Sighing, I closed the blinds and turned to get back in
to my bed when a pair of strong hands grabbed me and shoved me down onto the mattress. Before I could scream, the assailant covered my mouth with his gloved hand and straddled me between his thighs.
“Shut the fuck up,” he growled, pushing against my mouth. “Don’t give me a reason to kill you
, bitch.”
M
y eyes filled with tears as I stared up at the man whose face was covered by a black ski mask. All I could see were his glittery dark eyes and scowling mouth.
“
I’ve got a message for you,” he whispered, staring coldly into my eyes. Raising a switchblade, he pressed it against my cheek. “A warning. One that will allow you to live should you be intelligent enough to heed it. Keep your nose out of other people’s business.”
I stared into his cruel
eyes, unable to breathe.
“Got that?” he asked, his breath hot on my face.
I nodded vehemently.
We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, wh
en something changed in his expression. I recoiled in horror, recognizing the look.
“You smell
good,” he whispered huskily. He licked his lips and began moving a hand over my body, making me shudder in terror. I wasn’t sure if he was going to rape me, kill me, or both. “If you tell anyone about his,” he breathed, his hand squeezing my breast. “Anyone – you’ll fucking die.”
I closed my eyes and began crying
into his glove.
He brushed his lips against my th
roat and then moved to my ear, breathing heavily. “You cause any trouble for anyone,” he whispered, “your children will die first, and I’ll make sure you get a front row seat.”
My
muffled cries turned to choked sobs and he squeezed my mouth painfully.
“Shut up
,” he spat, “or I’ll kill everyone, right now. Wouldn’t bother me in the least.”
I reached
somewhere inside and forced myself to quit sobbing for my children. They needed my courage more than anything at the moment.
“That’s it,” he whispered, loosening his grip
on my mouth. After a few more horrifying minutes of being felt up, he lifted himself off of the bed and ran a finger down the sharp edge of the knife. “Just so you know,” he smiled darkly, “I’ll be watching you. You can’t hide and don’t even think about running. I have connections all over.” Then he turned and slipped quietly out of my bedroom.
I
didn’t even hesitate; I immediately jumped out of bed and grabbed the metal bat hiding underneath it. Ironically, I’d hidden it there in case of intruders when Scott had begun “working” his longer hours. Breathing heavily, I moved slowly out of my bedroom and down the dark hallway towards the stairs, hearing nothing but the ticking of the Grandfather clock. When I heard a creak from somewhere upstairs, my heart stopped.
If that bastard touches
my kids, I’ll fucking kill him!
Fueled now by anger, I
threw caution to the wind and rushed upstairs to their bedrooms, ready to fight to the death, if needed. When I found them both alone and safely sleeping, I whispered a silent prayer and then continued my search. When the rest of the house appeared empty, I sat down at the kitchen table and allowed myself to cry.
What do I do? What
in the hell do I do?
I was so torn. The man had threatened to kill my children if I reported anything.
I was certain that Jerry was responsible, so reporting the incident to the police wasn’t even an option. I also considered calling Jake, but I knew he’d probably go after Jerry, which might provoke another visit from that monster. My gut told me he’d make good on his promise, too, if he returned.
I stood up and began
to pace, trying to weigh my options. In the end, I decided to change the locks on all my doors and look into getting a gun.
Frightened and
defeated, I stayed up the rest of the night, the bat on my lap and a butcher knife in my hand. When the morning sun began to rise, I put them both away and began making breakfast.
After the kids left for school, I took a shower with the bathroom door locked and the butcher knife next to my shampoo. I wasn’t sure what my assailant was capable of, and remembering the way he’d felt me up, I wasn’t about to let my guard down.
As I
finished drying my hair, someone rang the doorbell. I stepped cautiously to my front door and peeked out the side window.
It was Jake.
I opened the door. “Hi.”
“Morning,” he said, staring down at my clothing, a loose tank top and jeans.
I cringed
, suddenly remembering the morning jog he’d talked me into.
“You might want to change if you plan on joining me. Sweating in jeans isn’t the most pleasant thing in the world.
” He was dressed in grey sweats and a dark blue T-shirt, looking ready to tackle the world.
I opened my mouth to respond, bu
t nothing came out. It was an absolute struggle not to blurt out everything that had happened during the night, especially at that particular moment. He looked so confident and powerful, like he could handle anything thrown at him. But my children’s lives were involved and I couldn’t take any risks.
His eyes narrowed
. “Lindsey, are you okay?”
I cleared my throat and produced a
weak smile. “Yes, I’m fine.”
He studied my face. “Did he show up last night?”
My heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”
“
Did Scott give you trouble last night?”
I
exhaled. “No, I haven’t spoken to him since the other night, actually.”
He frowned
and rubbed his chin. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I told you I’m fine. Why
do you ask?”
“I don’
t know, you just seem… tense.”
I shrugged. “I’m okay, just had a hard time sleeping last night.”
He nodded. “So, I take it you’re probably not energized enough for a run?”
“
No, I’m sorry. I have a lot of errands to run today, ones that can’t wait. What about tomorrow?”
“Okay. I guess I’ll just have to suffer my own company this morning,” he pouted.
Watching a hunk like him pout over me was almost enough to make me change my mind, but I wanted to switch my locks. I wouldn’t feel even remotely safe until I did.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I promise I’ll get more sleep tonight and join you in the morning.
Same time?”
“Same time.”
“Okay, well, I’ll see you,” I said, stepping backwards. As I was about to shut the door, he stuck his foot inside, blocking me from doing it. I opened it back up and gave him a puzzled look.
“You would tell me if anything was bothering you, right?”
His smile was disarming, and almost made me falter. “Sure,” I answered, softly.
From the look in his eyes, I knew he wasn’t
really convinced. That wasn’t good.
I stepped forward and touched his arm. “Jake, I just have so much going on in my life, with my husband and
trying to find a job. It’s exhausting, to say the least.”
He stared at my hand and then our
eyes locked. “Okay,” he said. “Just remember, I’m here for you if you need someone to talk or a shoulder to lean on.”
I nodded
.
“Fuck it,” he muttered
, pulling me into his arms and holding me against his firm chest.
I released a
sigh and closed my eyes. It felt good to be held by someone solid and so totally masculine. It even gave me a sense of security for the first time in days. Unfortunately, I also knew it was a false sense of security.
“Sorry,
” he murmured into my hair. “You just looked like you could use one of these.”
“Actually, you were right
,” I whispered against his chest. “Thank you.”
He tightened his arms around me
. “You smell good,” he said.
“So do you
,” I answered, catching a whiff of Irish Spring and toothpaste; he smelled like he’d just gotten out of the shower. An image of Jake with a towel around his waist and water dripping down his washboard stomach flashed through my head, and something in my own stomach went ‘swoosh.’
“I suppose I should let you go. We
don’t want the neighbors gossiping,” he teased.
I giggled nervously
and stepped away from him. “Well, thanks.”
“It’s the l
east I can do. Although, I have to admit, it wasn’t all for you,” he said, his eyes burning into mine.
Before I could respond, he turned and
left me standing on the porch, my mind buzzing with questions. I watched as he took off running down the street and wondered what the hell I was getting myself into now.
***
After I went to the hardware store and purchased new locks for the house, I decided to stop into a local gun shop I’d passed many times throughout the years. When I finally talked myself into getting out of my SUV and walking inside, I was not really prepared for the prices or how many types of guns there were to choose from. By the time I was approached by a salesperson, my head was spinning.
“
First time in a gun shop?” asked the clerk, who didn’t look old enough to handle a gun, let alone sell one.
I smiled
. “Is it that obvious?”
He swep
t his hand over his floppy red hair and smiled. “Oh…just a little.”
“Well, I am a little overwhelmed,” I admitted.
“It’s very understandable if you’ve never shopped for a gun before. What are your needs?
I raised my eyebrows.
What are my needs? Far too many to count.
“What I meant was
, why do you want a gun?”
“
Um, for protection.”
“
Okay. Have you ever shot a gun before?”
I shook my head. “I just want a
handgun that’s easy to use and doesn’t cost a fortune.”
He nodded and then began walking to one of the cases. “Let me show you one of our most popular revolvers. It’s easy to load and un
load, and the price is pretty reasonable.”
“Okay
, thank you.”
He took out his keys and pulled
out a small silver gun with a black handle. “This is a Taurus Ultra-Light Thirty-Eight Special. It’s fast, reliable, and easy to carry.”
It was also thre
e hundred and fifty dollars. Luckily, I still had one credit card that wasn’t maxed out.
I took the gun and held it. Even without bullets it felt so powerful in my hands.
Powerful and a little scary.
He nodded towards the gun.
“Before you fire that bad boy, we recommend you take some of our gun classes. We also have a shooting range in the back of our store, as well, for target practice.”
I nodded. “
Okay. So, you’ll teach me how to shoot this thing?”
“Definitely
. We can start right now with the basics.”
Then, for the next ten minutes, he
took me into the back and gave me a quick lesson on how to load and unload the gun, as well as what I’d need to do to actually clean it.
When he was finished, I took a deep breath.
“Okay, I’ll take it,” I said.
“
Well,” he replied, grabbing a clipboard from underneath the counter, “fill out this form and when your background check is approved, you’ll be able to purchase the gun.”
I bit the side of my lip.
“How long does it take?”
The young man shrugged.
“A day or two. We’ll call you when it’s received.”
Crap.
I had no choice but to wait. “Okay,” I said, nodding. “Let’s do it.”
After I filled out the paperwork and left the store, my phone began to vibrate
in my purse.
Scott.
Great, just what I needed.
“What is it?” I asked
, getting into my SUV.
He chuckled.
“Well, hello to you, too.”
I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat.
“Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night.”
He sighed. “I’m sure it’s been difficult
for you.”
Do you think?
I almost went off on him but it was getting old. I was tired of arguing. “So, are you still at your parents’?”
“For now.
I was hoping you’d let me come home.”
I rolled my eyes
. He was such a broken record.