Once Again

by J. Lea

  Stepping on the highest step on the podium, I receive a giant trophy in my hands, and the national anthem starts playing in my honor. I get misty eyed when I think about all the things I achieved in my life. It never even occurred to me that I’d accomplish so much. I had my dreams, and I always thought that’s what they are – just dreams. But now they became reality.

  After the press conference and other sponsoring obligations, I’m glad to get back to my trailer, where I first check my messages on the phone. There are many. I scroll through texts congratulating me, and call Ella. I need to hear her voice. It rings three times, and seems like an eternity before I hear her lovely voice.

  “Jake, honey, congratulations! I’m so proud of you!” she gushes.

  “Hey, babe,” I say with a smile on my face. “Can you believe I won again?”

  “I didn’t doubt it for a second, baby.” She laughs. “You were awesome, and you deserved to win.”

  “I wish you could be here now,” I say quietly.

  “Me too,” she sighs. “When are you coming home?” I can feel it in her voice that she hates being home alone.

  “I don’t know,” I tell her the truth. I really have no idea when I’ll manage to return home. Now that I’m the world champion, I have many obligations that will take a long time to accomplish.

  “Okay.” I hear disappointment in her voice. “Please try and come back as soon as you can, okay?”

  “The first possible moment, babe. I promise.”

  “I love you, Jake.”

  “And I you, Ella.” After that, I call my parents, and then grab a quick shower. It’s going to be a long night with all the sponsoring events. In the evening, I have to attend the World Champion award ceremony.

  Two days later, I arrive at the local TV station in Valencia. I’ll be here for some time due to some motorcycles we need to complete for the next season. When I enter the building, I’m directed to the second floor where the studio is. Walking into a big room with many cameras pointed to the middle, I see a crowd of people talking, so I approach them.

  “Mister Burns,” a woman in her thirties offers me her hand with a smile on her face. “My name is Lucia Flores. I’m the host of tonight’s show. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Jake. Nice to meet you, too.” I say, before I shake hands with the members of the camera crew. The show starts in half an hour, so they send me to a room where they have to…fix me up. I don’t know what’s so wrong with my appearance, but if they say so…

  The show is in full swing, I’ve answered a bunch of questions already, and there are still more juicy ones ahead.

  “What are your thoughts on Mike Jones’s retirement? After all, you competed for the same team for quite some time,” the host asks.

  “When he told me the news, I was shocked, I admit. I wasn’t expecting him to retire so soon—he’s only 29. He could still do great things on that bike for some time. But I understand his decision, and wish him all the best.”

  “He’s expecting his first child with his wife, right? What about you? Are you thinking about starting your own family?”

  She catches me unprepared. I shift in my seat, and rub the back of my neck. I can’t exactly tell her the truth, so I try to answer diplomatically.

  “I don’t know. Right now, I’m so busy with trainings, races and all of the traveling that comes with it. I don’t think it’d be fair to the child who’d see very little of me. I think there’s plenty of time for that in the future,” I curl my lips up.

  The host nods. “To the disappointment of your fans, you’ve been off the market for some time now, right?”

  I chuckle and rub my chin. “Yes,” I see the women in the audience groan. “Ella is one of the most important people in my life.”

  “I’m sorry, ladies,” the host smiles as she addresses the audience, some women still expressing their disappointment. I can’t help but laugh at their comical faces. “Our time’s up, Mister Burns. Thank you for taking some time for us in your busy schedule. It was a pleasure talking to you. I wish you many more titles in your future.” The host shakes my hand as we get up.

  “The pleasure was all mine.” Thanking them for having me, I wave at the audience as I walk out of the room.

  Chapter Ten

  Ella

  It's been almost a month since Jake surprised me with the new salon. And what a month it was. Jake’s wish to become the world champion has come true, and I finally have him at home, all to myself. And my favorite time of the year is around the corner—Christmas. Last Christmas was a special time for Jake and me; on Christmas Eve, we had our first kiss under the mistletoe. An unforgettable day.

  I still sometimes have to pinch myself when I realize I have my own salon. My Paradise. It’s even more beautiful than I ever imagined it could be. I was finally able to hire another masseuse because I was swamped with work, and couldn’t juggle all the responsibilities myself. Nina is a lovely twenty-year-old student with two years’ experience. She comes with great recommendations, and when she showed me her skills by massaging me, I knew she was perfect. She’s already left for the day, but I still have a few minutes before I close up, so I check if the saunas are switched off like they’re supposed to be, and go through our supplies. I make myself some tea and water the plant.

  Some of my regular clients from Ace followed me to my new salon, so I already had loyal customers from the beginning. It warms my heart to know they appreciate me. I only feel bad for Meredith, who lost some of the more high-profile clients to me. She was a pleasure to work for, and I wish her all the best.

  Just as I went to plop down on the chair in the reception area to count the money, the bell above the front door announces a visitor. I’m shocked to see who comes in.

  “What are you doing here?” I exclaim in surprise, and walk up to the woman I was sure I’d never see again.

  “Can we talk? I don’t have much time, please…” Liz begs me, her hands shaking like crazy. She’s trying to hide how terrified she is, but she’s not doing a good job. I catch myself nodding. “Thank you,” she says, and sits down on the couch. She’s shifting a handkerchief from one hand to another, her leg twitching. “Brian was released. He walked free, and now he’s looking for me. He wants Timmy. He wants us to go back to him. You know I can’t do this.” He’s no longer in jail? How did that happen? And why wasn’t I notified?

  “They let him go? When?” I sit on the couch, staring at Liz with eyes wide open.

  “Yesterday,” she chokes out.

  Yesterday? And nobody told us? Does Jake even know? James knows for sure, but why didn’t he say anything? Thousands of questions run through my mind, questions I don’t have answers to. I want to ask her something, but my mouth opens and closes again. I’m still processing the news.

  “B-but wasn’t he supposed to be locked up for some time?” I remember Jake telling me he got eight months for assault.

  “That’s what I thought, too. I had hoped that would give Timmy and I enough time to disappear off the grid, to move somewhere that he wouldn’t be able to trace us. And now he’s out there, somewhere, looking for us.”

  “Where is Timmy?”

  “Somewhere safe.” She offers no further explanation. I nod. It’s best nobody but her knows his whereabouts.

  I still haven’t asked her why she came to me. “Um,” I say. “Why are you here?” I don’t want to sound rude, but I’m curious to know why she left Timmy’s side. I wouldn’t dare let him out of my sight if I were her.

  “I’m sorry,” she stands up from the couch, “I shouldn’t come here.” Grabbing her by the wrist, I stop her.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I wasn’t telling you to leave, I just don’t know why’d you come to me first, that’s all.” Liz looks to the floor, running her hands on her jeans.

  “I just came to warn you. I know Brian attacked you because of Jake.” She shifts from one foot to another. “Be careful.” Shivers run down my body. He wouldn’t try t
o hurt me again, would he? I didn’t do anything to him. “I better go,” she says before she turns around to leave. “Timmy and I have a plane to catch. A new life is waiting for us far away from here, away from Brian. I’m sorry I was rude to you; that wasn’t my intention. Fear and jealousy bring out the worst in me. Thank you for everything you and Jake did for me, for us. I’ll never forget.”

  “But, Liz!” I yell after her. “You can’t just keep running from him your whole life. That’s no life. Timmy doesn’t deserve this.”

  A tear slides down her cheek. “What else am I supposed to do? I can’t let that monster take him away from me. I can’t.”

  I close my eyes, shaking my head. She’s right. Brian can’t get his hands on him, but running away and looking over the shoulder for the rest of the life is no solution. “There must be something else we could do,” I try to reason with her.

  “Believe me. I’ve exhausted all my options. There’s nothing else.” She sighs in resignation, and then she is gone.

  I try to swallow the big lump in my throat. I can’t imagine how frightened she must feel. What I don’t understand is, why didn’t she ask the police to help her? When Brian went to jail, she no longer needed Keith for protection. What now? Where could they hide? I truly hope they manage to disappear off the grid, and lead a happy life somewhere Brian can never get his filthy hands on them. When I glance at the clock, I see it’s way past the closing time. Liz and I must have talked longer than I thought. Just as I head back to grab my jacket, the front door suddenly swings open.

  “We’re closed,” I call and turn around to see who’s at the door. My breath hitches in my throat when I see Liz limping toward me, barely able to stay on her feet. “Oh my God, Liz, what happened to you?!” I scream and run to her. Her face is covered in blood, and she looks badly beaten. She leans on the doorframe, breathing deeply. It’s only been like 15 minutes since she left. What happened? Liz collapses to the floor, muttering something so quietly I can’t hear a word. “What did you say? Can you repeat, please?” I kneel down to her. She’s shaking uncontrollably as I put my arm around her shoulder. “I’m going to call the ambulance. They’ll take care of you,” I run to the reception desk where I left my phone, and start dialing 911.

  “The police!” Liz’s voice is brittle with terror, inhaling deeply to continue, but her face distorts in pain as she grabs her middle with her arms, curling up in a ball. “Call the police! Brian’s here,” I think I hear her utter. My hands shaking, I try to dial 911, pressing the wrong number multiple times before calming down enough so I can press 1 twice. Brian did this to her? He’s really here? Before I can press Call, I hear his gruff voice behind me.

  “Well, well, well, and here I thought it’s going to take a little more effort to get you two in the same place, but dear little Liz here brought me right to where I needed. Isn’t that ironic? She wanted to warn you, but she made a deadly mistake instead.” I see his knuckles are covered in blood, and there are also drops of blood on his tennis shoes. Instinctively, I want to run, but I can’t leave Liz behind. She’s lying next to me, helpless, and I assume she’s bleeding internally. Brian pulls the phone out of my hand, and hurls it at the wall, shattering it into million pieces.

  “What do you want?” I ask, trying to mask my fear.

  “What I want?” he snorts. “Are you really so dumb you have to ask me that?” He grabs me by the hair, and drags me away from Liz.

  “Ouch,” I grit my teeth when I feel him yanking some of my hair out, so I automatically raise my arms to my head. He’s manhandling me like I’m light as a feather. My heart starts thumping wildly when he pulls a small knife out of his pocket. I’m breathing unevenly, trying to control my shakes, and tears are running uncontrollably down my face. Brian brings the knife to my face.

  “I swore I would take my revenge. Your precious Jake ruined my life. It’s his fault I didn’t get to see my son grow up. Six years! I was looking for him for six fucking years!”

  “That wasn’t his fault, you brought it on to yourself,” I find my courage, but my voice is still shaky. A split second later, I feel a sharp pain on my cheekbone, where he clocked me with the handle of the knife. He lets go of me, causing me to fall down on my knees. Stars are clouding my vision. I touch my cheek and see blood on my hand. It hurts like hell, but I won’t even give him the satisfaction of crying out in pain.

  “You little bitch. You have no idea.” Anger is rolling off him in waves. He paces the room nervously, running a hand down his face, when he finally turns back to me. “I was in love with her, I just wanted her to feel the same. After we finally slept together, I thought everything fell into place. But I was so wrong. She got dressed, and went back to her precious Jake, again,” he snarls, his eyes burning with rage. “Even after he kicked her to the curb, when he realized Timmy wasn’t his, she still wanted him. I got my act together for Timmy and her. After that, I found a job, straightened up, even stopped drinking and doing drugs, but she still didn’t want me. She kept dreaming about Jake. And then she ran away. It took me years, years, to track her down, but she still didn’t want me.” He kicks her hard in the stomach, causing her to moan in pain, curling into a fetal position. “I generously gave her another chance, a chance for us to be a family. But no, she turned me down. She crawled back to fucking Jake Burns.” Brian points her finger at Liz and snarls: “You don’t have any idea what a mistake that was, you whore!” Liz doesn’t seem to even hear him, lying motionless on the floor, eyes closed. Brian rolls his eyes, a mad grin on his face. “What do you bitches even see in him? I’m just as good as he is.”

  I snort in response. Jake is wonderful person, always willing to help; he would never force people into doing something they don’t want. But I don’t say it out loud. He’s mad enough as it is, and I don’t want to pour oil on the flames. The area below my eye is still pulsing with pain, but I’ve at least managed to stop the bleeding.

  “I’m sorry,” I try to play another tactic, trying to calm him down.

  “You’re sorry?” he snorts and moves so close to me, I can feel his breath on my skin. “I lost my job because of you, because you pressed charges against me. Now I’m left with nothing! I was kicked out on the street like a stray dog. Who’d want to employ a convicted felon?” I close my eyes, trying to shift away from him. I lean to the side, but he grabs me by the chin. “I was thrown in jail because of you!”

  “No!” I scream. I’ve had enough. “I never asked you to threaten and attack me; this is all your fault—as it is your fault that Liz doesn’t want you.” I realize my mistake a split second too late.

  His fist slams into my face so hard the wind is knocked out of my lungs. I have to blink a couple of times to come to my senses again. My head is throbbing, but I try to remain conscious. My cheek is starting to swell up toward my eye, and now I can only see out of one eye. By the front door, Liz finally moves slightly and groans from the pain, but Brian is focused solely on me.

  “I followed Jake’s every step, waiting patiently for the opportunity to take my revenge. I was planning on destroying his career, to humiliate him, because I knew he only lives for this shit. But nothing came up. He was such a golden boy, never drinking in public anymore after the rehab, always helping others. It was pathetic. He made me sick! I almost gave up, but then you walked into his life. It was so obvious that you’d become his priority, not racing. You became his weak spot. Persistence does pay off. He was so pathetic, following you everywhere like a lovesick puppy.” Brian chuckles with a deranged laugh. “I saw enough to alter my plans. I used the opportunity when you were alone to feel you out, to see where you two were. I thought I’d split you up with that article, but that only brought you two closer to each other. Aaah.” He runs his hands through his hair, his hands shaking with anger. “So I tried to scare you off instead, threaten a little. It worked for a while, until he brought that bodyguard of yours into the game.” He stops and takes a breath. “I want to destroy him. And the on
ly way to get through to him is by getting rid of you.” He points his hand at me, spit flying out of his mouth. I’m paralyzed with terror, my eyes frantically searching for a way out.

  Liz coughs and sputters behind us, as she tries to pull herself up on her hands, but she falls helplessly back to the floor. That catches his attention.

  “Liz, sweetheart, you finally woke up.” A sardonic smile spreads across Brian’s face as he watches her writhing on the floor in pain. He lifts her off the ground, but her legs can’t carry her. She can barely keep her eyes open, a tear escaping down her cheek. “Where is Timmy?” He shakes her, but she doesn’t respond. Her arms hang helplessly at her side. She turns her head to me, and there’s fear and sadness and regret in her eyes. “I’ll ask you again—where’s Timmy?” he demands. This time their gazes meet.

  “I’ll never tell you,” she spits at him.

  Brian’s patience snaps. He pushes her, so her back hits the granite counter with a thud. While she cries out in pain and falls to the ground, he wipes his face with a sleeve of his shirt. Scared he might hurt her, I run to her, but so does Brian. Covering her with my body, I try to offer some protection from his vicious kicks to her side. I don’t let go of her, even when he starts kicking me, too. Tears are streaming down my face. I gasp for air when I receive a particularly nasty blow to my stomach, but despite the pain, I beg. “Please, stop! You’re killing her!” I sob and scream for him to leave Liz alone. Only the ringing of my work phone stops him in his tracks. We both freeze. Looking up to where the phone is, I stand up quickly and try to grab the receiver, but before I can reach it, Brian grabs me by the throat and lifts me up like I weigh nothing.

  “Please,” I gasp. “Stop. I can’t…breathe.” The ringing stops in the meantime. Brian suddenly loosens his grip on me, and I crash to the floor. Rubbing my hand gently over my neck, I’m still gasping for air. On all fours, I crawl to Liz. I feel her wrist for pulse, and when I feel a faint pulse, I feel more at ease. Brian is mumbling to himself, both hands on his head, the knife still firmly in his grip.