by Raven Scott
Tightening my grip on my plate, I leaned on the counter lightly, facing the exit with the stairs just poking out of the frame. The fine hairs on my cheeks and the back of my neck stood straight up—I held my breath as a woman came sauntering into the kitchen.
For a second, she totally ignored me.
My heart almost stopped beating as shock gripped my chest. Tensing as Sarah fucking Wetherer yanked open the cabinet with the plates, my eyes narrowed into slits. My mind whirled, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. Goosebumps blanketed my body and a hard shiver lodged between my shoulder blades.
And then—she noticed me, and she clearly remembered who I was.
And why wouldn’t she?
Sarah sucked in a sharp breath, her nails scraping hard against the ceramic plate she’d pulled from the cupboard. Her eyes widened, jaw almost tumbling to the floor.
David’s gaze bored into me as tension cut through the atmosphere like a knife.
“You!”
Sarah’s screech gyrated my ears painfully.
She hurled the plate at my head with a tremendous, high-pitched grunt.
Flaming cheeks and watering eyes were all I could see when I automatically ducked.
Sarah practically flew at me. She reared back her hand to slap me, her whole body trembling, her lips thin as they parted. “You bitch! Who the fuck do you think you are fucking my boyfriend!” Sarah flung her hand at me, claws poised.
I dropped my plate with a wretched shatter to grab her wrist. Yanking her arm forward, I side-stepped and twisted it behind her back, and she howled with pain as the snap of her frail forearm rattled up to my shoulder. Instantly releasing her, I gulped down the dense lump in my throat as adrenaline surged through me.
Wait a minute. Blinking hard, I frowned while Sarah sunk to the floor, cradling her broken arm and half-sobbing, half-screaming. “Excuse me? What did you say?”
Shakily pulling out her phone, Sarah glared at me through her snot and tears as she called 9-1-1. She didn’t answer me.
A haze fell over my mind as her accusation raced around and around behind my eyes. An ache sprung up against my forehead, and I clenched my jaw hard. “I did not have sex with your boyfriend! I don’t even know you.” Shit. Shit. Shit! Casting David a panicked glance as his sister blathered into the phone, I hated the stunned look on his face. If I lie my way out of this... but I don’t want to lie about it... what do I do?
“Ness, hey...”
Covering my mouth to hide my frown, I rubbed my neck roughly and squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my lungs to expand as much as they were able. The air only fueled the fire engulfing my chest, and I gulped down the dense lump in my throat.
“You’re okay.” Gentle, big hands tangled with mine.
I opened my eyes again, once I’d collected myself. To lie or not to lie...
20
David
“Ness...?”
Holding her forehead in her palms, Vanessa peeked out through her fingers as we sat on the stairs.
So many questions ran through my head and my mouth dried at the defensiveness glistening brightly in her eyes. “I’m not gonna ask you something stupid like ‘did you really...?’ but... whatever happened, you can trust me with it.”
“Yeah. I know.”
I wasn’t a fucking idiot and also... I knew Vanessa wasn’t lying way back when she said she didn’t have a lot of experience. Of course, she didn’t; she’d been raped, and the way she had sex reminded me every time how uncomfortable she was with it mostly. So, at the very least, I knew my sister was lying about the affair.
Sighing heavily, Vanessa ran her hands through her hair and jerked her shoulders back.
Expectation thickened my blood, only intensifying when she nodded and jutted out her chin.
“I’ll explain it on Saturday.”
The police hadn’t gotten here, yet, after I snatched Sarah’s phone and explained to the operator that my sister wasn’t in mortal danger like she claimed. She was so fucking dramatic and the operator clearly believed me more than Sarah. Reaching to hold Vanessa’s shaking, cold hand, I brought her fingers to my lips.
“It’s a story and I don’t wanna tell it here.”
“No pressure, baby. Ah... Honestly, I wasn’t expecting you to break her arm.”
Vanessa’s expression darkened, and she rubbed her cheek with her other hand in that thoughtful way she did.
Pride smeared my chest— not that she’d hurt Sarah, but that she obviously hadn’t meant to. “You did what I’ve wanted to do since high school— put her in her place.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Her phone pinged shrilly.
I squeezed her hand before letting her go. Instead, I clasped my hands between my knees.
She frowned down at the screen. Swiping around to make a call, Vanessa cleared her throat and flipped her hair a little. “Yeah? What do you want, Reece? Yeah. I’ll handle it, yeah. I’m fine. You don’t need to come.” Vanessa rolled her eyes a little before they hung up, and she shot me a blank glance. Her sigh was sharp with irritation.
Curiosity was almost eating me up. I just kept my mouth shut rather than push her.
“I’ll just explain it on Saturday. Okay?”
Nodding quietly, I pushed my palms together.
Vanessa flipped her phone over and over again, in her palms. “I’m sorry. I wish this wasn’t the impression I made on your mom.”
“Sarah’s nuts. I was hoping she’d just stay upstairs because it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for her to cause a scene or make things awkward... but that was kinda far from ordinary.”
Ducking her head into her lap, Vanessa groaned softly.
I opened my mouth only for my mom to appear out of the corner of my eye. She was obviously upset, but not close to tears or hysterical. If anything, she looked really pissed.
I hoped it wasn’t directed at Vanessa. My mom took my sister’s word with a pound of salt, so we had that going for us, at least.
“I don’t know what’s going on...” My mom rasped softly.
Vanessa stiffened like stone and her breath hitched loudly.
my mom sighed. “But you don’t strike me as someone with low standards.”
Vanessa slumped heavily against the wall with a gust of a breath.
A hard knock on the front door signaled the cops had shown up. Probably an ambulance, too.
Rubbing Vanessa’s back, the hairs on the back of my palm bristled from the tension in her. My sister was still crying loudly in the kitchen, but I was an expert in ignoring her obnoxiousness after so long. “She’s such a drama queen.”
The moment the paramedics came rushing into the kitchen, my sister screamed and cried even louder and more hysterically. She was like a kid exaggerating her pain to a teacher to get another kid in trouble.
It honestly, was embarrassing just being related to her. My grumble was lost under the horrible shrieking, and I rubbed my hand down my face to sigh heavily. “God.”
“Hey, Vanessa. It’s been a while.” One of the paramedics set her bag down to walk over.
My brows rose in surprise at the huge, friendly smile she shot Vanessa.
“How’s the hemorrhoids?” the female paramedic asked.
“You ask me that every time, and every time I tell you to find a better way to embarrass me.”
The paramedic smiled even wider and brighter.
Vanessa gestured her with a flick of her wrist. “Amara was the nurse that helped me a long time ago. Amara, this is David, my boyfriend.”
“She’s just amazin’ ain’t she?” Amara’s slight, country twang coming out as she beamed with perpetual happiness. “What happened? You ain’t never hurt a fly, you know that?”
“Not a fly, no. She threw a plate at me and tried to slap me, but I didn’t think I would break her arm. She’s got so much shit in her, it’s eroding her bones.”
Amara sniggered a little, glancing over her shoulder as the other par
amedic half-dragged, half guided my sister out. Sarah kept trying to throw herself on the floor.
I covered my eyes as embarrassment stained my cheeks.
“You’re not gonna help him?” Vanessa asked her.
“He’s fine. So, you good? You’re not hurt or anything?”
Shaking her head, Vanessa smiled gratefully.
Amara huffed as she reached to grab her hands. “I’mma just check anyway. I was just thinkin’ about you the other day, actually. I had to go to court to testify. I always wish I could’a done that for you.”
“I appreciate that, Amara.”
Amara spent a long time checking Vanessa’s hands, wrists, arms, even ignoring a cop who cleared his throat.
Very uncomfortably, Vanessa furled her arms under her bust and hiked up her knees. “I’m fine, Amara. You do this every time. I’ve never harmed myself.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’mma still check.” She chuffed righteously before heading out of my house.
I couldn’t help but smile at Vanessa’s faint blush. Sometimes, I felt like Vanessa felt no one cared or wanted to be close to her.
Reece was a perfect example of a good relationship she had that she was extraordinarily cautious about. Amara, too, apparently.
Not that it’s my place to say anything.
“You know, baby, it’s okay to be a little dependent,” murmuring softly, I wrapped my arm around her waist.
Vanessa leaned into me. She wasn’t shaking anymore, which was good.
My sister’s screaming had become faint, and they stopped completely when she was packed into the ambulance.
Even the cop seemed to be aware of who Vanessa was, and I wondered how prominent and rich she had to be to get this kind of recognition.
He stood there, awkward, waiting, until she managed to pick herself up again. Only when she lifted her head and nodded did he open his mouth to question her.
He asked one question— do you want to press charges?
And then, he and his partner were gone.
Casting Vanessa a befuddled look, I frowned under brows tightly knit with confusion.
She didn’t say anything, didn’t even glance at me, before standing up and quietly walking out the front door.
For a moment, I debated going after her, but I knew she was mortified. Leaning back against the stairs, I rubbed my head thoughtfully as I stared at a crease in the floorboards.
“I should’ve made my sauce...” My mom leaned on the doorframe to the kitchen.
I chuckled a bit in acknowledgment then shook my head at the thought of her saying such a thing. Scratching my scalp roughly, I hoisted myself up and shuffled heavily into the kitchen. “It’s okay, Mom. Thank you. I’m more than capable of burying my feelings in mashed potatoes and gravy.” I mean... what else was I supposed to do in this situation? Going after Vanessa wasn’t an option, so there wasn’t another way to handle this but eat my feelings away.
21
Vanessa
Wringing my hands, I frowned darkly as the elevator doors slid open silently.
David gave me a strained smile.
My heart leapt into my throat. Anxiety gripped me in a vice when he stepped off the elevator. Sucking in a shuddering breath, I gestured him to follow me before I lost my nerve. The silence was heavy, and my nose scrunched up in self-disgust the deeper I wandered into my apartment.
“Vanessa?”
Shivers raced up my legs when my bare feet touched the cold tiles on the kitchen floor, but I ignored David’s call to round the island. Turning my laptop around, I reached over the screen to press the Space Bar.
David shot me a confused look as he sat down.
I propped myself on my elbows to stare at him through narrow eyes.
How was I supposed to explain this? There was only one way, and that was to show David. His eyes widened as they locked on the screen. There wasn’t any audio, but the video would be more than enough. He paled, squinting at the grainy quality of the train car.
Holding my breath, I didn’t dare blink; I knew that video frame by frame, after all. The video of me being raped. I’d watched it more times than I bothered to keep track of.
But this was the first time David watched it— maybe the only time— but he had to.
Because I’m weak and can’t say the words myself.
“Oh, no— no— no...” Covering his mouth in horror, the screen reflected in David’s red-rimmed eyes. He barely got through five seconds of the video before shutting my laptop, ducking his head to hide behind his forearm. “B— but you said you found out the guy died...”
“... I lied. I killed him the night before your interview.” My voice came out fairly stable, surprisingly, and I cupped my cheeks to keep them from melting off my skull.
David stiffened, his eyes flying to mine to roil like storm clouds with confusion.
“I went to Sarah’s bachelorette party in Vegas and showed her the video, and all the evidence. I never told her my name or anything, I just said he raped me and I had proof, which I left it with her. I monitored her calls and texts until she confronted him, then kidnapped him afterwards to make sure it seemed like he was running away. Then, I cut off his penis and cremated him.”
“S— so... but— h— how can you just tell me?”
Surprise twitched my brows and parted my lips at this question.
David rubbed his face with both his hands. “Y-you’re just admitting it?”
“Well... yeah. What are you gonna do, David? There’s no body. There’s no evidence. There’s no money trail. I spent almost ten years of my life making sure that nothing was hasty... that there were no mistakes...” Trailing off, I licked my lips heavily. “Telling you is inconsequential.”
David went ashen. “Inconsequential? Vanessa...” He scratched his scalp and jerked his fingers through his hair viciously. “I don’t understand. So— so... Samuel mugged me because he was really trying to run, but you faked him trying to run, so you could kidnap him because of... of what happened on the train...?”
“Basically, yes.” I nodded.
He inhaled a deep breath and held it for a long, heart stopping moment. David opened his mouth only to close it again.
Hope blossomed in my chest. “S-so... yeah. I thought... you know, since your sister’s accusing me, you should know the truth.”
“What?” Befuddlement painted his expression. “No— no. That’s not it, baby. I mean, no offense... but you’re obviously... um— inexperienced. It’s just...”
The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “B-but I just told you I killed someone...” Confusion colored my tone.
David propped his chin on his forearms with a thoughtful hum.
This was not how I thought this conversation would go. I’d spent the past two days worrying. “You can’t be okay with that?”
The crease between his brows deepened. “I’ve never told anyone this, but... Sarah, Sam, and I went to a combined middle school and high school, right. So, we didn’t interact a lot, since we were in different buildings, but sometimes we’d see each other. The incident that made me stop talking to my sister entirely happened when I was 13, at the end of the 8th grade. There was a school jamboree and everyone was pulled onto the fields for the day. Sam and Sarah decided to give me an atomic wedgie.”
My eyes widened, a nervous laugh choking me at that scenario, and I clamped my hands over my mouth. Guilt instantly clawed at the back of my throat.
David simply smiled grimly and nodded a little in understanding. “It’s so fucking juvenile. I mean, who does that kind of shit in high school as sophomores? But they decided to do it, for some reason. That day, we were allowed to wear whatever, and I threw on swim trunks. So, when her and a few of their friends and him caught me between fields, it was so bad that it ripped my scrotum down the middle.”
A gasp of horror escaped my tight throat and my heart raced as a new rage flooded my veins. My face grew hot.
His expression slo
wly fell as he drew circles on the tiled island top. “They all thought it was so funny... until I started bleeding. Like, a lot. And one of the other girls got a teacher and blabbed— probably to save herself. These people weren’t children. They were going to be juniors in high school and they’d just purposefully injured another student. There was no getting out of it. Sarah barely managed not to get expelled by saying it was all Sam’s idea, and that Sam had did it and she just watched. She ended up not graduating on time anyway, but after that, she just stuck to bullying me verbally. So... I guess, the point is... I get why you did it. I mean, I can’t get why. He hurt you in a way I’ll never understand, but when that happened... I remember thinking I wanted to kill him and my sister. I was so angry and embarrassed that I had to wear this fucking diaper thing for months, and I couldn’t even wear pants for a while so it could heal. My mom was horrified, but she was dealing with shit with my dad. But... if there’s one person I’m not upset that died, it’s Sam.”
“O-oh... Um... n-now what? I thought you’d—I don’t know— storm out or something. Tell me I’m awful...” I licked my dry lips heavily.
David cracked a small smile and reached his fingers across the island. Taking my hands, he only shook his head, but the ruffling between his eyebrows didn’t ease. “I don’t think that’s something you should advertise. Especially, considering that somehow, in my sister’s fucked up mind, she managed to twist it into you being the other woman. There’s been a lot of those, I’m sure, but I know you’re not one of them.” Tangling our fingers absently as he spoke more to himself than me, David sighed softly, his grey eyes rolling as he pressed his cheek on the cool tiles. “She hasn’t come back yet. They’re keeping her in observation, I guess. Supposedly, Sarah kicked a nurse and had to be sedated.”
“You kinda stopped your apartment search. What are you gonna do when she comes back?”
Cloudy, grey-blue eyes met mine.
I held my breath in expectation.
Stepping around the counter, David pulled my knuckles to his lips, and flames licked up my neck. He was so close his heat scorched me through my thin night dress and his clothes, a shiver ran along my entire body.
