Bent (13 page)

Micah nodded but didn't say anything.

Within ten minutes, Caleb wore down his dad to the point where Micah let him run down to the creek with Andy and the rest of his friends. He tossed his phone to Caleb telling him to answer if it showed Julia's name but let it ring otherwise. Julia leaned into Micah's chest, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped around her waist. Her apprehension at the thought of people wondering what was going on melted away and she swayed dreamily in his arms as the band played.

When a slow song came on, Micah slid from the top of the table and offered her a hand. Together, they joined the other couples on the dance floor. Julia rested her head on Micah's shoulder as the lead singer lamented about looking for love. A few friends nodded and smiled as they passed one another. For the first time tonight, everything felt right.

Julia excused herself when the song ended, telling Micah to grab a round of drinks while she went to the restroom. Instead of standing in line for the facilities just outside the tent, she walked up the hill to the pool house. The building was dark and Julia debated turning back. Instead, she pushed the door open and reached for the light switch.

The pain was overwhelming as she her arm was wrenched behind her back.  A calloused hand smelling of stale cigarettes and cheap whiskey was clamped over her mouth as she tried to scream. Before she could react, she was pulled into the dark restroom. The man restraining her whispered into her ear that they didn't want to hurt her, they just wanted to talk.

"But if you scream, you'll leave me no choice. Understood?" Julia nodded and the man squeezed her tightly, one arm still pinned between them and the other pressing firmly into her side. The smell of cheap whiskey assaulted her senses as the behemoth holding her laughed.

From across the room, a shrill voice hissed, "So, the pretty little bitch thinks she can come back and have the perfect little life..." Her face was illuminated by the glow of a cigarette lighter for a moment before they returned to total darkness. It wasn't enough for Julia to clearly see any of the woman's features. She wanted to scream but she had no doubt the man holding her would have no problem making good on his threat.

The cherry on the cigarette brightened as the woman took a long drag before continuing. "They're not yours, you know," she spat. Her words were angry but there was a hint of something else there. Julia struggled to break free from the man's grasp. She needed to get out of there. His hand squeezed her tighter. "This is the only time I will say this, so listen closely. Stay. Away. From. Caleb."

Julia gasped when she realized who was standing just a few feet in front of her. "Karen, I'm not..." She desperately wanted to get out of the restroom and back to the crowd. She tried wiggle free but the man twisted her arm tighter behind her back.

"Shut up," she screeched, "this is
not
a discussion. They're not yours. And if you keep trying to take what's mine, I'm going to make your life hell." Frail fingers squeezed the sides of Julia's face as Karen pulled in close to her. "For eight years, I had to hear all about how perfect you were and how I'd never be you. He made my life a living hell, telling me that I screwed up his life and he'd never get it back."

The cigarette fell to the floor and Julia had no clue where Karen stood in the room. "The truth is, he's the one who fucked it up. The night he was with me, he knew what he was doing. He said it was amazing. The best. He begged me to let him do me bareback wanting to feel a real woman, skin on skin. He knew exactly what he was doing. And he had no problem dropping you like a bad habit and running to the courthouse to marry me."

Tears streamed down Julia's face. Listening to Karen give her the details of Micah's betrayal felt like being slapped in the face repeatedly. The bathroom door opened, allowing a sliver of light into the room. Karen stopped and let the door swing shut, "No matter what you think you can give him, I gave him the best thing that ever happened to him. He will
always
love me for that."

Annie told Julia that Karen was unstable, but this was more than that. She was psychotic. No sane person would trap someone in a dark bathroom like this. Julia drew in a deep breath and prayed for strength. She wasn't going to let this woman know the fear that was overwhelming her.

"No, Karen. That's not him loving you. You're a miserable bitch and they're both better off without you in their lives. He did what he thought was--"

Julia's cheek felt like it exploded with the force of Karen's hand making contact. "You don't fucking know me. You don't know anything. Stay the fuck away from them." The door swung open again and Julia fell to the floor. After watching Karen and her friend walk away, she reached into her pocket for her phone.

After two rings, an unexpected voice picked up and Julia remembered that Micah had given his phone to Caleb. "Hello... hello...Dad?"

"No, it's Julia. I forgot your dad gave you his phone," she said, trying to stifle the sobs, "I'll call him on Adam's phone."

Her hands trembled as she found Adam's number in the list. She hadn't even thought about what would happen if Karen found Caleb. She panicked, knowing Karen and the thug she was with could be headed to him now. She didn't give Adam a chance to talk when the line picked up. "Adam, get Caleb. Now!" she whispered loudly. If, by some chance, they didn't know Caleb had wandered off with his friends, Julia wasn't going to be the one to tip them off if they were still nearby.

"Jules, what's going on?" Sensing her fear, Adam's voice rose and she could hear Micah in the background asking the same thing.

There was no time to explain, "Get him. Just get him and go to my house. Adam, you have to get him." Adam pulled the phone from his face and told Micah to get Caleb, that something was going on but he didn't know what. Micah sounded frantic, trying to get Adam to tell him what was going on.

Adam growled, "I don't know yet. Just go get him, dammit. She's freaking out... Just go." He put the phone back to his ear. "Okay, Micah's getting him. Where are you? What's going on? What happened?" The questions fired out of his mouth like an automatic weapon.

"Karen's here," Julia sobbed. She tried to push herself up from the floor. Her shoulder wasn't dislocated but something was messed up. She leaned back against the cool concrete blocks.

A frenzied series of indistinguishable profanities flew from his mouth, "How do you know? Did you see her? Where the hell are you anyway?"

The fact that her brother was unable to ask one question at a time really irritated Julia. Knowing that Caleb was safe, she had time to think about her own condition. Her face throbbed and she could barely move her right arm. She pushed up using her left hand but her knees were weak and she had to lean against the wall for support. "I'm at the pool house bathrooms. Bring your car up here and I'll explain on the way home."

"Jules, you need to tell me what in the hell is going on," he huffed. She could tell he was running through the park.

"Just get your ass up here," Julia barked. "Please Adam, just get up here." She desperately wanted out of the bathroom but couldn't face walking back in the dark. Adam didn't press for more information.

A couple of long minutes later, Adam flipped on the light in the women's room to find Julia cowering against the wall. "Holy hell, what happened in here?" he seethed. Julia flinched at the sound of his fist making contact with the door. In one quick but gentle motion Julia was safe in her brother's arms. She pressed her face into his chest as the sobs overwhelmed her.

Chapter Nine

Once Julia was settled into the front seat of Adam's vintage Chevelle, he stood behind the car while he called Micah. "Hey man, we have a big problem," he stated as soon as Micah picked up.

"I kind of figured that," Micah said, his words clipped. "Now, you want to tell me what in the hell this problem is?" Adam could hear Caleb in the background proclaiming how unfair it was that he had to come home like a little kid. He couldn't blame Caleb for being upset but there was no doubt now that he'd seen his sister that Julia made the right call telling them to grab him.

Adam drew a long breath. He knew Micah was going to hit the roof when he heard. For a moment, he thought it would have been a better idea to leave him in the dark until they got to Julia's. "Karen's here."

"What the--" Micah started, "But wait, how would Julia have known? They never met and she hasn't even seen a picture of her."

As much as he wanted to find Karen and whoever she was with and beat them to a pulp, Adam was trying to be the voice of reason so Micah didn't do something rash. They needed to keep Caleb and Julia safe. Neither of them would be able to do that from jail. "There was, um... there was an incident when Julia went up to the pool house."

Micah's voice rumbled with anger, "What do you mean 'an incident'?"

Adam relayed what little he'd been able to find out from Julia as he raced out of the park. He stopped speaking mid-sentence when he realized that Micah had disconnected the call.

Flashing lights raced down Main Street towards the edge of town. A pit in Adam's stomach told him he knew where they were headed. Knowing there were no other cops in town to stop him, Adam stomped on the accelerator to follow the squad cars.

When they turned the corner, Adam saw Micah on the front lawn animatedly talking to one of the officers. Before he could put the car in park, the other officer was at the passenger's side door waiting to speak with Julia. Micah excused himself and ran across the yard, pushing himself between the officer and the door.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he exclaimed as he threw the door open. He eased her out of the car. Julia flinched when he wrapped his arm around her to lead her into the house, triggering a string of profanities from Micah.

The young officer reached for Micah's shoulder, "Sir, we need to talk to her," he said.

"And you can," Micah spat, "as soon as we get her inside." He shrugged loose from the officer's grasp and continued across the lawn.

Julia motioned to the porch swing, not ready to let Micah see the bruises she knew were forming on her face. Micah draped his leather jacket over her shoulders and returned to the officer he had been speaking with once he knew she was settled.

Both Micah and Julia spent time answering questions for the officers. Julia wept as she apologized for not being able to give details of her attackers. Several times, she jumped when she heard Micah raising his voice, threatening to find Karen if the cops didn't. At one point, Adam brought her a cup of tea and ice for her throbbing face.

When the officer she'd been talking to told her he needed pictures of her injuries, she pleaded with Adam to keep Micah outside so she could have some privacy. He promised to give them privacy and called Caleb to join him on the porch. She led the officers into her office. It was the only room she could enter without having to pass a mirror. She wasn't ready to confirm that she looked as battered as she felt.

Once the officers were satisfied that they had the necessary information, they assured Julia they would try to find Karen and the man who attacked her and left. Julia walked to the kitchen for a glass of wine. The clock on the wall told her it wasn't even ten o'clock yet. It felt like the middle of the night.

"Shit, Jules!" Micah gasped when he saw her walking through the hallway. She flinched at his tone when he saw the purple marks on her face and arm. He inhaled sharply through his nose, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's...it's okay," she whispered. "Is it that bad?" Sooner or later, she was going to have to work up the courage to look in a mirror.

Concern washed over Micah's face, "Baby, I'm so sorry. They're going to find her." He place feather-light kisses on Julia's cheek, "I'm so sorry."

Julia lifted her left hand to Micah's face, "Stop," she demanded. "You didn't do this," she continued, motioning to her injuries, "so please, just stop apologizing." She slumped onto the couch draining her glass in one chug.

Unable to sit still, Micah excused himself and stormed out the front door. Seconds later, Julia jumped at the sound of Micah's fist meeting the side of his truck. She shot up from the couch, instantly regretting the quick movement. Steadying herself, she walked outside and scolded Micah to come inside before someone called the cops back to the house. He muttered something before turning back across the yard.

The bruises on Julia's face pulsated as she woke in the morning. She rolled to her back and saw Micah lying next to her, still sleeping soundly. Slowly, she eased herself off the bed, not wanting to disturb him. She went to bed while he and Adam discussed the situation at the kitchen table and knew he'd likely been up for a quite a while after that.

Downstairs, Caleb was passed out on the couch, the television looping with the main menu of a DVD. She turned off the TV and shuffled down the hall, desperately needing her morning coffee. There, she found Adam nodding off at the kitchen table. "Hey bro, you look like hell," she whispered.

Adam's head jerked back as he rubbed his eyes, "What? Oh, hey... guess I fell asleep." He looked upset at the admission. After stretching his arms, he lightly hugged Julia's shoulders, "You really know how to make things exciting, don't you?" he laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood.