Risky Vengeance

by Rhonda Brewer

  “I know I didn’t do this,” Abbie told him.

  “We’ll deal with that later. Right now, I just want to get you out of here.” Jason smiled.

  “Why am I not on the way home, and why wasn’t I in court?” Abbie asked.

  “Your release papers needed to be filed. I appeared on your behalf at court, but you’ll have to be there for future dates.” Jason stood up as someone knocked.

  Abbie glanced up to see her mother with James. She immediately wrapped Abbie up in a comforting hug, making it almost impossible to keep the tears from falling.

  “Let’s get you home,” her mother whispered as Jason led them out of the room.

  Her mother was quiet as they drove back to Abbie’s house. All the things she had when James arrested her were in a plastic bag sitting on her lap. Her phone was buzzing continuously, but she ignored it.

  The soft country music on the radio soothed her, and Abbie closed her eyes as she tried to block out everything else but the music. Abbie didn’t know the song or the artist, but it was calming.

  Abbie sat in the middle of an empty room. It was bright, but she could hear someone shouting for her. She didn’t know where the voice was coming from, and she turned to find a door. She was surrounded by slate-gray walls and when she tried to shout, nothing came out.

  Abbie took a step forward, but someone or something was holding her back. An arm wrapped around her neck, and she struggled against the hold. The more she struggled, the tighter she was held. Then she heard a low, sinister voice murmur in her ear.

  “Payback.”

  “Abbie,” her mother shouted.

  Abbie’s eyes flew open, and she gasped for air. She glanced around and calmed when she realized she parked in the driveway sitting in her mother’s car.

  “Honey, are you okay?” Her mother cupped Abbie’s cheek.

  “Yeah, I guess it was a dream.” Abbie pressed her hands against her chest and took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

  “You must be exhausted. Let’s go inside and get some supper,” her mother said as they got out of the car.

  Abbie nodded as her mom helped her inside the house. She wasn’t hungry, but her mother wouldn’t give up until she ate something. The problem was how could she eat when she felt like vomiting.

  She’d eaten half a sandwich when her father arrived with Trunk and Billie. Her dad was furious, but Trunk looked ready to kill someone. Still, seeing him calmed her.

  “Abbie.” Billie ran to her, and hugged Abbie so tightly that it was almost hard to breathe.

  “Jason managed to get me out,” Abbie told them as Billie released her.

  “You won’t have to go back because that prick you were dating isn’t who he says he is,” her father said after he kissed her cheek.

  “What do you mean?” Abbie asked.

  “The place he said he worked has a Chad Grady, but he’s a young man with Down’s Syndrome and the owner’s nephew,” her father explained.

  Abbie’s eyes focused on Trunk. He stood next to the counter with his phone to his ear, talking quietly to someone. There was something about the way he stood that told her he wasn’t getting the answer he wanted.

  “Abbie, do you have a picture of Chad?” Billie asked.

  “I have no idea. I don’t even remember him.” Abbie shrugged.

  “What about your phone?” Billie sat next to her.

  “You can check it. It’s over on the counter.” Abbie pointed next to the coffee pot.

  Abbie’s head pounded, and she wanted to help them, but how could she when she didn’t know what was going on? With the news Billie just gave her, she felt like a complete idiot. She wanted to figure out how the hell she could allow someone to con her so easily.

  “Sandy is working on finding out who your Chad is.” Trunk crouched next to her.

  “He’s not my Chad,” Abbie complained.

  “Sorry.” Trunk ran a finger down the side of her face.

  Abbie sighed and closed her eyes. His touch was warm, and it dulled the pain in her head. She wondered how he did it, but at that moment, she was just glad for the pain to ease.

  “Abs, you look tired,” Trunk whispered.

  “That’s putting it mildly.” Abbie sighed.

  “Maybe you should take a hot bath and go to bed.” Her mother smoothed her hand down over the top of Abbie’s head.

  “Sounds like heaven.” Abbie smiled up at her mother and then turned to Trunk. “Are you staying here?”

  “He didn’t stay at the hospital. Why would he stay here?” her father snapped.

  “Darren, that’s enough,” her mom chastised.

  “I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I need to talk to your parents about before I agree to stay.” Trunk stood up and turned to them.

  “I don’t think this is the time, Ben.” Abbie grabbed his hand.

  “You’re in the situation because I wanted to hide something. They need to know before we can think about making it work.” Trunk squeezed her hand.

  Her mother and father exchanged glances and then turned back to Abbie. It was as if they were preparing themselves for the worst, and maybe they wouldn’t be okay with the fact Trunk’s stepfather killed Laurie.

  “If anyone is curious, there isn’t one picture of Chad on Abbie’s phone or in her iCloud,” Billie interrupted.

  “Sandy’s working on it,” Trunk said.

  “Okay, I’ll leave so you guys can talk.” Billie started to leave the kitchen.

  “You might as well stay, Billie.” Trunk turned to Abbie’s parents. “Darren, Claire, you might want to sit for this.”

  “Ben, are you sure about this?” Abbie’s heart pounded.

  “Yes.” Trunk sat at the table next to her.

  Her father and mother sat across from them, and Billie was on the other side of Abbie. It was difficult to stay calm when she didn’t know how her parents were going to react to what Trunk was about to tell them.

  When Trunk dropped his hand on her knee, she realized it was bouncing up and down. When she met his gaze, he mouthed the words, “It’s okay,” to her and Abbie covered his hand with hers.

  “What’s going on?” Billie asked.

  “This is difficult for me to disclose to anyone. Not many people know, and it’s the reason I decided to stay away from Abbie,” Trunk began.

  “You know since the day I met you, that’s the most I’ve heard you say at one time,” Billie interjected.

  “You’re about to hear a lot more,” Trunk returned.

  Abbie hoped Trunk was doing the right thing by telling her parents. They said they didn’t blame Jerry’s family, but saying it, and actually facing the family were two different things. Her father wanted to kill Trunk’s stepfather and didn’t mince words when the subject of Jerry Stamp came up.

  “Darren, Claire, I don’t know how to say this, but to just put it out there and go from there,” Trunk began.

  “Do you think we don’t know?” Her mother smiled.

  “It’s so obvious.” Her father scoffed.

  “What are you talking about?” Trunk asked.

  “Ben, we’ve known for a long time how you feel about our daughter, but we never knew why you didn’t act on it or why Abbie would enter a relationship with someone like Chad, or whoever he is. She was so obviously in love with you.” Her mother reached across the table and touched Trunk’s arm.

  “I would much rather see my daughter with you than that prick she’s been with,” Darren said.

  “I hope you still feel that way when I tell you this. The truth is I love Abbie more than I could ever tell you. I stayed away because I didn’t want to cause her grief.” Trunk glanced at Abbie, and she nodded.

  They needed to get it out in the open and start with a clean slate. Losing her sister was the hardest thing her family went through, but nobody could blame Trunk.

  “Ben, what is it you’re hiding?” her mother asked.

  Trunk took a deep breath, and
his hand tightened on Abbie’s knee. She could see the struggle in his eyes as he turned to face her, and she wanted to tell him to forget it. It didn’t matter because she loved him no matter what.

  “My stepfather… his name… Jerry Stamp,” Trunk’s words came out barely above a whisper.

  At first, her parents stared as if they didn’t understand what came out of his mouth. Abbie watched them process the information, and the second her father put it together.

  “He’s the one who…” her father stammered.

  “He… he killed Laurie,” her mother whispered.

  “Yes,” Trunk answered.

  Her father stood up and walked out of the room. A second later, the front door slammed, and Abbie felt a knot in her stomach tighten. Her mother quickly went after him, and Abbie blew out a nervous breath.

  “I’m sorry, Abbie,” Billie said, breaking the silence.

  “Don’t be sorry, it’s not going to change my feelings for Ben,” Abbie told her friend.

  “Abs, we can’t be together if it upsets your parents. I love you, but I couldn’t do that to…” Trunk’s words stopped when the front door opened again.

  Her parents walked into the kitchen with a small shoebox. Abbie had seen it in the trunk of her father’s car for years, but he would never show her what was inside it. All he would say was it would be returned to the owners one day.

  “Stamp was a mean bastard. He’s lucky some of my neighbors got to him before I did.” Her father placed the box on the table. “The day Laurie died, I found this stuff on the ground next to the car. It was in a bag where he fell out. I swore one day I’d ensure his family got this back.”

  Her father removed the cover and pushed it toward Trunk. Inside was some jewelry, cash, and what looked like an old flask. Trunk reached inside, and his hand shook as he picked up the silver bottle.

  “My mother had this. It belonged to my grandfather. It was the only thing Jerry didn’t break or sell because Mom used to keep it hidden in our closet and told us never to tell him where it was.” Trunk ran his thumb across the letters on the front of it.

  “How did he get it then?” Abbie asked.

  “He must have beat her until she couldn’t take it. That day… she almost died.” Trunk’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the flask.

  Chapter 15

  Trunk stared at the flask. He hadn’t seen it since he was a boy. After they moved, he’d asked his mother about it, and her eyes filled with tears. She told him it was lost in the move, and he believed it since many of their things had not made it to Corner Brook.

  He pulled it into his chest as he glanced into the box again. There were some pieces of his mother’s jewelry he hadn’t seen in a long time. Others he didn’t recognize.

  “Why did he have this stuff?” Trunk murmured mostly to himself.

  “Would your mother have given it to him?” Abbie asked.

  “No. He got this because he beat the living shit out of her.” Trunk swallowed the lump in his throat.

  “He almost killed your mother that day,” Claire whispered.

  “He was probably going to sell it.” Darren’s tone was cold.

  Trunk glanced up at Abbie’s father with his heart thudding in his chest. He couldn’t read the man, but he thought Darren wouldn’t be okay with Abbie and him together. Trunk couldn’t blame the man, but he was curious why Darren kept everything for so long.

  “Why didn’t you get rid of this stuff?” Trunk asked.

  “I threw it away at first, but the day after Laurie died, the police came to tell us the bastard put his wife in hospital, and she was lucky to be alive. They told me the kids were with a neighbor and were safe. I dug through the garbage and pulled it out. I wanted to return it over to your mother at the trial, but she never showed. It’s been in my trunk ever since.” Darren tapped the box with his finger. “I’ve had three different vehicles since then, and this box moved into each one.”

  “Dad, why didn’t you ask the police to give it to her?” Abbie asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess I hoped giving it back to her myself would give me some peace. I know it sounds stupid.” Darren eased down into the chair across from Trunk.

  “Thank you, Darren. I’ll give it to my mom.” Trunk placed the items back in the box and replaced the cover.

  “You’re not him, Ben.” Darren dropped his hand on top of the box.

  “No, I’m not.” Trunk would never do what Jerry did.

  “I would never blame you or your mother for what he did,” Darren went on.

  “Thank you.” Trunk lifted his eyes to look at Darren.

  “I know we don’t know each other well, but what I do know is you’re an upstanding man with a huge heart. All I ask is you treat my daughter the way she deserves. I would never blame you for something your stepfather did. If that were the case, I’d be paying for the crimes of my father too.” Darren’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Dad, what are you talking about?” Abbie asked.

  “You never knew my father, Monkey. He died before you were born. He was a raging alcoholic who enjoyed beating my mother and me. He died when he fell down the stairs, drunk, right after he raped my mother.” Darren swallowed and closed his eyes.

  “Dad,” Abbie gasped.

  “She had the nerve to tell him to get out of the house. He decided to teach her a lesson. That’s what he called it when he hit either of us.” Darren blew out a breath.

  “I’m sorry, Darren.” Trunk finally figured out why he felt a kinship with Abbie’s father.

  “For a while, I went wild because I didn’t know how to deal with the pain of everything. They used to call me Hammer because I’d nail any girl who would open their legs.” Darren smirked.

  “Ugh.” Abbie gagged.

  “It’s how I pushed down all the pain of my childhood. If I hadn’t met Claire, God knows where I’d be. She gave me the kick in the ass I needed to get myself together.” Darren wrapped his arm around his wife.

  “My mother was the one who kept us in line. She gained a lot of strength after we went to Corner Brook. I give her credit for both Chris and me not being in trouble or ending up in jail,” Trunk admitted.

  “As long as you take care of our daughter, Ben, we would never prevent her from being with the man she loves.” Claire gave him a soft smile.

  “Thank you for that.” Trunk nodded.

  “Why in the hell did I not know any of this before now?” Billie slapped Trunk’s arm.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t. Sandy’s known for a while.” Trunk smirked at Billie.

  “Wait until I get home, she’s getting a call from me.” Billie crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Sandy knows a lot of things about the guys. Don’t expect her to spill the details unless they give her permission,” Trunk told Billie.

  “Let’s have a bite to eat and forget everything for a while.” Claire smiled.

  “Sounds wonderful,” Abbie said.

  After supper, Darren, Claire, and Billie left. Abbie’s parents hadn’t gone home since Abbie got out of the hospital, but since Trunk assured them he wasn’t going anywhere, they felt comfortable leaving.

  Trunk helped Abbie to bed and waited while she got ready. When she was in bed, he lay next to her and wrapped her in his arms. Trunk listened to her deep, even breathing, and the sound lulled him into a deep sleep.

  The soft buzz of his phone woke him from the best night’s rest he had in years. Abbie was still softly snoring, and he eased out of bed, grabbing his phone before he left the room.

  “Hello,” Trunk answered.

  “Hey, Trunk,” Keith replied.

  “What’s up?” Trunk could tell by Keith’s tone that something wasn’t right.

  “It’s that prick. He’s flown the coop,” Keith told him.

  “What do you mean?” Trunk growled.

  “Sandy is still trying to figure out who the ass is. When James went to question him at the address Billie gave us, he wa
s in the wind. The apartment was empty, and the landlord said the guy didn’t even tell him he was leaving,” Keith explained.

  “Son of a bitch.” Trunk growled.

  “Also, the bank account where the money from the fraudulent sales was supposed to be deposited is drained,” Keith went on.

  “How is that possible? Wasn’t there a freeze put on all her accounts until this was over?” Trunk asked.

  “It looks like the money transferred out before the police got the tip. James is looking into it, but the good news is, Abbie is in the clear. James said Abbie was in the hospital when the money was transferred out of the account,” Keith told him.

  “At least we don’t have to worry about that anymore, but are they going to keep looking for that ass?” Trunk asked.

  Then there was the person who attacked her. It was starting to look more and more like it wasn’t random, and since the person knew where Abbie lived, Trunk was starting to think she’d be safer in Hopedale.

  “You know they will,” Keith said.

  “Are there any leads on her attack?” He knew the answer but still had to ask.

  “No, they found some fingerprints in the car. One set was Abbie’s, but the other isn’t in our system,” Keith explained.

  “That’s no fucking help.” Trunk blew out a breath.

  If the prints weren’t in the system, it meant that the person was never arrested and never worked a government job. If that were the case, finding the bastard would be much more difficult. Everything in Trunk’s body told him everything would lead to the man they knew as Chad Grady.

  Chapter 16

  Abbie sat up in the bed and glanced around the room. She could hear the soft rumble of Trunk’s voice from downstairs, and she relaxed. She’d been dreaming all night, but she was beginning to think they were memories. Many of the visions were things her family told her happened over her missing years, which she’d forgotten.

  The last dream made her jolt up in the bed. She told Chad off and left him at a table in a restaurant. Then she hit the button on her key fob. The memory of an arm around her neck woke her.