Controlling Circumstances

by Jean Kelso

  “Shh…” Mel mumbles. “Relax or I will start to flip out.”

  I take a deep breath and try to gather myself. More footsteps sound and a shiver crawls up my spine. I curl my fingers in a fist and squeeze to try to contain the fear. “Okay. Sorry,” I whisper again. I don’t really know why we’re whispering, but if it helps to keep both of us somewhat calm then I suppose whispering is what we’ll do. I’m not sure if the cameras that are set have microphones or not, but I don’t really care either. The police only need visual proof of an attack—at least that’s what Gordon said to me.

  I survived Mike once and I can survive him again, right? I also just beat cancer, so there’s no way I’m going to let Mike beat me. I need to shake some of the fear off and pull my big girl panties up. Gabe isn’t here right now. He can’t protect me. I’m bait. Mel’s bait. Shit, my mind is wandering. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and look to the television.

  The footsteps stop and so do my thoughts. Mel grabs for my hand to get my attention I assume. “You want a drink, hun?” she asks.

  I look to her and scrunch my nose up. Why would she be asking that? Someone is in the fucking ceiling. I’m going to die tonight and she wants to know if I want a drink? I stare at her. She stares back.

  “Belle? Belle?” Mel shakes the hand of mine that she holds. “I’m thirsty and getting a drink, do you want one?” She glares at me as if I should know what she is talking about. I look to the kitchen and back to her. Is there part of the plan I missed? No, there isn’t. I know there isn’t. She seriously just wants a drink. Suddenly, it dawns on me. We are supposed to act normal, not do anything suspicious to cause Mike to change up his plans for the night. Boy, do I feel stupid.

  “Yeah, sorry. I would love a glass of soda. Thanks,” I tell her and smile.

  Things have been quiet except for the movie for the past half hour. No more footsteps or any other noises have occurred. Maybe Mel and I are just losing our minds. I try to relax and pull the blanket from the back of the couch. It’s the blanket I brought from my place to make me feel more at home here. I cover myself up with it and lean against the end of the couch. I try to pay closer attention to the movie.

  Mel appears to do the same. She tries to relax and curls up in her corner of the couch to watch the movie, too. The sad part about relaxing lately is that when I relax, I get sleepy. With my mind clear, body relaxes and the warmth cause my eyelids to begin to close.

  I don’t think I fell asleep, but I must’ve. The next thing I know something yanks me off the couch. My eyes open wide to see who does the pulling on me and I start to struggle. “No, no, no…” Mike twists me into his arms, my back to his front. An arm snakes around my waist and a large knife suddenly presses to my throat. The door to the apartment slams open and feet begin to stomp up the stairs. Mike’s able to get ahold of me. He went undetected until it was too late. I’m going to die.

  Mel screams. I don’t know what she says. Mike yells at her as men barge into the room. So much commotion and confusion starts. There’re the screams from Mel, demands and yells from the men and then there’s Mike. His grip on me is tight and I can feel the blade of the knife on my throat. I know if I move it’ll be for the last time. I swallow deep and can feel the blade bite into my skin just when I do that.

  A sudden growl erupts in the room. “Enough!” I hear Gabe shout loudly over everyone. Then there’s silence. Mel runs over to Jack and he takes her into his arms where she cries. Gordon steps in front of her to shield her view of me and sets his hand on his gun. My stomach tightens at this thought.

  “Mike, please let the girl go,” Gordon asks with a firm, but calm voice.

  Mike stands a little taller and shifts me farther in front of him to shield his body. “The bitch needs to die.” He sneers.

  The words that drip from Mike’s lips send a shiver up my spine. This is it. He has me right where he wants me.

  Gabe raises his hands in surrender and takes a step forward. “Man, please. If you let her go we can work something out.” He speaks like he means business—so serious.

  “Don’t come any fucking closer or I’ll cut her!” Mike sneers his evil words as he pushes the blade tighter to my throat. I whine in pain as the blade breaks skin and a little blood drips down my neck.

  Gabe stops his move with his hands still in the air. “She’s not your problem, man. Just let her go.” Gabe’s voice is a little on the demanding side. If I notice this, then I’m sure Mike does, too.

  “Back the fuck off, man. I’m not kidding,” Mike growls this time.

  Gabe steps back. “Okay, okay. Can we talk about it?”

  I begin to feel overwhelmed. My emotions swamp me—the fear, the anger, it’s an overload that drains me. I feel weak and I’m tired of the idle chit chat. “Mike, please let me go,” I whisper so the blade held on my throat doesn’t dig in any more than it already has.

  “Shut up, bitch!” Mike grinds his pelvis into my backside. “You feel that? Yeah, you loved that when you had it. Had to go fuck it up and send me to prison. Stupid bitch. Now you will get what’s coming to you.”

  Everything moves in slow motion after that. The blade moves from my neck while Mike is distracted. Jack appears to be sneaking up from the side. How I didn’t see that happening, I don’t know. The knife moves enough where I can look from Jack over to Gabe, who suddenly moves in my direction. Gordon has his gun at hand and then there’s pain. It’s all pain. Mike sinks the sharp blade into my side just seconds before a gunshot rings across the room.

  Mike’s grip on me is gone. The pain consumes me and down I go to the floor. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such pain before in my life. Even when Mike and his buddies did those unthinkable things to me, that pain doesn’t compare.

  I hold my side and look to Mike. Is he dead? He isn’t moving, but I don’t know if he’s dead. Suddenly, Gabe’s at my side. My vision gets blurry and my head feels fuzzy. The room spins. I only have one final thought. “I love you, Gabe.” And everything goes black.

  CHAPTER 25

  Belle

  I WAKE TO VOICES all around me. I can’t seem to open my eyes yet, but I know in time I will.

  “He won’t be getting out for a very long time.”

  “He missed every major artery, so we just have to wait for her to wake up. I’m just glad there were no problems with the anesthetic this time.”

  Gabe. He’s talking to someone, explaining something or telling those bits and pieces, details of the case. I’m not sure. I’m having trouble waking completely. I lay and wait for the fog to lift, just listening. More familiar voices enter the room. Mel’s here and there’s Jack. Everyone’s safe. Thank God.

  I feel someone move some hair from my forehead. “Belle. You going to wake up for us?” Gabe asks. I’d know that voice anywhere. I try to open my eyes. My eyelids feel heavy, but I manage to get them open. The first sight I see is a smiling Gabe looking down on me. “There she is.” He leans down and kisses my forehead.

  “Hi,” I whisper. It seems to be the only form of speaking I’ve been doing lately and my throat’s sore at the moment. I need to know what’s going on, so I look around the room. The gang is all here. Jack, Mel and Gabe.

  “You are okay, Belle. You are safe. We’re all safe now.” Gabe smiles.

  “What happened?” I ask him.

  Gabe sits down in the chair beside the bed and takes my hand in his. “We don’t know how he did it, but he managed to slip in unseen. We had every angle covered so we don’t understand.” He sighs.

  “I have a technician checking the cameras to see what the problem was, to see why they didn’t detect him. I feel like this is my fault. I’m sorry, Belle,” Jack says. Mel wraps her arms around his shoulders in support.

  “Don’t blame yourself, Jack.” My voice gets stronger. I lick my lips and try to moisten the utter dryness. “Deep down I knew he’d get to me regardless.” I look at Jack and Mel. I don’t want any of them to blame themselves for Mike’s
actions. He’s the one to blame, no one else.

  Jack shrugs. “I’m just glad you are okay.”

  “Thank you,” I tell him. “What about Mike?” I ask them all. “Is he dead?”

  The room gets quiet. I wait as I look from one to the other. No one seems to want to answer. I glare at Gabe.

  “No. He is alive, but he’s hurting. Once he’s out of the hospital he’ll be put in prison for a very long time.” He takes a breath. “He won’t be hurting you anymore, Belle. You don’t have to go to any court proceedings or anything.”

  Well, this is somewhat reassuring. I wish Mike was dead, but locked up will have to do. Now the big question is how the fuck did he get in the apartment?

  I try to adjust myself in the bed because I want to sit up, but it hurts to do. I wince. Gabe stops me. “Belle. Use the damn controls. Don’t hurt yourself, woman!” he grunts.

  There’s my man. Even with me being in the hospital, my man will put me in my place no matter how sick I am. I reach over to the controls and raise the head of the bed to my comfort. My mouth feels real dry and in need of something to drink.

  “Drink?” I ask. Instantly Mel is up. She grabs the cup of ice water off the table and hands it to me. I take a few little sips to wet my mouth. Damn, that feels better. I hand the cup back and she sits down. “How did Mike get in the apartment?” I look to Gabe, who then puts his hand on the back of his neck and squeezes. His expression becomes angry and then he looks like he wants to cry. Seriously, my man looks vulnerable.

  “Apparently there is an escape hatch on the roof that opens into an attic to the apartment.” He blows out a breath. “I honestly didn’t know about it and feel completely stupid for not knowing. If I had known, I could’ve probably stopped him.” Gabe leans back in his chair, eyes shut tight. I can tell he is beating himself up over it.

  “Gabe, there was nothing you could’ve done differently. Why can’t any of you understand that? Mike outsmarted us. Plain and simple. He had years of plotting. I was just the unwilling victim. But now it’s over. We all need to move on.” I look to each of them. I try to speak to them with my eyes, to prove to them that I mean what I say. We’re not getting any younger, and I have now survived that bastard twice and have been lucky enough to survive cancer. It’s time to move forward, time to look to the future.

  Mel and Jack leave after our chat. The doctor comes in and explains my injury. Then the doctor tells me that I can go home tomorrow. Apparently, I’d been sleeping for two days post anesthetic, but they were monitoring me closely.

  Speaking of going home—I don’t have a home anymore. I think I should bring this up with Gabe. I’m not sure if living with him is something permanent that he wants, even though I know I do. I clear my throat to get his attention. He seems to stare into space thinking about something. “Gabe?”

  He looks over to me and slowly smiles. “Yes, my sweet girl?”

  I bite my lip because I’m not really sure how to ask. “So…I—uh…” I blow out my breath. “I need a place to stay. I know I’ve been staying with you and now, since that jackass burned my place down, I really need a place.” I sigh. “So…” I begin to fidget with my fingers.

  A smirk rises on Gabe’s mouth. “Are you asking to move in with me, Belle?” The smirk is full force now.

  I want to reach over to him and smack him. I know he’s just teasing me now, but still. I can feel myself blush. My shy side is coming out. This man can bring all sides out of me. “You jerk!” I mumble.

  Gabe wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Well, are you?”

  I can’t help but giggle at his persistent teasing. “Yes. Now are you having fun teasing me? You big goof!” I laugh.

  Gabe chuckles before he smiles. “It’d be my pleasure to have you live with me.” The smile fades and he becomes serious. “I love you, Belle. I’ll love you until the end of time. What’s mine is yours, so if you need a home, my home is yours.”

  Gabe’s words touch me deeply. I want to cry because I’m so happy. “Thank you for loving me. I love you so much.”

  EPILOGUE

  Belle

  IT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOON and it’s been three weeks since everything went down with Mike. My wound has healed nicely and I feel good. Gabe has opened the bar again and business is good. Jack has decided he wants to stick around the area—I think he and Mel are hitting it off.

  I returned to work last week on a part-time basis. I just want to ease back into things. Mel took today off so we could go shopping and catch a movie. She’s been working lots trying to distract her mind from that night and the after effects and such by keeping busy. My girl is strong, but I know even strong girls break eventually, so shopping and a movie it is.

  “How are things with you and Gabe?” Mel asks me.

  I browse the rack of clothing and think over the past few weeks. I smile to myself. “Things have been great.” I think about the handcuffs, the sex toys and Gabe’s husky voice while we play. A tingly feeling comes over me. I shouldn’t be thinking of these things in public.

  “Well, that’s good. I’m so happy for you both. You deserve to be happy,” Mel says as she too searches through the rack for something that might interest her. She pulls a shirt from the rack and lifts it up to show me. “What about this?” She holds up a purple silky shirt, tank style. It’s nice.

  “Hmm, not bad,” I tell her.

  My cell phone goes off in my purse. I dig into my bag and pull it out.

  I look at the screen and confusion sets in. I look at Mel. “Hey, does this mean anything to you?” I show her my phone.

  Mel’s body freezes. She is stunned into silence. I wave my other hand in front of her face to get her attention. After a few moments Mel finally blinks and looks up to me.

  “Belle remember when I said I needed to talk to you about something?”

  Message: The boys are back in town.

  Stay tuned for more of Belle and Gabe

  in Mel and Jack’s book:

  Losing Control: Circumstances #2

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jean is just a small town girl looking for a little adventure. With her love of reading and writing she wanted to explore and see what her characters could do for her. Being a full time nurse, a wife, and mother of two boys, she has her hands full, but takes the time to dream among the pages. She is a true blooded Canadian and hopes to explore parts of the world sometime in the future, but for now, she explores in the books she reads and writes. Being a huge Indie Author fan, she has made several friends online and has met a few at book signings. Hoping to one day meet some fans face to face, she would gladly friend you on Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+.

  She can be found on Facebook:

  www.facebook.com/jean.kelso.14

  She can be found on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/8338589.Jean_Kelso

  She can be found on Google+:

  Barb Jean Kelso Johnson

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