Not for a Moment

by Nadirah Foxx

  Actually, that didn’t sound like a bad idea.

  ∞∞∞

  Around four o’clock Dad and I showed up on Matt’s doorstep. His jaw dropped when he saw us.

  “What’s going on?” Matt’s eyes darted from me to my father and back again. “Rachel?”

  I gave Matt a quick peck on the cheek. “We’re having dinner together. Since you couldn’t come to us, we came to you.”

  “Oh.” He stood there dumbfounded for a moment before stepping to the side. “Come on in.”

  Matt helped with the groceries and then took our coats.

  “Why don’t you and Dad get to know each other better while I cook?” I said as I opened the fridge. I located a bottle of wine and placed it on the island before giving Matt a couple of beers.

  He quirked an eyebrow in my direction. “Maybe I shouldn’t.”

  Dad slapped a hand on Matt’s back. “Tell you what. We’ll both pass on the beer. I could use a cup of coffee though.”

  Once again, my father acted as the voice of reason. I returned the alcohol to the fridge and reached for the box of K-Cups on the counter. “I’ll bring the coffee out when it’s ready.”

  ∞∞∞

  Dinner was close to being ready. The veal parmigiana I picked up from the restaurant was reheated. Pasta was prepared and plated. I even purchased tiramisu for dessert. Only thing left to do was toss the salad. It was comforting to know that I could whip together a worthy meal when the occasion called for it. When it was just me, I ordered out or grabbed something frozen.

  Just as I was about to go into the living room, my father’s words halted my steps.

  “Matthew. You don’t mind my calling you that, do you?”

  “No, sir.”

  “You claim to love my daughter.”

  “I do.”

  Irritation crept into Dad’s voice. “This will be a lot quicker if you don’t interrupt.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Rachel doesn’t think I saw, but I noticed her wrist. Put your hands on my daughter again, and I’ll kill you.”

  Matt didn’t speak.

  “I tolerate a lot of shit in life, but my daughter is where I draw the line. Not once did I raise my hand in anger with her mother. Not once did she do anything that made me want to hurt her. If you’ve got issues with your temper, I suggest you check it or leave Rachel alone. Understand?”

  “Loud and clear. Loud and clear, Mr. St. John.”

  Great. How was I supposed to play that off?

  “I know you heard.”

  I jumped as my father spoke next to my ear.

  “You didn’t need to—”

  “Yeah, I did.” Dad peered at the food. “Tell you what. Fix me a plate to go. I can eat at home.” He faced me. “Unless you want to come with me.”

  “Dad.”

  Matt placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Rachel. Your father’s right. I shouldn’t have hurt you. For that, I’m sorry. I can understand him not wanting to eat with us.”

  But I didn’t. The situation was under control.

  Or so I thought.

  “I did all this work. At least sit down and eat. Together. I even made dessert,” I pleaded.

  The two men in my life stared at each other. After a few minutes, Matt extended his hand toward Dad.

  “If you can stomach it, I’d be honored if you’d share a meal with me.”

  Dad studied Matt for a long uncomfortable moment. Finally, he accepted the gesture. “For Rachel.”

  Matt nodded. “I have a folding table and chairs. Care to help me set up?”

  I breathed easier when they returned to the living room. Just maybe brighter days were on the horizon. God knew we needed them.

  33

  Plans Change

  Rachel

  We got through dinner, but the good news we waited for never came. Right after our meal, Matt’s lawyer called. The district attorney claimed there’d been a breach in the medical examiner’s office. Someone had tampered with records, so any further investigation had been shut down. It didn’t matter that there was DNA not belonging to Matt or the victim found on the uniform.

  The DA speculated that Matt had an accomplice who possibly planted evidence. Besides throwing out the findings, the prosecutor petitioned the judge and had the date of the trial moved up. It would start in two weeks.

  The news naturally didn’t sit well with Matt. As it was, he barely ate, and he wasn’t sleeping. I didn’t do it became a daily mantra for him. Frankly, I was tired of it. He’d given up, but I hadn’t. There had to be something more I could do to prove his innocence.

  I glanced at him slumped in the recliner with the TV remote in one hand and a nearly empty beer bottle in the other. The ordeal had aged him—dark circles took up permanent residence beneath his eyes, and his gorgeous olive complexion had turned sallow. If he could beat the charges, I was certain the old Matt would return and replace the drunken and depressed one.

  “Babe, can you get me another beer?” he asked, staring at the screen. A hockey game between the Red Wings and the Bruins was on. If circumstances had been different, we would have been at that game.

  Thankfully, we were out of beer. “Sorry. You drank the last one.”

  His head whipped up. Angry eyes flashed at me. “Then go out and buy more!”

  Perfect excuse to put my plan in motion. I jumped to my feet. “It might take a minute.”

  He waved his hand in the air and returned to the game. Looking around the room, I located his phone. I made sure it was turned on and powered up before placing it on the end table next to Matt. Call it peace of mind—just in case.

  Time for me to go to work.

  ∞∞∞

  Of course what I planned was a bad idea. How could it not be? I wasn’t a cop nor a shrink, and the situation might require both professionals—one for me and one for Leo. Bottom line? I was a desperate woman trying to save the man I loved.

  Loving Matt scared the hell out of me. The prevailing question hit me every hour on the hour. What would I do if they found him guilty? According to his lawyer, Matt was facing a fifteen-year stint in prison. If he survived, would I wait for him? Could I wait for him?

  All I knew was somebody was out to get Matt—end his career, take away his freedom, and possibly snuff out his life. Maybe it wasn’t so simplistic. Maybe it was a case of misdeeds finally catching up to him. If that was true, karma was indeed a bitch.

  It felt like forever since I was last at my apartment. Thankfully, the place was still empty. Crystal was having a hard time trying to find someone who wanted to sublet it.

  My apartment used to be my sanctuary. The place I longed to come to at the end of the day. It was my haven where the problems of the world didn’t touch me. Since Leo, it felt like a symbol for all things dangerous.

  Part of me considered running. Return to my father’s house and forget all about Leo and Matt. But I couldn’t. Not if I wanted the torment to end. And it would end one way or another.

  My fingers shook as I looked up Leo’s number. I hesitated for a moment but pressed the button, anyway.

  “Rachel?”

  “Yeah. We need to talk.”

  “I can be there in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll be waiting.” As I disconnected the call, I walked over to the window and peered out.

  Leo knew I was there. More proof that he watched my every move. How long had he been stalking me?

  A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I clutched my purse closer and swallowed the bile rising in my throat. It suddenly occurred to me that I should have let someone know what I was doing.

  Too late.

  He knocked again.

  I ran to open the door. “Hey, Leo.”

  He stood there like it was just a casual get-together between old friends. “Happy to see me?”

  “More than you know,” I lied.

  Leo’s lips curled up as he crossed the threshold. “This should be
interesting. Bored with the cop already?”

  Shutting the door, I prepped my deception. My words had to be believable. Leo was too smart to accept a weak excuse. “Not boredom. Reality.”

  With no place to sit, Leo leaned against the wall. Suddenly the entryway seemed claustrophobic, but moving might alert him, so I stayed put.

  “Do tell.”

  “Matt’s changed since the arrest. He’s moody and angry all the time.” Not a total lie. “Honestly, how can I have a future with someone like that?”

  “But you’re still with him, aren’t you?”

  Nice how he made that a question. I’d bet any amount of money that Leo followed me around town. “Call me loyal. I’ll stick with him until the trial. If I’m lucky, I’ll get that awesome apartment of his.”

  Leo held his head back and laughed. “Oh, a woman after my own heart.” He looked down at me with a mischievous grin. “If you’re going to go through the effort, get something out of it. I can buy that. Why call me?”

  Butterflies took off in my gut as I inched closer to Leo. I forced my hand up, letting my fingers glide down his chest. “Because I wanted to apologize. For everything. I was a fool, Leo. Can you ever forgive me?”

  He caught my hand and squeezed. Pain radiated down to my wrist. A weight seemed to press on my chest, cutting off my breathing.

  “Rachel, Rachel, Rachel.” Leo’s voice turned menacing. “Do you think I’m a fool? Do you honestly expect me to believe that you’ve seen the error of your ways?”

  “Y-yes,” I stammered.

  He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Try again.”

  If I couldn’t convince him, my plan would never work. With my free hand, I cupped his cheek and stared into his cold dark eyes. “I don’t think you’re a fool. You’re simply a man who loves me. I was stupid not to see it before.”

  Leo pursed his lips. “I’m not sure if I forgive you, but I’ll try. Let’s go for a drive.”

  Panic swelled inside me. My breath snagged on something in my chest. If I left with him, would he confess? Nobody would know I was gone. Reality dawned on me as I realized the true error of my ways.

  His eyes pierced me. I felt like he could see right through me. Oxygen left my brain. Keep it together, I thought. If I stalled him… I could slip into the bathroom and call Scott.

  Plastering a smile, I said, “Why go out?”

  My voice sounded unnatural, foreign even.

  I continued, “We can have a good time here. Order some pizza—”

  All pretense dropped from Leo’s voice. “I said we’re going for a drive.”

  My heart hammered my chest. “It’s getting late.”

  “The sun hasn’t even set,” he said and grasped my wrist. “If you’re serious about being with me, let’s go.”

  He opened the door and then swung back around. “The purse stays here.”

  No! My gun… my phone…

  “Do you think I’d chance you pulling a gun on me? Or alerting the cops?”

  My mouth dropped.

  “Okay. I’ll let you bring your phone. I might be able to use it. We’ll take your car.”

  Although my gut told me to put up a fight and stay put, I placed my bag on the floor, removed my phone, and followed him out of the apartment.

  ∞∞∞

  The scenery, what little there was to see on I-96, blurred by as Leo drove too fast for comfort. My heart jackhammered as I prayed the state troopers would pull us over. Unfortunately, not a royal blue car was in sight. Cold sweat dripped down my spine.

  All I could think about was how stupid I’d been. I relied on my gun keeping me safe. Although I doubted if I’d actually use it, it had made me feel better about meeting with Leo.

  “Penny for your thoughts, beautiful,” Leo said as he exited the highway.

  “Nothing in particular,” I lied. “Just imagining a life with you.”

  “Liar.” He glanced at me. “You’re scared. You’re wondering where I’m taking you.”

  “Well, that had crossed my mind.” Looking out the window I saw open fields and only a few buildings. We’d passed the exit for Grand Rapids about an hour before.

  “I wanted to surprise you, but I can tell you now. We’re almost there.”

  “Where?”

  “A cabin. It’s actually a perfect secluded spot for us. Did you know that Matt’s foster family brought him during the summers?”

  “No. How did you know about it?”

  An eerie smile crossed Leo’s face. “You’ll learn that soon enough.”

  ∞∞∞

  Sadly, Leo didn’t lie about our destination. It would be easy for anyone to miss it. Lots of tree cover to hide it from the sky with a twisted trail guaranteed to lose anyone. Under normal circumstances, I’d have liked the place. It was a quaint, cozy spot in the middle of nature. All I knew was that we were in Grant, Michigan—some place I wasn’t familiar with.

  Leo parked in front of the two-car garage, jumped out, and opened the door for me. He intertwined his fingers with mine and dragged me toward the cabin. We walked around the side and up a pair of wooden steps. He struggled with the key before the door creaked open.

  He flipped a switch on the wall, and the room was bathed in golden light. The place was charming with a stone fireplace taking up a wall. Soft leather furniture filled the space, and thick throw rugs covered the hardwood floor.

  He pointed toward a door. “The bedroom and bathroom are that way. Would you like to freshen up?”

  “I don’t have a change of clothes.”

  “Oh, but you do. I bought a few things for you.”

  My heart froze. I thought I was luring Leo. Turned out I was the proverbial fly who fell for the spider’s lies. Forcing a smile on my face, I asked, “Is there a tub?”

  “Of course.”

  Carefully, I slid my trembling hand over his cheek. “While I’m in the bathroom getting ready for you, light a fire, and fix us something to eat. You did bring food?”

  “I have everything we need.”

  “Good.” I slowly walked toward the door.

  “Oh, Rachel.”

  “Yes?” I froze in my tracks and glanced over my shoulder.

  “The windows are sealed shut in the bedroom and the bathroom. You know, in case you wanted to try something stupid.”

  “Never.”

  He held up my phone. “I’ve a message to send. Don’t take too long.”

  I’d already done the stupid thing. If I wanted to get out alive, I needed to do something smart.

  34

  Revelations

  Leo

  The door closed, and I dropped my smile. Honestly, my face and head hurt from pretending. Feigning interest was something I’d gotten damn good at though. It was a necessary skill with women like Rachel who enjoyed playing games. I wasn’t talking about cards or even a mindless board or video game. I was talking about the games where people got needlessly hurt. The type Rachel engaged in.

  She honestly thought I’d fallen for her bullshit.

  Years ago when I met Rachel, I would have never guessed that deception was her talent. The girl—and later the woman—I loved wanted me to think she’d changed her mind about me. Did I look like some simple dumb fuck?

  It was sad how every woman I’d ever known told me I was a monster and tossed me to the curb as soon as I declared my feelings. Then, when I showed up at all times of the night at their homes and their jobs, the mood changed. Suddenly, it was, “I was wrong. We do belong together.” Unfortunately, I had to show them that they were the mistaken ones.

  Every.

  Single.

  Time.

  The story never changed. All women behaved the same way.

  The young ones.

  Abigail.

  The beautiful ones.

  Connie.

  The wholesome ones.

  Suzanne.

  Women were all the same. Full of deceit hiding behind a wall of beauty. It was up to m
e to make them pay for their indiscretions. When the dust cleared, all that was left were the memories—wondrous and agonizing recollections.

  I poured out a scant amount of whiskey—getting bent wasn’t my goal. There’d be plenty of time afterward to get blitzed and forget it all. Settling down on the sofa, I pulled out Rachel’s phone. It was asinine in that day and age that she didn’t have her phone properly locked—no fingerprint or difficult password. It only took me a few seconds to pull up Matt’s contact info.

  Rachel St. John: Matt, I’m in trouble. Come get me.

  Seconds later he replied.

  Matt Wallace: Where are you?

  Bingo! I sent him the address for the cabin, certain that he’d do anything to save Rachel—even tamper with his ankle monitor. Depending on which route he took, and the time needed to get the bracelet off, I had at least three…maybe four hours alone with Rachel. Plenty of time for fun and games—the kind I preferred.

  The bedroom door crept open, and Rachel stepped out. She was so fucking gorgeous with long, blonde hair like gossamer silk and blue eyes the color of a summer sky. Maybe she could redeem herself. I wanted to keep her with me always.

  She pulled the white, terrycloth robe closer and looked up at me with fear clouding her gaze. In a shaky voice, she said, “Thanks for the bath. I feel much better.”

  Reaching out a hand, I pushed back a strand of damp hair. I was eager to see her naked, ravage her one more time, before…

  Patience.

  She didn’t have to die—not yet.

  Instead, I said, “Anything for you. Hungry?”

  A thin smile crossed her face. “I am, but not for food.”

  Temptress.

  Be strong. Stick to the script.

  Maybe she had a true change of heart?

  “Glad to hear you say it, but dinner first. I always fuck better after a meal. Plus, we have some truths to share.”

  Rachel turned toward the kitchen. “I’d be happy to fix something for us. A light snack, perhaps?”

  “No need.” I grasped her wrist—so delicate. One firm squeeze, and it would snap easily. Was she fragile like her mother? “I have everything all planned. Just sit back and let me take care of you.”