Unforgettable

by Shantel Tessier

  “I want to know why you have been lying.” He arches a dark eyebrow.

  “That’s none of your fucking business!” I say, my voice rising.

  He crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m a police officer…”

  “You think I give a fuck what you do for a living?” I snap. “Just because you’re my friend doesn’t mean you can go behind my back and start digging up shit that you know nothing about.”

  He sighs heavily. “I am your friend. And I know some of the things that the bastard did to your mother and you.”

  “No, you don’t.” I don’t care what files he read. They don’t tell everything.

  He ignores me and continues, “But he’s free. I know that you were the one to put him in the hospital and prison—now he will be after you.”

  Do you ever a have a bad feeling? Like in the back of your mind you just know that something isn’t right? I’ve been having this feeling all day. I’ve been at Sam and Marie’s house for almost five days now. And everything seemed fine until this morning. I just woke up with the feeling in the back of my mind that I needed to go home.

  I had called my mother five times but she won’t answer. The house is silent as Marie and Sam are still fast asleep on this early Sunday morning.

  I make my way to the garage and see the four-wheeler that Jack had gotten Sam for her twelfth birthday. I open the garage and push it out far enough to where I can start it without waking them up.

  I could take Marie’s car, but my house isn’t more than fifteen minutes from here. I don’t have to go on any major highways, and I don’t have a license. I’m only thirteen after all. The entire way to my house the voice in my head that is telling me something is wrong grows louder and more convincing.

  As soon I see my driveway up ahead I can see my mom’s car and his car parked in front of the house. I pull the throttle as far back as I can and run the thing up onto the front yard before I bring it to a sudden stop and jump off of it.

  I hear glass breaking by the time I make it to my front door. I try it and find that it’s locked. With my heart racing, I make my way to my bedroom window. I learned years ago to leave it unlocked—to give me a way into the house unseen and to have a way out as well.

  I climb into my bedroom and slowly make my way to the hallway outside of my door. My heart pounds in my chest, and my breathing is faster.

  What am I doing? I’ve never stood up to him. I always feel big, wanting to save my mother, but I always end up getting my ass beat for it.

  I come to the end of the hallway and I see my mother lying face down on the carpet. There’s blood in her hair and shreds of glass on the floor as well. I can smell the alcohol from here. Beer, he’s been drinking. He always drinks. He’s nothing but a worthless fucking drunk.

  With sweaty hands and a fast beating heart, I walk into the living room and kneel down beside her. I roll her over and my heart breaks at how much damage he managed to do this time.

  “Mom?” I choke. Pushing her brown hair from her face. “MOM! Wake up,” I cry as my tears run down my face.

  A dark laugh comes from behind me. My head snaps to the left to look behind me. “Finally decided to come home, son?” he asks as he stands at the end of the hallway with a smirk on his face and a beer in his hands.

  I hate it. He always calls me son, even though he knows that I’m not his son. And I’ve known it for a while now too. But the bastard continues to keep calling me that and tries to tell me what to do.

  “What did you do to her?” I ask, looking back down to her. She lets out a moan as she moves her head from side to side but her swollen eyes are still closed.

  “Just taught her a lesson,” he says still wearing that smirk on his face. He lifts his drink in salute. “One day when you become a man you’ll understand what that means.” He tosses back his beer and my jaw tightens.

  I’ll never touch a woman like he touches my mother. And he never will again either. I take all of my anger, all of my hatred for him, and charge him. He never even sees me coming. He’s too fucking busy finishing off his beer to see it.

  My shoulder makes contact with his stomach, and I knock him back. His beer goes flying to the floor and we both slip in the liquid, causing us to fall. He looks up at me stunned and for once I have an advantage.

  Parker stands and it pulls me out of my memory. My hands are clenched down by my sides and my teeth are bared. He goes to hand me the file but I reach out and knock it from his hands. The file falls to the floor and I take a step back from him not wanting to fight him. This is the part of me that I hate. The darker side that wants to destroy everything. The part that he still has a hold of.

  “Hey. I know him.”

  I spin around and see a very sleeping looking Missy standing in the kitchen wearing my oversized t-shirt as she stares down at the open file to a picture of my mother’s ex-husband.

  “What do you mean you know him?” Parker asks, stepping around me to face her.

  She bends down and picks up the picture. “He came up to the bakery yesterday. You guys were in the back. I was working the front. He came in and bought a slice of cheesecake.” She tilts her head to the side. “He must be a regular.”

  “What makes you say that?” Parker asks, his concern growing every second like mine.

  “He called me Missy,” she says simply. “When I asked if he knew me he said he read it on my nametag. But when I got to the back, I realized I hadn’t been wearing it.”

  Parker spins around to face me, and I realize just what he’s thinking. He’s free, and he’s already here in St. Louis. Fuck me! My mother’s ex-husband is the last person I want that to be. He is evil to the highest power. And I’m sure he has been planning his revenge since the day I had him put in the hospital and then the day I had him locked up.

  “There are cameras all over that bakery.” That was the first thing Slade made sure that place had before it even opened. “Call Slade and have him meet us up there. I want to look over the footage. If he’s been there more than once I want to know it,” I say before I turn to look at Missy. “That guy is my mother’s ex-husband, and he is bad news.” I point to my room. “Go get dressed. I’m taking you to your apartment and you’re going to pack up all your shit and then I’m bringing you back here.”

  Her mouth opens as if she’s about to object. I don’t give her the chance. “Do not fucking argue with me, Missy,” I snap. “As of right now, you live here with us, and you go nowhere without me.”

  She narrows her eyes on me before she spins around, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder and walks out of the kitchen.

  “Call Slade,” I snap, looking over at Parker as he just stands there.

  He sighs. “I’m going to help you. And he’s not going to even get close to Missy. But I need to know everything about this man. Are you willing to tell me that?”

  If he would have asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said fuck no! Parker is my friend, yes, but I don’t talk about my past. But what choice do I have now? I asked Missy for a chance, and after all I put her through, she actually is giving it to me. Do I want to risk losing her to a crazy, worthless drunk who likes to beat on women? Am I that selfish that I won’t do whatever I can to help her? No. I’m not. She means more to me than that.

  “Yes,” I say, running a hand over my unshaven face. I probably look like a caveman since I haven’t trimmed it in a couple of days. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.” I look over at him. “But I’m telling you right now, Parker. Stay out of my way. I will do whatever I have to do to take care of him.”

  Parker knows what I mean by that. He and I have bumped heads before—back when my sister was taken. I’m not afraid of losing him as a friend, I’ve been on my own most of my life. I’m used to it.

  He shakes his head. “It won’t come to that.”

  ***

  Parker, Slade, and I all sit down in his basement. Slade had told Parker for us to come over to his and Sam’s house. Th
e beauty of technology is that he can watch the cameras installed at the bakery from his smart TV back in his man cave.

  “What was he in prison for?” Slade asks, looking over to me.

  In order to tell him one part, I’m going to have to tell him all parts. “Attempted murder. I came home one day to find my mother lying in a puddle of blood. I thought that she was dead. He was drunk and laughing at her. I just snapped. I beat him so badly that I had thought I killed him.” I remember the cops showing up. Come to find out Marie had heard me leave on the four-wheeler. She started calling my mother’s house, and when she didn’t answer, she called the police. “The police showed up and called an ambulance for my mother and Jonathan. There was no way to deny any of it.” I shake my head. “I gave a statement while he was in the hospital and then he was arrested upon release,” I say.

  They both stare at me for a few quiet seconds. “Angel said that your mother packed up in the middle of the night and took off with you to Alaska,” Slade says confused.

  I nod my head. “She did that. The night before he was released from the hospital. He had retained an attorney and my mother was afraid that he would get off and kill both of us. Or pay his way to get out of trouble.” Of course the bastard had to have money. Maybe that’s why she stayed with him. I shrug, surprised that we even left town. That was the only time my mother ever acted like she wanted to run from him. “She said he wouldn’t stop so we had to leave.”

  “How did you end up back here?” Parker asks.

  I want to snap. What the fuck does that have to do with Jonathan? But I don’t. Instead I take a deep breath and answer his question. “I moved back here as soon as I turned eighteen. Nine years ago. My mother and I didn’t get along. I don’t speak to my mother. And I hated Alaska.” That should be about all they need to know.

  “When was he released?” Slade looks over to Parker.

  “Two weeks ago.”

  “Fuck,” I curse out loud. “He was supposed to have gotten fifteen to twenty years for attempted murder.” I had testified against him. They had run tests on my mother once she arrived at the hospital and they had found old broken bones that over time had healed themselves. Along with my testimony, it was an open and shut case. Especially with the scene the cops had witnessed when they arrived.

  “He could have been released early for good behavior,” Parker offers, and I wanna slap him across the face. What could you possibly do in prison to get released early on good behavior?

  “He was sentenced in Oklahoma. He has to be on parole, right? That means he’s probably already violated it by crossing state lines,” Slade adds.

  Parker nods and Slade straightens in his chair. “We’ll find him.”

  “And do what?” I ask, not really caring what they give me for an answer.

  “Arrest him.”

  I stand up, shaking my head. “For him to get out again on good behavior?” I snort. “I will kill him.”

  Slade stands as well. “I understand how you feel. I felt the same way when someone threatened my family. But you have something now. Aren’t you afraid of being taken away from her?” I could stand living in jail for the rest of my life, as long as I knew that monster was dead and not able to land a hand on someone ever again.

  I shake my head. “I’m afraid of her being taken away from me. I won’t allow him to hurt her. That is why I’m willing to finish this once and for all.”

  My phone rings, signaling a voicemail. I look down at it confused; I never even heard it ring. I hold up a finger signaling to give me a second while I listen to it.

  “Tate. It’s your mother. I got a letter today. A letter from…Jonathan. He’s getting released from prison and he says he’s coming for you. Tate. Please call me.” Her voice is frantic as she rambles on. “Let me know you’re okay. Please. I love…”

  I hit end. I don’t need to hear her say I love you. I’ve heard it enough to last me a lifetime. And honestly, that word doesn’t mean shit to me.

  MISSY

  I sit on Slade and Sam’s couch as I hold Sadey. I’m quite proud of myself, I must say. I haven’t shed a tear yet but it’s hard. I wish I could have had this.

  “Tate,” Sam says in surprise as he comes storming into the living room.

  “We’re leaving,” he says to me, before turning around and walking toward the door.

  I hand Sadey over to Sam and stand from the couch. “Tate, what’s going on?” I ask.

  He storms out of the house, and I follow after him quickly. “Missy?”

  I stop when I hear my name being called from behind me. I spin around to see Slade and Parker both standing at the top of the stairs that lead down to the basement.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, my concern growing for Tate by the second.

  Parker walks up to me and looks down at me. “Keep his mind off of this. Keep him at home. I’m going to try and find him before Tate does.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask, looking over to Slade.

  He starts to speak but I hear Tate’s truck start up. Will he leave me here? I don’t wanna find out. I spin around and run out of the door.

  ***

  I can feel the heat radiating off of him as I sit in the passenger seat of his truck. He’s hasn’t said one word to me, but he doesn’t have to. His anger is written all over his face and is evident in his posture.

  He pulls up to his house and makes his way to the front door. I walk in behind him and shut the door softly. “Tate. Talk to me,” I say, rubbing my arm.

  “There’s nothing to say,” he snaps.

  “There has to be,” I continue as I follow him down his hallway and into his room. “What are you planning on doing?” I ask, knowing that he’s going to do something that could possibly cost him his life. He’s been fighting all of his life, and I know he just wants it to end. But I don’t know what he’s up against because he won’t tell me anything.

  He spins around and grabs me by my upper arms—not hurting me, just holding on to me. “I plan on doing whatever it takes to make him pay,” he says looking down at me.

  “You could get yourself killed,” I say wide-eyed.

  “Well, that is the risk I’m willing to take,” he responds carelessly and releases me.

  “What is wrong with you?” I ask, my voice rising with every word. “Don’t you ever think of others?” He would throw his life away for a guy who doesn’t deserve it. “Trying to kill him won’t save you, Tate,” I say, and his jaw tightens. “It won’t change your past. It will only destroy your future. Our future,” I say sadly.

  “What future do we have?” he demands.

  Please. Not this again. “I…I thought…We’re a couple. You wanted to be a couple,” I remind him. This was his idea. I was perfectly fine living with a broken heart. Well, maybe not fine.

  He lifts his hand pointing to my stomach. “You refuse the surgery.”

  I look at him with my eyebrows drawn together and my mouth slightly open. “What does that have to do with this?” I’ve only had pain one other time since I found out I have uterine fibroids, and it wasn’t nearly as bad. The hormones I take daily are really helping.

  “Why? Why do you refuse the surgery?” he demands.

  “Because I want to have children someday,” I say slowly, understanding where this is headed.

  He points to his chest. “I don’t want them,” he growls.

  I shake my head. “I don’t understand what’s happening.” I feel my throat tightening and my eyes stinging from the tears that are coming. He’s ending it. Just like I knew he would.

  “There’s no future for us.” He looks down to the floor and shakes his head. “You want more than I can give you.”

  “But everything that you have said?” I ask as my heart pounds. “The way you felt about losing the baby…” He seemed just as heartbroken as I was.

  “I was pissed that you never told me you lost a baby,” he shouts. “I would have never found out if not for your mother.�
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  “Our baby!” I shout back. “It was our baby!” I throw my hands up in the air. “Say it, Tate. Say it was your baby,” I demand as a tear starts to roll down my cheek, but I don’t know if it’s from anger or sadness.

  He shakes his head. “Would you have told me it was mine if you wouldn’t have lost it?” he asks.

  I pause. I pause for one second, not because I would’ve kept it from him, but because I picture him smiling, holding our child. I see him being a different person. I see it changing him. He doesn’t want kids but there’s no way he would have been able to look at an ultrasound and not feel something special. Something heart wrenching. He loves his niece Sadey. I see it every time he’s around her. He would love his child and that scares him. Anything that involves love scares Tate in some way.

  “Exactly,” he hisses, thinking my pause means I wouldn’t have told him. “You would have probably told everyone it was Braxton’s.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Tate?” I shout, throwing my hands up in the air. “What kind of person do you think I am? I’m nothing like your mother,” I say, referring to her letting everyone think that Tate belonged to Jonathan and not his real father, Jack.

  His nostrils flare and his chest bows at my words. “Right,” he quips. “You’re the type of person who would protect their child from a monster.” He then walks over to the bedroom door and opens the door. “Grab your shit and leave, Missy. It’s over.” His words are flat, holding no emotion at all.

  His eyes bore into mine and all I see is that hatred, but this time it’s directed right at me. What have I done?

  I stand there staring back at him completely stunned. He’s gonna throw me away because of Jonathan. A man who has already destroyed his life. Well, I won’t continue to let it happen. The cycle ends now.