Protect Me: Oakville Series:Book Three (34 page)

A
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I wake, I can hear the pounding of rain on the roof. I keep my eyes closed, hoping when I open them, I’ll be home in my own bed. Even the hospital would be better than where I was when I fell asleep. I take a deep breath and slowly open my eyes. My heart plummets into my stomach when I see I’m still here. Normally, the sound of rain is soothing to me, but not today. Today, it just makes me feel worse.

As I glance around the room, I spot Kelly sleeping soundly in the armchair in the corner of the room. A wave of guilt washes over me. She’s in this mess because of me. Maybe not directly, but still because of me.

I wish I knew what Ray actually thinks he’ll accomplish with this. Does he really think there’s anything he can say or do that will send me running into his open arms? For God’s sake, he has kidnapped me along with an innocent woman. And, to top it off, he’s physically assaulted her. There’s nothing he could possibly say or do that would change my opinion of him. Nothing that would ever make me feel anything but pure loathing and hatred for him.

As if on cue, the door leisurely opens with a loud creak. Turing my head in that direction, I see Ray casually walk in. He looks as if nothing’s wrong. Like this is all so normal, just like any other average day. He’s a psychopath. I always thought I was so smart. So good at spotting the evil ones. Foster home after foster home, I survived by being able to see through the facades people tried so hard to keep up. How could I be so blindingly stupid with Ray? Because I wanted so badly to be loved, to fit in.

His face is hard as he looks over at a sleeping Kelly, but when his attention turns to me, it instantly softens. Bile rises in my throat. In his own sick, twisted way, he loves me. However, it’s not the kind of love I want or need. Not really love at all, outside of his fucked up mind.

He walks up to the side of the bed, a grin plastered on his evil face. I’d like to punch that grin right off his damn face. He reaches down, placing his hand on mine and squeezing it. Immediately, I yank my hand from his grip. Hurt flashes in his eyes, but it’s quickly replaced with anger. His hand balls up into a tight fist at his side while the other swiftly grips a hold of my neck. He squeezes his fingers tightly, biting into my skin. I’m struggling to catch my breath and try to wiggle from his grip, but the sharp pain from my abdomen stops me in my tracks. He watches my face intently, waiting for a reaction. He wants me to beg him to stop. I know this sick game. I won’t do it. I’ll die before I ever beg him for anything ever again. This is it. He’s finally going to kill me. I’ve always thought he would, I just pushed it to the back of my mind. Hoping if I didn’t dwell on it, I could keep it from happening.

My head begins to spin. Closing my eyes, I think of Paul and how much this must be hurting him. And Hope. Oh, God, Hope. I don’t want her to grow up without a mom. I can’t control the tears falling from my eyes. Ray loosens his grip.

“That’s more like it. There’s the Holly I love. You’re still afraid of me, just like it should be,” Ray says in almost a whisper. Only in this man’s sick and twisted mind could this be mistaken for love.

“I’m not afraid of you, Ray. You don’t scare me anymore. Do whatever you want to me, but I refuse to allow you the satisfaction of seeing me scared,” I snap at him. I glance quickly at Kelly, who’s staring at me with wide, panicked eyes. Shit! I hope he doesn’t get any ideas about getting to me through Kelly. That type of cowardly shit is right up his alley. So help me, if he lays another hand on that poor girl. Oh, who am I kidding, I won’t be able to do a damn thing in this condition.

“Don’t start with that smartass mouth of yours. Learn to start controlling yourself, or…” he pauses and turns to Kelly. Slowly, he stalks toward her. I can see all of the blood drain from her face. Poor girl. She is so frightened. “I know you, Holly, you may not act properly when your life and wellbeing is at risk, but you will if someone else’s is,” he says with a wickedly evil grin. Damn it! Now what do I do? Physically, I can’t do anything. I’m still too sore and weak. So, he gets what he wants. As always.

“What do you want from me, Ray?” I ask trying my damnedest to sound sincere. When Ray grins, I can see I’ve succeeded.

“First, you have to get better. Once that happens, we can get rid of the little nurse here,” he says maliciously. I don’t like the sound of that. “Then, you and I are going on a little trip. Consider it a second honeymoon, if you will. And don’t you worry, I’ll make sure no one can find us.” He runs his hand across my cheek. I want to scream. Tell him he’s fucking delirious if he thinks I’m going anywhere willingly with him. But for Kelly’s sake, I can’t open my mouth.

Ray leans down and kisses my forehead. I stiffen instantly. It takes everything I have to keep from punching him in the face. When his lips touch my skin, it feels like acid is being dripped on me. I can’t stand him being so close to me. My stomach begins churning. I try to hold it back, but I can’t. All of a sudden, I lean over the bed and vomit all over him. I really don’t mean to do it. He looks horrified. I’m finding it difficult not to laugh. I lay back in bed and cover my face with my hands.

“I’m so sorry, Ray,” I say as I try to hide the laughter behind my hands. I can feel the anger and disgust radiating off him in waves as he stands there with his arms out. Kelly comes over and hands him a towel. He yanks it from her hands.

“Get this mess cleaned up,” he snaps pointing to Kelly. “And, you, this is strike one. Trust me, you don’t want to get to three. Now, I have to take a shower so I can go back to get the medical supplies we need.” He storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“I’m sorry, Kelly. It happened before I knew it was coming,” I apologize. I feel so bad that she’s stuck cleaning up after me.

“I’m a nurse, this is not new territory. Besides, I’d gladly clean up if it meant seeing that ass getting puked on,” she giggles. I join in. It is funny. That look of pure disgust on his face. Kelly and I can’t seem to stop laughing.

We finally get ourselves under control and Kelly finishes cleaning up the mess on the floor. I lay back, realizing laughing right now is still quite painful, but it seems to release some of the tension and anguish that’s been building inside me. I still have no idea how to get out of this mess, but for a brief moment, I don’t think about that.

A knock on the door halts my easy feeling. A chill runs down my spine at the thought of being faced with Ray again so soon. I’m surprised when I see a very tall and muscular man peek around the door as he slowly opens it.

“Ah…Mr. Marconi wanted me to bring in your lunch while he’s out. Are you hungry, Mrs. Marconi?” he asks nervously. Mrs. Marconi? He thinks I’m Ray’s wife? Does he even realize he’s holding us here against our will? Maybe if I tell him the truth, he’ll let us go. He looks young, probably somewhere in his early twenties.

“Please, call me Holly,” I tell him. He blushes and gives me a shy smile as he nods his head. “What’s your name?” I feel bad for this guy. He doesn’t belong here mixed up with Ray, especially if he has no idea what’s going on.

“I’m Peter.”

“Did Ray tell you we’re married?” He looks confused.

“Yes, ma’am, he did.”

“What explanation did he give you for why he’s keeping us locked up?”

“Locked up? He said you’re sick and someone is after you. I’m here to protect you.” Now, I’m the one looking at him with a confused expression. Ray sure can pull the wool over people’s eyes. He has this guy believing he’s protecting me.

“I haven’t been Ray’s wife for a long time. Kelly and I are here against our will.” I can see he’s thinking it all over and what I’ve said has him confused. He has no idea who the real Ray is. “Peter, I have a husband and a baby girl. Ray isn’t a good man. I don’t think you are anything like him. Please, help us get out of here.” He keeps looking between the two of us and the door. Is he afraid of Ray? Well, I can definitely understand that feeling.

“I’m sorry. I truly didn’t know. I had no reason not to believe him. He hired me a month ago. He said someone was after him and he needed security,” he explains, remorse and shock evident on his face.

“Where did he say I was?”

“He told me he sent you to stay with family in order to protect you.” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I just don’t understand why Ray would want someone who clearly hates him.

“Please, help us get out of here before he gets back,” I beg him once more. I glance over to Kelly. She’s hanging on every word, most likely praying Peter will help get us the hell out of here. Ray’s already been gone a while. We don’t have much time and I still don’t know if I can walk.

“Okay. Can you get her up? I’m going to make sure he’s not back yet,” Peter says and leaves the bedroom. Excitement blooms inside of me. The thought of seeing Paul and Hope brings a smile to my face.

I wince as I sit up. This is going to be harder than I thought. Kelly is by my side, ready to help. Very slowly, I move my legs so that they’re dangling over the side of the bed. Pain radiates through me as I straighten out my legs and try to plant them on the floor. A cold sweat is building on my forehead from all the energy this simple task is taking. Setting my feet on the floor, I stand halfway up before screaming out in pain. My legs begin to give out beneath me and Kelly quickly holds me up. It’s just no use. Between the severe pain and being so weak, I won’t make it across the room, let alone out the front door. My earlier wave of excitement quickly turns to disappointment.

Peter runs back into the room. “The coast is clear for now. We need to get going.” I want to tell the two of them to go get help. I’ll only slow them down. He must sense what I’m thinking. Sweet, kind eyes look into mine. In a flash, he scoops me effortlessly into his arms. My abdomen screams in pain so I bite my lip, attempting to will it away. I try to keep telling myself it will all be over soon. Just hold on a little longer.

Peter carries me through the tiny cabin with Kelly close behind. I notice candles burning throughout the living area. Ray was a stickler for having the house smell good. I always thought it was a strange obsession. Right as we get to the door, it opens. My heart plunges into my stomach when I see Ray coming through the door. Everything seems to happen in slow motion. Ray is scowling. The veins on his temples are protruding, looking like they might explode at any moment. He’s beyond pissed. I’ve only seen him like this one other time and it was the worst beating I ever took. The night he killed my baby. My mouth goes dry and I’m finding it hard to breathe. The fear and panic are overwhelming me.

Ray reaches behind him, pulls out a gun, and slams it into the side of Peter’s head. There’s a loud crack and he tumbles to the floor, taking me with him. The air is knocked out of my lungs as soon as I hit the cold, hard floor. A stinging pain from my abdomen brings tears to my eyes. It takes a minute to catch my breath. When I look over at Peter, he’s lying in a heap with a nasty gash on his head. Kelly is standing there shocked, her face as white as a ghost. I look back to Ray and the anger I see in his eyes causes me to shiver. He sets the gun and bag on a nearby table. My vision begins to blur and the last thing I remember is the sting of his fist as it crashes into my temple.

B
EASLEY,
L
IAM,
and I drive over to the pharmacy. We wait in the car for Ray to return for his supplies. The plan is to follow him back to where he’s keeping Holly and the nurse. Beasley has back up on standby if needed. So far, it’s been the longest forty-five minutes of my life.

“There’s the son of a bitch now,” Liam says, pulling me from my thoughts. Ray casually strolls into the pharmacy, as if it’s just another day. If we didn’t need him to lead us to Holly, I’d go beat the shit out of him now. My entire body is shaking, my fists clenching and unclenching. I want to wrap my hands around his scrawny little neck while witnessing him take his last breath.