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It was a romance, but with a twist I was very much interested in. It was a ‘reverse harem’ - a genre I hadn’t even known existed until I had stumbled on to it, by accident, while searching for something on my E-reader that I hadn’t already devoured from the romance section. It was a love story which so far very much resembled my own relationship – the heroine of the story rapidly falling in love with five guys. While I, of course, knew it was just fiction, it was also the only resource I had to help me understand what was going on with my guys, and what such a relationship may involve. I was desperate to get through the book, desperate for them to all come to the happy ending I was hoping for in my own case too.
So reading had been my plan for the entire afternoon. But as I walked out of the gym with Declan, I noticed how down Fiona had looked sat behind the reception desk. Her usual bright smile was nowhere to be seen and when I caught her eye, she just looked miserable. When I had approached to speak with her, she had feigned a smile, but I saw right through it and knew she needed some cheering up.
I was worried about the faint bruise I could see on her left cheek. It was obvious she had covered it with make up, but as someone who had spent much of my life doing the same thing, it was still obvious to me. It wasn’t the first time I had noticed bruising on her, but on the occasions I had tried to question her about it, she had just brushed me off, saying she was just clumsy.
I didn’t buy that. I recognised the fingertip bruises I often saw on her arms from my own past and I had a feeling it was her mother, who she still lived with, who was inflicting the abuse. Fiona had never come out and said it openly, but small comments she had made led me to believe her mum was very fond of a drink, and I knew that could often come hand in hand with violence. It would certainly explain Fiona’s insecurity and awkwardness if she had been the victim of abuse for a prolonged period.
I hated that she didn’t feel she could trust me enough to talk to me about it, but I also respected she just may not feel ready to do that. Until she was ready, all I could do was be there for her and show her she could count on me. So that morning, I had convinced Dec to give her the afternoon off and then told her to pick where she wanted to go. She was desperate to show me a shopping centre that she swore had the best clothes shops for us to look around, so that was our plan. I wasn’t huge on shopping, but I was happy to spend the afternoon with her. We hadn’t had much time to get together since the hit and run and I felt bad about that.
“Fiona will be here any m-minute,” I told him as I put my handbag on the counter and hurriedly tried to remember if I had put everything I needed in it. Just as I moved to put my mobile inside, it started to ring.
“Sorry,” I told Luca as I answered Fiona’s call.
“Hey you. You ready?” She greeted.
“Almost. Are you outside?” I asked.
“Yep. Parked outside the gates to your place.”
“Sorry. I took too l-long in the shower. I’ll be a few minutes. Come inside. You just need to type the code into th-that little box. It’s three….”
“Don’t!” Luca snapped, cutting me off.
“It’s only Fiona,” I told him as I placed my hand over the phone so she wouldn’t hear how over the top Luca was being.
“You don’t give anyone access to the house, Blake. You know this. I’ll open the gates,” he grumbled as he held up his phone, from which I knew he could open the gates at the front of the property with the security app.
“So grumpy,” I uttered, then I moved my hand from the speaker of the phone. “Sorry Fi. Just drive on in. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Take your time. I’ll just wait in the car,” she agreed easily. I hung up and glared at Luca.
“She’s my friend, Luca. That w-was rude.”
“We all agreed the only people with access to the house would be the three of you, Nan, and the guys. No one else, friend or not,” he told me, leaving no room for argument.
“Fine. What did you w-want to talk about?” I asked as I continued checking I had my pills and my purse inside my bag.
“We have a lead on who hit you. Forest managed to get security footage from some doorbell cameras down the block. He found a car with damage to its side and bumper, that lines up with the way Declan described the hit,” he explained.
“Okay,” I nodded but I couldn’t hear the sound of my own voice over the pounding of my heart that had suddenly started echoing in my ears. “D…do you know wh-who was driving?”
“No, and there’s no image of the plates, but the car was a black Honda Civic. Do you know anyone who drives that car?” he asked, and I shook my head. The only people I knew with cars were my family, and Fiona, and hers was a red Mini.
“Abby’s car is white,” I said, though it came out as more of a whisper through the huge lump in my throat.
“I’ll ask the others and see if the car is familiar to them. Forest is pulling records of everyone with a registered Civic in the area too. We’re getting closer, Blake,” Luca told me as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I think it was supposed to soothe me, but with the rising fear that this hit and run driver was going to turn out to be one of those monsters who hurt me, swirling through my thoughts over and over, the touch was too much and I backed out of his reach.
“Sorry,” I whispered instantly, hating for him to think I didn’t trust him. I did. I felt safe when he was with me, but it was harder to deal with him touching me, even just casually on good days. When I was feeling anxious it was a straight ‘no’ to him even being too close.
“It’s fine,” he assured me as he held his hands out before him and took a step back. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I…yeah. I’m f-fine. I just…I’ll be a minute,” I stuttered as I abandoned my handbag and dashed off towards the downstairs bathroom. I managed to hold it together until I had the door closed and locked, but the minute that lock was in place, I crumbled.
A huge part of me didn’t want Luca and his partner to find out who had hit me that night. I didn’t want anyone confirming to me what I was already so sure of – that those three monsters weren’t willing to leave me alive and had come after me to finish what their bullet had failed to do.
I slid down the door, feeling shaky and unsteady, landing in a heap on the cold tiles. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, clamping a hand over my mouth to muffle my sobs as I allowed just a few minutes for my fears to consume and overwhelm me.
Just the idea thatThe Asshole, The SadistandThe Creeperwere in the same country as me, filled me with crippling terror. What if they decided they wanted to hurt me some more before they killed me? What if they came for me again? I couldn’t do that again, couldn’t find the strength I would need to survive one single moment more with those bastards who had destroyed me. I’d rather die right there in that bathroom than risk those three ever getting their hands on me again.
