Chapter 15 #2
And I know from experience that’s not something easily done.
We sit on the bench, trying our best to be inconspicuous, but I can’t shake the feeling of being watched. Jupiter will appear soon. She’s just waiting and watching, as always.
Kit interlaces his fingers through mine, sensing my anxiety.
His phone rings, but he ends the call. He seems to be doing that a lot lately. I wonder why. But I can ask later because when two girls walk toward us with their eyes downcast, I know without a doubt that these are Jack’s victims.
Although gossip often circulates in a town like ours, these women are telling the truth.
I know that look—I’ve lived it.
“Hi, Caitlin. Marla. This is Hallie.”
The girls nod.
Marla’s blonde hair is styled in a pixie cut. Caitlin has long brown hair. They are slender and short. It sickens me that Jack overpowered them both physically and mentally. They knew no one would believe them if they reported it.
But now, maybe there’s hope for us all.
“Let’s walk,” I suggest, breaking the ice.
Meeting in a public place is the obvious choice, which is why Kit and I chose the botanical gardens. We’re just like everybody else, enjoying a beautiful, warm day.
Marla wears a hoodie, regardless of the humidity, which speaks volumes to me. There’s no point in small talk. We’re not here for that.
“Marla, I’m guessing your encounter with Jack happened recently?”
Her blue eyes widen in surprise. But she confirms my suspicions when she nods.
“But you, Caitlin, you seem a little more pissed off.”
Caitlin scoffs, instantly going on the defensive, folding her arms across her chest and not saying a word.
“You’ve had time to think about what was done to you. Am I right?”
Caitlin eventually nods. I like her spunk.
“Marla, you’re grieving your innocence, while Caitlin, you want to watch Jack get eaten alive.”
It’s the first time I’m seeing any emotion from Caitlin.
Kit doesn’t speak.
“I understand how you’re feeling because I felt everything too. I still do. One day, I’m sad. On another, I’m angered by what was taken from me. But most of the time, I feel fucking insane,” I confess.
The girls listen closely.
“I don’t need to hear your story. I know that you’re telling the truth.
What do you gain from lying? It’s not like you can tell anyone what happened.
I mean, who would believe us, right? For years, I never knew who my attackers were.
They blinded me and then took turns humiliating me, treating me like I was nothing.
“Only recently, I found out that one of those assholes was Jack Bloom.”
Kit’s hand is still in mine. He squeezes it gently, a reassuring touch.
Neither girl offers sympathy as they know I don’t want it. None of us does. We just want to be heard.
And now is their chance.
It’s our chance.
“Together, we have the chance to expose him for the depraved asshole that he is. One confession is merely a whisper. But two, three, ten? Now, that’s a movement. We can’t do this without the other.
“I know it’s scary going up against the Blooms, but we can do this.”
“No one will believe us,” says Caitlin. “No matter how many of us come forward. The Blooms are invincible.”
I understand her concerns. We’ve all thought the same. But they’ll soon change their mind.
“Rebecca Bloom will change that.”
Both girls turn quickly to look at me. They don’t need to say a word. Their horror is clear.
“Rebecca was the one who organized my gang rape. I was to be her little brother’s ‘coming home’ present because he wanted to lose his virginity. But she did it as revenge for my standing up to her. Unlike most, I didn’t kiss the ground she walked on. And this is the price I paid.
“This can’t happen to another woman. We are the movement. But I can’t do it alone. I need you. I need you all.”
“How is Rebecca going to change things?” asks Marla, pulling down her sleeves to cover her hands.
“We’re going to give Jack an option. We tell the authorities and the media—we run a town meeting and tell anyone who will listen what he did.
Or he can turn on Rebecca and reveal what a fucking horrible human being she is.
He’ll save himself by doing that and offer us a bribe for our silence.
What you choose to do about it is up to you.
“But don’t worry, once Rebecca gets her karma, so will he. That’s when we all come together and let the townsfolk know he’s just as rotten as his sister. I know this is selfish on my behalf because I need your confessions to bribe him, but I promise, he will get what’s coming to him too.
“Whatever you decide, it’s your choice. I’m just thankful you gave me the opportunity to hear me out.”
There’s not much more I can say. The decision is theirs. And I’ll accept whatever they decide.
I’m relying on a bunch of women I don’t even know to put their necks on the line for me. Without them, I don’t have a case. But I hope that perhaps our experiences will band us together and they’ll help, knowing I’ll do the same for them.
We walk in silence, but between us are a thousand different thoughts.
“I’ll do it,” says Marla after a few minutes.
My shoulders drop in relief. “Thank you.”
Caitlin, however, shakes her head and comes to a stop. “I’m sorry for what you went through, but I don’t want to relive what happened only for no one to believe me. Your plan is solid, as you’re right, Jack will turn on Rebecca to save his own ass.
“But the Blooms are fucking royalty here. They’ll know someone who knows someone…”
“I understand. I’m here if you need anything.”
Caitlin looks disappointed in herself. “I’m really sorry. I wish things were different for us all. Good luck. You’ll need it.”
Both girls leave together while Kit sighs beside me as we watch them walk away. “I’m sorry, Hallie. Not the outcome we wanted.”
But I shake my head. “If we can give one of those women a voice, then I see that as a win.”
He draws me into his side, kissing the top of my head. “You’re incredible. It’s because of you they have a voice again.”
“No,” I reply, savoring his scent. “It’s because of themselves and their courage. I’m just their cheerleader.”
And I mean every word.
We walk hand in hand, both reflecting.
Suddenly, a thought occurs to me, something I’ve wanted to ask for years. “The night you dropped me home, why did you tell my aunt it was your fault I was late? You didn’t even know me.”
“I know sadness and fear. And you were both. Your uncle is known for being a religious zealot and for having a rotten temper. I thought he’d punish you, so I did what I could.”
A thought soon occurs to him.
“Did he?”
My silence answers his question.
“Motherfucker,” he mutters angrily. “It’s time we paid him a visit.”
“No, I’m fine with letting that go. He’s not worth it.”
I have bigger fish to fry, anyway.
Kit accepts my choice but doesn’t seem happy about it.
“Seems like you were destined to be Cupcake from day one,” he says, which makes me smile.
Well, at least there’s something today that makes me smile.
Kit and I lie low for the rest of the day.
In a perfect world, both girls would be on board. But I knew this was the probable outcome. Not everyone wants to fight. Some just want peace. And that’s okay.
But without proof from the girls, we can’t confront Jack. He won’t believe us, and he’ll probably have us silenced for good.
I don’t know what comes next.
“Yes, you do…”
“Oh, shut up,” I grumble to the Jupiter inside my head.
Kit is in the garage, giving me space. He probably needs time alone to reflect as well.
I’ve fallen down the doom-scrolling rabbit hole, as it takes my mind off things. I’m watching some chocolatier make a three-foot minion when Kit comes barging into his bedroom, scaring the living daylights out of me.
“Where’s the fire?” I ask, sitting up in his bed.
But he isn’t in the mood for humor.
He ignores me and turns on his computer. I quickly get up because whatever is happening seems important. He sits down and impatiently drums his fingers on his desk.
“C’mon.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, suddenly concerned.
He keeps ignoring me.
“Kit!”
I watch over his shoulder as he opens his email and see the attached video files. This can only be described as a miracle.
“My name is Caitlin Teller, and on April tenth, I was drugged and raped by Jack Bloom.”
“My name is Jessica Fitzgerald, and on the Fourth of July, I was raped by Jack Bloom at his family’s lake house in Key West.”
One after another, women appear on Kit’s computer screen, sharing their testimonies. In total, there are twelve.
“What’s happening?” I ask, in utter shock.
Kit opens the email so I can read Caitlin’s message.
Let’s burn this motherfucker.
I don’t know why she had a change of heart. But I won’t question it because in front of us is the proof we need. And then some.
It’s evident that each of these women is telling the truth. This pain cannot be fabricated or imitated. The waver to their voice and the horror in their eyes as they recount their stories is something you can’t fake.
“Got you, asshole,” Kit says, quickly saving the video files onto his hard drive.
I watch him copy the files, email them to himself, and save them on multiple USB drives. He’s making as many copies as possible.
He retrieves an envelope from his drawer and writes Penelope Bloom, who is Rebecca’s mom, on the front. He slips a USB into it.
“Collateral,” he explains, switching everything off and coming to a stand.
“Are we going now?” I ask, eyes wide.
“Yes, we do it now before one of the girls gets cold feet. Or Jack or one of the Blooms gets wind of what we’re doing. This is a small town, and word spreads fast. We’re at an advantage right now. Let’s keep it that way.”
He’s right.
But I didn’t think I’d be facing Jack so soon.
Suddenly, things become very real.
Kit seems to know what I’m thinking and takes my hand. “We’re in this together, remember that.”
“I know, I just… Facing him is a little overwhelming. I thought I was ready, but I don’t think I’ll ever be.”