Fourteen
Chase
“How long have you two been up? Fuck, are you already drinking? It’s not even noon.” I rubbed my eyes as I walked into the living room.
I got a few hours of sleep after our passionate encounter, but I was still groggy when my eyes opened. I woke up to the sound of laughter. I followed that sound into the living room where I found Trent and Kayla curled up on the couch watching some sort of dumb romantic comedy movie. There were two empty beer bottles in front of them already, and they were working their way to the bottom of two more. I distinctly remembered both of them being rather disinterested in drinking that early in the morning when I suggested it. They looked happy, though. Kayla had a smile on her face. Trent was laughing at her or the movie—I wasn’t sure which one. His laughter was what woke me up in the first place.
“Sorry, Chase.” Kayla giggled and looked over the back of the couch. “I guess your bad influence is rubbing off on me.”
“I suppose I should be happy about that.” I narrowed my eyes at them. “Fuck it, I’ll have a beer too.”
“You don’t want some coffee first?” Trent looked back at me as well.
“Why bother? I don’t plan to stay up that long, anyway.” I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and walked into the living room. “What the fuck are we watching?”
“Okay, so the girl.” Kayla giggled. “She’s lost in the mountains and there’s this guy chasing her, but he’s actually in love with her.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes. “Why is he chasing her then?”
“Well that’s the best part.” Trent sipped his beer and swallowed. “She has no idea he’s after her because he loves her. She thinks he’s going to murder her, but it’s actually her ex-boyfriend that moved to the mountains because he was afraid of commitment.”
“She doesn’t recognize her ex-boyfriend?” I twisted the top off my beer.
“He’s got a beard now.” Kayla nodded quickly. “He doesn’t look anything like the guy she used to date.”
“Good lord. You two would be entertained by a dancing raccoon.” I shook my head and sipped my beer.
“That would be hilarious!” Kayla’s eyes flickered with excitement.
I was surprised to see her happy, even if she was drinking. Things had gotten pretty intense when she told us her story. I watched as much of the dumb movie as I could stand before I finally just tuned it out and started scrolling through my phone aimlessly. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of joy as I watched her laugh along to the movie. I wasn’t sure how things would be after the things she told us. I was worried that it would be difficult for her to process everything. When Trent went to the kitchen to get more beers, I followed, and pulled him far enough away that Kayla couldn’t hear us talk.
“Is she okay? I mean, she obviously seems to be, but is that just her way of dealing with all of this?” I looked at Trent inquisitively.
“We talked for a little bit, and I think she’s fine. Obviously, there are a lot of unresolved issues that we’ll deal with in time, but if she wants to laugh—I’m going to laugh with her.” Trent smiled and lifted his empty beer bottle. “But I’m going to need a lot more of this.”
“Does it get better when you drink?” I lifted my eyebrows and grimaced.
“Not really, but she enjoys it. Come on, let’s just have fun for a little bit.” Trent walked over to the fridge and opened it.
“Where’s my beer? Are you two talking about me in there?” Kayla looked over the back of the couch and glared at us.
“We’re just discussing what kind of dirty things we’re going to do to you once the movie is over.” Trent walked back towards the living room with two beers.
“Drunk sex? Oh, I like drunk sex.” She giggled and winked at me.
“Have you ever even had drunk sex?” I finished the beer I was holding and grabbed another one before returning.
“No, but it sounds like fun.” She reached out for me when I approached and I sat down next to her on the couch.
“Fine, keep drinking then.” I opened my beer and took her hand in mine.
It was nice to sit beside her and listen to her laugh, even if the movie didn’t necessarily interest me. Whatever challenges waited in the future, we could forget them for a while and just enjoy what we had. Kayla was such a beautiful girl with nothing but kindness inside her, even if she did make a few bad choices before she ended up with us. I couldn’t imagine ever hurting her. Any man that could do that truly was a monster. It was hard to think about the fact that he was still out there somewhere. A man like that wouldn’t stop just because his toy ran away. If he didn’t have her to torment, he had likely found someone else. We had to convince Kayla to return to Glendale and confront him. She needed to see that he couldn’t hurt her anymore. She was a lot stronger than she realized.
When I finally get to look that monster in the eyes, I’m going to make damn sure he knows what will happen if he ever lays a hand on a woman again.
Fifteen
Kayla
One month later
“Glendale.” I squeezed Chase’s hand. “This is where I grew up.”
“You’re strong.” Chase leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You can do this.”
“We’re going to be with you every step of the way.” Chase took one hand off the steering wheel and reached for my other hand.
I tried to convince myself that I could just ignore the monster in Glendale. I hid behind a mask of laughter when I could. When that wasn’t enough, I chased passion with the two wonderful men that were so eager to share it with me. The reality came crashing down on me every time they left for work and I was alone. I even tried to bury myself in my work, but it wasn’t stimulating enough to stop my mind from racing. The news story about the fire faded from the news, but people still talked. I learned to ignore them. It might have been harder if I didn’t have a much bigger weight on my shoulders. I finally succumbed to the inevitable and agreed to return to Glendale with Trent and Chase by my side. It was time to stop being Kayla Lewis for a while and face the monster that drove Hannah Summers to Chicago in the first place.
Before I can do that, I have to go see my parents—and my brothers too, I guess.
I wasn’t brave enough to just show up at my parents’ house with two men. I had no idea how I would manage to explain that. We came up with a few scenarios, but I really didn’t want to walk in the front door telling lies, so we agreed that Trent would be the one to go with me. I think Chase was nervous about meeting my parents, so he was happy to shift the weight over to Trent. It didn’t help that Chase struggled to actually call me Hannah. He slipped up every time we practiced, which would only confuse my parents even more if he managed to blurt it out in their presence. Chase checked into a hotel and Trent drove me to my parents’ house. I was nervous and my stomach was in knots, but Trent held my hand as we walked up the old, familiar steps I never thought I would see again.
“I guess I should knock.” I looked over at Trent.
“I think it’s going to be confusing either way, but probably less confusing if you don’t just open the door and walk in. Plus, what if they’ve moved?” He smiled and squeezed my hand. “You got this. This is the easy part.”
I wish.
It was a heartfelt, tear-soaked reunion. My parents were so happy to see me that they didn’t ask any questions at first. They just hugged me and cried. When we finally got past the point of hugging, my mother quickly darted into the other room to call my brothers. They were both away at college and it would take them a couple of hours to get home, but they were eager to see me as well. I introduced Trent as my boyfriend, and my parents were very excited when they found out he was a firefighter. I even told them the truth about how we met—except for how the fire actually started, which made them his biggest fan. Eventually, all of us sat down at the kitchen table, and I knew it was time for the hard part of the conversation to start.
“You never called—not even o
nce.” My mother exhaled sharply and shook her head. “We prayed you were still alive out there somewhere, but we worried constantly. We even called the police, but they wouldn’t do anything when they read your letter.”
“It was a terrible thing to do. I know.” I nodded and sighed. “I was a stupid teenager that felt like I needed to get away and find my place in the world.”
That’s as close to the truth as I can get.
“Your room is exactly how you left it.” My father folded his arms across his chest. “We kept hoping you would come home one day. I’ll admit that I stopped believing that would ever happen after a couple of years went by without a word—not even a letter letting us know you were okay.”
“I can’t fix what I did.” I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but Trent took my hand and lightly caressed it.
“She’s here now.” Trent looked at my father and then to my mother. “You have your daughter back. We can dwell on the past or we can look forward. Obviously, she regrets what happened.”
“I do.” I nodded quickly. “I know it doesn’t make sense—just know that I love both of you very much.”
“So, why now?” My father narrowed his eyes. “Are you pregnant or something?”
“What? No.” I shook my head back and forth. “We’ve only been together for a little over a month.”
“Do you need money?” My mother instinctively looked over at her purse. “We don’t have much, but I’ll give you whatever I can.”
“We don’t need anything.” Trent squeezed my hand as he spoke. “Hannah is here because she wants to make things right.”
“You speak for her a lot.” My father’s jaw tensed. “Especially for someone that has only been with her a month.”
“Mr. Summers, I love your daughter. I know you do, too. She’s been through a lot and this isn’t easy.” Trent exhaled through his nose and I could sense him growing impatient with my parents.
“Trent is the one that helped me find the courage to come back home.” I looked at Trent and smiled. “I was scared. I know it hurt you when I left, and I dreaded this moment. If it wasn’t for him, I would have never found the courage to be sitting at this table right now.”
Or the courage to do what comes next.
My parents finally seemed to relax. My brothers arrived and I was surprised to see the men they had become. They were the spitting image of my father and looked like they could have been twins. I hadn’t noticed that when I was younger. More tears were shed and then we had to say goodbye. My parents wanted us to stay with them, but I knew that wasn’t possible with what I had to do once I left their house. We promised to stop by again the next day and see them again before we returned to Chicago. I promised to call, write, email, and come home for Christmas. That was enough for my mother to finally let go of my hand and wave to me as we walked back to Trent’s truck.
“Are you ready?” He looked over at me as he cranked it up.
“Yes.” I nodded and sighed. “Let’s go get Chase.”
The monster’s lair. A small house on the outskirts of town at the end of Mulberry Street. That was where my torment began. Adam wore the mask of a respectable man. He was active in the community, had a good job by Glendale standards, and was even a deacon at his church. I knew that from the time we spent together when he was trying to convince me he wasn’t going to hurt me. I knew who he really was, though. Facing him was the only way I could put the past behind me permanently. I just hoped Trent and Chase could restrain themselves because there were things I had to say to Adam before I let them unleash hell.
“Hannah?” Adam’s pulled the door open and his eyes were wide with confusion.
“Hello, Adam.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Can I come in?”
“Yes, of course.” He pulled the door open immediately.
Trent and Chase were parked a few houses down and out of sight. I walked the rest of the way to Adam’s house so he wouldn’t see them. My cell phone was on in my purse so they could hear the conversation and if things got out of hand, they would be there in an instant. I was glad they let me do things my way, and at least talk to Adam first. They wanted to do a lot more than talk, and I was going to let them, but not until I said my piece. I needed Adam to understand that I didn’t fear him anymore. I needed him to understand the he might have broken me once, but I was no longer the girl he took advantage of. They could do what was necessary after that. Chase was convinced that Adam was a danger to others and while I had gotten twisted up in his obsession over me, I doubted I was the only girl he had hurt. I hoped others hadn’t suffered because of my silence, but all I could do was make sure it didn’t happen again.
“You’re just as beautiful as I remember.” Adam walked up and put his hands on my shoulders. “Every inch of your flesh, begging for my touch.”
“Keep your hands off me.” I pulled away and turned to face him. “I didn’t come here for that.”
“But you are here.” He took a step closer and locked his eyes on mine. “You’ve been away so long. I’m going to have to punish you quite severely for depriving me of what is mine.”
“You’ll never do that to me again.” I glared at him and took a step back. “So, what did you do exactly, sit here for five years and just wait for me to come back? You said you would find me if I left you—yet you never did.”
“Hannah.” He chuckled and smiled. “Or should I just call you Kayla?”
Oh shit.
“What?” I felt my bravery fading immediately.
“Oh, I’ve known where you were this whole time, tucked away in Chicago where you thought I couldn’t find you. I know everything about you. I know where you work, where you eat lunch, and I even know where you live—well, at least until you set the place on fire. Naughty girl.” He tilted his head to the side.
“You know all of that?” I swallowed hard.
“Yes.” He tilted his head in the opposite direction. “Did you really expect me to just come and kidnap you? I found you, just like I said, and I waited for you to come back. I knew you would return eventually. You always do.”
I lived in fear this whole time—for nothing? No, that can’t be true.
“There’s no way you’d just let me walk away—unless I truly meant nothing to you.” A blank stare formed on my face. “That it, isn’t it? I was just a toy for your amusement.”
“You were more than that, but toys can be replaced. You’re not the only girl in Glendale that likes to be punished.” He chuckled and shook his head. “But don’t worry, I can still make room for you in my playroom.”
“You didn’t build that for me, did you?” I narrowed my eyes and exhaled sharply. “I wasn’t the first one, was I?”
“You needed to believe you were and you wanted to feel special.” He nodded his head slowly. “I made sure you felt that way.”
“What I needed? You hurt me.” My jaw tightened as I listened to his words and I felt my anger rising. “You did things to me that I didn’t want you to do! I begged you to stop, and you just hit me harder. You left scars!”
“Unfortunate—but necessary. I liked to watch you cry and it took more and more to get the reaction I needed every time you returned.” A sick smile formed on his lips. “I’ve gotten better at it since you’ve been away. Why don’t you come down to my playroom and ask the girl that is locked in your old cage.”
“You’ve got someone here right now?” I blinked in confusion.
“Yes, I learned a lot after you left. I prefer not to let my toys wander off these days.” He chuckled and motioned towards the basement door with his hand. “Shall we?”
“Never again.” I shook my head back and forth. “And whoever you’ve got locked in your basement is leaving with me.”
“She’s not going anywhere—and neither are you.” He took a step towards me and clamped his hand around my throat. “You came back for a reason. You came back to taste the pain and you’re going to get more than you’ve ever felt before. I’ll te
ar the flesh from your bones if I have to just to see those delicious tears again. I waited a long time for this moment. I intend to savor it.”
There you are. There’s the monster.
“Thank you.” I forced my words out as I struggled against his grip. “Now I don’t feel so bad about what they’re going to do to you.”
Adam hid the monster he was as long as he could, but when I stared down the beast I once feared, I was no longer afraid. He couldn’t hurt me anymore. It was time to make sure it never happened to anyone again, especially the girl he had locked up in the cage I used to dread. Trent’s boot smashed through the front door. Chase was the first one to get his hands on Adam. I staggered away and coughed. I turned to see Chase land a punch in Adam’s stomach, followed by a knee that appeared to have shattered his nose. Adam tried to walk towards the door in a slanted stagger, but Trent quickly slammed him to the ground. Chase pulled out his phone and called the police while Trent held him against the floor.
“Enjoy prison, you son of a bitch.” Trent put a knee against the back of Adam’s neck and looked towards me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll see if I can help the girl in the basement.” I waved him off and walked towards the door that I knew so well.
Her name was Wendy and she was every bit the broken girl I used to be. Her flesh was marked with whip marks that had been laid on top of marks that barely healed. She cried when she saw me, but she didn’t want to leave. Adam had put the same spell on her that he put on me. When the police finally arrived, they had to carry her to the ambulance. I sat beside down next to Wendy and told her my story. I pulled up my shirt and showed her my scars. That seemed to open her eyes, and by the time she got to the hospital, she was ready to press charges against Adam. The marks he left on her were vicious enough that nobody would ever believe she wanted that kind of cruelty. She admitted that he pushed her way past what she wanted and refused to stop when she begged. She might as well have been reciting my story word for word—she just didn’t get the chance to run.
Smoke and Fire_A MFM Firefighter Romance Page 9
