Relentless Liberation

by Fine, L. J.

  Just as she closed the door to the stall behind her, she heard another woman enter but move no further into the room than the sink. Mina wondered briefly if the woman’s reflection looked half as happy as hers had before she rolled her eyes at herself. A few moments later the woman left the bathroom and Mina heard her cellphone chime with a text message as she flushed the toilet. Pulling her phone free, she swung her purse onto her shoulder, tapped the screen and froze in place. Shock hit her first, followed closely by the icy pin-pricks of fear as it traveled along her nerve endings.

  The image on her screen shouldn’t exist. No one outside of herself and Tyler should know what this looked like. The picture sent to her from a blocked number looked as though it had been taken from an odd angle outside of her bedroom window. In it, she saw herself as she straddled Tyler, head thrown back, a look of ecstasy on her face and unfettered lust on his, as she rode him. Someone had been outside her bedroom last night looking in and, she remembered as cold dread settled into her stomach, she had forgotten to close the curtains again when she got home from work. She had been too preoccupied with thoughts of Doug and getting the hell out of there, then later with Tyler as he persuaded her to stay, that she, like a complete idiot, forgot something so basic. All the potentially bad things had her mind racing while the actual fucked up thing was happing right outside her window. And she hadn’t known.

  The intense invasion of privacy had her stomach rolling and she braced her hand against the stall wall as she fought to keep her expensive Italian dinner down. The nausea passed but she felt confined and blocked in inside the enclosed space of the floor to ceiling walls of the stall. Flinging the door open, she darted out only to get stunned right back into immobility. Another fun little surprise waited for her scrawled out in chunky red lipstick on the mirror.

  I found you, Mina. I’ll always find you. And I will take back what’s mine.

  Doug had been here. In this room. With her. Just now.

  She lost the battle with her stomach and just made it to the toilet. When the heaving stopped she pushed her hair back from her face with shaking hands. She knelt there, not moving, not thinking, for a few seconds before panic had her scrambling to close the stall door and lock it behind her. Sitting on the floor, she leaned back against the wall and just listened to the sound of her heavy breathing while her blood pounded in her ears.

  He had been in this room with her, wanted her to know he had been here, but he hadn’t attacked her. More scare tactics. What would he do when he actually got sick of playing this game of cat and mouse? If he could sneak up on her in a women’s public restroom in a swanky restaurant for fuck’s sake, how was she supposed to keep dodging him? If she stayed here in this town she would never be able to let her guard down again. What the hell was she going to do now?

  Well for one thing, she couldn’t stay crouched in a bathroom stall for the rest of her life, and for another, Tyler would break the door down eventually if she tried to.

  Slowly she picked herself up off the floor, unlocked the door and moved toward the sink, moving as far away from the marked up mirror as she could, to wash her mouth out. Gone was her blissful reflection of moments ago. Her cheeks had lost their rosy glow, her skin now pale and ashen. The happiness that had danced in her eyes had been replaced by fear. She hated that Doug had the power to do this to her, to ruin what was supposed to be a happy, carefree evening.

  Anger suddenly replaced her fear and panic. She wouldn’t run and she wasn’t going to let him get away with this shit anymore. No longer was she a timid little girl without a support system and it was time she stood her ground. As soon as they left this restaurant she was going to the police. Once again taking out her phone, she took a picture of the mirror.

  When she left the ladies room she saw her group waiting for her near the door. Tyler had been laughing at something Brian said but when he saw her coming toward them the smile melted from his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Doug was here,” she said, voice low, unwilling to say the name too loud in case he still lurked somewhere close by.

  “What? Where?” Tyler straightened and looked beyond her, eyes darting around the lobby.

  Mina shook her head. “He was in the bathroom. I don’t know if he’s still around but I don’t want to give the bastard the satisfaction of an emotional reaction just in case. Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you what happened in the car. On the way to the police station.”

  “Shit, Mina.” His jaw started ticking as he took her hand and led her from the restaurant, a confused Chloe and Brian in tow. Mina hadn’t yet gotten to have her heart to heart with Chloe and though her friend remained concerned and silent, Mina knew that an explanation would be required in the near future.

  They reached their cars in the parking lot and Mina pulled Chloe in for a hug. “I’m sorry. I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can. I promise.”

  “Yes you will. Preferably tomorrow when I get to work.” Chloe hugged her tighter. “I don’t know what’s going on but you be careful.”

  Mina pulled back and gave a small smile. “I will. And don’t worry, Tyler’s with me. He’s like a pit bull where I’m concerned, remember?”

  “Yes he is,” Chloe said with a chuckle that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  They got into the car and Mina put on her seatbelt but Tyler didn’t start the engine. Instead he turned to her with a severe expression. “What happened?”

  Turning to face him in her seat, she pushed her hair behind her ears. “The bathroom was empty when I went in but when I was in the stall I heard the door open and someone came in and went over to the sink. I just thought it was another woman checking her makeup or something. Eventually they left and as I was about to leave the stall when someone sent me this picture.”

  She was almost afraid to show him, afraid of what his reaction would be, but she knew she had to. Pulling her phone from her purse, she brought up the picture and handed it to him. She watched the play of emotions dance across his face, much like what hers must have looked like when she got the text. The shock came first but instead of the fear that had followed with her, fury swirled like dark eddies in his eyes when he looked back up at her.

  “That motherfucker was outside your window last night?” She wasn’t sure how to answer that question, so she just nodded. “Jesus, Mina. What would have happened to you if I hadn’t shown up in the middle of the night? He knew where you were, he could have just followed you if you had left town.”

  “Let’s not play the what-if game.” She placed her hand on his arm, feeling the tension vibrating through his body. “You did show up and I’m not going anywhere.”

  Squeezing his eyes closed tight, he exhaled heavily through his nose before he reopened them and pinned her with his gaze. She could see the struggle not to argue with her in his expression and he forged on. “Obviously he sent you the text but how do you know that he was in the bathroom with you?”

  She took her phone back and flipped to her camera roll to show him the next picture. “When I came out of the bathroom stall this was written on the mirror above the sink.”

  His fierce expression didn’t ease up any as he read the note Doug had left her. “Like fucking hell he will. I’ll take you to the police station and we’ll see what they can do, if they can do anything. But I swear if he comes anywhere near you again, Mina, I’m gonna rip his fucking throat out.”

  * * * * *

  They left the police station no more appeased than when they entered. Tyler’s anger over the lack of results seemed like a palpable pressure filling the car as they drove to his house. His frustration rivaled only hers in its intensity but they had done all they could do at this point. Still, she felt as though she should say something to break the building tension even if she had no idea what. So she winged it and hoped for the best.

  “It’ll be all right, Tyler. We’ll just have to be careful.”

  “Sure.” He nodded
but the fire in his eyes never died down. “Yeah, we’ll be careful. That cocksucker just went after you in a public place, I was on the other side of the wall and had no idea. We filed a PFA but it can’t be enforced unless it’s served directly to him and we can’t fucking pin him down, but sure, we’ll be careful.”

  To that she had no response, couldn’t even get angry with him because she knew he was just scared and frustrated. He only said what they were both thinking, echoing the thoughts she had earlier in the restroom. She would never again be able to let her guard down and if Tyler really wanted to stay with her, neither could he. Even though she knew he was be willing to take it on, she had dumped this mess on him, made her safety his responsibility. That was a lot to take for a man, who up until very recently had major commitment issues.

  Biting her lip, she turned to him about to make some sort of apology, however pale it would seem in comparison to their situation, when he beat her to it.

  “I’m sorry. Me flipping shit over the inadequacy of our justice system isn’t helping at all.” He reached over the console to take her hand in his. “And don’t think I can’t see your brain working into overdrive over there. This isn’t your fault.” He squeezed her hand. “None of it.”

  She sighed. “I know that, realistically I do. But I just want this to be over. Why can’t he just let me go?”

  “I dunno, baby. He’s a sick fuck. But you should also know that I’m never gonna let you go either, so you don’t have to worry.” He smiled over at her and the fist around her heart eased a little. “I think that he’s eventually gonna show himself and when he does we’ll nail his ass. In the meantime, we’ll just make sure that, outside of work, I’m never more than three feet away from you. Which won’t be a hardship for me at all.”

  He threw her a wink and she had to laugh. “Riiiiight. What are you gonna do? Drop me off and pick me up at work like you’re my dad taking me to school?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m gonna do. Thought I’m definitely not your father,” he said giving her a hot once over while he licked his lips.

  In spite of the evening’s events, heat shot through her body to pool low in her belly. She suspected that a look like that from him would always affect her like this. Still, she appreciated his levity and couldn’t resist teasing him. “You’re gonna get sick of me if we’re attached at the hip all the time.”

  Tilting his head, he clicked his tongue. “See, it depends on what angle our hips come together at. I can think of some very interesting ones that you better believe I’ll never get sick of.”

  “Wow. That escalated quickly,” she laughed.

  “I’m just glad you’re smiling,” he said pulling into his driveway then into the garage. “I don’t want that asshat to take away that beautiful smile, baby.”

  Warmth of a different kind washed over her and she smiled at him as he parked the car. They both got out and he met her at the hood, pulling her into his arms for a hug.

  “Seriously, Mina, I don’t want you to worry. I’ll be right here with you and I won’t let him hurt you,” he said rubbing her back in soothing circles.

  “I know you won’t.” She cupped his face with her palm and got to her tip-toes to kiss his lips softly. “Thank you for sticking this out with me. I know it’s messed up and I know it’s a lot and –”

  He interrupted her by pulling her closer and covering her mouth with his. “Told you. I like taking care of you.” He picked her up, making her yelp in surprise as her legs wrapped instinctively around his waist. “Now let’s go see if I can’t find a way to get your mind off of it.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mina had the early shift that morning and true to his word, Tyler hauled his ass out of bed to drive her in. He left her with a sweet, lingering kiss at the door and, despite the unfortunate situation that forced him to inconvenience himself, Mina thought she could get used to kissing him like this first thing in the morning.

  Customer traffic had been slow and Mina had finished her inventory tasks early so the morning dragged on at a snail’s pace. It didn’t help that she had been working alone most of the morning so she didn’t have anyone to talk to until Cindy had come in half an hour ago. Up until that point, the few times the door actually did open her heart leapt into her throat until she could verify the new person entering her store wasn’t Doug. Once Cindy arrived for her shift, Mina started to breathe a little easier.

  She was due to meet Tyler for their coffee break next door in about ten minutes and she couldn’t wait to get out of there. The tasks of her job and the atmosphere of the bookstore usually filled her with a quiet calm and a sense of purpose but the events of the previous evening left her feeling antsy and unsettled. As much as the prospect of coming face to face with Doug again terrified her, part of her just wished he would make his move and get it over with. The sooner he showed himself, the sooner this nightmare would finally be over.

  Or maybe he would get sick of waiting for Tyler to give him an opening to get to her and he would eventually give up and move on.

  Or maybe that last one was wishful thinking on her part. Maybe Doug would get hit by a buss, too. That more than likely would be the only thing, short of his getting arrested, that would ensure he left her alone.

  Once Cindy got into place at the cash register, Mina made her way toward the back of the store. As she entered the back room she noticed that the door leading to the back walkway was slightly ajar. Frowning, she cautiously moved further into the room. This door had been closed when she came in this morning. It couldn’t be opened from the outside without a key. Cindy hadn’t come in that way, had she? Mina tried to remember but she honestly hadn’t seen which way Cindy had come. She had been under the counter digging out a new role of receipt paper when Cindy appeared.

  None of the store’s alarms had gone off so the door must have been opened with a key. It was only open about an inch so maybe the latch didn’t catch when Cindy pushed it closed.

  Thinking to ask Cindy about it when she went back out to go meet Tyler, Mina moved toward the door and pushed it closed. The latch had just clicked when a heavy weight hit her and, catching her by surprise, pinned her against the opposite wall. Before she could scream, a hand came down over her mouth, cutting off any sounds she might make. Terrified, she looked up at her attacker and found Doug’s angry dark eyes glaring back at her, an evil smile splitting his lips as he chuckled.

  “Why do you look so surprised, Mina? I’m the one who can’t believe what I’m seeing.” She whimpered and his hand tightened over her mouth with bruising strength. “You’re like a mirage, baby doll. I’ve been trying to catch up to you for so long and now finally, like a dream before my eyes, you’re here.”

  In an unfair act of fate, the years had been kind to him. He looked almost exactly as he had the last time she had seen him. The same immaculately styled blond hair and handsome features, the same devilishly wicked brown eyes. The difference being that back then, she had thought that bad-boy glint in his eyes had been mysterious and attractive. Now she recognized it for what it was—dangerous arrogance and cruelty, with a touch of madness lurking in the dark depths.

  “We can finally be together again.” He repositioned himself so that his lower body held her against the wall as his knee slid between her thighs, forcing them apart. The hand that had been holding on to her waist moved up to cup her breast, his fingers kneading the soft tissue painfully. “I know you want it just as much as I do, Mina.”

  Suddenly his eyes grew hard and his jaw clenched. The fingers kneading her breast twisted her nipple painfully, making her cry out—but his hand over her mouth muffled the sound. “Maybe I should punish you first for making us wait so long.”

  The hand at her breast slowly released her to trail down her stomach and rest at the waist of her pants. He dipped his head into her to nuzzle her neck and breathe her in. Her first instinct to flinch away from his touch had her jerking in his arms but he increased the pressure he put against
her so that she couldn’t move.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Mina. You don’t even know. I love the way you play the game, though. The way you always make me wait for it and just when I get close enough to grab you, you dance out of my reach. And you’re such a little cock tease too.” He lifted his head so that he could brush his mouth against her cheek as he spoke. “But you always give in to me, don’t you, baby doll? You’re giving it up right now just like you did back then. Just the memory of this tight little virgin cunt wrapped around my dick keeps me up at night.”

  Oh God, did he think she had stayed here on purpose so that he could finally catch up to her? Like this was some sick, twisted game they were both playing. It was then that she realized he was even more unbalanced than she had thought, pushing over the edge into complete insanity.

  His left hand kept traveling down past her waistband until he cupped her sex through the denim. Shivering with revulsion, she tried to squeeze her legs closed but his thigh between hers made it impossible.

  The hand that had been covering her mouth got a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back painfully, forcing her to look at him, making her cry out. The look in his eyes turned hard and angry once more.

  “What’s wrong, bitch? I know you want it, have been waiting for it, like the good little slut you are.”

  All the pain that he and Daisy had caused her over the years—the way they made her feel pathetic and unworthy of anything but disdain—began bubbling under the surface of her skin. Then she thought of Tyler, the complete antithesis of these cruel, evil people. He loved her, was able to love her in complete opposition to everything they had made her believe about herself. Suddenly, things became clear. They were the pathetic ones. Why else would they still be doing this to her after all these years?