15. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Ali
“This is crazy,” I say, looking around at the small number of moving boxes that litter the floor of Reed’s living room. Two years ago, I would have thought that I was making a mistake or that I had lost my fucking mind. Moving in with Reed doesn’t feel wrong, crazy yes but not wrong. I guess the universe agrees with me because thirty minutes after Reed left, I received an email from the new owners of my apartment complex. They are buying everyone out of their lease and tearing the place down. Which is good because the building should have been condemned long ago, but I feel bad for the handful of people living there. That is until I see the payment the owners are giving us. Three thousand dollars. Also they are offering to pay six months’ rent for our new accommodation.
I sent back a reply thanking them for their offer. I’ll take the three thousand, but I refuse the offer to pay my rent for six months. I don’t think Reed would take it well if I offered to pay him. I pick up the box-marked toys and head upstairs. I will have to figure out a couple of toddler beds for the boys, but I can pick a room for them in the meantime. Grandmama said she would bring them over later, and I want them to have a place to play. I choose the room closest to the master bedroom. Once I’m done setting up the small number of toys, I start washing all our clothes. I’ve been washing them in the sink, so they never truly got clean in almost a month. After throwing the first load in, a ringing noise comes from the box beside the front door.
Shutting the door to the laundry room, I rush to the box and hit the flashing red button. “Yes?” I say, because I don’t know what else to say. I’ve never had a gate whose sole purpose is keeping someone from coming onto the property. I let the button go and wait for something, hoping I’m doing this correctly.
“I have a delivery for Mr. Black,” a male voice comes through the speaker.
Reed said something about having things delivered to the house, so I think nothing of it before pushing the button and saying, “Of course. Let me figure out how to let you in.” I think about texting Reed to ask for directions, but I see a switch below the button labeled gate, so I take a chance and push it.
“Thanks. See you in a second,” the male says, so I assume I did the right thing.
I hear the sound of tires coming up the drive and, at the last second, start to worry. What if this is who is stalking me? I push that thought from my mind because no one knows where I am. But to be certain, I pull my phone out of my pocket and type a message to Reed.
Me
Hey, were you expecting a delivery this morning?
No reply comes, nor does the delivered text below the message change to read before a knock comes from the door. I slip my phone back into my pocket and try to ignore the nagging thought that I fucked up. I unlock the door but keep the chain engaged. The crack in the door gives me enough space to see the delivery driver. His head is down, I assume, checking his paperwork. “You can leave it on the porch. Thank you,” I say, holding my hand out for the paperwork.
“That’s not going to be possible. Kate,” the man says, and my heart stops working. I pull my hand back as the man raises his head. A scream comes from me that leaves my throat raw. I slam the door shut and stumble back. He’s here. He found me, and I fucking let him past the gate. Dennis is here, and I have to find my gun.
I race into the living room and start opening boxes. I only get the first one open when the sound of wood splitting fills the room, and I scream again. I turn around and see Dennis standing behind me, but he isn’t alone. Next to him is the boy from my writing class that Reed kicked out, Dean. “Now, that wasn’t very nice of you, was it,” Dennis says, scratching his chin.
My stomach rolls, looking at his hands as my mind tries to assault me with images of what those hands did to me. I look around for a way out or a weapon but see nothing. They are blocking the only way out besides the window, which is shut. As for weapons, the only thing here is lamps, but they are too far away. I step back, and my feet hit the raised platform of the fireplace. My hands, which I have behind my back to keep them from seeing how badly they are shaking, hit something. I feel a handle and remember the tools there. The same tools I was worried about the boys finding and hurting each other with. I grip one of the handles and try to quietly slide it from the holder.
“What do you want?” I ask loudly enough to cover the noise coming from behind me.
“Well, that’s easy, of course,” Dennis says, stepping closer.
I finally managed to get the tool out and move to the right, trying to keep as much space between us as possible. My heart is racing, my legs are unstable, but I try to act as if nothing is wrong. “I’ve kept my mouth shut about what you did to me,” I say calmly, hoping he will see reason even though I know it’s not possible.
“Oh, now that’s not true, is it?” Dennis asks in a deep tone that sends shivers up my spine. “You told someone and that someone took my brother away from me for good.”
I shake my head, confused by the word brother. I didn’t know Dennis had a brother or what said brother has to do with me. “What are you talking about?” I flick my eyes to Dean, who is still standing in the doorway, watching all this unfold. “Dean, why are you doing this?” Dennis has his reason and no matter what I say won’t stop but maybe I can convince Dean to let me go.
“Ah, my motive is simpler than his,” he points toward Dennis. “See, I can’t stand Reed Black. So when I was approached by a guy offering me five grand just to help him track down a whore, I told him I would think about it but then he told me that you were with Reed and well that made my decision easier. I was also told I could have a little fun in the process.” His eyes land on my chest, and my stomach sinks, bile works its way up my throat. I know what he means, but I will die before I let anyone touch me like that again.
“Yes. See, it was my brother who found you. You might have changed your name, moved away, and tried to stay off the radar. But you slipped up. It took him longer to find your mistake, but he found it.” Dennis throws his head back and laughs. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard to my ears and I lock my muscles up so not to flinch.
I take the opportunity of his eyes being on the ceiling to move closer to the doorway. Dennis is a big guy, bigger than Dean. He stands a little over six feet and weighs nearly two hundred and fifty pounds, while Dean is closer to my height and lacks muscle. I figure if I use all my strength, I can hit Dean hard enough to get away. The plan is simple: run through the dining room, out the kitchen, and through the back door. I can get lost in the woods behind Reed’s house. I just have to draw Dennis into the room more.
“What mistake?” I ask, bringing his attention back to me.
When he sees that I’ve moved, he does exactly what I want him to do. “You stupid bitch. They publish births in the paper around these parts. So when my brother stumbled across an old news article last month about a young eighteen-year-old girl giving birth to twin boys, he would have thought nothing of it if there wasn’t a picture. There you were, smiling at a camera, holding the boys. So he started to plan, but because of your big mouth, he was killed.” Dennis’s voice grows until he is yelling.
“I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even know you had a brother, Dennis,” I yell back.
Dennis’s brown eyes darken, and a sinister smile spreads. “Oh, you foolish girl. I’m not Dennis. No, Dennis is dead.” He points to his chest. “I’m Linus. His twin brother and the one who will take everything from you like you did to me.”
Everything moves in slow motion. Linus lunges toward me, but I kick the couch into his knees. When he stumbles, I run toward Dean, and with as much strength as possible, I hit him in the head with the tool behind my back. Turns out it is the poker, and when it connects with Dean’s head, the pointy end stabs him. I don’t stick around to see what happens next; I run like I’ve never run before. I make it to the kitchen before I hear a shoe hitting the floor behind me. I throw open the back door and dash off into the woods. What the fuck am I going to do now? I think as I’m swallowed up by the shadows of the trees.