When Art Falls

by Lorrain Allen

  He begins fucking her and the anguish he spoke of fills my soul, breaking me. I squeeze my eyes shut, but it doesn’t lessen the agony. Every grunt and moan is equivalent to a gunshot to the chest.

  “Open your damn eyes!”

  “No,” I sob.

  Finally, the noises cease and the weight on the bed shifts, indicating the conclusion of my nightmare. Or is it the beginning?

  “Call me anytime, sugar,” the woman purrs.

  “Leave, now,” Art sneers, dismissing her.

  “Asshole,” she says, stomping from the room.

  I hear movement, then the shower running. I’m not sure how much time goes by before the water is shut off.

  “Now you know how it feels for the person you love to give a piece of themselves to someone else.”

  I work up the nerve to open my eyes, finding Art standing in front of me. He’s no longer naked.

  “At least you washed the skank’s stench off,” I say in disgust.

  “You brought this on yourself.” He unties me. “Don’t expect remorse from me.”

  I reach down, take hold of the coffee pot, and smash it over his head. “Burn in hell!” I yell, fleeing the room.

  “Cin!” he bellows.

  Shit. He should’ve been knocked out cold. I make it into the elevator and press the button to close the doors. “Come on!”

  I scream as Art comes barreling towards me, a murderous expression on his blood-covered face. I shrink back against the wall but thank goodness I’m ensconced in safety before he reaches me. Slumping to the floor, I give way to grief, crying uncontrollably. When the doors open, I make a mad dash for my car.

  “Get back here!” Art roars, bursting from the stairwell.

  Fuck, he’s right on my heels. I jump inside my car and speed out of the garage. In my state, I don’t notice the red light until it’s too late. Tires screech, horns blare, metal crunches, and then blackness.

  A beeping sound penetrates my foggy brain. Where am I? I’m stiff and sore all over. As I become more lucid, a disinfectant scent assails my nostrils. It smells like a hospital. Memories begin to filter through my muddled mind. I was in a car accident. I move my arm, causing a pained sound to escape my dry lips. The right side of my torso hurts like hell.

  “I think she’s waking,” Anneli says.

  My eyes flutter open. It takes a second for my blurry vision to clear.

  “Thank God you’re okay.” She leans over my prone form, wiping tears from her face.

  “Oh, sweetheart, we were so worried.” Mom appears at my other side.

  My heart skips a beat when my gaze lands on Art sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. Cuts cover the left side of his face. Good.

  “Get out!” I yell.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He stands, crossing his arms.

  “I want him gone, now!” I cry.

  “Art, you should go,” Mom says. “This isn’t good for her.”

  “I don’t mean any disrespect, but Cin is my fiancée, and she’s carrying my child. I have a right to be here.”

  “My baby.” I clutch my stomach.

  “Is fine and healthy,” Anneli assures me.

  I take off the engagement ring and throw it at him. “Unfortunately, you are the father of my baby, but I’m no longer your fiancée. I’ll never forgive you.”

  “We’ll see about that.” He retrieves the ring and puts it in his pocket. “Karma should’ve bitten you in the ass a long time ago.”

  I scream at the top of my lungs, trying to get out of the bed, but Mom and Anneli hold me down.

  “Art, please just leave,” Anneli begs.

  A nurse comes into the room, alerted by the commotion.

  “What’s going on?” she asks.

  “My daughter wants him to go,” Mom says, nodding towards Art.

  “Sir, security will be notified if you refuse to leave on your own.”

  “Cin, I’ll give you space for now, but don’t think for a minute this is over,” he states, exiting the room.

  “Go to hell!” I struggle to draw in breath.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Anneli asks.

  “She needs rest,” the nurse answers.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Mom asks in alarm.

  “Yes, I’ll be back with a mild sedative to calm her down.”

  My strength begins to wane, then darkness overtakes me again.

  I royally fucked up. Being only seconds behind her, I saw the car accident happen. Time stood still. There was nothing I could do but watch in horror as her vehicle was struck before fishtailing. I raced towards the mangled metal, petrified of what I would find inside. She was unconscious—the only visible sign of injury a knot forming at her right temple. Relief flooded me when I felt a strong, steady pulse. I didn’t pull her from the wreckage, afraid of making any internal injuries worse, so I dialed 911 and waited for paramedics to arrive. Once she was stabilized and packed into the ambulance, I called her mom. Heather was available to watch Sebastian and Mason so Missy could meet me at the hospital.

  Instead of going home after being dismissed from the hospital, I drive to Adrian’s house to lie in wait for him. I could be making a bad situation a lot fucking worse, but I need answers and I can’t trust her to be honest. History is repeating itself. Except this time, I’m not the other man. Cin is good at making me spiral out of control. I twirl the engagement ring in my fingers. It’ll be returned to its rightful owner soon enough. The bastard’s finally home. I’m across the street and on him the moment he exits his vehicle, delivering a brutal gut punch. He doubles over, wheezing, and being the sadistic prick that I am, I hit him a second time for good measure.

  “You fucking my girl?” I growl.

  “What if I am?” He smirks.

  I deck him in the mouth for that comeback. “I can make you disappear.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  I pull a knife from my pocket and tap it between his legs. “And here I thought you were smart.”

  “Take it easy.” His tune changes instantly.

  “Do you want to have children one day?” He tenses as I press the blade into his crotch harder.

  “Crazy asshole.”

  “You know this, and yet you continue to fuck with me.” I apply more pressure. “I’m waiting on a goddamn answer.”

  “We’ve never fucked.”

  “Never?”

  “No.”

  “What kind of fool do you take me for?” I put the knife against his throat, pressing until blood trickles down his neck.

  He winces. “It’s the truth.”

  “If I find out—”

  “She wanted to take it slow.”

  Either she’s been telling the truth this whole time or they’re both pros at deception.

  “Ever go near her again and I’ll give you a vasectomy.”

  “You’re a sick son of a bitch.”

  “I am the son of a bitch, so I can’t be upset at that comment. As for being sick, I own that too.” I slide the knife in my pocket. “Remember what I said. Stay far away from my girl,” I say, delivering one more gut punch for the hell of it.

  I get in my car and contemplate my next move. Going back to the hospital is out of the question. Surely, Cin will scream her head off and have security throw my ass out on the curb. I’ll allot her twenty-four hours to calm down, but that’s it. She needs to get the hell over it and fast. I fucked another woman, so what? Cin isn’t innocent in all this. She’s no stranger to infidelity—throwing stones in glass houses and all that shit. I gave her specific instructions to avoid him at all costs. She had no business having lunch with the fucker. The lesson was hard, but she had to be taught. She’ll either obey me now or hate me more. I don’t care which as long as she’s mine.

  I come to, stretching my sore body. Anneli is snuggled against my side, fast asleep. I shake her shoulder until she wakes up.

  “Welcome back to the land of the living.” She yawns, sitting u
p. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been drugged,” I say groggily.

  “It had to be done to get your breathing and heart rate under control.”

  “Where’s Sebastian?”

  “At home with your mom.”

  “Mason?”

  “Art has him.”

  “Were they at the hospital?”

  “No, Heather looked after them.”

  “Do they know about the car accident?”

  “Yes. They’re upset they couldn’t see you.”

  I’ll call them, but first I need water for my parched throat. “I need water.”

  “Okay. I’ll get you a bottle from the vending machine.”

  She returns, handing me the cold drink. “It’s clear something happened between you and Art. How did he get those cuts on his face?”

  “He did something awful.” Fat tears roll down my face.

  “What did he do?”

  “I’m not ready to talk about it.”

  “Okay. Is it really over?”

  “I think it is.”

  “You’ll need to get a restraining order.”

  “What?”

  “You know he’s not going to leave you alone.”

  “No, I will not abandon Mason no matter what Art and I are going through. He has been hurt enough, and I made a promise to always be there for him. And I’m having Art’s baby. I would never keep him from his child. Sebastian adores him and they have a strong bond. I would never deny them that. He may not be good to me, but he’s good to him.”

  “He’s obsessed with you and that makes him dangerous. Do you honestly think he’s going to let you live your life freely and date other men?”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  “You’re lucky to be alive.”

  “He didn’t cause the car accident.”

  “But he’s the reason it happened. I know he is. You walked away with scrapes, bruises, and a concussion, but it could’ve been so much worse.”

  “Anneli, I’ll handle this,” I say sternly, effectively ending the conversation. “I need to call the boys.”

  Art will come at me with every weapon in his arsenal. The question is—will I be able to resist him?

  Cin has eluded me since the day of the car accident. I have yet to catch her alone. She’s either with her mother or Anneli, and those two won’t let me near her. They’re like pit bulls protecting their pup. During each confrontation, Cin remains silent, not speaking one word to me. They handle all phone conversations and text messages. She has completely cut me off. Mason asked why Sebastian comes over but not Cin. I told him we need some time apart. That explanation will have to suffice. She even changed the house locks on me. Anneli alluded to a restraining order being filed against me if I continue coming by unannounced. Having that on my record could cause problems for me. To avoid involving the courts, I grudgingly admit temporary defeat while contemplating my next course of action.

  I still make sure she’s straight—all her bills paid. She has a new car too. Being deprived of her smell, her touch, her pussy… is motherfucking torture. I fucking miss her. Jerking off every damn day to the memory of her body is nowhere near enough to sate my sexual appetite. My dick is raw and chafed from the abuse it has endured. I swear to God the moment I get Cin alone, I’m going to fuck her so savagely, her screams will be heard across the East Coast. Only two-and-a-half weeks and I’m already a ticking time bomb. She’s lost her goddamn mind if she believes I’ll allow her to walk away from me. It’ll be a cold day in hell.

  Now here it is, Christmas Eve, and I’m alone. Mason is with Cin. Though it’s half past noon, I haven’t left my bed. I’ll be spending the holiday alone. Tomorrow, they’re traveling to North Carolina to visit family and friends and won’t return until after the New Year. I was supposed to be going with them until this fucking mess.

  The security alarm comes blaring to life. I react instantly, jumping from the bed and retrieving my Glock from the safe in my closet. Stark naked, I move down the stairs quietly, cocking the weapon and placing my finger on the trigger—ready to empty the clip into the person stupid enough to break into my residence. Never invade a man’s home. That’s a cardinal rule for survival in these streets. I turn the corner, pressing the barrel of the gun to Josh’s forehead. He holds his hands up in surrender.

  “This is the welcome I get for coming to spend Christmas with you?”

  “You must have a death wish. I could’ve killed you.” I tilt my head to the side. “I still might. You broke into my home uninvited, which is enough probable cause to empty the clip into you.”

  “Don’t joke about something like that and stop pointing the damn thing at my head!”

  “Who says I’m joking?” I raise an eyebrow.

  “Mr. King, is police assistance needed?” a voice comes from the security pad.

  Releasing the trigger, I click on the safety before walking over to press a button on the square-shaped device. “False alarm.”

  “Please provide the security passcode.”

  I rattle off the numbers.

  “You’re all set, Mr. King. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “No.”

  “Have a great day, sir.”

  “You too,” I say and release the button.

  “She has a sex phone operator’s voice.” Josh grins. “I need her number.”

  “The gate code was changed.” I face him. “How did you get in?”

  “I climbed over it and let me tell you, I almost broke my neck.”

  “It looks like Santa Claus didn’t read my letter this year.”

  “Very funny.”

  “And just how did you get inside here?”

  “I broke a window,” he answers sheepishly.

  “I do have a doorbell,” I deadpan.

  “You wouldn’t have opened the door for me,” he scoffs.

  “I’m not in the mood for company.” I stroll towards the kitchen, intent on satisfying my hunger. I haven’t eaten all day.

  “Aren’t you going to put some clothes on?”

  “Close your eyes if you don’t want to see.”

  “Our grandfather is worried about you and so am I. You’ve gone completely MIA.”

  “That’s because I want to be left the fuck alone.”

  “Well, had you at least returned one call or text, I wouldn’t have come.”

  “As you can see, I’m fine. So goodbye. Go spend Christmas with Ricky.”

  “Nah, he’s been a pain in my ass lately.”

  “I know the feeling,” I say, glaring at him.

  “Where’s Mason?” he asks, ignoring the implication.

  “With Cin.”

  “Why are you here alone?”

  My answer is to glower at him.

  “Trouble in paradise?” He chuckles.

  Josh isn’t far behind me, so when I stop, he runs into my back and I deliver an elbow to his stomach. He grunts, holding his midsection.

  “Really? That was uncalled for.”

  I place the gun on the counter before rummaging through the refrigerator.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Exactly what the fuck it looks like.”

  “Let’s grab some lunch.”

  “No thanks.”

  “If you go, I’ll be out of your hair in a week tops. But if you refuse I may stay in Florida until spring.”

  I swing the fridge shut. “Okay, you win. I’ll be showered and dressed in twenty.”

  He gives me a thumbs-up.

  I’m unable to enjoy the big juicy steak, baked potato, and broccoli on my plate because my mind keeps drifting to her.

  “She’s screwing with you again,” Josh says around a mouthful of seafood Alfredo.

  “Close your mouth while you chew, you fucking heathen,” I growl.

  “She has a leash around that thick neck of yours and is leading you around like a lost puppy.”

  “I’m going to kick your ass up and
down this restaurant if you keep yapping.”

  “Man, drop her like a bad habit.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Yeah, you can.” He takes a bite of garlic bread.

  “She’s pregnant.”

  “You’re kidding me,” he says in disbelief.

  “And we’re getting married.”

  Josh gulps down the remainder of his wine, then slams the glass on the table. “You forgave her?”

  “No.”

  “Wow, marrying a girl you don’t trust. I’m sure you’ll have a long-lasting marriage,” he says sarcastically.

  “I love her.”

  Josh peruses me speculatively, surprised by my admission.

  “I wish I didn’t, but goddamn it, I do.”

  “Oh fuck.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I knew this day was coming the moment I saw her in your damn penthouse, though I hoped it never would.”

  I squint at him. “If you’ve got something to say, fucking say it.”

  “It was me who gave away your secret, not Cin.”

  “Fuck you say?” My hands form fists, ready to throw down.

  “Then, I was holding onto hope my mother would eventually come home, so it was hard to cope when Missy and Cin moved in. I wanted them gone.”

  Our fathers selected worthless women to sire children with, and we’ve both suffered because of it.

  “My feelings for Cin grew. You see, you’re not the only broken boy she helped. I fell for her hard, but she and Trevor started dating. I backed off because he was my best friend.”

  My anger increases as his story unfolds. My need to hear the conclusion is the only thing keeping me seated.

  “Jealousy ate at me, so I ratted you out. If I couldn’t have her, neither could you.”

  “But who told you about my cutting and the cocaine?” His story isn’t adding up.

  “I overheard you and Cin talking in the kitchen after school on Cole’s birthday. That’s how I found out everything—you buying cocaine from Bane, Cin catching you in the dining room, and the cutting. Later that night I went looking for evidence and found the baggie under the table.”

  “Why wait to tell Ricky?”

  “I felt bad for letting you take the blame for stealing the truck alone. Not telling Dad was my way of making amends, but we had a precarious relationship, so I kept the baggie to use against you if needed.”