AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s the very first thought that comes to mind as my eyes peel open in the late morning. I’m sure I fell asleep last night something akin to the speed of light. The bed looks as though I never even slept in it, clearly there wasn’t any tossing or turning. All I needed was a blinding orgasm and a hot shower to completely disconnect myself from reality long enough for my dreams to carry me through the rest of the night.
Not that I remember any of them.
I only remember Kellan’s lips. His fingers inside of me, stretching, probing, ensuring my pleasure. God, that was insane. But I loved every second of it. And I absolutely want more.
Stretching my arms and legs out like the laziest cat, I take a moment to breathe in deeply as daylight pours into my room. I was so tired last night that I didn’t even register how lovely my temporary nest is. The four-poster bed is adorned with a dainty white lace canopy, while the furniture is cherrywood with brass knobs and handles. The walls are painted in a warm off-white, while the hardwood floor is covered with a plush carpet the color of champagne. As soon as my feet touch it, I feel as though I’m walking on clouds.
It's a good thing I left a bag of emergency clothes in the trunk of my Citroën even after I moved us to Campbell. It came in handy last night when we ran away from Daniel. I fish a pair of jeans and a bulky sweater from it, along with a matching set of cotton undergarments. Once I’ve got my blonde hair combed and styled into a loose bun, I give myself one last glance in the mirror and check my phone—Kellan left me a charger for it last night.
Dozens of missed calls from an unknown number, my voicemail is full. My stomach churns because I know it’s all from Daniel. I can’t even bring myself to listen to any of the messages, but I know I have to. It’ll be evidence against him in court.
Giving myself a few minutes, I breathe in deeply and gaze outside the window. The world is covered in pristine snow. There are several cars parked in front of the mansion this morning, ones I didn’t see yesterday. Then again, Luke and Kellan said this is the HQ for their private security business, so I’m guessing the vehicles belong to company employees. Kellan told me not to worry about my girls in the morning, that Helen would be with them until I was ready for the day. He’s so thoughtful and kind, so attentive and generous. I’m honestly shocked and infinitely thankful for our paths to have crossed the way they did.
Finally, I find the strength I need to listen to Daniel’s voicemails. He must be fuming.
With trembling fingers, I tap the phone and switch to speaker mode as I listen to the first message with bated breath.
“Avery, you fucking bitch!” he snarls, heaving and cursing like a rabid sailor. “I’ll find you, you hear me?I will find you, and I will bring you back home. You’re not getting away from me again. You’re not taking my girls away from me!YOU HEAR ME?”
I shake my head slowly, then listen to the next message.
“Where are you, you whore?Where’d you take my girls to?I only wanted to talk to you. Why did you have to make me so angry?Where are you?”
“Hopefully somewhere you will never find me,” I mutter and move to the third message.
He sounds calmer this time. He’s probably had a few minutes to realize that I’m out of his reach for the time being. “We need to talk, Avery. This isn’t right. Our daughters deserve a family. You left before I could explain everything. I only wanted you to listen to me for once. You’re being irrational, baby.”
That’s the theater play. He forgot the voicemails were recorded. He’s trying to make me out to be the crazy one, even though he’s the one with a restraining order against him. I wonder if he actually thinks that this is going to work. Or maybe he’s truly delusional. My dad would’ve put him down like a dog for everything he’s done to me.
Daniel shoved Miley. I will never forgive nor forget that, and I will make sure that he never sees us again. Until then, however, I need to know what I’m up against, so I play the fourth message.
“I’m not sure how far you’ll get in that shitty car of yours,” he says in the next message, then laughs harshly. “But I will find you, Avery. I will find you, no matter where you go. You can’t hide from me. I have friends everywhere. I have eyes everywhere. And I know people who will make sure justice finds you. You took my daughters away from me, Avery. We can still fix this, if you’d just agree to meet with me.”
“Oh, yeah, sure, that’s the first thing I’m gonna do after I put some concealer on this bruise,” I say to myself, looking in the mirror. It’s starting to show. It’ll be purple by nightfall. My face was so red from the cold last night that I didn’t notice the mark he left when he hit me. The adrenaline rush, the fear, my survival instincts… everything kicked in at the same time, and I forgot all about my own injuries, focusing solely on getting my daughters to safety.That son of a bitch.
“Come on, Avery, pick up the phone, where are you?” his fifth message starts off on a pleading tone. But he’s mad and unhinged, and he can’t hold back while he’s raging. “Answer the fucking phone!I’ll find you. I know every single town in this county, you little bitch!I swear I’ll find you!”
I can’t take it anymore, so I put the phone in my pocket and head out, determined to start the day on a better and lighter note. My first stop is my girls’ room. I stand by the door and listen first. I can hear them giggling in the company of a woman. Smiling, I go in and find Miley and Annie playing with a woman in her early sixties, with long, flowing ginger hair and warm brown eyes. She looks up from a sea of colorful toys on the floor and lights up like the sun when she sees me.
“Good morning, Avery!” she exclaims, genuinely thrilled.
“Good morning, you must be Helen,” I say.
“That I am!” Helen gets up, carefully straightening her peach-colored pants and matching blouse. Both look beautiful on her plump figure, though a tad ritzy given the task at hand. She lowers her voice then says, “I’m so sorry you were brought to us by such an awful tragedy,” and gives me a sympathetic smile. “Kellan didn’t give me too many details, but a woman doesn’t need to know much when a mother runs from her children’s father the way you did.”
“Thank you,” I mutter, lowering my gaze for a moment.
Helen comes closer, while Annie and Miley continue to play on the floor, occasionally giving me a pair of big and bright toothy smiles. They look well rested and happy, and that’s all that matters right now. “There’s no shame in being a victim of abuse,” Helen says. “Unfortunately, too many women in this world has a story to share. You’re not alone, Avery.”
“I know. It’s still a hard pill to swallow,” I reply. “Have they been a handful?”
“Who, these two little princesses?” Helen laughs lightly. “Oh, Avery, they’re the sweetest. You’ve done a marvelous job of raising them. They’re gentle and playful, curious and polite. I’ve had my share of kids to look after over the years, including the trouble twins. Your girls are a breeze.”
“The trouble twins?” I ask.
She wiggles her eyebrows, and it makes me smile. Helen doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously, but the sadness in her eyes tells me she’s using humor to mask deep injuries to her soul. I know that look. I’d recognize it anywhere. “Kellan and Fallon.”
“They’re twins,” I voice a conclusion I came to last night as well, for some reason. “They’re not exactly identical.”
