Chapter 4
Rosalie
“You look beautiful in that dress, Rosalie,” Scott says, making me smile as I step into the kitchen.
“It really accentuates your curves.” He reaches out and caresses my cheek before his hand runs down my front, stopping to squeeze a breast before his hand moves to my hip.
“Some more than others,” he says with a cruel smirk.
My smile fades, and I frown at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
His fingers dig into my skin harder, as if he’s trying to squeeze my excess fat. “Ouch! Scott, you’re hurting me!”
“And it hurts me to see you’ve put on weight since we met.”
“You know it’s been hard since my mom passed,” I say, trying to pull his hand off of me.
“That was a year ago. It’s time you started taking care of yourself.” My eyes grow glossy at his words. I’d probably gained twenty pounds since I met him, but I didn’t think it was that noticeable. Apparently, I was wrong.
“You want to make me happy, don’t you?” he asks, his hands moving to grip my biceps tightly as he stares down at me, his hazel eyes boring their way into my soul.
“Of course,” I reply, trying not to tremble from fear.
“I don’t want you to end up in the nuthouse again.” My eyes widen in fear.
“I’m not crazy!”
“Shut up! Raise your voice to me again and I’ll kill you.”
“What?!?” I ask in alarm, trying to take a step back, but the room blurs around us until we’re no longer in our kitchen. Now we’re in the bus station parking lot.
Scott’s fist connects with my face, making my head whip to the side as agony shoots through my eye. I start to fall, but his hands wrap around my neck, holding me up by my throat as I try to regain my footing.
“If you don’t come back with me, I’ll kill you,” he spits angrily into my face.
The scene around us changes again to my room. I’m lying on my back on the tiny mattress as he kneels on top of me, but the strangling doesn’t stop, and I try to scream as my fingers claw at his hands.
“It’s no use running, Rosalie. Remember, wherever you go.” He bends closer, whispering the last part in my ear. “I’ll find you.”
I gasp, sitting upright in my bed as my hands fly to my throat.
I can still feel the phantom pain there of Scott squeezing the life out of me.
That wasn’t the first dream I’ve had like that.
They are often a mix of memories and fears, blending so seamlessly together that I sometimes can’t remember which parts actually happened.
If it weren’t for the bruises on my neck, ribs and face, I would wonder if he’d actually found me in that bus station less than two weeks ago.
I didn’t actually think he would follow me. In my mind, he had no reason to. But on the fourth day of running, he found me at the bus station. He dragged me out to the parking lot, and when I saw his car, I freaked out. I didn’t want to go back with him; I couldn’t.
So I fought back. But I’m only five foot three, and although I’m not tiny by any means, I wasn’t strong.
Definitely not stronger than him. So he took his anger out on me, right there in the parking lot.
If it weren’t for a couple of good Samaritans, Scott would have dragged me back to his car and brought me home with him.
When I reflect back on it, I realized how out of control he really was at that moment. If he had just put me in the car first, he could have kidnapped me and gotten away with it before they arrived. But instead he stopped to try and beat me into submission. Or was he actually trying to kill me?
He’s probably never heard anyone say no to him before. He’s charming and attractive, or at least I used to think so. Now all I see is the evil hiding beneath.
The couple who intervened tried to call 9-1-1, but I begged them not to and jumped on the first bus that came in.
After that, I got rid of my phone, worried he’d been able to trace it, and I stopped taking out money in case that was how he found me.
I didn’t have much left in my bank account, anyway.
My job as a marketing specialist paid decently, but I had bills to pay and didn’t have any savings. Although Scott and I had been living together for six months, we split the bills fifty-fifty. Which was easier for him since he had a much higher income than me.
I, on the other hand… I was living paycheck to paycheck. I had a small inheritance of ten grand after both my parents passed, but it didn’t go far. It was gone within a few months.
Speaking of money, I glance at my clock, one of my few purchases from the secondhand store, seven a.m.
Deciding it’s time to get up, I grab my toiletries and head for the communal bathroom, praying is empty and I can shower before anyone comes in.
An hour later and I’m heading towards my new job. I don’t have any other clothes, so I’m wearing the same worn jeans and black hoodie from yesterday. But I have no other option. The t-shirt I sleep in is huge and no better than what I’m wearing now, and I have only ten dollars left in cash.
I had another dry ham sandwich for breakfast and decided to just wait until I get home to eat again. It wouldn’t kill me to skip lunch. My mind wanders to how Scott would encourage me to skip meals, and my body shivers with unease.
I pull my hood up and glance around as the feeling of being watched skates over my skin. I don’t see anyone looking my way so I try to calm myself down. Scott wouldn’t stalk me anyway. If he saw me, he’d just grab me and shove me in his car… or beat me to death.
My hand wraps around the small switchblade in my pocket as I try to reassure myself that that isn’t going to happen. Scott had a job, a pretty important one that he loved. He couldn’t just take weeks off to track me around the country. I’m not even in the same state anymore.
By the time I reach Iron Oaks, I feel on edge. It’s not exactly how I want to start my first day at work, but I’d rather be inside there than standing around out in the cold.
I step inside, but don’t see anyone. Not even any clients.
The music is playing softly overhead, and I start to walk towards the back, my head swiveling back and forth, trying to find one of the owners.
When I reach the back where the self-defense class had been, with no sign of anyone, I call out, “Hello?”
I hear a couple of footsteps, and Grant steps out from a doorway at the back I had missed. “Clara! You’re early. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”
I wasn’t sure what the time was as I had no phone or watch, so I take a quick glance around and see a clock on the wall above the mirrors in the open space. Eight forty-five. Only fifteen minutes early then.
“Sorry, I wasn't sure where to go.”
“No apologies needed. Would you like to come back here and I’ll show you around?” I nod and make my way over to him. He gestures into the doorway and places his hand on my lower back to guide me through.
His touch is reassuring and somehow eases something in me as I glance at the short hallway.
“This is the staff room, feel free to use it whenever you like.” I peek in and see a kitchenette, a small table with four chairs and a few lockers for storage.
“You can hang your jacket and bag in one of those lockers.” I shrug off my coat and hang both of them in the middle locker before following him back out into the hall.
“This is the staff bathroom. There is one for customers in the back corner near the class space.” The bathroom is a simple room with a toilet and sink.
“And this is the office.” He uses his hand on my back to guide me into the room, and I slowly look around. There’s a large desk with a computer on it and a small couch opposite it. I see a couple of filing cabinets on the back wall and not much else.
“Who does your bookkeeping?” I ask when I see some invoices on the desk.
“I do, I was paying some bills when you came in.”
“Did you want me to handle that, too?” I ask, turning to look up at him.
His storm-gray eyes look at me in surprise. “You know how to do that?”
I nod. “Yeah. I didn’t at my last job, but I have a business degree. I know how to do it. Only if it’s something you need me to do, though. But it will help me to come up with a proper business plan for you, if I have a real picture of your expenses.”
“I think I have that all taken care of, but thanks for the offer. I can share my spreadsheets with you, though. It shows all our expenses and profits, and should tell you everything you need to know.”
“Oh, that’s great! I can come up with a plan much quicker then.”
“You know, I really appreciate you offering to help us, Clara.”
I press my lips together to fight my smile. I was pretty sure they offered this job for my benefit, not theirs. But that didn’t matter; I was going to do a damn good job, regardless. I could see potential here, and taking it from drab to fab could be fun. I just hoped they were open to change.
“I appreciate you taking a chance on me,” I tell him with a smile.
He smiles back, then clears his throat and gestures to the desk. “There’s an employment form on the corner of the desk there for you, if you can fill it out by the end of the day?”
“Yes, of course.” I almost ask about not having a social security number but hold my tongue, deciding to look over the form first.
“Do you want me to show you the spreadsheets?”
“Actually, I’d like to look around on my own for a while, if that’s okay?”
“I can show you, if you like?”
I shake my head. “No, I want to take it all from the view of someone new to the gym. Do you have a clipboard and some paper I can use to take notes?”
“Yeah, I should have something in here,” he says, pulling open a desk drawer and rummaging through it.
Eventually, he pulls out a clipboard, a notepad and a pen for me.
“Alright, well I’ll be in here for a bit, then I’ll be out of the floor if you need anything. Leo and Asher should be in soon, too.”
“Thanks, Grant. Try to forget I’m here; I want to observe you three as well.
” His eyebrows rise in question. “I want to see what you do here, how you interact with people, things like that.
Little things like how employees dress and speak is a representation of the brand.
Anyway, I've said too much; forget that for now,” I say waving my arm as if I can erase my words.
He chuckles as he takes a seat at the desk. “I understand; just shout if you have any questions.”
“Will do,” I give him an awkward wave then turn and head back into the gym.
I stop at the edge of the machines and gaze around at the large gym.
“Alright, where do I start?”