40. Hope
40
HOPE
“ T hen you’ll put a little of the greenery in at a time, layering it with the flowers so they flow cohesively.” I look over at Sam’s arrangement, proud of how quickly he’s picked up putting bouquets together.
“Can I add some of the garden roses to this one?”
“That would look beautiful, Sam. Perfect idea.”
He grabs a few stems of the pink garden roses, placing them carefully into his arrangement. He really is a natural at this. I’m so glad he’s stayed on with us. Part-time employees can be a little flaky when they start working, especially teenagers. Sam has been nothing but eager to work the hours, soaking up everything I teach him like a sponge. He’s surprised me at every turn. I can’t wait to see what else he’s able to do.
Our next task will be learning how to make floral arrangements for events, which will take a huge load off my shoulders if he can help me. Claire loves working in the shop, but making the arrangements is not her strong suit. She’s my plant person, taking care of all our potted babies. She makes sure they’re strong and healthy when they go to their new homes .
Sam puts the final touches on his bouquet, wrapping it in paper, then tying it with a ribbon. “What do you think?” he asks, a little hint of worry in his voice as he looks at me expectantly.
“I have thoughts, but I want to know what you think first.”
He takes a moment to look at the flowers and then back at me. “I think it’s a little unbalanced on this side. Next time, I’ll account for the shift in movement when I tie the ribbon.”
I grin at him. “I was going to say the exact same thing. Even with the shift, it’s beautiful, but when you nail the movement next time, it’ll be gorgeous. The fact that you noticed and identified the problem shows how incredible your eye is, Sam. You’ve got a gift.”
A hint of pink shines in Sam’s cheeks as he smiles at me.
My phone beeps on the counter, and I lean over to read what the message says.
Levi: Cleaning up now, should be on my way to you in about twenty.
Me: Perfect. I love you.
I don’t immediately get a response, so I set my phone down, turning back to Sam, who is cleaning up the random leaves on the counter. “Why don’t you take your arrangement home to your momma? It’ll be your bonus for working so hard today.”
“She’ll love it. Thanks, Hope.”
“Get out of here, kid. Levi will be here in a few to pick me up.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you!”
I walk to the front door, turn the deadbolt, and flip the sign to say Closed . It’s about a half hour early, but with Levi picking me up soon, I want to have time to get some paperwork finished. After the door is locked, I head back to my office and spend a few minutes cleaning up until my desk is visible again. Then I get started on ordering inventory, updating my budget spreadsheets, and any other task on my to-do list I have yet to complete. It’s monotonous and a total time suck.
Coming out of the zone I’d fallen into, I realize it’s been an hour since Levi texted me.
Looking through the newly made mess on my desk, I try to find my phone. It’s not here, so it’s probably still out on the counter in the shop. I step out of my office and directly into a wall of chest. Hands wrap around my arms to steady me before I fall over. I look up, expecting to see Levi, when steely blue eyes peer down at me.
My entire body freezes.
Antony’s smile is vile, predatory, as he peers down at me. He has a black eye and a split lip, which only adds to the menacing look. “Hello, Rosemary. Did you miss me? I sure missed you despite your disobedience.”
“I’m not alone. Levi will be here any minute.”
“I hate to break the news to you like this, but Levi is currently indisposed. Forever.”
The blood drains from my face, sheer terror hitting me for the first time since Antony grabbed hold of me. “What?” I whisper.
“Well, I couldn’t let the little bastard continue breathing when he’d stolen what was mine. It’s time to go now. We have places we need to be.”
Levi’s dead?
I don’t… I can’t… No.
“Oh, yes, he very much is, my dear. Get over it.”
I didn’t know I’d spoken those words out loud, but to hear them confirmed is unbearable. How can I live without the love of my life? I know with everything in me that Levi was the one for me. He was everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner.
Loving. Happy. Safe. There is no life without him. There’s no way I can be strong enough to survive life with Antony again. Especially knowing the one person who meant everything to me is no longer in this world.
I can’t do this.
It’s then I notice Antony has dragged me out of my store toward a waiting car in the alleyway.
“No! I won’t go with you!” I scream, dropping my body weight in an attempt to break Antony’s vice grip around my arm. For a moment, his grasp slips, and I push against the car, running down the alleyway.
Hope blooms in my chest as I get further away until my hair is yanked, pulling my body backward. Antony drags me back to the car by my hair. I have to hold on to the strands to alleviate the pain. I’m unceremoniously thrown into the back seat of the car, then tied to the passenger seat headrest by my hands. The zip ties are entirely too tight, cutting off the circulation in my hands quickly.
Antony gets into the driver’s seat, taking a moment to compose himself. “We will discuss your insolent behavior when we reach our destination. Until then, I don’t want to hear a sound out of your bitch mouth. Understand?”
I remain silent, knowing it’s the only answer he wants. He nods when my silence continues, then starts the car. We drive for several minutes before pulling into the driveway of a house I’ve never seen before. I have no idea where we are, only that we’re on the edge of Sonoma.
In the span of about ten minutes, Antony is out of the car, in the house, and back again with a duffle bag in hand. When he throws the bag in the trunk, I fully understand the seriousness of the situation. We aren’t staying in Sonoma. He’ll take me as far away as possible so there will be no possibility for me to escape.
I will be a prisoner for the rest of my life if I don’t fight him.
But what’s the point of fighting for my life if the one I love can’t share it with me?
No.
Levi would yell at me for those thoughts.
He wouldn’t allow me to become a shell of myself again, even if he’s not here to see it.
When Antony climbs back into the driver’s seat, he doesn’t even spare me a glance. It’s disconcerting knowing exactly how angry he is with me. His body is rippling with it. I’ve never seen him quite at this level before. What’s worse is if he succeeds in taking me away, he will do everything it takes to break me. I know it deep within my soul.
If we get to where we’re going, I will not survive this.
We back out of the driveway, taking roads that lead us to the highway. My mind is swirling with thoughts of what’s going to happen next. I have no idea what to do or how to get out of this situation. All I know is if we make it to our final destination, I will die there.
The silence stretches out as we get onto the highway, my fear ratcheting up higher the further we get away from Sonoma. I’m going to have to do something soon if I want to survive.
Antony’s phone rings, disrupting the rising tension. When he answers, I let out a deep breath, feeling like I can relax for a minute while he’s distracted by his conversation. I don’t even listen to what he’s saying. It doesn’t matter at this point.
I look down at my aching hands, already white from lack of blood flow, and notice the headrest has been lifted to its highest setting. If I can lift the bar a smidge further, I could pop the headrest out of its track, freeing my hands from being immobile.
I quickly glance at Antony, his right hand is holding his phone to his ear, blocking his peripheral vision. Looking back at my hands, I slowly shift so I can push the button to lift the headrest.
My heart is pounding in my ears, and I do my best not to hurry. I don’t want to draw attention, but I also have no idea how long his conversation will last. Despite having limited range, I’m able to squeeze the bar in between my thumb and forefinger, pulling up until the end of the headrest comes out of the track.
I freeze. If I move too quickly, Antony will notice what I’m doing, phone call or not. Silently, I take another breath, forcing myself to listen to the call. If he’s close to being done, I will either need to move lightning fast or wait for the right moment.
“I don’t give a fuck what happened, Dominic. Fix it.”
I wait, hands throbbing from the tension they’re under.
The silence continues as Antony listens to the other person on the phone.
“I want to know the minute it’s done.” A pause. “What are you doing about the brother?”
With confirmation his conversation isn’t ending, I slowly move the headrest high enough for the zip tie to slide underneath. It’s excruciating as my hands contort, moving as slowly as possible to not draw attention to myself. I can’t risk being caught. There’s too much at stake for the pain to even matter right now.
The tie clears the bar, and I grit my teeth to keep from cheering out loud. My gaze flicks to Antony; his phone call is wrapping up now. I’m not sure what my plan is since my hands are still bound together, but with them free of the headrest, I’ve got a better shot at escaping.
I keep my hands around the headrest to make it seem as if they’re still attached. I need a minute to figure out what to do next.
Antony ends his call, placing the phone in the cupholder. “Incompetent idiots. I swear they would be in jail without me telling them what to do.” Antony continues venting his annoyance with his minions, lamenting about how the men he trusted were all in prison now.
While he rants, I take in my surroundings. Fields are on either side of the highway, and there are very few cars on the road. I could grab the steering wheel, but the potential for Antony to overpower me before the car stops is high. I don’t have a seatbelt on, so no matter what I do, I’ll likely be injured beyond repair. In the end, it would be better than what Antony is capable of doing to me.
He’s finally silent, visibly relaxing into his seat as he settles in for the drive. The movement has an idea forming in my head.
It’s insane.
Probably deadly.
But it’s the only choice I have that gives me any chance to survive.
I can do this.
Taking a deep breath, I spring over the console to grab the e-brake, pulling back as hard as I can. The abrupt movement causes Antony to flinch. The second he releases the steering wheel, the car goes sideways, flipping over the guardrail.
My body flies into the ceiling with a sickening crunch, then lands on the floorboard of the back seat. Fire races down my arms, into my shoulder, and through my chest. With my hands still hooked around the handle of the e-brake, my chest is stretched across the center console, pulling my shoulders further out of place.
Disoriented, I attempt to plant my feet on the floor of the car. Everything screams at me to stop moving, but I don’t have a choice. I have to get out of here. Antony hasn’t made a noise since we crashed. I don’t know if he’s dead or just knocked out. I’m not going to take any chances of him waking up and finding me here.
I grit my teeth, lifting my arms over the handle of the e-brake. Blackness swirls in my vision as pain screams through me.
Push through it, Hope. You can do this.
Once my arms are clear, I open the door, pushing myself out of the car. I stumble to the ground, the tall weeds in the ditch surrounding my body. I don’t think I can get up. My entire body feels broken.
You can’t stay here.
Growling, I force my body to move. I get to my knees, holding my bound hands to my chest in an effort to contain the pain. When I plant my foot on the ground, I push my weight up to stand.
My vision swims, making it seem as if a passing car has stopped. The road is so far away. I’ll never make it.
I’m sorry, Levi. I tried. I tried so fucking hard to survive. To be strong. For you.
I love you.