Beast

by Elizabeth Reyes

  It was easy to claim a stomach virus as Allison’s reason for barely leaving her room the week that followed her visit with Orlando. Allison blamed her time around Chelsea that horrid night at the hospital, since it turned out to be what landed the little girl in urgent care. But it was really beginning to feel like a phantom virus. Since she hadn’t had much of an appetite and hardly ate, the dizzy spells and headache were inevitable, so she felt like crap.

  But there was more to it. She was downright miserable, both emotionally and physically, so much Allison had looked it up, and she’d been right. Broken Heart Syndrome was a real fucking suck-ass thing, and Allison had a major case of it. She’d done so much crying the last several days her nose was raw and her eyes were a puffy mess. She hadn’t even been able to wear her contacts for days, since all the crying irritated her eyes when she wore them. So, she’d been back to her bookworm-looking days, only this bookworm’s eyes were permanently bloodshot, which matched her bright red nose.

  Drew stopped by late that week, feeling guilty that maybe her daughter had really been the reason for Allison being so sick. She came bearing homemade chicken soup; though she admitted she hadn’t actually made it.

  “I might’ve already been responsible for your getting sick. I refuse to add the nail to your coffin with my cooking,” she explained as Allison and Leticia, Sonny’s housekeeper, walked around the kitchen, getting bowls and spoons together. “When I lived with Charlee, she refused to let me handle poultry after I made us both violently ill one time from salmonella. But this place by my townhouse has some really good comfort food, and their chicken soup is one of the best I ever had. Made fresh.”

  Lila walked into the kitchen. “Something smells good.” She did a double take when she glanced at Allison. “Ali, you look awful.” Switching gears, she hurried to Allison instead of toward the soup where she was first headed. “Do you have a fever?”

  “No,” Allison said, touching her own forehead, then took a deep breath.

  For a moment, she considered the idea of just coming clean about why she felt like staying in bed forever. But Drew spoke up before Allison could.

  “If it’s the virus Chelsea had, it’s pretty nasty. It landed my baby in the urgent care, but Allison should be okay,” Drew explained. “The doctor said little ones and elderly are the ones who get hit the hardest with it.”

  “Well, looks like it’s hitting you pretty bad,” Lila said with a frown. “Maybe I could stay home this week and fly out and meet Sonny next week when you’re feeling better.”

  “No.” Allison shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I just need to rest. I won’t have you sitting around staring at me. There’s nothing you can do for me anyway. It just needs to run its course.”

  The last thing Allison needed was for Lila to hover over her all week. When would Allison get a moment alone to sob? The mood struck so often and unpredictably, Lila would eventually figure out there was more to this. Her going on the road with Sonny was something Allison had been counting on. She’d use the time to cry until she just couldn’t anymore and then dust herself off and get over it. As if that could ever happen. But she’d do her best to try and snap out of it.

  Drew explained about the soup and more about her daughter’s virus; though she already knew to leave out the part about having to leave a party to get to her. Allison had yet to even mention the party to Lila. The entire situation was still too painful to talk about, and she figured why bother now? If she hadn’t wanted to share with Lila before, telling her about the harrowing incident now in Lila’s fragile state was out of the question.

  Surprisingly, Lila was able to enjoy a bowl of what really was good soup. Not so surprising, she said it made her sleepy. It seemed everything made her tired these days, and just seeing her yawn with such content had Allison yawning too. “Stop that,” Allison said, covering her mouth.

  “That was really good,” Lila said, thanking Drew, then excused herself finally so she could take another marathon nap.

  While Allison found it too painful to tell Lila about Leonardo because she’d have to tell her everything—how she’d fallen in love, all the things she loved about Leonardo, and why she missed him terribly—she did need to vent to someone. So, she was happy for Drew’s unexpected visit. Allison had been so deep in despair the past week she hadn’t even bothered returning calls or texts to anyone, so even Jen didn’t know about what happened. But now she was ready to talk about it.

  “Leonardo’s gone.”

  Allison immediately regretted not having waited until she was in the privacy of her own room because she was instantly choked up.

  “What do you mean gone?” Drew asked just as Leticia came back into the kitchen.

  “I’ll clean up, mijita,” Leticia said, already opening the dishwasher. “You should go lie down. You really don’t look well.”

  Swallowing back the tears, she nodded, thanking Leticia before motioning to Drew to follow her, and rushed out of the kitchen.

  “He’s gone,” Allison said as soon as her bedroom door was closed and she gave into the tears. “O said Leonardo didn’t think he could beat the charges and would end up locked up for good. So he left. He’s gone into hiding and he’s never coming back.”

  Drew hugged her then pulled away to look at her. “But the video is proof he was just defending you. Albeit,” she added, opening her eyes wide, “some might argue he went way overboard. Still, who’s to say how they’d react if they saw their loved one being attacked, especially a boyfriend or husband seeing their girl sexually assaulted. I think any man would agree they’d be out for blood. In fact, I’ve read the comments online. The majority are hailing him a hero.”

  “But they don’t know he’s also a convict,” Allison argued what she knew Leonardo was thinking. “That he did this while on probation. The moment they find all that out they’ll want him hung.”

  “That’s not true. He wasn’t on probation for anything violent. 5th street would be the first to attest to that. In fact, it’s killing me that I can’t tell Charlee because she said everyone down there’s been so concerned about why Leonardo disappeared. She said all the owners would believe foul play before they’d believe he’d willfully not show up. It’s why Gio hasn’t called the work-release place. He said he’s waiting for them to contact him in case it’s something totally explainable and just out of Leonardo’s hands. He doesn’t want to get him in trouble. None of them do.”

  Allison shook her head. This was such a nightmare. On top of her heartache, not only was she keeping something so huge from everyone, she also had the enormous burden of knowing she was forcing Drew to do the same.

  Feeling the familiar dizziness she’d felt all week, only a bit more severe, she lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling like all was lost. She’d never be the same person she was before she met Leonardo. She’d never feel for another man the enormity of what she felt for him. The last thing she remembered was Drew asking her something and Allison answered absentmindedly before closing her eyes.

  When she woke, she was surprised to see it was morning. Drew was obviously gone and Allison felt bad. Here Drew had gone out of her way to bring her soup, and Allison had fallen asleep on the girl.

  She picked up her phone so she could call or at least text her to apologize but read the several texts she had. First Lila’s:

  I waited, hoping you’d wake before I had to leave for the airport, but you never did. After the last few miserable days you’ve had, I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Call me later today and let me know how you’re feeling. Kiss, kiss, I love my sis!

  Allison smiled, standing up but immediately sitting back down when the entire room spun. “Oh my God,” she gasped, grabbing on to the mattress with both hands for support, dropping her phone on the floor in the process.

  She sat there for a moment, closing her eyes. Even with her eyes closed, it still felt as if she were spinning. It felt like forever, but it finally subsided, only she was af
raid to even move to reach for her phone, much less stand up. “What the hell?”

  Her mind raced to think of what medications she might’ve neglected to take during the past week. Who was she kidding? Everything she’d done this past week was a no-no for her. From depriving herself of enough fluids after losing an ocean in tears when she knew how bad her body reacted to dehydration, to barely eating. More than once she’d remembered she hadn’t taken her thyroid meds and didn’t even care, she was so damn depressed. Of course, it’d all caught up with her.

  She began to reach for her phone and so far, no spinning. “Okay,” she said, trying to pep herself out of the scare. “You just stood up too fast. Not the first time that’s happened, right?”

  No, but it was the first time it was that bad. Glancing down at the phone, she saw it was already past eight. Despite the stupid dizzy spell, she was determined to get out of the house today. She had plenty of errands to run and things to catch up with. No more excuses. She needed to get out there.

  Standing very slowly, she held onto her nightstand for support. The room didn’t spin, but she felt lightheaded as all hell. God, she felt stupid. On top of everything else she’d gone through this past week, she did this to herself as well?

  Shaking it off, she stood up straight. “It’s okay. I’ll just get some breakfast and some orange juice, and I’ll be fine.”

  She started to the door, and midway there, it started again. She slowed, holding onto the wall, taking deep breaths, and trying to remain calm even as her heart beat wildly. Since this wasn’t as bad as the first time, it passed quickly.

  Feeling a little better, Allison attempted to walk again. While she was still shaky, she made it to the front room where Leticia was already busy folding a pile of clothes. Wednesday, laundry day, was like clockwork. She’d have it all done, including every sheet and pillow case in the house done before noon.

  “Mijita,” Leticia said as she picked up a towel she began to fold. “Is there anything in your hamper? I didn’t want to wake you so—” She stopped when she looked up and saw how slowly Allison was walking. “Que te pasa?”

  “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy,” Allison continued to the kitchen. “I just need to eat something.”

  Leticia popped out of the chair she’d been sitting in and was immediately by Allison’s side. “Let me help you. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll make you something, yes? You still don’t look too good.”

  With another dizzy spell coming on, Allison didn’t argue. She sat down on one of the plush sofas and requested something very light. “My stomach hasn’t been the greatest. My doctor takes walk-ins. I think I’ll go in today.”

  “Yes, yes, you should,” Leticia said, speaking loudly from the kitchen. “I will call Mrs. Lila and—”

  “No, no, don’t do that.” Allison stood up, surprised that the room didn’t spin, but she took it as a good sign. “I’m feeling better actually,” she explained, which was half true. She did feel better than she had when she first stood up from her bed. “I don’t want to worry her. I’ve been bad about taking all my meds this week, and it’s made me sluggish and dizzy, but I’ll be fine.”

  “You should go back to the sofa, Ms. Ali,” Leticia insisted as Allison walked into the kitchen. “I’ll bring you some cafe con leche and some chorizo I had left over from this morning. I always make too much.”

  Allison smiled. Typical Leticia. Even when Allison reminded her she was trying to watch her weight, the woman would cook what she insisted made real women curves.

  “My stomach’s not feeling up to chorizo, Leticia. I’ll just take some tea and a boiled egg.”

  Leticia stopped her fast movement around the kitchen to look at Allison. “That’s all?”

  “Yes.” Allison nodded. “When I get back from the doctor, I’ll have some of the leftover soup my friend brought me yesterday.”

  Pouring herself a small glass of juice so she could take the last of her meds, she explained she was going to shower and then eat. Getting back to her room wasn’t nearly as bad, and by the time she was out of the shower, she felt refreshed. But just like in the shower, she knew the waves of sobs would continue to come at any moment, so she skipped the contacts and slipped her bottle-cap glasses on instead. The dizziness was almost completely gone except for a few instances where she just slowed and it went away.

  Once at the doctor’s, he confirmed her blood pressure was way low and she was very dehydrated. He ran a few more tests and said he’d call her with the results in a few days then refilled her prescription. After chugging an entire bottle of Gatorade all the way there and having taken her meds for the first time that week, she was feeling much better by the time she left the clinic.

  When she got to her car, she saw she had a missed call from Drew. Feeling bad, she hit the call button and waited to hear Drew’s voice through her speakers. “Hey, how you feeling? You poor thing. You looked so beat last night.”

  Allison explained about not taking her meds and then about the dizzy spells that morning but that she’d just left the doctor and was on her way to fill her prescription now. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you last night. That was so rude.”

  “No worries, girl. I know what you’ve been through this week, and I didn’t buy for a second that you picked up Chelsea’s virus. You were around her all of two minutes.”

  “You didn’t?” Allison asked, surprised. “But the soup?”

  “Eh,” Drew said with a chuckle. “I just wanted an excuse to see you.”

  “Like you need one. You know you can always . . .” Allison paused when she saw the van in her rearview mirror.

  “Ali?”

  “Yeah,” she said, still staring in her rearview mirror.

  The van was one she’d seen earlier when she pulled into the clinic. Ever since the first time she’d been followed, she’d been paranoid about it happening again. So, she paid close attention to any suspicious cars possibly tailing her.

  “Something wrong?” Drew asked.

  “I don’t know,” Allison answered absently.

  She turned left onto the bigger street where the drug store was. The van turned left as well but stayed several cars behind her.

  “What is it?” Drew asked.

  When Allison turned into the parking lot of the big drug store, the van kept going straight, and she exhaled. “I’m just being paranoid again. I thought this van might be following me, but I turned and it kept going.”

  She’d since told Drew about the first guy Leonardo had beaten for her. So, Drew wasn’t dismissive about it all, even commended her for continuing to stay vigilant. Allison ended her call with Drew and was beyond grateful that she was feeling so much better.

  By the time she walked out after dropping off her prescription, she even had a little pep in her step. Despite her heart still being so heavy, she managed to respond to a silly text Lila had sent with one just as silly so it’d at least appear that she was in better spirits.

  Dumping her purse and phone on the passenger seat, she put her seatbelt and started the car. “Jesus Christ!” she gasped, clutching her chest when she saw the pair of eyes from her backseat in her rearview mirror.

  Thirty

  BEAST

  The house was exactly as he’d left it: all the old furniture from his days of youth and the appliances his mother used in the kitchen and small laundry room. The gardeners still tended the landscape on a weekly basis, so the flowers and shrubs Leo’s mother had planted so long ago still adorned the entrance in hopes that one day she’d return.

  But she never had.

  While his heart wanted to believe she was still out there, Leo had reluctantly accepted years ago that she was gone, and there was still no sign that she’d ever returned. Leo knew his days here were numbered. It’d be just a matter of time before he was tracked down. Even if the house had and always would remain in his mother’s name, he was linked to it. But for days now, he’d been there mourning the loss of yet another loved one
, another woman his heart would never forget. Only this time it was so much more torturous than any he’d lost before.

  If Leo had known it was going to be like this, he might’ve given turning himself in more consideration. He figured he’d seen and experienced things no man ever should. He could deal with a little heartache. But the torment he was living now was like nothing he’d ever imagined.

  Thoughts of Allison plagued him day and night. Was she hurting as much as he was? Had that bastard injured her and she’d kept it from him? Was his girl crying? Was she suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome?

  He’d stopped calling Orlando days ago. There was never anything new to report. Leo wasn’t going back, as much as he yearned to see her again. Seeing those videos of what that piece of shit had done to her before Leo got there that night, he didn’t regret for a second having killed him. His only regret was having been so enraged he beat the life out of him too damn fast. If he had to do it again, the only thing he’d do different is slow it down. Take his time and prolong the guy’s pain.

  He’d gone back to doing what he’d been forced to do when he first met Allison, back when his delusional ass believed he could do the impossible—not be brought to his knees by her—he stopped watching the news altogether. The risk was too high and it was too torturous. From the videos of the near rape to the endless stories of the media’s favorite sports royal couple—Lila and Sonny—all were constant and painful reminders of the dream future he’d been so close to having with the love of his life. He didn’t even turn on the television anymore, and he steered clear of the Internet unless he needed it.

  His roommates were divided on their thoughts of his running. At first, they’d both agreed he should run. He’d never beat the charges, and he’d be doomed to a life behind bars. But Orlando had since changed his mind. “I think you have a good chance of beating this, man, especially now that they have footage. That shit’s gone viral, and everyone seems to feel strongly that what you did was justified.”