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“Where is that bastard?” I seethe. “Where’s Trent?”
The detective points to the chair. “Sir, I need you to sit, please. I am happy to answer your questions, but we also have some questions that need answers.”
I pull up a chair next to Liz. No way am I going to be apart from her, not even a few inches. I take her hand in mine and glare at the detective. He needs to understand that I’m here to protect Liz.
The detective takes out a notebook. “We have Mr. Ellington in custody. You don’t need to worry about him. Your bodyguard was able to get into the house, and he subdued Mr. Ellington prior to our arrival.”
“I’m not worried about him. I’m worried for him. When I get a hold of him . . .” The threat hangs out there.
The detective nods once. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Now, Ms. Blakely, I know you’ve been through a lot, but I need to get some details while they are fresh in your mind. Can you tell me what happened?”
Liz sighs and shivers. I see her visibly shrink into herself. “Trent invited me over to his house and said he had a going away gift for me. I didn’t really want to go. But he’s a friend. I’ve known him for a long time. I thought I could trust him.” She looks over at me, and I see the regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t. This isn’t your fault.” I squeeze her hand. “Don’t worry about what I think. Just tell him what happened so that I can get you home.”
She takes a steadying breath. “So we arrived here, and he was very nice at first, just his normal self. He brings me into the living room, and we just chat a bit. He asked if I still plan to move away, and I told him yes. That seemed to irritate him a bit, but then he smiled and got up to get the gift.”
She pauses and looks at me. I smile and nod, encouraging her to continue. I’m doing my best to hide the rage I’m feeling.
“I unwrap the gift, and it is a diamond choker. I was shocked because we never had that type of relationship to warrant such an elaborate gift. I told him that I couldn’t accept it. He didn’t like that answer. He took it from me and told me to lift up my hair. I told him no. I didn’t want the gift. At this point, he was making me very uncomfortable. I pretended like I got a text that my driver was there to pick me up. I just felt like I needed to get outside, away from him.”
The detective continues to write as Liz talks. “You’re doing great. Can you tell me what happened next?”
She swallows and looks at me again. “Trent took out his phone and pulled up a screen that showed the footage from his outdoor cameras. He saw that my driver wasn’t there. He looked at me, and I swear I’ve never seen such rage. He said that I was a lying bitch and I would leave when he was ready for me to leave. At this point, I was too scared to move. He’s never cursed like that. I’d never seen this side of him before.”
I feel her hand shake beneath mine. I put my arm around her and hug her close. I lean close to her ear. “Don’t worry. I got you, babe. He’s not coming near you again.”
She nods, and a tear rolls down her cheek. I almost lose my mind when I see that tear, but for Liz’s sake, I put on a calm front.
I hit the detective with my meanest, most serious glare. “We’re just about done here,” I snap at him.
“Sir, it’s either here and now or later at the station. Let’s just get this over with so that you can take Ms. Blakely home.”
Liz sags against me. “I can do it now. It’s okay.” She clears her throat. “He yanked me up off the couch so hard that I lost my footing and stumbled. I ended up hitting my head on the coffee table. Then, he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the kitchen. He ordered me to sit in this chair. I was so afraid that I just did what he asked. He seemed to calm down then and started warming up water in his kettle. Said he was making us hot tea.”
The detective looks at Liz quizzically. “He was making you tea?”
Liz nods. “Yes, I thought it was strange.”
“And did you make an attempt to leave the chair?”
Liz looks at me and then looks down at her fingers. “No, he was too close to the doorway. I knew I’d never make it. And since he was calm, I was afraid to move, afraid to make him angry again.”
“What happened next?” the detective asks.
Liz peeks at me before continuing. “The water was heating, and he was getting down coffee mugs. He started kind of mumbling to himself or to me, I’m not really sure which. He said that I messed things up and that he doesn’t like his plans changing like this. I just stayed quiet until the tea was ready.”
Liz looks up at me, and I see the horror in her eyes. “What is it? Tell us what happened next. I know it’s hard, but you have to tell us.”
I feel her hands shaking. “As he finished making our tea, he took out a small glass vial from his pocket. I think he thought I couldn’t see him from where I was sitting, but I saw him pour the liquid from the vial into my cup. He brought it over and told me to drink. I refused. He went over to his butcher’s block and grabbed a knife. At that point, I knew I had to get out, no matter what. I took a chance and tried to run from the room. He caught me by my hair and pulled me back, so I screamed as loud as I could.”
The terror in her voice fills my body with ice. I’m afraid I’m going to be sick right here in front of Liz and the detective. “Oh my God,” I whisper.
“He forced me back to the table, but I wouldn’t sit down, so he threw me to the ground. He was becoming unhinged. His eyes were wild and scary, and he was waving the knife around. He told me that I needed to drink the tea to help me relax. He said he was upset that I had pushed him aside and chose you since he had been so attentive to me during my pregnancy. Between me disappointing him and his wife trying to divorce him and take everything, he said he was done with both of us. He told me he was going to make it look like his jealous wife kidnapped me. He said he had no problems making it look like his wife and I killed each other when I attempted to escape. I thought I was going to die.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block the horrific images that are flashing through my mind. He was going to kill her. I could have lost her forever.
Liz is crying now, the tears streaming down her face. She turns her face into my chest as she sobs, her body shaking. The shock has worn off now, leaving her a mass of emotion, and I don’t know how to handle it. I’mbarely able to hold myself together as it is. I just hold her as she continues to fall apart.
