Текст книги "Contrite"
Автор книги: Kathy Coopmans
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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 15 страниц)
I can only stand there staring at the pain and regret in her bloodshot eyes.
“I– I don’t know what to say to that, Melody.”
“There is nothing to say. Now listen to me,” she says, her attitude suddenly changing. “I have no idea where James is. I do know he is a very dangerous man and if he raised Trent to be anything like himself, then he is just as dangerous. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to you. You need to leave that house, now.”
Her grip on my upper arms becomes a little firmer.
“I know,” I say meekly. “I talked to Zack on the way over here. I am going to stop by the house and grab a few things, then go to his house.” Suddenly, I become aware that once Trent finds out I am gone, there is no telling what he will do. “You know what? You shouldn’t be staying here by yourself, either. You’re coming with me.”
“Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly co-”
“Bullshit. Go pack a bag, right now.”
“You can hold baby Nolan,” I tease, and try to smile. She seems to be thinking for a moment as her eyes dart all over the room.
“You’re right,” she sighs. “If you’re sure they won’t mind, then yes, I believe it’s wise for me to stay there, too. I just have to get a few things in order.”
I shoo her with my hand.
“You’re family and Zack would kick my ass knowing I left you here once I tell him everything. Speaking of which, I should call him right now.”
She removes her hand and I spin around and grab my purse and retrieve my phone.
“Clove?”
“Yeah?”
I love you so much, young lady.”
And I know she does. I will always feel guilty for ever doubting her love for me or for Turner.
Chapter Fifteen
Zack and Krista are more than thrilled to have Melody stay with them as well. I knew they would be. What better place for us to stay than with a cop?
If I had even a piece of my heart left to break, hearing Melody tell me how she went most her life thinking one of her children was dead would do it. Time does not heal all wounds when it comes to the death of a child. God, the hell she must have gone through every single birthday and holiday and first day of school, and graduation. It’s a feeling I cannot even begin to comprehend.
Numbness sits in the pit of my stomach as I drive back to my house to gather my things. Martinez took Melody over to Zack’s house and I promised him I would call him the minute I got home and the minute I left my house.
I just don’t understand how James could be so cold and calculating toward a child he helped create, and I probably never will. Over money? Money can be such a dirty word. It makes people do things they normally wouldn’t do, like turn family members into victims. Is James going to make Trent a victim, too, or is Trent already just as ruthless as his father?
My phone rings and I see it’s Zack, so I answer right away.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” he screams in my ear.
“What are you talking about?” I scream back, frustrated.
“Jesus Christ, Clove! You didn’t tell me you were going back to your house on your own. What the hell are you thinking? I told you! Fuck! Just get your shit and get the hell out of there.”
“Zack, did something happen within the last half hour? You’re scaring the shit out of me.”
He lets out a long breath.
“Nothing has happened. I just . . . damn it. We found out that James spent four years in fucking prison for stabbing someone down in Tennessee.”
“What the hell? And you’re just telling me this now?”
“The information only came over a little while ago. The guy is a fucking loose cannon. And hell, from what you told me on the phone about him, I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself. I think it’s time we tell Dad about this, too.”
The thought of telling my dad is enough to shatter that last chunk of my heart. He’ll be worried sick, but now I know I cannot keep something like this from him any further.
“Give him a call and have him come over after work. We can all sit down and talk this out.”
All I can see is the look on my dad’s face when he finds out what’s been going on. He always told me his love and support for the both us was unconditional. Ever since this nightmare started, all I have wanted was for him to give me one of his big, strong hugs and tell me everything is going to be all right.
“Listen, get your shit and get the hell out of there. There should be an unmarked car with a couple cops parked across your street right now. And, Clove?”
“Yeah?” I sigh as I turn into my drive and see the unmarked car across the street.
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you too, Zack. Tell Krista I will be over there in about a half hour.”
“You’d better be, damn it.”
“I will be. Now let me go so I can get there.”
“I am walking out the station door as we speak and then I will tell you everything we know.”
“Sounds good. See you in a bit.”
I hang up the phone and toss it on the seat so I can hit the garage door opener. Pulling my car inside, I wave to the two cops sitting in the car directly across the street. God, I hope we’re doing the right thing here.
As I enter my home I am startled at the scene I see in front of me. Someone has turned it upside down. Everything is scattered all over the floor. The drawers are all pulled out and thrown all over the floor– papers, silverware, everything. I am rooted to the spot and I am scared to even take one more step for fear whoever did this is still here.
Turning back around, I reach for the door handle to get the hell out of there when I am grabbed from behind and a hand is firmly clamped over my mouth.
“Hello, Clove.” The voice I desperately never wanted to hear again whispers in my ear.
Fear and panic set in and I struggle to get out of his hold as Trent grabs me securely around my waist. Between the hand covering my nose and mouth and the intense pressure he is applying to my stomach, it’s difficult for me to breathe. I kick and claw at his arms and legs, digging my nails into the flesh of the arm that is gagging me. He hisses in pain as I continue to tear at him ruthlessly.
“Fucking bitch!” he shouts.
I can’t shake him. I feel lightheaded and my breathing gradually becomes shallower as he squeezes the life out of me. He’s going to kill me. I am going to die right here in my own home. I see my entire life fading away as my life flashes before my eyes.
Every good memory I have ever had will be gone in a matter of minutes. My dad comforting me with words of encouragement after falling off my bike as a young child. My graduation. My wedding day . . . oh God, my wedding day.
I can’t hold back the tears any more when I think about that day. The day I married my best friend. How can I forget the look on his face when I approached him at the altar? Turner looked at me as if I were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he told me as much. I was all dressed and ready to leave for the church, so I gathered my things and went to slip my feet into my white pumps. That’s when I noticed the little love poem Turner wrote on the bottom of my shoe. I turned the shoe over in my hand and read his words in surprise.
‘Today, you become my wife. This makes today the best day of my life.’
I don’t want it to be over yet. No!
But there is nothing I can do as my eyes start to close of their own accord. My struggles cease immediately and my arms fall limply to my sides.
“I’m not ready for you to die yet. I’ve enjoyed fucking you too much, Clove.”
He lets go of me completely and shoves me to the floor where I gasp and cough, trying to get as much air and oxygen as I can.
“Get up.” His voice drips with malice.
“Go fuck yourself,” I say, regaining my voice.
He remains quiet for what feels like an eternity and my breathing finally comes back to normal. His stillness begins to scare me, but I will not die without a fight. I will never give up until I breathe my last breath.
I brace myself up on all fours and try to lift myself up, but as I start to stand, he grips a giant handful of my hair and whips me around. I fall back to the floor, hard, my hands flying up as if to ward off the pain he is inflicting.
I scream when he starts to drag me across the floor. He stops and yanks me up to meet his face as he kneels in front of me. He’s consumed with hatred. I can see it as plain as day seeping out of his eyes and boring into mine.
“Shut your motherfucking mouth. One phone call to my father and your fucking pussy of a husband is dead. This ain’t no fucking joke, sweetheart, so do as I say and this will go a hell of a lot easier for you.”
My head throbs as he violently jerks my hair back and I met his steely, cold eyes. I refuse to let him become aware of the fear his words have caused me. Instead, I make direct eye contact with him indicating I will not be an easy victim. He lifts his eyebrows as if to mock my stare and I spit directly in his face.
He releases his hold on my hair and even though I desperately want to cry, I reach deep inside and think of what Zack told me a few days ago. To hold onto love. What Turner and I have with each other will be all the strength I need to get me through this.
Wiping the spit from his face with the sleeve of his shirt he continues to stare at me.
“You know,” he says with a slight ridicule in his words, “You’re beautiful, smart, and one hell of a fuck, but I never pegged you for a woman with balls like a man.”
At that, he brings up his hand and slaps me across my face so hard he sends my head reeling back. The pain of the sting causes adrenaline to course through my veins, and yet I still say nothing. Fuck him. He can beat me all he wants.
“You will pay for that, you dumb cunt. Let’s get one thing straight, Clove.”
He grabs hold of my chin and puts his face just a mere inch from mine.
“If you want to see my dear old brother ever again, then I suggest you listen to me and do exactly what I say. I am not fucking around with you anymore.”
The muscles in his neck are twitching and his eyes look like they’re about to pop out of his head. Good lord, this man is deranged.
“How can you hate your own brother so much? What did he ever do to you?” I whisper.
He just continues to stare at me as if I have struck a nerve. So many emotions reveal themselves in his eyes. I can see them all. Hurt, anger, pain. They’re all there.
“He was fucking born. That’s what my brother did to me. You may think you know everything, but trust me, you fucking don’t. I am a hell of a lot smarter than you think I am, so whatever kind of shit you have brewing in that pretty little head of yours, I suggest you stop now. Because trust me, baby. IT. ISN’T. GOING. TO. WORK. My dear ole brother is as good as dead, bitch.”
Oh God, no. It all hits me at once. It doesn’t matter what I do or say, or if I help him get whatever it is he wants. They’re going to kill Turner anyway.
“You take me to Turner first.”
My voice never wavers or shows any sign that I am scared out of my ever-loving mind. Trent throws his head back and laughs in the most sinister way.
“That has to be the funniest damn thing I have ever heard. You see, Clove? I knew all along that you knew who I was, so don’t try and play me for a fucking fool. You will get me what I need or I will call dear old dad. Or, better yet, I will take all kinds of pictures of you spread out nice and naked and ready for me to fuck, and send them to your precious Turner so that the last thing he will see before he dies is me fucking his wife.”
“Good God! What kind of life did you live that you have so much hatred inside of you for a man who would have given anything to have a brother?”
“SHUT THE HELL UP. You know nothing about me or my life. As for my brother, I could give two fucks about him. You, on the other hand, are the best fucking piece of ass I have ever had. Trust me on this, babe. I am going to have you over and over again, whether it be right in front of my brother, or when I have you tied up and gagged. Either way I am going to get one more sweet taste of that creamy pussy of yours.”
He rakes his eyes down my body until they land right at my core, making me feel naked and exposed.
“I am curious about one thing, though.”
He lifts his brows with a shit-eating smirk on his face.
“Why did you let me fuck you when you knew exactly who I was?”
He tilts his head to the side with a look that says, lie to me, bitch, and see what happens.
“You know damned well why! It made me sick having you put your filthy hands on me. You repulse me.”
His laugh echoes.
“That’s not what this sexy body of yours said every time my cock was buried deep inside of you. You enjoyed every minute of it. I must say you have the sweetest tasting pussy I have ever had, and so responsive, too. I bet my brother doesn’t fuck you like that, does he?”
He observes me, waiting on my answer unspeaking and motionless. I am not going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know anything more about Turner and me than I have to.
“You’re fucking crazy,” I sneer at him.
“Oh, baby I know I am. Don’t you fucking forget it.”
His words sting. They sting even worse than the blow I took. I need to think. I hope I can stall him. I’m praying like hell that when I don’t show up at Zack’s house within the half hour I promised and he doesn’t hear from me, he will know something is wrong and be over here in minutes.
“How did you know I knew about you?” I ask, to keep him talking.
“You don’t think I would come in here and pretend to be my brother without knowing everything about him and you, did you?”
“I want to know. How did you do it? Were you spying on us?”
He simply shrugs.
“It doesn’t matter how I did it. What matters is I pulled it off, and you so graciously helped me without ever even knowing it. The thing is, this wasn’t something we planned to do overnight. We have been waiting for this opportunity for years and living right under your nose. The best part of waiting all this time to become Turner Calloway was the look on my brother’s face when he saw me. You should have been there to see our happy little reunion; it was priceless, I tell ya. Everything went according to plan. My brother fell right into our trap before he knew what hit him.”
A thunderous, malevolent, and vindictive laugh erupts from Trent. Every distasteful and wretched image of this ultimate betrayal imbeds itself in my mind. I jerk myself free of his grasp and I start savagely swinging and connecting with any part of his body I can find.
“You fucking prick!”
I am kicking and screaming and he takes it. He takes every swing and hit and scratch that I am throwing his way.
“I hate you, you sick fuck! Turner has never done a damn thing to hurt anyone. You’re his brother, you fucking piece of shit!”
He just laughs, which fuels my fire even more. My arms and legs start to scream with pain with every connection I make to his body, and he just fucking laughs at me.
I pull back when my strength gives out on me and the tears finally start to fall.
“How could you?” I sob. “How could you do this to your own brother? Do you have any idea the hell that your mother has been through? Do you?”
“Ah, my mother. How is dear old mom, anyway? Never mind, don’t answer that. You, Melody, and Turner will soon be together for one last little family reunion and I can ask her myself.”
God he is so malicious and so full of hatred it makes me almost feel sorry for him. I start to laugh, and I mean laugh, as he has no clue where his mother is and he won’t be able to get to her at my brother’s house.
“What the hell is so funny?” he growls while right up in my face.
“You are. You think you’re the only one who has done their ‘homework?’ Well, you may have, although it was pretty half-assed. But let me tell you something– you fucking failed the test, asshole. My brother had you pegged the minute he laid eyes on you. Your little plan is fucked. You and your father may think you’re in the driver’s seat of this preposterous game you’re playing, but you’re not.”
He studies me closely as I lean in closer to him. His expression changes from shock to despair quicker than the beat of my racing heart.
“Yes, that’s right, fuck face. Melody is gone. She knows everything. You will never get your revenge on her. She’s gone and she’s safe. So all this so-called homework you did is about ready to blow up in your fucking face. You may think you’re the one calling the shots here, but newsflash, Trent. Any minute now my brother is going to come barreling through that door and trust me, you’re going to regret every last one of the few short minutes he lets you live.”
Chapter Sixteen
Without saying a damn word he analyzes my every feature to see if I am telling the truth. I am, and he knows it. His facial expression turns from that of a cold-hearted monster to a freaking animal as he grabs me by my throat and raises me up in the air, slamming my body into the wall.
“You stupid cunt! I will kill anyone who walks through that motherfucking door, including your pansy ass brother. No one will stand in the way of what is rightfully mine, even him.”
Releasing his hold on my throat, I crumple to the floor coughing and gagging, trying to catch my breath.
“Get the hell up, Clove. We’re fucking leaving here, now.”
His face contorts into a glare of pure hatred as he grabs my arm and yanks me up. I wince and cry out in pain as he drags me to the door.
“If you want to see Turner, you will do exactly as I say. I know you have a couple of cops sitting out there. I am going to slip into the backseat and you are going to drive. Do not do anything stupid. One phone call is all it will take and he will be dead. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
“I understand.”
I will do exactly as he says as long as it gets me to Turner. With this in mind, I turn the knob on the door and enter the garage. He opens my car door and shoves me inside before lying down on the floor behind my seat.
“I will shoot you on the spot if you do anything at all. You look and wave at them and keep fucking driving, bitch. Don’t you fucking speed or do a damn thing to get us pulled over until we get to where we need to be. Oh, and one more thing. Give me your phone.”
His voice doesn’t sound as distressed or troubled as it did before. He’s calm, and for some reason I don’t like calm Trent. What does he have planned? Where is he taking me?
“Phone, Clove. Now.”
His hands come over the top of the seat and I reach down and hand it to him. He opens the car door and drops it on the ground.
“Now get us the hell out of here,” he commands.
With trembling hands, I turn the key in the ignition and start the car. I see the unmarked cop car is still sitting there as I slowly back out into the driveway. Fuck, they’re going to follow me since they think I am going to Zack’s house. Shit, what do I do?
Acting as if nothing is wrong, I politely wave as I pull past them. My eyes keep flickering back and forth between the road ahead and my review mirror. When I see the cop car make a U-turn and start to follow me, panic starts to set in. My heart starts to beat loudly and feels like it is going to explode. When I turn the corner, they are just a few car lengths behind me. Shit. This is bad; I can sense it. I am going to have to try and outrun them, but first I know I have to make Trent aware of the situation and this is going to piss him off even more. Who knows what he will do if I don’t, though?
“Where am I going?” My voice is a stuttering mess.
“Get on the highway and head south until I tell you to.”
“Um, the cops are following us,” I blurt out and chew on my bottom lip while I wait for his response.
“I figured they would. I got it all planned out. All you have to do is drive like you normally would and shut your damn mouth.”
Fuck you! I want to scream back at him. I fantasize about getting on the highway and driving like a bat out of hell, and then ramming this fucker into the nearest pole, killing us both. That way neither one of us will get a damn thing out of this whole fucked-up situation.
It doesn’t matter if I live or die right now, anyway. My life is over whether he kills me or I kill myself. Turner is never going to want me back after this, and even though I have said time and time again I would be able to live my life without him, I know I won’t be able to. He is my life, and without him my existence is empty and meaningless. The only thing that matters to me right now is seeing him, even if it’s for the last time.
I pull onto the expressway and travel the speed limit for a few miles in silence before Trent finally speaks.
“Get off on the exit to your brother’s house and pull into the gas station on the right. You’ll see a white truck parked on the left side. Pull up right next to it and then get out. I want you to go into the gas station and buy something, and then walk back out and get in that truck.”
He really is fucking crazy. I could tell anyone in that store he has kidnapped me and he wouldn’t even know. The wheels are turning big time in my head. If I play this out right and let the clerk know my situation, he could inform the cops who are behind us. Maybe somehow they can follow or track us. Think, Clove. You can do this. There has to be a way for them to be able to follow us without him picking up on it.
Trent must sense some of what is going through my head.
“Don’t even think about telling anyone in that store a damn thing, bitch. If I think you peeped even one fucking word to anyone, your family will be burying you right next to your fucking husband.”
I have never been so scared in my entire life. I hope like hell they at least let me see Turner so we can try to figure out a way around this. I glance down at the clock and see it has been almost an hour since I hung up the phone with Zack. He has got to be freaking the hell out by now and has blown up my phone wondering where I am and why I am not answering. I am sure he has talked to the two officers who are still several cars behind me.
I turn on my blinker to indicate I am getting off on the exit, and when I look in my mirror I notice the cops are, too. They still have no idea Trent is in the car with me.
“How are you going to get out of the car without them noticing you? They’re going to see you.”
“Don’t worry your beautiful little head about what I am going to do. You just do what you’re told.”
His hand reaches up over the top of the seat and grabs my hair as we come to a stop at the end of the exit. I cry out in pain and shock.
“Quit asking so many questions. Just do what you’re fucking told, Clove.”
He releases his hold on my hair as tears start to form in my eyes. I don’t know how much more I can take. I feel like I am at my breaking point. I don’t want to just sit by and do nothing, so when I pull into the gas station I decide I am going to say something to someone in there. The way things stand now it really doesn’t matter what I do or don’t do, because once they have gotten whatever they need out of Turner and me, they are going to kill us, regardless.
Wait. I remember Trent said he needed something from me when we were back at my house. Desperately I try to figure out what it is. If I am the only one who can get him what he needs, then maybe, just maybe, I can make some demands of my own.
Pulling up next to the truck, I put the car in park and shut it off. I gather my purse and just when I am reaching for the door handle to get out, Trent’s brutal words halt my hand in midair.
“Wait one motherfucking second, bitch. There is something you need to hear first before you step out of this car.”
He takes out his phone and dials a number. There is a slight pause before the line is picked up.
“Yeah, Dad, we’re on our way. I told you she was a feisty one, but I know how much she loves that pussy of a brother of mine, so if you don’t hear from me in five minutes, blow his fucking knee cap out.”
His voice sounds vengeful, and yet why do I feel like I hear the smallest hint of regret when he speaks? Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part. Not wanting to hear anymore, I jump out of the car and head into the back of the gas station where I grab a bottle of water and a bag of chips. I now know exactly what I am going to do to try and keep Turner alive.
There are two people standing in line in front of me at the checkout lane as I wait impatiently, constantly checking my watch. I have a minute and a half left to get this done. Sweat pops up on my forehead and I start tapping my foot. Come on! Thirty seconds remain when I finally drop my items onto the counter.
“Will that be all, miss?” The clerk behind the register asks.
For a few seconds I stare at her blankly, trying to decide what to do.
“Yes,” I finally squeak out.
She immediately scans my items. I hand her over a five-dollar bill and grab my stuff and make my way to the door.
“Miss! Your change!” she calls out.
“Keep it.”
I scramble through the door and scan the area looking for the cop car. When I see it parked on the opposite side from where I am, my nerves go on high alert. I round the corner of the gas station and open the passenger side door of the truck.
“Hurry the hell up.” Trent leans over and jerks me roughly inside. “Scoot all the way down in the seat and stay there until I tell you to get up.”
How I would love to deny him and tell him to shove his demands straight up his ass. But I do as I am told and slide down in the seat as he starts the truck and pulls out. He now has on a baseball cap and sunglasses, trying to hide his looks.
As long as I stay ducked down like this I am not going to have a clue where we are going, so I try and pay attention to the turns he is making. I realize he has turned back onto the highway heading in the direction we just came from. Trent looks repeatedly into the rear view mirror and I study his facial expressions, trying to figure out what he is thinking and if we’re being followed. He seems completely at ease, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. He shows no signs of panic or worry. I wish he would take those damn sunglasses off so I could see his eyes.
My legs start to cramp up as I continue to sit on my hands and knees in the front of the truck. Fuck him and his damn demands. I cannot keep my mouth shut anymore.
“By the look on your face I would say the coast is clear, so I am getting up now.” I put what little bit of strength I have left into my words.
“I don’t think so.”
He lifts an eyebrow and smirks down at me.
“Fuck you! I am not riding like this any longer,” I insist, pulling myself up from the uncomfortable position I was in. Several minutes tick by before he speaks again.
“I should force you to kneel like that more often,” he smirks. I whip my head around and glare at him.
“I will never kneel for you, you prick.”
“Oh, but you will, Clove. Any time I tell you to kneel, you will.”
“Like hell, I will.”
“Well you see, Clove, one of the things I like about you is that gorgeous mouth of yours. I know firsthand what it can do, and baby, you do it so well. We have a hell of a long drive ahead of us and I am going to need some relief, so when I tell you to get on your hands and knees and suck my cock, you will.”
I turn my head and look out the window, and as I tick off the miles one by one I sink further and further into the abyss of self-hatred. Vivid memories of the things this man has done to me and the way my body reacted invade my mind. But not this time. If he even looks like trying to put his dick in my mouth, I won’t hesitate to bite that fucking thing off.
