Chapter 29
It was incredible how the absence of fear could set you free.
Sadie had spent a lot of her professional life coaching clients on that, but this was the first time she’d experienced it for herself.
Not that she blamed herself. It was a hard thing to let go of that which had molded you from an early age, and she’d seen the struggle people had with it.
What she hadn’t expected was this kind of ‘eureka’ moment. This sensation of a lightbulb having been switched on which suddenly showed her the way as well as eliminating the shadows.
She didn’t delude herself that it would be quite that easy, but what she had now, what she’d never had before, was determination.
And with that came hope for a better future.
If Saul could leave the island to face what could well be his death, then the least Sadie could do was confront her past and lessen its impact on her present. Maybe that way, she’d be able to have a future that was more than just hiding out on an island and refusing to let anyone get close to her.
She knew what she’d encourage her clients to do. It was time to put her money where her mouth was.
So here she was, standing on the sidewalk and staring at the house that had so terrified her as a child. Sadie was surprised to find she felt nothing. The simple passage of time and adulthood had already diminished some of its power over her psyche. Yeah, she should have done this a long time ago.
Curiously, she felt very little apprehension as she walked up the path leading to the front door. Weeds poked through the cracks, hinting at the lack of care which embodied the people within.
Sadie knocked and waited, wondering if her mother and stepfather were even at home. For all she knew, they might no longer be together.
When her mother finally opened the door, Sadie stared.
It had been over a decade, but the woman in front of her had aged far more than that.
Her hair was lank and greasy and the heavy makeup she wore did nothing to conceal the bags under her tired eyes or the purpling bruise which marred her once pretty face.
“Sadie?!” Her mother’s face lit for the briefest of moments, which was somewhat of a surprise, but there was as much of a question in her thready voice as there was happy exclamation. Like she wasn’t really sure it was her.
Well, it had been a long time. Sadie was no longer the cowed sixteen-year-old she’d been the last time she saw this woman.
“Mother,” Sadie replied. She wasn’t entirely sure what she felt for the frail, pathetic creature in front of her.
Pity perhaps?
Whatever joy might have wreathed her mother’s face was quickly replaced with fear. “You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered, her eyes darting around like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “Ned will be home soon. You don’t want him to catch you here.”
Sadie tipped her head to one side. “Who are you worried for?” she asked, curious in a detached kind of way. “Me or yourself?”
Marcie’s eyes widened, but she shook her head like she didn’t know how to respond.
“You know he’s on parole, don’t you?” Sadie asked, truly wondering if her mother actually understood the significance of such a thing.
“If he hurts either one of us, he’ll be back inside to finish the rest of his sentence.
It wasn’t just me he hurt, Mother. There were others, too.
Women and girls who spoke up after I came forward.
” Although Sadie guessed Marcie knew that now, since she’d obviously taken a recent beating herself.
That was new. As far as Sadie was aware, Ned had never taken a hand to her mother in the past. It was one of the reasons Marcie had never believed her.
She hadn’t been able to reconcile her loving husband with the monster Sadie had claimed he was.
A small, petty part of Sadie wanted to tell her mother, ‘I told you so.’
Before Marcie could answer, a flashy car pulled up and her mother sucked in a stuttering breath. “You need to go now, Sadie. Quick.” It almost sounded like her mother was scared for her.
Sadie’s eyes narrowed as a couple got out of the car. Ned had been driving, and a young woman in expensive clothing alighted from the passenger side. The two of them walked around the front of the vehicle where they met in the middle and shared a deep, and completely inappropriate kiss.
Next to her, Marcie whimpered, but Sadie suspected it was more from fear than the insult of seeing her husband publicly mauling another woman.
The woman in question threw a smug look their way, before she slid elegantly into the driver's seat, gunned the engine, and sped away.
“You’re seriously putting up with this shit?” Sadie muttered under her breath. Her mother didn’t answer, just disappeared into the house with a noticeable limp.
With her eyes trained on Ned, Sadie felt a deep-seated anger start to boil within her veins.
Who the hell did this piece of shit think he was?
There may not be any love lost between her and her mother, but behaving towards Marcie like this?
No, even with everything that had occurred, Sadie would never think anyone deserved to be treated this way.
“Well, well, well…” Ned grunted as recognition finally replaced the frank perusal that made Sadie’s skin crawl. “You need something from me, bitch?” he asked, cupping his junk and thrusting it towards her in a grotesquely suggestive manner.
“Looks like you’ve got that covered,” Sadie responded, nodding her head towards the departing car. “Why bother even coming back? Looks like your girlfriend’s got all the cash, and I’m sure no one would miss you here.”
She surprised herself by pushing him. Surprised Ned even more if the astonishment on his face was anything to go by. An expression that quickly morphed into something evil. What astonished Sadie the most, was it didn’t make her want to cower like it used to.
“This is my place,” Ned growled. “Course I’m coming back here.” He made it sound like a threat.
Sadie crossed her arms over her chest, but the gesture was less protective and more belligerent. “No, it’s my mother’s house,” she corrected him, hoping her mother hadn’t been coerced into giving away the one thing she’d retained outright after her father’s death.
Ned came right up to her and stood toe to toe, glaring at her.
Sadie was tall enough they were about eye level with each other.
She was glad she didn’t have to look up at him, but she did wish the years had been harder on him.
As hard as they’d been on Marcie. But prison didn’t seem to have done anything but toughen him up.
He was more muscled than he used to be. He’d lost the layer of fat his lazy ass had been gaining living off of her mother, and his features had become sharper.
But he still had the same evil intention in his eyes as always.
Did the girl - and she had been a girl - he’d pulled up with not see that?
Or did she not care? “I can soon persuade your mother to change that,” he snarled, the threat of bodily harm as clear as if he’d said it outright.
“I don’t think so,” Sadie denied, refusing to tolerate his bullying tactics.
“And anyway, why would you want a run-down hovel like this, when your girlfriend’s obviously rolling in it…
” She probably shouldn’t be taunting him, but another lightbulb moment had the words tumbling from her mouth.
“Oh, don’t tell me,” she exclaimed, tipping her head to the side and pressing her index finger to the side of her mouth.
“You’re just a little rebellion for daddy’s little rich girl.
What’s the story? Is she slumming it to get daddy’s attention or something? ”
The way his features morphed into something vile and furious, Sadie knew she’d hit the jackpot and the barb had found its mark.
She also knew she’d just made herself a target.
No, scratch that. She’d been baiting him deliberately, waiting for him to lash out.
Like she’d told her mother. He was on parole.
And she wanted him to attack. She wanted to prove to herself and to him that she was no longer the scared little girl who lived in fear; that she was no longer the adult who had run away and hidden when he was released.
She was stronger than that, and she was ready for him.
She saw the backhand coming but did nothing to prevent it. Her head whipped to the side under the force, and she felt blood start to seep from the split lip.
But she stood her ground, slowly turning back to face him, tuning out her mother's petrified gasp from within the depths of the house where she’d scurried away in fear. For the first time in her life, Sadie didn’t blame her. She was old enough now to fend for herself.
Was Ned surprised at her open defiance? That she wasn’t cowering or begging?
Did he wonder at her attitude or where it might be taking them?
Of course not. He was a bully, used to grinding people under his boot and getting his own way by whatever force necessary.
Like a nasty little kid pulling the wings off butterflies, he got his kicks by picking on those weaker than him and subduing them to his will.
He wasn’t the type to ever think about the consequences. He was far too arrogant for that.
Sadie transferred her weight to the balls of her feet, her mixed martial arts training automatically kicking in and she anticipated the fist he was already clenching at his side.
But this time when he swung, she stepped out of the way and let the momentum of the missed punch take his weight while a well-placed leg sweep stopped him from regaining his footing.
Ned crashed to the floor, and Sadie leapt onto his back, grabbing his arm and wrenching it around in a half nelson, while she locked one of her legs around one of his and incapacitated him.
With her other hand, she groped for her phone, but the sound of sirens was already splitting the faded tranquility of the street.
Had one of the neighbors called in the altercation?
There was a sob from her right, and Sadie looked up, shocked to see her mother with a phone in her hand, the tears on her face running rivulets down her cheek and washing away the makeup so her own bruises were far more evident.
Surprise gave way to satisfaction.
Ned Smith was going down back to the cesspit he belonged in.