18. Whitney
Whitney
“Where’s Ghost tonight?”
“He has a shift at the Vault tonight.”
“Oh.” Kay pressed her lips together, then asked, “Has he taken you there before?”
“No, not yet, but I’m sure he will at some point.”
“Mmmm.”
“It’s fine,” I assured her. “I’ve been to one before. Several times, in fact.”
“Oh, really?”
“I was much younger, and I was with several of my girlfriends.” I laughed as I told her, “We did all kinds of crazy things back then.”
It was nice having her here. With everything going on lately, we hadn’t had much time to sit and talk. Kay leaned back in her chair, and a playful smile tugged at her lips. “I had a few wild nights like that myself.”
“Oh yeah? Do tell.”
“No, I think that’s a story for another day.”
“Okay.” I adored Bridget, and I thought Jenna and Antonia were great. But there was something about Kay that I just loved. She was older and had this motherly way about her, but she wasn’t pretentious. She was just herself, and I loved talking to her. “Then, how about you tell me more about you and Preacher?”
“I was wondering when you’d ask about him.”
I giggled as I told her, “I was trying to be patient.”
“Hmmm, I don’t even know where to start.” She took a sip of her sweet tea, then continued, “First, you should know that Preacher wasn’t always the hard ass everyone sees now. Back when we were together, he had a romantic side. Not that you’d ever catch him admitting it.”
“No way.”
“Yes, way.” Kay let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “He used to do these little things that most people wouldn’t notice, but they meant everything to me.”
“Like what?”
“Well, there was this one time when we were out for a ride. It was just the two of us, and he took me to this little diner downtown. We grabbed a bite to eat, and when we were done, he handed me this little box with a ribbon wrapped around it. He didn’t say a word. He just handed it to me.”
“What was in it?”
“The key to his house.” She smiled. “He didn’t want to make a big deal of it, but that’s when I knew he really wanted something with me.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.”
She barely had a chance to catch her breath before she jumped into another story and then another. I loved hearing them all, but the last one got to me the most. And I could tell it was Kay’s favorite, too. “He didn’t do the whole flowers and chocolate thing. He’d made sure I knew that early on, so I was surprised when I woke up on Valentine’s Day and found a note on my pillow. All it said was, ‘ Meet me at the garage at nine.’ ”
“And did you?”
“Of course I did.” She giggled. “And when I got there, he had his bike parked out front, and he had tied a small picnic basket to the back. He took us out to this secluded spot by the lake, and we just spent the better part of the day there. It wasn’t anything fancy. Just the two of us, sitting by the water. It was simple, but it was everything.”
It was hard to imagine the man who always seemed so intense and no-nonsense being such a romantic. It clearly meant a great deal to Kay, so I had to ask, “Don’t you miss it?”
“More than I care to admit.”
“Then, why don’t you two try and work it out?”
“Things are different now. We’re older, wiser, and we both know our time has come and gone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Never say never.” She shrugged. “Either way, we have some pretty good memories and a son who makes us both very...”
Her words trailed off as her attention was drawn to the window. She squinted and looked at the ground like she was trying to hear something. “What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you say that Ghost had a shift at the Vault?”
“Yeah, it’ll be a couple of hours before he gets home. Why?”
“Nothing, I just thought I heard someone pull up in the driveway.”
“Oh, really?”
I stood, and I was about to go over to the window, when I heard a door shut and a muffled pop. And then another. I turned to Kay, and her eyes were wide, and the color was draining from her face. “What was that?”
“Those were gunshots!”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Shit.” Alarms started going off in my head, screaming at me to get the hell out of there, but there wasn’t any time. I had to make sure Kay was safe, and then I had to find Toby. I rushed over and opened the laundry room door, motioning for Kay to move. “You need to hide!”
“What about Toby?”
“I’ll get him. Go. Now!”
Kay nodded, then got up and rushed inside the laundry room. When I heard the door click behind her, I ran down the hall to Toby’s room. I opened the door and stepped inside, quickly locking it behind me. Toby jumped up from his bed and rushed over to me. His voice was barely above a whisper as he muttered, “Mom?”
“Someone’s here. I need you to get in your closet and...”
“Caaa-sey,” a man’s voice called out.
I knew who it was.
I knew that voice anywhere, but I didn’t need to hear it to know that it was Dylan. I knew the second I heard those gunshots that he was there.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
He was getting closer.
I didn’t want him to hear me, so I pointed over to the closet and urged Toby to get inside. Panic washed over him as he darted over and opened the door. I pushed his clothes to the side, making room for him to hide, and once he was in the far back, I moved the clothes back. I closed the door and prayed that Dylan wouldn’t find him.
I knew that was wishful thinking.
I was in his bedroom, and it was only a matter of time before he came through that door. And once he did, he would find us both. I stood there, listening as his footsteps grew closer. I could hear him opening one door after the next, all the while taunting, “Caa-sey. I know you’re here.”
He was getting closer.
I could feel it.
Time seemed to still when I heard him turn the doorknob. I knew then it was only a matter of time before we were face to face. “Ca-sey. I know you’re in there. Open the door.”
I didn’t move.
I couldn’t.
I was too terrified.
So, I just stood there and awaited my fate.
I heard a loud thud and then another. The door creaked and groaned, and after one last blow, it burst open, and Dylan came stumbling into the room with a gun in his hand. He looked awful.
Both of his eyes were dark, with old bruising beneath each. There were more bruises along his jaw that were turning a greenish-yellow, and his hair was oily and matted. His clothes were wrinkled and dirty, and his laces weren’t tied. He reeked of alcohol. It was odd. Dylan had always taken great care in his appearance, and even though he was wasted, it didn’t explain why it looked like he hadn’t bathed in days.
His dark, beady eyes fixed on me with an unsettling glare that sent a chill down my spine. “There’s my girl.”
“Dylan, what are you doing here?”
“I came to find you.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. I told you I would, and I always keep my word.”
He was right.
He’d told me he was coming for me, but I’d let myself forget. I’d gotten comfortable, let my guard down, and now, he was finally going to finish what he’d started. He stepped over to me and ran his knuckles down my cheek. “I missed this pretty face.”
“Please don’t do this.”
“This is you. All you.” His eyes were glassed over, and his hands were trembling. This was more than booze. He was on something. “I just wanted to love you and take care of you.”
“This isn’t love, Dylan. This is sick... You’re sick.” I kept my voice calm and steady as I told him, “You need help.”
I saw the anger flash through his eyes and knew what was coming even before I saw his hand moving towards my face. His palm connected with my cheek, causing my head to rear back, but I didn’t stumble or fall. I kept my footing and managed to look back at him, trying to appear unphased.
“I’m not scared of you, Dylan. I’m done being scared.”
“We’ll see about that.”
He pulled out a set of handcuffs, and I held my breath as he used them to secure my hands. It was hard to believe that I ever cared about this man. He was so cold and cruel. I hated being so close to him. And the stench of him brought bile to the back of my throat, and I had to turn my head and take a deep breath to keep from getting sick. “Where’s the kid?”
“He’s not here.”
“Don’t lie to me, Casey. You know I hate it when you lie.”
“I’m not lying, Dylan.” I swallowed, trying to stop my voice from shaking. “He’s staying at a friend’s house tonight.”
“Is that right?” He leaned down and looked under Toby’s bed, and when he didn’t find him there, he walked over and pulled the curtains back. Becoming frustrated, he turned to me and warned, “Tell me where he is, or I’m gonna hurt him when I find him. And I’m gonna hurt him bad.”
“He’s not...”
The closet door opened, and my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach when Toby stepped out and announced, “I’m here.”
“There he is!” Toby’s eyes darted over to me, and pure panic marked his face when Dylan slipped his arm around him. “You know, I’ve spent a long time looking for you and your momma.”
He took hold of Toby’s arm, then grabbed mine and tugged us out of the room and down the hall. “I’d almost given up on finding you until your mom’s boyfriend showed up at the house.”
Stunned, I looked up at him, and he snickered when he saw the surprised look on my face. “Oh, you didn’t know about that, huh?”
I glanced up at his face, and when I saw the bruises and scabs, I started piecing it together. Sutton’s hands and the bloody t-shirt. He’d gone to see Dylan while he was out on his run, and from the looks of it, he’d done a real number on him.
When we reached the living room, Dylan shoved me and Toby down on the sofa as he rambled on, “Well, your guy thought he was clever. He came late at night and parked down the street, but there’re cameras on every street, and I have access to every single one of them.”
He sounded so smug as he went on to tell me how he’d used the license plate to track Sutton down, because he knew he’d find me if he found him. I wasn’t exactly shocked that Sutton had gone to Dylan’s and beat the hell out of him. I’d seen the look in his eyes every time I had a nightmare or jumped at an unexpected noise. It was the same way when he looked at my scars.
Dylan went on to tell me that he’d watched the house for hours, waiting for his chance to come for us. Apparently, he spent most of that time with a bottle in his hand. “What do you want, Dylan?”
“I want what’s mine, and I’m here to take it.”
“Then, take it.”
I knew Zeke was outside. He would’ve been there to help if he could, so that had to mean something had stopped him. And there was only one thing that could’ve done that—the gunshots. I didn’t want to take a chance on Kay or Sutton or anyone else getting hurt, so I did the only thing I knew to do. I played into his insanity.
“We’ll go. We won’t fight you.”
“You really expect me to believe that?”
“I mean it, Dylan. No one has ever wanted me the way you do, and I haven’t done right by you. I’m really sorry for that.” Just saying the words made me sick to my stomach. I hated Dylan, and I hated the idea of even pretending to care about him. But I didn’t have a choice. “Just give me a chance to make it up to you.”
“You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?” His eyes narrowed. “After all the bullshit you’ve pulled?”
“Please, Dylan. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“There she goes with the begging again. You don’t get it!”
He reached down and grabbed me by the throat, squeezing tightly as he lifted me from the sofa and tossed me to the floor. The handcuffs dug into my skin and made it impossible to move. I could only lay there and watch as Dylan’s foot came toward me. It slammed into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me.
“You did this!”
He kicked me again, and I saw stars.
Trying to stop him, Toby jumped up and rammed into Dylan, trying with all his might to tackle him. He didn’t budge. He just stood there and laughed, “Nice try, kid.”
Toby balled his hand into a fist and tried hitting him, but Dylan grabbed his hand and twisted it, bringing Toby to his knees. He cried out in agony, “Ahhh, stop!”
“You gotta be a man to fight a man.”
Enraged, I leaned back and kicked Dylan in balls, and I kicked him hard. He dropped to the ground and bellowed, “You fucking cunt!”
He gasped and spat, and I knew this was my chance to get away. I rolled to my side and then to my knees. Once I was on my feet, I turned and whispered, “We gotta go.”
The words had barely left my mouth when I heard the click of his pistol. I turned and found the barrel aimed straight at my head. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”
Damn.