One Simple Memory (4 page)

“Don’t touch me.” She said through gritted teeth.

He removed his hand with no complaint.

Now was the time, she thought. She took a deep breath when she felt he was close enough and rammed her elbow into his gut. Hard. She didn’t think twice, she didn’t even look back at him to see if she caused any damage or not, she just began to run.

“Hmphh” He grunted out from the contact. He reached out for her, but missed. He sprinted after her. “Fuck!” He growled.

She didn’t get far before she was knocked down to the floor with a thump. Instantly, he was on top of her, growling like a ravenous animal, and she was his trapped prey.

He eased up from his position and flipped her onto her back. He braced her arms hard with his hands and leaned into her face while breathing hard. “You said you wouldn’t run.”

She tried struggling, all fear aside, she managed to buck her hips, but it was not enough to get anywhere. Frustrated and breathing deep, she gave up. “You can’t blame a girl for trying.”  She did a fast look over of his torso, his tee shirt, straining tight over his muscular chest and arms. She thought she felt something when she bucked against him, but couldn’t confirm visually. Her eyes lazily moved up to his, and she smirked at him. So he likes to play rough does he? Maybe this will be the way to gain a distraction for an escape strategy. She supposed she could try to play his games. She’d need to shove her fear aside. She just needed to figure out how. But first she needed to get rid of this damn frigging migraine.

He sighed deeply and eased up off her body, pulling her up by her arms. “Just get in the room, woman!” He ordered grumpily.

She winced at his loud voice.

“What are you whining about?” He barked.

Instantly, her hands went to her head, tears brimming in her eyes.

Shaking his head. “You have a migraine, don’t you?” He spoke softly.

Her head snapped toward him and that was a mistake, if she ever knew one, “What would you know about migraines?” She spit out, and tears started to free fall involuntarily down her cheeks. She rushed over to the bed and curled up into a ball like a fetus in the womb.

“I know a lot about you, Jenn.” He spoke calmly to her. “If you only knew.” He mumbled, but she didn’t understand him.

“Leave me alone.” She sobbed, rubbing her temples, and wishing the pain would go away. Wishing the whole nightmare would just end.

She didn’t hear him leave the room. The only sound she heard was the thumping in her temples. The next thing she heard was something being set down on the night stand beside her. She opened her eyes to see what it was. The man had brought in a glass of water and beside it lay two tiny pills. They looked like Advil, but she wasn’t sure. She glanced up, and he was standing beside her. She jumped a little. She hadn’t noticed him. He was so quiet, so still. “Take those. They will help with the pain.” He whispered to her. He was watching her closely.

“How do I know you’re not just trying to drug me?” She looked him right in the eye. His eyes twinkled with mischief. Like he knew something, but was never going to tell her. She was not backing down from him. Her life depended on it. Her survival instincts kicked in, but she still had to be cautious. That fence was coming down in pieces.

“You don’t. But like I told you already, you need to follow my orders, or suffer the consequences.” He leaned down until they were face to face. His eyes bore into hers. “You want the pain gone, you take the pills. You don’t want it gone, then go ahead and suffer. That choice I will give you, but it will be one of the few you will get from this day forward.” He stood, crossed his arms across his chest and stood there.

She was at the breaking point with the pain in her head. She wanted it gone. She couldn’t think straight, and her peripheral vision was blurry. She needed it to end, so she did the one thing she never thought she would, she trusted him. Just this once. She took the pills. She also drank all the water and prayed that the water was clean. “Thank you.” She muttered, and lay back on the bed. If the man was not lying to her, then in about an hour the horrible pain should start to subside. Maybe by showing the man that little bit of trust she would be able to get an answer or two from him. Well, she could hope, couldn’t she?

Sean was pleased that she took the pills. It proved that she was not naïve or careless, and she just might submit to him in all that he had to put her through. “You’re welcome.” He backed away from the bed, turned and began to leave the room.

“Please don’t leave.” She begged, and bowed her head, “I don’t understand why I am here, and you have shown this little piece of kindness. Can’t you tell me anything? Just give me a tiny hint?” She said looking up at him with pleading in her eyes.

“Babe, I mean, Jenn,”
Fuck,
he thought to himself. She needed to stop talking. He couldn’t slip up like that; she’d figure him out. “If I was able, I would tell you. But this is not my game being played. I’m not permitted to tell you the rules.” He told her and left the room once again.

Sean was seriously starting to struggle with everything he had done over the years. With his demons, his wrong choices. He really wanted to tell Jenn everything. His deep feelings for her were starting to surface, and she only asked for a hint, what could it hurt? Well, it could hurt him if his father found out. He had already gotten a warning hadn’t he? But how would he find out? He had to shake that thought.

Down the hall, he heard the phone ring. He took his mask off, and went to answer it.

“Hello.” He answered.

“Do you have her?” The voice asked. He could never forget that voice, no matter how hard he tried. He’d heard that voice his entire life. Very seldom was it a happy voice. He hated it.

“Yes, dad, I do.” He spoke with a flat tone.

“Can you handle this? I don’t want your prissy emotions getting in the way with this job.” He hissed out.

“I got it, dad. I got it.” He huffed back, “When do you want her?” He was struggling. He hated talking to his dad, but seeing him was worse.

“I am sending your brother, Jake, over there. I need you to go to her place and pick some things up. I have a list of what you need.”

“Why can’t Jake go get the shit?” Knowing that his father was up to no good, he had to at least ask.

“This is your job. Don’t fuck it up.” It was not a request, it was an order. That meant he had to face his father sooner rather than later. The last time he saw him was when he got his warning.

He remembered going to his father’s home. Entering his father’s den, he saw his smug face and felt all the hate fill the room. His father had tossed a folder at him, and his fate was signed right then. If he could go back and do things differently, he would. When his father took his fists to him as usual, he made his point clear, and now here he was.

He didn’t want to leave her here with his brother, but he had to trust that nothing would happen while he was gone. What the hell was he talking about, trust his brother, yeah right. But what choice did he have?

“All right, send him. When he gets here, I will be on my way.”

As usual, his brothers knew things long before he did. Just as he hung up the phone with his father, Jake waltzed into the house. Now he had to play nice with his fucking brother, oh joy. He gritted his teeth.

“Hey Sean.” Jake nodded at him. “So, how’s the chick?” Of course Jake would refer to Jenn as a chick, all women were chicks to him. Jake was a ladies man when he was on the prowl. Standing six foot four, and built like a UFC fighter, Jake could attract any woman he wanted, and he took what he wanted, too. The women loved him. He prayed Jenn would be safe with him, and Jake stayed out of her room. He really hoped nothing happened while he was gone. He prayed that his brother had some shred of the man he once knew inside of him.

“She is fine. Just leave her alone.” He grunted out. Shit, Sean shouldn’t have said that. He may think something is amiss with the situation. Best better cover his butt now, so shit doesn’t hit the fan. “She’s sleeping, should stay that way until I get back. I won’t be long.” He tried to give warning, but that never usually worked with his brothers. He could never forget the night Jake over stepped Sean’s direction during a job. A thug was shot, drugs went missing, the outcome didn’t work out in his favor. His father kicked the shit out of him for it, and his brother just walked away as if nothing happened. He knew he couldn’t trust Jake, but he had to hope. No. He could beg the lords above that he wouldn’t do anything stupid to screw this up. Sean got his shoes and jacket on and left to head to his father’s home.

After a twenty minute drive, Sean pulled his ’69 Camaro up front of the large ranch style home that his father currently lived in. It was nothing like the home the family grew up in. This one was newer, more modern, compared to the old fashion plantation style home he loved and grew up in.  It wasn’t until his father felt he needed a smaller home that he bought the ranch. The rest of the family had already moved out, no need for all the extra space. Sean got out, rounded the car, stepped up the three stairs to the door and entered. “Dad!” he yelled, “Where you at, old man?” He knew he wouldn’t leave without getting hit at least once, so why not throw one jab at his father.

While walking through the small, bright main entrance to the home that contained a large wooden coat rack against one wall and on the opposite wall was a tiny key rack that contained two sets of keys, he heard his father bellow “In the den, Sean.”

Time to put his game face on, Sean knew his father could read him like a book, so one wrong look or wrong answer and there would be hell to pay. Especially after the ‘old man’ jab. After a few deep breaths,
he trudged toward the den. He was nervous; he knew what his father could do to him.

His father hung up the phone grumbling. “Stupid detectives won’t leave me alone. Always harassing me about my business. Trying to nab me on something.” He started right in on Sean. While sitting forward in his chair, a dark glare in his eyes and sneer on his face, he simply spoke. “Did you tell her anything?”

“No.” Why couldn’t his father just trust him? He was never the one to screw him over at any job. It was always his brothers, but he was always the one to get the blame. Was his father that hateful towards him?

His father observed him, his gaze hard enough that it was like he was looking right through him. He looked angry, like he was ready to pounce. “You are lying to me.” He spat.

Sean knew this was coming. His father had major trust issues since some employees started stealing from him. Even though he was family, he still didn’t trust him. The trust issues had built over the years. His father stood from his chair and came towards him. Fists clenched, he had sneer on his face.

“I am not lying. I told her nothing.” Sean told him as calmly as he could. His muscles became tense, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The fear of his father was beginning to rise. He knew what was coming, and as usual, it did. His father took his swing and made first contact. A right hook, square to Sean’s jaw. It nearly knocked him down. But Sean kept himself steady. He could taste the coppery like flavor; he didn’t dare spit the blood out. Never would he give his father the satisfaction. He was not going to give him another reason to smack him around. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Dad, I didn’t tell her anything!” He gritted between his still blood soaked teeth. He was trying to contain his own anger.

“Well, you fucking better not, if you know what’s best for you.” His father turned and returned to his chair. He reached over to a small table and grabbed a small piece of paper and handed it to Sean. “Go to her place and retrieve these items. They should hold her over until I need her.” He ordered. “Now get out of my face. I have other business to tend to.”

Sean clenched his fists, turned and swiftly left the room and the house. He spat out the blood that was pooling in his mouth on the driveway and took a few deep breathes. He got in his car and sped away. Relief set in once he was out of the house, away from his father. He hated being held responsible for shit he didn’t do, but running was so hard to do. Maybe it was time. Every job he did for him was getting harder and harder to do. It was like his father had a hate on for him and was trying to push his limits. He’d met his limit for his fathers hatred, it was time to make a plan.