by J. M. Witt
“I have to find her and fix this.” I gave her a quick hug before I ran and hopped in my truck.
~ JANE ~
My head was pounding. As I came to, I remembered opening the door at my parent’s place, thinking that I’d find Cal on the other side, and then everything went black. I tried pulling my hands to my face and discovered I couldn’t move. My eyes struggled to open, the light piercing only making my head hurt more. There was music filling the air, which was exceptionally loud, and made it all worse. Love Don’t Die by The Fray was ringing through the air. What was going on?
A figure floated into view as I recognized the surroundings of my childhood bedroom. My fuzzy vision tried to focus; it was then that I recognized the bare chest in front of me. As my eyes made their way to his face, the room began to spin as I started to comprehend what was happening. I could taste blood on my lip, I was naked from the waist down, and I was tied to the four corners of the bed. Why was I naked? My chest constricted as he smiled down at me and sat next to me running his hand up and down my bare leg.
Unable to stop it, I began sobbing; remembering the beautiful proposal Cal had just done for me. It was in front of our families and I had ruined it by basically telling him no and then running out like a coward. I freaked out and ruined it, him, our relationship, and now I was getting my just desserts. It was my intention to clean myself up, gather the rest of my belongings from my parents, and head back to the party. Though I didn’t know that when I ran out on him. I figured it out on the drive to my parents. I still hadn’t fully moved in and I wanted to tell Calvin everything about Derek before I told him yes. Yes, I’ll marry you! I didn’t want my secrets to grow and fester between us anymore than they had.
“Janey, I’ve missed you.” Derek leaned down and I tried turning away from him, but he dug his fingers into my face and forced his lips on mine. Biting his tongue, when he dared to put it in my mouth, earned me another smack across the face. “Bitch! You’ve been a bad girl.”
Chapter Twenty Six
~ JANE ~
“Let me go, Derek. Leave now and I’ll forget everything.” My voice came out stronger than I thought it would.
“WE will be leaving soon enough. Good thing I know your family so well. I presume your parents are leaving today, like usual, for Hawaii, the staff is all gone too. That would have been awkward explaining my presence. Anyways, you’ll leave a note saying that we made up and you moved back to California.”
I couldn’t quite decipher if he was talking aloud or to me. He was clearly off his rocker. And Cal would believe it. That was his first thought when I told him I had to talk to him about Derek. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Yes, you are. You let the cop get too close, but he’ll get over it.”
Oh, God, Cal. I started to panic, wondering how long I’d been tied up here. Cal wouldn’t just let me walk out. He’d come looking for me. I had to protect him at all costs. This was my mess to clean up. Why hadn’t I just told him? He could’ve protected me. If I hadn’t run out on him earlier I wouldn’t be here now. Now I had to protect him.
“You’re right. I missed you, Derek. Take me home.” He pulled his brows together and examined my face. I softened my eyes and attempted to smile at him. His expression eased as he caressed my face.
“I already started packing your things, though there isn’t much. A lot of your clothes are still at home. I figured you’d come back after a couple weeks because you left so much behind. We should be able to leave soon.”
“Baby, can you untie me. I’m so uncomfortable, please.”
He just got off the bed and said he’d think about it. I watched him as he pulled the remaining clothes out of my dresser and closet and shoved them into a duffel bag. He was talking to himself, reciting a list of things to do, and that was when I caught sight of a gun on my dresser. Where did he get a gun? I laid there for what seemed like forever, with that fucking song replaying over and over, waiting to see what his next move would be.
Eventually he came back to me and untied my right wrist and then worked his way down to my right ankle. Once my foot was free I lost all sense and tried to kick him as hard as I could in the chest. My foot slipped, not kicking him with the strength I hoped it would.
“You bitch. All my suffering is because of you. You know what day it is, or did you forget?”
I knew what day it was supposed to be; the most important day in a mother’s life. At least that’s the day I wanted it to be. Now it was a day overshadowed by a proposal gone wrong. He punched me in the gut and while I coughed and gasped, he strung my leg back up before standing up.
“You’re going to make it right and give me the family we were meant to have.” He was out of his mind. “I know how you like it.” My chest grew tight at his words. “I can’t believe you let that dirty, tattooed cop have his way with you in his truck.”
What? Realization dawned on me. It was him that I saw that night across the street. He must have followed us. Cal and I had made love in the front seat of his truck, like a couple of teenagers, in our favorite spot under the stars.
“How could you let him defile you in that manner?”
He pulled his pants down before straddling me on the bed, talking about teaching me a lesson. Taking my free hand, I clawed and smacked at him, but it was pointless. I was no match for him. My body started to ache in places that I wasn’t aware of before. The bile began to rise in my throat as he licked my neck and pinned my free hand above my head and found his way inside me.
“You’ll give me a baby, Jane. And you’ll forget about that filthy cop, my pleasure will be your only concern. I have everything you want and need right here.”
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the nausea rising, not his body moving in me, and willed myself to vomit. When it came, I aimed as best I could, and I got the desired effect. We were both covered in it. Derek jumped out and off my body, ranting in complete disbelief. Immediately reaching to my other wrist, he caught me and tied me back up before I could free myself.
“You just won’t learn, but you will.” I looked to him before everything went black again.
~ CALVIN ~
She wasn’t at our place and hadn’t been there, that I could tell. The few belongings she’d moved in were still there. I hoped and prayed my instinct was correct and that she was at her parent’s house. They would be leaving straight for the airport after the party, so at least we’d have some privacy to talk. I pulled up in the drive after executing the gate code, oblivious that I should’ve been concerned about the parked car sporting a California license plate. James had just called and I ignored his call.
The front door was unlocked and I called her name as I made my way inside. I couldn’t hear anything, except the faint ring of music in the air coming from upstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time I made my way to the second floor. Something felt off. I couldn’t place it, but I ignored it as I headed to her bedroom. The music was so loud now that I didn’t think she could possibly hear me knock on the door, but I didn’t want to just barge in.
“Jane, are you there? I’m sorry. Can I come in?”
I knocked again, hearing no response, only the music. I leaned the weight of my body against the wall next to her door and waited far too long before knocking again. This time I tried the knob to find it locked. The feeling of dread washed over me like a tidal wave. All I could think about was my dad finding Cassidy, all those years ago, after she swallowed a bottle of pills. This time I banged so hard on the door that the hinges rattled.
“Jane, if you don’t open this door I’m going to break it down.” There was still no response. My instincts took over and I kicked open the door.
What I found was nowhere near what I expected to find. Jane was being used as a shield in front of someone I didn’t recognize. She was bloodied and battered, only in a shirt and she was gagged. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her captor was pointing a gun at me. I wasn’t prepared for this situation. Predisp
osition to this situation had me reaching for my gun, MY GUN, but I was off duty and there was no gun for me to protect myself with. I didn’t even have my vest on. I was way out of my league, unprotected, and completely off guard, with only my training left to guide me. Pulling Jane tighter to him, as he backed up, he knocked the iPod off its dock, which in turn ceased the music.
There was no turning back now. “Dude, let her go. I don’t know what you want, but she can’t give it to you.”
“Dude. I want her and I have her and she already gave it to me. She was mine long before you came along, and she’s mine again. She’s going home, with me.”
I stood puzzled for a moment before his meaning took root inside me. “You must be Derek.”
Nodding he said, “The Cop.”
How did he know who I was? “I am. Derek, you need to let her go. This will go better for you if you let her go. Backup is already on the way. You’re not getting out of here with her.” I lied through my teeth hoping he wouldn’t call my bluff. But one thing was for sure, he wasn’t getting out of here with her unless it was over my dead body.
“There’s no backup coming. You had no idea what you were walking into. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter. Besides, tell him Janey, you’re coming with me.” She whimpered through that gag.
I didn’t let on that he was right as I continued to examine Jane with my eyes. The more I saw the angrier I got. Beginning to understand why she didn’t tell me about Derek, besides his name and that it had ended badly. I guessed that it ending badly was the understatement of the year. He didn’t look like he was going to give Jane up willingly and neither was I.
I took a step toward them and he shook the gun violently in my direction before placing it on Jane’s temple. “Don’t push it, Cop. I’m willing to kill for what’s mine.”
“You’re not going to hurt her. You love her, right?” He started breaking down before my eyes. I could see it in him. Something was off and he was beginning to panic. I had him or so I thought.
“She’s my, my entire, w-world. S-she just le-left. I waited for her to come back. We were starting a family together.”
“Ok, I understand. Why don’t we sit down and talk about this, without the gun, Derek.” What the hell did that mean? They were starting a family together?
Instead of seeing reason he grew more agitated. We both heard a faint noise coming from downstairs. He was distracted. I took the opportunity to gain the upper hand. Lunging toward them both, I attempted to push Jane out of the way, but before I could get my hands on the gun I felt a burn in my chest. Warmth flowed over me. Staggering backward, I collapsed to my knees before realization hit me that I was shot. I surely fucked this one up. Jane had managed to pull the gag from her mouth and her screams were the last thing I heard.
~ JANE ~
When I woke, I had been gagged, and he was pulling me off the bed. My whole body was crying out in pain. I was somewhat aware of banging, that wasn’t coming from that incessant song that was still playing. Cal’s voice registered with me and before I knew it, my door was thrown open and Cal came barreling through the doorway. Derek pulled me violently against him as he and Cal exchanged words. Soon I was cognizant of the cool steel of his gun pressed against my forehead. The music stopped, but all I could hear was the pounding in my head.
Cal attempted to talk Derek down, but I could barely make out the words they exchanged with one another. Slowly, I became more lucid. Unexpectedly, a noise came from some other part of the house, and Cal lunged at us before the gun went off. In the scuffle, I managed to pull the gag from my mouth as Cal stumbled back. The color drained from his face as his beautiful blue sweater became covered in blood. I wasn’t sure if he realized he was shot or not. I tried pulling free from Derek, but my attempt was wasted.
Cal had fallen to his back, clinging to his chest, as I pleaded with Derek to let me help him. He seemed to be in shock that he’d just shot a man and dragged me out of the room, the gun still in his hand. He was pulling me down the hall as I begged him to let me call help for Cal. I think he was considering letting me help when James’ booming voice over took us. We were at the top of the stairs and James was in the foyer, holding his own gun.
Chapter Twenty Seven
~ JANE ~
“Let.Her.Go.” The tone James used was deadly.
I continued to struggle against Derek, desperate to get to Cal. His eyes were closed at my last glimpse of him, as I watched his chest move up and down. Keep breathing Cal, please keep breathing.
“I won’t ask again, Derek.”
Derek’s gun was pointed in front of me as I tried to break free of him.
“Maybe I’ll kill her too.”
It all happened so fast. Before I knew it Derek had shoved me away from him, and I briefly looked to him as he pointed the gun at me. My foot just missed the top step as I tumbled down the stairs backwards, losing sight of James and Derek. There was a loud POP and the thud that followed was that of a body hitting the floor.
I managed to catch myself on the railing during my fall. Pulling myself up, my side ached as I looked up the stairs. I saw Derek’s body lying on the floor. Turning to look for James I found him standing still as a statue. CAL! The adrenaline kicked in as I battled my way up the stairs, back to Cal.
Falling to my knees, my legs unable to carry me any longer, I crawled over and rubbed Cal’s arms and smacked his face, trying to get him to come to. “Cal, please, talk to me. Help’s coming, baby, just hold on.” Trying to find his pulse, I found it was faint, but it was there.
I don’t know how I let it happen. Cal had crawled under my skin and implanted himself there. He’d become a part of me, no matter how much I wanted to deny it. He had been slowly gluing the broken pieces of my heart back together, and I was oblivious to it, till now. If I lost him, I knew I would never recover. My tears saturated our hands as I pleaded with him, “Please wake up, Cal.”
It was then I realized he wasn’t breathing and he’d lost too much blood. “JAMES!” I started mouth to mouth on him and cried out “Come on Cal, don’t do this to me, not now.” I checked his pulse again and it was gone. “JAMES, PLEASE HELP!” He ran in the door then as I cried, “James, please help me.”
He didn’t flinch. Screaming, I repeated myself. He looked to me, alarmed, before pulling out his cell phone and dialing 911. He put the phone on speaker, as he gave the operator the address, and told them there was an officer down.
“James, I need towels.” He ran to my bathroom and came out with towels, and I directed him to apply pressure to Cal’s chest.
“Jane, I’m sorry. I had Cassidy call for help, but I was too late.”
“What are you sorry about, James? You didn’t do anything wrong.” James started mumbling incoherently. Something was wrong with him, but I couldn’t process it, not now. Checking for Cal’s pulse again, I panicked when I couldn’t find it. I tried the other side.
Nothing.
“James, snap out of it. I need your help.” I instructed him in what to do, as I continued mouth to mouth and James did the chest compressions.
I’m not sure how much time passed, if it was seconds or minutes, but soon I was being pulled off of Cal and the paramedics took over. I gave them all the information I could before I crumbled on the floor against the bed and took in the chaos surrounding me.
All of this was my fault. I looked over to where Derek’s iPod now laid on the floor. Another officer was talking to James and I watched as the paramedics used a defibrillator on Cal. I’d killed him; all because I was too proud and stubborn to expose my history to Cal.
Cal loved me the way every girl dreamed of being loved; fiercely, without restraint or regret. I would never be the same without him. He made me better, stronger. He was my perfect match, and I’d spit on his love for me by hiding my past from him.
I don’t remember much more after that, besides trying to beat a paramedic off of me, as they carried Calvin out on a backboard. James grabbed so
me clothes for me to throw on before I staggered after Cal.
I stopped in the hallway and fell to my knees again. “Jane, you need to let the paramedics take care of you.” My eyes were glued to the puddle of blood in the hall where Derek’s body had been. “He’s gone, he won’t hurt you anymore.” James scooped me in his arms and carried me outside. There were several police cars and I turned just in time to see the doors shut on the back of the ambulance holding Cal.
“James, I have to go with him.”
“You did everything you could for him. You need to get checked out. He would insist I make you get checked out.”
“O-ok. But, please take me to the hospital.” The ambulance put on its sirens and flew down the drive. “Now! I’ll get checked out when I get there.”
Cal’s old partner, Frank, walked over then and offered to drive me to the hospital.
When I got to the ER, I walked in- intent to find Calvin, when James walked up behind me. “You’re getting checked out.” I went to object. “NOW.”
He didn’t ask any more questions. Diligently, he stood by my side, my Lord Protector again, as I filled out forms and answered questions. We were told that, currently, Cal was still alive, but in surgery. I was explaining all the nasty details to the nurse when James dropped his head in his hands.
“James, I’m ok. You can head back upstairs if you want. I got it from here.”
“Jane?”
“Stop asking questions please. I need you to go check on Cal, please.” He didn’t question me, simply kissed my forehead before leaving the room.
“Is there any chance you’re already pregnant?” I looked up at her somber face as I mentally repeated the question over and over. “When was your last period?”
“I, umm…” My last period was a few weeks ago, before the Christmas tree lot. We didn’t use protection that night. “Oh, God.” I gave her the date and said, “Yes, there’s a chance.”
“Ok. We’re going to run a pregnancy test first and see where we’re at.” She patted my hand before leaving the room.
