She used her knee to bang against the seat, not knowing why she provoked him. She could see the back of Justin’s head from the backseat and wished she could put a bullet through it to get even for all the years he inflicted pain. He drove fast and weaved in and out of traffic once out of the city. She wanted to scream at him, that’s probably why he gagged her. The car began to slow and then came to a stop in a dark place.
Justin cut the zip ties off her ankles and pulled her out of the car. Grabbing her into his arms, he spoke against her ear. “You know I never wanted you to leave me. I would have stopped the drugs. I tried. You shouldn’t have left without saying a word.”
Velia mumbled against the cloth in her mouth and Justin removed the gag. He clasped his hand over her mouth. “Don’t yell or I’ll put it back.”
She nodded, running her tongue over the raw spots, tasting blood. She recognized the garage as she glanced around.
He lowered the garage door and took her in the inside door to the kitchen. “Why, Justin? Why did you bring me here? What are you going to do?”
“What I wanted to do in Tucson.” He ran his hands over her back, dropping them to her hips, then her butt before wrapping his arms around her. She squirmed, trying to get away but he held her too tight. “You shouldn’t have left me. Why didn’t you give me a chance to change?”
“You’re an idiot—I gave you a trillion chances. You can’t keep me here.” His eyes were glazed over, pupils dilated.
“Sit down, bitch!” He pushed her into a kitchen chair. “You’re not going anywhere so get comfortable and SHUT up.”
“Stop this! Do you know what will happen when my father finds you?”
“He’s not going to find me.”
“Jessica will tell. You betrayed her back there.”
“She loves me. She’s not blabbing. She thinks I only want to talk to you. She’s stupid and oblivious to what I want. She’s a good lay. That’s about it. How’d you have such a stupid woman for a best friend? She’s nothing like you.”
“You know nothing about either of us.”
“Shut up or I’ll gag you again.” He took the duct tape out of the drawer.
“No!”
Justin kneeled in front of her. He pulled her thighs apart. She fought to close her legs, but he held her firm. “Pretty top and your favorite color.” He looked into her fearless eyes. “See, I remembered.” He unfastened her belt and let it fall on the floor.
“Justin, don’t do this. I don’t love you anymore. We’re divorced, dammit! This is why.”
“You’re cruising for tape across your beautiful mouth.” He ran his fingers over her lips. “Umm, so full. I remember kissing them.” He smirked when he peered at her mouth. “I remember those soft lips, baby.” Justin unsnapped his jeans. “Remember, sweetheart? Remember how much you liked it?”
“No, I hated it! You forced me every time. I never liked it.”
Justin released his zipper and stroked himself.
Velia closed her eyes but opened them when he stood. “Now you’re not only an abuser, you’re a kidnapper as well.” She spat on the floor. “Bingo—prison.”
“He ran his hands over her breasts. “Umm, what do we have here? I remember these pretty, perky playthings.”
Velia tried to kick him away and started rocking the chair. She didn’t care if she tipped over, anything to get away from him. “Leave me alone.”
Justin pulled his zipper up and rummaged through a drawer until he found scissors and cut through the zip ties around her wrists. He grabbed her shoulders, yanked her up, and dragged her into Jessica’s spare bedroom. Velia grabbed a hold of the doorjamb to prevent him from getting her in the room, but his strength won. He picked her up, threw her on the bed, and fell on top of her. “You know I’m going to kill you, so think on that for awhile. But first, nothing can satisfy me like you.” Justin worked at getting her leggings down but they were tight, and she struggled to keep them on.
Velia rammed him with her knee until he straightened. “Leave me alone! I want nothing to do with you.” She aimed for his testicles, kicked hard, and he doubled over. She jumped off the bed and ran for the door, but he tackled her and threw her back on the bed. “Stop it, Justin!”
“Not this time. I’m done dealing with your dim-witted games, thinking you’ll run from me and that’ll be it. I’ll never give you up to a stupid cowboy or anyone else.”
Velia kept kicking at him. “You’ll never get away with it. My father will find you no matter where you go. I should have told him about your abuse.”
Justin grabbed her chin and held her face firm. “It will be well worth it to bang the fucking shit out of you, and then watch you die when I cut your throat. Do you think I can’t kill off your old man? You think you’re the only one with goddamn friends?”
“You don’t know him very well. He’ll never give up, and you’ll never be able to get to him. You’re going to die!”
“Shut up, you fucking bitch.” Justin tried to get her leggings off again. He got them to her thighs and tried to slip his hand inside her panties, but Velia kept fighting him, squirming on the bed to get away. She kneed him in the groin again, this time making impact, and he grabbed himself screaming out with a loud howl.
Velia jumped off the bed and ran as far as the back door before Justin stopped screaming like a cat in heat. Her hands shook so much she couldn’t get the doorknob to turn. It wouldn’t open! She remembered how Jessica always had to take a screwdriver to get out. She glanced back to see if she could find something to break the glass, but she saw another man standing inside the doorway holding a board, and he had blood on his face. Her pulse raced so fast she thought she would have a stroke, thinking Justin had an accomplice, but he put his fingers to his lips to hush her.
Justin stopped at the doorway, still holding his painful sacs. “Thought you’d get away, did ya? Where the hell do you think you’re going where I can’t find you? I found you half way across the country.”
Velia kept her eyes focused on him. “You can’t win this.” Her chest rose and fell with each deep breath.
“You’re finished. You never should have left me. I thought you were a smart woman, but it turns out you’re nothing but a whore who will take up with anybody. I was right to keep you in your place all those years.”
She kept her eyes fixed on him. “Turns out I’m smarter than you. You’re not going to kill me, Justin.”
“Like hell. Prison will be worth it as long as I know you’re dead, and no one else will have you. Especially no fucking cowboy’s gonna have you.”
“Too late. Seems he already has.” Velia’s anger got the best of her now, remembering all the times Justin forced her to do things she didn’t want to do. The hateful kicks to the face. Head bangs against the wall. “What are you going to do about it now, Justin?” she said, throwing the chair he had her tied to across the floor. “That’s what I think of you.”
He pulled a switchblade from his pocket and with a mechanical click, light glinted along the length of the knife he waved in front of him. “Your pretty Italian features will be unrecognizable when I finish with you.”
Velia turned and frantically tried to get out the door as Justin rushed toward her. She glanced back in time to see him hit the floor. Then the cab driver grabbed her, busted the glass, and unhooked the door from the outside. He shoved her out and pushed the garage door opener. Without a word, the driver hustled her inside the car and searched beneath the front seat for the spare key. Suddenly the cab roared to a start and just as he slammed the cab into reverse, Justin stumbled out the door.
Ric, Nero, Roy, and Caulder pulled up and blocked the cab from leaving the driveway, but the driver tried to go around.
Velia put her hand on his shoulder. “No, it’s okay, it’s my father.”
Justin lay on the garage floor, a grimace screwing up his face. He picked himself up from the floor as the four men got out of the car. Caulder went to Velia and embraced her.
She shook so bad he removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. He escorted her to the car while the three men walked toward the garage. Justin stumbled backward until he ran into the back wall of the garage, holding his stomach as blood gushed.
Velia tried to get out of the car, but Caulder held her against him, blocking her view from seeing the horror about to happen.
“Please let me out!” she screamed, trying to push him away.
“Why? I don’t think you want to see this.” He closed his eyes as he held her. “I don’t want to see this.” He looked anyway…in time to see a knife protruding from Justin’s abdomen before he fell to the floor.
The three men stopped before entering the garage and looked at one another. “Now we don’t have to do it,” said Ric. “Go get the cab driver, Roy. Call 911, Nero.”
Ric opened the car door and slid in beside his daughter. “It’s over. He killed himself, Velia. He must have stabbed himself when he fell out the door.”
Her eyes were full of tears when she looked at her father. “Killed himself? He’s dead?” She glanced at Caulder. “You wouldn’t let me look?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
Ric patted Caulder on the shoulder. “You did the right thing.” He stroked his daughter’s hair. “It’s not a memory I want you to see in your mind’s eye, angel.”
“Why can’t I make my own decisions about my life?”
Ric pulled her against him and smoothed her hair like he did when she was a little girl. “You can from now on. The danger in your life is gone.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he held her, and then he opened his eyes and glared at Caulder. “The danger in her life is gone, correct? I’m right, si?”
Caulder nodded then tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He nodded again.
“The cab driver saved my life. Justin aimed to kill me.” Velia pulled the coat tighter around her, and she didn’t want to cry, but the tears kept flowing.
“Si.” Her father whispered, “It’s over now.”
When the EMT’s and police arrived, Ric went out to them. They questioned the cab driver and sent him off in the rescue truck. One of the officers came to the car and told Caulder to take Velia to the police station with Ric and the other men.
* * *
After being questioned and all released, Velia went to the hospital to see the cab driver. “Thank you, Mr. Lawton. I’m so sorry this happened to you. My ex-husband turned into a crazy man. I hope you’re okay.”
“I’m fine other than a knot on my head. A few stitches took care of it.”
Ric came up and put his arm around her. He handed the driver an envelope. “Here, this should take care of any expenses.”
He opened the envelope and there was a bundle of cash. “Oh, no, I can’t take anything, Mr. Armano, but I appreciate the offer.” He tried to hand back the envelope.
“No, you take this.” Ric clenched the man’s hand. “You saved my daughter’s life. Do you have any idea what this means to a father?”
“I have a daughter myself.”
“Well, do something special for your family or yourself. Retire! Take your wife on the vacation she never had. You keep this. I insist.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It still isn’t enough to say thank you, but it’s a start.”
The cabbie shook Ric’s hand. “I don’t know how to thank you, Mr. Armano.”
“You already did.” He nodded and held Velia tighter. “Let’s go home.”
In the hall, she said, “Dad, thank you for being so kind to him. How much did you give him?”
“Enough. Plenty to keep him happy for a long time.”
“Really?”
“Your life doesn’t have a price tag. No more questions.”
Outside, Velia thanked Roy and Nero for helping her father. “What will happen to Jessica?”
“She’s an accomplice. The courts will take care of her.” Caulder slid his arm around her waist. “I guess we can skip the Ferris wheel?”
“Don’t sound so happy. We’re not skipping it. It’s spectacular at night.” She reached for Roy and Nero’s hand. “Come on, we’re all going to Navy Pier. I know all you big guys aren’t scerd.” She turned to her father. “Get mia madre and come.”
“I’ve had enough excitement for one night. Your mama is home wringing her hands, waiting for all the gory details of the day. Go home to her I shall.”
“I’ll go with you, sir,” said Roy.
“Don’t want to try the Ferris wheel?”
“No, I don’t mind it at all.”
“Then go have fun. I have Jake driving the car. Not to worry.”
“No, sir. I’d rather stay with you.” He smiled at Velia. “Me and little Velia have done a few Ferris wheels in our time. It’s Nero’s turn. If it’s all right with you, sir.”
“Well, have it your way then.”
Velia hugged Roy. “Little Velia?” She thanked him. Lastly, she hugged her father. “Thank you for being who you are.” She pulled him close for a hug then moved back into Caulder’s arms. “Tell mia madre I have my men to protect me.” When her cowboy pulled her close, her heart warmed.
Her father nodded to Caulder before leaving.
He lifted his collar over the back of his neck and put his arm around Velia. “Ferris wheel? Are you sure after what you went through?”
“Even after all this.” She splayed her fingers outward in front of her. “I’m okay now.”
Caulder took her arm. “I think we should go back to your parents home. I’m willing to bet you aren’t as fine as you think. Trust me on this.”
A lump started in her throat, and her psyche slowly began to absorb the reality of what happened. Moments earlier...he would have killed her. Justin just died. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. She glanced at her father who turned to listen when Caulder spoke.
“He may be right, Velia. I think its best you come home.”
She nodded and got in the car, Caulder by her side with his arm around her the whole time. She took a glimpse of him beside her. He truly is my hero.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Velia didn’t go to Justin’s funeral. Maybe she should have, but it didn’t seem right. He died wanting to kill her. Life would go on. Jessica sat in jail for her part in helping Justin abduct her. Velia would be happy never to see her again. This part of her life truly ended. Trust had been broken, but her life would continue.
Only four more days in Chicago, and she and Caulder would be off to the circuit again. “A pleasant change,” she said to her image in the mirror. Tonight she had a date with Caulder, and he wouldn’t tell her where. All he said was to dress business casual. In her black pants and sexy, black lace top, and red jacket she did take on a classy flavor. Red Valentino high-heeled boots made her closer to his height. She donned her three-quarter-length, leather coat, and cream-colored silk scarf and waited downstairs.
When he appeared at the top of the stairs, Velia beamed. He wore a tailored, black button-down collar shirt and black slacks. She savored each step he made toward her, waiting with open arms when he reached the bottom step. “You look really good, hon.” She pulled him close, inhaling his intense cologne. His response was obvious. She giggled. “Shall we go before we start a fire in my parent’s foyer?”
Earlier Caulder insisted on a rental car, so he didn’t have to depend on someone else to get them around. He slipped into his coat and held out his arm. “Ready?”
“Sure am. Where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“Does it have anything to do with a credit card?”
“Well, yeah, probably.” He laughed as he held the car door open.
When he slid in and pulled away, she said, “No, I mean once you said—”
“You’re a smart one. We are, indeed, going to a high-end hotel downtown. I swear I can’t wait another minute to lie beside you.” He beamed when he glanced at her.
Now th
e chills started. Velia squirmed, knowing it wouldn’t be long before they were together, sexually, emotionally, and physically. If only she could wait. “I know what you mean. I’m glad.”
Caulder waggled his eyebrows. “You think you’re glad now, just wait.”
“I’m trying,” she said with a sneaky smile.
“Think you can wait for dinner first?”
“Can you?”
“No.” He sped up a little faster until he ran into traffic at a standstill. “We might have to take care of business right here. It’s going to take awhile to get there in this traffic.” He reached for her hand and placed it in his lap.
“It’ll be fine, hon. We’ll get there. Traffic is typical here.”
“Okay, then while we’re waiting, I have a favor.”
“Uh huh?”
“Come back home with me for the remainder of vacation.”
Velia faced him. “You mean another plane ride?”
“Afraid so, love.” Caulder tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “With me for a few days then back to the circuit?” He brushed his hair out of his face. “We’ll exchange the tickets. Hell, I already did once anyway.”
“But my parents.”
“I know, but my parents got cheated.”
“You didn’t have to come.”
Caulder peered at her with one eyebrow lifted. “Ah, you sure?”
“Umm, no. I’m glad you were here.”
“Would you at least think it over?” He lifted his hands in the air. “There, traffic is finally moving.”
“I’ll think about it.” Velia didn’t need much time for an answer. “Too bad we can’t leave from here in the morning instead of going back to my parents to get our things.”
Caulder pulled up to valet parking. “Does this mean you thought about it?” He got out and came around to meet her when the gentleman at the door opened her side. “Yep, I think it’s only fair.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “And maybe a little bit selfish because I do want to meet your family.”
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