Chapter 53
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
SERENA
A fter spending the morning doing my best to convince Dom of my acceptance of the situation (which included giving him a blowjob where I had to fight the urge to puke) he finally says the words I’ve been waiting to hear.
“Go get dressed, Kitten. Let’s go pick up Laura.” His mood is drastically different from the broody bastard who brought me home last night. He seems relaxed again. I guess face-fucking your fiancée will loosen the tension in even the biggest assholes.
I don’t hesitate, afraid to give him a chance to change his mind. I run upstairs, grab a change of clothes and lock myself into the en suite bathroom, where I stashed the phone. Turning the phone on, I send a quick text to Arianna.
Me: Dom is taking me to Mom. I’m sharing my location just in case.
Me: I’ll text when I have her back.
Making sure the phone is on silent, I shove it into the back pocket of my jeans before pulling on one of Dom’s oversized hoodies, hiding it from view. I’m hoping seeing me in his clothes will keep him placated. Right now, he’s a sleeping lion satisfied by a recent kill, and I’m just a zebra, trying not to make any sudden moves that will trigger his prey drive.
In his car, he keeps his hand clamped possessively on my thigh, a slight, satisfied smirk turning up the corner of his mouth. I watch the route he takes carefully, trying to memorize it in case I need to find this location in the future. Eventually when he turns off the main road and begins to drive into the mountains, I realize he’s taking us to the cabin where we spent the weekend together. We are driving there in the daytime this time around, and the weather is clear. It’s easier for me to keep track of the turns and side roads he takes as we make our way up the mountain, closer to where he is keeping my mom. My body hums in anticipation, my desperation to see her and make sure she’s okay thrumming through me.
It's all I can do to resist the urge to jump out of the car before he has it parked, my need to see my mom hitting critical mass. I fling the door open as soon as the car is stopped, but he grabs my arm, stopping me from my hasty exit.
“Kitten, look at me.” The command freezes me in place. With one hand he grabs my chin, turning me to face him, making sure he has my full attention.
“As far as your mom is concerned, I brought her up here so we can have a relaxing getaway together as a family. I had to pick you up from your little rendezvous with Kai. You will not give her any indication anything is wrong between us, do you understand?”
I try to swallow, but my mouth is dry. I nod my head but he pinches my chin harder between his thumb and forefinger.
“Let me hear you understand. Believe me, Kitten, I have no problem leaving her here to fend for herself while I take you back home to teach you a lesson.” His eyes are so dark, they’re almost black. The kind of dark gray you only see in the middle of storm clouds right before a tornado siren blares its warning.
“I understand.”
He smirks, then pulls me in for a kiss. I don’t resist. I let him drink from my lips and take his fill. I’m so close to my goal of reuniting with my mother, I will not jeopardize it.
We exit the car, me trailing behind him as we walk up the dirt path to the front, my hands nervously clenching and unclenching at my side. Dom unlocks the front door, walking in first and announcing his presence. “Hey, Laura, I’m back. Look who I—” Something long and black comes from behind the door and smashes into the back of Dominick’s head with a sickening crack. He crumples lifelessly to the floor, his body landing with a loud thud. I can’t stop the scream that escapes from me as I watch it happen.
My mouth hangs open, my eyes bugging out in shock as I watch blood seep from the wound on his head into a puddle on the floor. When I manage to drag my eyes from the gruesome scene in front of me, I see Mom standing over him, her chest heaving from exertion, a heavy black fireplace poker hanging from her right hand. She used to play softball in college and even got her team to the state championships a few times. I know she put everything she had into the swing that took Dom down.
When our eyes meet, Mom drops her weapon and rushes over to me, wrapping me up in the most comforting hug. “Oh, Sweet Pea, you’re okay. I was so scared for you.” She peppers kisses along my forehead and cheeks as she checks me over. My eyes are busy scanning over her, doing the same thing. Once assured that we are both whole and unharmed, we pull apart but keep our hands linked as we stare down at Dom’s lifeless form.
“Is…is he…” I can’t seem to choke out the word getting caught in my throat. The idea that Mom might’ve killed Dom causes my stomach to twist into knots. Without letting go of my hand, she cautiously creeps closer to him, squatting down so she can feel for his pulse. When she shakes her head, I let out the breath I was holding.
“He has a pulse.”
Relief floods my system at her words. As much as I hate him for what he’s done to me, death is too good for him. He deserves to be punished for his actions.
“How…how did you know he was dangerous?” My brain finally catches up to the fact that Mom was waiting for him, ready to attack. Those weren’t the actions of a forgetful woman who thought she was on a family getaway.
“When I spoke to Kai, he told me to write down our conversation. I did and kept it with me so I could re-read it as much as possible. When Dom came and got me, I knew something was wrong. He was cagey. Like he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to. I…I thought he was going to bring me to you, but when he left me here alone—without a way to call for help—I knew something was wrong. I didn’t want to leave and risk getting confused and lost, so I began snooping. Then…then I saw the cameras.”
Cameras? What cameras? She sees the confusion on my face and keeps talking.
“I was trying to see if I could find a landline phone or something. Instead I found cameras planted all over this place. There’s a laptop, but it doesn’t have internet access. It’s just linked to the cameras, storing their footage. Sweetie…I saw footage from the weekend you were here with him. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“That he pressured you into having sex after you realized you forgot your birth control. I saw how he pushed past all your boundaries and ignored your objections. I also saw where he told you to stop being friends with Kai. Sweet Pea, that is abuse. He was manipulating you.” Tears shine in my mom’s eyes, and I feel the sudden need to vomit at the idea of her watching the debauched things Dom did to me in this cabin. A low groan from Dom’s prone form pulls our attention to him.
“We’ll finish this conversation later. We have to call for help. We can’t let him die.” I pull the phone out of my pocket, ready to call 911, but Mom puts her hand on mine, stopping me.
“Are you sure you want to help him?”
I hesitate, considering her question. No. Not even a little bit. He doesn’t deserve our help, but I also won’t let my mom become a murderer. I won’t let her ruin her life for him.
“No, I don’t want to help him. But I also don’t want you going to jail for his murder. Come on, let’s go wait in the car until help gets here. If he tries anything, we will leave, and he can save his own damn self.”
Once safely locked inside Dom’s car, I dial 911 on speaker.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“We need help. My…my fiancé has been hit in the head, and he’s unconscious. He’s bleeding and not moving.” The tears that choke up my voice are real, but I’m not sad about Dom. I’m crying because I can’t believe this nightmare might finally be over.