“Willow, don’t!” Sandra said.
I didn’t listen to her. I put the phone to my ear and she came over to try to snatch it away but I exploded at her. “Don’t you dare touch me!” I stormed away and headed to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and when I looked in the mirror I could barely recognize myself. My eyes were hollow and bloodshot and my complexion was deathly pale and sickly.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I had eaten, or slept for that matter.
His number rang out. After multiple tries I gave up. Part of me wanted to collapse in tears on the floor, but I didn’t. I had to be strong. I smacked my cheeks to force some color to my face ... wiped the tears from my eyes, and returned to work. I walked into the shop and saw a woman talking to Sandra. She was tall and middle-aged, with a wavy bob of brown hair, and kind brown eyes. As soon as I arrived at the door, she turned towards me.
“Willow,” she called.
My eyes darted between her and Sandra in surprise. I had never seen her before in my life.
“I’m Marie Spencer,” she answered. “Caleb’s lawyer.”
Sandra’s tone turned hostile. “What do you want?”
I waited for the woman to answer her question. She didn’t beat around the bush. “I need you,” she said, “to reach Caleb.”
My heart dropped into my stomach at her words. “What?”
“He’s disappeared from the office since Wednesday night and has cut off contact with everyone.” Her gaze on me was accusatory, as if that was my fault.
“And what does that have to do with me?” I asked aggressively. I was the hurt party not him. He was the one that lied to me. He was the one who betrayed my trust in him. I was the one who fell in love with him.
“It has everything to do with you,” she said, and I could hear the impatience in her voice. “Everything has something to do with you.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“His office is in disarray. His company has been blacklisted and an application has already been made to strip him off his brokerage license. He’s lost everything. All the money he’s earned in the last twelve years is gone. He will even have to sell his home to pay off his debts. You need to make him understand that there are people depending on him. That it’s not all over. That he’s young and he can start again. You need to bring him back.”
I lost it and screamed at her, the tears I held back earlier poured out of my eyes. “What the hell does that have to do with me? Don’t you know what he did? Don’t you know who he is?”
She was completely unfazed by my outburst. “I know exactly what he did. And if you knew too, you wouldn’t abandon him. He gave up everything for you back when he was fifteen and he’s doing it all over again now. He loves you more than I ever thought it was possible for a human being to love another. Now that he’s falling apart I’m not going to sit back and watch. You have to go put him back together.”
I stared at her in shock. I could hardly believe what she was saying. She must have misunderstood the situation.
“Excuse me, but have you lost your mind?” Sandra blew up next to me. “He killed her uncle.”
“To save her,” Marie said calmly.
I froze. “What?”
She turned to me. “I’m bound by attorney-client privilege so I can’t say anymore, and moreover Caleb would kill me if I said another word to you. But I’m not going to go easy on you until you put him back together. He does not deserve to be destroyed twice on account of the same woman.”
I was shaking. “He killed my uncle to save me?” I repeated incredulously.
“Exactly. You were in trouble back then and he put himself on the line for you. Threw his youth away and rotted in prison for you. You’re not going to find out the exact details from me so you better go to him, put him back together and get him to tell you the goddamn truth.”
With that she turned around, and stormed out of the shop.
50
Willow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOYcbod5J0w
-lost but won-
“I don’t believe her,” Sandra said.
I couldn't tell what expression was on my face but from the way I was feeling, it wasn’t one I wanted anyone to see. I lowered myself to the floor and began mindlessly picking up the pieces of the vase I had shattered earlier.
“Willow, do you believe her?”
I gritted my teeth. “Why would she lie?”
“Because they’re sick in the head? The both of them.”
I gave her a sharp look and she immediately took a step back. I rose to my feet with the shards I had gathered and threw them in the trash can. The truth was I wanted to fly to him, but I felt as if I had been hit by a truck and I needed a bit of time to process everything in my head. I turned to Sandra. “I’m not ready to make any decisions either way or even talk about this rationally. Let’s leave it for now and get on with the orders, okay.”
“Okay,” she agreed.
I managed to keep my cool for the remainder of the day until I closed the shop and walked to the van. I sat in my van and I knew exactly what I must do if I wanted to remain sane. I pulled out my phone and called his number but got the same response. It rang out. I felt a slight pinch of worry. What if Marie was right? The part of me that was afraid to hope immediately pushed the thought away.
I searched for Bradley’s number. Having to contact him or even speak to him brought a feeling of unease to my belly, but I knew I had to. I dialed and waited. He picked up on the second ring.
“I was wondering if I’d ever hear from you again,” he said, and I noticed that his voice was different, his words were slurred. He was either half-asleep or he’d been drinking.
I didn’t care.
“I want to know everything,” I said. “About what you found out about Caleb, how and where. Could you please send me all the links?”
For a couple of seconds there was silence from his end. Then he spoke, his voice sour. “Of course. The one time you contact me and it’s of course about him.”
I didn’t have time for his tantrum, but I didn’t want him to hang up on me either. Right now he was my starting point.
“Bradley—” I began.
But he cut me off. “Come over,” he said. “And I’ll tell you everything that you need to know.”
He ended the call and I was left staring at a silent phone. I was about to call him back to refuse when a text message arrived. It was his address. I didn’t hesitate. I started the van and drove to his house.
Bradley’s place was one of the old, smaller Southwest houses on the outskirts of Folsom. My thoughts kept drifting off to Caleb and I missed the directions from my navigation system a couple of times. When I finally found it, the light drizzle from earlier had turned into a full-blown downpour.
I didn't have an umbrella with me, so I decided to run for his door and pound heavily on it. He must have been watching out for me because he answered before I could even start knocking. He ushered me in with a loose smile.
I could tell instantly that he was intoxicated. He grasped the doorknob tightly to keep himself stable, and his eyes ... were glazed and oddly haunted.
“You’re finally here,” he said with a light slur. He shut the door behind him, and then turned to face me with a sly smile on his face. “And you’re wet.”
“Bradley,” I said with a frown. “Tell me everything you know.”
All the amusement disappeared from his face and he stared hard at me. “Why? Are you planning on forgiving him?”
I wanted to tell him that it was none of his business, but since it was clear he wasn’t fully sober the best thing for me to do would be to get the information I needed from him as peacefully as possible and be on my way as quickly as possible.
“Bradley, you came to me with unsolicited information about my boyfriend. Now I’m asking you for the details. Is that wrong? You were the one who told me to come over.”
The blank express
ion on his face was slowly replaced by an embarrassed smile. “You’re right. I’m being an idiot. You’re my guest. I’ll get you a towel.”
“No need, I just—”
“You want to be sitting down for what I have to say,” he interrupted. “The living room is through there. Have a seat and I’ll go get you that towel.”
He began to walk away and all I could do was head further into the dimly lit house. I was glad to see it was clean and neat. He wasn’t a slob. I didn’t want to be here longer than was necessary. I took a seat on an armchair and hugged myself. I felt wet and cold and wished he would speed things up.
He returned with a towel and handed it over to me. I accepted it, but for some weird reason I was loathe to let it touch my skin. Since he was watching, I lightly patted it down my wet arms before putting it aside.
“Bradley, it’s getting late. My parents are going to get worried,” I pointed out, even though I had called them and told them I was going to see Caleb so they were probably not even expecting me to come home for the night.
He plopped himself on the sofa opposite me. “What do you want to know?”
I swallowed the irritation. “Apart from what you said at the store what else is there? Where exactly did you get the information from? I checked online and there’s hardly any references.”
“Of course, there’s very little information about his crime. He was a minor then.”
“You said what you had to tell me was serious enough for me to sit down.”
“I did,” he said. Then he tried to get to his feet, but fell back twice before he could eventually rise. I watched him lurch towards a mini refrigerator. Holding on to the top of it, he pulled it open, and he grabbed a bottle of liquor from it. He poured himself another drink and I rose. It was clear to me then that coming here was a total waste of time.
“What I don’t understand is why you need to know all this shit. Surely, you don’t still want him.”
I slung the strap of my bag over my shoulder. “What?”
He looked at me incredulously, contemptuously. “You’re thinking of going back to him, aren’t you? I can see the look in your eyes.”
I gave him a hard look, and began to move towards the door. “Thanks for your help, Bradley.”
He suddenly smashed the glass on the floor and I froze from the shock. Realizing that he was about to lose control, I ran for the door. Just as I pulled it open however it was slammed back shut. I couldn’t believe he could move so fast. He seemed to be so drunk.
“Bradley!”
He was crowding me, his hand over my head and his body much too close to mine. I could smell the liquor fumes on his breath, and see the anger burning in his gaze, but what shocked me was how sober he seemed to be. Had he been pretending to be drunk to get me off my guard?
“Bradley, let me go,” I ordered.
“What is it about him?” he asked. “Is it because he’s rich? Come to think of it, haven’t you wondered where he got all that money from since he’s been in prison since he was fifteen years old?”
With my hands against his chest, I tried to push him away, but he couldn’t be budged.
“Answer me,” he snarled.
“Let me go,” I screamed, but he grabbed my forearms and shook me so hard my teeth rattled. “Fucking answer me! Is it because he’s rich? Because I’m not too bad looking, am I?”
He tried to kiss me then. His lips almost connected with mine but I sharply turned my head away.
I was panting and my heart was pounding so hard
He laughed bitterly. “I don’t deserve even a kiss? After all these years of putting you first? Bradley, can you come in an hour? Bradley, do you mind dropping my flowers off first? Bradley, it’s Saturday, but can you make a fucking delivery anyway? You’ve been treating me like a servant.”
“What are you talking about? I never asked you to do any of those things. You dealt with Sandra.”
“Yeah, but it was your shop. I was doing it for you,” he insisted.
“Bradley, I didn’t even know she was asking you for all those favors.”
He looked at me angrily. “You know what? Fuck you. I wanted to do them for you. And this is what I get.”
“I don’t believe this.”
“What is it about me that you loathe so much?” he asked.
I opened my mouth to answer and he grabbed my chin and crushed his lips to mine. Nausea immediately began to roil in the pit of my stomach. I summoned all of my strength to push him away, but no matter how hard I tried, he wouldn’t budge.
With tears in my eyes, I bit down hard on his lips, and with a shout he jumped away from me. I tasted the blood in my mouth as I collapsed to the floor. I couldn’t believe this was happening. The instinct for self-preservation kicked in. My mind became crystal clear and strength flowed into my limbs. I realized the window of escape I’d been given. I jumped to my feet and jerked the door open.
But it wouldn’t open.
He had locked it. I tried to turn the key desperately and just as it was beginning to catch and turn, I felt his presence behind me.
“You bitch!” he roared.
Then I felt his steely grasp lock around my neck. He pulled me away from the door and I screamed. I was thrown to the floor, and my head hit the floor hard. And then the weirdest thing happened. The ceiling of Bradley’s house disappeared and instead I saw a different ceiling. It was blue with little stars on it. It terrified the hell out of me. I blinked and then Bradley’s ceiling appeared again.
Suddenly, there was a sharp agony in my head as though I’d been struck by a hammer. I couldn't even open my eyes. The pain was that brutal. I was sure he had hit me, but when I swung my hand out in defense, my hand connected with nothing. I felt his hands close around my ankles, and …
Memories began to flash across my mind. Horrible, horrible things. Unbearable. Horrendous. Sins of the flesh. I heard the sinner’s laughter, but I couldn’t see the face. I didn’t want to see. I opened my eyes to try to put an end to the torment but it was of no use. The memories there even when my eyes were open. My white cotton panties were lying on the floor. My skinny little legs were open. And the sinner was forcing himself into me. “You like this,” he was saying. A maddened scream erupted from my throat.
Bradley began to drag me across the floor.
I felt like I was screaming at the top of my lungs, but whether that was my actual reaction, or from the memory that was replaying, I had no clue. I was out of strength and life, and the only name I could think of was Caleb’s.
I screamed out his name and it felt like an echo. Was that what I was doing now or was it once again a memory? I could hear too many voices around me ... maybe it was the sinner, or Bradley’s. I couldn’t tell.
“Caleb,” I screamed again, and his name shattered the wall that held my memories at bay. The final domino fell, his face came rushing towards me.
I saw him then ... my uncle. The smug smile ... the lustful glaze. The wall that was erected in my mind had fallen. I killed him. I killed him and Caleb took the blame. I was the murderer. I went into shock, no longer even cognizant of what was happening around me. I stopped breathing. I couldn’t breathe. My chest heaved, but I couldn’t draw any air into my lungs. My lungs burned with the lack of oxygen. I was dying.
Then I felt the sharp sting across my cheek.
Bradley had struck me, and the pain forced air into my lungs again. For a while he did nothing and all I could hear was my harsh wheezing.
I shot up and scuttled backwards. My gaze was beginning to clear, my face was soaked, as Bradley came back into focus.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked.
He was poised over me. I looked down to see his cock out, already red and hard. My own underwear had been pulled down and bunched around my thighs. He was about to rape me. The rage I felt inside me could not be described. I’d just discovered I once killed a man for this. I looked at him with hate. I saw the shock in his eyes a
s he watched the transformation inside me. We were by his mini fridge on the floor, and on top of it was the bottle he had used.
I grabbed it and with vindictive strength, slammed it into the side of his head. It didn’t explode into shards of glass as it did in movies. Instead it made a dull thud and it made his skin split. Blood poured down. With a cry of pain he fell, his hands grabbing his head.
I didn’t waste any time.
I staggered to my feet, and attempted to run, but the underwear still bunched around my thighs sent me falling back down to the floor. The fall sucked the life out of me, and for a few seconds all I could do was lie face down in complete helplessness. Then my eyes opened, and my hand connected with my purse.
The memory of Caleb bursting into the parish house after I called him. I saw it all as vividly as the day it happened. I showed him my uncle’s body. He was so livid, so insanely angry, he lost it. He kicked my uncle’s dead body repeatedly until I had to scream for him to stop.
When he finally did. I felt no fear as I told him I knew I was going to prison and asked him if he would wait for me, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He told me he would go to prison because he should have been the one to kill my uncle. It was his privilege. He asked me for my watch. I took it off and gave it to him. Then he set the house on fire. We stood outside and we made our promises. We made them in blood. My heart felt as if it was breaking in a million pieces when I thought of the sacrifice Caleb had made for me.
“Caleb,” I heard myself call. I found the strength to try and rise. I pulled my panties up, then looked at Bradley. He was curled up and moaning with pain. I pulled myself up, grabbed my purse and staggered out of his house.
The moment I got to my van, I locked the door and drove away. In the dark of the night, there was only one place I wanted to go to.
Oh, Caleb, Caleb, why didn’t you tell me the truth?
This was what Maria had meant when she’d said he’d given up everything for me. I slammed my palms against the steering wheel as tears stung my eyes. He had gone to prison trying to protect me, and damn I had forgotten it all. Trapped behind a wall that had only now collapsed. As I drove ... more and more memories came crashing back. The first day I met him, the countless laughs we shared, the love, God, the love ...
Saint & Sinner: A Second Chance Romance Page 21
