(Once) Again

by Theresa Paolo

  “Josh?”

  “Yeah, Kit Kat?”

  “Can you make sure the doors are locked?”

  I kissed her forehead. “Of course.” I got out of bed and went to the front door and turned the knob. It was locked. I slid the chain across the top. Though, one swift kick to the door, and that thing would rip right off. I needed to install a deadbolt. First thing in the morning.

  Next I checked the back door, and then the windows. Everything was locked, but the sense of security was gone. If I’d had my pickup truck, I would’ve gotten the baseball bat from the bedbox. Unfortunately, my pickup truck was at home. There had to be something I could keep by the bed. My eyes travelled around the den, looking for something, anything. I settled on a decent-sized Maglite flashlight under an end table.

  It was the best weapon I could find. Not that I planned to use it, but I needed to feel like I was in control.

  With the flashlight behind my back, I walked back into the bedroom. I placed it on the floor within arm’s reach and crawled back into bed with Kat.

  “What’s with the flashlight?” she asked. I couldn’t put anything past her.

  “Precaution.”

  “You don’t think he’ll break in, do you?” I had no idea what the answer was. I knew what I needed to tell her, but the truth was I didn’t know what this guy was capable of. But looking at Kat and how innocent she was in my arms, and knowing someone took advantage of that, made me believe he wouldn’t stop at anything to get to her again.

  “No. I don’t. According to the PI he doesn’t even get out of his car. You have nothing to worry about. Go to sleep.” I stroked her hair until her breathing evened out and she lay peacefully on my chest.

  My senses were on high alert. I tensed at every sound. When the clock on the nightstand read midnight, I slipped out from Kat’s grip and walked to the window. I held the curtain open and glanced out, but the street held the usual cars. Nothing suspicious.

  I let the curtain close and limped back and forth into the den. The feeling of helplessness consumed me, and I loathed it. It reminded me of Nia dying in my arms and how there’d been nothing I could do about it.

  A light fluttered across the window and dimmed. Despite the limp, I bolted to it and slowly pulled the curtain back. The black Civic came to a stop on the far right side of the house.

  It took everything I had not to go outside and rip the bastard from his car. Instead I called the cops and reported it. Then I waited. And waited.

  Where the fuck were they?

  You call 911 in emergencies. This was an emergency, so what the hell was taking them so long? I glanced out the window again and the Civic took off down the street.

  Son of a bitch!

  Two minutes later the cops pulled up. Before they could knock on the door, I flung it open. “Nice of you to show up,” I snapped.

  The cops squared their shoulders and the short one rested his hands on his waist. “We had a call about a suspicious car outside. Is it still here?”

  I had all the respect in the world for cops. One saved my life by carrying me out to an ambulance, but I seriously wanted to deck this douche.

  “No. You took so damn long he took off.”

  “Did you get the license plate number?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t think to look for it in the pitch black. Maybe I should’ve gone out with a goddamn flashlight. Or better yet I could’ve just asked him.”

  “We need you to calm down, sir.”

  “I am calm,” I said through my teeth.

  “Hey, aren’t you that kid from the news? The Springfield shooting.”

  Because that was relevant right now. No matter how hard I tried to put the shooting behind me, it followed me relentlessly.

  “Yes, but what the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

  “Josh, what’s going on?” Kat stood in the doorway, a robe wrapped around her. Thank god.

  “Nothing to worry about. Go back to bed. I’ll be there soon.”

  She marched right up to me and waved to the officers. “Hi, I’m Katherine Singleton. This is my house.”

  “I’m Officer Sully, and this is Officer Moretti.” The older cop said.

  “You reported a car sitting outside your home,” Officer Moretti, the younger of the two said.

  “He was here tonight?” she asked to no one in particular, but then turned and looked at me.

  I rested my hand on her shoulder. “I saw his car.”

  “Why is he doing this to me?” Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she rested her fingers on her lips.

  I took her face in my hands and kissed her nose. “They’ll catch him. That’s why they’re here. Why don’t you go make a cup of tea, and I’ll fill them in on all the information they need.”

  Kat nodded.

  I turned back to the two officers. “She has a restraining order against the guy. Shouldn’t that be enough to get him arrested?”

  “Unfortunately no. Unless you were able to identify the driver or the license plate, we don’t know who was in that vehicle.”

  My hands curled into fists and I pushed them into my side to keep from punching something. I took a deep breath. Yelling wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

  “I understand protocol. I get it. But that girl in there,” I said, pointing to the kitchen, “she means the world to me. That piece of shit almost raped her and now he’s stalking her and might do it again. I can’t let that happen.”

  The older of the two cops rested his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll do everything we can to keep her safe. We’ll file the report and send a cop car by every night around this time.”

  “I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”

  “We’ll sit outside for a little while tonight to see if he comes back. I can assure you we’re taking this case seriously. If you see him, call 911 immediately and stay inside until officers arrive. Do not approach the suspect. We will get here as quickly as we can.”

  I shook the officers’ hands and saw them to the door. I closed the door and locked both locks. Kat came into the den, two cups of tea in hand. “I thought you could use a cup too.”

  I limped over to her and took the mug. “Thanks. The cops are going to sit outside for a little while just in case he comes back tonight.”

  “I hope he does,” she said, and I narrowed my eyes at her. “Then they can catch him and this will all be over.”

  “It’ll be over soon enough. Why don’t you come sit with me?” I eased into the couch and Kat joined me. I reached over and grabbed her word search puzzle book and a pen.

  With a big smile she took it from me and kissed my cheek. “Thanks for not running away.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Haven’t you had enough drama in your life?”

  “All the drama in the world couldn’t keep me away from you.” I tucked her hair behind her ear letting the soft strands fall through my fingers. “Come on, get comfortable. We have a word search to do.” I grabbed the blanket from the arm of the sofa and draped it over us.

  As long as we had each other, we would be fine.

  Chapter 24

  I was finally back behind the wheel of my truck and it felt great. Kat was at work and I had big plans for us. Ever since the night the cops showed, Bryan hadn’t been back. Unless he’d gotten more creative in his spying methods.

  I liked to think the cops had scared him off. Every night a little after midnight, cops patrolled the area and sat in front of the house for an hour.

  During the day, if I couldn’t check on Kat because of PT, Darren would. I was happy she had him. I felt better knowing there was someone else who cared enough about her to do anything he could to protect her.

  She was working two shifts today, despite my objections. I swore she would do anything to defy me. But she insisted she wanted the work while she could get it. She needed the money. Though technically she didn’t, because I had some of her bills, which she didn’t know yet. I guess if she kn
ew that, it would make a difference, but I refused to tell her.

  The girl was damn stubborn, and I didn’t want her to yell at me for helping. Her house could be on the auction block, and she’d still deny help.

  I had a few hours before she would be home, so I went back to my parents’ house to pick up a few things.

  “Look who it is!” Mom said when I walked through the door. “I almost forgot I had a son.”

  I gave her a big hug. “Sorry, I’ve been busy.”

  Mom nodded. “Mhm. I bet you have.”

  “It’s more than that, Mom.”

  “I know, sweetie. I just miss you, that’s all.”

  “Just pretend I’m back at school.”

  “Speaking of school, are you planning on going back?”

  “I haven’t thought much about it. This semester is practically over, so I have the summer to decide. I was thinking of looking into Farmingdale State. It’s not too far. I can keep an eye on Liz for you too.”

  Going back to Springfield would have been great. I missed my friends. The parties. But there were too many ghosts there. Not to mention that if I didn’t fully recover enough to play ball, I’d lose my scholarship.

  Even if I could figure out a way to get past my demons and take out student loans, there was still one big problem: Kat wouldn’t be there. I’d be willing to drive home every weekend to see her, but it wasn’t enough.

  “It would be nice to have both my babies close to home. But whatever you decide, we will support you.”

  “I know. Thanks, Mom. Hey do you still have that old blanket I used to take to the beach back in high school?”

  “It’s in the hallway closet. Planning on going to the beach?”

  “I thought I’d surprise Kat with dinner down by the shore.”

  “I’m sure she’ll love it. I’m going to make myself a sandwich. Do you want one?”

  Kat was probably on her way to her second shift. I had time. “Why not? That sounds awesome.”

  There was a knock on the door and I walked over to it. Kat stood there with a pissed-off look on her face, holding a bunch of papers.

  “Hey, Kit Kat,” I said.

  “Don’t you Kit Kat me.”

  “You don’t like it when I call you Kit Kat?”

  “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t find out? Did you think you’d get away with this?” she yelled. I had no idea what she was talking about until she smacked the papers into my chest.

  I took them into my hands. They were bill statements marked paid. Copies of checks with my name on them. Shit.

  “I don’t need you paying my bills. I can pay my own goddamn bills.”

  “I never said you couldn’t, but they were piling up. I thought I’d help you catch up.”

  “I didn’t ask for your help. Despite what you may think, I don’t need it. You left. Remember? I put my brother through senior year and helped him get into college. For two years I’ve paid my own bills. I didn’t need help then, and I don’t need help now.”

  “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” I stepped towards her. “Kat.” I reached out to her, but she snapped her arm back.

  “You can’t just swoop in and start changing things,” she yelled, tears falling down her face.

  This wasn’t just about the bills. It was about painting her mother’s room without asking her. Trying to force her to move on and put the past behind her, when clearly she wasn’t ready to let her mom go.

  I wasn’t trying to make her forget her mom. I just wanted her to start living her own life. Put the suffering behind her.

  “I’m not Nia.” Her words hit me like a brick wall. If I didn’t have my cane to hold me in place, I would’ve stumbled back.

  “What does Nia have to do with anything?”

  “I don’t need you to save me.”

  Frustration mixed with sadness. Words were lost. I couldn’t wrap my brain around a single thought.

  Kat stepped backwards. Instinctively, I moved towards her.

  “Don’t follow me,” she said and slammed the door in my face.

  I didn’t think she’d be ecstatic about me paying her bills, but I never would’ve thought she’d react like this. She had so many things to worry about, I just wanted to help lessen the burden.

  My hand reached for the doorknob.

  “Let her go, Josh. She needs to cool off,” Mom said behind me.

  “But—”

  “Trust me on this one, okay?”

  I nodded. So much for my romantic night under the stars.

  ***

  I called Darren, but he told me to give Kat space. She’d come around. I didn’t want to give her space. I wanted to know she was okay. Safe. But most of all, I just wanted her to realize it was okay to let people help you.

  And yeah, I might’ve gone about it the wrong way, but I knew she would refuse my help, and I was sick of seeing the tension in her face whenever she had to buy something. She shouldn’t have had to worry so much about money. Besides, I’d made a fortune as Hunky Handyman. I could afford a couple thousand dollars.

  By ten o’clock I couldn’t wait for her to get over it any longer. I needed to see her. Talk some sense into her.

  I ignored Mom’s requests to give her more time and hopped into my truck. Kat got to say what she wanted, but I didn’t get to say a damn word. She needed to hear my side. She needed to know that the only reason I did it was because I loved her.

  I rolled the windows down and enjoyed the feel of the warm spring air going through my hair. It had been so long since I’d been in the driver’s seat. I’d forgotten how much I missed the simplest things.

  Kat’s street came into view, and I put my blinker on. As I turned, I spotted the black Civic and my stomach twisted into knots. Darren wasn’t with her. He was working the late shift.

  My heart pounded against my chest. Horrible thoughts flooded my mind. Adrenaline and fear pumped through me.

  I clicked off my headlights and eased my truck to the curb. I fumbled in my pocket and pulled out my cell. My hands shook, but I kept them as steady as possible, dialing as quickly as I could.

  The phone rang once before the operator picked up. “What is your emergency?”

  “Hi, I’m at 1333 Spruce Drive. My girlfriend has a restraining order against a guy who attacked her and he’s . . . .he’s here.”

  “Is he inside the home?”

  I swallowed down the lump in my throat. I couldn’t see the car clearly enough to know. Kat was inside though. Alone. And that beast was here somewhere.

  I slid out of my truck and eased the door shut. “I don’t know. Can you please just send someone? Now.”

  “I’ll send a patrolman over immediately.”

  “Thank you.” I hung up and moved towards the car, hoping if he saw me, he would pull away.

  Bile rose into my throat, burning its way into my mouth. He wasn’t in there. The officer had told me not to take things into my own hands, but fuck it. Kat was inside and that . . . that monster was in there with her.

  I just hoped I wasn’t too late. Oh god. I couldn’t even think it.

  I was in that hallway all over again. Fear consumed me, making all rational thoughts impossible. The outcome couldn’t be the same. I wouldn’t let it. I lost Nia. I wasn’t going to lose Kat. I couldn’t. Life wouldn’t be worth living if she wasn’t here to share it with.

  The door was unlocked. I took a deep breath and very quietly pushed it open. My heart pounded against my chest, feeling like it would break through my ribs. I stepped into the den. Kat’s word search puzzle books littered the floor. The picture frame holding the photo of her and her family was shattered. The blanket I’d draped over her only days ago was strewn across the carpet.

  My fists balled. Anger and fear raced through me. I heard a loud thump and tension pulled tight across my shoulders.

  Kat.

  I moved towards the bedroom and just as I was about to turn the corner my eyes locked with the familiar blue
of Kat’s.

  He held a gun to her temple, his hand wrapped around her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The pocket on her Mickey Mouse scrubs was in tatters. I couldn’t breathe. He had her life in his hands and with one single shot she’d be gone.

  Frozen, I met his gaze. I debated talking, but the malevolence in his eyes was too dominant, and unlike Steve, there was no soul left to reason with. His grip tightened on Kat and her body went rigid.

  His eyes burned red, sweat beaded on his forehead, matting his brown hair across it, and his lip lifted in a snarl.

  He towered over Kat, and was a few inches taller than me. The black T-shirt he wore had a hole just above the bulge of his stomach.

  I took my eyes from his and stared into Kat’s, ignoring the beast holding her against him. I needed her to focus on a way to save her life. I always wondered why I’d survived that day in the hallway, and now I knew.

  I outsmarted death once, but now it was my time.

  The gun turned to me.

  There was no pleading this time. No fear. I accepted my fate. My only regret would be Kat witnessing it. I only hoped in time she’d be able to forget.

  I looked into her big beautiful eyes and mouthed, “I love you,” just as I heard the click of the gun engaging.

  Bang.

  Chapter 25

  Most people go their whole lives never knowing what it feels like to look death in the eye. I envy those people. They’ll never know the fear. The regrets. The desperate want of a single chance to do it all over again. To try to change the outcome.

  In a way, I was given that chance. I couldn’t save Nia. But Kat survived.

  Blood splattered across Kat’s face, and Bryan went down. A single bullet to the head. Frozen in shock, I didn’t even turn to see who put it there.

  Kat’s scream knocked me out of my trance, and I ran to her. She fell into my arms and I grabbed the sides of her face, looking for bruises, cuts, any kinds of markings that didn’t belong there. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head and pulled at my shirt. I cradled her against me. Her body quivered in fear, and I stroked her hair, repeating over and over, “It’s okay. I’m here.”