Morgan, Nicole - Sweet Redemption [Sweet Awakenings 1] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Неизвестный

  Rex cocked a brow at the old man, and Jack didn’t miss the smirk on his face. Obviously the old man thought he was Dr. Love.

  Jack knew he loved Tamara. He had told her and had definitely shown her in many ways. But never was he able to put such meaning to it. It was like the words he chose were never adequate in description.

  “I can tell you this, Mr. Bristow, she is all those things and more. She is the missing piece to the crazy puzzle of my life, if there was a life before Tamara. I feel like I was merely practicing and waiting for my real life to begin. She is a blessing. I know when she came into my life it was kismet.”

  Rex rolled his eyes. “Did I just hear Jack Peyton say the word kismet? Well, I guess all of the signs of the apocalypse have shown themselves. Everyone run. Try and save yourselves!”

  “Is that so? Well, in that case then, I do believe we have a reason to celebrate. It seems you have found a ring for your bride.” The old man was practically glowing.

  Rex had no choice, he had to help out his friend, and looking at Jack’s face, he probably would have paid anything the guy asked. “You still haven’t told us how much it costs yet.”

  “Ah, I see, business first. You are a smart lad yourself. I imagine it won’t be too much longer and you will be in here with the same look in your eyes as our young Jack here.” Mr. Bristow winked at Rex.

  “That’s doubtful. So, how much?”

  “Oh, doubtful you say? I should think not. I give you one year. Yes, one year from today’s date. You will be desperately in love and searching for something just as special for your beloved. You mark my words. One year. Oh, you may not come here, but it will still be so. You will be longingly and gloriously in love.” The man nodded at Rex and gave a nudge to Jack.

  “I hardly think that…” One year? No way! How would he…It doesn’t matter, it wasn’t ever going to happen. Rex Metcalf was a self-proclaimed bachelor. His body was merely a vessel to be used by the many beautiful women of the world for their pleasure as well as his. He couldn’t get married. He wouldn’t get married. The whole idea was absurd.

  “What’s the matter, son? Cat got your tongue?” Mr. Bristow walked away from the counter chuckling at Rex. “I will be back. I must get the invoice to find what my beautiful Colleen paid for that.”

  Moments later, Mr. Bristow came back out of the back, still laughing, which didn’t help Rex’s scowl. Pulling on a pair of reading glasses, which were way too small for his chubby face, he read the invoice. “Ah, yes, I see. I did not realize my wife had paid so much for this ring. She does tend to go overboard when she sees beautiful things. Well, the best I can offer you is the price we paid.”

  Rex already didn’t like this man, and he felt like the scamming was about to begin. “What did you pay?”

  “Well, ah, it is a bit much. It says here she paid $2,540.” Mr. Bristow waited. He really wanted this young man to have the ring. He knew it was a lot of money, and he couldn’t afford to take a loss on it.

  Rex saw the surprise on Jack’s face when they heard the low price. They had been getting estimates from other jewelers in the mall for twice that amount and Rex knew that none of them looked like they belonged on Tamara’s hand.

  “I’ll take it, but I insist that you mark up the price ten percent for your business and for your kindness. I wouldn’t feel right taking it without you making any profit,” Jack insisted.

  Rex’s mouth dropped opened when he heard Jack’s offer. Well, apparently there are now eight signs of the apocalypse.

  “But are you sure? You are a young man. You are just starting your life with this young lady. Surely you need the money.” Mr. Bristow looked up and squinted. He was thinking. “I have it. You will pay five percent above what we paid, and you will invite both my beautiful wife Colleen and me to the wedding so that we may dance and celebrate you joining as husband and wife.”

  Jack smiled at the eccentric old man and shook his hand as a show of good faith. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Bristow.”

  “Young man, we are friends now, you and I. You call me Cullen.”

  “Cullen it is.”

  Rex rolled his eyes and glared at Jack. He didn’t like this old man, not one bit. As if he was really going to get married. One year. Huh, no way!

  They stuck around for a little while talking. Cullen cleaned the ring and gave Jack the Diamond and Gemstone Certificates as well as its appraisal from the estate sale. Once they were all done and shook hands, they walked out towards the mall.

  “I’ll see you soon, Mr. Metcalf.” Mr. Bristow smiled and waved at Rex before he retreated to the back room.

  Rex grimaced and muttered something under his breath Jack didn’t understand.

  Jack loved seeing Rex so worked up. “What’s that you say, Uncle Rexy?”

  Rex spun and turned to Jack. “I said, I am not getting married! What does he know, anyway? And what kind of person named Cullen marries a woman named Colleen? It’s like the same name. It’s annoying. He’s annoying. The idea that he thinks I will be getting married in a year is annoying!”

  Jack doubled over laughing at Rex. Rex, who was always so cool and calm and collected, was freaking out! It was hilarious.

  When Jack got himself under control, he checked his cell phone for the time. He hadn’t realized that he still hadn’t heard from Tamara. Mr. Bristow and his unique personality had kept his mind from worrying. The blue light on his phone read 6:39.

  “Did she call?” Rex asked.

  “No, she didn’t. I have no missed calls either.” They climbed into Jack’s Escalade. “Hang on a second. I want to see if she left me a message at the gym.”

  Jack hung up the phone after calling Lean & Fit. “No messages there. She has not called me once today. I don’t care what you say, something is wrong!”

  Without waiting for a response from Rex, Jack started dialing Tamara’s apartment again. By this time she was supposed to be waiting for him anyway. As the phone started to ring, Jack stole a glance at the time on his radio. It read 6:42. Where could she be?

  Tamara handed the last dish to Brent as he put it away in the upper cabinet. He had decided that they should wash the dishes together. He said it was just one of those little things couples do to spend time together. He then expressed the importance of how much they should do absolutely everything together. He went on to tell her that she would be quitting her job at the law firm, and he would be opening his own law office at which she was to work. That way, they would never be apart.

  She sighed as she laid the towel over the edge of the sink. She looked at the clock on the microwave again. It read 6:40. She was glad Jack hadn’t called again. She was glad he hadn’t shown up yet. Was she losing her will? She felt like she wasn’t going to be able to get out of here before Jack came. Tamara didn’t want to think what would happen then. The thought of Brent using that gun on Jack was too horrific to describe.

  Brent grabbed Tamara’s hand and walked with her back to the living room. Shelby was still “resting” on the floor. She hadn’t woken up again, but she was still breathing. Tamara hoped that was good. Hang on, Shelby. Be strong!

  Just as they sat down on the couch, the phone rang. Tamara’s throat became as dry as the Sahara Desert. Please, God. Don’t let it be Jack. Three rings. One more and the machine would pick up. Four rings. She waited. Then she heard the beep.

  “Tamara, what is going on? You have me worried out of my mind. I’m on my way there now. I’ve been trying to call your cell, and it’s turned off. God, I wish you would just pick up. Listen, I hope you didn’t spend all day sleeping. You better have gotten some packing done, woman, because as soon as I get there, we’re moving you into my place. Correction, our place, which is exactly where you belong. Then, after you’re settled in, I’m gonna make love to you like I did last night. I love you, baby! See you soon.” Click.

  She couldn’t breathe. She could feel Brent’s eyes boring down on her. Every lie she’d told him today had just
come out. Slowly, she turned her head to face him, afraid of what she might see. Before she was able to meet his stare, his fist connected with her jaw, and her body flew backwards on the couch.

  “I told you to never lie to me!” He was screaming and enraged. “You miserable, worthless, nasty, dirty, despicable whore! You let him put his dirty dick in your nasty pussy, didn’t you? Just last night! You’re nothing but a two-bit tramp! I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me with no choice. You will learn to pay for your crimes. You will atone for your sins. You, my dear, will take everything I give you and beg me for mercy.”

  He was now on top of her, straddling her stomach, and throwing blows into her head, her sides, and everywhere he could reach. His rage was violent and scary.

  Tamara knew there was no way out. She was sure she would now die by Brent’s hand. She started to feel her vision blur. There was a pain unlike any she had ever felt before. Something warm and sticky ran down her face. Everything was becoming hazy. Her last thought before she entered into the blackness was of Jack. Had they made a child out of their love?

  Chapter 21

  Jack pulled into the parking lot of Tamara’s apartment building. “Hey, thanks for tagging along. I want to make sure everything’s all right. I’ll take you to your car in a little while.”

  “No problem, man. I’ll help you load up some of the boxes while I’m here.” Rex would have agreed to anything to calm Jack’s nerves.

  “Did Mr. Bristow have a profound effect on you or something? You almost seemed genuinely serious when you said that.” Jack pulled into a parking place right next to Tamara’s car. “Good, her car is here. That makes me feel a little bit better.”

  Just as he said it, he was shocked by the sound of a fire alarm screeching from one of the apartments. Jack didn’t stop to think. He took the stairs two at a time with Rex falling in behind. As he got to the top of the stairs, he could tell how much louder the sound had gotten. He knew it came from either Tamara or Shelby’s apartment.

  He ran to Tamara’s door and unspeakable fear overtook him as he realized it was coming from Tamara’s apartment. He tried to open the door, and it wouldn’t budge. Jack started banging on the door, pounding and screaming Tamara’s name.

  Rex was already calling 911. Jack’s fists weren’t going to get him through this door. He hoped she hadn’t locked the dead bolt. Jack took a moment to gather his strength and then kicked the door with every amount of force that he could muster. It moved. It would only need one more kick. Jack kicked it once more, and the door flew open. He ran into the apartment and down the front hall. He heard wheezing and saw a woman curled up on the floor. He knew it wasn’t Tamara. This girl had dark hair. Rex ran to help the girl who was trying to speak as Jack ran through the apartment checking every room looking for Tamara. He was screaming her name over and over.

  Why wouldn’t she answer? She had to be here somewhere. Her car was out front. He still hadn’t found the source of the fire, but he had to find Tamara.

  “Tamara, answer me!” he shouted as he entered the kitchen. Jack found the top of the stove completely covered in flames. It looked like someone had piled a bunch of towels on top of the burners and turned them on high. He raced to get under the sink where she kept her mini fire extinguisher. He had once teased her that it looked so small and insignificant, never big enough to put an actual fire out. But now he just wanted to find her and tell her how right she was. He was able to put out all of the flames and turn off the burners without it spreading anymore. There was smoke damage and black streaks all over the cabinets, but at least it was extinguished. Where was Tamara?

  Tamara could feel her head vibrating. Why was her head vibrating? The last thing she remembered was Brent beating her to a bloody pulp. She remembered the metallic taste of blood and the pain of the blows he was planting all over her body. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was lying at a strange angle, almost tilted. When she looked up a little, she could see things moving outside a window. Was she on a carousel? No, wait. This looked familiar. She’d been in this before. This was a car. This was Brent’s car. The realization hit her that she was actually still alive. The vibration she was feeling in her head was the motion of the car. She slowly turned her head, afraid of what she feared would be there. Just as she expected, Brent was driving the car. He was sitting right next to her. Her body was haphazardly leaning back in the recline position of the passenger seat. He noticed her movements and looked at her.

  “So the little two-timing bitch is awake, huh? Well, tell me this, whore, are you ready to atone for the sins you have committed? You’d better be!” With that, he screeched the car to a halt.

  Had they stopped in the middle of the road? “Brent. I’m…” It was hard for her to talk. Her throat hurt. Why did her throat hurt so bad?

  “You’re what, sorry? Oh, I’m so sorry, Brent, I love you so much, Brent. Shut up!” He hollered the last words. His eyes looked jittery and crazy. This was what she had been afraid of. Him losing touch with the last strand of sanity he was holding on to.

  “I’m hurting.” Maybe she could play on his love for her.

  “Ask me if I give a crap.” He glared at her. “I would have cared if you were still my Tamara, but you’re not anymore, are you? You are no different than that slut Shelby.”

  You must try and survive, Tamara. “Brent, I didn’t want to. He made me.” Her words were but a whisper. Her throat hurt so bad. Had he choked her?

  “He made me.” His words were mocking like that of a child. “Well, guess what? I’m gonna make you now. I am gonna fuck you like you’ve been begging for. I’m gonna do things to you, and you’re gonna like it all. You will beg me for it. Do you understand?” His words were coming out in bloodcurdling screams.

  Tamara couldn’t help herself. She started to cry. She had remained strong all day with this man, and now he was going to rape her. The pain at the idea of it hurt deep in her chest. She noticed the clock on the console as he came around the car to get her. It read 7:45.

  The door flew open, and Brent grabbed her, dragging her by her hair. She couldn’t tell where they were. It looked like maybe near the foothills. It looked desolate. She heard him unlocking a door and then was hauled up from under her arms and carried into a dark room. It appeared to be an old trailer. It smelled musty, like it had been locked up for a very long time with no air circulating in it at all. She tried to begin to crawl away when Brent grabbed her again. He was dragging her down a hallway and tearing at her clothes. Then he threw her up against a shower wall. He turned on the spray. It was ice cold, and he threw a bottle of bodywash at her.

  “Wash your filthy body, whore!” Brent stood back and leaned against the doorway. The water was turning warmer and eventually became steaming hot. It started to hurt.

  “Brent, please, the water is too hot. It burns.” She begged. She was crying so helplessly now she couldn’t control her sobs.

  “Good, I hope it burns. It will help wash off that filth after you let that man touch you.” His eyes were like the inner circle of hell. “Now! Do it now!” He was again screaming with a vengeance.

  Tamara started to wash her body. When she saw the clock in the car, she saw that it was a quarter to eight. Would she be dead before nine o’clock? How much time would he spend raping her? How much torture would she have to endure?

  Jack was pacing. Shelby was still incoherent, and the paramedics hadn’t let her speak to him. Where in the hell was Tamara?

  Rex came back from talking to Officer Dollaghan. He had had to smooth things over for Jack. When Jack had seen the officer walk up, he lost it. When he attacked the officer, the other responders on site were going to arrest him. It was Officer Dollaghan that had told them to back off. He had said it was a misunderstanding.

  Jack blamed the cops and the DA for letting Townsend plea-bargain to lesser charges a couple of weeks ago. He should have been behind bars. Jack knew it wasn’t their fault and that he had used t
he officer as a scapegoat for his rage. It wasn’t because of them that Brent Townsend was free. Even Tamara had felt too sorry for him to press any charges against him. He just wanted Tamara back and safe. He wanted to look at her and hold her and see for himself that she was all right. He had a bad feeling that Brent was involved in Tamara being missing.

  Rex walked up to Jack. “All right, here’s the deal. Townsend isn’t at his work or his home. They can’t find him or his car anywhere. They put out an APB for him, his car, and Tamara. All we can do now is wait, man.”

  Jack didn’t look happy about that suggestion at all. “Wait, are you nuts? I have to do something. I have to find her.”

  Officer Dollaghan walked up behind Rex. Jack eyed him, and Dollaghan waited. “Look, I’m on your side. Hear me out because if you touch me one more time, I’m gonna let them arrest you this time. Got it?”

  Jack shrugged.

  “Do you got it? I’m running out of patience with you. Look, I know you’re worried about your girlfriend. I would be, too. I’m married, so I know what it’s like to feel the need to protect someone you love.”

  Jack considered what he had said. “All right, I’m listening.”

  “We don’t have much. We were able to find something, you’re probably not going to like, though.” Dollaghan looked at Rex, silently wondering if he would control his friend a second time. “We don’t think his name is Brent Townsend. We think he may have assumed a new identity after murdering one of his former girlfriends in Arizona.”

  Jack’s face turned twenty shades of white. He stared at Dollaghan for a moment. His eyes were wide. “Wh…wait…are you say…” Jack stopped. He looked at Rex. “I can’t even form the words, man.” He felt like he was going to be sick.

  Rex spoke for his friend. “What and how did you find this out?”

  Dollaghan watched Jack for a moment before he continued. “When we first arrested him and took his fingerprints, we checked the AFIS for any outstanding warrants. It’s proper procedure. We didn’t find anything, so to the best of our knowledge, this was the first time our Mr. Townsend had been involved in a crime.” Dollaghan turned his head as the ambulance carrying Shelby was driving away.