’ll give the whore to you.”