Closure

by A. P. Jensen

  Chapter Ten

  “Back off,” Juliet snapped.

  The blow came so quickly, she didn’t have time to defend herself. One moment she was standing and the next she was on her hands and knees on the ground. Gravel embedded in her palms, but she ignored that and surged to her feet.

  “How does that feel?” Freddy taunted and shoved her into the building so hard that her vision flashed white. “You messed with the wrong man.”

  When he caged her against the building, she raised her hands to shove him away, but he pressed his forearm against her throat.

  “Stop fighting,” he ordered.

  Juliet stilled and he allowed her to draw a breath. Juliet wheezed as she gulped in air and stared at Freddy who was stone cold sober. He pressed his body against hers and she felt his erection. Bile rose in her throat.

  “Gray told me all about you, Juliet,” Freddy said, eyes focused on her mouth. “You’ve always been a dirty girl.”

  The front of her jeans unsnapped. Juliet went cold with terror as his fingers slipped into her underwear. Juliet slashed her nails wildly across his face. Freddy’s eyes flashed with rage. His forearm cut off her air. Juliet bucked, but he was too strong.

  “You’ve caused so much problems in so little time. Gray isn’t happy.”

  He eased pressure on her throat. Juliet gagged and clutched his arm as she tried to catch her breath. His hand went back to her underwear. Juliet stiffened and he clucked his tongue.

  “Don’t, Juliet,” he crooned and she froze. “Everything was fine before you showed up. Once you’re gone, everything will go back to normal.”

  His hand dipped lower. Juliet used every ounce of strength she had and kicked. Freddy stumbled back with a howl, hands clamped over his crotch.

  “You bitch!” he shouted, voice drowned out by the highway on the opposite side of the building.

  Juliet was torn between making a run for the car or the bar. Her hand went to her jeans. She paused when she felt a piece of paper tucked into the waistband of her underwear.

  “It’s a check for one million,” Freddy said. “Brent was too fucking cheap to give you a decent bribe to disappear so there it is. I’d insist on a fuck to go with it, but there’s no time. I need you gone and Gray’s getting impatient.”

  Juliet’s blood turned to ice. “Gray?”

  Freddy grinned, revealing his missing tooth. “He won’t let the divorce go through. I’m here to stay and there’s nothing you or anyone can do to change it. Callie’s my wife, pregnant with my child. I have all the rights, not her or Brent. Gray will take care of it and grease whoever’s palms he needs to. Callie’s mine.”

  Freddy gave her a look that made her break out in goosebumps.

  “As for you, if you’re stupid enough to stay, Gray has plans for you. Does Dominick know the truth about where you come from?”

  Freddy’s eyes dipped to her unfastened jeans. The sick lust in his eyes made her back away.

  “If I were you, I’d take the money and leave. If you stay, you won’t like the consequences.”

  With that, Freddy walked around the building and disappeared. Juliet took one step towards her car and sagged to her knees. She retched, stomach heaving as shock and horror unfurled within her. Through the dull buzz in her ears, she heard a loud bang. Juliet was assailed by the strong smell of grease as Hunter knelt beside her as the spasms passed.

  “What the fuck happened?” Hunter shouted.

  Juliet spit blood and kept her face averted as she got to her feet. When her jeans slipped from her hips, she couldn’t stop the surge of tears. Juliet tried to secure her jeans with fumbling fingers, but couldn’t get the button through the slot.

  “Juliet?”

  She reached for her laptop and focused on gathering the papers, which had blown across the back lot. Juliet ignored the fact that her bleeding hands were staining everything she touched. Hunter stepped in front of her. The dark expression on his face told her that Freddy marked her.

  “Don’t touch me,” Juliet whispered

  “What the fuck is this?”

  Juliet saw the check in his hand and the amount written on it. Juliet turned away and finished gathering up Sumi’s paperwork. Juliet tossed everything on the passenger seat and would have gotten into the car, but Hunter gripped her arm and hauled her out.

  “This check is from Freddy,” Hunter bit out.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

  Her voice gave out as he brushed a gentle hand over her burning throat. Hunter’s eyes glittered as he cast a murderous look around the parking lot and then marched her into the bar.

  “Leave me alone!” She was tired of being manhandled, pushed, shoved and just… so fucking tired. Juliet shook like a leaf as Hunter pushed her into the kitchen and propped her against the steel counter. Juliet watched through a haze of tears as he fetched a medical kit. “I-I’m fine.”

  Hunter snatched one of her hands and dusted the gravel out of the lacerations. Juliet watched numbly as he cleaned her hands, even blowing on them as he applied hydrogen peroxide. Juliet could feel her cheek swelling. When Hunter’s eyes probed hers, she looked away. She felt dirty, violated and ashamed.

  “Thank you,” she whispered and tried to leave, but he blocked the exit.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “Nothing—”

  He held up the check again. “Tell me one more time that nothing happened.”

  Juliet raised her eyes to his and couldn’t stop the first tear from slipping down her cheek. First Todd, reminding her of the past and then her brother-in-law made her feel like a powerless whore.

  “Tell me,” Hunter ordered.

  “Why?”

  “Do you want me to call the cops?”

  Juliet ground her teeth. “What for? No one will believe me anyway.”

  Hunter fingered the check. “His name is on this.”

  “He can explain away everything, just like Gray can. You can’t touch people with money even if there’s evidence.”

  “I heard Callie’s at the Grant mansion. Brent supports her. You should call him.”

  Juliet glared at him. “Didn’t you hear what Todd said?”

  “About Brent offering to pay you six figures to leave? It’s true?”

  Juliet nodded and felt unbearably cold.

  “You’re not a moocher,” he said.

  “How do you know?”

  “You wiped down tables and picked up dirty glasses.”

  “So?”

  “You’re not afraid of work. Plus, I don’t think you’re carrying around that laptop and those papers for show.”

  “I’m helping some people with bookkeeping—”

  “And the Grants think you’re back for money?” Hunter snorted. “No amount of money in the world is worth putting up with people spitting in your face. Why did you come back?”

  “To tell Gray to stay out of my life.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing,” she said. He sent Freddy to threaten and coerce her. By any means possible… that was Gray’s motto.

  “Talk to me, Juliet.”

  “Now you want to talk?” she said and paced, hugging herself tight. Her mind whirled with what to do next. Her phone rang. She dug it out of her pocket, but when she saw Dominick’s name, she pressed a button to silence it.

  “Did he try to rape you?”

  The question stopped her in her tracks. Juliet kept her back to him as she brushed her hand over the front of her jeans to make sure they were fastened.

  “Juliet?”

  “I need to use the bathroom.” Juliet raced out of the kitchen and slammed herself into one of the two stalls in the women’s bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet in time before she was sick again. She had given herself to many men, but never been at the mercy of a man who didn’t care for her feelings. Freddy wanted to hurt and violate her. He succeeded. Would he have raped her? It would be an effective way to break a woman. Th
e knowledge gleamed in his eyes, turning her stomach. Had he raped Callie? A harsh sob broke from her mouth and echoed in the bathroom. Juliet sat against the wall and drew her knees up to her chest.

  “You’re okay, you’re okay,” she whispered to herself as she rocked. She hadn’t been raped, just roughed up and touched. If she went to the cops, would they believe her? Every particle in her wanted to run, to leave this island and never return. Could Freddy and Gray sway Brent into delaying the divorce? Into forcing Callie to go back to that monster, subjecting her and her child to his beatings?

  Juliet grabbed her phone out of her pocket and saw three missed calls from Dominick and a voicemail. She didn’t let that penetrate. Juliet dialed with stiff fingers. Callie answered on the third ring.

  “Juliet?”

  “Freddy came to see me,” Juliet said through chattering teeth.

  “What?” Callie’s fear leaked through the phone. “Are you okay?”

  Juliet ignored the question. “Gray sent him. They’re going to force you to go back to him.”

  Not a sound on the other end of the phone.

  “I-I’m going to leave. Do you want to come with me?”

  “You’re going to leave? Why? What did he do?” Callie’s voice rose to such a pitch that Juliet winced.

  “I-I’m fine,” she said and tried to stop the urge to sob like a baby. She would be okay in a second. “Do you want to come with me?” She would take Gray’s fucking dirty money and disappear with Callie. Fuck Hawaii and the Grants. She and Callie would make a life away from this cursed island. No matter what she did, the past would never let her be.

  “Where are you?” Callie asked.

  “Hunter’s Bar. Are you coming with me?”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “On the next flight that will take me.” She came back for closure. It was apparent that she would never get that. In the past week she had Annie’s suicide, her worst sin, tossed numerous times in her face. She had been bullied, bribed and pushed around. The constant stress of trying to survive left her exhausted. No matter how hard she worked, no matter what she did, nothing worked out for the better. She was so done.

  “I’m coming,” Callie said.

  Juliet wasn’t sure whether to be worried or relieved by Callie’s agreement. Gray and Freddy would hound her, but they wouldn’t be able to track them if she used cash.

  “Okay,” Juliet said wearily and hung up.

  There was nothing to do but wait. Her phone rang again. Dominick. Juliet ignored his call and called Maile. Even as the phone rang, Juliet knew this wasn’t a good idea, but she couldn’t leave without telling Maile. Not a second time. Maile was her best friend and had taken her in without a thought. She couldn’t leave her high and dry.

  “Dominick just called, asked if you were with me,” Maile said without preamble. “Where are you?”

  The tears that she kept back through sheer willpower overflowed. She clapped a hand over her mouth so Maile wouldn’t hear and reached desperately for her composure.

  “Juliet? Are you there?”

  She took a deep, ragged breath. “I’m l-leaving.”

  “What?”

  “I have to go. This isn’t working out. I wanted to t-thank you for—”

  “What the fuck is going on? Where are you?”

  “I’m at Hunter’s Bar. Callie’s coming and we’re leaving.”

  “Like hell you are!”

  “You don’t understand—”

  “I’ll be there in five,” Maile barked and hung up.

  Juliet dropped her head on her knees as the phone rang again. She didn’t bother to look at it. In less than a week being ‘home’ destroyed her. Her mind was curiously blank. Juliet let herself drift until she heard an argument in the bar. The voices got louder as they approached the bathrooms. When the door burst open, all talking stopped. Juliet raised her face and saw Scarlet, Maile and Callie. Maile shoved her sisters to the side and rushed forward. She fell to her knees beside Juliet.

  “Who hit you?” Maile shouted.

  Juliet couldn’t stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks. She focused on Scarlet. “What are you doing here?”

  Scarlet appeared frozen in place. Callie’s face was bloodless. There was movement behind Scarlet. Juliet was unprepared to see Brent push his way into the bathroom. Was he here to stop Callie from leaving with her? Like the others, Brent stared. Maile brushed Juliet’s hair back from her face.

  “Who hit you?” Maile insisted.

  “Freddy.”

  The answer came from behind the Grant siblings. Apparently, Hunter was still around. Juliet hid her face against her knees.

  “I came out the back door. Juliet was on the ground, vomiting. Her jeans were around her knees,” Hunter continued.

  “Shut up, Hunter,” Juliet said weakly and got to her feet.

  “She had a check for one million stuffed in her underwear,” Hunter said blithely.

  “Will you shut up?” Juliet bellowed and barreled past the spectators to confront Hunter. “No one asked you to get involved!”

  “But I am involved,” Hunter said calmly. “You got hurt on my property.”

  “Then I’ll gladly exit,” she said and held out a hand. “Where is it?”

  Hunter produced the check, but before she could grab it, Brent snatched it. He examined the check and showed it to Scarlet who was pale and tight lipped.

  “What did he want from you?” Brent asked.

  “The same thing you do,” Juliet said, her words tripping over one another. “He just roughed me up and offered me a shitload more.”

  “He wants you to leave,” Brent surmised, eyes moving over her face and then focusing on her neck, which still burned like hell.

  Juliet gave a precise nod and looked at Callie who stared at her with tears coursing down her cheeks. “Are you coming with me?”

  “Hell no!” Maile prodded Brent in the chest. “What the hell are you going to do about this?”

  “What do you want me to do?” Brent asked coldly.

  “Put him in line. Use your money against him, why don’t you?” Silence stretched and Maile bristled. “If you don’t do something, I will!”

  “Did he rape you?” Brent asked.

  Juliet didn’t meet his eyes as she shook her head. She reached for the check and froze when he moved it out of her reach. “I’ll leave, but I need the money. I don’t have any as you pointed out.”

  “I looked into what you were doing before you arrived here,” Brent said quietly. “You were on the rise and then you were accused of embezzling from your own company. How could you be so stupid?”

  A geyser exploded inside of her. Juliet got in Brent’s face and hissed, “If you look into my job history you’ll see that every time I reach a prestigious position in any company, I’m forced to resign. Every. Single. Time. I finally realized that if I had my own company that no one could fire me. I made the mistake of taking on a partner who later accused me of stealing from the company I started. Isn’t it interesting that he was a guest at Lee’s wedding?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  Juliet barely restrained herself from striking him. “It’s Gray!”

  “What?” Brent appeared nonplussed.

  “He’s behind everything, punishing me, crushing me.” Juliet paced away and whirled back. “Gray’s going to force Callie to go back to Freddy.”

  “No, he isn’t,” Brent said with a shake of his head. “We talked about it last night. He agrees with me.”

  Juliet’s nagging headache turned into a sharp pain between her eyes. “Freddy and Gray are in this together.”

  “No,” Brent said, shaking his head.

  Juliet glanced at Callie who looked shell-shocked. Callie could settle this. She could tell Brent that Gray threatened her this morning, but not a word passed from her lips. Callie wouldn’t tell the truth where Gray was concerned. She was too frightened. Juliet steeled herself and turne
d back to Brent.

  “You don’t believe me. Fine. As far as you’re concerned, I probably beat myself and conjured that check out of thin air. Fine. Could I have it? I’ll get out of your hair and you’ll never see me again,” Juliet said and held out a trembling hand.

  Brent narrowed his eyes at her, but he didn’t hand the check over. Juliet began to panic.

  “You looked into my money. I barely have enough for my ticket. I’m sleeping on my secretary’s couch. I can’t survive without his money and I’m fucking tired of running myself into a wall.” Juliet gestured at her bruised face and throat. “I learned my lesson. You protect Callie from Freddy and Gray and I’ll be on my way. I have no further business here.”

  Her words hung in the air. No one moved or spoke. The front door opened and they all turned to see Dominick enter. His normally placid features turned murderous when they fell on her. Brent and Hunter got out of the way as he rushed forward. Juliet tried to back into the women’s bathroom, but he was too quick. Dominick clasped her face between his hands. Blazing green eyes moved over her face and then settled on her throat. She felt his hands tremble before he slid his arms around her and pressed her against him.

  “Are you okay?” Dominick asked in a voice hoarse with rage.

  His warmth seeped into her. The cage of his arms made her feel safe. Juliet began to shake. Dominick’s hand cupped the back of her head. The dam she built for fifteen years crumbled. Juliet sagged against Dominick and sobbed as she hadn’t sobbed since she left Hawaii. She had been in survival mode for over a decade. In survival mode she wasn’t allowed to dwell on the past or let herself be emotional. She had to perform and execute. Juliet could barely catch her breath as emotion engulfed her. She held onto Dominick for dear life and let loose for the first time in over a decade. Juliet felt someone press against her back and heard Maile’s voice in her ear as she pet her hair. Juliet cried even harder. A distant part of her realized that although she was surrounded by family, Dominick and Maile were the ones that comforted her. When the storm of emotion passed, leaving her weak and battered, she became aware of the utter silence in the bar.