29. Eliza #2
"Thank you." Leaning up to my tippy toes, I kissed his cheek before stepping out onto the patio, shivering a bit at the chilly ocean breeze raking against my bare arms. It was more than warm enough inside the house not to wear a long sleeve.
Soft creaks echoed through the eerily still night as my slow steps worked their way to the railing of the wooden patio. Leaning against it with a deep sigh, I stared out at the private beach backyard, watching the waves go in and out in a steady rhythm like the constant beats of my heart.
This was all so nice, so perfect.
So, why did it feel so wrong?
All this was a dream come true, the stupid magazine family or some shit like that. Beach front house, a rich man who wasn't a jerk, the kid, the dog… the life. This life I was living with Adam, all that I've got, and all that Adam would give me with time, it all felt too surreal.
Click.
There was the pin that shattered everything.
The sounds of the crashing water faded out to nothing as the ringing in my ears intensified until it sounded like some machine was inside my ear.
Movement of my chest could be felt, but I couldn't feel the fresh, cold air filling my lungs and moving about my airways.
Every muscle fiber of my body tightened as my heart stilled in my chest; not even the faintest thump echoed throughout my body.
"Doesn't feel real, does it?"
The voice of the devil himself didn't sound real, and I refused to turn my head to put a face to the voice.
Unfortunately, that option of self-preservation was taken away from me.
"Look at me, bitch." The voice of my nightmares demanded as the feeling of something hard and cold dug into my back.
"Turn around and look at me. I want to see my wife's face after all this time.
" He sounded so vindictive, and I was afraid that if I gave in, then his face would be the last I saw on this earth.
"Turn. Around. Now!" With each word, he dug the weapon deeper into me until I winced from the bite of the muzzle.
The wood beneath my feet gave with some soft creaks as I slowly turned my body around after holding my hands up in surrender. "J-James, wh—"
Having the barrel of a gun pointed right at my face was a sure way to shut me up.
"Of all the people you could've exposed my son to and all the scum in the world you could've whored yourself out to, you choose to spread those stupid legs of yours to a low-life mafia bastard.
" James's angry face seethed inches from my face as he glared me down.
This was probably not the right situation, but I couldn't help it.
The moment I heard his words, a laugh of disbelief sputtered out of me.
Emboldened, I shot my hand out, slapping the gun away from me.
Stepping right up into his face, I caused him to stumble back a step as I invaded his personal bubble.
"Maybe if this had been over a year ago when I was under your thumb and didn't think for myself, then maybe, just maybe, I might fall for such bullshit.
" I had no idea where the confidence came from, and I didn't care.
It was hella gutsy for me to jab a finger in his face with every word, especially since he still had a gun in one hand.
But I refused to stand there and let him spew lies about my Adam.
"You know, I don't think you ever could stand me being happy, not even for a fucking second, and that's why you were always such a fucking abusive jerk to me.
You hated it when I smiled or laughed because it meant I was enjoying life and that you might lose control of me.
" Scoffing, I shook my head at him with a look of disbelief.
"You would say the most stupid things to break me down, but newsflash: I'm not that girl anymore. "
With the adrenaline coursing through my body like a river of lava, I worked up enough nerves to put my hands on James's chest and shove at him, making him stumble back a few more steps.
"What? Couldn't come up with some other stupid lie about Adam, so you decided that accusing him of being some career criminal was the way to go? "
Then, James did something that surprised me a bit.
Instead of aiming the gun back at me, he looked at me with disbelief and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me as if to wake me.
"Have I ever lied to you, though? Everything I've ever told you through the years has been true, hurtful, but true.
I know you think this stupid asshole may be your saving grace, but he's not all he's cracked up to be.
I mean, I'm a cop, and I know a criminal.
" His eyes pleaded with me to believe him, but I refused to.
"No." I vehemently shook my head, shoving him away.
"You've fed me so much shit throughout the past ten years that lies and truths just all fell into the same pile.
" Scoffing and laughing slightly like some madwoman, I looked at James in a new light, a new but bad light.
"Adam is a successful businessman, and you just can't stand that.
You can't stand that I've found someone so much better than you, someone who I truly love.
" Now, this might have been a bit much, but I was on a high.
"Un." Jab. "Like." Jab. "You." Instead of a finger jab with the last word, I firmly shoved him.
Yeah, I shouldn't have gotten so uppity because James instantly retaliated.
I was so high on my adrenaline, though, that I barely felt the sting when his hand lashed across my face.
Honestly, the loud and sharp slap that resonated through the air sounded more hurtful than the dulling ache against my reddening cheek.
This next hit, I felt, only because it was a fucking metal gun instead of his hand. "You bitch!" His body hid the ground with mine, and the wind was knocked out of me when his heavy one landed right on top of me.
"Get off me!" I shouted, thrashing as much as possible against him.
My legs kicked and bucked wildly like a panicked horse while my arms swung, and hands clawed at whatever they met. I didn't know whether it was my nails that tore or his flesh, but I pushed through the searing pain radiating from my hands as I grabbed and yanked handfuls of him.
Like hell would I go down without a fight this time. If he wanted to kill me, then I'd make damn sure I'd make a mess of him before I went.
Also, I hoped that if I made enough of a ruckus, then Adam or someone inside the house would take notice, and help would come my way.
Throwing my arms around his flailing one, I hugged it tightly against myself, anchoring him to me before biting down on his hand that held the gun. "Fucking bitch!" James howled in pain, punching my head with his other hand.
Despite the blows to my throbbing skull, I kept stubborn.
Even as the metallic taste of iron filled my mouth, I kept my jaws locked around his hand until I felt his tendons move and heard the clatter of the gun hitting the ground next to me.
Immediately, I let go of his arms and grabbed at his face, digging my thumbs into his eye sockets, causing him to cuss and scream in agony.
I expected him to retreat with the new injuries, but he kept on wailing at me blindly with his fists.
He didn't remove himself from me until he was forced to by a big flying boulder.
Okay, it wasn't an actual boulder, but with how fast and hard Bodie tackled James, the dog might as well be considered one.
While James was occupied with trying to pry the hound off him, I took the opportunity to snatch the gun up in a nanosecond and scramble to my feet.
" Mia rosa !" Adam's voice cut through my thrumming adrenaline haze so clearly, forcing my eyes to lock onto him.
Stuck in place with the gun raised in my hands, I stared at Adam and all the other shocked people gathered around the patio door.
"Darling," Adam started, taking tentative steps toward me with his hands held out.
"It's okay. I'm here, so lower the gun." His large, warm hand covered both of mine, pressing a little to urge me to lower the weapon.
"It's okay. You've done amazing already, and I'm sorry for not being there for you like I promised.
But I am now. So, please, let me handle the rest."
My heavy chest continued to heave with my drawn breaths as my wide eyes darted between James and Adam.
My vision faded in and out of focus while everything around me spun.
I felt so lightheaded with how my adrenaline died down in that instant.
Every sharp breath of fresh air felt like pins and needles to my lungs and made my head spin out of control.
Adam's chest puffed out before deflating with a sharp whistle. "Bodie, release! Come!" Surprisingly enough, Bodie obeyed instantly.
With sharp eyes, I watched Bodie release his bloody jaw from James's mangled-looking forearm and run back over to Adam's side, where he assumed a protective stance with his teeth bared.
Coughing briefly, James spat out a bloody glob onto the floor while glaring at me and Adam. "Oh please, bitch doesn't have the guts or skills to shoot me," James mocked me with a scoffing laugh.
"You shut up before I let her use you as target practice," Adam snapped back at him with a deep scowl.
James underestimating me ticked something off in me, making me straighten my arms out again to point the gun at him.
"I might not have the best aim, but I can damn well shoot you.
You, of all people, should know I can handle a gun, considering how you fucking taught me.
" Sneering, I scoffed to myself with a pathetic laugh.
"Or do you not remember teaching me the day you got accepted into the police academy?
You were so damn excited about it and handling a gun and shit that you took me out back to shoot at cans.
And since you were so adamant on me sharing in the joy, you stood right behind me the whole time, teaching and guiding me until I landed my first can. "
I don't know if James finally lost it or if I did somehow get through to him, but he looked at me with such a sad smile and longing eyes.
"You were so afraid of the noise. I had to pad the earmuffs to dampen the noise more, yet you still squealed and jumped at that first shot.
Nearly broke my nose, too, with the recoil.
" His distant chuckle made me smile forlornly in return.
What happened to us?
That's what I wanted to ask him, but we were far beyond that.
For once in a long time, James felt normal, like the man I fell for once upon a time. If I didn't know any better or had no dignity or self-respect, then I might actually fall back into the whole pit trap.
"Goodbye, James."
Closing my eyes, I flicked the safety of the gun…