18. Chapter 18
Thirteen Years Ago
June 3, 1998
9:45 pm
Hailey sobbed harder as she turned the key in the ignition only for it to sputter yet again. She glanced at the moon that hung in the darkness, accompanied by the flashes of heat lightning that lit up the sky. Normally she’d admire its beauty, but tonight it gave her the creeps. She was only a few miles from home and now she was stranded.
Mascara streaked her cheeks, and her lips were red and puffy. She wiped at her face as she climbed out of her car, locking it as she did. She’d figure out what to do about the worthless piece of metal tomorrow after she had time to calm down.
She began walking home when headlights illuminated the road in front of her. The vehicle pulled over and parked behind her car. She was curious who the good samaritan might be, but the beams of light made it difficult to see. She was standing a few feet from her car when Ryan got out, a wicked grin splayed on his face.
Panic raced through her body.
Hailey bolted back to her car and struggled to get her key into the lock. She fumbled them and they bounced onto the pavement and under her car. Ryan made his way toward her, and her body screeched at her to run.
Ryan grabbed her arm, and a scream escaped her lips, but it was useless. No one would hear her.
He pulled her close to him and the smell of whiskey and cigarettes filled her nostrils. Her stomach soured but she willed herself not to throw up.
“I told you I’d find you when Trey wasn’t around to protect you,” he slurred.
Hailey wondered how he was able to drive. She tried to free herself, but she wasn’t strong enough to break his grip. “Let me go! I swear if my father finds out-”
Smack!
Her cheek stung and she tasted blood on her lip.
“Your father is a coward!”
Hailey wasn’t sure how to get out of this situation.
She tried to soothe him. “Okay, I’m sorry. Whatever he’s done to make you upset, I’m sure he can fix it.”
Ryan laughed. “Oh, Princess , you have no idea what he’s done. But I’m going to make him pay. And I’m going to use you to do it.”
Her eyes rounded as her heartbeat quickened. Hailey instinctively touched her stomach, afraid of what might happen.
She hadn’t been expecting his first blow. His fist connected with her cheek and her head struck the car. She shrieked in pain and brought her hand to her face.
He swayed slightly and she shoved him away from her. He stumbled back and laughed as he hit the ground with a thud. Her body recognized the danger before her mind registered it and she darted into the orange groves on the other side of the road, trying to find cover within the trees. Ryan ran after her.
“Hailey,” he cooed. “Come out, Hailey.”
She covered her mouth, trying to muffle her sob.
He popped out from behind a tree. “I found you.”
Hailey screamed and jumped back, stumbling on a root. She fell into the dirt and leaves, the distinct acrid smell of oranges overwhelming her. She tried to pull herself up, but the trees were spinning, and she collapsed.
Ryan grabbed her foot and pulled her toward him. She kicked at his stomach, and he hunched over. She tried to turn away, but pain exploded in her back as he landed a blow. He was on top of her as she smacked and clawed at his face. He laughed at her terror, enjoyed her rage.
She was waiting for Trey to rescue her, just as he’d done at the festival; just like he promised. But she knew he wouldn’t come. He didn’t love her anymore.
Ryans fists continued to rain down on her face and shoulders. Hailey shrieked, her voice cracking, as she punched at him wildly.
Ryan laughed again as he aggressively gripped her wrists and straddled her, pinning her hands above her head.
She closed her eyes, bracing for what would come next.
Then, he wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed. He snarled, “I can’t wait to watch the life drain from your eyes, knowing I’ll be the last face you ever see.”
Her lungs constricted as she tried to gasp for air. Her nails dug into his hands, but he didn’t release his grip. He smiled as she slowly faded into the darkness.
At first, she was scared of it, but the more palpable it became, the more she welcomed it. It seemed so peaceful compared to the pain that tormented her body. She could taste the blood as she tried to spit it out. Every breath was labored, and she couldn’t help but cough, spattering blood all down her blouse.
She thought of how horrific it would be for someone to find her body like this; covered in blood, beaten so badly she couldn’t be identified. Her baby would still be safe within her womb, except, like Hailey, there would be no heartbeat.
A guttural instinct surged through her. If she didn’t do something, she was going to die and so would her baby.
She let go of him and felt her surroundings, darkness threatening to overtake her. Her hands grasped a rock, and she slammed it into his head. He yelped and fell off of her as his blood leaked all over Hailey and dripped down his face.
Rage engulfed Ryan.
She rolled onto her stomach and crawled away, still not moving fast enough. He stood and pain exploded through her head as he grabbed a fistful of her hair. He slammed her body into the dirt.
She wasn’t going to get away.
She would die here.
The darkness was luring her in, promising an end to the pain. So, she curled up into the fetal position, protecting her unborn child, as he punched and kicked her body. Hailey’s screams of terror were trapped within the trees that hid the horror that was happening to her as her pleading sobs echoed through the night.
But no one heard them.
She finally gave into the darkness as the moon smiled down at her and the stars watched her bleed, unaware of the violence that was happening below their beauty.
Hailey limped toward her house, holding her stomach protectively. When she came to, Ryan had been long gone. So, she walked the few miles back to the Gallagher Estate, her body on autopilot as she did.
Flashing red and blue lights in the distance grabbed her attention.
Had they arrested Ryan? Had her father called the police to come find her?
Dazed, she pushed past the ache of her body and the stabbing pain in her lungs and guided herself to the safety that was now only a few yards away. But with each step, the crime scene tape and police officers blurred together as her body fought off exhaustion and shock.
The hairs on the nape of her neck stood at attention and she innately knew something awful had happened. She wanted to sprint toward her home, to see the atrocity that had surely been left behind by whatever evil had been there before her. But after what she’d been through, she didn’t have the energy or the strength. Yet, despite her body’s protests, she was instinctively drawn to the scene of the crime, every step becoming harder than the last.
She was nearing the estate when she stopped abruptly, realizing she was a mess. She wondered if she should change. Her mother would have a heart attack if Hailey came home like this.
Her clothes were torn, and she was missing a shoe. Where was her shoe? She brushed away the grass that clung to her jeans, the green streaks irking her. She pulled a stray leaf from her hair.
Assessing herself, she grasped at the locket she always wore and nearly cried out when it wasn’t there. She quickly remembered she’d given it to Trey weeks ago.
However, it was the blood that startled her. She was still covered in the crimson stains that mixed with dirt, though at that point it caked her skin. She aggressively scraped at her arms and hands, trying to erase the terror her body had just endured. When it wouldn’t come off, she nearly screamed.
Her heart raced and she looked to see if anyone had noticed her yet. There would be so many questions. And she wouldn’t give them answers. She didn’t want to relive the horror she so narrowly escaped.
What if Ryan came back to finish the job?
Where was Trey? Why hadn’t he saved her? He promised to always save her.
But that promise had been broken, just like his vow to love her forever.
Again, she ordered her legs to walk forward, toward whatever violence occurred on such a warm summer’s night. Every step was heavy, as if her body was trying to protect her from the monsters that lurked in the shadows. Tears flowed down her cheeks, attempting to wash away the dirt and horror that stained her face.
Her eyes darted to the fountain where her father and Uncle Eli stood, both in deep discussion. Her body swayed and she attempted to steady herself. The sound of crime scene techs and police officers all seemed to fade into one another.
Eli noticed her first and immediately jogged over to her, David following much more slowly.
Eli cupped her face. “Oh my god! Hailey, what happened?” He yelled to the other officers, “I need a medic!”
An officer came over to her, carrying a first aid kit. “I’m Officer Young but you can call me Bobby. Can you tell me what happened to you?”
Her head swam and she couldn’t make sense of his words. Her body swayed once more and she reached out, putting her hand against his chest.
Where was Trey? She needed to see Trey.
When she didn’t answer Bobby, David said, “Your mother died. Sara killed her.”
Hailey's eyes flickered to the grand French doors of her home just as the coroner carried out a black body bag on a stretcher.
She heard what her father said, but her brain lagged, a fog threatening her consciousness.
Sara had killed their mother? No, her mother was inside sleeping, and Sara was partying.
Hailey could hear Bobby talking to her father and Eli. She could feel his cold hands as he gently assessed her injuries, but it was as if she was frozen, her mind muddled.
“She needs a doctor, Chief. These lacerations are deep and there’s so much blood, I can’t tell what’s a flesh wound and what needs stitches.”
“Call one. I’m not taking her to the hospital,” David’s voice boomed.
“Shit,” Bobby said, “she’s got a stick lodged into her back. She needs medical attention. Now.”
God, she felt so tired. All she wanted to do was lay on the ground and sleep.
Their voices faded as she walked to the middle of her yard, a few feet from the fountain that her mother hated so much. Then she laid in the grass and screamed, her shrieks of grief and sorrow sending everyone running in a direction other than her own, even Eli. And especially her father.
But not Bobby. He sat next to her as she screamed and cried out. He took out antiseptic wipes and gently- and silently- cleaned the blood off her wounds. She winced as the sting of the medication bit her skin and he paused until she was calm again.
She found that his kindness was a safe place. He didn’t even know what had happened to her just hours before, how much she desperately needed to feel safe and protected. And he gave that to her. A stranger made her feel more loved and cared for than her own father ever did. David Gallagher simply ignored his daughter's outrage and grief and continued to watch the police work, allowing a perfect stranger to console and care for his daughter.
Bobby thought she had been screaming only for the loss of her mother, but she had been mourning so much more. She sobbed again and he held her hand until she finally passed out in the grass, her voice hoarse from grief and her body broken and bloody, just like her soul.