“Maybe you should be,” he said, pressing his throat against the bat. His eyes were wild, almost deranged. When he laughed, my blood ran cold in my veins, but I held my ground…pushing the bat a little harder against his Adam’s apple.
The sound of a diesel engine pulling onto my road had us both looking toward the end of street. Richie made a run for his car when Travis’s truck pulled into the driveway. I stared at the licence plate, repeating the seven letters and numbers over and over in my head until I knew it was embedded in my memory.
I closed my eyes for a moment, my heart still pounding with adrenaline. I could hear Travis’s truck door shut.
“Who was that Becky?” he asked from behind me. I turned to face him, trying to slow my breathing. Travis had never met him before, as he’d already been long gone pursuing his music when Richie moved to town. But the horrified expression on my sheet white face was an answer enough.
“Richie,” I muttered, watching as Travis’s eyes darkened at the mention of his name. He put his hands on the side of my arms, holding me.
“Are you okay? What did he say? What did he do?” he demanded, assessing me for damage.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m calling the police.” I pulled away from his embrace, my eyes stinging with tears, and stopped when I caught sight of Aiden as he stood on the front porch, eyes wide with fear. I had no idea how much of the last several minutes he saw, but the need to comfort and protect him propelled me forward.
“Mom?” he asked, his voice tiny and unsure as I stopped before him.
I dropped the bat as I sank to my knees to take him in my arms. “It’s okay, Aiden.”
“Who was that? Why did you send me to my room? Why were you chasing that man with a bat?” Aiden asked, his questions coming out in rapid fire succession.
I’d imagined this horrible scenario a thousand times before, in a thousand different ways. I’d hoped that he would leave us alone, but I should have known that he’d be back.
“It was a bad person,” I choked out, my voice raw. I couldn’t tell him the whole truth, not yet anyway. “But, he’s gone now. I’m going to have to report it to the police though, to keep other people safe. Why don’t you go play Xbox?”
“Okay,” he said, his voice lacking its usual enthusiasm when I told him he could play.
I squeezed his shoulder gently before returning to the kitchen for my phone. I dialed 911 and waited, each dial tone like an electric shock to my system.
“Hi, yes. My abusive ex just showed up at my residence and made threats.”
Miraculously, I managed to relay the information without falling completely apart, keeping my voice as low as possible to avoid alarming Aiden.
Travis had brought him into the living room and I’d heard him tell Aiden that everything was going to be okay and not to worry about it. He put on a video game to distract him.
The dispatcher told me officers were on their way to take a report. I hung up the phone and Travis came into the kitchen, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I buried my head into his shoulder, fighting to breathe. The knowledge that I’d have to recount it all to them when they arrived sat heavily on me.
I remained in his arms for a few moments before I pulled away, drawing in a pain-laced breath. I rubbed at my collar bone and turned my head, looking back out into the living room.
Aiden knew his father wasn’t a good person and that was why he wasn’t involved in our lives, but he didn’t know just how terrible his father was. I’d wanted to protect him from it, because I knew the knowledge would shake him. I worried that it would ruin his innocence, or at least a portion of it.
“We should call your brothers,” Travis said, bringing my attention back to him. My hand pressed harder against my chest.
“I can’t, Travis,” I bit my lip, shaking my head. “If Brock finds out, he’ll go after Richie again and he’s got a record already. I don’t want him back in jail, but I’m not about to let Richie blackmail me either.”
“What did he want?”
I dreaded this question, and the last thing I wanted to do was answer it. “He wanted money from me, and lots of it…or else he’d come after Aiden.”
The tick in Travis’s jaw was back, and his usually warm eyes hardened. “We’re not letting him anywhere near Aiden, Becs. Or you.”
The doorbell rang, and my feet refused to move toward it. Travis seemed to understand, and he took it upon himself to open it to two police officers.
After the police officers took my statement, they assured me that they’d be on the lookout for a vehicle that matched my description. I opted to press charges against Richie for harassment and extortion, because I knew that he wasn’t going to go away on his own.
Officer Browning had assured me they would call with any updates, but I wasn’t feeling so sure. Richie had a devious glint in his eyes, and I knew he was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.
I watched the police cruiser pull out from our driveway before I turned my head. “Aiden, please start getting ready for bed. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He nodded, abandoning the video game he’d been half-heartedly playing without complaint, and said goodnight to Travis before making his way down the hall to the bathroom. I could hear the tell-tale sound of the sink running as he brushed his teeth, followed by a pause and the flush of the toilet.
Facing Travis, I opened my mouth to thank him—but no words came out. While I was busy talking to the police officers on the back porch, he had heated up a plate of lasagna for Aiden and kept him busy.
I couldn’t seem to formulate words to thank him—but he inheritably seemed to know how grateful I was. He stepped toward me, taking me in his arms and planted a kiss on my forehead.
“I understand why you don’t want to tell your brothers, but…” he trailed off, leaning back a little so that he could look me in the eyes.
“But what?” I demanded harshly, stepping away from his embrace. I didn’t mean to snap at him, but the whole situation made my body and head thrum with anxiety.
“I don’t like the idea of them not knowing. How can they be diligent if they don’t know he’s back?” Travis explained patiently, his eyes imploring me to listen.
I hesitated. He had a point. I didn’t think Richie had any friends in town still, but someone could recognize him. Telling my brothers would prepare them in case they caught wind of his return, or happened to see him themselves. I shuddered to think what Brock would do without fair warning.
“You’re right,” I relented, my shoulders deflating with a sigh. “I’ll text them and ask them to come over.”
“I’ll call them, you go tuck Aiden in,” Travis said, pulling me back into his arms. He kissed my lips softly and looked at me with reverence. “You are not alone, Becky. You don’t have to handle this by yourself. I’ve got you.”
I nodded, giving him the tiniest smile I could muster before I turned and walked down the hall, knocking lightly against Aiden’s door before I opened it. He was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed, dressed in his pajamas, just waiting for me. He looked up when I opened the door.
“I’m sorry I took so long,” I apologized, drawing in a deep breath as I walked across his room and sank down on his mattress. I reached out, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Aiden nodded, unsmiling. “Who was that man really, Mom?”
I took a moment to glance around my son’s bedroom. It was still decorated in the dinosaur theme he’d picked when he was three. I had to close my eyes for a moment, trying to prepare myself for this conversation.
“Remember how I told you that your biological father wasn’t a good person, and that’s why he wasn’t involved in our lives?” Aiden nodded, his brow furrowing with confusion. “When I was pregnant with you, he hurt me really bad. I had to go to the hospital. He went to jail.”
“Was that him?” Aiden’s blue eyes were full of worry, and I hated that we had to hav
e this horrible conversation. I hated that this was our reality, but I knew not telling him wasn’t an option. He’d already seen—and likely overheard—too much. I nodded, my eyes watering. “Why is he back? Is he going to hurt you again?”
“I don’t want you to worry about that. I am safe, so are you. The police are going to take care of it to make sure he doesn’t come back. They’re going to take him back to jail.”
Aiden was still young enough to believe that the police would solve any issue, because they were the good guys, so my words were able to console him. Pulling his bedding down, I helped him get comfortable before laying down beside him. “I love you, buddy,” I whispered, kissing him on the tip of his nose.
“I love you too,” he said, the last word stretching with his yawn. When I went to stand, he grabbed my arm, his eyes pleading with mine. “Can you stay until I fall asleep, Mommy?”
“Of course,” I whispered, laying my head back down on his pillow, facing him. My heart ached for the fear and displacement he must be feeling. I hated Richie with an intensity that alarmed me. I hated him for everything he’d taken from me, and from Aiden.
I had finally gotten to a place where I was beginning to accept the past for what it was, mainly because Aiden had no recollections of the terror. But, with Richie’s return and his threats, he’d invited fear into our home once again.
This time, my fear didn’t cripple me. It motivated me. I still felt it coursing through my body, but it didn’t render me immobile. I knew what to do in order to protect myself and my son.
Aiden fought sleep, his eyes growing heavier by the second. Within five minutes, he was snoring softly.
I kissed his forehead and pulled myself out of his bed, careful not to disturb him.
Voices drifted down the hallway as I quietly closed Aiden’s door. Brock and Braden had arrived, and from the sound of it, Travis had given them the news.
Brock saw me first, and moved toward me with a pained look in his stormy eyes. He hugged me tightly before releasing me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, my spine stiffening with resolve. “Or I will be fine...I’m sure Travis already told you that Richie’s back, but I called the police to report it. Please...don’t go after him.”
I was asking for a lot, but I hoped that both of my brothers listened. Richie seemed almost desperate, and he hadn’t cared at all about breaching the restraining order, which told me he would go to drastic measures. I wasn’t sure what kind of trouble he’d gotten himself into, but I didn’t know what he was capable of and I didn’t want my brothers’ in the crossfire.
Brock paced the living room like a caged animal, brushing his long hair behind his ears. His muscles were coiled with tension and anger that rolled through him. “You can’t expect me to do nothing about this.”
“That’s exactly what I expect from you,” I shot back, standing my ground. “You just got married, Brock. You’re building a life with Tessa, you don’t need to go to jail again. Let the police handle it.”
“She’s right, Brock. As much as I want to gut him myself, we can’t intervene like last time,” Braden voiced from the armchair. His words spoke of reason, but he was every bit as pissed off as Brock was. Braden was more inclined to think with his fists, too.
I stared at my surprising ally, nodding.
“Fine, we won’t hunt him down. But I can’t promise that I won’t tear him limb from limb if he comes anywhere near you or Aiden,” Brock said decisively. “And until the police find him, I don’t want either one of you alone.”
“That’s probably for the best,” I agreed. I hoped that the police would find Richie before he tried anything, but I couldn’t afford to be naïve either. Richie was dangerous. “I’m going to take a few personal days off work.”
“What if you left town for a bit?” Travis suggested. I turned to look at him. “You and Aiden could stay with me.”
“I don’t want to run from my problems,” I frowned, although the idea was enticing.
“It’s not running from your problems, it’s removing yourself from harm’s way,” Travis argued, stepping forward and closing the distance between us. He framed my face with his hands, his eyes searching mine. “It’ll give the police time to find him. Even if it’s just a couple of days.”
“I don’t want to put out your mom.”
“You wouldn’t be, the house is big enough,” he assured me, his lips lifting in a small smile. He was worried. “It’s got a gate and a security system, and cameras overlooking the grounds.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” I murmured, uncomfortable with my brothers watching our exchange. I was indecisive, swaying between wanting to escape for a few days and not wanting Richie to chase me away from my home, my job, and our life here.
Brock left around one o’clock, and Braden reluctantly retreated to the basement shortly thereafter. Braden had to work in the morning and couldn’t afford to take time off, and I’d had to practically throw Brock out. Both seemed wary of leaving me alone, despite my insistence that I was okay.
And I was, for the most part. My heart still raced with fear, and time passed agonizingly slow as I waited for the police to call me.
I kept nodding off on the couch, and I woke up to Travis carrying me to my bedroom. “Stay,” I murmured into his chest, half asleep and completely unwilling to relinquish the warmth of his arms.
“Okay,” he said lowly, brushing his lips across mine tenderly before he broke away to climb into bed with me.
I curled up in his arms, resting my head against his chest. The steady thrum of his heartbeat eased the panicked racing of mine. I couldn’t help breathing him in while he rubbed my back.
“Travis?” I asked.
“Yeah babe?”
“I’m glad you’re here,” I whispered, nestling closer to him as I allowed a few tears to fall. I feared so many things in that moment, but being with him wasn’t one of them—and I wanted him to know that. Usually, I was too busy running scared from how incredible he made me feel. Tonight, something had realigned within me, and I was leaning on him, drawing strength from him, thankful for his presence in my life, instead of denying it or running from it.
“I’ll always be here,” he told me, kissing the top of my head.
Having him there didn’t stop the nightmares, but each time I woke up gasping for air, he was there, chasing them away with his reassuring caresses, and reminding me that I wasn’t alone…making the dark a little less lonely.
Travis
I woke up to a vacant space where Becky should have been. I sat up quickly, looking around the semi-dark room.
She stood near her dresser, pulling a pair of denim shorts up her thighs. Her hair was wet from a recent shower, cascading down her back, a dark contrast against the milky white of her skin. She hadn’t put on her a shirt yet, so I was gifted with the sight of her black lace bra. She turned her head when I sat up.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my lips twitching a little as I watched her pull a shirt over her head.
“Couldn’t sleep anymore. I’m usually up at this time anyway,” she shrugged, collecting her hair and pulling it out from under her tank top.
Tossing the sheets off me, I stood up, loving the way her eyes tracked every movement, loving how they widened slightly as they roamed my bare chest, dropping to where my shorts hung low on my hips.
Despite how hot it had been last night, I’d left them on—worried I might get caught in a state of undress.
I crossed over to her, putting my hand on her hip and tugging her toward me. “Hey, it’s going to be okay…alright?” I told her softly. Tilting her chin up so that I could look at her with the little light that came through her blinds from the streetlamp outside. “The police are going to find him, and we’re going to keep you both safe in the meantime.”
She collapsed into my arms, resting her head against my chest. She didn’t cry, but I could tell she was affected by my words from the rapid rise and fa
ll of her chest.
Before everything happened yesterday, I had every intention on telling her exactly how I felt about her, just in case there was any doubt still in her mind. I knew we had to address the elephant in the room...the tours, the distance, and what that meant for us.
I knew what it meant for me—but I needed to make sure she was on the same page.
Naturally, we hadn’t been able to have that conversation yet. Richie was still out there somewhere, and none of us knew how dangerous he really was. He didn’t seem to mind terrifying women and children, but he’d run like a bat out of hell when I pulled up.
“I need a coffee,” she finally sighed. She held on a little tighter for a moment, then pulled away, gracing me with a small smile. “Do you want one?”
“Yes please,” I replied, bending over to grab my t-shirt that I’d tossed on the floor at some point during the night. I pulled it on, following her as she crept quietly from the bedroom. She paused by Aiden’s door, opening it soundlessly. I heard her exhale softly before she closed it and continued down the hall to the kitchen.
When the coffee finished brewing, I fixed us both a cup before returning to the table. Becky had her phone in her hand, she was staring at the zero missed calls with dejection. I put my hand over hers, prompting her eyes to rise. “They’ll call.”
I heard movement on the basement stairs, and a moment later, Braden came up, quietly shutting the basement door behind him. He was dressed in coveralls for work, his eyes puffy from lack of sleep.
He walked over to the coffee pot and poured some into a travel mug. “I’ll try to get off early tonight,” he said, his voice gravelly from lack of use.
“I’ll be around,” I pointed out, my brow raising. Braden nodded, relief filtering across his face.
“Call me, okay? With any updates at all,” he added, pausing to squeeze Becky’s shoulder before he headed to the front door to put his work boots on. A few moments later, the door closed behind him, leaving Becky and I alone in the quiet of the kitchen.
Rebel Song: (Rebel Series Book 3) ((Rebel Series)) Page 22
