Chapter 15 – Jennie
I wave to Chris and the deputy as they pull out of my driveway and head for David’s parents’ house. When they’re out of sight, I unlock the door and step inside.
And here he is.
David is seated at my kitchen table with Granny, drinking a cup of coffee like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Like he didn’t just attempt to burn down my diner. Dawn is standing across the kitchen from them, leaning against the counter.
My lungs seize up, and suddenly I can’t breathe.
I meet Dawn’s eyes—hers are wide with fear.
We stare at each other for a long moment, and I can only hope we’re on the same wavelength.
“Thanks for staying with Granny this morning,” I say, my voice impressively calm.
Totally nonchalant. “You should head on home now.”
She nods. “Sure. Anytime.” And then to Granny, she says, “I’ll see you Monday, Rosie.”
She says that like it’s any other day. Like it’s no big deal. We’re all just going to ignore the narcissistic monster seated at the kitchen table.
Dawn gathers her purse and crochet bag and calmly heads out the door. Without locking it.
Thank you, Dawn!
Dawn will call for help the moment she gets into her house, and Chris and his officers will come. In the meanwhile, I just need to keep David occupied.
“What are you doing here, David?” Miraculously, I manage to keep my voice even.
“Is it a crime for me to want to spend time with my favorite girls? With my family?” He reaches across the table for Granny’s hand and gives it an affectionate pat.
She pulls her hand back, lays it in her lap, and gives me a beseeching look. She’s scared. She never liked David, and she’s aware enough at the moment to know he shouldn’t be here.
She knows we’re in trouble.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I say, still managing to sound calm when I’m anything but inside. My pulse is racing. I’m literally shaking. “I’d like for you to leave.”
Mentally, I’m calculating how long it will take Chris to get here. Three minutes? Five? Ten?
David leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m not going anywhere, Jennie-bean.”
God, just hearing him use that nickname brings back a wave of painful memories. How many times did he whisper that in my ear when he was hurting me? “I told you not to call me that!”
“Why not?” He sounds truly perplexed. “I’m just being affectionate, sugar.”
“Trust me, there’s nothing affectionate about you.”
David’s face reddens as he shoots to his feet and stalks toward me.
I back up hastily until I hit the counter and can’t go any farther.
He crowds me, getting right in my face, his hands caging me in.
His hot breath hits me in the face when he grates out, “I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want to call you, Jennie-bean. Won’t I? And you’ll like it.”
I wince. This close, I can smell the alcohol on his breath. I think it’s whiskey. Now a dangerous man is even more dangerous. David becomes a real monster when he’s intoxicated.
He leans in closer and skims his nose along my cheek. “You’ll like it, won’t you, Jennie?”
He wraps his fingers round my throat, not enough to cut off my air, but enough to make his point. My voice shakes when I say, “Yes.”
He runs his nose up the side of my face and into my hair.
“God, you always smelled so good. That’s what I missed the most after you divorced me.
I missed smelling you.” One of his hands slides between my thighs, and he cups my crotch firmly.
“Every damn inch of you.” He growls. “God, I’ve missed you, beanie. ”
I feel nauseated—by his touch, by his nearness, and by his threats. And I’m not the only one who’s concerned. Granny’s afraid, too. I need to get him away from her.
My phone rings then, and we all flinch.
“Who’s that calling you?” David asks. He grabs my phone out of my back pocket and stares at the screen. “That fucking sheriff again!”
He accepts the call and puts the phone on speaker.
“He’s not at home, Jennie,” Chris says. “We’ll keep looking. In the meanwhile—”
“Chris, he’s—!” David grabs me in a choke hold and covers my mouth.
I hear Chris cry my name.
“Hello, Sheriff,” David says, sounding perfectly at ease. “I imagine you’re looking for me right about now.”
“Braggart, I swear to God, if you hurt—”
David ends the call. “That moron thinks he’s God’s gift to the world.
Well, let me tell you, he’s not.” He leans in to kiss me, and when I try to push him back, he tightens his grasp on my throat, squeezing nearly hard enough to cut off my air.
“We don’t have much time, J-bean. It looks like the cavalry’s on its way. ”
I don’t want Granny to see this, so I manage to rasp out, “Let’s go in the other room.”
Apparently, he likes this suggestion because he releases my throat. “Good idea.”
As he pushes me out of the kitchen, into the hallway, I frantically try to decide what I should do. I need to keep him away from Granny. I also need to stall him until the police get here.
I’m not surprised when he herds me into my bedroom and shuts the door. He glances around. “This hasn’t changed much since the last time we fucked in here. I figure we have just enough time for a quickie before all hell breaks loose. Won’t your sheriff just love that? You, full of my cum?”
As I stare at the gleam in his eyes, a frisson of fear streaks down my spine. He’s not a narcissist. He’s insane.
I back away from him, toward the window, hoping I might catch a glimpse of police cars arriving. I just need to stall. “We’re not having sex, David, so you can put that thought right out of your head.”
He laughs. “Remember how I had to gag you when we fucked in here, so your grandparents didn’t hear us?” Smirking, he shakes his head. “It wasn’t easy keeping you quiet, sugar, because you are a screamer.”
Something sour shoots up into my throat.
I swear to God, if he lays one finger on me, I’ll throw up.
If I screamed before, it wasn’t from pleasure.
It was from pain, because he liked hurting me.
“David, I’m begging you, please go. There’s nothing left for us.
We’re through, and I’m never taking you back. ”
His smile disintegrates. “We never should have divorced in the first place. I’ve come back to rectify things. We’re going to get married again, you’re going to liquidate everything, and we’re leaving this God-forsaken town once and for all. I’ve got a place in Vegas—”
“You just want my money. That’s what this is about.”
“It should be my money, sugar. The inheritance you got from the old man, the diner, this house—this should be mine.”
“The house and the diner don’t even belong to me. They’re Granny’s.”
“They’ll be yours one day, and based on Granny’s condition, that won’t be long from now. Besides, if you ask her nicely, I’m sure she’ll be happy to sign everything over to you.”
“If it’s money you want, I’ll pay you to leave and never come back. How much will it take? I’ve got my inheritance from Grandpa—”
When I hear the muffled sound of a car door shutting, my heart stutters. Are they here?
David must have heard it, too, because he rushes to the window and looks out at the street. We don’t see any cars, but then we hear another car door, and another.
“Looks like your boyfriend’s here.” He growls at me. “This isn’t over, Jennie.”
He has to realize what’s about to happen. Out of spite, he pushes me up against the wall, grabs my wrists, and holds them captive above my head. His free hand slides up beneath my top, and he grabs one of my breasts.
When I try to pull free, he squeezes my breast hard, making me cry out in pain. He crushes his mouth to mine, muffling my cries, nearly gagging me with his tongue.
My bedroom door bursts open, and men flood inside, shouting demands. Two pairs of hands yank David off of me and throw him face down on the floor. A separate pair of hands catches me when my knees give out.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” Chris says. He helps me to my feet and walks me out of the room and down the hall to the living room, where he sits me down on the sofa. I’m shaking violently as my mind tries to catch up.
The sound of utter chaos comes from my bedroom—shouts and grunts and scuffles—as the officers fight to subdue and cuff David.
“Where’s Granny?” I cry, panicking. “Is she—”
“She’s in her room with an officer. She’s safe. Are you all right?” Chris sits beside me and takes my hands in both of his, squeezing them reassuringly. “Jennie, did he hurt you?”
Overwhelmed, I can’t formulate an answer. Instead, I burst into tears.
Chris pulls me against him, wrapping both of his arms around me. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, and he’s going to jail.”
I feel Chris’s arms around me, so solid and strong. I feel his lips press against my temple, so very welcome, as he murmurs something unintelligible.
It takes me a full minute to realize it’s his arms that are shaking, not mine.
“You’re still not wearing your sling,” I remind him.
His chest vibrates as he chuckles. “I know. It just doesn’t seem important right now.”