Break Me (Shattered)

by Jo-Anna Walker

  “I’m just worried for you. You need to get your shoulder checked.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

  His eyes softened. “I’m sorry, baby. My shoulder will be fine. It’s just a graze. But please…let me go. If you trust me, you’ll believe me when I tell you that I will be back no matter what happens.”

  I took a deep breath and moved away from the door.

  Grabbing my chin, he placed a rough kiss on my lips. “Be patient, little one.”

  He opened the door, and without looking back, he left.

  I sank to the floor and brought my knees up to my chest. Placing my head in my arms, I let the sobs take over my body.

  Chapter 21

  For the next couple of days, I moved around like a zombie. I should have gone after him. I should have forced him to stay or begged and pleaded harder. Would he have listened to me if I had thrown myself at his feet? I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened or that something was about to happen. My chest ached with loss. I really regretted not fighting harder for him to stay, but with him telling me not to chase after him banging around in my head, I had stayed back.

  I had to actually drag myself out of bed every day. My body was stiff, anxiety making a home in my belly.

  God, I missed him. I knew he would get in touch with me if and when he could, but as each day passed without hearing from him, the hope building inside me slowly dwindled.

  I never thought that loving someone this much could be so painful, and I didn’t know when I would see him again or if I would even see him again. The thought of not having his gentle hands on my body, seeing his sexy grin, or hearing his deep gravelly voice broke my heart and shattered my soul.

  I couldn’t believe that he was gone. All because of Jose. That asshole had caused so much grief in my life in such a short amount of time. I sighed, frustrated and angry at the world.

  I scrubbed my face with my hands as tears threatened to resurface and spill down my cheeks. Who knew someone had this many tears?

  Keisha called me several times, but I always ignored the phone. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to see anyone. I called my work and told them I had food poisoning, so that bought me a couple of days off at least.

  I tried calling Sebastian at the number he left for me, but he wouldn’t reply to my text messages or even call me, and that ended up making me cry harder. It may have been desperate of me, but I needed to see him or at least speak to him. I just wanted to make sure that he was all right.

  About a week into my state of depression, I got a phone call from an unknown number. My heart skipped a beat at the thought that it could be Sebastian. I answered the phone, my heart thumping wildly against my chest. “Sebastian?”

  “Sorry, cochina.”

  Tears formed in my eyes, and I sighed in frustration, lying back down in my bed. “What the hell do you want, Jose?”

  “Well, don’t you sound all cheery. Trouble in paradise?” he teased.

  “I don’t have time for your shit. What do you want?” I asked again.

  “Wow. He really fucked you up good, didn’t he?”

  I frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I told you that you two wouldn’t be together.”

  “Thank you for that reminder.”

  He laughed. “So, where the hell is your lover boy anyway?”

  “How the hell am I supposed to know? We’re not together, remember?” He left me.

  “Oh, but I think you know more than you’re telling me. Where did he say he was going when he left your place?”

  I sat up. “He didn’t tell me.”

  “Don’t fucking lie to me because I know he was on his way to me.”

  “If he was on his way to you, then shouldn’t he have been there by now or made an appearance?”

  Jose chuckled. “Sebastian likes to lay low for a bit before pouncing. Actually, I can see that he’s on his way to me right now.”

  My eyes widened. “What? How do you know that?”

  “GPS, ever heard of it?”

  I could picture his slimy grin in my mind, making my skin crawl with anger. I hated this man. For the shit he put Sebastian through. For ruining our lives and trying to control our relationship or lack thereof. I hated him, and I hoped he’d rot in hell.

  “I tracked him just like he tracked you.”

  My stomach dropped. “You’re lying.”

  “Open up the back of your cell phone and then tell me I’m fucking lying.”

  “Whatever. I don’t care.” I didn’t care. Worry for Sebastian overtook the suspicion I had all along on how he always found me. It should have freaked me out. Maybe I was sick and twisted that it didn’t, but at that point, I didn’t care. I just wanted him back safely in my arms.

  “Oh, I think you do. Sebastian had control of your life since he first saw you at the coffee shop. You misplaced your phone, remember?”

  My heart beat against my chest as the memories came rolling into my head.

  “Sebastian left to get coffee and came back and you were looking for it. He told you to check your bag again and magically, there it was.”

  Sebastian had stolen my phone. He put a bug in my cell phone to track me. That’s how he was able to find me at Keisha’s. How could he expect me to trust him? My heart broke, and I felt like it was being ripped in two. No. That was Jose’s goal. I wouldn’t let him win. He wanted me to hate Sebastian and for me not to trust him. I wouldn’t let that happen. We had our issues, and our relationship was messed up, but Jose could kiss my ass. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed past it. “What do you want?”

  He chuckled. “Hmm…I don’t know. Maybe to gloat.”

  I hopped off the bed and paced my room. “What are you talking about?”

  “I knew it wouldn’t work between you two. You’re both from very different backgrounds.”

  I frowned. “How do you know what my background is?”

  “I can tell…”

  “Listen, I am fucking sick and fucking tired of you thinking you can control…”

  “No!” he yelled. “You fucking listen to me, you little bitch.” His voice turned deadly. “You fucking hear me?”

  Stopping me in my tracks, anxiety swirled around in my stomach, and I took a deep breath, cringing at the threat in his voice. Sebastian, where are you?

  “Understand?”

  “I’m listening,” I whispered.

  “Good girl. Now, the reason for my call. Sebastian showed up here today…”

  “You just asked me if I knew where he was headed.”

  “I know what I asked you. I wanted to see if you would tell me, but since you didn’t, next time, I’ll just have to fucking beat it out of you.”

  “Fu…

  “Watch it, cochina,” he warned with a growl. “Now what I need for you to do is get your gorgeous ass over here.”

  I leaned against my desk. “Excuse me? And why would I do that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” he taunted. “Maybe because if you don’t, I’ll shoot your fucking boyfriend.”

  My stomached clenched. “You already did, asshole.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, yeah. I did do that, didn’t I? And I’d fucking do it again.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” I swallowed past the bile that burned my throat.

  An evil laugh erupted from the phone. “You haven’t fucking learned anything, have you? Call my bluff, see if I care, but if I have to come get you myself, let me tell you, little girl, you won’t fucking like it.”

  The line disconnected, and I sat up, heart threatening to burst out of my chest. A moment later I received a text with the address where I was supposed to go. Taking a deep breath, I rose from my spot at the desk. My eyes scanned my room, memories of Sebastian flying into my brain. Bile rose in my throat again at the thought of him being shot again or worse.

  I swallowed several times and attempted to breathe past the nausea, but it didn’t help. R
unning for the toilet, I threw open the lid and emptied my stomach contents into the cool basin.

  When my belly was finished torturing me, I leaned against the wall. Tears ran down my cheeks, and my throat burned. Standing up, I quickly brushed my teeth, removing the sour taste from my mouth. A moment of nausea hit me again, and I leaned against the counter, breathing deeply through my mouth.

  Being able to move past it this time, I went to my closet and threw on a pair of pants, tank top, and sweater.

  I headed out into the living room, grabbed my keys, and left my apartment. Locking the door behind me, a wave of hesitation washed over me. Who knew that Jose would be the one to get me to leave my apartment?

  ***

  “Hello?”

  “Keisha.” I gripped my phone tight.

  “Tori? What the hell is going on? I’ve been trying to get hold of you for days now.”

  “I know. I’m so sorry.” As I explained to Keisha about everything that had happened, I walked to the end of my street and hailed a cab.

  The address that I was given was in a shady part of town. Now that I neared my destination, I started thinking that I was making a huge mistake. What if Jose was lying and Sebastian was fine? But did I really want to call his bluff?

  “Where the hell are you now?”

  “I’m around. Listen, I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I’ll call you when I can.”

  “What do you mean you’re around? I was about to come over to make sure you’re okay and to get you out of your apartment, and you’re not even home. What the hell is going on?”

  I approached the building, anxiety settling in my stomach after each step I took. “Nothing, I had to step out. Listen, Keisha, right now isn’t a good time.”

  I hung up while she was in midsentence. I was definitely not going to bring her into this. The sun was setting as I walked into a playground surrounded by three story walk-ups. The evening air was cool as I wrapped my sweater tighter around me.

  I reconfirmed the address that Jose gave me and headed in the direction of the apartment building in front of me. The sound of cats fighting in the distance caused cold shivers to shoot down my spine.

  Taking a deep breath, I entered the dingy building, the stale scent of cigarettes and alcohol filling my nostrils. I swallowed a couple of times to avoid gagging and shook it off.

  Walking up the stairs to my right, the anxiety in my belly grew stronger and stronger. Graffiti lined the walls, and the puke-green wallpaper was peeling in spots.

  Low music thumped through the ground and got louder as I reached the third floor. Before entering the hall, I took a couple of deep, cleansing breaths, trying to control my nerves.

  I walked down the corridor and found apartment 3B. My heart jumped and pounded in my ears as I lightly knocked on the door. I waited a moment, but no one answered. Well, that was odd.

  Grabbing hold of the doorknob, I slowly turned it and walked over the threshold. The apartment was dark, so I felt around on the wall for a light switch, eventually finding one. Flipping it on, the site of the small place made me gasp. There wasn’t a lot of furniture, and it looked rougher than even my small apartment.

  The paint was thinning on the walls; a torn couch was against the one side in what looked like the living room. A table filled with garbage on top sat in front of the couch. I didn’t know what was lining the table, but if I had to take a guess, it wasn’t anything legal.

  Not hearing any sounds coming from anywhere in the apartment, my heart beat faster. Why would Jose tell me to come here if he or Sebastian weren’t even around?

  My phone rang, making me jump. I frowned when I saw the unknown number. With shaky hands, I lifted it to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Little one.”

  My stomach flip-flopped at the deep voice on the other end of the phone. “Sebastian? Are you okay? How’s your shoulder?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, and my shoulder will heal. Where are you?”

  “Jose said that he was going to shoot you again and that if I didn’t…” My eyes widened. “Oh God. I’m so stupid.”

  “Hello? Little one?” The phone line filled with static.

  “Sebastian?”

  “I can’t hear you, baby.”

  “Sebastian!” I yelled, but the line wasn’t clear. He couldn’t hear me, and my vision blurred with unshed tears.

  “Listen to me, you need to stay the fuck away from Jose. He’s fucking lost his shit more than I thought. If he calls you, don’t listen to anything he says.”

  My stomach dropped. “What…what did you say?”

  “Little one, listen to me.” His voice was firm and commanding, but worry coated his voice.

  “Sebastian, can you hear me? He already called me.”

  Oh God. Oh no.

  “What?”

  “He told me that he needed me to come help you. He said he was going to shoot you if I didn’t show up. God, I’m so fucking dumb.”

  “No, you’re not. Shit. Where are you?”

  “I’m at Jose’s apartment.” I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. This could not be happening.

  “That asshole. I’m going to kill him, you hear me? I’m going to kill that motherfu…shit.”

  “Sebastian?” My anxiety level skyrocketed through the roof. I heard some shuffling over the phone. “Sebastian?”

  “Fuck you, asshole. You’ve lost your…”

  “Sebastian? What’s going on?” My heart pounded against my chest as a cold sweat broke out on my skin.

  “Jose, you piece of…”

  The phone sounded like it was dropped and hit the ground. A moment later, a bang vibrated through my bones making my ears ring. It sounded like someone lit off a firecracker or a car back firing. It was loud, and I couldn’t stop replaying it over and over in my head. I realized then that the noise I heard wasn’t a firecracker or a car backfiring.

  It was the sound of a gun going off.

  Chapter 22

  “Sebastian? Oh God, please. Sebastian!” I screamed into the phone.

  A moment later, I heard the phone being moved and heavy breathing coming through the line. “Sebastian?” Hope filled me, and my heart thumped against my chest.

  Then a maniacal laugh filled my ears. “Nope, not your lover boy.”

  Tears welled in my eyes, and my chest constricted. “What did you do?”

  “Something I should have done a long time ago.”

  “Why? Please tell me you didn’t shoot him,” I begged. I knew something was going to happen. Sebastian underestimated the sick, evil mind of Jose.

  “You see, he was just getting in the way.”

  My stomach churned, and bile rose to my throat. “How…why…”

  “How? Well you see there’s this thing called a gun…”

  A sob escaped my lips, and I gripped the phone tight.

  “And why? Like I said, he was getting in the fucking way. Now that he’s out of the picture, you and I can live happily ever after.”

  This guy was deranged. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I want you, Tori.”

  Ice-cold shivers ran up my spine. “Why? Why do you want me?”

  “I’m not quite sure, but don’t worry, Sebastian isn’t dead… yet.”

  I let out a breath of relief. “Oh, thank God.”

  “Don’t thank him yet. There’s still time for that to change.”

  “Please, what do you want?” My voice was gravelly and came out weak as I tried getting answers. I didn’t know what Jose wanted or why he was doing the things he did.

  “I already told you.”

  I frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

  “I want you.”

  My stomach dropped. “Why? What do you want with me?”

  “Well, that I haven’t quite decided yet. You see, I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy, but I think you’d be great leverage.”

  “Leverage for what?”
<
br />   “I want Sebastian dead.”

  A sob escaped my lips.

  “Then I can have you, and we can spend the rest of our lives together. I did warn you to stay away from each other.”

  “We haven’t seen each other.” I begged him to forgive me. If he did in fact shoot Sebastian again, depending on where he shot him, who knew how long he had to live. I needed to get to him and get help.

  “Don’t fucking lie to me!”

  “I’m not lying!” I yelled. “I gave Sebastian your message and that’s it. I haven’t seen him at all since you gave me your…warning.”

  “I know you’re lying to me. I know the damage that was done to your bedroom the last time you saw Sebastian. I shot him, remember? It was me he was talking to on the phone, so don’t fucking tell me that you haven’t seen him. Or are you that fucking stupid to think you can pull a fast one on me, cochina?”

  My stomach dropped. I had forgotten. Not that Sebastian was shot but…it just seemed so long ago since I had seen him that I never even thought of mentioning it to Jose. My days were getting mixed up, but I just prayed that my mistake wouldn’t cost Sebastian his life. “What…”

  “When you first told him you loved him.”

  Tears spilled down my cheeks, and my beating heart threatened to burst out of my chest.

  “When he told you he loved you back.”

  He heard everything. “You sick…”

  “When he said that he was done. He was quitting the business and coming after me right after I shot him. I was impressed at myself that I had such good aim.”

  Oh God. “He left after, and I haven’t seen him since.”

  “Oh, I know, sweetheart. Now ask me.”

  I opened and closed my mouth, not sure what he wanted me to ask him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I know what you want to ask, so just ask already.”

  I thought a moment. “Do you have my apartment bugged?” I asked weakly.

  He chuckled with satisfaction. “Next time, you’ll lock your window.”

  Falling to my knees, I clutched my stomach and dry heaved. Laughter came through the phone, and I threw it against the wall. I continued puking bile as the invasion ripped my privacy away from me. Holding onto my stomach, I gripped it as sharp pains tore through my abdomen. Taking deep breaths, I heard yelling coming from the cell phone. I reached out for it and placed it to my ear.