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I called into the cleaning agency to see where I was assigned for the day and headed out with Emma in tow. All day I racked my brain for what could have alerted him to me, but I couldn’t come up with anything.
By the time I put my daughter to bed and headed to the pub to work that night, I was exhausted. Sean must have seen it written on my face because he sent me home an hour before closing, claiming that it was slow enough that he could handle it himself.
It was pretty busy, but I didn’t argue because I was that tired. He slipped a bundle of cash into my hand.
“You alright, Leah? That guy leaving you alone?”
“Yeah, I’m okay, Sean. You don’t need to worry about me,” I replied quickly, painting a smile across my face to mask my depleted energy.
“You tell Kieran about him?” he pressed. His eyes searched mine, his concern shining through.
“Yeah. I told him.” I smiled even wider, trying to cover up my lie. For a second, he just stared at me like he wanted to say something more and I worried that he might not believe me, but then he sighed almost as if in defeat.
“Get home safe, okay? I worry about you,” he said softly, and my heart softened just a little.
“I will, Sean. Thank you.”
I dipped my head, breaking eye contact as quickly as I could manage. I shoved the money in my pocket and pulled my jacket on. The walk home was quiet for the most part. There was a drunk guy stumbling down the sidewalk, but that was fairly normal for this part of the city. Someone hollered out their window and I jumped. I shook my head. Everything was fine and I was just letting things get to me.
When Irma’s café came into sight, I sighed in relief. I turned the corner. That feeling soon soured though because there was a hooded man leaning against the wall of the building next door. I moved to the edge of the sidewalk to give the man a wide berth, but as I passed him, he pushed off the building. I quickened my steps, but he reached out and grabbed my upper arm.
He threw me against the wall. My head bounced off the brick, causing an instant flash of agony to burn through my scalp. In a daze, I cried out and the man pushed his hood down.
It was Trevor.
He seethed before me, his eyes flashing with fury and contempt. He slapped his hands on to the brick to either side of my head, cutting off any avenues of escape.
“Fucking whore. Think you can run off with my daughter and not pay for it?” he growled. A real surge of fear billowed through me.
His breath was rank with alcohol and his eyes were glassy. His hooded sweatshirt was stained, reeking of stale beer and cheap cigarettes. He stared at me with a vicious scowl, and I whimpered quietly when he grabbed my chin and forced my cheek against the wall. His fingers dug into me, and it hurt.
“Trevor, please. You already got money. Just go back to Turners Falls. Leave me be,” I pleaded.
His fingertips felt like nails digging into my flesh.
“No. You didn’t pay for anything, whore. But that asshole isn’t here now to save you. It’s just you and me.”
“What do you want? More money?” I gasped. I reached into my pocket and pulled out what I’d made for the night. He looked at me and then the money. With a harsh scowl, he grabbed it and tucked it into his pocket.
“No. I want more than just money,” he grinned, his face darkening with cruel intent. I tensed. This man was a monster, fueled by greed and alcohol.
My terror swelled up into a whirlwind inside me, making it hard to breathe. His body closed in around mine, capturing me as prisoner for whatever he wanted.
I’d never been able to fight him off when he got like this.
His other hand groped me, squeezing my left breast. I gritted my teeth, pain lancing through me. I put my head somewhere else, trying not to think of him touching me like that but then his hand traveled even lower to cup between my thighs.
I couldn’t let him do this.
Acting on instinct, I brought my knee up hard, hitting him right in the balls as hard as I could. He pitched forward with a high-pitched yowl, and I pushed him away, but he didn’t move. I tried to get away, but he still boxed me in. The seconds ticked by, and he lifted his head, his murderous gaze catching mine.
He swung his arm upward and backhanded me hard across the face. The force of it threw me to the ground and I scraped the palms of my hands on the sidewalk.
“This won’t be the last time you see me, bitch. Next time, maybe you’ll treat me with more respect,” he warned.
He walked off, leaving me lying there on the ground.
One minute passed. Then another before I was able to pick myself up. My hands were shaking as I unlocked the door to the Roasted Bean. I walked through the shop in a daze, climbing the stairs to my apartment and escaping inside to safety once and for all.
