Finding Us

by Debra Presley

  “Stay—”

  The door opened, and someone flipped on the light switch. Abby squeezed her eyes closed at the sudden glare.

  “Shit,” Sophie said.

  “It’s us,” Danny called out. The sound of his voice, familiar and comforting, relieved the pressure in her chest, and the tension slowly drained from her body.

  Before Abby could process what was happening, Sophie let go of her and hugged Connor. Abby stared at Danny. He seemed to be in one piece, except the bloody lip and dirty jeans.

  “It’s over. You can get up now.” Danny held out his hand to her.

  Abby stared up at him. After a moment, she took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

  “Are you all right?” She didn’t let go of his hand, and they hadn’t moved from the closet.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” She traced her fingers along his jaw down to his lip.

  “He got one punch in. He looks a lot worse. Trust me.”

  “He hit you?”

  He nodded.

  “Danny beat the crap out of him,” Connor said matter-of-factly.

  “You’re not helping.” Danny glared at him.

  “You’re not hurt?” Abby asked, searching his face.

  “No. I’m fine, and it’s over.”

  “We heard banging. I thought it was gun shots.”

  “Come sit down,” Danny said, his voice gentle.

  She let him guide her out of the closet, their fingers still entwined.

  She sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Everyone’s fine,” Abby repeated Danny’s words, hoping that maybe if she said them aloud, they’d register in her head.

  “Except Sean,” Connor said.

  She didn’t care what happened to Sean. She looked at Danny to make sure he was telling her the truth.

  “We need to go down to the police station so you can give your statement. There’s nothing to worry about. You’re safe.”

  “And you’re fine?”

  “I’m perfect. We need to go back outside, and you need to get dressed. Come down as soon as you can.”

  “’Kay.”

  Danny didn’t move. “It really is all over. You’re safe now.” Danny’s fingers lightly traced Abby’s cheek.

  A chill ran through Abby, and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, he was gone.

  * * *

  Paramedics were strapping Sean onto the stretcher when Abby walked outside. Danny had told her to stay inside until everyone left, but she had to see things for herself. There were people everywhere. Some she recognized, but most she didn’t. She looked around for Danny, but saw Sean first. She strode deliberately toward him.

  “Abby,” Danny called. She ignored him. She stood over Sean and stared at his bloodied and bruised face. She forced herself to look at him, to keep herself from running away. His eyes were swollen shut. He couldn’t even see her, and he appeared to be barely conscious. She stared at him for what seemed to be a long time. This was the man who had tormented and assaulted her. This piece of battered meat.

  “Ma’am?” one of the paramedics said. He looked at her, a question in his eyes.

  “I’m fine.” She stepped aside as he and another paramedic loaded Sean’s stretcher into the ambulance and closed the door. She whispered, “I hope you rot.”

  “Abby?” Danny stood beside her, concern in his voice.

  She exhaled as the ambulance drove away.

  “It’s over?” Abby said.

  “It’s over.” He squeezed her shoulders from behind.

  “Part of me doesn’t want to believe it.” She stared down the road, in the direction the ambulance had gone.

  “Believe it. They’ll soon both be behind bars.”

  “Both?” She turned to him.

  “Kelly. I’m sure she’s being arrested as we speak.”

  “Do we know why?”

  “No, but hopefully we’ll find out. I told the officers we’d meet them down at the station to give our statements. Maybe they can shed some light on things. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”

  She managed a smile. “I’m ready.”

  “Let’s go then.”

  She followed him to the garage, feeling a lot lighter than she had in weeks.

  * * *

  Abby walked slowly behind Danny into the police station with Connor and Sophie close behind. King and Freddie stayed outside to wait.

  The officer at the front desk ushered them through the main area and into a private conference room.

  “Someone will be with you in a moment.” He left before Abby could thank him. Not long after he left, another man, balding and wearing wire-rim glasses, came in carrying a couple of folders. His shirt and tie looked freshly pressed. Either they didn’t get too much action up here, or he had just arrived for his shift. “Ms. Murphy. Mr. Nucci,” he said with a nod. “I’m Detective Mathews. I have a few questions for you.”

  “Sure,” Abby said. Danny nodded back, and Mathews took a seat across the table from them. He set the folders on the table, and for the next hour, he listened to what the ugly saga Sean had turned her life in to.

  “So Kelly West is someone you thought was a friend.” Mathews looked up from his paperwork at Abby.

  “Yes. But not much more than someone I would hang out with on occasion when I had time. She was not involved at all with my work.”

  “Hmm,” Mathews said, but Abby couldn’t tell if he was agreeing with her or puzzled. He looked first at Danny then back at Abby. “We have taken Kelly West into custody.”

  “Was she helping Sean?” Abby asked.

  “Very much so.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “From what she told us, she’s infatuated with him.” He tapped his pen on the table. “She blamed you for ruining his career and claimed she and Sean had been a couple for years, and he was only with you to climb the ladder to success.”

  Abby sat back. “Unbelievable. The whole time we were hanging out, she was probably thinking that.”

  “On the plus side, they’re both in custody, and between the evidence we’ve gathered and Ms. West’s loose lips, they won’t be going anywhere for quite a while.”

  “That’s very reassuring.” Abby fought back her tears. She was done crying, but shit if she wasn’t relived. “Thank you for everything.”

  “Absolutely. If I need anything else, I’ll be in touch, but for now, go home and get some rest.” He slid his papers back into the folders and stood. “I’ll show you out.”

  “Thanks.” Danny stood and waited for Abby to precede him from the room behind Mathews. As they left the police station, Abby wanted to laugh, celebrate, and sleep for a week, all at the same time. Instead, she looked over at Danny. “I really want a milkshake. Chocolate.”

  He laughed. “Let’s see if we can find a place that’ll do that for you.”

  Abby got into the SUV. “Y’know,” she said as she buckled her seatbelt, “I think I’m hungry, too. Maybe we can find a diner. I’d love some really salty fries. Oh and a bacon cheeseburger.”

  Connor grinned at her. “Atta girl.”

  “We have a new mission,” Danny said to Freddie and King. “We must hunt down some food for Ms. Murphy.” He drove out of the parking lot. A few minutes later, they pulled into the only twenty-four hour gas stations that had a small convenience store.

  Abby packed the last of her things. She was almost ready to head back to the city, but she didn’t want to forget anything important.

  “Is this the last of it?” King asked from the doorway to her room.

  “I have this bag, but I can bring it down. Thanks for the help. I’ll be down in a few.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll let the guys know.”

  Abby zipped up the small suitcase, gave the room one last sweep, and then headed down to the car.

  “We never got to go to The House of Frankenstein.” Sophie pretended to pout.

  “You’re joking, rig
ht?” Connor turned in his seat to look back at them.

  “Not really. It looked fun.”

  “It’s not like you can’t come back up,” Danny said. “Now that the summer is here, everything will be open, and you can really experience all the area has to offer.”

  “I might take you up on that.”

  Abby listened to them banter back and forth. She’d love to come back up here but didn’t see that happening.

  “You okay back there?” Danny asked. He was looking at her in the rearview mirror.

  “I’m good. Not excited about going back to the city and facing the mess that’s waiting for me.”

  “It’ll be fine. You’re a badass. And we have a ton of meetings set up. You’ll have new management before you know it.” Sophie smiled, encouragingly.

  “I don’t doubt I can find someone, but first I have to get rid of the current one. I’m not looking forward to that conversation.” Not at all. On the plus side, her mother didn’t have Sean to play off of anymore.

  “I know you’re nervous, but I also know you can do it.” Sophie reached over and squeezed Abby’s hand.

  “I hope so.” She chewed her lip and stared out the window, listening to Danny tell stories with Connor about their Army days. Just another day for them. And though she felt as if she was finally free of Sean, she was pretty sure things would get ugly with Vivien. Finally, she dozed.

  * * *

  “Okay, there’s a lot of press and fans outside the main entrance to your building,” Sophie said.

  “Figures.” Thank God for the underground parking. She’d be able to avoid all of that.

  They took the service elevator up to her floor. Home sweet home. She looked around her apartment and didn’t get that warm, fuzzy feeling she’d always experienced when entering. She already missed the cabin.

  “There will be two men at your door at all times,” Danny said. “Please don’t leave without them.”

  “I’m not about to go anywhere without having someone glued to me.”

  “Good. And if you need some privacy or alone time or if you want to see some friends, let me know, and we’ll figure something out.”

  “Yeah,” King said as he walked into the room. “It’s nuts down there.”

  “I miss my bubble. Reality sort of sucks.” Abby moved a pillow out of the way and plopped down on the oversized chair in her living room.

  “It’ll die down eventually.” Sophie carefully moved the curtain aside and peered out.

  “Not for a while. Tomorrow a whole new layer of crazy gets added to the mix.” Abby imagined the conversation with Vivien. No matter how she spun it, it went bad every time.

  “It’ll be fine.” Sophie continued looking out the window.

  “I hope so.”

  “Speaking of Vivien, I’ll be here at ten to take you to your office,” Danny said.

  “You’re coming too, right?” Abby looked back at Sophie.

  “Duh. You’ll have to chain me to a wall to stop me from being there.” Sophie teased and turned away from the curtains.

  “I could do that,” Connor said.

  “God. You two should get a room already and get it over with,” Abby said.

  “In his dreams.” Sophie picked up her bag. “I need to go. I love you and all, but I need a break. No offense.”

  “None taken. I’m done with you, too.” Abby blew her a kiss.

  “Ten tomorrow morning,” Danny said. “And don’t leave this apartment on your own.”

  “Yes, sir.” She saluted and watched as everyone left. Alone, she stared glumly around her apartment. At least she felt safer than she had in a while. She did hate not being able to go down the block for coffee and a bagel, but she understood, finally, what her life was about and that she needed to take some responsibility. This was her reality, and she had to figure out how to make it work. It occurred to her that it would probably be pretty hard to date anyone with Danny around. It would feel weird, too, like she was somehow betraying him.

  Stop it, she said to herself. He’s your bodyguard. Not some ex-boyfriend. But it was sad to think that. She got up to unpack.

  * * *

  “You can do this,” Danny whispered in Abby’s ear right before the elevator doors opened to the offices of Murphy Entertainment. She looked up at him and managed a smile.

  “Yeah. I know. Doesn’t make it much easier, though.” She knew she was well within her rights to fire her mother. After everything that went down combined with the fact that Abby wanted a say in her career and creative control over her music, she knew there was just no other option left.

  She took a deep breath, and it calmed her for a moment. She walked into the lobby with Danny and Sophie. She was glad she had their support, but this was her meeting. She was the one that needed to set things straight.

  “Ms. Murphy, it’s so nice to see you back. You’re looking well.” Dawn, her mother’s choice for assistant, greeted her with a fake smile.

  “Is my mother in her office?” she asked. There was no time for small talk. She wanted this over and done.

  “I’ll buzz her and let her know you’re waiting for her.”

  “No need.” Abby walked through the double doors of Vivien’s office and marched in. Danny and Sophie followed close behind, and she knew a few other guys would wait in the front office. As she passed through the doors, a wave of calm overtook her. She was ready and didn’t need them for support, but they deserved to see this too.

  “How nice of you to announce your visit,” Vivien said, a hint of mockery in her voice.

  Vivien was sitting on the sofa sipping coffee in her large corner office. It overlooked the city skyline.

  “You can’t barge into my office with your flunkies.” Vivien glared at Danny and Sophie.

  “From what I remember, I’m the one who pays for this office.” Abby snapped back.

  Vivien stood, an uncertain expression in her eyes.

  Abby squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “In light of recent events, I’ve decided to end my management relationship with you. I’ll expect that you’ll have your personal effects cleared out by the end of the day.”

  Vivien stared at her as if she’d been slapped. “Now wait a Goddamn minute,” she started.

  “No. I’ve thought about this long and hard, and this is what’s best for me. I can’t continue to let you make all the choices. I’m old enough to make my own decisions and have a career that’s truly my own. The only way to do that is to cut ties.”

  “You can’t do this without me, Abigail,” Vivien pleaded.

  “I can’t do this with you anymore. I won’t. I’d rather fail then have you running my career.”

  “Abigail, we can work something out. What if we let you pick a song or two on the next album? I’m sure we could figure something out.” Vivien sounded flustered.

  “There’s nothing you can say to change my mind.”

  “This business will swallow you up. You have no idea what goes into running a career like yours. I’ve done nothing for the last sixteen years but make sure you succeeded.”

  “You’ve done nothing but take from me.” Abby paused to regroup but couldn’t stop her mind from thinking about how she had been a product of some trick. She could sympathize with a mother who was truthful, but to lie and cover up the true nature of her birth was something Abby had a difficult time forgiving. She didn’t want this to get personal, but it was impossible to avoid. It was another reason she needed to get away from her mother. “You took away my childhood. It was always practices, performances, and auditions. Then I find out that you lied about my past and my father. You took advantage of me.”

  “Don’t you give me that crap. You wanted your career just as much as I did.”

  “I was seven years old when I went on my first audition. What child at that age knows anything? I wanted to make you happy. I was too young to know what I was getting myself into. It was your job to be my mother, but you opted to be my mana
ger. Instead of your unconditional love and support, I got your bitching and the back of your hand when I didn’t get the part.”

  “Ungrateful—”

  “Nothing I ever did was good enough for you. If I got the part, I didn’t work hard enough for you. When I got my recording contract, when I went on tour, when I won awards, when a song hit number one—nothing was ever good enough. There was always more I could be doing. Accolades I should be receiving, standards I wasn’t measuring up to.”

  “You—”

  “Be quiet. Never once did you say ‘good job’ or tell me that you were proud of me. Never did you acknowledge anything I’ve achieved. Strangers,” she pointed behind her at Danny and Sophie, “are more supportive and more like family to me than you ever were.”

  “You can’t fire me. I’m your mother.”

  “I just did. I can’t change the fact that you’re my mom, but I don’t have to let you control my career…my life.” Abby was on a roll now and needed to get it all out if she ever wanted to move on. She was done expecting her mother to care but still, she needed this for herself. “And as if you hadn’t done enough already, you slept with my boyfriend and encouraged the bastard to hurt me. He tried to rape me. How could I ever trust you after that? You didn’t protect me from Sean. Mothers are supposed to protect their kids from people like that. But you…you worked with him to hurt me and fed him lies about a career you were never going to give him. Do you hate me that much that you wanted to see him destroy me? Don’t you love me at all? Or has it always been about what I can give you?”

  Vivien’s eyes narrowed. “What you can give me? What about everything I gave you? And gave up for you?”

  “Like what?”

  Vivien had no response.

  “We’re done here. Get out.”

  Vivien didn’t move.

  “I think you were asked to leave.” She heard one of the men say from behind her.

  “Without me, Abigail you have nothing.”

  She smiled and meant it. “You know what? I’m fine with nothing.”