by K. Webster
A couple of hours later, I showed up at my weekly appointment. Ever since Drake had hurt me so badly, I’d taken up two new hobbies—going to the indoor firing range and self-defense classes. If I had learned anything from him, it was that if I ever saw him again, I would need to know how to both shoot a gun and defend myself. He would want to finish what he’d started. Too bad for him, I had no intentions of letting him.
When I pulled open the door, all earlier frustration from the conversation with my mother faded away. When I was here, I was able to block everything else and focus on one thing. My target.
“Hey, Princess Tiana,” Jo’s gravelly voice called out from across the counter. I grinned at her. Jo wasn’t much taller than the counter, but she was a ball full of fire. She was the owner of the range and didn’t take crap from anyone. Thankfully for me, she’d seen it upon herself to take me under her wing and show me the ropes.
“Hey, Momma Jo,” I said and sat my purse up on the counter. She slid the paperwork over to me as I handed over my license.
“You’re looking especially happy today. What gives?” she asked as she typed in the information from my driver’s license into the computer. I scrawled my signature on the form and slid it over to her along with my money for the range fees.
Sighing, I couldn’t help the cheesy grin that spread over my face. “I met someone.”
Even though I never told Jo why I’d started practicing two months ago, she knew deep down. I could tell. It made me wonder if, once upon a time, she too had dealt with an abusive person in the past. There was just something about her that made me think that. Of course I would never ask.
“And who is this ‘someone’? Is he a good guy?” she questioned, turning to me. Her eyebrows were raised in both question and concern.
“He’s great, actually,” I admitted, leaving out the part where he’s pretty much forbidden.
She must have sensed that I was hiding something because she frowned. “Tell him he better treat you well or Jo will hunt him down,” she grumbled before heading over to the cabinet to retrieve my gun. Technically it wasn’t my gun yet since it was on layaway, but it would be my gun soon. She efficiently pulled out the small Glock 19. I’d fallen in love with this gun because it was smaller and easier to handle. Two more payments and it would be mine.
While she gathered the ammunition, safety glasses, and ear protection, I walked over to the lockers and stuffed my purse and coat inside. After retrieving the gun and equipment, I headed into designated firing area and stepped into the first booth. Nobody was in at the moment, and I sighed happily. I preferred being here alone, which was why I’d chosen the middle of the week during the workday to do my target practice.
Once my ear protection was in place and safety glasses were on, I loaded the gun and took the safety off. Spreading my legs slightly, I raised my arms and aimed at the target. With slight squeezes, I shot off all the rounds in rapid succession, making a nice holey pattern in the center of my target’s head.
“Hey, Jackson, can you come here and take a look at something for a second?” I asked, poking my head into his office. He looked mildly shocked that I was asking for his help but recovered as his usual smirk replaced it.
Following me back into my office, I motioned for him to take a look at my computer. Realizing it was truly business related, he became serious.
“What’s this?” he asked, pointing at my screen.
“I have this design I’ve been working on but I want a second pair of eyes on this thing. It’s a huge deal and I want to make sure it is something you and Jordan would do.”
He reached over, taking the mouse from me, and began clicking through my work. I could tell he was running through it with a fine-tooth comb, looking for anything to nitpick at me about. Fortunately, I didn’t care. This job was too big to worry about egos. I needed experience to double-check it.
“Bray, honestly, I’m quite amazed. Normally, we probably wouldn’t have taken on that job. Those dimensions are nearly impossible to work with. You’ve managed to make the design very functional. That’s exactly what I would do. Great job,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder.
I hadn’t been expecting such a positive reaction from him. From Jordan, yes, but never from Jackson.
“Uh, thanks. I’ll set up a meeting with him and let him know it’s done. I appreciate your help, man,” I said honestly. He nodded and left my office.
I was busy working when I got a call. After rolling my eyes because I’d expected my mother, I grinned once I realized it was actually Olive.
“Hey,” I smiled into the phone when I answered.
“Hey yourself,” she teased. Her voice was sweet as honey, and I couldn’t wait to see her again.
“What are you doing tonight?” I questioned.
“I didn’t have any plans but Andi mentioned something about staying in and watching a movie. I guess Jackson has to go help his mom or something,” she said, pouting. I smiled as I imagined her plump bottom lip poking out.
“Damn. I really wanted to see you. Maybe I could sneak in after she goes to bed,” I suggested.
“That sounds like a really good idea, Bray,” she said cheerfully. “I already miss our long talks.”
“I’ll talk to you soon, Ollie,” I teased. Her silence told me that I’d said something wrong.
She gulped loudly into the phone. “Um, yeah, okay,” she said quietly before hanging up, leaving me to wonder exactly what it was I’d said.
“I’m so glad you asked me to dinner, Bray. I feel like we never see each other anymore,” Mom said as she sipped her wine.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Mom. Ever since I started this new job, things have been crazy busy. They’re a bigger firm than my old place, so I’m expected to do bigger projects. I love it but they definitely keep me busy,” I told her, taking a bite of my pasta primavera.
“Sweetie, I’m proud of you. You worked so hard in college for this. Your dreams are finally coming true. How was Andi’s party the other night?” she asked, nibbling on her bread.
I grinned like a fool. “Thanks, Mom. It was great. I actually met someone that I really like.”
“Bray, that’s wonderful! I’m so excited for you. Please tell me about this gal,” she chirped happily, no longer interested in her dinner. “She must be something special to catch your interest.”
“Well, she’s tall and beautiful. Her name is Olive and she models here in New York. The only problem is that she’s Andi’s roommate,” I sighed.
She narrowed her eyes as she mulled over what I was saying. “And what does Andi think about this?” she clipped out pointedly. This conversation wasn’t going exactly like I’d planned.
“She doesn’t know,” I admitted. “We’re keeping it from her until we can figure out a way to best tell her.” It made us seem like the biggest fucking assholes on the planet.
“Hmmm,” she said, picking at her bread. Her response said it all. She didn’t approve. Not a good way to start things off.
“Mom, it’s not what you think. Olive just doesn’t want to hurt Andi. Neither do I, for that matter. We’re going to tell her and she’ll probably be just fine with it.”
“Well, son, I suppose Andi broke up with you in the first place. She doesn’t really have much room to get upset by whom you date,” she said, still seemingly unconvinced.
“Uh, yeah, about that…”
She frowned when she saw the guilty look on my face.
“Mom, I need to tell you something. Andi and I broke up because I cheated on her,” I confessed shamefully.
Her face morphed into a glare and she dropped her fork with a clatter. “You what?” she asked shrilly. The look she gave me was one of both anger and disappointment.
“Things with Andi had become routine. When a girl came on to me, I just went with it. She caught us, Mom. In the fucking act,” I grumbled, palming my face.
“Language, mister,” she huffed.
Refraining from rolli
ng my eyes, I continued. “Mom, she took it so fuc-freaking hard. I begged her to take me back. She was a shell of herself because of me. At graduation, I really thought we might get back together, but when that girl hugged me, Andi lost her mind. For some reason, she thought it would be a good idea to take all of her antidepressants,” I confessed, no longer hungry. Her horrified expression filled me again with guilt.
“Brayden Edward Greene, of all things. I’m stunned. I don’t even know what to say right now.”
“Mom, don’t say anything. Just let me finish. I found her and intercepted the almost overdose. She was taken to the hospital, where they pumped her stomach. I nearly ruined her life. Andi almost died because of me.”
It was nice to finally get it off my chest to my mother. She hadn’t known the whole story, and the look on her face made me realize why I’d waited so long to tell her. It was full of disgust. My heart sank.
“That poor girl,” she said simply as she fought back tears.
“Yes, I know. And I feel bad about it. Thankfully, we’re able to be friends again. Her shrink says it would be good for her to embrace a friendship with me since we are forced to work together.”
“Shrink?” she asked numbly.
“Yes. She sees a shrink because of me. Anyway, I met her roommate Olive and she’s absolutely amazing. We have a strong connec—” I start to say, but she cut me off by waving a hand in my face.
“Stop right there. Whatever it is you’re doing with this Olive girl needs to stop. Obviously Andi is far too fragile to withstand any more hurt from you, Brayden. This little fling with Olive will further inflict pain on poor Andi. My mind is still reeling at what you did to her. You’re my son but I’m angry. Angry at what you did and angry that you waited nearly six months to tell me about it. I feel foolish at thinking it was her fault this entire time.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, Mom. But what Olive and I have isn’t a little fling. She understands me and I get her too. We were just dealt an unfortunate hand that she my ex’s best friend.”
“Brayden, I want you to listen to me. Break it off now. You’ve only seen her for what, two days now? I think you can easily back out of what you’re doing before either of you gets hurt. I’m telling you, if you honestly believe that Andi will be okay with this, then you’re not using your brain. She will be absolutely crushed. The poor girl doesn’t need any more nonsense from you. If this Olive girl really cares about her, she’ll agree and step away from whatever it is you two are doing. Andi is more important than your casual fuck,” she said snippily.
My mouth gaped at my mother’s use of the word “fuck.” She was definitely pissed because she never cursed.
“Mom, Olive isn’t a casual fuck!” I exclaimed, attempting to make her understand the situation.
“Brayden, do not raise your voice at me. Now this is the end of this discussion. If you’ll excuse me, I must get going. Thank you for dinner. Do the right thing, honey,” she advised as she snatched up her purse and stalked out of the restaurant.
“What do you want to watch? Romantic comedy or drama?” Andi asked, holding up two movies.
“Definitely the romantic comedy,” I decided as I crawled into her bed. She had the biggest television, and typically the three of us girls would cram onto her bed to watch movies.
“You okay, Olive? You seem like your head’s somewhere else,” she observed as she scrutinized me.
I sat up nervously and tried to mask the guilty look that undoubtedly was shining on my face like a beacon. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine,” I squeaked out.
She narrowed her eyes but decided to let it go. After putting the movie in, she sat beside me with the popcorn in her lap.
“You don’t always have to guard what you’re thinking, hon. Jackson does the same fucking thing, and in the end, it just causes more stress for him. If you ever want to talk about what happened with Drake or whatever is bothering you now, you know I’ll be there. You’re one of my best friends. I will always be there for you.”
Tears filled my eyes but I quickly blinked them back and gave her a smile. In that moment, I should have told her, but I was afraid to. The guilt was so overwhelming that I felt nauseated.
“I sure hope so, Andi. You know I love you dearly too.”
She gave me a quick hug and we settled back against the pillows as the movie began.
We were soon giggling through the movie when we heard voices and a door slam shut. It sounded like Jordan and Pepper were having a fight. I frowned and looked over at Andi when suddenly the bedroom door flung open and a dark-haired man stepped into the room, glaring at us.
We both gasped upon realizing that he had a gun aimed at us. Andi’s hand reached for mine and squeezed. The wild look in his eyes reminded me of Drake, and I shuddered.
“Get up, both of you,” he snarled at us. We scrambled from the bed, still holding hands, and hesitantly walked over to him. Yanking Andi by the arm, he dragged her through the door and down the hallway to Pepper’s bedroom door.
“Get her out of there,” he ordered to me. My eyes darted to Andi, who was glaring at him, but I obeyed since the gun was trained on her.
“Pepper?” I asked nervously through the door.
“Don’t fucking open the door!” Andi shrieked from beside me.
The crazed man lunged at her. I was momentarily stunned when he hit her across the head with his pistol and she went down with a thud. He turned his glare to me and I burst into tears.
“Open the door, Peppermint Pussy, or your girlfriends are going to each take a bullet in the head,” he spat, putting the barrel of the gun to my temple. My sobs were uncontrollable. I didn’t want Pepper to open the door, but at the same time, I was terrified that this psycho was going to kill us if she didn’t.
The door flung open and a very pissed off Pepper glared at him from the threshold. He motioned with a flick of his head for me to go into her room. I ran over to her and grabbed hold of her hand. She squeezed it once for support. We both winced when he dragged Andi into the room by her hair.
My sobs must have intensified because Pepper stepped in front of me, blocking my view of a helpless Andi. Even in this terrifying situation, she was the strong, protective one.
“Cole, just let them go. You can have me. Please just leave them alone,” she pleads calmly to him.
Something in him snapped and he stalked over to her. Before she could act, his hand was immediately gripping her throat. “You don’t fucking make the rules!” he roared as he choked her.
“Let her go!” I screamed, grabbing at his large arm to try to pull it away from her neck.
“Bitch, you better back off right now or I’ll shoot her!” he growled.
I stopped immediately and backed away. One thing I knew from dealing with Drake was that you didn’t push an unstable person when they were in a manic state. My tears poured down my face as I stood helplessly watching him with his hands around her neck. He finally released her and I gasped in relief.
Kneeling down, I looked Andi over. She was completely unconscious. We weren’t far from the bathroom. If I could find a way to sneak us in there, I could regroup and figure out how to help Pepper. Cole continued to attack Pepper, never dropping his gun. At one point, he twisted her arm painfully behind her back and she screamed. Luckily, she was still holding her own so I started dragging Andi quietly into the bathroom.
Once I got her inside, I softly closed the door and turned the lock.
“Andi, wake up,” I whispered urgently to her. She groaned and her eyes fluttered but she remained out of it. I felt her pockets, searching for her cell phone, but came up empty-handed. My own phone sat useless on the nightstand in Andi’s room.
When I heard a scream of pain from Pepper, I frantically looked around the bathroom for a weapon. I tried pulling down the shower curtain rod but it was bolted to the wall. He was cussing and they seemed to still be having quite a scuffle, which meant Pepper was keeping him from doing what he reall
y wanted to do.
Searching quickly through the drawers, I found a metal nail file. The sound of a crash made me jump, and I quietly unlocked the door, peeking outside. Jordan had thankfully made it there and was making progress with beating up Cole. Andi moaned and I knelt back down beside her.
“Pepper?” she asked groggily.
“She’s out there with that lunatic. Jordan’s here though. I’m going to go try to help them. You stay quiet in here,” I ordered. She nodded and I stood back up to peek out the bathroom door.
My heart sank when I saw Pepper’s lifeless form on the bed. Jordan was pinned under Cole’s hulking frame, clearly losing whatever advantage he’d had earlier.
The look on Cole’s face made me sick to my stomach. It was the same empty, sadistic look Drake had had on his the night he carved me like a pumpkin. As I watched him punch Jordan, I thought about the many times Drake had punched me. The time he’d kicked me so hard I lost my baby. My baby.
Suddenly, I was filled with rage. Seeing the gun on the floor near Cole lit a fire inside me. Bolting from the bathroom, I leapt for the gun and snatched it up. Knowing my shot needed to count, I carefully aimed for the monster’s head and fired. For a brief second, I saw Drake with a hole in his head and I smiled, satisfied.
On the way home, I thought about what Mom had said. Maybe Olive and I weren’t thinking about Andi’s feelings. Was I naïve to think she’d be okay with it? She’d nearly lost it when I cheated on her. Finding out that her best friend and ex-fiancé were fucking and holding it from her might crush her again. Olive and I really needed to have a talk about this.
My phone rang but I didn’t reach it in time before it went to voicemail. Figuring I would check it once I got to my apartment, I didn’t worry too much about it. Pulling into my spot, I finally took it from my coat pocket. Olive had called but had not left a voicemail. I dialed her back.
“Bray,” she whispered shakily when she answered the phone. The tone of her voice immediately sent me on high alert, making me think she’d had a run-in with Drake.
