Chapter 45
45
“Eric, you have to!” Cammie screamed as Faith got to the top of the stairs. “We need the money!”
“I don’t care about the fucking money, Cammie! I’m not saying shit to that slut.”
“Then maybe you’re the one who should leave, Eric! You fucking waste of space!”
There was silence, then a slap before someone cried out.
Her stomach dropped as she fumbled for the door handle.
Cammie!
Faith heard a thump and another pained cry.
“Cammie, Cammie, I didn’t mean to,” Eric cried as Faith ran through the door and came to a stop.
Cammie was on the floor, cradling her cheek while Eric stood above her, staring from his hand to Cammie.
He reached out to touch Cammie, who let out a pained whimper and scuttled back.
“Cammie, that wasn’t . . . I didn’t mean to hit you.” He took a step forward.
“Stay away from her!” Faith yelled.
Eric turned. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion, yet at the same time, so quickly that she couldn’t think.
Couldn’t figure out how to react.
His eyes narrowed. “You. This is all your fucking fault!”
“Faith, run!” Cammie screamed.
No, no! She couldn’t leave Cammie. But as Eric lumbered toward her, she could see his need to hurt her. Racing to the right, she picked up a vase and threw it at him. It made him pause long enough for her to reach into her handbag which she had strapped over her body.
Where was her mace? Oh God. Oh God.
He was moving toward Faith again, but Cammie got up and ran at him. “Stay away from her!”
“Cammie, no!” she cried.
Finally, there was her mace! Grabbing it out, she stumbled backward, falling on her ass before she could spray it.
No!
Eric had either shoved Cammie off or she’d dropped off his back. And now he was focused on Faith again. She attempted to back away, sliding along the floor.
Triumph filled his face.
Use the mace.
Sobbing, she raised the mace and sprayed it just as he was leaning down. Closing her eyes, she rolled away awkwardly as he roared in pain. Something heavy landed against her stomach, making her cry out in pain.
That asshole had kicked her!
She got far enough away that she thought she could risk opening her eyes. Eric was stumbling around, tears streaming down his face.
“Faith! Come on!” Cammie was suddenly in front of her. She grabbed Faith’s arm, hauling her up. Only, they couldn’t make it to the front door because Eric was blocking the way.
“Basement! Now!” Faith tugged Cammie toward the basement. Once they were through the door, she locked it. They stumbled down the stairs, leaning on each other.
When they got to the basement, Faith headed toward the door that led outside.
“What if he’s gone around?” Cammie asked worriedly. “What if he finds us out there?”
“We have to go now.” Faith pulled at her.
“I can’t . . . I can’t!” Cammie let out a scream as Eric thumped against the door.
“Come here, you little bitches!”
Cammie screamed and Faith grabbed her hand. “Come on, Cammie.”
She finally got her friend out the basement door. They ran along the side of the house. But Faith froze as she heard the front door open. She ducked back, Cammie behind her.
The other woman let out a small squeal. Eric turned toward the noise.
No, no, no.
If he caught them, he’d kill them.
Faith dragged Cammie behind a bush and fumbled with her handbag for her phone.
Pulling out her phone, she shielded the light as she sent a quick message to Reuben.
Please get here quickly.
Please.
“Where are you? When I find you, you’re dead.”
Cammie was shaking so hard next to her that Faith was scared she was going to give them away.
She should call the cops.
Shoot. She should have done that before texting Reuben. Only, he was the first person she thought about.
But, yeah, the cops were a good idea.
Just as she tapped her phone again, someone grabbed her arm. Hard.
She screamed and kicked out at Eric as he wrestled the phone away from her.
“Let her go, Eric!” Cammie yelled.
Surely the neighbors had to be calling the police by now? Although Mrs. Henderson rarely wore her hearing aids. And Faith could hear loud music coming from the house on the other side.
Faith tried to wrench her arm out of his hold, but he managed to grab them both, dragging them toward the house. She slid her leg in front of his and he stumbled slightly but didn’t let her go.
A sob escaped her as he got them into the house. He dragged them into the living room and shoved them both down onto the sofa.
“Stay the fuck there. The next person who moves is going to feel my hand around their throat, hear me?”
She drew closer to Cammie, hugging her against her as they both stared up at Eric.
“What’s the plan now?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”
Faith could see the bulge of her phone in his pocket. How would she get that back off him?
“I don’t know! I don’t fucking know!” Eric roared as he paced back and forth in front of them.
His eyes looked terrible. They were swollen and red. He tugged at his hair as he moved.
He was losing it, which wasn’t good. It meant he could do something without thinking through the consequences.
Like killing them.
“Eric, you need to let us go,” she said in a calm voice.
“Shut up, Faith! No one wants to hear from you!” he yelled, leaning over her. Spittle flew from his mouth and she drew back.
Ew. That was so gross.
“Such a dumb fucking bitch. You don’t even know when you’re being used. Prancing around like you’re better than us! You’re a broke, useless failure who lives in a basement. And you don’t even have the sense to be ashamed of that! No one wants you, Faith. No one cares about you. Not even your own family.”
Don’t listen to him.
He’s just a mean, miserable man who wants to hurt you.
“If they cared about you, don’t you think they would have come after you, Faith? Huh?”
Her breath froze in her lungs.
Was he right? If they cared would they have come after her? They hadn’t, had they?
Maybe they were glad she was gone.
No, no.
She couldn’t think like that.
“Maybe we’d all be better off without you. Did you ever think of that? That we’d be better off if you . . . just . . . died.”
He placed his hands around her throat, pressing down, restricting her air. And she could see her death in his eyes.
Cammie tried to pull him off as Faith scratched his arms. Suddenly, she heard the front door open. Eric turned, letting her go, as someone threw themselves at him.
Cammie let out a shrill scream as Faith saw Reuben slam his fist into Eric’s face.
Faith winced at the noise, her breath wheezing in and out of her lungs.
Shock filled her as Alejandro stepped into the house. He was accompanied by his two bodyguards. She’d seen them with him at Reuben’s office. And she thought she’d seen them at the charity dinner last night too.
Wait. Was that only last night?
So much had happened.
“Lass? Hey, lass, you all right?”
She stared up at the man speaking to her. He had a Scottish accent? Scottish accents were so sexy.
“Well, thanks, lass. But don’t say that in front of Reuben. I like my head attached to my body.” He winked at her.
“Yes, heads are better when they’re attached to bodies.” She winced as there was another smack of a fist against flesh.
“Stop him! Stop him!” Cammie cried. “He’s going to kill him.”
“Eric was going to kill me moments ago so why shouldn’t Reuben kill him?” Faith asked numbly.
“Okay, I think you’re in shock, lass. We can’t have anyone dying. Not here, anyway.” The guy with the Scottish accent gave Cammie an assessing look.
“Reuben, enough. Let him go.” Alejandro grabbed Reuben, pulling him off Eric.
Oh, that’s why he’d been standing back. To stop Reuben from killing Eric.
“Good job.” She gave Alejandro a thumbs up as he held Reuben back. The other bodyguard had to join him as Cammie let out a cry, falling to her knees beside Eric.
What was she doing?
Faith stared down at her friend in disbelief. “Cammie, get up.”
“Look what he did to him!” she wailed. “You beat him!”
Reuben was still being restrained by Alejandro and his other bodyguard. Huh, they were actually finding it hard to keep him back. To keep him away from Eric.
“Cammie, he hit you,” Faith said numbly. “And he was going to kill me.”
Reuben let out a loud noise that made her jump.
“Oh, he’s mad,” she whispered.
“Yep,” the Scottish guy said. “And we really need him to calm down in case the neighbors have called the cops.”
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“The Scot.”
“Imaginative. He needs me.” Faith didn’t know how she knew that, but she just did. Reuben wouldn’t calm down until he had her in his arms.
“Uh, lass, I’m not so sure . . .”
But she ignored the Scot’s words. And he didn’t try to stop her as she got up and stumbled past.
She glanced down at Eric, but the sight of him didn’t stir a reaction.
She felt so blessedly numb.
“Being numb is nice. I might want to feel like this all the time.”
“Unfortunately, you’re in shock, lass,” the Scot said as he followed her. “The numb won’t last forever.”
She tried to get close to Reuben, but Alejandro turned and held out a hand to stop her. “Stay there, Faith, until he calms down. Scot, you’re supposed to be keeping her safe.”
“She thinks she can calm him. And I’m not touching her while he’s like this. I don’t want to look like that guy.” The Scot pointed to Eric.
She took that moment to duck under Alejandro’s arm. Reuben was still focused on Eric, his breathing deep and fast to the point that she worried he might pass out.
There was a look in his eyes she’d never seen before. Such fury.
And all because Eric had touched her. Tried to hurt her.
“He’s not fully here, Faith. And he’d hate himself if he hurt you while he was like this,” Alejandro said in a tense voice. “Please step away.”
Faith shook her head. “No.” Then she slid her arms around Reuben’s waist. She couldn’t quite get them all the way around since Alejandro and the other guy had him pressed against the wall. But she did the best she could, resting her face against his chest.
“I’m here, Daddy. I’m safe. Everything is okay. You can come back to me now, because I really, really need you.”
Maybe later she’d be embarrassed about calling him Daddy in front of Alejandro and the others.
Then again, maybe not.