Our son.
21
Michelle
I told myself we weren’t going to have sex this time. Meeting at his motel room was stupid. Being alone with a bed in the room wasn’t conducive to having an actual conversation. Not with him. There was something about being near him that stirred up all those old feelings. Knowing what it was like to have his body pressed against mine was dangerous. I was addicted to him. I had gone so long without knowing the feel of a man and I never wanted to know another man like I knew Elijah. He was the only one who made me feel safe, like I could really let go and soar as high as he took me.
I knocked on the motel room door, telling myself I was going to leave my clothes on.
“Hey,” he said, pulling open the door and gesturing for me to enter the room.
I walked in and froze.
“This is Trevor,” he said, closing the door and putting his hand on the small of my back. “He’s cool.”
“Hi,” I said, looking at the tall, beefy man with a buzz cut. He was intimidating with his steely blue-eyed stare.
The man smiled and I immediately relaxed. It changed his entire facial structure. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” I asked, looking at Elijah, who looked a little embarrassed.
Elijah shrugged, not explaining himself. I thought it was sweet and liked that he had talked about me—assuming it was in a good way and not how much he hated me for what had happened.
“Have a seat,” Elijah said, pulling out one of the two chairs at the table.
I sat down, suddenly nervous. It felt a bit like an ambush.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep it light.
“We’re ready to get you and Joey out of here,” Elijah announced.
My eyes darted up to his, then to Trevor, who was nodding his head.
“How?”
They quickly told me about a cabin Trevor was willing to let us use. I was thrilled with the idea.
“Okay,” I said when Elijah and Trevor were finished.
“Really?” Elijah asked, surprise written on his face.
“Yes. I know it’s time. I have to protect Joey. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I told you, Nick is going to make me marry him any day now. I can’t do it. I can’t—” I stopped talking, not wanting to say aloud that I didn’t want to have sex with Nick.
Elijah’s nostrils flared. I had a feeling he knew what I couldn’t do. Trevor’s jaw was set, his eyes hard as he nodded his head.
“You won’t have to. How soon can you be ready to go?” Trevor asked.
I thought about it and realized there was no time like the present. “I can run home, pack a few things, pick up Joey, and meet you back here,” I said.
“Don’t bother packing. That might tip Liam off. Be normal. Do what you normally would during the day and then pick up Joey,” Elijah said, his voice stern.
“I need clothes. Joey needs his stuff.”
“We’ll get what you need later. We can’t tip him off,” Elijah argued.
“Fine.”
“Do you have any questions?” Trevor asked me.
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m ready. I’m not looking back. I hope that means you won’t either?” I said, looking at Elijah.
He shrugged.
“Let it all go. We can get away and never have to think about Liam again,” I insisted.
He looked at Trevor before meeting my eyes. “If that’s possible, I will. I give you my word.”
“Good. Now, I better get home before he wonders why it’s taking me so long.”
Elijah gave me a quick kiss at the door, promising to see me later. I had nervous butterflies doing a crazy dance in my belly as I drove home for what I hoped would be the last time ever. I was scared as hell and excited at the same time. It reminded me of going on a huge, scary, twisting rollercoaster. I knew I was safe and the chance of anything terrible happening was slim, but there was still a chance.
When I got home, Liam wasn’t there.
“Hallelujah!” I crowed, running inside and heading straight for my room.
I pulled out the tired old suitcase I had rarely ever used and quickly threw in clothes before racing into Joey’s room and adding more of his clothing. Once it was stuffed, I pushed down hard, fighting with the zipper to get it closed. I grabbed the old gym bag I’d had since high school and tossed in some of Joey’s toys and his special blanket. I knew whatever I took out of the house today would be it. There would be no coming back. I grabbed Joey’s baby book and the few pictures I had of the family, tossing those into my purse.
I put the suitcase and bag under my bed in case Liam came home. Then it was time to pretend it was business as usual. I did my chores all the while my heart was racing, and I counted down every minute until it was time to go pick up Joey.
It felt strange to wash dishes I was not going to use and fold laundry like I had done a hundred times before. If Liam came home for lunch, I had to play it cool. I couldn’t let him suspect I was up to anything.
I heard the sound of bikes in the distance. Panic slammed into me like a bolt of lightning. I raced into my room, making sure the suitcase and bag were out of sight. I quickly checked the clock. There was still a chance Liam would leave before it was time to pick up Joey. I hoped he would be gone. I didn’t want to leave with nothing.
The horrible realization of starting over hit me. It was overwhelming to think about. We might have nothing but the clothes on our backs. I sat down on the edge of my bed, letting it all wash over me. Could I really do it? I had been dreaming about leaving this life behind for so long, but I’d never actually thought about what I would do once it was in the past. I had no job skills, no money, and I would have no family but Joey.
It was all a little overwhelming. I listened to the sound of the bikes getting closer, knowing there were at least two. My heart was beating so fast I nearly puked.
“Pull it together,” I told myself.
I was about to put on the performance of my life. I couldn’t screw it up. I couldn’t look the least bit nervous or out of sorts.
“Be cool, Michelle. Be cool.”
I heard the door open and quickly grabbed the empty laundry basket and headed down the hall, pretending I had just finished a load.
“Hey, baby,” Nick said, popping in front of me.
I bit back the revulsion I felt at the thought of being his baby. It was loathsome.
“What brings the two of you here?” I asked casually.
“Lunch. You.”
“Me?”
“Ready to get married? Why put it off a day? Let’s just do it,” Nick said, reaching out to brush his knuckles down my bare arm.
Bile rose in the back of my throat. “Did you get me that wedding dress?”
He smirked. “Nope, and I’m not going to. I’ll see you tomorrow at the courthouse.”
Liam came to stand behind Nick. “She’ll be there.”
“I need to finish the laundry,” I said, turning sideways to try to go around them.
“Make us some lunch,” Liam said.
I thought about arguing, but there was no point. I didn’t want to piss him off. I needed the next hour to go smoothly. I’d make up an excuse about needing to leave early. I couldn’t wait to leave.
I quickly whipped up sandwiches and slammed them on the coffee table between the two pairs of booted feet.
“Beer?” Nick asked, staring down my tank top as I bent over.
I quickly stood up, shooting him a glare before going to the fridge. I could do this. I could fake it.
“Here,” I said, handing each of them a can of cold beer. “I’m going to clean up and then I need to stop at the store to get a few things.”
“You go to the store a lot,” Nick commented. “Once we’re married, I think we’ll sit down and make a list. I read once that if you make a list and stick to it, you spend less.”
Liam and I both
stared at Nick like he had lost his mind. Liam burst into laughter. “You’re an idiot.”
Nick shrugged. “My wife doesn’t need to be running to the store and blowing my hard-earned money every day.”
“Are you saying I don’t manage my household very well?” Liam growled, taking offense at Nick’s words.
“No, no,” Nick said, diffusing the situation.
I walked away. The two of them could figure out how to manage me and my spending. I walked into Joey’s room, dug in the bottom of his dresser, and pulled out the cash I had hidden.
“What’s that?” Liam growled behind me.
I spun around after sliding the cash into my front pocket.
“Nothing,” I said, feigning innocence.
My acting was not on point.
“Bullshit. What do you have?”
He reached for me, trying to stick his big meaty fingers into my front pocket. I spun away from him.
“I don’t have anything.”
He reached out, yanking my arm and pulling me back to face him. “What are you up to?”
I rolled my eyes. “Nothing, Liam. I have to go get Joey. I won’t go to the store. I wanted to make something nice for dinner, but I’ll dig around and find something in the freezer.”
He was staring at me, his eyes filled with anger. “You better not be lying to me.”
“I’m not,” I said, yanking my arm out of his hand.
I walked out of the room, hoping Liam didn’t look around and notice there were a few things missing. I grabbed my purse off my bed, glanced around, and said good-bye to the place I had lived in for most of my life.
“Where are you going?” Nick appeared out of nowhere, shutting my bedroom door behind him.
My mouth went dry. “Where’s Liam?”
“He had to take care of something. It’s just you and me.”
My legs felt like they were bolted to the floor as he took a step toward me. “I have to go. I’m going to be late picking up Joey.”
He shook his head. “You have time. Don’t play with me.”
I sighed. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but Liam is going to be pissed when he finds out.”
He grinned. “He left me here with you. He knows perfectly well what we’re doing. It doesn’t matter. Like I said, we’re going to be married tomorrow. One day isn’t going to hurt.”
I put my hand up. “Stay away from me,” I whispered.
“Oh, baby, I’ve got things planned that require me to be very close to you.”
I felt a horrible sense of dread. I was so close to being free, this couldn’t be happening.
“Nick, if you touch me right now, it’ll be rape. I will claim rape and I will have you thrown in jail,” I said in my sternest voice.
He smirked. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me,” I growled.
I had no idea where the sudden gumption was coming from, but it felt good to stand my ground. I had been rolling over for so long, I had forgotten what it felt like to have a spine. Nick and Liam were close to being in my past. Another thirty minutes and I hoped I would never have to see either of their faces again. I just had to survive the next thirty minutes, and I didn’t think my new spine would help protect me after running my mouth.
22
Elijah
Something was wrong. I knew what time she picked up Joey. She should have been here at least thirty minutes ago.
“Relax. Maybe she’s taking a long way around to make sure she wasn’t followed,” Trevor said.
I was wearing a path in the carpet. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. “Should I call her?”
“No. You could put her in danger. It’s only been thirty minutes. Relax.”
I nodded, not relaxing in the slightest. For the third time, I checked the parking lot, looking for her car.
“I should have been at the school waiting. What if Liam figured out what she was up to?”
Trevor stood beside me, both of us staring out at the parking lot through the large window.
“There!” Trevor pointed toward a car pulling into the lot.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s about damn time!”
We both stayed in the room just in case she had been followed. She pulled into the parking lot, parking a few spaces away from my room. I watched her get out of the car, her big sunglasses in place as she ran around the back and opened the back door. With Joey’s hand in hers, she rushed to the room.
I yanked open the door and closed it behind the boy.
“Where have you been?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm in front of the boy.
She was looking down at her feet. “I got held up. We need to go.”
“Michelle?”
She was still looking at her feet. “We need to go,” she said again, her voice strained.
Trevor looked at me, obviously detecting the same thing I did.
“Hey, buddy, why don’t we go to the vending machine and get some drinks for the road?” he said to Joey.
“Okay,” Joey said.
Michelle started digging in her purse.
“I got it,” Trevor said, taking Joey’s hand and leading him out the door.
“What happened?” I asked her.
She looked up at me, her glasses still in place. “I’m ready to go. I think we need to get out of here, now.”
“Why? Does he know something is happening?”
I looked at her face and froze. Her cheek looked red. I reached up, putting my fingers on either side of her glasses.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
I slowly pulled the glasses off and her eyes dropped. She refused to look at me. I held the glasses in my hand, reminding myself not to crush them.
“Who did this?” I said, my voice so low I barely heard myself.
She shrugged a shoulder. “Nick.”
“What did he do?” I asked, scared as hell to hear the answer.
My eyes traveled to her neck, then her arms. I saw faint purple spots on her one arm. I wanted to kill him. My blood was practically boiling in my veins, the rage making me see red.
She shook her head. “Nothing. He didn’t get that far.”
“Why did he put his hands on you?” I said, rubbing the pad of my thumb over her swollen and blackened eye.
She smiled. “He decided he didn’t want to wait for the wedding.”
I staggered backward. “What?”
She immediately shook her head and corrected my thought. “No. No, he didn’t. We didn’t.”
“But he hit you?”
She grimaced. “He didn’t appreciate me telling him no.”
“What about Liam?”
“He left Nick there to do what he wanted.”
“That prick!”
“Can we go? Once Liam finds out I shot Nick down and threatened to call the cops on him, I’m going to be in a shitload of trouble.”
I nodded before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against my chest. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“You said we could go. That’s all I want to do. I want to get out of here,” she said.
“We’ll go. You need to leave your car. I don’t want anyone recognizing you,” I told her.
“I don’t want to leave my car.”
I thought about it and realized it might be better if she did drive herself in case we encountered Liam and his gang on the way out.
Trevor and Joey came back in the room, carrying several bottles of soda and candy bars.
Joey looked thrilled and held up a Snickers bar. “Look what I got, Mom!”
She smiled at him. “Did you say thank you?”
He nodded his head. Trevor was looking at her face. He looked at me, fury in his eyes, his jaw clenched tight. I gave him a slight shake of my head, telling him not to say anything. Joey was staring at his mom. I realized he hadn’t seen her eye until just then. He walked to her and threw
his arms around her waist, hugging her tight, his candy bar gripped tightly in his hand.
“We’re ready to roll,” I announced.
Trevor nodded. “They riding with me?”
I shook my head. “No. She wants to drive. You be the lead car and I’ll follow behind. If something happens, I want her to be able to get away.”
“Got it.”
“Are we going on vacation?” Joey asked.
Michelle nodded her head and grinned. “We are! Are you excited?”
“But we didn’t bring our suitcase,” Joey said.
“That’s okay. We’ll get new stuff,” she told him.
“But what about my blanket?” he asked in a soft voice.
She looked heartbroken. “I’ll get it. For now you need to be a big boy.”
He took a deep breath, his little shoulders going back. “Okay. I will.”
“Let’s go,” Trevor said, standing by the door. My bag was already loaded in his Jeep.
Trevor went out first, did a quick scan of the parking lot, and gestured for the rest of us to walk out. I walked Michelle to her car, giving her a quick kiss on her unbruised cheek before heading for my bike. I slid on my helmet, dropping the visor as I kept an eye out for Liam.
I did not let my guard down until we were on the freeway. Only then did I start to relax. It was about an hour drive, which wasn’t far enough for my comfort. I wanted to be as far from LA as I could get. New York or another continent was my choice. The bruise on Michelle’s face was burned into my vision. The guy was going to pay dearly for that. The amount of physical abuse she had endured in the past two weeks was eating away at my soul.
I saw Trevor’s blinker come on and knew we were close. After a few dirt roads and a climb into the mountains, he finally came to a stop in front of a cabin with a covered porch that was surrounded by large pine trees. It was breathtaking.
Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set Page 34