Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Helena’s free Saturday afternoon was spent in the bookstore, buckling down for her upcoming exam. As per Grayson’s rules, she was to study at least an hour a day even under his roof. Today, he was busy with clients and catching up on paperwork, so they agreed to give each other time and space until that evening, when she would come home to him.
It sounded natural to call his house her home. She rarely saw her apartment anymore, only going back to bring necessities to Grayson’s house and keeping her fridge cleaned out to avoid any spoiling.
She sent him a picture of herself with water. No more coffee and only to keep to one a day, according to her Daddy.
“That’s my girl.” His intervention about her water intake during the day and keeping tools in her car had been desperately needed. So even when not around, he was able to look after her needs.
As she wrote down notes and highlighted text, a large shadow swallowed up her table from her right. Inwardly, she groaned.
Not this again.
She lifted her head, ready to remark.
Her water bottle slipped from her fingers and her crossed legs went numb.
“I’ve been wondering where you went, pretty girl.”
Daniel flashed a toothy grin with his arms crossed.
Frozen and in panic, Helena’s mouth hung open. She couldn’t even blink.
“No hello for me?”
“No!” She scrambled and packed her belongings in her cross-body bag, nearly soaking her textbook with her water.
“Woah, easy there. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
One of his meaty hands found its way to her shoulder, but she slapped it away.
“Go away, Daniel!” she said through clenched teeth as she swayed through the tables. In the more open center of the bookstore, she tried to gain some traction in getting away from him. But he followed, his stride keeping up easily with her small, hastened footsteps.
“So, you aren’t happy to see Daddy?”
Helena wanted to gag when he called himself that.
As if he ever was.
“Don’t call yourself that. Don’t ever call yourself that again,” she hissed as she threw open the heavy door, hoping it would smack him in the face. When she reached out for the second door handle in the entryway, his hand beat her, keeping it closed.
“Let go, Daniel!” She used her shoulder to try and force the door open, but he held it with minimal effort.
“Going to have to do better to get away from me, pretty girl.”
“Don’t call me that! Leave me alone!”
“Not until we talk.”
“I have nothing to say!”
His jaw clenched as an older woman began approaching the door from the other side. He begrudgingly let her in, and Helena made a beeline to her car. Thankfully, several people needed to enter the store, and she bought that time to throw her things in the car like a sack of potatoes and climb in. She immediately locked the door and shakily turned the ignition.
“Breathe, breathe.” Helena fumbled for her phone in her bag, which of course had sunk all the way to the bottom.
“Grayson will know what to do.”
Like a scene from a suspense movie, Daniel appeared in her passenger window, knocking on it.
“Don’t you leave, Helena!”
“Go away!” She shifted gears and hit the gas, reversing with a cringe-worthy screech.
“Helena!”
She heard a loud bang as his foot connected with her bumper.
Fucker.
Speed limit be damned, she hightailed it through the parking lot, but got stuck at the red light at the intersection.
“Goddammit!” She hit the wheel, contemplating cutting a hard right through a gardened part of the store’s property. Her undercarriage would pay for it later, but this was an emergency.
In her rearview mirror she saw the nauseatingly familiar black van pulling up in the line of cars behind her.
This isn’t happening.
He’s going to follow me.
The light blessedly turned and she floored it. Only ten minutes to get home. Helena did her best to obey the speed limit but keep him a fair distance behind her.
Another red light. Looking back, he was only three cars behind her. If she focused hard enough, she could see him through his window, both hands at twelve o'clock and furious. He was even revving his engine.
She covered her mouth, ready to vomit.
Get home, get home.
Helena floored it again, winding through lanes as much as she legally could. She pulled her hair from her damp forehead, unsure of what to do or where to go.
She would never lead him to Grayson’s home, petrified he could severely injure him. Helena would never forgive herself if he was hurt because of her.
Her parents couldn’t be a good bet. What if Eddie was there with Emily?
No. She wouldn’t risk that either, not sure of just how crazed Daniel could get.
Home was the best bet if these people would just move out of the way.
Whispering an “I’m sorry,” she beeped on her horn, hoping people would get the hint and move out of her way.
Five minutes.
Tears began to blind and sting her vision. Helena wiped them away with her arm, praying she didn’t hit anyone.
“Please go away, please just leave me alone.” She pleaded with the reflection of his van in her mirror. Helena tried to will it to turn, slow down, get stuck at another red light. Anything to give her a head start.
Nothing. He maintained a steady but determined speed until he was right behind her.
Helena screamed and hit the steering wheel, making one final attempt to turn sharply into the very end of her complex. Maybe if she could move it, he’d get stuck behind someone trying to pull out and give her enough time to get in her apartment and call 911. She braked, not bothering to get everything, just her phone and keys. Helena stumbled in her flip flops and fell to the ground, scraping her knee. Daniel’s exhaust was mere seconds away. It was now or never. Ditching her footwear, she sprinted barefoot across her parking lot until she hit the breezeway.
Helena ducked behind the stairs directly under her apartment. So close.
No neighbors were out that she could ask to walk her in.
Minutes passed, and his van never made an appearance. Maybe he finally gave up.
She barely took a breath as her keys shook in her hand. Isolating her apartment key, she scanned her area every which way to determine if she was safe.
Her bare feet padded the wooden, creaky stairs as she almost crawled her way to her front door. Helena sniffled as her key finally unlocked it, and she bolted inside. Turning again swiftly to slam it closed, she felt resistance.
When she tried to push again, a hand found its way to her trim like a nightmare. Daniel stared down through the opening he had made himself in her door.
“Can I come in, girly?”
“Get away! Leave me alone!” she screeched, hoping someone would hear her. With her back to the door, she pushed with all her body weight to force him back, but he was too strong.
“Please stop, Daniel! Please!” Helena sobbed. He couldn’t get into her apartment, he just couldn’t.
“‘Please stop, Daniel.’ You know that’s not what you want.” He mimicked her, the way he used to.
Helena would spit right in his face for that.
“Yes, it is! I’m telling you to leave, I’m calling the police!”
Her phone had fallen to the floor just feet next to her.
Helena tried stretching to get it with her foot while keeping her back flush to the door.
“You call the police and I’ll make sure you regret it, you filthy whore.” Daniel began thrusting against the door with his shoulders, sending her flying several feet away from the door as he invaded her entryway.
“No! Get away!” Her phone slid across the floor, she crawled after it. Thankfully, it opened immediately to her texts with Grayson, and she typed a barely legible message through teary vision.
Helena backpedaled against the farthest wall from the door, putting as much space between them as she could.
“Daniel, please. You don’t want to do this! Just go!” Her throat unable to scream anymore, her plea came out in wracked sobs.
“Daddy’s home.”