Rydin' the Storm Out (19 page)

Tommy leaned forward and yelled into the phone. “Molly, this is Tommy Sheppard. We hear sirens. If they’re behind you, pull over. I have them tracking your phone. They’re there to help you. Can you hear me?”

“Yes,” Molly yelled. It was all she could get out. She looked around her; she didn’t see any police cars. She looked in her rearview mirror and saw nothing. But she could hear the sirens too. “Where are they? I can’t see them.” She wiped at her eyes with her hands, trying to clear her vision.

She passed a side street, then saw the police cars coming up to the intersection.

“I see them. I see them,” Molly yelled.

She waited to see if they were following her. She didn’t want to stop without protection in case Lancaster was behind her. She was using every ounce of reasoning power she had left to try and not freak out. Two police cars pulled in behind her, and she put her blinker on, letting them know she was pulling over. Braking, then putting the car in park Molly used both hands to wipe the tears from her eyes. She turned her head to see the first officer slowly approaching the car from behind. He raised his gun and yelled to her, “Get out of the car, hands up, move slowly.”

Molly gasped and stifled a sob. She opened the car door, which proved difficult, her hands were shaking so damn bad. When she was able to get the door open, she slowly moved her legs to the outside and put her hands up in the air. She never took her eyes off the officer. Standing up was going to be hard, her legs were quivering and shaking like crazy. Sobbing, she looked at the officer for help.

“Are you alone, Ms. Bates?”

Molly nodded her head; she couldn’t speak at all.

“What happened to your windows?”

Molly burst out crying. When she was able to catch her breath, she stammered, “H-he b-broke them.”

“Who broke them and where is he?”

“L-Lancaster Elson…I d-don’t know.”

The officer was joined by the others to inspect the vehicle to ensure there was no one other than Molly. When the all clear was given, the first officer holstered his weapon and came to Molly’s aid.

“I’m Officer Scott. I’ll help you, Ms. Bates. Are you injured?”

Ryder let out a huge breath. They’d found her, thank God. His knees were weak and he hit the chair behind him with a thud. He looked up at his dad, who quickly walked around the table and hugged him.

“They’ve got her. It’ll be okay now, son.”

Joci kneeled in front of Ryder and hugged him around the waist. She was softly crying into his shirt. Jeremiah reached down and lifted Joci to her feet.

“You need to rest, baby. Come sit on the sofa with me while we wait for the police to bring Molly home.”

Joci looked at Ryder. He nodded at her and Joci allowed herself to be pulled into the living room to wait for Molly. Gunnar and JT sat next to Ryder at the table, not saying anything, just silently supporting him. They were good brothers. Tammy and Danny sat at the table as well. The phone connection was still live, but they really couldn’t hear anything more. The police must have put Molly in their car. Danny knew Tammy wouldn’t leave until she saw Molly, so there was no point in asking. He just sat and waited like everyone else.

Ryder’s mind was reeling. Was she protecting him? Did she want to break up with him? Had she been hurt? Where has she been? He had so many questions he wanted to ask. Mostly, right now, he wanted to know that she was okay. How long would it take for them to get here with her?

Tommy was still on the phone in the other room. Hopefully, he’d have more information for them.

Ryder looked at Tammy. “I can piece together most of it, but tell me what Lancaster did to her. I’ll ask her to tell me herself, but if I know, I can make sure I don’t say anything wrong.”

Danny put his arm around Tammy and kissed the side of her head. “You need to tell him, babe.”

She smiled at him and nodded to the living room. They all walked in and sat down. Tammy took a deep breath and began to tell her story. “When Molly was nine, she had appendicitis and needed surgery. I think she told you this. Lancaster found out he wasn’t her father when they needed to give her blood. Tori lied to him and told him Molly was his. He was pissed, hurt, angry, all of it. He started verbally abusing Molly first at first—calling her names, telling her she was stupid, clumsy, ignorant, and worthless. She had a hard time with it. She used to come to my house and cry and cry. She couldn’t understand it. Then, Lancaster started drinking. When Molly was eleven, she came home from school one day and Lancaster was there, already drunk.

“Molly ran to her bedroom to stay away from him, but he barged in and forced himself on her. He told her she was his and she owed it to him to let him have sex with her as payment for all the years he raised her and put a roof over her head. He told her it was the least she could do.”

“Jesus. That fucking bastard!” Ryder pounded his fist on the coffee table.

Tammy continued through her tears. “He told her if she ever told her mother, he would kill her and Tori. Molly was terrified. She was only eleven fucking years old. She told me after it happened a third time. She was sickened and disgusted with herself and blamed herself for everything. That was his doing. He made her think it was her fault. Molly was already a very pretty girl and Lancaster told her it was her fault she was so ‘irresistible.’

“Fuck!” Ryder remembered the day he’d said that to her and how she froze. He thought it was weird at the time, but didn’t think anything more of it.

Tammy continued. “The fourth time he forced himself on her, Molly’s mother walked in and caught him. She hit him over the head with something and told him to get the fuck out of their house or she would call the police. She said to never contact them again. He did leave, surprisingly. Tori blamed herself for Molly being abused. It was her fault, in a lot of ways. If she hadn’t lied in the first place, Lancaster would have always known Molly wasn’t his. It doesn’t excuse his behavior.

“One day, Molly noticed him outside the school as we were leaving. It was about a year and a half later. We were almost thirteen. I told her she needed to tell someone—her mom, the police, the school, someone. But she refused. We started walking different ways home from school; I was always with her. I found a guy that could get us pepper spray and got us each several canisters of it. We carried them everywhere we went.

“Then, one day, we were at my house. We had seen him at school that day. We were scared and got a ride home from a guy in school who had a car. We ran into my house and locked all the doors and windows. We were watching the television and a “news bulletin” came on a picture of Lancaster was on the television. He had grabbed another girl at school. She looked a lot like Molly. He had raped her. That girl went straight to the police and they found Lancaster a few hours later because of the announcement on the news.

“Molly always blamed herself for that girl being raped. If she had turned him in when it happened to her, that girl wouldn’t have been hurt. Tori felt the same way. She started drinking heavier and heavier. My mom insisted that Molly stay with us most of the time. She ate every meal with us and slept in my room with me. We were inseparable. I never wanted Molly out of my sight.

“After Lancaster went to jail, Molly felt safer. She would stay at my house, check on her mom most days, only to find her drunk or with some guy. Tori started running through guys like crazy. Molly, of course, didn’t want to be in the house with any of those men, especially after what had happened to her. She started using Bates, as her last name, because she couldn’t stand using Elson and she didn’t know who her biological father was. Bates was Tori’s mother’s maiden name.

“A few years ago, Tori had a stroke and it pushed her into the past, where it was probably the only time in her life that she had been happy. That’s why Molly was always so worried she would be like her mom. She never wanted to be that person.”

Tammy was crying by the time she finished. She’d never told anyone that story before. Tammy had been so worried about Molly after she left this week. She had mentioned to Danny that Molly lived a terrible childhood and they were very close. Danny put his arms around her and whispered soft, sweet words in her ears.

Tammy composed herself after a bit. She wiped her eyes, then said, “She’s a good person, Ryder. She would never do anything to hurt you. She’s been hurt so much. Lancaster must have threatened her. That’s the only reason she would have broken up with you. Please don’t be mad at her; give her the chance to explain.”

Ryder shook his head. This was un-friggen-real. Poor Molly, she’s been through so damn much in her life. He had an idea she had suffered as a child. The revelation that she didn’t have a Christmas tree when she was younger made him think she didn’t really have a good childhood. Part of him suspected she’d been abused, but he never went there. It would pop into his head and he would push it right out.

“I love her, Tammy. All I’ve ever wanted was for her to let me in—share things with me.”

A couple hours later, Molly walked into her kitchen to find a house full of people sitting there waiting for her. As soon as the door opened, Ryder jumped up. He was afraid to move toward her. He didn’t know what he should do, actually. He swallowed hard, balling his fists at his side.

Molly froze at the sight of him. He wasn’t moving toward her, he was staring at her. Tears welled up in Molly’s eyes as she watched Ryder swallow. He took a step forward and the dam burst. Molly ran into his arms and began sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Molly wrapped her arms around Ryder and hung on tight.

“I’m so sorry, Ryder. He told me he would kill you if I didn’t get rid of you. I couldn’t let him hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

Ryder shushed Molly and began crooning soft words to her. “It’s alright, babe. Please don’t cry. We’ll figure it all out.”

But the most important thing Ryder said to Molly was, “I love you, Molly, so damn much.”

Molly looked up at Ryder. She stared into his eyes, trying to see if he meant it. After what she had done, she couldn’t blame him for being mad at her. But, she would do anything she could to make it up to him. She wasn’t letting this man go. Not now. Not ever.

“I love you, too. I’m so sorry.”

Ryder looked at the bruise forming on the side of her face. With gentle fingers, he touched the purplish skin on her cheek and with a whisper-soft touch kissed the spot his fingers had just touched. Ryder leaned down and kissed her.

Tammy came pushing forward. “You can have her to yourself later. Right now, I need to hug my girl.”

Tammy grabbed Molly and hugged her so hard Molly had trouble breathing. Tammy pulled away after a bit and looked at Molly. “Are you okay, Moll? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Molly shook her head no. “Something snapped in me. I just couldn’t let him touch me. He threatened to kill Ryder if I didn’t do what he wanted. I just couldn’t let him touch me again. I just decided I wasn’t going to be his victim anymore. I wasn’t going to hide while he hurt other people.”

Tammy hugged Molly again and then pulled back. “I told them, Moll. Ryder wanted to know and I felt I had to say something. I’m sorry I broke your confidence, but you should have told him a long time ago. Secrets hurt people.”

“I know, Tammy. I’m sorry to make you go through that awful story. Don’t worry, I know you wouldn’t have said anything unless you felt it was necessary.”

Before any more words could be said, Joci pushed her way forward and pulled Molly into a hug. Jeremiah followed as well as JT, and finally Gunnar.

“Glad to see you back, sis. I was worried about you. We all were.”

“I’m glad to be back. I’m sorry I worried anyone. It wasn’t my intent.”

“Let’s sit and talk, shall we?” Joci was already pulling a chair out to sit down. They needed to discuss this. Then, Molly and Ryder would need to have a private conversation, just the two of them. That discussion would either make or break them.

They sat at the table and listened while Molly told them about Lancaster and what had happened. She knew Tammy told them the whole sordid story.

“I owe you all an explanation, please ask any questions you want me to answer. I’ve just learned, for the second time in my life, how dangerous secrets can be. I want to get everything out in the open and not have anyone speculate on anything.”

Tammy reached across the table and took Molly’s hand. “How did he find you Molly?”

Molly’s lips thinned into a straight line. “He found me from my name and picture on the Rolling Thunder Veteran’s Ride DVD. I don’t know how he came to see that, who knows how many people have that DVD and sent it to people they know. It doesn’t matter. The first time he called he told me how he found me. He called my business number.”

Tammy gasped. “I’m so sorry, Moll.”

Molly’s head was shaking before she got the words out.

“No. You do not say that. How could you know? Since he didn’t go to prison for raping me, I wouldn’t be on the police list for them to notify me of his release. And, I should have been a little more mindful of the time he spent there and the fact that he would be getting close to release.”

Joci asked, “What about your mom, Molly? Does she remember him?”

“He went to see her. When he called me I asked him not to go to her, but he did anyway. I don’t know if she remembers him. He’s the reason she started drinking in the first place. She felt so bad about his abuse of me, she just couldn’t forgive herself. I want to go to the nursing home tomorrow to make sure she’s okay and speak with the staff to see what her reaction was to him.”

Ryder gave her a gentle squeeze to let her know he was here with her. His throat was thick with emotion and he couldn’t say much. They spoke for a couple of hours, but it didn’t feel like it’d been that long. Molly had to admit, it felt so good to get everything off her chest. To be able to tell people that loved her, what she had gone through was so freeing. The only person she ever had was Tammy. Cara and Suzie only knew that she had a tough childhood, but nothing more than that.

After everyone hugged Molly again and told her they loved her, she and Ryder were left alone to discuss what had happened. This was the hardest conversation of all because Molly didn’t know if Ryder still wanted to be with her after this. She had treated him terribly. Of all of the people in the world that deserved to be hurt, this man did not. Molly felt her own heart break at what she had done to Ryder.

“Where should we sit to talk?”

Ryder motioned to the living room and took a deep breath. “Why don’t we sit on the sofa? My ass is sore from sitting on those kitchen chairs all day.”

Molly smiled and nodded. She grabbed a bottle of water and motioned to Ryder. He held up a bottle he already had in his hand in answer. They sat on the sofa, each turned facing the other.

“Did you want to break up with me?”

“No. I didn’t want Lancaster to hurt you. I didn’t know what to do, he’s a terrible man and I know firsthand that he doesn’t have regard for his actions.”

“Why did you leave a note, Molly? Why didn’t you talk to me in person?”

Molly scrunched up her face, tears threatening behind her eyes. “I knew I couldn’t say it in person and be convincing. There was nothing in the world I hated doing more than leaving that note, but in the end, I was so afraid. I thought once you knew about my past, you wouldn’t want me anyway, so I thought it was probably already over.”

“Molly…” Ryder swallowed. “I would never not want you. You were a kid for crying out loud. Why would you think I would ever hold anything against you that happened to you when you were a kid?”

Molly didn’t think she had any tears left; she had cried them all out today. But, hearing his sweet words just now, made her feel like crying. She stared into his eyes, a thousand thoughts running through her mind at once. She loved this man before her. She never dreamed she could love someone so much.

Ryder leaned forward and cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Molly Bates, with my whole heart and my whole soul. The shitty things that happened to you as a child are over. But, right now, I need time away from you.”

Molly nodded and swiped at an errant tear trailing its way across her bruised cheek. “I…understand.”

“You didn’t talk to me. You should have told me a long time ago. If you can’t trust me with your deep dark secrets, how can we move forward?”

“Ryder. I’m so damn sorry. Of all the people in the world who don’t deserve to be hurt, you are that person. I…” Swallowing hard, Molly looked down at her hands as they twisted together, knuckles white with strain. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I know you are, but you broke my fucking heart, Molly.” Ryder stood to leave. He walked toward the kitchen, then paused and looked back at her. “I just need some time to think.”

Molly looked up as he rounded the corner. She heard the door to the garage shut. It seemed like minutes went by before she heard his truck start. She got up and walked to the window and watched as Ryder pulled out of the driveway and, without looking back at the house, drove away from her.