“You left my shoe there. With my initial on the bottom. You want me to go to jail? Is that it?”
“I already told you that shoe was for insurance!” Reed shouts. “You should be thanking me for what I did.”
I wipe at my tears and try to catch my breath.
“You had better tell me you fucking appreciate it or I am going to be really friggin’ unhappy.”
I have to do this. I have to lie. “I…I…appreciate…”
“Fuck that. You’re gonna prove it to me.”
Reed grabs me by the hair and pulls me to my knees. “Reed, stop!”
He releases me and unbuckles his jeans, then whips out his cock. It’s already hard. “Suck it.”
I tremble as I look up at him in utter disbelief.
“What the fuck are you waiting for?” he demands. “Show your goddamn appreciation for how I took care of that guy. Suck my dick.”
I draw in a deep breath, let it out real slow. “No.”
“What?”
I get to my feet, anger taking the place of my shock. “Fuck you.”
Reed punches me in the face, flat-out coldcocks me. I fly backward. Blood oozes from my nose.
He grabs me by the hair. “You are going to suck my dick right now—”
“Okay,” I tell him. Blood drips into my mouth. “Okay. I will.”
I ease myself onto my knees, fighting the tears inside me. It’s time to go into survival mode and do what it takes to get out of here alive.
I take his cock in my mouth, and Reed groans in delight. “That’s right, babe. Deep-throat my cock the way you know I like it.”
“Like this?” I kiss the tip of his penis, then run my tongue over it before taking it deep in my mouth, into the deepest part of my throat that I can.
“God, yeah. Babe, don’t get mad. But this is kind of hot. Watching you do this with the blood…”
You’re a sick son of a bitch,
I think. But I moan and continue to give him one amazing blow job, pretending I’m loving every moment of it.
And Reed, the fucking moron, gets lost in the moment. He runs his hands through my hair, groaning softly, like he’s not forcing me to do this. I let him enjoy my mouth and tongue for a good couple minutes. I massage his balls, let him completely lose himself in his sick pleasure.
And then I squeeze his balls like I’m crushing a ripe Georgia peach in my hands.
Reed’s immediate reaction is shock—then he falters backward and wails in pain. I don’t waste a second. I scramble to my feet and start to run.
Behind me Reed cusses a blue streak. I should head straight to the front door, but I make a quick detour to the kitchen to grab a knife. If Reed catches up to me, I’ll need to protect myself.
I run out the front door, stumble down the steps. I hear Reed behind me, but I don’t turn. And yet I don’t know where to go. I don’t have my purse, my car keys, my money…not even my cell phone.
I’m running as fast as I can, but the gravel driveway digs into my feet. Despite my fear, my momentum slows. Like an animal predator, it sounds as though Reed is picking up speed at sign of my weakness.
And then I’m jerked down violently. My hands fly out to break my fall, but still my face hits the gravel path. The rocks tear into my skin.
The knife goes flying.
I could give up right now. Accept my fate and let Reed kill me. But damn it, Reed has already taken too much from me.
I won’t let him take my life.
Reed grabs me by my collar and spins me onto my back. I throw punches and kick like a woman deranged. But nothing I do stops Reed, who puts his hands around my neck and squeezes.
And then I’m gasping, choking. Grabbing at Reed’s hands but failing to loosen their grip.
“You think you’re gonna screw me over?” he asks. He loosens his hold on my throat, and I desperately gulp in air.
He drags me back into the house and throws me onto the floor. Now that we’re inside, there’s no doubt he’s going to kill me.
Reed slams the door shut and locks it. Hopelessness grips me. He’s tall and built like a Mac truck. Without a weapon, how the hell can I fight him?
As he advances, his eyes wild like a demon’s, I push backward on my ass in a futile attempt to escape him.
“Please, Reed.” It’s all I can do. Beg and hope he’ll calm down.
“You’re a bitch and a whore and you were never good enough for me.”
I keep moving. My hands hit the cool kitchen tile.
“So let me leave,” I tell him. “If I’m not good enough for you, just let me walk out the door and you’ll never see me again.”
Reed chuckles, but there’s no mirth in his voice. “Sorry, babe. But you’re gonna die.”
I’m at a kitchen cupboard now, and Reed is closing in on me. My mind scrambles for a plan, one that will save my life. “No, Reed,” I say. “You’re the one that’s gonna die.”
He glances at me oddly, a little stunned. Like he thinks that maybe I’ve got a gun on me and I’m about to pull it on him.
In his moment of hesitation, I move. I’m on my feet in a flash, my hands reaching for the top of the kitchen counter and the knife rack.
“Fucking whore!” Reed shouts and pounces on me.
Reed yanks on my hair, but not before I’m able to close my fingers around a knife. I whirl around and strike, jab the knife into his flesh over and over again.
“Bitch!”
Reed doesn’t let me go, but I feel his fingers loosen slightly. Then he steps backward, an odd expression on his face, but he doesn’t fall.
This is it. All I’ve got. If the knife didn’t inflict any damage, then I’m doomed.
Suddenly the expression on his face changes. He becomes ashen as his knees falter. He stumbles backward, and only then do I look down at his torso and see the stain of blood on his shirt.
It’s oozing out of him.
“What did you…” His voice fades as he falls in a heap on the floor.
It takes me a moment to realize he’s not dead, but he’s making this strange wheezing sound. Emotion hits me like a ton of bricks at what I’ve done.
What I had to do.
Sobbing, I drop the knife.
“Help…help…” Reed stretches his hand toward me, his eyes imploring me to help him.
I stand there and watch him, though part of me wants to drop to my knees and apply pressure to the wound.
But I can’t.
“P-please…”
Reed’s hand drops. His eyes flutter shut.
I break down and bawl like a baby.
Hours after I’ve given my statement to police, I’m with my sister in the hospital waiting room.
“I’d walk away and never look back,” Annelise tells me.
“I know,” I say softly. “And I should. But I just want to know…know that he’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t understand you.”
“I don’t want him dead, Annie, even if he deserves it. For what he did to me—to Rusty—I want him to spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
Annelise grips my hand and squeezes it, saying she understands.
We sit silently for a while. I’m filled with such an overwhelming feeling of comfort having my sister by my side. I don’t think I can ever express to her how much this means to me.
“Isn’t this strange?” Annelise says after a while. “The two of us almost in the exact same boat. Charles died, now Reed might. Two men in our lives who were so bad for us.”
“It is freaky.”
“When do you want to get your stuff?” my sister asks me.
“I don’t really care about my stuff.”
“You say that now—”
“Honestly, I don’t care. I don’t ever want to go back to Reed’s house.” I close my eyes and shudder.
Annelise puts her arm around me and pulls me close, and I rest my head on her shoulder. There’s something warm about her touch, something comforting the way I’d always hoped for from my mother. So I sit there like that with her, getting strength from her love for me.
“You know what I wish?” I say after a while.
“Tell me.”
“I wish I’d stayed in Costa Rica. With Miguel. How could I have been so stupid? He was the perfect guy for me. The perfect guy, period. Then I let Reed ruin things. And I wasn’t happy after that. I ran from my feelings for Miguel in Vegas, thought sleeping with Rusty would make me forget him. But now all I can think of is how much I fucked up. Again.”
“Maybe you should call him.”
“No.” I shake my head vehemently. “Look at me. I’m an emotional basket case. Not to mention my face looks like I should be starring in some horror flick. Miguel deserves better than me.”
“From everything you told me, the man loves you.”
“It’s over. I’m sure he’s moved on. It’s just one of those situations I’ll always regret.”
“There’ll be someone else,” Annelise assures me, and she kisses the top of my head. “Someone who treats you with respect, loves you with dignity.”
“That’d be nice.”
“Have some faith,” she tells me.
I wish I could. I wish I could allow myself to believe that a decent guy is lurking around the corner. But I’m not that foolish. The good guys aren’t a dime a dozen.
I had one. And I let him go.
Annelise
R
eed died.
The very same night that Samera and I were in the hospital, waiting to hear word of his condition after surgery, he slipped away.
And for the past two weeks my sister’s been in a slump. Yes, she was fully within her rights to defend herself from Reed’s attack. But still, she killed a man. That’s been extremely hard for her to deal with.
She’s stayed with me and Dominic, and I’ve tried to help keep her spirits up. Nothing’s really helping, but I suppose it’s only a matter of time.
We’re out for dinner right now at one of Atlanta’s upscale eateries, the Capital Grille. We’re decked out in elegant dresses, and men all around the room have been checking us out.
But my sister barely smiles. And she only picks at her food, a delectable-smelling dry-aged steak.
“So,” I say, “have you figured out which courses you want to take this fall?”
“Not really. I’m not sure I’m ready.”
“What can I do to help you feel better?”
“I’m getting there, I guess. It’s just hard.” Samera sighs.
For the hundredth time, I glance toward the restaurant’s entrance. And finally I see my surprise. A grin explodes on my face, one that must be as big as the state of Georgia.
I push my chair back abruptly and stand. “Um, excuse me.”
“What? Where are you going?”
“Don’t look so panic-stricken,” I tell Samera. “I’m just heading to the ladies’ room.”
“Then what was with that big smile—did Dominic just come in here or something?”
“Or something.”
The hostess starts off with Miguel toward our table, and he grins when he sees me.
I sit back down.
“I thought you had to go to the bathroom,” Samera says.
“I did, but.” I shrug.
“You are acting mighty suspicious. And why do you keep grinning like—”
Samera abruptly stops speaking when Miguel arrives at our table. She doesn’t notice who it is right away, considering the bouquet of roses he’s carrying is blocking his face. But then he lowers the bouquet and
bam!
Samera’s eyes widen as if she’s got a piece of beef lodged in her throat.
Her eyes fly from Miguel’s face to mine. “Surprise,” I say.
Samera stares at Miguel again, her expression saying she can’t believe he’s here. Heck, she can’t even speak.
Miguel is the first to talk. “Samera,
mi bella
.”
“Mi—” Samera croaks. “Miguel?”
He chuckles softly, his dark eyes sparkling. “Yes, it is really me.”
“But I don’t understand.” Samera looks to me again.
“It wasn’t hard to find him,” I explain. “We knew where he worked.”
“And you brought him here?” Her eyes mist with tears.
“Your sister,” Miguel says softly. “She said you needed me.”
“And you just got on a plane and came to the States?” Samera asks him.
“Yes.”
Such a simple answer, but it says so much. It says he still loves her.
My eyes start to water.
Miguel extends the flowers to Samera. “Beautiful flowers for a very beautiful lady.”
“Oh, Miguel.” Samera takes the roses but doesn’t give them a second glance. She drops them onto the table and leaps to her feet, flinging her arms around him.
And she kisses him. A deep, passionate, shameless kiss.
I glance away and dab at my eyes.
And then a funny thing happens. People start to applaud. Maybe they think Miguel and Samera have just gotten engaged. Or maybe they know they’re two lovers reuniting. All I know is that as I look at my sister and Miguel, their love is palpable.
I get to my feet and wrap my arms around both Miguel and Samera. Then I say, “Miguel, it’s great to see you again. But I’m gonna leave you and my sister now.”
“But we haven’t finished eating,” Samera says.
“I’ll pick up a burger somewhere,” I tell her.
“But—”
I put my mouth close to her ear and whisper, “Samera, I know how it was when I got together with Dominic. The last thing I was concerned with was food. I can’t imagine you’re hungry for anything you can order at this place. You be with Miguel. I already booked a room for you at the Ritz down the street.”
Tears fill my sister’s eyes. “You did?”
“I love you,” I tell her. “In case there was ever any doubt.”
She gives me a solo hug, squeezes me hard. Then I hug Miguel, as well. “Take care of my sister.”
“I will,” he says.
“I’ll settle the bill,” I tell them.
I leave the two of them standing beside the table, their arms wrapped around each other. When I get to the hostess stand, I explain to the lady there that I’d like to settle the bill for our table.
I glance at Miguel and Samera. They’re still holding each other, their faces close as they chat.
I pay the bill with cash, then head toward the elevator that will take me downstairs. I hit the button, then turn for one last look at my sister and her lover.
Samera catches my gaze. She mouths the words, “Thank you.”
The elevator door opens, and I give her a wave.
And then I see something I haven’t seen in two months. Samera’s radiant smile. It fills the entire room with light.
At last my sister is smiling again.
That thought warms me as I descend to the first floor.