14. Sweet Revenge of His
14
Sweet Revenge of His
P ublic parks were never high on Nicole’s list of places to hang out. The weather was never good. Insects flew everywhere. Too many families with loud children. Now she was going to use its many visitors to her advantage. It was Sunday, and she was meeting William in a neutral part of town while there was still daylight and people out.
Nicole sat on a bench, her knee bouncing up and down. The last time she could recall being this nervous was when she sat down to tell Kyle she was pregnant with Maya. She was 18 and on her own. She had gotten kicked out of her last home months prior. Pick-pocketing and stealing credit cards until she maxed them out allowed her to live in motels and eat semi-regularly.
She crashed frat parties to find marks. It was at one of those parties where she met Kyle. He caught her taking a girl’s credit card out of her unattended purse. Instead of ratting her out, he ditched the party to take her to a diner to eat. Their unofficial first date.
Their courtship was spent living out of motels and finding ways to make a quick buck. He made her feel important and protected, the way he always kept her close. He was the first man she fell in love with and remained the only. How he reacted after she told him she was pregnant solidified that.
They were 18 and broke. Their relationship was only a few months old, and neither of their parents were in the picture. Nicole was sure he was going to leave her and she wouldn’t have blamed him. Neither of them knew how to take care of another person. They barely knew how to take care of themselves.
But Nicole wanted the baby. It didn’t matter if Kyle left her because of her decision. She was going to go through with it. Her 18 years of living were spent almost always alone. This baby. Her baby. It would never leave her. Never abandon her. She would never be alone again.
Kyle proved her wrong that day in the motel. He didn’t leave or try to talk her into an abortion. He was as scared as she was, but he promised he would find a job to provide for them. A week later, they went to the courthouse and got married with rings from a pawnshop. Nicole thought she had found her forever person. Kyle would later prove her wrong again.
“I should really take a picture of this. Nicole Wright, or Taylor, or whatever the hell last name you’re using these days, is about to beg. I never thought I would see the day.” William chuckled as he sat down on the bench across from her.
“I wouldn’t say I’m begging,” Nicole corrected. “More like appealing.”
“Either way, it’s amusing. Unbecoming for you, yes, but amusing for me.”
“Get the hell up,” Nicole ordered. She went around to his side of the bench and motioned for him to stand.
When he finally did, he asked, “Now what?”
“Lift your shirt up.”
He laughed. “Oh, doll, did you miss me? What would your new husband think of this? ”
“Cut the shit, William. I want to see your chest and your sides.”
“Fine, if it makes you happy.”
He pulled his shirt up to his pecs. No wire. He turned, confirming it.
“Now, give me your phone.”
“That’s where I draw the line. You’ll break it or throw it in the pond.”
“Then show me you shutting it down.”
William shook his head, but pulled the phone out of his pocket. He held down the button until it went into complete darkness. “There, now can we sit down?”
She nodded, going back to her side of the bench. “We both know what the other one wants. Let’s find a way for us both to get it.”
“I would love to know what you think I want, but make your demands first.”
“How gentlemanly of you,” she mocked. “Leave my daughter alone. That’s not a demand or a request. That is a warning.”
“Why? Did the little actress finally realize I was following her?”
“She knew. She’s not stupid.”
“I beg to differ because she thought she could run off and have a life of her own without repercussions. Looks like she inherited your one braincell.”
“Well, I’m smart enough to know that you’re the only thing standing between us and a prison sentence.”
“You’re damn right. So what are you willing to do to get me to back off?”
Nicole caught his eye. She wanted to see his face when she offered it. “I’ll give you the evidence you need to have me arrested.”
“What are you talking about?”
“After our near arrest last year, I figured something like this would happen again. Whether it was you or another old mark, so I created a fail-safe. It’s a video of me confessing my crimes, including the ones I committed while you were my husband. It’s saved on an untraceable drive, ready for me to deliver at a moment’s notice.”
“You’re fucking with me. You would have to incriminate your daughter if you did what you’re saying.”
“True, but instead of making it sound like she was a willing participant, I tweaked it. Now it sounds like I forced her to do it. So if it ever reaches the police, I go down alone.”
William eyed her warily. “Show me.”
“No. That’s not how this works. You assure me you won’t continue stalking my daughter or try to implicate her in my crimes, then you’ll have it.”
“How am I supposed to assure you of that? For all you know, I could keep doing both things even after you’re in prison.”
“Why would you? You’ll be getting what you want. Me in jail.”
“I admit it, the image of you behind bars fills me with joy. But it’s not what I want. ”
“What more do you want, William?”
“I want the satisfaction of knowing you lost everything. Your freedom, your fortune, your family, and your friends. You’ll be left with nothing like you left me.”
“All this because I took half of your life savings?”
“God,” he let out a bitter laugh. “You don’t even realize how much your stunt took from me. You think this is because of money? If you haven’t noticed, I recuperated from the loss. What I didn’t recuperate was my reputation and relationships. Because you talked to the wives of my friends, the news spread to my inner circle. Everyone knew I tried to sleep with my step-daughter. My name got dragged through the mud by people who didn’t know me. The people who did wanted nothing to do with me. Friends and relatives dropped me like a bad habit. My own mom was so disgusted by me, she stopped speaking to me in the last years of her life.”
“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? I didn’t force you into bed with my daughter.”
“You set me up!” William exploded. He stopped himself, looking around. The few park goers either didn’t notice or care about his outburst. He took a deep breath and continued. “You stopped being the woman I loved once we got married.”
“You mean when I stopped sleeping with you.”
“You want to go with that line of thought? Fine. You stopped having sex with me, then paraded your daughter around in those skimpy clothes. What was I supposed to do?”
“Not fuck her, you asshole!”
“Yeah, well, too late for that now. You know, it wasn’t always like this. At the beginning of our relationship, we were a team. You were so strong-willed. I knew you were destined for more than that diner I discovered you in. I was glad to be a part of helping you reach your potential. We could have been great together. The money you stole from me? I would’ve given it to you. You wanted more? I would’ve robbed a bank for you. That’s how deep by the balls you had me. I was a goner. Until you changed everything I loved about you and became this.”
“I regret to inform you, William, but the woman you loved was a facade. A character I created designed for you. Everything you were attracted to, everything you fell in love with, was an act.”
“Not everything.” He leaned in closer, his breath warm on her ear. “You’re as strong and cunning as I remembered. Only now you aren’t hiding it under a layer of naivety. It would be a turn-on if I didn’t know what a full-on bitch you were. It’s really too bad. I would’ve much rather enjoyed screwing and ruling the world with you. Now I have to settle for ripping your world apart.”
Nicole’s eyes flashed over to his. “Whatever you’re planning is going to backfire. If you continue to stalk me and my daughter, I will report you.”
“To the police? Oh, that’s a riot. The con artist is going to the cops. I’m scared,” he mocked. “Get real, Nikki. You won’t go to them because like me, you have no proof. You aren’t the only one who can be meticulous. Accept that I’m here to stay. Not to put you behind bars, but to watch you and Maya suffer. I want you to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder. Thinking that every shadow you see, every whisper you hear, is me.”
“Keep your fail-safe. It’s useless to me.” William stood from the bench, casting a large shadow over Nicole. “You once told me I would regret ever meeting you. Here’s to returning the favor.”