‘You’re fucking kidding me?’ Meredith’s amber eyes look at me, full of fear. She brushes her curly hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.
We’re all at Meredith’s apartment the night before Emilia’s wedding and I fill them in on why my hair is cut unexpectedly short. Shane still hasn’t been found by the police and it was driving me crazy.
I was scared for myself, for my mother, and for my baby. I was having trouble sleeping the past couple of nights afraid Shane would be standing over me with the same scissors he used to cut off my hair.
My under eyes have become dark and my face lifeless. I was so jumpy even at work. This incident has made everything I do an obstacle and I get scared every time I turn around or fall asleep.
Shane had an awful childhood. Both of his parents abandoned him and he was left to be raised by his grandparents. Even then, they were absent. When I fell in love with him, I fell in love with his humor and the way he persevered through his life without his parents. But now, it looks like it’s biting me in the ass.
We were friends in high school and then became more after we both graduated. Shane was handsome and at one point, good to me. I stupidly looked over all the red flags when we were together because of his story but now? After he joined the military, every single flaw he had just multiplied. He’s become one of the biggest regrets of my life.
‘No, I’m not kidding you. I’m scared Meredith. I’m sleeping with my brother’s gun and we set up security cameras. Hopefully, he doesn’t come back and the police catch him. I just don’t know what to do. I can’t sleep.’ I groan. ‘I worry not only for my life but I worry for my baby and my mothers. She is at an age where I fear for her health when she gets stressed out.’
‘Oh, honey…’ Emilia rubs my shoulder comforting me, frowning concerned.
‘So, your mother knows now?’ Emilia asks. We’re all sitting in the middle of her living room, eating pizza. The sounds of a romantic comedy movie playing in the background on her widescreen TV. Meredith’s apartment was almost empty. She had just moved in and she only had limited furniture and decorations. A thick brown blanket was a barrier between our butts and the floor.
‘Yes, she knows… At first, she was mad. Shocked. But we talked it out and now she’s getting excited. She’s called all of her sisters and they’re already planning a baby shower for me. They should be flying in sometime before the baby is born.’
‘This honestly makes me feel so relieved. I thought you were going to have to move in with me, thank the heavens!’ Meredith jokes while her eyes bulge. I laugh and nudge her away.
‘Harry already told me he wants five kids.’ Emilia exposes, looking at the ground.
Emilia’s confession sends Meredith choking on her soda. We both start patting her back laughing.
‘Yeah, no thank you… good luck with that. I don’t want kids…’ Meredith says before snapping her eyes at me, full of guilt. ‘No offense.’
Emilia rolls her eyes at her before we all laugh.
“So… I have a confession to make, Ari.” Meredith puts down her cup of soda and gets comfortable, repositioning herself.
“Oh, gosh. What?” When Meredith confesses things, it’s never good. I was already mentally preparing for the worst.
Meredith stays quiet, and her breathing pace changes. She studies me and Emilia while both of us look back at her waiting for a disaster to pour out of her mouth.
“I always had the biggest crush on your older brother,” Meredith says with a tone of sadness. I frown at her admission. I always knew she did.
“I know you did. I’m shocked you thought I never knew.”
“It was that obvious huh?” Meredith arches a brow.
I nod, rubbing her biceps.
‘How do you think Danny will react to all of this with Shane?’ Meredith asks, taking a bite of her pizza.
The question makes me freeze. The thought of Danny still has me feeling empty on the inside. The amount of information I have to spill to him when I see him has me overwhelmed. At this point, I just wanted him to come home safely. Alive. From Paul’s death to Violet’s story, I’m traumatized.
‘I don’t know… but I’m more scared of what Danny will do to Shane, than Shane himself.’
The man almost killed him for assaulting me at El Devine. If Danny finds Shane before the cops do, it will be Shane’s karma.
I park my car in the driveway of my house. I left Meredith’s place at around midnight.
I twist the keys out from the ignition and look at my house. Every single light is turned off inside except the front porch light. My mom always leaves it on for me when she knows I’m coming back home. It’s her way of saying that she’s waiting for me.
I grab my backpack and throw it over my shoulders.
The sound of a helicopter rumbles through the air and I immediately snap my attention to the dark sky.
It’s a Black Hawk.
I smile. It sends me back to the night I overcame my fear of flying. And the night I found out just how dark Danny’s sadistic desires go. My smile relaxes as I watch it fly further and further away from the area. We live near the military post so it doesn’t surprise me to see military aircraft. Never did I think twice about watching them fly by but recently, it has me thinking of the man that has me wrapped around his finger.
I’m about to unlock my house when I feel someone grab me by the wrist and push their body up against me. My cheek is glued to the door and I can feel both of my hands trapped tight in someone’s grasp.
I scream.
‘Oh Ari Cakes, we wouldn’t want to wake the neighbors, would we?’ Shane covers my mouth against his palm, my sounds now muted and I’m sobbing.
This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening!
Shane is behind me and the terror I feel has me sweating. I feel like I’m going to faint with the massive scare he’s giving me.
‘You fucking slut. I can’t believe you fucked him. I can’t believe you’re going to have his baby. You should be having mine!’ He seethes into my ear, careful not to attract any attention from the neighbors or from my mother inside.
I look up at the security camera we have installed at the front door. It’s hidden in the top corner and Shane watches my eyes move from the door to the cameras.
My common sense starts to kick in and I bite down on his fingers, the hardest I can.
‘Ahh! You fucking bitch, you bit me!’ He shouts. He lets me go, stepping away from me and I take this as an opportunity to threaten him.
He’s holding onto his fingers, comforting himself as he looks at the security camera.
My front door swings open and my mother pulls me in.
“Mija!” She shouts.
‘You better leave now, Shane! The security system alerted the cops and they’re on their way, your face is all over our cameras.” I shut the door on him, locking it and sure enough, sirens can be heard from a distance. I look through the peephole and Shane is red, full of wrath, and has a psychotic craze expression all over his face.
He takes off running and I no longer have sights on him. I’m breathing hard, crying into my mother’s shoulder.
Why can’t he leave me alone? And when the hell is Danny coming back?
