Attainment

by J H Cardwell

I couldn’t move. The fear had to be apparent in my eyes. Tears started streaming down my face. “Oh, you want me to be in you already Reese, is that why you’re crying? Well don’t worry my teasing bitch, I’m about to honor your wish.”

  Oh God, help me. Somebody please come down here. Elle, please come looking for me. I can’t go through this again. I’d rather die. My eyes pleaded with Sam. I tried again to scream but no sound came out from his hand. I felt like I was suffocating.

  He pulled up my dress exposing my panties. “Oh" he said with a growl "you even wore a thong just for me. Well, maybe it was meant for John at first, until you discovered how much you wanted me.”

  He was talking deranged, like he was a different person. I couldn’t fathom to think what I was going to feel next. He ran his hand up and down my abdomen, then roughly cupped my sex. He reached around with his loose hand and grabbed me so hard I was sure he would leave a huge bruise. I was worried that wasn't all he would leave me with. He reached down to my thigh and shoved my legs apart, hard squeezing the inside of my right thigh as he hissed “my how ready you are.”

  God, why is this happening again? Please help me before it is too late. I hadn’t talked to God in so long, I knew it was disrespectful just to be begging Him now to help me, but I truly needed Him to come through. I shut my eyes tight continuing to pray and cry. Then I kneed Sam hard in the groin. He cussed and squeezed my hands tighter, then with his other hand he hit me hard in the face. My left eye felt like it had been blown out. I could barely see out of it. Then he got close to me and trying to kiss me he said, “I’ll do it again. Be still.”

  I thought I was going to throw up right there. And I closed my eyes trying to figure out what to do.

  Sam snapped at me “Open your eyes Reese. I want you to look at me while I take you." He tried pulling down my panties, but he was having difficulty, so he ripped them off. Then he started undoing his jeans. He was about to lunge towards me when the door flung open.

  It was John.

  He jumped on Sam and they started fighting. John hollered for me to find Elle. I didn’t wait for him to say it again, I took off. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, although it was so hard…my legs felt like jelly and I was about to pass out. Whatever buzz I had was long gone.

  I was frantically searching for Elle and the girls, when I heard loud noises coming from a door near the top of the stairs. It was cracked open so I quickly pushed it in.

  “Oh my God, Chloe…”

  Chloe was throwing up in a trashcan and Maura was holding her hair. Over to her right side was what looked like white powder on a mirror and a short straw. It registered then what I was seeing. Cocaine! That’s what was wrong with Sam, drugs! He was high and out of control.

  I kneeled down to Chloe, “No, no tell me you didn’t do this Chloe. We have to get out of here. I knew this was crazy coming here.”

  Maura looked at my face and bruises on my wrists and gasped.

  “Sam attacked me Maura, he tried to rape me. We have to go now!”

  "Chloe can’t walk out of here Reese, what do we do? None of us can carry her. She’s dead weight."

  Brett was passed out in the chair near the corner…probably from drugs too.

  “Get John,” she said

  “I’m sorry Maura, but I don’t trust any of them. Let’s drag her out of here.”

  Elle finally came running down the stairs and screamed when she saw me.

  I grabbed both of her hands willing her to listen to me.

  “Elle, I have to leave, I can’t stay here but we can’t carry Chloe out. Since you’re sober, take this pepper spray and these keys…guard these two,” I said pointing to Maura and Chloe. “And drive home as soon as she can walk. Tell these guys you will call the police if they come even one step close to you.”

  I knew that sounded so irrational, and I was only hoping I was leaving my friends in a safe way, but I ran as fast as I could off of the yacht. I had no idea what was happening between John and Sam. In fact, I didn’t know where the captain or Kerry and Harrison were. It was all so strange. I just knew I had to flee. There happened to be a cab waiting outside the row of restaurants. I flagged him over and told him the directions to Elle’s beach house. I wasn’t thinking clearly, this I knew, but nothing else was making sense. My cell phone was dead so I couldn’t even keep track of what was happening with the girls. I was scared out of my mind.

  Do I call the police? I was afraid to do that until they were able to get Chloe out of there. If she had done cocaine, she would be arrested. I couldn’t stand to think of her with that record.

  Oh Chloe, why did you have to do it? Were you that drunk? We’ve NEVER touched drugs before, and in one night you lose yourself.

  I knew all too well what one night could do. The only difference was I didn’t choose to lose myself, someone had chosen for me.

  My body was still trembling all over. I faintly heard the cab driver ask if he could take me to the hospital, and I was barely able to shake my head no.

  Thirty minutes and lots of praying later (after all, I felt like I was rescued just in the nick of time…was that God?…I had to think it was) I was getting out at the beach house and was able to shakily pay the driver.

  I hunted desperately for the key under the giant seashell in the landscaping, and after dropping it twice, I finally managed to unlock the door.

  I’d looked around in my purse for my phone but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I ran outside searching the ground for it. I must have left it on the cab seat. I vaguely remember sitting it down. I don’t even know what cab company I used. It was all a fog now. I screamed and fell to the ground pounding my fist on the grass.

  Elle’s parents had taken out the house phone last year, since everyone had cell phones. I guess one less bill a month or something like that.

  I had no way to get in touch with any of them. I slowly stumbled back to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t recognize the battered girl staring back at me. My right eye was black and blue and nearly closed from the swelling.

  I sunk down to the floor, covering my hands with my face. I was lost, my soul completely dark, without a shred of light. I was rocking back and forth each time feeling the bruises on my back and thighs.

  Somehow, I must have drifted off to sleep in a fetal position. I woke up to loud banging. I knew if it were Elle she would use her key. Oh my God, what if it was Sam? I backed up in to the bathroom corner as far as I could, curling in to as tight of a ball as I could get. Again, I was praying intensely, praying that I would be spared.

  I heard a glass break and what must have been the front door being flung against the wall. I couldn’t breathe. Who was there?

  I was afraid any noise, even a breath, would alert whoever the perpetrator was where I was hiding. Not moving a muscle, I waited for my pending doom.

  Then I heard it, the all too familiar voice. “Reese, oh my God, Reese are you here?”

  Another male voice said “there’s her purse, she must be here.”

  The first voice said “you go upstairs and I’ll look down here.”

  Even though the voice was familiar, I was still unsure and scared to death. Barely breathing I watched the bathroom door. Praying they wouldn’t open it and just leave. No quicker than I could think it, the door flung open and I screamed.

  “Oh Reese…” then he yelled “she’s in here!”

  Chapter 17

  I couldn’t see straight, adrenaline had flooded into my veins and before I could recognize who had rushed in the door, I had passed out.

  I woke up lying on the couch, covered in a blanket. I could feel someone sitting beside of me, because the couch was heavily indented to the side. I felt a cool, wet washcloth on my forehead.

  But as my mind started clearing, I started to scramble, trying to sit up and get away from whoever was there.

  “Shhh Reese, it’s okay now.”

  I knew that voice immediately. My eyes met his. />
  “Tate!"

  I was barely able to whisper his name, but saying it made my heart hurt. I couldn’t believe he was here. He grabbed me up in a hug and I winced. But I had never seen anyone or anything more beautiful in all my life.

  “Tate you’re here…how did you know?” I croaked, barely able to speak.

  “Elle. She called us…” his voice got strange like he was trying to control his emotions, and keep from crying.

  “Us?” I glanced around slowly and my eyes caught up with Finn’s.

  “Hi Reese, you scared us to death. How are you feeling?”

  “I um…Oh God, where are they…Elle, and the girls…they were still there.” I tried getting up again but Tate put his arms around me.

  “I just got a call from them,” said Finn. "I was on my way to get them when Elle said they were leaving. They should be walking in the door any second. Elle filled us in, so don’t try to talk now, just rest. Tate wasn’t about to leave you.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I looked at Tate. His eyes were sweetly set on mine. “How did y'all get here so fast?” I said.

  “We were at Myrtle Beach, which is only about three hours from here. With Finn driving, we made it in a little over two.”

  “Man, it didn’t hurt that you threatened to kill me if I didn’t get you to Reese quick!” Finn said.

  I looked up at Tate. “Well thank you both…” then I remembered why I ended up there at John’s in the first place…the Facebook pictures of Tate. Now wasn’t the time to discuss those.

  No sooner could I think of what to say next, the front door swung open.

  “Reese!”

  “She’s awake and she’s doing okay. A little beat up though.” I caught Tate’s eyes as he seethed the last part from his teeth.

  “What in the world Reese,” said Elle, “I’ve called you a hundred times. Why didn’t you answer?”

  “I can’t find my phone. I must have left it in the cab when I pulled it out to call you. My battery was dead and so I thought I put it back in my purse. I can’t even remember what cab company brought me here.”

  “Don’t worry, there’s only one company that goes to Beaufort. We’ll find it,” said Maura.

  I looked around Maura for Chloe. I was so angry at her, but I also was relieved when I finally saw her beautiful face. “Don’t say anything Reese," she whimpered. "Elle, Maura, and John have already beat me up enough.” She cringed when she said that, knowing I was the one that had been physically beaten up.

  They all walked over to me and hugged me. Chloe was last. “I’m sorry Reese. I love you, and we could’ve all gone home together, if I hadn’t been such a damn weakling and tried, well, you know. I guess I was overcome with everything; the money...everything…I’m sorry.” She was sobbing and begging my forgiveness with her eyes on mine.

  I hugged her back. “Chloe, I’m still furious. You went back on our promise for us to watch out for each other, instead you were breaking another promise and getting high. Tell me you won’t ever touch that stuff again.”

  “Oh Reese,” she sobbed into my neck “I promise… I can’t stand to see you like this. What that bastard could have done to you,” cried Chloe.

  “I’m afraid to ask, but what happened to Sam and John?" I said.

  “I’ll tell you what will happen to them,” fumed Tate. “I’m going to kill them.”

  I put my hand on Tate’s wrist. “Let’s all calm down. I want to kill Sam myself.” I said seriously but with a chide chuckle.

  “John beat the shit out of Sam, but not without Sam probably cracking a rib or two of John’s,” Elle said.

  “Who are these guys? They sound like real winners that y'all came across ladies…I thought y’all knew better than that,” said Finn, looking right at Elle.

  She flushed. “We met them the night before at Beaufort on the boardwalk. Then they ‘found’ us on the beach the next day and Chloe quickly agreed for us all to have dinner at their place last night…We had no idea their place would be an enormous yacht, or that they would be in to drugs.”

  “I’m sorry guys. It was a bad idea…you know I don’t think straight at times,” said Chloe putting her head down.

  “We all got carried away,” I said. “I thought they were good too…obviously, looks can be deceiving.” I glanced up at Tate as I said those words. I started to get up, but felt a little woozy. Tate reached out and grabbed my hand. I reluctantly let him have it while Carter’s text was popping back in my head.

  “Let me help you Reese. I’ll walk with you,” he said.

  As soon as I stood up, I felt a breeze under my dress, and sudden warmth from the blush rising up my neck. “Tate, did you find me this morning in the bathroom?” Oh crap, I thought, I hope my dress was down when he found me.

  “I did, you had just passed out onto the floor,” said Tate.

  “I realize I, um, have no panties on and I’m wearing a dress.” I said not wanting to look Tate in the eye.

  His lips drew in a thin line as he had a pained look on his face.

  “Tate, nothing happened. Sam tried…but…John barged in and…”

  “Thank God. I’m still going to kill them, but I’m glad to know it…in that case, I’ll never tell what I saw when I found you, that is my little secret…my bright spot in a sea of darkness. But Reese, I almost got sick when I saw the bruises all over you.” I thought, how could any guy physically be this handsome, and at least at this moment, so compassionate?

  He looked away from me, utterly disgusted at what that freak had done to me. I was a little more worried now, I hadn’t seen the bruises yet, but I could sure feel them. I was sore all over.

  I walked in the bathroom and he followed me.

  “Um Tate, I can handle this…I looked from him to the toilet and back.” Blushing I said, “I’ll call you when I need you.”

  Just knowing he was outside the door I could barely stand to use the bathroom. I was trying to process all that had happened. When I was done I looked at myself in the mirror. Oh my, I wish I hadn’t. I looked horrible, my mascara was smeared, my hair an unruly mess, and my dress all wrinkled. Not to mention the most obvious, I had a horrific black eye. I scared myself just looking at me.

  I tried to wipe my mascara under my eyes away, and tame my hair a little before I opened the door.

  “Tate, I had no idea I looked this bad.”

  "I try not to think about how you look Reese. I want to kill that son of a bitch.” He truly was seething. I was a little worried about what he might eventually do.

  “We are not together any more Tate, this is not your problem, please don’t get involved.”

  “Are you kidding me, I don’t care if you hate me.” I raised an eyebrow at his comment. “I will kill anyone who hurts you Reese.” He slowly stopped in the hallway and turned to me.

  “Like me or not, I can’t let someone hurt you. I…God Reese, I care about you so much…” He looked like he wanted to say something else but stopped.

  Tears almost sprang to my eyes. “Tate, I’m going to lie down in my bed for a little while. I may not see…”

  He quickly cut me off “Oh I’m not going anywhere, you can bet on that.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  I literally didn’t think I could stand up any more. I was fighting a losing battle to exhaustion. Tate walked me to my bed and stood there until I was lying down, then he covered me up.

  Chapter 18

  I’m not sure how long I slept, but I woke up to sunshine pouring through my window. My eyes were fuzzy, especially my black eye. I started to sit up, but I ached all over. I let out a long sigh, and turned to my side. That's when I almost jumped out of my bed, regardless of the pain.

  Tate was lying on his side staring at me, silently.

  “Tate, what are you doing in here, you shouldn’t be in my room," I said breathlessly.

  “I’m sorry Reese, but I couldn’t stand it. I’ve been dying to get you alone to talk about what happ
ened between us for two weeks. Hurt or not, I need some questions answered.” His voice was even and calm, and mesmerizing actually. I had missed this voice so much.

  “I really have nothing to say to you Tate. You're wasting your time.”

  “Ok then, can I ask you a few questions, I’ll keep 'em simple?”

  I didn’t speak, I just laid on my back and stared at the ceiling.

  “Ok first, did you enjoy our kiss at the hospital, the night before you….dumped me?”

  “I, Uh,”

  “Just answer the question please.”

  There was a long pause...“Yes” I inwardly cringed, admitting it after all he had done.