Chapter 33
Rachel's heart hammered as she stared at the man pushing his way inside. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her apartment was small, and there was nowhere to hide. No back exit.
“David.” Her voice shook, barely getting his name out.
He stood on the small landing just inside her living room. He looked terrible. His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot and wild. He swayed slightly on his feet. The smell of alcohol hit her immediately.
“David,” she said, forcing her voice to stay steady even though her entire body trembled.
He laughed, harsh and bitter as he walked farther into the apartment before she could stop him. Her stomach turned, but she kept her expression neutral, as her mind raced. Then she heard the faint sound of Jack's voice coming from her phone. “Rachel? Rachel, are you there?”
Relief flooded through her so intensely she almost staggered. She’d inadvertently hit the call button after reading Jack’s text. She needed to make sure he knew where she was and what was happening.
“David,” Rachel said, speaking clearly and deliberately, “what are you doing at my house?”
David's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but before he could respond, she continued, “David, you need to leave my house.”
“No.” David turned on her, his face twisted with fury. “I don’t know where to go. I had everything. My team was going to take state again! I had a college job just waiting on that win! And then you had to start asking questions. Had to stick your nose where it didn't belong.”
“You gave the kids something dangerous,” Rachel said, keeping her voice loud enough for the phone to pick up. She needed to keep him talking, needed to keep him here until Jack arrived.
“Dangerous?” His voice rose. “They were going to be champions! Those kids had potential, Rachel. Real potential. And all they needed was a little help to get there.”
“You could have killed them!” Her own anger was rising. “Terrance is in the hospital!”
“Terrance is fine!” David shouted. “It wasn’t bad. He could have handled it. He understood what it took to be the best.”
Rachel stared at him, horror and disgust warring in her chest. “It's not bad?” she asked, incredulity filling her. “David, you were giving teenage boys illegal steroids!”
“Just something that helps a champion maintain what they need to be a champion.” David's voice took on an almost defensive, pleading quality. “I've used them before. I know what they do. They work. Those kids were going to win.”
He was swaying more noticeably now, his words slightly slurred. She realized with a jolt of fear that he wasn't just drunk… he was unstable. Unpredictable. And she was alone with him in her apartment.
“Look,” Rachel said, trying to keep her voice calm and reasonable, “sit down and let me get you something to eat. You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten.”
David stopped, his expression falling. For a moment, the anger drained from his face, and something else took its place. Something sadder, more pathetic. “I liked you, Rachel. We could have been something together.”
Her stomach clenched. “No, it wouldn’t have worked between us.”
“Yes.” He took a step toward her, his hand reaching out. “We had chemistry. I felt it. You felt it too. I know you did.”
“No.” Backing away, Rachel kept the small coffee table between them. “You and I were always just friends.”
“Because of that old boyfriend you dumped me for. The second he came back, I heard about him. Like some goddamn hero walked back into town, taking you before we had a chance.” David's face hardened again, the anger snapping back into place like a mask.
“David, listen to me.” Rachel’s words came out firm and clear. “Even if Jack had never come back to the Shore, you and I were never going to be more than friends. And if I’d ever found out you were using or providing any substances, you and I wouldn’t even be friends.”
He stared at her, his jaw working. Rachel could see him processing, then finally seeing the rejection settling over him like a weight. She kept talking, kept him engaged, knowing that every second she stalled was another second closer to Jack arriving.
“You need help. This has gotten out of control. But if you leave my place now and turn yourself in, it’ll be better for you. They'll take into account that you cooperated—”
“Cooperated?” David laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Rachel, I'm done. It's over. I have to get out of here, but you're coming with me.”
Rachel's blood went cold. “What?”
“I have a contact in Baltimore.” David’s words came faster now, more desperate. “Someone who can help me disappear. But I need insurance. I need to make sure the cops don't follow me.”
“I'm not going with you, David.” She kept her voice firm even as terror clawed at her throat. “You can leave or stay, but I'm not going with you.”
David's expression twisted with rage. He lunged toward her, and Rachel stumbled backward, her hip hitting the edge of the counter. Her phone clattered to the floor.
“You don't have a choice!” he shouted. “You've got to help me get away!”
Rachel's hand closed around the first thing she could reach, a mug with hot tea sitting on the table. She threw it at his head with all the strength she could muster, but her aim sucked, and he ducked. It hit the wall and shattered, scattering ceramic shards across the wood.
David stopped, shock registering on his face. Then the anger came back, hotter and more dangerous than before. “You bitch,” he snarled.
Rachel ran.
She made it three steps before David caught her arm and yanked her back.
Rachel screamed, kicking and twisting, fighting with everything she had.
The past rushed into her mind, back when Isaiah tried to take her.
But this time was different. This time, she wasn't a scared teenager. This time, she would fight.
Rachel drove her elbow into David's stomach and heard him grunt with pain. His grip loosened just enough for her to wrench free. She scrambled toward the door.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her back so hard she cried out, her hand landing on the shards of the broken cup. Rachel's scalp burned, and tears sprang to her eyes, but she kept fighting.
“Stop!” David was shouting now, his voice ragged. “Stop fighting me! You're just making this worse!”
“Let me go!” Rachel twisted, her hands clawing at his arms. “David, let me go!”
From somewhere far away, Rachel heard sirens. The sound cut through the chaos, through the fear and the adrenaline, and for a moment, both she and David froze.
His eyes went wide. He looked at Rachel, then at the open door, then back at her. The realization dawned on his face…the police were coming, and he was out of time.
“No,” David said, his voice thick with desperation. “No, no, no—”
He dragged Rachel toward the door, his arm wrapped around her waist, his other hand clamped over her mouth. Rachel bit down hard on his palm, and David yelped, but he didn't let go.
Rachel could hear footsteps pounding up the stairwell. Voices shouting. Jack's sharp and commanding voice.
“Sheriff’s department! Let her go!”
She could see Jack now, gun drawn, Mark right behind him. Other deputies crowded the stairwell, weapons raised, faces grim.
“Let her go, David,” Jack said again. His voice was steady, but Rachel could see the fear in his eyes. The desperation. “It's over. Let her go, and we can talk about this.”
“Talk?” His laugh was wild, unhinged. “There's nothing to talk about. It’s all ruined. Everything.”
“She didn't do anything,” Jack said, his eyes locked on David's. “You did this to yourself. But it doesn't have to get worse. Let Rachel go.”
Rachel felt David's grip tighten. His arm was crushing her ribs, making it hard to breathe. She could smell the alcohol on him, could feel the tremor in his hands. She was terrified he was going to hurt himself trying to decide what to do.
Rachel made her choice. She went completely limp, her full weight dropping suddenly in David's arms. The unexpected shift threw him off-balance.
He tripped over her, still trying to grab her, but Jack was faster.
He closed the distance in two strides and slammed into David, driving him back against the wall.
Mark was there a second later, and together, they wrestled David to the ground, cuffs clicking into place around his wrists.
“You're under arrest,” Mark said, his voice hard as steel. “For distribution of controlled substances to minors, assault, attempted kidnapping—”
Rachel didn't hear the rest. She sat on the floor, her whole body shaking, and watched as they hauled David to his feet. He was now crying, but it was over.
Jack appeared in front of her, his face pale, his eyes searching hers. “Rachel. Are you hurt?”
Rachel shook her head, then realized she was crying. “I'm okay. I have some cuts, but I’m okay.”
Jack pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest. She could hear his heart hammering, could feel his hands shaking as they held her.
“You're safe,” Jack said, his voice rough. “You're safe now. I've got you.” He looked over at Mark. “Is EMT here? She’s got cuts.”
He stood with her in his arms, then carefully set her onto the sofa, before sitting next to her, his arm wrapped around her.
A few minutes later, Jose and his partner hustled in. Jose sat on her coffee table as he looked at the cuts on her legs, feet, and hands. He cleaned them, then applied ointment before bandaging the worst of them. “Hey, Rachel. You might not remember me, but I’m—”
“Jose,” she said, offering him a smile. “Of course I remember you.”
He looked down at the ceramic pieces on the floor. “I assume this is what you were cut with?”
“Yes. When David and I scuffled, I cut myself.”
“Are you current on your tetanus vaccination?”
She nodded, then winced as the antiseptic stung slightly. “Yes.”
“That’s good.” He smiled. “This should take care of you, but if you have any redness, swelling, or signs of infection, go to the ER, okay?”
“Oh, I’ll be fine—”
“She’ll go.” Jack interrupted, his eyes narrowed. “I’ll watch her and take her to the ER at the first sign of infection.”
Jose tried to hide his grin as he nodded. He glanced back at the floor and asked, “Did the cup get broken during the altercation?”
Rachel pressed her lips together. But with Jack’s and Jose’s gaze pinned on her, she finally huffed. “No… not really. I threw the cup and aimed for his head.” She looked over at Jack and narrowed her eyes. “You can’t laugh, but my throw sucked as always. It hit the wall next to him and shattered.”
Jack didn’t laugh, but Jose made no promise and chuckled.
Jose stood. “Looks to me like you still kicked his ass, Rachel. Kudos to you.”
She grinned, then stood with Jack still at her back. “Thank you, Jose. I promise to take care of these bandages.”
Jose and his partner left, and Jack made sure she was settled comfortably with a fresh cup of tea before Mark interviewed her. She recounted what had happened when David entered her apartment, hating to relive it all, but knowing it was important.
Mark started to leave, and Jack walked him to the door. “I’ll come to the station as soon as Shiloh gets here.”
Rachel could have pretended she didn’t need her aunt, but moments later, Shiloh raced through her door, arms extended as Shiloh engulfed her in a tight hug.
Jack walked over, and Rachel shifted to his arms. “I have to go to the station. But I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Rachel nodded against his chest, then leaned back to peer into his eyes, safe in the knowledge that he would return. She whispered, “My hero.”
He held her tight. “You’re the hero, Rachel. You fought.”
Because she'd made a choice at that moment when David had grabbed her. She'd chosen survival. She'd chosen to fight, to keep him talking, to wait for rescue rather than surrender to fear.
She'd chosen not to let anyone take something from her she wasn’t willing to give. And just like years before, Jack came.
Then he grinned. “But we need to work on your aim.”
She dropped her forehead to his chest and laughed.