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Ana
“Oh, Anabel, you look so beautiful with only my marks on you.” His voice changes to desire, making my stomach roll. I want to heave but know he'll cut me or whip me more. My beautiful tattoo is gone, Jonathan sliced it from my skin with a scalpel.
My mind wanders to the day I met my lieutenant. It is my solace in this fucked up world I now live in.
I'm brought back from my lost love when I feel Jonathan cover my body with his. I prepare myself for the assault. I've never felt the warm fuzziness that my friends gush about. He pulls my hair and starts calling me names as he strokes the welts on my back. They'll scar along with my hip. I truly am ruined for anyone else now.
“You fat, ugly bitch. I'm stuck with you now,” he yells at me as he gets himself off with my body. He slams my face into the bed, cutting off my air supply with the comforter. I'm just about to pass out and blissfully die from this pain, when the hit to the back of my head has my eyes rolling back. Finally, I'll be with my lieutenant, and he'll never know what I became in this real world.
* * *
I come awake with a gasp, panic prickles my skin. I'm alone and look around frantically, and realize where I am. I roll to the side of the bed, and for the second time in hours, I throw up. I sigh in relief that it was just a dream and lie back down. I won't be able to go back to sleep, and I can't leave the room without waking up the others. I roll over and grab the pregnancy book but notice my cell phone blinking. Maya must have turned it back on. I pick it up and see a text message from Joshua.
Ana, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you by not telling you I knew who you were. Please let me explain tomorrow. Good night, my angel.
I want to reply, but it’s four in the morning, so I let it go and decide to read.
Joshua
Putting her down and walking out was the second hardest thing I've ever done. The first was letting her walk away from me in the first place. I was gutted seeing those tears in her beautiful blue eyes. I know when I talk to her I won't let her go again.
Maybe I'll take off to Belfast to see how the solicitor and barrister are doing with Ana's divorce. I don’t want to leave her, but the sooner I get that wanker out of her life, the sooner she'll be mine. Besides, maybe some time apart will be good for us. I can’t keep forcing her to be around me if it’s going to cause her to have panic attacks. Her blood pressure needs to calm down.
So far, Jonathan hasn't been able to figure out where she is. We've appealed the court with pictures of her bruises to try to rush the process. We've also appealed the court to keep Ana's location secret. They don't even know where she is. They ruled in Ana's favor to allow her to change her name back to Preston.
We avoid London as much as possible, so we hired legal counsel in Belfast and disclosed to them that Ana is in hiding in Australia. When the report on the guys that attacked Ana and Maya at the Philadelphia airport came back as crooked cops, we knew hiding her in the States was out. Coming to Scotland wasn't my favorite choice, but it seems practical. I would take her to bloody Alaska if it kept her safe.
Seeing her almost fall just about gave me a heart attack, my chest still aches. She still takes my breath away when I look at her. Her thick blond hair falls down to mid-back in waves. She has a small bump where her daughter lays, and I want to kiss every inch of that belly. Her breasts are fuller in her pregnancy. She’s everything I have ever desired in a woman. All women after her fail in comparison.
Well tomorrow I'll take her to the doctor and figure out from there what to do next. I send her a quick text to apologize, then pick up the book on my nightstand on pregnancy and look up her symptoms to see what it says. When I finally fall asleep, I have nightmares of losing her forever to blood pressure issues.
The next morning when I arrive at the main house, I notice Duncan's Rover is missing and everything appears quiet. I know it’s still early, so Ana should be here. Her appointment isn’t until 11:30 a.m.
“Hello, is anyone here?” I yell through the house.
The staff doesn't answer the doors here. To keep our location more secure we’ve only hired a few locals to help around the compound, and all the workers don't know anything about us. Maya even had them sign non-disclosure agreements as an added precaution.
“Back here,” James calls from the library.
“Where is everyone?” I ask confused.
I thought they weren't heading into town until about eleven. I look at my watch and notice it's only ten thirty.
“Maya, Duncan, and Ana went to town. Raul and Derek are heading to Edinburgh for some supplies, and I believe Ian and Timothy are pheasant hunting. What're you up to today?” he responds, looking up from his book.
“Ana left already? I was supposed to go with her.” I can't hide my confusion.
“Yes, they left about an hour ago. Something about heading to Perth before they go to Dundee.” His eyebrow quirks up.
“Bugger off! I was supposed to go. I've been getting the jet ready to fly over to Belfast. Why didn't they call me? Why’d they go to Perth?”
What the hell? I know she got my text, although she never responded to it.
“I don't know, Joshua. They have to pick up some things for Ana’s cottage in Perth. You want to tell me what's going on between my daughter and you?” he says as he stands. I step back and wonder what he knows. As far as I’ve heard from Duncan, she never mentioned our previous meeting. Only Maya knew. I stop my inner thoughts and look at him carefully. He knows something, which isn't good. I try for nonchalance, poker face time.
“I needed to do some running around Dundee too. I was going to go with them so we wouldn't be down a Rover when I have to go to the airport.”
“Is that so? I’ve seen the look you give her when you think no one is looking. I used to look at my Bella that way. I also know that for two years my daughter would visit a pub in Surrey near where your mum lives. I have always kept a close eye on my children.” He pauses, and I can see him working something out. How does he know where my mum lives? “Joshua, I think you're a good man, and I don't know what's going on between you and Ana. If you're interested, I would be proud. She's such a caring soul and needs a strong man, but someone who won’t control her. Jonathan was never right for her, but she said he was her choice. Life is too short, young man. Don’t waste time.”
