by Lisa Lace
At the end of the day, I felt the good kind of exhausted. I’d worked hard and thrown myself into looking after the children. It was a relief from the constant worrying I’d been doing since the fire, and even before when I’d received the first note from Victor. Some kind of routine and normality was just what I needed to get back on my feet.
I was looking forward to getting back to Kacey’s and telling her all about my day. I knew how pleased she’d be to hear that it had gone well. I knew she’d be working late tonight at an open house, so my plan was to make dinner for when she got in. It was the least I could do.
I was feeling more positive than I had in weeks and even started humming as I drove towards the townhouse.
The notes died in my throat when I pulled up outside Kacey’s place to see a red Chevrolet Colorado truck parked on her street. I instinctively ducked down behind my wheel and felt my heart stop. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears, and even though I couldn’t see Victor, I was holding my breath, as if he was right behind me.
I quickly pulled out my cell and dialed 911. This is it, Jenna. You’ve got him. Just stay low, and let the police pick him up. It’s almost over.
Adrenaline made the blood rush faster through my body; so fast that I felt light-headed. I could hardly catch my breath.
I stayed low down in the driver’s seat, daring only to sporadically shoot a glance out the window towards the truck, watching out for Victor.
My cell connected with the 911 operator.
“911. What is your emergency?”
“I need the police. There is a wanted suspect outside my friend’s home.”
“Where are you calling from?”
“622 Evergreen Road.”
The operator began to ask me questions, and I answered them in quick succession, my voice barely a whisper. All the while, I kept my eye on the truck. I didn’t know what I would do if Victor appeared. And what would I do if he drove away? This was the closest I’d gotten to getting Victor caught, and I couldn’t let the opportunity to slip away.
Each minute seemed to span hours, as I prayed for the police to arrive before Victor left. What is he even doing here? I couldn’t see Victor in the cab of the truck. Where was he?
I kept on speaking to the operator. She was trying to determine details of the “disturbance” as she called it. I just wanted her to send help.
“He’s dangerous. You need to send someone. Now.”
As I said the words, Victor finally appeared from the side of the house. It looked like he’d come from Kacey’s backyard. As I watched, I saw him go to the back of his truck and pull out a can of gasoline.
My voice became urgent. “He’s just pulled out some gasoline. You need to hurry! He’s going to set the house on fire. He’s wanted for arson. You need to get here!”
“Ma’am, someone is on their way.”
I stayed hidden in my car, watching from a distance as Victor returned towards Kacey’s backyard. My head raced with thoughts about what I should do. Instinct told me to get as far away from Victor as possible. Loyalty told me there was no way I could let him destroy Kacey’s home.
When I’d lost everything, Kacey had been there for me. I couldn’t let Victor do this to her. I couldn’t let Victor do this to Nate—he’d not wanted me to go back to work, and the first day I did, Victor showed up. Nate had accepted my decision. Would he ever forgive me if that decision cost his sister her home?
I stepped out the car. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as I crossed the street and headed down the side of Kacey’s house along the path that led to the back gate. As I got closer, I could hear the sound of gasoline splashing on the ground and chugging in the can as it was thrown against the porch.
Heart thumping, I pressed myself against the edge of the house and peered around into the backyard.
My heart stopped when I saw Victor. He was turned away from me, facing the porch that he was dousing with gasoline.
There he was. The man who had taken so much from me. The man who had systematically ripped my self-esteem to shreds, tore my dreams out my hands, and chased me out of my home time and time again.
When I saw him, so many emotions came flooding back: fear, regret, dread, and to my shame, even a little of whatever it was that had kept me with him so long in the first place. Not love, but some kind of twisted devotion that he’d drilled into me.
There was the man who’d threatened my family and terrorized me. There was the man who I feared enough to flee across state lines. There was the man who had ruled my life for the last five and a half years.
Enough was enough. It ended today.
“Victor.” My voice came out stronger than I had expected it to. It must have surprised Victor, too. When he turned to me, his eyes were wide.
“Put the gasoline down.”
Victor emptied the last of the gasoline on the porch with a determined shake and then threw the empty can onto the grass. “So, you’ve come out of hiding at last.”
The way he said the words made my blood run cold. He said them like he’d been waiting for this moment all along. He said them with smug, sadistic satisfaction like he was pleased with himself; like he’d been planning for this moment all along.
Here it was. The moment that I knew was coming; the inevitable confrontation. The cell was still clasped in my hand, the call still ongoing. “You need to stop this. It’s me you want. Not Kacey. This is her home, not mine.”
“You’re not an easy woman to find these days, Jenna. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“You just left. Packed your things and left.”
“I knew you would never let me leave any other way.”
“You bitch.” He spat the words. The viciousness in just the two syllables shook me to my core. There was so much hatred in them. “You don’t walk out on me.”
“So, this is revenge?”
“You made a fool out of me.”
I scowled and curled my shaking hands into fists. He had things to say to me? I had a few things to say to him, too…
“All of this because I hurt your ego? You’re pathetic.”
The back of his hand caught me across the cheek before I’d even registered his arm lifting. The blow knocked me to the ground, and I cried out. I quickly turned onto my back and tried to scurry away from him. Every inch I edged backward, he made up with a single stride.
“You set my apartment on fire because you were angry I left you?”
“I had to smoke you out, you little whore. You got lucky that your lover was out that night.” Victor smirked.
“You’re sick.”
He towered over me, his finger pointed threateningly at my face. His dark curls were untamed, his jaw unshaved, his eyes wild. He looked every bit a monster. The handsome face that had once drawn me in was contorted into a vicious snarl.
“I had to go digging around into your sister’s purse to find your little letters.” He took another step closer. “I had to drive all the way to Indiana to track you down.” Another step. “I had to sit and watch a post office for days, just to find out where you were hiding.”
I was shaking. My voice came out in a tremor. “Why?”
“Because you’re mine.”
I tensed every muscle in my body to stop myself shaking. I curled my hands into fists and caught Victor’s eye; steady and hard as steel. I spoke my words slowly and with spite. “I am not yours. You’re the biggest mistake I ever made. I hate you.”
Victor was now standing with one leg either side of my body, and I cried out as his fist closed around my shirt and lifted me like a ragdoll before him. I lifted my arms over my head and squeezed my eyes tight shut, thinking he’d hit me again.
Instead, he threw me back down onto the ground and turned back towards Kacey’s house. I saw him pull a book of matches from his pocket.
“No!”
Even now, when he had me where he wanted me, and could k
ill me with punches if he wanted, he knew what would really hurt me. He knew that I cared about people and that my priority was to protect them. That’s why he’d threatened my parents and sister so many times in the past. That’s why he’d bought me a cat — just so he could kick it when I disobeyed, knowing that I would do whatever he said to stop him. He’d always used my nature against me, even now, when I was right there.
I leaped onto his back to stop him striking the match and began punching him as hard as I could in the chest. He threw me off like I weighed nothing, and I hit the ground hard. I scrambled immediately back onto my feet and threw myself onto him again.
He let out a wild roar of rage.
Victor threw me off him again, but this time spun to tackle me. He pinned me down on the ground, and lifted his fist…
I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to come, but it didn’t.
The police were here. I began to weep with relief as I watched the officers pull him off me. I glanced across at my cell, which was lying on the grass a few meters away. I’d dropped it when Victor had first struck me, but the call had been running the whole time.
Evidence. Everything was being recorded. You’ve got him, Jenna. It’s over.
Chapter Thirty-One
Nate
My eyes roamed over all the guests at my table; Kacey, Carla, and Sam were all there. And, of course, Jenna.
After a fire, you debrief.
A debrief was a chance to talk about what had happened, and figure out what happened next. It was a chance to check that everybody was doing all right. I guess that was why I’d arranged this night. I just wanted to check that everybody was still in one piece and that everybody would be all right.
We’d enjoyed a stress-free evening where we’d hardly spoken about Victor and the fire. Instead, we’d all appreciated the chance to look to the future instead. We’d eaten dinner; we’d drunk wine. Now, we were all pleasantly light-headed, and talking about what life held for each of us now.
“So, Carla,” Jenna asked with a smile, “has it been confirmed?”
Carla tilted her head in confusion. “What?”
Jenna gestured to her and Sam, who were sitting practically on each other’s laps, arms about each other. “Will the move be permanent?”
Carla giggled and twisted to look at Sam, her arms about his neck. “What do we think, babe? Can you handle me long-term?”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
They kissed for long enough to make Kacey tell them to get a room, but we all laughed. Everybody was in high spirits. The last few weeks had been intense for us all, but there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.
“What about you, Jenna?” Carla asked. “Are you going to stay with Kacey?”
Jenna looked over at me uncertainly, and then smiled and shook her head. “I think I’m going to find my own place again.”
“Nothing’s been decided yet,” I said.
She looked back at me, and her smile grew. Her eyes were soft and full of affection, and her hand closed around mine. She was sitting on the chair beside me. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“What we do know,” I continued, “is that Jenna has been accepted at college. She’s going to finish her degree.”
Carla gasped with delight and clapped her hands. The others all quickly congratulated her, too.
Jenna smiled and laughed. “Thanks, everyone.” She gave a little, modest shrug. “After everything that’s happened, I’m more determined than ever to make a life that’s good.”
As Jenna said the words, I looked at her and realized that life was good. With Victor out the way, nothing was standing between us. It had been a tough few weeks, but I didn’t regret sticking by Jenna for a moment. The whole situation had proven to me how incredible she was—so tough. Resilient. A survivor.
When I’d heard about what Jenna had done at Kacey’s apartment, I’d been angry and in awe at the same time. I’d been furious that she’d gone after Victor on her own—she could have been killed—but also so proud of her. She’d faced him for Kacey’s sake, and mine. Even knowing that Victor was dangerous, she refused to let his evil affect Kacey. I thought she’d been incredibly selfless and brave.
More than that, she’d won. Victor had been arrested, and the trial was forthcoming. Jenna’s 911 transcript was on record, and Victor had as good as confessed about the fire. With the footage of his truck from the traffic cameras and the recovered gasoline cans from Kacey’s backyard, his conviction was looking pretty certain.
Turns out that he had taken the truck from the police impound as well, so there was a whole other set of charges he was facing. Arson, breaking the terms of a restraining order, assault, and theft. The prosecutors were attempting to try him for attempted murder because of the fire, but even if they failed to pin him on that charge, there was a multitude of others he had to account for that would see him put away for a long time.
After dinner, Kacey joined me in the kitchen to help clear away the dishes while Jenna hosted Sam and Carla.
She gave me a friendly nudge as she was drying a plate, and smiled. “I think she’s a keeper, you know. She’s got some guts. That’s for sure.”
“I think she’s incredible.”
Kacey’s smile became softer. “I’m glad. You deserve some happiness. And I think Jenna makes you happy. Hold onto her, Nate. If you two can get through something like this, then you can get through anything. Seems like you’re made for each other.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jenna
Everybody had left, and I was feeling good as I cleared away the last of the wine glasses from the table.
“That was a lovely evening, wasn’t it? I think we all needed a night like that.”
“I’m not so sure.”
My face fell. “Really? Why not?”
“Because you said something that’s been bothering me.”
Slowly, I put down the empty wine glass I was holding and tried to recall what I might have said to have upset Nate. After how far we’d come, I’d have been devastated if I’d said something at the last minute to make him doubt I was worth the fight.
“What did I say?”
Nate took a step closer to me, and when he smiled, I knew that nothing was wrong. “You said that you were going to find your own place.”
My heart skipped a beat with joy when he said that, and I clicked what he was trying to say. I smiled. “And?”
“And I don’t want you to find another place to live. I want you to stay here with Harriet and I.”
I could have burst with excitement. Tears sprung to my eyes; I couldn’t control them. I was so happy. “If it’s all right with Harriet, then yes. I’d love to live with you.”
No more holding back. No more pretending that I didn’t want something I wanted more than anything. No more fears stopping me from holding onto Nate for dear life and laying it all out as it was.
Nate swept me up in his arms and kissed me passionately. I melted into his embrace, and wrapped my arms around him, letting each kiss send my spirit soaring higher.
Taking my hand, he pulled me after him into the bedroom. I threw back my head and let a laugh escape my throat. It felt so good to hear it echo down the hall. I stifled my laughs after that to make sure I didn’t wake up Harriet.
In the bedroom, we ripped the clothes off each other and threw them to the ground. We couldn’t stop laughing. We were both elated.
When I was completely naked, Nate lifted me up, smothering me with kisses, and took me to the bed.
I lay back and grinned up at him. “Let’s start this new living arrangement off right. I’m all yours, Nate Blaze.”
Nate let out a little growl of approval and grinned as he moved over me.
I reached out for him and closed my hand around his thick, hard erection. He let out a soft, husky sound of approval, and I felt him swell larger. As I pleasured him with my hands, Nate’s mouth sought my breasts, and
his hands ran over my body.
I arched my back and sighed with pleasure as his teeth gently brushed against my nipple, and his palm cupped my breast. He moved his kisses upwards; along my collarbone, on my throat. Back to my mouth.
I pressed my tongue into his mouth and felt the heat of his kiss. He pressed his lips harder against my mouth, and his tongue circled mine. I wanted him. And now I was free to have him.
I pushed Nate onto his back, and he grinned. I mounted him, running my hands down his strong pecs, and perfect six-pack. I felt myself yearning for him and guided him into me.
Pressing myself against him, I began to grind my hips against his pelvis, feeling the full length of him inside me. I felt the steady tingle of an orgasm beginning to grow, and I steadied myself with my palms pressed against Nate’s chest.
He closed his hands around my wrists gently and let his head fall back onto the pillow. He groaned softly, and I rocked my hips again.
Each thrust was pure bliss, and I came closer and closer… I began to move faster and faster against Nate. He began to press down just above my hips, at the base of my spine, to push himself deeper into me. He filled me entirely, and I moaned.
Just as I was about to come, Nate sat up, so that he was face to face with me, and wrapped his arms around me. He held me against him in a close, tight embrace; the most loved I’d ever felt in my life.
I was skin to skin with him as I orgasmed, his arms around me. After I came, he pressed his lips once more against mine, in a passionate, deep kiss. One hand was in my hair, the other pressing down against my lower back to keep me moving with him.
Moments later, Nate let out a soft cry and then rested his head against my shoulder. I kissed his forehead and stayed entwined with him as the beautiful feeling slowly dissolved.
Then, we lay in each other’s arms. As I stared at the ceiling, wrapped up in Nate, and whispered to him in the dark, my heart swelled with joy. All my wildest dreams had come true.
