Текст книги "Deliver Her from Evil "
Автор книги: M. L. Steinbrunn
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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 14 страниц)
Carly
I could have guessed a million and a half reasons why Campbell wanted to talk to me, and I would have never been correct. As much as I wanted to have more children, the thought of fostering a teenager, one I’ve never even met, no less, is something I never would have thought to consider.
My divorce isn’t final yet, I’m just getting on my feet, and I don’t think I would even be approved to be a foster parent as a single person. Campbell was quick to squash all negativity and misinformation I had about the process, but still, I need time to think about the possibility of bringing someone into my home…into my life.
While Campbell thought the decision was a no brainer, I’m hesitant. I don’t even know if I’m a strong enough person to handle the emotional back and forth that a foster parent could possibly go through.
I haven’t thought of anything else since she spoke with me.
As soon as the plane landed and we caught the shuttle to our hotel, I immediately checked in and changed into my pool attire. My body went through the motions, but my brain was stuck in first gear, my thoughts with a young lady back home with no one and how her last effort for a family lies with me. I should turn Jen loose on Campbell for putting me in such a difficult situation.
My mind wrestles with the possibilities until screeching from the other side of the hotel lobby puts an immediate halt to my wondering thoughts.
“Woohoo, hot momma!” Jen shouts from across the room, drawing the attention of everyone in the near vicinity. My eyes widen and I search the area for people who have honed in their attention on the obnoxious interruption. Completely mortified, I cover my face from onlookers and l scurry over to my friends as quickly as my legs can carry me. We agreed to meet in the lobby before going to the pool, and I’m now regretting that decision.
“Seriously, Jen, we are in public. You could exercise just a little restraint,” I say when I finally reach her.
She bounces up and down on her toes, excitement from the Vegas atmosphere written all over her face. “Oh, simmer down, girly,” she says, wrapping her arm through mine. “Look around. We will probably never see any of these people ever again. Don’t worry about what they think. We are here to let our hair down and have fun. So, get with it!”
With each sentence, her voice grows in volume until her pep talk feels more like a motivational speech for an audience of a thousand. I look back to both Campbell and Vivian, who are following behind us, grinning at the ridiculousness of Jen’s very public announcements and my embarrassment. I roll my eyes at them and allow her to drag me toward the pool entrance.
Jen smiles and giggles as she continues to speak about all of the fun we will have and all the men she will throw my way as a christening back to singlehood.
The sun nearly blinds me when we step outside, and I slide my sunglasses down off my head to block the light. Tanned bodies of twenty-somethings line the poolside and have taken over the first rows of lawn chairs.
Snaking through the chairs, Jen leads us toward a roped off cabana area that shows a “Reserved” sign hanging from the tent. Chairs, inside and outside the tent, as well as coolers and tables fill the space, but before we have a chance to enter, Jen suddenly stops, causing Vivian and Campbell to smash into us.
“Oh, sweet baby Jesus, what are you doing here?” Jen asks a man sunbathing outside the tent. She is absolutely not pleased with his presence and her displeasure is evident in her tone. “Casen may have invited you, but you are not invading my girls’ day.”
He doesn’t acknowledge her tirade, instead takes a sip from his fruity umbrella drink. I have a hard time looking at his face; my eyes are too narrowed in on his tanned muscles, which are covered in tattoos. His long mess of a hairstyle is piled into a man bun on top of his head, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why Jen would be so angry at such a beautiful man.
“Royce, this is kind of a special day. Isn’t there another place at the pool you could be, or go hang out with the guys?” Campbell offers.
He sets his drink on the table next to him and stretches out in the lounge chair. “I don’t see the problem. I’m just catching a few rays with my girl here,” he says innocently. I look to the chair next to him, and how it escaped my attention before can only be attributed to his gorgeous appearance, because he is pointing to a blow up doll lying beside him. The plastic doll is dressed in a string bikini and is wearing a blonde wig. I laugh at the pure silliness of it, but I immediately stifle it when Jen shoots me a glare that could freeze every pool within a ten mile radius.
“Are you fucking with me?” Jen spouts off. “You brought that thing?”
“Sally was a gift, remember? It was only fitting that she come with me and ward off all the unwanted girl attention I might have to dodge.” He defends himself in a serious tone, but I can see the humor in his eyes.
I push my sunglasses onto my head to get a better look. This is a guy who enjoys having fun, even if it’s at his own expense. I’ve heard Jen talk about Royce before, and I remember briefly seeing him at a few of their concerts with the girls, but I couldn’t place him out of that context. Jen never had anything nice to say about Royce, and Campbell never stuck up for him, so he became forgettable to me.
Seeing him laid out before me, Royce represents a whole new level of enticement, and there is nothing about him I will forget this time. He notices my wondering eyes and shoots me a mischievous smile. My eyes evade his as quickly as I can. I feel like a high school kid who just got caught staring at her crush from across homeroom. Royce catching me is no less embarrassing than those torturous teenage moments.
Jen’s eyes follow his line of sight in my direction and I may have felt the world erupt around us. She spins around and grabs his Sally doll. He hops up to save her before Jen throws her into the pool. “You seriously have to leave. Stay away, Royce…from all of us.” She enunciates the end of her sentence, hinting that whatever that smile meant, he can just forget about it.
Her friends are off limits.
He follows Jen to the edge of the pool to retrieve his doll. All humor and fun has evaporated and anger is now rolling off of him.
“I’ll fuck who I want, princess,” he clips at her. “This town is full of easy pussy; I don’t need to go fishing in a small pond for someone who will follow me home. The beauty of Vegas is that it’s an ocean full of fish I’ll never have to see again.”
“You’re gross, you know that, right?” Jen answers back.
He tucks the Sally doll under his arm and bows to us, before offering me another beaming smile. “I’m sorry to have interrupted your gorgeous day, ladies,” he says politely. He then turns back to Jen and frowns. “And by the way, you’re just jealous I would never offer you this flesh rocket for your hot pocket.”
He turns on his heel and leaves our little group. Jen is left speechless– for once. The three of us, however, can no longer hold it in. Together we burst into laughter, which only garners death glares from Jen.
“You guys suck,” she pouts as she passes by us to get to the tent. Her childish response only makes us laugh harder.
“He had a flippin’ blow up doll,” Vivian chuckles as she wipes the tears from her eyes.
“I can’t even explain why Jen hates him so much. I just let it go, but man that guy is funny,” Campbell adds.
“And pretty hot,” I add, pretending to fan myself.
“You guys still suck,” Jen shouts from inside the tent.
“Oh, simmer down,” I say, throwing her own words back at her. “We are here to have a good time.”
We walk toward the cabana and are met by a waitress ready to bring us whatever frilly drink we need, and from the look on Jen’s face, we may need several. Their service is included in the price of the cabana, and we will absolutely put this poor girl to work today.
Vivian orders margaritas for the group as we unpack our pool bags and head back out of the cabana. Throwing our towels across lounge chairs, we each take a place in the sun. We relax into the warmth of the rays, and let the sun pound down on our bodies. Well, except Vivian who puts a fashionable straw hat on her head and smothers herself in sunblock. She always says her red hair attracts the sun and she doesn’t need any more freckles than she already has.
A comfortable silence settles amongst us, and we enjoy the quietness of the moment. Jen was right; kids, jobs, divorces, all the stresses from back home fade away with each tranquil breath. Our server brings us our drinks and the refreshing coolness of the sweet and sour tang are a welcome relief from the heat.
“So, I think Royce is hilarious. Why do you hate him so bad?” Campbell asks. “Aaaannd Carly practically drooled all over him and his doll, so you better have a good reason to hold up her much needed cougar prowl.”
I choke and spit alcohol out all over myself and my towel. “I did no such thing,” I say through coughing fits.
“There will be no naked time happening on this trip with that man. Royce is an irresponsible asshole, who cares only about himself and what he can get from someone. You just stay far away, Carly. We will find you a scrumptious man, just not that one.”
I wiggle in my chair, uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. I feel like I’m on display and everyone is trying to fix me, the poor divorced woman, up. The last thing I need is a man to complicate my life even more. A one-night stand is nowhere near my radar. I never had one before I was married and there is no reason why I should start now that I’m newly single.
“There’s no need to worry about me. I’m good with actual alone time,” I explain. “I’m in no need of a male attention.”
“Bullshit,” Vivian says. “Even the best LELO in the world isn’t going to replace some good old fashion lovin’.”
Jen giggles. “There’s no need to leave the LELO out of the mix just because a friend arrives. Broaden those horizons, ladies.”
We all laugh and ease back down into our chairs. “I appreciate the thought, but I think I’ll pass either way,” I tell them all. “There is just too much going in my life to complicate it even more with a man.” I look to Campbell, hoping she gets the hint as well, but she diverts her eyes away from me and changes the subject.
“What is the plan for tonight anyways?” Campbell asks. “I know tomorrow is the actual bachelorette party, so what is in store for this evening?”
Jen and Vivian both look to each other, and when Vivian cringes, I know our foursome is going to shrink by two. “It’s so rare that we have our husbands alone, we thought that tonight we could have a date night,” Vivian attempts to explain as compassionately as possible; you know, you’re getting ditched and this is why.
“It’s not like it’s a complete waste. I thought you girls could go to a show or something,” Jen chimes in.
I’m not exactly thrilled with being brought to Vegas to then be dropped like a hot potato, but I do understand. Jack and I never got to have time for just the two of us once Olivia came along. Maybe that’s where the problem lied with us, not devoting enough time together for our relationship. We co-existed, but we didn’t really exist together as a team.
How can I fault my friends for doing something I should have also taken time to do?
I look to Campbell, who looks equally thrilled, so I take the lead on smoothing the awkward moment out.
“There are some shows I would love to see. We’ll have tons of fun, Campbell.”
She smiles and steals Vivian’s hat. “When you guys hear how cool our night ends up, you’re going to wish you hadn’t ditched us.”
“Nothing you can say will tempt me away from a night alone with my fiancé,” Jen says with all seriousness. “That man will be wearing my ass as a hat tonight,” she adds, tapping Viv’s floppy hat on Campbell’s head.
Everyone takes their turn displaying grossed out expressions, snorting with laughter.
“Oh, good grief,” Vivian chuckles with a sigh after catching her breath. “I was just hoping for a quiet dinner.”
“I say we meet for breakfast tomorrow and fill each other in on our wild night. Deal?” Campbell suggests.
“Deal,” we say in unison, clinking the glass of our drinks together.
Carly
Well, that’s just great. First, I was ditched by Vivian and Jen, and now I’ve been stood up by Campbell. I had spent an hour picking out a cute dress and heels, then doing my hair and makeup for this evening. If I was going to have a night on the town, I figured I should look the part.
But now, the longer I sit here, the more worried I am that my effort screams working girl. I shift in my dress to cover more of my legs and adjust the straps that crisscross at my shoulders. The bartender notices my discomfort and makes his way to my end of the bar once again.
“You need anything else, doll?” he asks with a light smile.
I’ve been waiting at the hotel bar alone for thirty minutes and every time the bartender asks if I’m doing all right, I feel his judgement and sympathy.
My phone dings, and I momentarily ignore the bartender to read the message. I can feel my brows pull together when I read the message.
Campbell: I’m so sorry. Something important came up. Raincheck?
If it’s important, I don’t want her to feel bad about leaving me behind, so instead of the single response of “K” that I want to send her, I take the high road.
Me: No worries. I’ll catch up with you in the morning.
I exhale loudly and slam my phone back down on the bar top. I don’t notice the bartender still standing there until his voice cuts through my mist of disappointment.
“That bad, huh?” he says.
“Any day that my pants haven’t caught on fire from my legs rubbing together, is a good flipping day,” I spout out.
The middle-aged bartender looks at me like he’s been painted into a corner and may have to chew off an arm or something to save himself. His discomfort is clearly evident, and in his head he’s quietly wishing he hadn’t asked, screw the tip.
“I’m sorry,” I resign. “I’ll take a shot of whatever you have that will not make me feel like such a loser,” I tell him, stuffing my phone into my small purse.
Without another word, he pulls some liquor out from behind the bar and lines up a shot glass on the wood along with a few wedges of lime.
“Tequila is always good for short-term memory loss,” he says, pouring the golden liquid into the glass.
“I’ll take it.”
“Me too,” a smooth voice announces behind me. I look back to see Royce pulling out the chair beside me. “If the night has gone to such shit that the tequila shots have been brought out, I might as well join the party.”
Initially, I’m speechless at his intrusion. I’m not sure whether I want him to leave because, well, his presence will only find me in trouble, but on the other hand, do I really want to sit here and wallow with a bottle of liquor alone?
I look him up and down, taking in his gorgeous physique and intoxicating cologne. How could I say no?
Jen would have a fit…but she’s not here. None of my friends are here. They have all run off and left me to my own devices, and if I want to hang out with this attractive man who throws caution to the wind and enjoys life, so be it.
That’s what I need tonight…fun. And Royce offers just that.
“You know what?” I say, scooting over to make room for him. “You and I are going to have a blast tonight.”
The bartender pours another drink for Royce and he slams it back without using the lime as a chaser.
“It’s going to be a fantastic night.” He grins, smashing the glass back to the bar.
Lakin
“I can’t even tag along?” I shout from across the suite. “You bring me to Vegas, make me get my own room, and now I have to roam the strip alone?”
Am I whining? Probably just a tad, but I can’t help but want to spend the extra time with Campbell. As much as I understand her need to spend it all with the girls, I still want to be selfish with her.
I stretch out across the massive bed and wait for Campbell’s response. She steps through the entryway from the living room portion of the hotel room and pretends to pout, mocking me.
“I think you’ll manage. Besides, tomorrow night you’ll be doing plenty of guy things without me,” she says, curling up next to me on the mattress. I’m tempted to pin her down and smother her with attention until she forgets about Carly and refuses to leave the room.
I pull her close to me, melding her body to mine. “What can I do to make you stay?” I whisper in her ear before planting a soft kiss on her neck. A giggle erupts from her sweet mouth when my scruff from the day tickles her skin.
She finally lets out a long exhale. “I have to get in the shower so I can meet Carly. How about you meet us for drinks after the show? That piano bar in the New York New York casino is a good time; how about there?
I roll onto my back and growl at her. Drinks are not what I had in mind, but I’m a desperate man willing to take what I can get. If serving as the third wheel in a girls’ night is all I can get, well, I’ll go with the flow.
She plops her phone on my chest and offers her mouth for a kiss. Her lips meet mine and I have to restrain myself from deepening it and allowing the passion to overtake us.
“I’m going to jump in the shower,” she says between pecks. “Carly is supposed to be texting me where to meet her. When you hear from her, please text her back to let her know I’ll be there.”
She lands one final kiss and hops off the bed. Painfully, I watch her strut away from me and into the bathroom. I’m a little perturbed I wasn’t invited into the shower, and for a second, I consider surprising her by jumping in without an invitation. When her phone buzzes to life, I let the idea fade.
Evan: I hope you have a good time. See you when you get back. Love you.
As I read the words, an entire gamut of emotions flood my system…anger, sadness, even betrayal. I love this woman with every fiber of my being, and yet while I want to make her my wife, she’s exploring other options. We never said this was an exclusive relationship, but I figured it went without saying.
Pacing the floor in front of the bed, I feel as though I could wear a hole in the carpet with each step. I don’t know what to do, what to say. I’ve never been in a position of losing the one thing I needed the most. Fuck, maybe I never really had her in the first place.
I swipe the phone off the bed, my grip dangerously close to crushing the screen as I continue to walk. I want more than anything to be relieved of my frustration by throwing it against the wall. Instead, a somber pain takes hold and I collapse back onto the bed, my head down and shoulders hunched…defeated.
The sound of the water turning off doesn’t rouse my body. I’m motionless, waiting for the execution of what’s left of my heart. A few excruciating minutes pass before Campbell returns. She stops suddenly when she notices me on the bed.
“What’s wrong?” she asks as she wiggles her body between my knees. I don’t wrap my hands around her like I want to. I can’t even look up at her for fear of what I might see–unrequited love.
I place the phone in her hand, still opened to the text she just received from Evan. “Please tell me I’m the only one,” I murmur, my voice stumbling over the words, barely able to push them out.
I finally look at her, her hair a wet mess of ebony flowing down her back, face fresh and beautiful, and wearing a dress that any other day, any other moment, I would have hiked around her waist.
She frowns as she reads the message, an expression that twists my heart until it feels wrung out and lifeless. Is that a look of a woman who has been caught? Is she upset I know now she hasn’t been faithful to our relationship?
“Oh, Lakin,” she whispers, lightly placing her soft palm on my cheek. “There could only ever be you.”
“But–” I begin to say when she covers my lips with her finger to hush me.
I search her eyes, looking for clues to my fate, and I’m met with compassion. I’m met with the same love she would see in my eyes.
“Evan is my foster brother. It’s true that he loves me, no less than I love him, but not in the way you’re thinking, Lakin. That man was once a boy who saved me. Rescued me from a fate that nightmares are made of.”
I scoot back onto the bed and pick her up so her legs are straddling my waist. I’ve never forced her to tell me about her past, but in this moment, my need to know is stronger than my compassion to let it lie.
“Please tell me,” I say lightly, placing my hand on her chest. “I need to know this heart. I need to know why it beats the way it does. I want to be able to grip on to it and cradle it in my hand for all eternity, but I need to know that it’s mine to hold.”
She closes her eyes and leans in to rest her forehead on mine. I feel each of her breaths tap against my lips, ragged, uncertain. If I could reach into her mind and soothe the uncertainty, I would give every bit of wealth, every bit of my own courage to ease her anxiety. The only thing I can do is hold her, let my body plead with her soul to share herself with me.
Finally, finally she speaks, and I’m able to exhale my own apprehension.
“It was a long time ago and there are days I wish I could forget, but there are some things that happen to us that our mind will never let us escape from,” she says, her eyes still closed.
She slowly pulls away from me and searches my eyes. I plead with them, with her, to feel the safety in my arms.
She takes a deep breath and runs her nails through the hair at the base of my neck. “Evan is Sharon’s son. When they took me in, he and I went to the same high school; he was a year older than I was. I was only a freshman and I was new, but he helped me adjust to everyone at school. We became friends.”
She hesitates, so I brush her damp hair away from her face and softly kiss her cheek to encourage her to continue. Her legs are still tangled around me, but when she gives me a nod, I scoot back slightly to provide her the space she needs.
“I only stayed with them for a few months at first. There was an emergency case on Christmas Eve and I had to be moved so they could take in a group of siblings. Sharon and my caseworker arranged for me be able to remain at the same school for the school year, and it was fine for the first month or so. Well, fine enough. My new foster parents didn’t really have much to do with me. They weren’t mean to me, but they didn’t care much either. I was a means to help pay their rent in the trailer park.” She pauses again, gathering the strength for the next piece of information. I can feel the pain she’s wrestling with, the shame that lies beneath.
“But then her brother was released from jail and he came to stay with us,” she whispers. “Then everything changed.”
“What did he do?” is all I can say.
“Nothing at first. He gave me the creeps so I avoided him. But then her mother got sick and she left me in her husband’s care so she could be with her. They never told my caseworker, because I would have been removed.”
She looks away from me and stares at the ceiling as she continues to speak. Tears roll down her face but her voice never breaks, and I’m in awe of the strength I never realized she had.
“That’s when it got bad,” she says. “Drugs flowed in and out of the house, and they took turns using me any way they wanted. When I tried to run, they caught me and chained me up in a back bedroom of the trailer. There were days I didn’t know if I was alive or dead, and I wanted it to be over so badly that I didn’t care if it was the end.”
I grip onto her shirt, imagining every vile thing these two men could have done. The heat of my anger boils at the thoughts that run through my head.
“How did no one know this was going on? You just get dumped off and no one checks on you?”
She squares her shoulders to look at me. “Evan came looking,” is all she says.
“What happened? Did he call the police? Contact social services? Please tell me the day he found you is the day you left that house?” My mouth can barely keep up with what I’m thinking. I rattle off questions without waiting for responses. Instead of getting shaken or upset, she continues to run her fingers through my hair to settle my emotions instead of me helping her.
"He took care of it, of me,” she declares, avoiding further details.
“How? How did you get away?” I ask.
She leans in close to me as if she is going to share a secret no one knows. She grabs the back of my neck and delivers a sentence that rocks my very core.
“He killed them,” she whispers.
My eyes widen.
I admit I would have done the same had I been confronted with the opportunity, but for a teenager to swoop in and save her from that misery without being caught is almost unbelievable.
She lays her head on my shoulder and continues her story. I just hold onto her, hoping there is an end to the misery in sight. It pains me to think of her hurt, used, and damaged. She is the strongest person I know, and for this world to have brought her to her knees, makes me want to both weep and battle to the ends of the Earth on her behalf.
“There was a tear in the window covering that they used to black out the window in the room that I was in,” she continues. “Evan saw me and the next thing I remember is him carrying me through the house and to his car. There were drugs scattered all over the living room and their bodies were on the couch and the floor, motionless. I asked later and he said they overdosed. He took me back to Sharon, and I never had to leave her house again.”
“So why do you think he killed them?” I ask.
“Because he told me he was the one who gave them the hot dose,” she says. “He cleaned me up and called his mom. I remember her making phone calls before social services and the police came to the house. All I ever told them, though, was there were drugs in the house and I was with Evan when we came home and found them dead. I never moved from Sharon’s house after that and we never spoke of it again.”
She picks up her phone and examines the screen before looking back at me. “So yes, I love Evan,” she explains. “He saved me in every way a person could be saved, and I’ll forever be thankful for his bravery that day. But the only person I’m in love with is you, Lakin.”
I cradle her face in my hands, wiping away any remaining tears. “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I’m sorry that happened to you and I’m sorry it wasn’t me who saved you. I promise you, though, I will never let your heart hurt again. I promise you everything I have.”
She pulls the back cover off her phone, revealing the love token I gave her. She throws the phone on to the bed and holds the charm out for me to hold. Campbell then takes her necklace off and replaces her forget-me-not charm with the one I gave her.
“I can’t promise you everything,” she says before placing my hand back onto her heart, “but I can promise you this.” She smiles and kisses me deeply, twisting love and passion together and pouring it into our kiss.
“I won’t ever be able to let you go,” I say between kisses. “I’m stealing your forever.”
I flip her over and pin her to the bed. Holding her hands above her head, I bend down and lick along her neck. “You know what I want, don’t you?” I ask.
I rise up to see her smile and she pushes me to stand before her. I offer my hand and she accepts it. “I want that, too,” she says with a grin.
She slides her feet into her shoes and grabs her purse. “Then let’s go make it legal.”
I grab her hand and pull her toward the door before she can change her mind. Before the night is over, this woman will be my wife, and I will forever be the only one who gets to save her.
