by K. C. Crowne
“How did you do that?” I stammered as we climbed into Graham’s truck to keep dry. My entire body was still shaking from the ordeal, and I felt like I might be sick to my stomach. There wasn’t a scratch on me, but watching my car get swept away by flood waters moments after being pulled from it would do that to a person.
“I told you before, I’m an ex-Marine,” he said with a shrug. “I did a lot of search and rescue missions back in the day.”
“You were really a Marine?” I asked, a little surprised. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that I believed he was lying.
“Did you think I made it all up?”
“I don’t know what I thought,” I confessed, wrapping my arms around myself as if cold. “I just thought you were a stripper.”
He gave me a cockeyed grin. “I’m not a stripper. Never has been.”
Before I could ask him about his revelation, he started the truck and turned the heat on. “We need to get you to a hospital and have you looked at.”
The warm air blowing on me was soothing. I was suddenly very tired, as if my body finally realized we were safe and decided to stop the flow of adrenaline.
“No, I’m fine. I don’t think I have a scratch on me.”
I let my hands fall to my belly and remembered the reason I was fleeing in the first place. It wasn’t just about me anymore, but also the child growing inside my belly. I had no idea what to expect or how fragile the baby was at this point. What if I somehow harmed it? What if I lost it? A knot formed in my throat. I’d just found out I was going to be a mother, and already, I loved the child more than anything.
“Everything okay?” Graham asked, diverting my attention back to him.
“Mmm-hmm.”
In my mind, I was already debating with myself. Should I tell him I was pregnant with his baby? I hardly knew this man. Even if he said he wasn’t a stripper and he was, in fact, a Marine, I still knew very, very little. He seemed like a good person, but what did I know? And what if finding out put him at risk? It was probably better if I kept my little secret a while longer, just to lessen the chances of Antonio finding out I’d slept with someone. Because even if I managed to get away, I could see that asshole coming after Graham if he knew he’d been with me.
“Why did you get so quiet all of a sudden?” Graham asked. He cocked his head to the side and gave me a once over. “You sure you’re okay? No head injury, nothing?”
“You know, on second thought, maybe I should go to the hospital,” I said with a nod.
Cop cars pulled up beside us. Graham could have them call an ambulance, if needed. Or maybe one was already on the way.
“Alright, let me tell Teddy what’s going on and I’ll drive you to the emergency room,” he announced.
“I can take an ambulance,” I told him, but Graham was already out of the truck. He shut the door and walked over to a man in a sheriff’s uniform.
The two men talked for a few moments, and then Graham came back and got inside. “They’ll try to retrieve your car, but I doubt there will be much worth saving,” he said, his voice somber. He put the truck in gear and backed up, turning around. “I told him I’d take you to the hospital.”
“I could just take an ambulance, you know,” I repeated.
“Nah, it’s fine,” he said, waving a hand. “It’s not too far out of the way, and besides, you’ve been through a lot today. I’m happy to help.”
I looked out the window, frowning. I had been through a lot, and I was so very tired. Too tired to even argue. My eyes hardly stayed open on the drive to the hospital. I rested my head against the window, and the sound of the rain hitting the truck coupled with the whirring of the windshield wipers relaxed me.
A memory of a time when my dad wasn’t so fixated on his business filled my head. Of him driving me home from visiting relatives in Liberty when I was just a little girl. I’d fall asleep in the car and magically wake up in my bed hours later. He told me I teleported, but I didn’t believe him because once or twice, I woke up in his arms. I had felt so safe and comfortable, I’d pretended to be asleep just so he’d carry me into our house.
Those memories were before my dad stopped loving me. I’m not sure when he stopped caring about me and put his business first, but eventually, the visits to Liberty had stopped. I lost touch with my cousins, as well as my friends, until I was old enough to drive myself.
When my eyes opened, I was almost sad about not being in my childhood bed. Graham probably could have carried me into the emergency room with his big, strong arms. But I was a big girl and could walk on my own.
He did rush around and open the truck door for me. And when I went to step down, Graham wrapped his arms around me, saying, “Careful, the pavement is slick,” as he helped me to the ground.
I stood next to him for a moment and stared into his eyes. He had kind eyes, eyes I wanted to believe were genuine. I felt like I could trust Graham, but I also knew I wasn’t always the best judge of character – not like I had much experience with people who weren’t criminals.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“We should probably get you inside. I’m sorry I don’t have an umbrella,” he said sheepishly. “But here, take my jacket.”
Such a gentleman, I thought to myself.
He helped hold it over my head as we rushed toward the emergency room doors. Once I was safe inside, I wrapped my arms around myself again. The air conditioning was running full force. Graham laid his jacket over my shoulders, surrounding me in the warmth.
“Sorry it’s wet, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you. Again.” I chuckled. “I seem to be saying that a lot today.”
We walked over to the front desk, and I signed in. Graham stayed by my side. I needed to tell the nurse I was pregnant, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything with Graham standing next to me.
Thankfully, she said, “Let’s take you on back.”
“Thanks for the ride, Graham,” I said, turning to him. “I can take it from here.”
I followed the nurse back into a small cubicle where she took my vitals and asked about what happened. I finally muttered the words I’d been keeping quiet for so long.
“I’m pregnant.”
“How far along are you?” she asked, nonplussed by the revelation that seemed so stark to me.
“About a month.”
“We’ll check on you and the baby,” the nurse said with a friendly smile that put me at ease. “And make sure you’re both doing okay.”
She led me to a room and left me alone. I curled up underneath the hospital blanket and tried to sleep, but the tiredness from earlier was long gone. The beeping of machines and the hustle and bustle of the hospital ramped up my anxiety again.
What if something had happened to the baby, I wondered? I would have never dreamt of having a child at this time in my life, before I finished my education, but now that it was my reality, I couldn’t imagine losing the baby. Even if I had to be a single mother, I would make it work. My dad would never support me, and I might have to be on the run my entire life, but I would do whatever it took to keep my child safe and give him or her a good life.
I rested my hand on my belly and prayed.
Ooo000ooo
“Good news, Ms. Bianchi,” the doctor said as he strolled into the room. “Looks like everything is fine. Your x-rays came back normal, nothing was broken, no concussion. You’re incredibly lucky, young lady.”
The doctor was an older, balding man with a friendly smile. He took a seat near me, his hands clasped in front of him as if waiting for my questions.
“Thank you, I feel very lucky.” And I did. I knew that it was a miracle I was alive. Without Graham’s help, I would have washed away with my car. “What about the baby?”
“It’s still very early in your pregnancy, but from the tests, everything still looks to be fine. I’d suggest following up with your obstetrician and keeping an eye on your bu
ndle, but everything looks normal on my end.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Thinking about the incident, the doctor was right – there’d been no impact on my body. I hadn’t hit anything. Graham got me out of there swiftly and easily. I didn’t even have a bruise on my body nor a single ache or pain.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be sure to follow up with my doctor, of course, but I feel much better.”
“As you should, Ms, Bianchi. I think everything will be just fine,” he said with a kind smile. “Let me get your discharge paperwork taken care of, and you’ll be set to go home.”
I closed my eyes and rested against the pillow. I could go home, he’d said. But truthfully, I had no home anymore. Not as long as my father was going to treat me as chattel.
A few moments later, the nurse came in and released me. I was walking out of the hospital doors, preparing to call an Uber, when a voice called out to me from the waiting area.
“Emilia, wait up.”
I stopped and turned to find Graham rushing toward me. He had waited for me. It had been hours since they first took me back, and yet he’d waited.
“What did they say? They wouldn’t give me any info since I’m not kin,” he said. “I was worried.”
“I’m good. Everything looks fine. I don’t even have a scratch on me, thanks to you,” I told him, smiling thankfully.
He gave me an adorable cock-eyed grin. “I’m glad I could be of service.”
I felt like I was falling into the depths of his eyes for a second, completely forgetting everything going on around me until my phone buzzed telling me that my Uber was on the way.
Graham glanced down at my phone with me and his smile quickly faded. “Nope. No way you’re taking an Uber. Cancel that and let me give you a ride home.”
I bit my lip as I stared at the phone. “I can’t, Graham.”
“What do you mean, you can’t? If there’s a fee, I’ll cover it for you, but the last thing you need is to ride home alone with a stranger right now.”
“No, I mean I can’t go home. I don’t live in Liberty,” I said. I turned my eyes up to meet his gaze.
He nodded. “So you’re staying at the hotel? I’d rather you not be alone—”
“I’m staying with a friend,” I said quickly. Liv was still on her honeymoon, but she hid a spare key on her property, and even though I hadn’t been able to reach her, she’d told me her place was always open for me. That’s why she’d left the key and told me about it.
“Well then, I’ll give you a ride to your friend’s place,” he said. “Go ahead and cancel that.”
My finger hesitated over the cancel button, but only for a second. I hit the button and turned to Graham. “Alright. It’s done. I’ll let you give me a ride home.”
“Good,” he said, motioning for me to follow him to his truck.
The rain had stopped for the time being. Water dripped down from the overhang and everything was soaked. A section of the parking lot was completely flooded. The sky was still murky and grey, and the smell of rain was in the air. The storm may have passed temporarily, but I knew, before long, we’d be ravaged by it again.
In a way, it felt like a perfect metaphor for my life. For now, I’d rest at Liv’s, but only for the night. Antonio and my father would know to look in Liberty. It wasn’t really hiding, staying at my best friend’s place. But I also had to figure out how to get a rental car without using my debit card, which was likely shut down as soon as my father realized I was gone anyway.
I knew that it might feel calm at the moment, but the storm was approaching. I just hoped I’d be able to find cover before everything went to shit.
Graham
“Where is it— It’s gotta be here somewhere.” Emmy was digging around in the rocks making up the walkway to a gorgeous two-story home.
“What are you looking for exactly? Maybe I can help you.” I scratched my beard as I watched her, bent over and picking up each stone one-by-one before tossing it aside.
She’d told me goodbye in the truck, but I’d waited to watch her go inside. I wasn’t about to just leave her, not knowing if she was safe or if her friends were even home. The place looked empty to me.
She stood up and sighed, her hair falling into her eyes. She pushed it back, tucking it behind her ear, but a second later, it fell forward again. She growled to herself as she reached into her purse, digging around in there now.
“What are you looking for?” I asked again.
“Right now? A hair tie to control this mess,” she muttered, pointing to her head. She pulled out a black hair tie and wrapped it around her hair, creating a messy bun on top of her head. Tendrils of her curls slipped free and fell around her face, but for the most part, her hair was up and out of the way. She continued digging through the rocks.
“And what are you looking for now?” I asked.
She didn’t answer me, just kept turning every stone over, digging around in the gravel a bit as if she was looking for gold.
“I guess they mean it when they say leave no stone unturned,” I joked.
She looked up at me with a scowl that would make weaker men tremble in their boots. Hell, even I knew to step back and give her some space, and I was by no means weak.
A phone went off, and Emmy stood up and dug around in her purse some more. She was muttering to herself, clearly agitated, but then found her phone. She stared at her phone, and I watched the color drain from her face.
“Fuck,” she yelled, closing her eyes. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” She tossed her phone back into her purse so hard, I thought it might break.
“Emmy, let me help you—”
“There’s nothing you can do for me,” she snarled. She threw the rock in her hand down hard against the walkway, and I took a step back.
“Can you at least tell me what you were looking for?”
“A key,” she said, staring at the ground around her. “Liv and her husband are still on their honeymoon, but they’ve always kept a key hidden in the rocks. They used to, anyway.”
“Maybe it’s still here,” I said, helpfully. “We just haven’t found it yet,”
“Nah, that was Liv. She finally answered my text. There is no key. Her mother-in-law is watching the place and feeding her cat, so she has it.”
“We can just get it from her mother-in-law then.”
“Her mother-in-law is currently out of town for the next two days,” she said, sounding defeated. “She took it with her, I guess.”
The look of defeat on Emmy’s face broke my heart. She pulled her phone back out and started tapping away at the screen as she paced the yard.
“My cousin lives in town,” Emmy told me. “I’m going to see if I can stay at her place.”
“Sounds like a plan, but you know if that doesn’t work out—” I was cut off by her phone ringing.
“Miranda? Yes, it’s me,” she said. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but I’m in town and need a place to stay. I was wondering if I could crash at your place for a few days?”
Emmy turned away from me, but I could hear her saying, “Mmm-hmm… Oh okay, I see. No, no worries. Talk soon.”
That didn’t sound like good news.
“Dammit,” she muttered, throwing her phone back in her bag.
“I’m guessing that didn’t work out either?”
“No. Miranda and her entire family are on vacation. They didn’t leave a key or anything, so there’s no way I can get into their house.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It sounds like you’re in a rough place right now. You know, you could always crash at my place if you’d feel comfortable with that.”
Emmy turned to me with wide eyes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t. Do you think you could give me a ride to the hotel? I’m really sorry to be such a pain.”
“You’re not a pain, and you’re not staying in a hotel. It’s getting late and you’ve had a rough day.” I m
otioned for her to follow me to my truck, but she stayed put. I turned around just as it started to rain again. “You’re going to get soaked and catch a cold if you stay out here much longer.”
“I don’t want to trouble you,” she mumbled, uncomfortable.
“You’re not troubling me at all,” I assured her. “In fact, it would stress me the hell out leaving you alone tonight, so consider it as doing me a favor – it’ll ease my mind to have you at my place for the night.”
She sighed as the rain came down harder, nearly a downpour. Her hair was sticking to her face, her bun falling free from the weight of the wet hair. Her eyes were wide, and she looked so tired.
“Alright, but just one night,” she acquiesced, walking toward me at last. “I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow, I promise.”
“Sure, whatever you need to do.”
I held open the truck door and helped her climb inside. Her t-shirt was clinging to her body, almost sheer in its thinness. It caused a reaction low in my gut because damn, she had a fine body.
Stop it, Graham. Just because she’s coming back to your place doesn’t mean you’re going to hook up again. After everything she’s been through, you need to think with your head and not your cock.
It was hard not to react to her, especially when I vividly remembered how good it had felt to be inside her. So all I could do was try my best to hide it. I adjusted my jeans before walking over to the driver’s side and climbing in.
Emmy was quiet beside me as we drove out of town. She stared out the window as the rain pelted the truck.
“Where ya from, if you don’t mind me asking?”
She turned those dark eyes toward me. “Las Vegas.”
“So, what brings you to Liberty? Friends and family from here?”
“Yeah, I used to live here. As a child. Some of my family still lives here, and Liv is my childhood best friend.”
“Why on Earth would your family move to Vegas then? No offense, but I’ve been to Vegas and it’s a shithole compared to Liberty.”
Her jaw tightened, and for a second, I thought I might have offended her. But then she nodded. “You’re right, Vegas is a shithole. I would have preferred to stay in Liberty, but after my mom died, my dad moved there for work.”