by Amber Lacie
Theron lets out a deep sigh, and leans his forehead against mine. “Fine, but you call me if you need anything. I don’t care if it’s for a bottle of water, you call me.”
“Absolutely. I love you. Will you be here when I get off?”
“Yes ma’am. Badass and I will be waiting right here for you. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I give him a soft kiss on his cheek, and head into the store. I call out for Olivia and she pops out from behind a shelf, nearly giving me a heart attack.
“Don’t do that!”
“Well, hello to you, too. How are we feeling this morning?”
“Better, I was little ill earlier, but it seems as if it’s left me for the day. Would you like to see the baby?” Laying my purse on the counter, I reach into it and pull out the white envelope with my ultrasound tucked neatly inside it. I hand it over to Olivia and her face is already beaming with excitement.
“Has anyone else seen this yet?”
“Nope, just you and Theron. I’m hoping to have my family over for dinner this weekend, so that I can show them. I’m so excited.”
Olivia pats my hand and beams at me. “I can tell. You are absolutely glowing. We will have to find you a more comfortable chair to sit in. These wooden ones are going to start hurting your back soon.”
“Don’t put yourself out. I’ll be fine. So, what’s our plans for today? Anymore shelves to be built?”
“No, Kayla and I finished the last one up yesterday. Today we are stocking the shelves. We are going to move your lovely organized boxes onto the shelves. Harold’s nephew came by earlier and helped me push them against the walls, so now all we have to do is fill them.”
“Well, that should be easy enough.”
I follow Olivia into the back and make my way through the maze of boxes she has set up. The shelves are tall, but I should be able to reach all of them. We start with the books sorted by age group, then sort through genres, and finally alphabetically. I am sweaty and my feet are tired by noon. We decide to take a break and I sit in the chair that Olivia has insisted that we keep in the back for me. I send Kayla a quick text asking if she will be by for lunch today. While I wait for her response, I order some salads for Olivia and me from the diner up the street. Since we are so close, the girl agreed to walk them over. I think me offering a big tip might have persuaded her just a little bit. The bells chime in the front of the store and Oliva walks out to see who is here. She comes back with the salads in her arms, along with our drinks. We have just started eating when my phone goes off.
“Heplo.” Note to self, swallow food first and then answer the phone. I am not even sure of what I just said. I clear my throat and try again. “Hello?”
“Beautiful, I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. How is everything going?”
“Surprisingly well. It’s odd.”
“Okay. Are you going to elaborate?”
“I will when I see you tonight. I’m still processing everything right now. Did Kayla come by for lunch?”
“No, I texted her, but I haven’t heard back yet. If I don’t hear from her soon. I’m going to call her. It’s not like her to not text back right away.”
“All right. I have to get back to the boardroom. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“I will. I love you. I’ll see you when you get here.” I set my phone down beside me and look over at Olivia. “Do you think it’s odd that Kayla hasn’t texted me back, yet? I mean, I texted her almost thirty minutes ago.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry. She’s a grown woman. I’m sure she’s fine.”
We finish our lunches and get back to shelving more books. I have just finished the top shelf of the third bookcase, when I hear my phone ringing in my purse. I grab it and it lights up with Kayla’s name.
“Where have you been?”
“Jeez. That’s an incredibly rude way to answer the phone.”
“Well, you didn’t text back. How was I supposed to know what was going on. You always text back.”
“Yeah, I always text back, except when my fiancé takes me out to lunch at a fancy restaurant and proposes to me in front of a bunch of strangers.”
“What? Oh. My. God! Did you just say fiancé?”
“Yes, I did. I’m sorry I passed up lunch with you today, but Paul never asks me to go to lunch with him. I couldn’t turn him down and I’m so glad that I didn’t.”
“I’m so happy for you. This is so exciting! Yeah to bachelorette parties!” As the words leave my mouth, I realize that I most likely won’t be able to partake in the fun. Even, if I am not pregnant, I will have a baby to take care of. I am not going to rain on her parade, though. This is her moment. I won’t ruin it.
“I know what you’re thinking, and I’ve already worked it out. We are going to get married next fall, so you will have plenty of time to recoup after the baby.”
“You don’t need to do that, Kayla. It’s your day, not mine.”
“I know and I want you there without worrying if you are going to go into labor or not.”
“I love you, bitch.”
“Right back at you, skank. Now, I got to go. Paul is coming back from the bathroom and I want to give him my full attention.”
“Gross, Kayla, you make everything sound dirty. I’ll talk to you later.” I smile, as I hang up the phone. Who knew today would be such an exciting day?
“Did I hear you correctly?”
“Yep. Kayla got engaged! I’m so happy for her. Paul is perfect for her. I know he’s going to make her so happy.”
The afternoon flies by. At three o’clock the store phone rings. Olivia goes to answer it, but I stop her. I have been sitting for too long, rolling between shelves. I really need to stretch my legs. The phone rings again before I make it to the front of the store. We really need to get a portable phone. I’m surprised that she still has a corded one. “Harold’s Book Emporium can I help you?
“Hello, this is Doctor Michael Kohler. I am trying to reach an Olivia Wolf.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just an employee, just give me a second and I’ll get her for you.” I lay the phone on the counter and run to the back room. My heart is pounding in my chest. “Olivia.” She turns to me and her face pales.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. There’s a Dr. Kohler on the phone for you.” She furrows her brow, as if she doesn’t recognize the name. I follow her to the front of the store. My heart hopes that this is nothing serious. I know Harold is at home resting, I just hope nothing has happened to him.
“This is Olivia…Yes, he’s my husband…Oh…oh…when?” Her face pales, as her hands start to shake. I help her into the chair behind the counter. Please, God, let him be okay. I can’t watch another person break. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be right there. Yes…that’s fine. I’ll be there soon.”
“What is it?”
She sighs, as she hangs up the phone. “My dear, sweet Harold decided today would be a good day to cut the grass. It seems he got overheated. He passed out in the yard, and the neighbor found him. He’s at the hospital now. They gave him an IV, as he is dehydrated. One of the nurses were trying to find out how to get in touch with me and he got angry with them. He swore that if they told me, I would be down there yelling at him and stressing him out. Well, they called me anyways and guess what?”
“What”
“I’m going to go down there and yell at him for being so stupid. Then, I’m going to kiss him and hold his hand. I don’t want to ever get another call like this.”
“I don’t blame you. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, dear. Give your sweet boyfriend a call and have him come get you. We’ll close up early today.”
“Okay. You get your things ready to go and I’ll lock the door behind you. I’m just going to text Theron really quick. I’ll see you on Monday.”
I give Olivia a quick hug and head to the back of the store. After digging for my phone
in my purse, I send Theron a quick text letting him know that Olivia had to leave on an emergency, but I am locking the store up behind her. I also let him know that I am ready to go whenever he can get here. No sooner do I set down my phone that an awful feeling comes back into my stomach. I rush to the bathroom and spend at least the next five minutes with my head in a toilet. This is getting old really, fast. I am washing my face, when I hear the bells chime that hang over the front door. Shit. I didn’t lock it, yet. Someone is here and I really hope that it is Theron.
I brush my hands off on my dress, trying my best to dry as I walk over to the counter. I see someone standing at the counter and it is definitely not Theron. It’s a man with a short, stocky build. He looks oddly familiar. “Sorry, I was just in the restroom. We are actually getting ready to close early for the day. The owner is in the back, if you just give me a second, I can get her for you.” My fingers are crossed that my lie works. If I can get to the back of the store, I can exit through the alley and call Theron. I don’t know if this person is dangerous, but I’m definitely getting a creepy feeling from him.
“No need. I know she’s not back there. I waited for her to leave. I noticed you don’t have a body guard today.”
Fuck my life. My stomach sinks, I turn quickly on my heel running to the back of the store. My scalp burns, as the man catches me by my hair, yanking me back to the front of the store. I am kicking and screaming, trying to pry his fingers out of my hair. I can see his feet behind me and I do my best to try and stomp on them. I rear my head back, trying to hit any part of him that I can, but he is too quick. My feet start slipping, as I try to gain my footing. Finally, he stops and drops me to the floor in front of the cash register.
“I assume your purse is in the back. I wouldn’t want you calling anyone. How lucky is it for me that the old bird had to leave early? I have to say it was an unexpected surprise, but I’m enjoying it, none the less. I’m sure you’ve already let your ride know that you’re closing early. So, that only gives us a short time together, before we need to go.”
His back is facing me. My head is throbbing. I turn slowly, so that my back is facing towards the back room. I start scooting quietly away from him. I need to get out of here, and I know the front door isn’t an option, since he’s in front of me, but maybe if I’m quick enough, I can knock over some shelves or something. I need to keep him from catching me again. The wooden floor creaks, as I scoot back a little bit more. Shit. He turns to look at me and my mouth hits the floor. What the fuck?
“Ben? Are you kidding me? What the fuck are you doing? Let me go and I won’t tell anyone you were here. I’ll lie and say it was someone else. Someone I didn’t know. You can’t possibly know what you are doing.”
“I’m not an idiot, Eve. You won’t be going anywhere, and in case you are thinking of heading for the back door again, I want you to know that my business partner has it well guarded. So, you see there is nowhere to go.”
I scramble to my feet, knocking books onto the floor, as I race to the back of the store. I can see the exit sign just above the door, when a hand grabs my ankle. I fall and my hands slam into the floor, as I try to catch myself.
“Fucking, bitch! I told you not to run. I get my time with you first.” He pulls me towards him. I can clearly see his face, as I look over my shoulder. I kick out my other foot, trying my best to connect with his face, but he grabs my other ankle as well. Fuck. He pulls me back towards him. As I try to grab onto the edge of one of the shelves, something slams into my back. I curl into a ball, as he tries to kick me again, this time he gets my ribs. Pain seers through me. I frantically look around, trying to find anything to hold onto. I see a crack in the floor where two slats of wood don’t quite meet. Digging my fingers into the crack, I try to pull my legs out of his grasp. His strength surprises me. Ben doesn’t let go, but he yanks hard on my legs. I start to lose my grip, but I hold on with one hand. He yanks me again and I scream. My fingernails are stuck in the crack. His hands grasp my calves and pulls hard on my legs dragging me back towards him. Two of my fingernails rip off and a violent scream rips from my throat.
God, let someone hear me. I can see the small trail of blood that my fingers are leaving on the floor, as he drags me back to the front of the store. Grabbing me by my waist, he flips me over, slamming my back into the floor. Pain shoots up my spine, and my chest pinches, as I try to breathe.
“You were always such a tease at the office. Wearing your sexy outfits, but yet, you always turned me down. When the other company took over, I thought my aunt would finally be out of the picture. I could move up, and then you wouldn’t be able to say no. Things didn’t work out that way though, did they?”
He leans over me and I spit into his face. I am not going out without a fight. He wipes it off. His laughter is cold and evil, causing my hair to stand on end. I wrap an arm around my waist and twist underneath him.
“Ben, stop. God, please stop.” I scream for help, but he shuts me up with a slap to my face. It stings, but I can live through it.
“Shut the fuck up. All you keep doing is screaming.”
I scream for help again and this time his fist makes contact with my cheek, just under my eye. A white light flashes in front of my eyes, and my face feels like it’s on fire. Before I can open my eyes, he hits me again, and this time, the lights are followed by something warm trickling down my face.
“I said shut the fuck up! You stupid bitch. I’m going to have you, whether you like it or not.”
His hands reach up my dress, pulling and tearing my panties from my body. His fingers dig into my thighs, as he tries to spread them. I squeeze them as tight as I can and rock side to side, trying to throw him off. I scream again. “No! No!” Ben tries to cover my mouth with his hand, but I bite down, as hard as I can.
“You fucking whore!” He grabs my hair, lifting my head up off the floor and slams it back down. My vision blurs, and I know that I can’t hold on much longer. I hear another person talking in the room, but I can’t quite make out who they are.
“Benjamin. What the fuck? I never agreed to this. You were to grab her and bring her to me. You’ve fucked up royally. What happened to the rag? She wasn’t supposed to see your face. Now she can identify you, you fucking moron!”
“Here.”
All I see is something white coming towards my face. I shake my head back and forth trying to pull away, but it doesn’t help. I feel the soft cloth touch my face then everything goes black.
The sun is so bright today. Kayla and I trying our best to get a tan. We are both stretched out on our beach towels. Matt won’t leave us alone. He keeps trying to squirt us with his water bottle, but we refuse to give in. I hear Kayla scream and I know that Matt must have finally got her to move. I lift my head to see where they have gone to, when I notice a very tan pair of feet standing in front of me.
“You could say hello. I know you can talk.” I watch, as the boy in the sunglasses comes over and sits next to me on Kayla’s towel.
“You’re going to burn.”
“No, I’m not. I put on sunscreen. According to Kayla’s magazine we are trying for a healthy glow.”
“You don’t need it. You are already beautiful and you are going to burn.”
“You have to say that because you are my friend.”
“No, I don’t, but it’s true. Walk with me?” He holds out his hand and I slip mine into his. We walk on the beach for a little while. He tries to find me shells. I have a ton at home that I have collected over the years, but I don’t try to stop him. He is so excited when he finds them. His smile is infectious and I just want to stay in this moment as long as I can. The boy grabs my hands, and the sky starts to darken. What? I don’t remember this being a part of my dream. I look down at the hand that I am holding and I notice that it is bigger and older. Theron’s voice startles me.
“Eve. Baby, wake up. I need you to figure out where you are. Come on, baby wake up. I need you to get to me.” Water splash
es on my face. It’s cold. Where is it coming from? I look around for Theron. I can’t see him anywhere. “Eve, wake up for me.”
I try to move, but my body is stiff and incredibly sore. My tongue wets my lips, and I try to swallow some spit to wet my throat. My eyes won’t open. Water splashes on my face again. I can’t see anything and I start to panic. I try to kick out my feet and arms. That is when I realize that I am restrained. Shit. Wiggling as much as I can, I try to make sense of where I am. Think. Breathe and think. What do I know? Ben attacked me at the bookstore, but someone else was there. I know that I am restrained, but I’m lying on something soft. I pull on my legs and I can hear metal clinking. There must be some kind of cuffs on my ankles. My arms can move a little, but not much. I don’t think there are cuffs on my hands, it feels too tight. Is it rope? I don’t know what to do. Being able to see would be really, helpful right now. The last time that I saw Theron plays through my mind. Why didn’t I just go to the office with him?
Icy cold water splashes on me again, this time soaking not just my face, but my chest as well. Thoughts of Theron and what our life together were supposed to be, won’t stop playing through my mind. Tears slip from my eyes, I can’t blink them away. “Stop. Just stop. Please.” My voice is hoarse and cracks, as I start to cry.
“There’s no point in begging. She thinks she can stop me from having you, but I will. She’s not running this show. I am.”
“Who the fuck are you talking about? Just let me go. You can leave now. I can’t even see to follow you, just go.”
I hear the sound of heels clicking against tile or some kind of hard flooring, maybe it is cement. I am not sure.
“I swear if you fuck her up anymore, I will end your life. Benjamin, do not fuck with me.”
The female voice sounds so oddly familiar. My mind is racing, trying to figure out who is in here with us.
“Please. I’ll do anything. Do you need money? I’ll get you whatever you need. Just let me go.”
“Eve, don’t beg. It’s beneath you. What would your family think of you caving in so early? What about Kayla? How would she handle this? I’m sure after Matt, this would break her.” Her voice is smooth. Oh my, God. I know her. I fucking know her! At first, the idea of Bridgette helping Ben crossed my mind, but I was way off.
