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“Good for you. Alright, I need to go finish up my last week.” She winks at me when I stick out my tongue and head off for the day. I grab a bagel and fill my travel mug before heading out to quit my job.
It’s been non-stop since I got into work, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to the captain yet. It is almost my lunch break, and I decide I need to get in there now because I have a lot to do once I get back. I knock on his door, and he tells me to come in. He looks up from his desk and puts his pen down. “What’s up, Thompson?” I sit down and cross my legs.
“Captain, I need to give you my two weeks’ notice. I’ve loved working here, but it’s time for me to move on. I’m going to be moving to New York.” He straightens up in his chair.
“I’m not going to give you a hard time, Mel. I had a feeling once you and Keith got together this might happen. I wish you nothing but the best, but I’ll admit, you are going to be one tough woman to replace.” I smile with pride at the compliment before standing.
“Thank you for everything.” He stands and we shake hands.
“I’ll make an announcement before the end of the day.” I turn to walk out, but his booming voice stops me. “I know Keith hasn’t had an easy life with his father, but I also know he is the one responsible for keeping them all safe. You will be in good hands.” I blink back the tears and turn to face him.
“That is something I would never doubt, sir.” He nods his head, and I leave his office. I gather up my stuff and head out to have lunch.
The day has flown by. I am finishing some paperwork when the captain comes out of his office. “Listen up.” That’s all it takes for everyone to stop doing what they are doing and give him their complete attention. “I just thought you should all know that Thompson has given her notice and will be leaving us. She’s had an offer to go to New York that she couldn’t turn down.” He looks at me with a half-smile. “She will be missed, but she needs to do what is best for her. Good luck, Mel.” I don’t know why I am choking up; I am so excited for my new start.
“Thanks, Captain. I’ll miss you all.” He nods and heads back to his office. A few of my co-workers come over to wish me luck, but I tell them all I still have two weeks. I finish packing my desk for the night and head to the elevator. The door opens, and I walk in. Right before it closes, fucking Jenson gets on. I roll my eyes and move to the other side.
“Good luck in New York.” I look at him shocked.
“Thanks, Jenson, I appreciate that.” He gets a smirk on his face, and I know he didn’t mean a word of it.
“I figure you’ll need it. I never pegged you for a woman that would chase after a dick, especially when there are plenty around here more than willing to help you out.” He moves a little closer, and I pray the elevator opens. I hit my back against the wall and cringe a bit. “What’s wrong, you still sore?” I snap my head up at him, but the elevator opens, and he gets right off. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? How the fuck would he know what happened? I rush to my car because suddenly I’m feeling extremely uncomfortable. Once I’m in the safety of my car, I breathe a sigh of relief. I slowly make my way home with more caution than I normally use. Between the accident and Jenson, I’m definitely on hig
h alert. I feel myself finally relax when I pull up in front of the house. I sit there for a minute to try to think things through. Then it hits me. Of course, he knew about the accident; there were other cops there. They obviously told him, and he is just trying to freak me out. What a fool I am.
I’m sitting in my room going through some of my clothes when my cell phone rings. “Hello?”
“Hey, sweetheart. How was your day?” I can’t help smiling the second I hear his voice.
“It was good. How is your mom?”
“She’s better now. We met with her lawyer and talked her through everything. She’s still nervous for court, but I promised to be there with her and the girls did too, so she is feeling better.”
“That’s great. Are you coming by tonight?” I know without him saying anything that he is going to stay with his mom.
“I think it’s best if I just stay here tonight. Are you alright with that, because if not, I’ll be right over.” How could he be any more perfect?
“No, you stay. I’m just going through clothes anyway. Is Connie staying tonight too?”
“I think so, but I’m not totally sure. Are you going to be all right home alone? I don’t think I like that idea. Why don’t you come here?” I laugh and make my way to the kitchen to figure out what I’m going to make for dinner.
“I’m fine, I promise. I’m a big girl. It’s not the first time I’ve been home alone. You be with your family tonight. I’ve taken up so much of the family time already.” We talk for a while longer, but he hangs up when their dinner is ready. I pull my microwave dinner out of the microwave and make my way to the couch. I flip on the TV and eat.
I wake up when I hear someone at the door. I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep on the couch. I guess Connie decided to come home after all. I get up to answer it, and the door flies open, causing me to scream. A man with a black mask covering his face slams the door shut before methodically making his way toward me. I turn to run, and my head is jerked back by my hair. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going? I’ve got some business I need to take care of.” Tears are rolling down my face. I thought the accident was scary, but that was nothing compared to the fear I feel right now. He has one arm around my waist, holding me close to him, and the other arm around my neck, making it difficult to breathe.
“Please don’t hurt me,” I squeak. He laughs without humor.
“Maybe that’s something you should have thought about before you started drawing.” I close my eyes, bring my hands up to his arm around my neck, and try scratching at him. He lets go of my waist and grabs both hands. “A fighter, I like that.” I try to kick back, but he must sense it because he pushes me forward, causing me to fall. I try my hardest to climb back to my feet, but he grabs my legs, and I smack my head on the wooden floor. I still have tears streaming down my face, and I begin to sob when he smacks me. He hits me over and over in the face and stomach. “Shut the fuck up. You had this coming.” He has me totally overpowered, even though I keep trying to push him off, but his hits are getting harder. He rams a knee into my chest, knocking the wind out of me, and grabs one of my hands. “Let’s see how talented you are when I do this.” I never could have anticipated the pain that was going to come; he slowly begins breaking my fingers. I am screaming in agony. It hurts so badly, I feel bile coming up my throat. After breaking three of my fingers, he drops my hand to the floor and leans on it with all his weight. I scream again, and he punches me so hard in my face, I taste blood. The pain is too much to take. I feel my body starting to shut down, and I’m willing it to. I can’t take anymore. “We are just getting started, Mel.” That’s the last thing I remember before he hits my face again.
We are watching TV, and I am trying to get a hold of Mel for the tenth time. I put my phone on my lap and blow out a breath. “If you are that worried, go check on her.” I look up at my mom, and she smiles at me. “I’m fine. You go check on your girl. Call me in the morning, and we will work on the rest of what needs to be done.” I jump off the couch and hug her.
“Thanks, Mom. I’m sure she’s just sleeping, but I’d like to be sure.” I wouldn’t leave, but the girls are there for my mom, and I just need to make sure Mel is all right. I’m sure to most people I would seem like an overprotective, worrying boyfriend, but it’s the cop in me. Not only that, it’s my nature to make sure those I love are safe. I climb into my mom’s car, and for some reason, I check the glove box. I am blown away when I see my mom has a gun in there. Where the fuck did she get that, and why? Is she that terrified of my father? I slam it closed and figure I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow, but right now, I just need to hold Mel in my arms. I start the car and slowly pull out of the driveway. I seriously hate this damn car; my mom needs a new one. I’m so grateful that Mel only lives a few minutes away. The closer I get to the house though, the more anxious I am getting. I pull up in front of the house and notice the lights are still on. I turn off the headlights and see a truck down the road, a truck that looks very similar to Jenson’s. I reach over to the glove box, grab my mom’s gun, and tuck it into my pants. I quickly get out of the car and make my way to the front door. I twist the handle slowly, and it opens. I put one hand on the handle of the gun and carefully push open the door. Never would I expect to see the scene in front of me. A man is on top of the love of my life, hitting her over and over. I’m having trouble disconnecting my feelings from this and just being a cop. I pull the gun out of my pants and cock the hammer back. I walk up behind him and push the gun against his head. “Get the fuck off of her before I blow your fucking brains across the room.” He stops hitting her and tries to turn his attack on me. I take my knee and ram it into his stomach. When he doubles over, I hit him in the face with the butt of the gun. He falls to the ground, but I can’t stop. I pull his mask off, and I’m surprised to see that it isn’t Jenson, but it does nothing to stop me. I continue to hit him over and over, watching blood start to drip down his face. I grab his hair and hold the gun to his temple. “You fucking asshole, I should kill you right now. You have five seconds to tell me why the fuck you did this, because I promise you, I have no problem killing you right now.” I look over at Mel and choke back my vomit. She is unrecognizable, covered in blood, and already starting to swell.
“Jenson.” I turn my attention back to this fuck. I pull my cell phone out and call 911.
“I’m Officer Dickson. I need police and an ambulance at 19 Dogwood Drive right now. My girlfriend has been attacked. I’ve got the attacker, but he’s fighting me, and I may need to shoot.” The guy looks at me with wide eyes. “There is a truck down the block that is involved, but I’m sure he has left.” I push the gun harder into his temple. “He’s fighting me. You may need to send two ambulances.” I hang up and drop the phone.
“No, don’t, please. She drew a sketch that put my buddy away for an extra twenty years. Jenson and him came up with this plan. I wasn’t going to kill her; they wanted me to kill her.” My rage is boiling.
