You will pay for this, bitch! 1 страница

Answer your phone!

I’m on my way to the house, you better be there.

Have my daughter ready.

You better not be shacked up with that soldier!

Katy, answer the phone. I’m at the house and you haven’t been here.

Just talked to Sarah. If I’ve got to go to that base and drag your ass out of there, I will.

You’ve got thirty minutes to return my calls or I’m coming after you.

You better hope you’re dead in a ditch somewhere, you little whore.

You’re going to pay for this, bitch. Tell your boyfriend to watch his fucking back.

You’re dead!

He’s dead!

I’m going to make sure you never see your daughter again. I’ll make sure you’re claimed unfit.

You will pay for this, bitch!

I covered my mouth and felt my heart beating heavily. I wasn’t just scared for my life; I was worried about Brooks too.

Knowing that there were voice messages, I took a deep breath and started listening to them.

“Katy, it’s me, Bobby, your fuckin’ husband that you had locked up. I have every right to put you in your place. You’re mine! You hear me? I own you. When I get home, you’re goin’ to be real sorry you did somethin’ so stupid.”

“Pick up the phone, bitch!”

“You think you’re slick don’t ya? You think I can’t find you? Tell your boyfriend to take you far away, because if I can find you, you’re both goin’ to pay for this.”

I erased the messages with shaky hands and looked over at B, who sat there so innocently as if nothing terrible was happening. Truth be told, I didn’t know what to do. Confessing to Brooks would only make him want to go after Bobby. I couldn’t have them harming each other. My marriage was most definitely over. I just needed to get in to see a lawyer without being discovered.

After calling to the front desk, I was brought a phone book in which I started sorting through. There had to be a lawyer that could help in a desperate situation.

I’d made three calls with no luck getting a same day appointment. When my phone started to ring, I jumped off the bed before realizing it was Brooks. “Hello?”

“Hey, I’m just calling to check on my girls.”

I considered not telling him what was going on, but knew how that always turned out. Besides, Brooks wasn’t just my lover, he was my partner, my best friend. “I listened to my messages.”

“I imagine he’s pissed about now. He knows you’re with me and he ain’t going to lay a hand on you ever again.”

“Pretty much.”

“Listen, I have a plan to keep you both safe. I’m meeting with my commanding officer in an hour to see if I can take a few days off. I’m due, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Considering the circumstances, I doubt he’ll have a problem. He’s got a family, so he knows how important you are to me.”

He was making me nervous. “Am I going to like your plan?”

“Do you trust me?”

“With my life.” I did and I knew whatever he had in mind would be for the best.

“Kat, I’m going to keep you safe. I need to go. Stay inside until I get back. I love you.”

“That will never get old.”

“It better not. I’ve been practicing it in front of a mirror since I was twelve.”

When we hung up I had a smile on my face.

I went from playing with B, coloring, and watching cartoons, to looking for more lawyers that could take me on right away. My urgency was more important every single time I looked into her little blue eyes. Her safety was everything.

I finally found one that would see me at four that evening. Brooks would be back and take me. Since I needed to get out of the room for some fresh air, I decided to take the phone book down to the front desk. We climbed in the elevator and I let her push the down button. She got a kick out of thinking she was big girl.

The elevator doors opened and I saw him right away. Bobby was standing there with Dave arguing with the concierge. “I know she’s here. I tracked her by her phone. Now tell me what room she’s in. She’s got a baby with her and a soldier friend.”

The woman was very kind, considering his tone. “I’m sorry sir, there’s no one here by the name you’re referring to, and even if there was, I can’t give out personal information.”

“I ain’t leavin’ here until you give me a damn room number. This is my wife we’re talkin’ about.”

I hit the up button and tried to move out of the way before he turned to see who was coming out of the elevator. Our eyes met and he came running toward us. I held on tight to B and pushed the close button. Sheer relief came over me when I felt us moving up. The only problem was that I didn’t know if he’d be waiting for me. I hit the emergency stop button and frantically pulled my phone out of my pocket. The service was crappy, but I had one bar.

I dialed Brooks back, hoping he wasn’t meeting with his boss.

“Sergeant Valentine.”

“Brooks, he’s here at the hotel. B and I are in the elevator. I hit the emergency stop button. He’s going to hurt me. You’ve got to call the police. Tell them he’s going to hurt me.”

“I’m coming.”

“No! I don’t want you hurt. Please, stay there.”

“Kat, I’m coming and you’re not going to stop me. Whatever you do, don’t let that elevator start moving. You hang tight. I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”

”I’m calling the police.” After I’d hung up on Brooks I dialed the police. B was starting to cry because she knew I was upset about something.

“9-1-1 what is your emergency?”

“I need the police. My husband, who beat me up yesterday, got out of jail and came after me again. I’m at the Hartfield Hotel on Weston Street. Please hurry. I’m stuck in an elevator and he’s waiting for it to open. Please, I have a little girl with me.”

The operator assured me that help was on the way. Once I hung up, I never took my eyes off of the control panel. If we started moving, I was going to hit the stop button again.

It was difficult trying to calm B and knowing she was upset because of how I was acting. “I’m so sorry, baby. Daddy’s coming to rescue us. He’s going to keep us safe.”

My phone started ringing again. “Brooks? Do you see him?”

“They already called the cops on Bobby. Him and his friend left right before I came in. I’m pretty sure he saw me, though. I saw a trucks brake lights as I pulled in. Listen, they’re going to start the elevator again. Hang tight and we’ll get you out of there.”

It took them a few minutes. Once we started moving, the doors opened and I was greeted by Brooks. He wasn’t alone. Another soldier in fatigues was speaking to the woman at the front desk and a police officer. “We’re going to make a statement and get some papers drawn up. Are you alright with that?”

I nodded and let him lead me toward the officers.

“Kat, this is my commanding officer, Ferris.”

I smiled, feeling stupid for having him know my business. It didn’t help that I had a lingering bruise on my cheek.

“It’s great to meet you, ma’am.” He turned his attention to B. “You must be little Brooklyn. You sure do look like your daddy.”

I smiled when I saw the look on Brooks’ face. He held out his arms and she went right to him, laying her head on him as if she knew he’d lay down and die for her. “You need to go give a statement to the officer. I’m going to go up and get our things. I’ll meet you down here in a few minutes.”

I smiled and started walking toward the police officer. The man turned around and had already written a bunch of information down.

It took longer than I thought, but after him being arrested and then coming after me in public, the officer assured me that I’d have a protective order against Bobby within the next seventy-two hours. I knew I wasn’t out of immediate danger, but it did give me a little relief.

When I met Brooks back in the lobby, he was standing there holding B while talking to his boss. Our things were at his feet. I walked up and B leaned in for me to take her. “What now?”

“We go back to the base. I’ve got to fill out some forms and then we’re going on a road trip.”

“A road trip?”

“Yeah. I’ll explain later.” He stopped right before we got outside. “Give me your phone.”

I handed it to him and watched him break it in half. “The thing about cell phones is that they can be traced by anyone. Bobby had an app on his phone that told him where you were. The second you turned your phone back on, all he had to do was follow the damn arrow.”

I felt like an idiot.

The moment we stepped onto the base, I knew we’d be safe. Brooks held my hand and walked me inside of a building. We waited for him to fill out papers, and then the two men led us to a vehicle. We climbed in and were driving to the other side of the base. I saw Brooks’ truck and knew we were where he lived.

Once out, his boss started to pull away. I stopped him before he could go. “Thank you, sir.”

“It was my pleasure, ma’am.”

I followed Brooks inside and watched him filling his bag with more clothes. We were in a room with two twin beds, but it was on a floor that probably housed several of the same type. “So where are we going? Am I not allowed to know? Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

He walked over to B and picked her up. “We’re going to my parents, and before you say anything you need to understand that your safety is the most important thing to me. I’ve got seven days before I need to report back, so I can promise you that it’s not forever.”

All I heard was where we were going. The room started to spin, and I felt like I was going to throw up. How was I ever going to be able to face them, especially once they met B?

Chapter 40

I couldn’t remember the last time that I was so angry with Brooks. It was obvious that he knew it too. We hadn’t said one word to each other until we hit North Carolina. “I’m getting hungry. Do you want to stop and eat soon?”

I kept looking out the window. “I feel like I’m going to puke. Just get something for you and B.”

B had fallen asleep and I knew she’d probably sleep for a good few hours before she needed to get out and move around. It was starting to get dark out and I knew the silence was killing Brooks. He reached over and put his hand on my knee, but I refused to look at him. “Kat, you can’t be mad at me forever, you know.”

“Yes, I can.” I shoved his hand away.

“You’re being a baby. We were going to let my parents visit next week anyway. Stop acting like you don’t love me anymore, because I know it’s not true.”

Brooks had made the plans without telling me, because he knew I wouldn’t go for it. What he wasn’t considering was how upset I already was. I felt like I was running away, because my life was in danger. That wasn’t something that was easy to deal with. Then he wanted to take me to a home where I knew I wasn’t wanted. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”

Brooks pulled over the truck and put it in park. “Look at me.”

“No!” I kept staring out the window.

He put his hand on my thigh and started moving it up. “Kat, look at me.”

I turned and gave him an irritated look. “What?”

“They miss you. Hell, they miss us. I left too, you know? This isn’t easy for me, but they deserve to know that little girl in the backseat. They weren’t in the dark about my feelings, Kat. They knew how I felt and they probably knew how you felt. We were kids, who wore our feelings on our sleeves. I’m betting they weren’t as surprised as you think that we ended up in bed, several times. After all, it is where you belonged anyway.”

I hated when he had a point. “I’m still mad.”

He touched my nose. “No you’re not. You’re scared, but you’re not mad.”

We started driving again, except I wasn’t done with what I wanted to say to him. “I don’t think I like that you know what I’m thinking. A girl’s got a right to some private thoughts.”

“Get used to it. It’s never going to change.”

I decided to give up on being angry. It wasn’t going to get me anywhere when he apparently knew me better than I knew myself. “I think we should stop for the night and drive the rest of the way in the morning. We didn’t sleep good last night and could both use the rest before we see your parents.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I mean, when we go to hotels, you get pregnant. It’s scary.” He started laughing at himself immediately.

I hit him on the leg. “I should have never said anything to you.”

“You know it’s funny.”

“What’s going to be funny is when I don’t get my period in two weeks. Then I’m going to watch you crying.”

He looked at me. “I won’t be crying out of fear, beautiful. They’ll be tears of joy for me.” Then he added. “So, are we stopping at a hotel, or are you scared?”

I covered my face with my hands, remembering what it was like to grow up crushing on Brooks and dealing with his sense of humor. It also brought me peace knowing that we’d gotten back everything that I thought was gone forever, even the sarcasm. Every second spent with him was as if no time had passed. “I’m not scared of you.”

“You should be. I’ll steal your heart and you’ll never get it back,” he promised.

“I gave it to you years ago, and I don’t want it back.” I replied.

Brooks reached over and grabbed my hand. He pulled it up to his lips and held it there. “No matter what happens when we get there tomorrow, we’re a team. If something bad is said, which I don’t see happening, we’ll leave together, as a family. I promise.”

“I just don’t want to see the look of disappointment on their faces. I’m already feeling that about myself. Being reminded of it only makes things worse.”

“I guarantee that when we walk in there, and they take a look at that princess in the back seat, everything will change. Look at how she’s affected me.”

In a few short days I felt like everything in my life had changed. Not only had Brooks come back into my life, but he wanted me. I couldn’t have felt more complete knowing how happy he was to be a father, and how he’d somehow forgiven me. “I hope you’re right.”

A few minutes later, we were pulling into a restaurant that happened to have a hotel right across the street. Brooks ran across to make sure they had vacancies, while I took B inside to change her diaper and get us a table. By the time he came back, we were seated and I was looking at a menu. “I got us a room. Since you’re scared of getting knocked up, I took a room with one twin bed. We can all share, right?”

I cocked my eyebrow and looked at him, knowing he was full of shit. “You can sleep on the floor, I suppose.”

“I’m just playing. I got a honeymoon suite with a vibrating bed. Bug’s going to love it.”

I shook my head and kept looking at the menu, while he played peek-a-boo with B.

After we ate, Brooks drove us across the street and we headed inside to our room. Low and behold, it was a standard room in a regular hotel. Neither of the two beds vibrated, as I’d been told. Brooks tossed his things down and went into the bathroom. I heard the shower come on and knew he was getting in. Since the lady at the restaurant was kind enough to fill B’s sippy cup. She’d have enough to last her through the night. I got her little toys set up on the bed and watched as she pretended with them.

Brooks came out of the shower glistening with water, only wrapped in a towel. I couldn’t stop noticing the tattoo, and smiling from ear to ear every time I saw it.

He’d catch me and shake his head, having gotten it years ago and been used to it. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to him branding my initial on his skin. He sat down on the bed next to me, looking for his boxer briefs. Considering that we weren’t alone, he turned around, and pulled them up. Once he turned back around, he was decent enough to lean over and see what she was doing. “Hey, bug. What are you doing over here?”

“Pincess.” She handed him a little princess doll.

“Where’s her prince?”

B looked around and finally spotted the prince. She handed it to Brooks. He moved them all around and then made them kiss. B started to giggle loudly, so he did it again. She laughed so hard that she fell back onto the bed. He reached up and kissed her tiny nose. “You may look like Daddy, but you act like Mama.”

He turned to look over at me and she jumped into his arms. I could tell she’d hurt his bad arm from the way he made a face, but he didn’t move her off of it. He endured the pain to hold her. B touched his nose back. “Nose.”

Brooks touched her nose. “B.”

When she went to do it to him again, she paused. I climbed up behind her and whispered, “Who is that?”

She smiled. “Daddy.”

I could see the world light up in Brooks’ eyes as he heard her say it for the first time. To be honest, I was quite shocked that she’d understood already. Though their resemblance was uncanny, it was difficult to explain who someone was to a child. I still didn’t know if she understood that he was literally the person that helped create her, but it was a start.

After he practically made her repeat it twenty times, they both settled into bed next to one another. I almost wished that I had my phone so I could snap pictures of them. As I sat there watching the two of them looking at a book together, I wanted to cry. Those two people were my entire reason for living. I’d never thought we’d be a family, and here we were making it happen.

It took her a while to fall asleep, and when she did, he came over and climbed under the covers with me. I felt those strong arms reaching around me and closed my eyes. “Are you excited about tomorrow?”

I turned and looked at him. “Seriously? My stomach is all knotted up.”

For a short time he sat there watching me looking at him. I wasn’t sure if he was thinking of something encouraging to say or considering leaving it be until morning. “Do you have anyone that can run by and check on things at your house?”

“Yeah.” I was glad he mentioned it. “I can call my old boss at the diner I waitressed at. She never really liked Bobby much, so he won’t be able to influence her into thinking I’m a piece of shit.”

“A waitress sounds like a hot job for you. Woman, what else are you hiding from me?”

I giggled. “I wasn’t an exotic dancer if that’s what you’re thinking. There’s no way dirty men are going to see me naked.”

“I’d pay an arm and a leg to see you dance naked.” He raised his eyebrows a few times in a row.

I rolled my eyes. “If I could dance, I’d do it for free, but we both know I have two left feet.”

“Well, we’re in luck, because I have two right feet.”

I shoved him away, but he came right back. “How about we get some rest?”

“How about you take off that Army shirt and we have a repeat of last night first?”

I could have said no and possibly been able to fall asleep quickly. The thing was, I’d just gotten Brooks back and after one night all I could think about was doing it again. I sat up and lifted the soft cotton shirt over my head. Brooks put his hands behind his head and watched me remove my underwear.

“This is never going to get old.”

I climbed on top of him and grabbed his dog tags, pulling him forward until our lips were touching. “Tell me you love me and I’ll give you that dance.”

“I love you, beautiful. Now, stand up and show me what you’ve got.”

He was going to be sorry for asking.

Chapter 41

“Kat, wake up.”

I peeked open my eyes and noticed that it was still dark. It explained the whisper, since he wouldn’t have wanted to wake up B. “Go away. I’m sleeping. It’s not even morning,” I whispered back.

“I have an idea that might make you feel better. Come on, wake up. The sun will be up soon. Don’t you want to know what it is?”

He wasn’t going to let up until I heard him out. “Fine, talk.”

I half opened my eyes and tried to listen, while dozing off from the very beginning. Apparently the military teaches soldiers to be able to go with little sleep. I didn’t like what they’d done to him, since this was most likely going to be a habit.

“You’re all upset over me not knowing about Brooklyn. You think that they’re going to flip out on you or something. I think I have a solution. What if we told them that I knew the whole time? I haven’t been home and they suspect there are a lot of reasons why I’m keeping my distance. It would only make sense that part of it was because of the baby. If we told them that you didn’t want Branch to know, they’ll believe us.”

I yawned and looked right at him. “Brooks, the only problem with your story is the part where I run off and get married to a stranger. How are we going to even begin to explain that?”

“We won’t tell them that either. They don’t need to know. Look, we all make mistakes. Last week I felt like my whole life was worthless. I thought you’d moved on and started a family with someone else. I wanted to bury myself ten feet in the ground and never look back. I don’t care about the details of when or who. All I care about is us. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a family to visit on the holidays? It’s better for them to know her when she’s small. That way she’ll never remember a time when they weren’t a part of her life.”

I shrugged. “Of course, it would be wonderful, but I think you’re assuming that they’ll forgive me. I hurt them, Brooks. Just because you’ve forgiven me doesn’t mean they will.”

“Kat, I love you and I love B. I don’t care if it’s been four days of four years. Nothing is going to change for me. Don’t you get it? You’ve given me everything and you still think that you’re this horrible person. You’ve always been a part of my family and you know it. Family forgives.”

“I am a horrible person.” He needed to stop forgiving me for everything. “Brooks, I ran away from everything, had a child that you never knew about, and let another man, who beat me on occasion, raise her. What part of that is forgivable?”

He put his hand over my lips. “All of it. It’s true, but you also assumed that we were through. Then you thought I died. If something ever did happen to me, I’d want you to find happiness. Besides, after seeing you for five minutes, I knew you were still in love with me. After that, I didn’t care so much. Granted, I was pretty pissed that first night.” I thought about him coming home, probably showing up with flowers, and there I was hugging and kissing on my child and another man. I imagined the bomb that caused his heart to explode into pieces. Then, to make matters worse, I called the police because his truck kept appearing.

The whole time, I’d never considered it could have been him, because out of stupidity I’d assumed he’d died.

“I could spend the rest of my life apologizing to you and it will never be enough.” I hated myself for what I’d done. Bobby had been a mistake from the beginning. I can’t believe that I’d let myself fall for him and considered having his child. The thought made me cringe. “What if we don’t work out? What then?”

“First of all, I’ve already forgiven you, at least for the Brooklyn part. Now, me being a guy, I can see where you’d think that Bobby was a good catch. He seems nice on the outside and, given your circumstance, I can understand how him offering to take care of you was a good idea. What I don’t understand is how you could let someone physically hurt you more than once. That is what bothers me. It’s the only thing that I can’t let go of, especially since I’ve spent my whole life looking out for you.”

“I’m weak. Losing you broke me. Knowing what we could have been shattered my soul. Once I knew I’d made a horrible mistake, I just ran. I didn’t stop driving until I was sure that I wouldn’t be found. Facing any of you would have been impossible. I thought I had things under control, but I started getting sick and then I discovered I was pregnant. I know my decisions were prompted by desperation. I’ll admit to that. I’ll also admit that after time, I developed feelings for Bobby; feelings that may or may not have blinded me from a lot of things. The problem with falling for someone else was that I knew I was letting you go. When I thought you’d died, I snapped. I think a part of me died with you that day, even though you obviously weren’t dead. I gave up hoping and settled for what I already had. Was it a mistake? Probably. At the time, I didn’t have many options.”

“Not until I showed up,” he added.

He reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers. They fit perfectly together, as if they were made to be connected.

I squeezed his hand and looked up at him again. “When I found out you were alive, I didn’t even tell him. I ran right to you. I had to see you, to touch you and know that it was real. You can’t imagine what I went through. I was miserable. It was hard to even take care of B. My heart hurt for her never being able to know you. I couldn’t let go, because I wanted to believe that someday we’d be together. I’ll always run to you, Brooks. It’s why I know that this time is different. Our time apart taught me that my life is nothing unless you’re in it. B needs her real father, not a replacement. She needs to grow up understanding what real love feels like. I will do anything to make what I did up to you and prove that no matter where I was, or who I was doing it with, I never gave anyone my whole heart. I fell in love with you when we were children and it’s never gone away.”

He laughed and looked right at me. “Me too.”

I shook my head and smiled. “No, I think I even remember the exact moment. We were all three in the tub together. I guess we were around five. I’d asked my mother if she’d stop making me take baths with you two, because Branch made fun of me all of the time. Remember he used to point at me and laugh because I was different?”

Brooks smiled and pulled me closer against his chest. We both looked over to make sure B was still sleeping. “Yeah, I remember. He only picked on you, because he liked you.”

“Don’t take up for him.” I slapped him lightly on the chest. “Anyway, this one time he said I was ugly. It made me cry. You pushed him against the faucet and it cut his back. He got out crying and ran and told on you. Then you looked right at me, as innocent as it probably was, and told me-” He cut me off before I could finish.

“You’re pretty to me. That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”

I couldn’t believe he remembered it after all of the years that had passed. “Yes.”

“Well, you were always pretty, until you hit puberty. Then you became beautiful.”

His words took my breath away. I looked right at him and saw him smiling and I began to cry. “I don’t deserve you.”

He ran his hand through my hair as he spoke. “You know, Kat, I told my Mom once that I was in love with you. I think we were around ten and we’d all three been up in the tree house playing. You had those Barbie’s up there and Branch kept throwing them out and making you climb down and get them. About the third time he did it, I grabbed his arm and yanked it until he cried. I remember him running to tell on me and when Mom asked me why I did it, I looked right up at her and said ‘because I love her’. I think my mom always knew that it had never gone away. She even suspected something the night of our first kiss, or maybe my brother ran in and tattled about what we were doing. She kept giving me an evil eye all night, silently accusing me of something. Maybe I just felt like we’d done something naughty. At any rate, she knew how I felt about you. So did my dad. He pulled me aside when you started dating Branch. He told me that there were plenty of other girls out there for me. He didn’t get that I didn’t want any other girls. It’s the reason I started bringing random girls home. Part of it was because I thought you’d get jealous and want me instead of Branch. The other part was because they both pulled me aside and asked me if I was okay with you being with him. I couldn’t admit that I wasn’t. Mom made a huge deal trying to keep me occupied while you were doing your own things and making out with Branch. Finally, I knew they wouldn’t stop until I showed them that I didn’t care. It wasn’t always an act. Some of those girls were fun.” He started laughing, knowing he’d gotten to me.

“I guess I deserve that.”

“Stop. Kat, no matter who I was with, in my eyes, they were always you. Besides, I wasn’t innocent. I lost my virginity to a girl who didn’t even know it was me. You could hate me forever for that one alone, but I went and did it twice, because I couldn’t say no to you. I couldn’t go and get Branch, when I knew I could be what you wanted. I used to dream that halfway into it you’d say you knew it was me the whole time. I was pretty messed up.”

“You know, the first time, it was only my second time. It’s probably why Branch didn’t even understand what I was talking about. I wasn’t running around sleeping with your brother. It took me a long time to do that. Maybe I always knew that it wasn’t right.”