by Catori, Ava
Carter finally reappeared. His arm had been cleaned up and had a prescription for antibiotics. There was a pharmacy attached to the hospital so they headed over to get it filled. Finally leaving the building, they walked to his car.
Carter froze.
“Hey Carter,” the man said.
“Dad? What are you doing here?” The tone in his voice was rigid, cautious.
“They called me. I’m listed as your emergency contact in their system. I was wondering where you’d gotten off to. Who’s the broad?”
Cree said nothing and watched the exchange between the men.
“I’m fine.” Carter’s voice was tense.
“Your uncle is looking for you.” No emotion.
Carter looked away. “Right.”
“Did you find the girl? You can’t stay away forever,” his father warned. He shook his head. “I can’t believe you turned against your own family.”
“I’m her. I’m the girl.” The words were out before she could stop them. “I’m Crystal.”
“That’s not Crystal,” his dad said.
“I am,” she insisted. “It’s me you want.” Cree’s heart raced. She’d sacrifice herself. If Carter went back without the girl, what would happen?
“Dad, she’s not Crystal. Don’t listen to her.” He turned to Cree. “What are you doing? You can’t fool around like this, not with my family.”
“Eh, watch your mouth, I’m right here,” his father shot.
“I’m Crystal,” she said. She stared at Carter’s father. “Take me.”
His father laughed. “You’re not Crystal.”
“I am. How do you know?” She wanted to be brave, but it was getting harder.
“I know Crystal. You’re not her.” He turned his attention back to his son. “Tomorrow, you show up tomorrow, no more of this nonsense. It’s time to be a man.” With that he turned and left.
Cree’s voice fell to a whisper. “Don’t go,” she urged Carter. “What will happen? Please don’t go.” The truth was before her. She didn’t want to lose Carter. She didn’t even know how it happened. All she knew is the thought of something happening to him turned her stomach. She cared what happened. She cared.
Carter looked to Cree. He saw it, felt it. Her words. They were important. Carter brought Cree closer and kissed her forehead. “It will be alright. I need to do this.”
“Then I’m going with you,” she blurted out.
He shook his head. “No way; I’m not involving you in this anymore.” Ironically he involved her in the beginning. Only he couldn’t have known he’d fall in love with the girl. Wow. Love. Was he in love?
Driving back to the hotel, there was silence again as each was wrapped in their own thoughts. After parking the car in the lot Carter finally spoke. “I’ve kept you distracted for too long. It’s time for me to leave. I’ll be back for you, okay? It might take me a while, but either way, I’ll be back.”
“And what if you’re not?” She swallowed hard. “What if you never come back?” Tears welled up in her eyes. “What if I lose you?”
“You will never lose me.” He was touched. He knew they were words she didn’t take lightly. “You, me, we’re a thing now. I’m going to leave you some cash before I go. This should cover you for a while. Promise me you won’t go back. Not now. Not that we’ve been together.”
“I can’t make promises.” She turned away. “It’s not about the money.” She was embarrassed and felt bad hurting him.
He reached out to Cree. “I know, baby, but you don’t need that anymore. You have me.”
“Promise me you’ll come back.” Her voice cracked. She couldn’t hide the worry. What if they…no, don’t think like that.
“I will be back.” He looked into her eyes. “Do you hear me? I will be back.” The intensity in his stare told her what she needed to know. The look smoldered. Carter’s breathing was slow and steady. “I will be back,” he whispered.
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
He reached to her, pulling her closer. “Let’s go inside,” he said after a brief hug.
Cree unlocked the door and went in, Carter right behind her. “Let’s go to bed,” she suggested. She wanted nothing more than to lie naked with him, their bodies pressed together tightly. “I want to feel you against me.”
Carter was cautious with his arm as he pulled it out of his sleeve. Undressed, he climbed into bed with his new lover and drew his fingers through her dark hair, taking in every detail of her face. She was a beautiful woman. He wanted to memorize every single detail…something to hold on to in case he didn’t make it back.
How did it happen? How did he fall in love? That wasn’t the plan; it through a wrench into everything. He didn’t want her involved, and yet it started with Cree. She should be protected. He should protect her. But how could he, when he could barely save himself.
“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, wanting to run away again.
“I can’t keep running.” He hated that answer, but it was the truth. He had to face the consequences of what he’d done. “It will be okay. They’re family. They won’t hurt me.” He knew that was a bold faced lie. Getting hurt wasn’t out of the equation, but more than anything he didn’t want Cree worrying about.
She knew he was lying, she saw it in his eyes. His voice may have been firm, solid, trying to plead his case, but his eyes told the truth. He was nervous, almost afraid. He had no idea what would be waiting for him when he got there. He didn’t have Crystal, but he had a past with his family that left him looking bad.
Cree rolled up onto Carter. Pressing her lithe frame to him, she slipped her legs in a tangle around his. Carter held her gaze. He stroked her cheek and leaned up to kiss her. Cree’s lips were soft and full. Her kisses were as sweet as honey. They dripped with desire and left him begging for more. She was hardly shy with her body or her charms, but her kisses were like gold. He knew this was true intimacy, not the bought kind.
Her breasts pressed to his body. They were warm and beautiful, perfectly shaped in his eyes, and feeling them against his own chest…he grew hard. Between her tender lips and her supple body, Carter yearned for more.
A long, lingering kiss spilled between them. Carter nibbled and teased her, sucking her tongue into his mouth. Each moment that passed stoked the fire in his belly. After making love, they collapsed in a heap from exhaustion.
Cree curled into the nook of his arm to rest her head on his chest. “I’ve never felt this way,” she admitted. “It’s a little scary, but it’s exhilarating at the same time.”
Carter grinned. “I didn’t expect to feel like this. I had no idea when I met you…” he trailed off. “Now I don’t want to leave you.”
“You promised me you’d be back. You didn’t lie did you?” She didn’t want to know the answer. Her belly knotted up.
He soothed Cree the best he was able. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get to you.” Carter kissed her forehead and whispered, “I’ll be back, baby.”
Cree was used to lies. She was used to waiting for the other shoe to drop. Only this time, she desperately hoped he wasn’t just speaking empty words. She wanted to feel this way forever, safe in his arms. Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but she’d never felt this way, ever…with anyone. Wanting to be held, wanting to be kissed, wanting to snuggle in bed, it was all new to her.
Before Carter got out of bed he turned to Cree. “We’ll start over when I get back, okay? We’ll try somewhere new, do something different.”
He left in the morning. She prayed he’d come back. She prayed to a god she wasn’t even sure existed. He had to come back. She needed him.
Chapter 13
Cree picked up the phone with hesitation. She felt the nerves in her arm, her hand, her shoulder. The tension was building with every second she got closer to saying the words. She took a deep breath and dialed the phone. She wasn’t looking forward to this conversation.
Cree reached up to
rub the back of her neck and mindlessly bit her lip as the phone rang. She cleared her throat. Her sister finally answered. “Hey, it’s me. We need to talk.”
“What is it?” Her sister was concerned. Her voice sounded somehow off. She talked faster than usual.
Cree’s mouth was dry. She reached for her water. “I have a couple things we need to discuss. This isn’t going to be easy,” she warned.
“Are you okay?” Kendle’s tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood. She was seriously getting concerned.
“Yes. I know you won’t understand this, but better than I’ve ever been. I can’t go into all of the details.” She paused for only a second. “I’ll give a statement,” she hated saying those words out loud, “but I won’t testify in court. I want nothing to do with that. If they demand it, I’ll refuse. It won’t help the case to have a hostile witness.”
“You’ll give a statement?” Kendle was thrilled and relieved. It meant they had that much more in her case against her father.
“That’s not all.” Cree dreaded saying these next words. “Kendle, I’m leaving. I’m leaving the area and I won’t be back.”
“Wait, what?” What did she mean she was leaving? Like on vacation, was she moving? What was going on? She’d barely seen her in the last few weeks. She kept making excuses.
“I need to go away. I need to break free from my past. I want you to promise me you won’t come looking for me.” She hated herself.
“What? But what about me? How will I see you?” She asked, her stomach churning, not liking what she was hearing.
“You won’t. At least not for a while. It’s for the best; I know you don’t understand it, but you have to trust me.” This was the hardest conversation she ever had to have. “So if you want my statement, we have to do it soon. Once I’m gone, I’m gone.”
“Cree, are you in trouble? What happened? Why can’t I see you?” She was full of questions that didn’t have answers. “Please,” she sobbed, “please don’t leave me. Don’t shut me out. You’re all I have besides Graham.”
“I need to let go. One day I’ll find you. I promise. You just need to let me go, okay? Promise me you won’t come looking for me. Promise, Kendle.” She begged her sister to understand. They both had their own selfish agendas. Kendle didn’t want to lose Cree, and Cree needed to get far away with Carter to help keep him safe. It was a no win situation.
Kendle’s hands clenched into fists as the anguish washed through her. “Cree, no! I can’t promise that. How can you ask me to? You’re all I’ve ever worried about for years, and now you want me to turn that off?” Her voice quivered trying to choke back tears. “Please, don’t cut me out. I’m begging you.”
Cree’s heart was breaking. She didn’t want to have to, but it was the safest thing to do. Contacts to her past, to any of them might end up hurting Carter. For now, until she knew he was safe and far away, it had to be this way. “I’m a grown woman, Kendle. I’m not a kid anymore. It’s time to let go. It will be okay. I’ll be okay.” She tried to pacify her sister. “I need to go. Tell Graham thank you for everything.”
“Cree, no, don’t…” The phone line went dead. She’d hung up. She’d said her peace. Kendle stared at her phone. There was time. She’d go to her in person and plead her case. She couldn’t lose her sister. It would destroy her.
When Carter showed up at the door, nobody answered. He knocked again, but still no answer. He tried calling, but she didn’t pick up. He’d wait in his car and try again. He wanted to surprise her, show up unannounced, only the surprise didn’t go as he expected. He was still alive, paid back some of his debts and only had one broken bone to show for it. He got off easy for being family. If he wasn’t, most of his bones would have been broken. Either way, the plan was to disappear together. Only now that he was here to pick her up, she was nowhere to be found. He should have snagged one of the spare keys.
Carter went back thirty minutes later and tried again. When she opened the door, he met her with a smile. “I was worried about you. I was here earlier.”
“So sorry, I was in the shower. I must have just missed you.” She leaned in to kiss him, looking at his new accessory, a cast. “What happened? Are you okay?” The concern spread across her face.
Carter went in and set his crutches beside the door, hopping to the small sofa. “Broken bone, but my debts are all cleared with the family. I’ve just been told not to show my face back there for a while.”
“Oh baby,” she said sitting beside him. Her stomach was sick at the thought. How could his own family…oh right. Her own father. They were two peas in a pod, their families destroying them. “Did your uncle?”
“Oh no, he pays somebody to do the dirty work. The worst part is knowing that it’s coming. There was no mistaking it. It was as simple as him telling me I had to learn the lesson. He’d just break one of my bones, instead of all of them. I’m family after all,” he mocked in an impression of his uncle’s voice. “It was scary, it sucked, but then his thug was kind enough to drop me at the hospital. My debts are paid. I just need to stay away for about a year and they’ll clear my name.”
Cree shook her head. “It’s hard to believe this stuff is real. It’s like out of a movie.”
“It’s very real. One guy got shot in the face for looking at my uncle cross. It wasn’t pretty. But when the cops wanted him to squeal on who did it, he kept his trap shut. He knew he’d be buried six feet under if he spoke. He was more afraid of my uncle than he was the cops. Anyway, I can’t talk about them anymore. It’s just better. The less you know, the safer it is.”
“I told Kendle I’d give her a statement. She’s going forward with the charges. I need to do that before we leave, but then we’re finished here. We can go anywhere you want to.”
“I don’t have a lot of money left. They drained my account. I did have some stashed away they didn’t know about, but it won’t take us too far. We’ll need to get jobs.” He stopped for a minute. “Other jobs,” he said sensitively. “I don’t want anybody touching my girl except me.”
Cree smiled. She was somebody’s girl. It all felt new, special. “I don’t have many skills.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said. “As long as we’re together, it will work out.” How had they gotten here? How did she work her way into his heart so fast? All he knew was that he wanted nothing more than to spend more time with the girl beside him.
They’d start over and make a new life for themselves. Nobody needed to know their past. The past was behind them.
The knock came a few minutes later and then she heard her voice. “Cree?” It was Kendle.
Cree sighed. Taking a deep breath, she got up and answered the door. “Why? Why couldn’t you listen to me?”
“How could I? You’re everything to me? I needed to see you, to talk some sense into you.” She glanced over and saw Carter. “Is this because of him? Is he dragging you away?” She turned to Carter. “Don’t take her from me. You don’t understand what we’ve been through.”
“He knows,” Cree said softly. “He knows about the monster. He knows about the past.”
“Why? Why do you have to leave?” Kendle was pleading. “Whatever it is, Graham can help you. He can make the trouble go away.”
“It’s not about that, Kendle. I need to start fresh somewhere. I need a change. We both do. We’re putting the past behind us and moving forward. I need a break from the past.”
“But that means you’re shutting me out.”
“Don’t look at it that way. I’ll be in touch eventually. I just need space to find out who I am, what I want to be and do with the rest of my life. I’ll have Carter by my side. He’ll take care of me.” She calmed her sister down. This wasn’t to hurt Kendle. Couldn’t her sister see it wasn’t about her? It was about Cree and finally finding her life and owning it. It was time to move forward.
“You can do that here. Or go away, sure, I get that. You want a new start. But why can’t you be in contact
? I don’t understand.” She was frantically looking for a way to hold on.
Cree embraced her sister. “It will be okay. I just need space.”
Kendle cried into her sister’s shoulder.
“I love you. That never changes,” she soothed. “You’re not losing me. I’m just taking a break.” Her voice was syrupy sweet, trying to help Kendle through the moment. Pulling back, she looked at her sister. “Kendle, go be a star and slay the monster for both of us. Make me proud,” she added.
Kendle drew her arm across her face to dry the tears. She sniffled and tried to speak, but she was choked up. “I’m going to miss you.”
“It’s not forever.” Cree reassured. In truth, she didn’t know how long she’d be gone, but she planned to disappear for a while; longer than she wanted to tell her sister.
Chapter 14
Cree walked out of the police station. Her insides shook after having to repeat all of the details. Kendle’s lawyer was present as she spoke. It wasn’t something she took lightly. She’d just have forgotten everything and moved on, but she did it for Kendle.
Cree clutched at her stomach and walked to the car. Her shoulders sank. Carter was waiting for her. As she got in the car, he waited for her to speak.
She drew a deep breath and exhaled, then said nothing.
“Are you okay?” He asked tenderly.
She shrugged. “The damage is already done.” Her voice was barely a whisper. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms over her chest. Saying the words out loud, admitting what he’d done over and over again, and knowing every bit of what she said was being recorded was terrifying. She wanted to feel empowered, she wanted to feel a weight drop off her shoulders, but the truth was after being molested it meant a life sentence of remembering what he did. The nightmares wouldn’t stop.
At least it might help Kendle’s case. She knew she should do more. She should stand up to him and fight with Kendle, but she didn’t have any fight left. All she wanted to do was forget.
“Let’s go,” she said as she stared out the window.
