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Grim has his arms crossed against his massive chest and a scowl on his face. He darts his eyes back and forth continuously as if looking for trouble to come his way any second.
“I know Laura sent you to me, but can you tell us more?” Cece asks.
“I can’t.” My voice wobbles, and my hands are shaky as I sign. I should’ve known I would chicken out, but I can’t risk my parent’s safety to save my own skin. I’ll just have to come up with another way to get free from Brad.
A deep growl from Grim has me taking a step backward, and Cece smacks his arm.
“Stop that,” she chastises. “How are we going to get her to trust us if you growl at her?”
“I’m sorry I wasted everyone’s time,” I say, looking down at my feet.
As if an invisible tether is being pulled, my head snaps up toward the front window. Mom and Mrs. Coventry are across the street looking up and down the sidewalk. My mom lifts her phone and looks right at Naughty/Nice. When she points at me, panic begins to rise.
I have to get out of here quickly before they realize what I’ve done… or almost done. As it stands, I haven’t had a chance to tell Cece or Grim my reason for wanting help. I pray Laura doesn’t tell them either.
“I’ve gotta go.”
I rush past both of them to head off my mom and Mrs. Coventry before they reach the storefront, but Cece grabs my arm to stop me.
She pulls her cell phone out of her back pocket. “If anything, you look like you could use a friend. Can I get your number? I’ll text you so you’ll have mine too.”
I rattle off my phone number as I fumble with the lock and then scramble out the door.
* * *
A few dayshave passed since the incident in Boulder City. To say my mom was upset with me is an understatement. Of course, both she and Mrs. Coventry demanded to know why I disappeared to a store down the street. They told me that Laura said my stomach was upset, and I went to the bathroom. When I didn’t return, Mom went looking for me, only to find the restroom empty.
I repeated Laura’s story about me not feeling well, and I explained that I was overwhelmed with not being able to decide on a dress, so I went for a walk and wandered around the quaint town to clear my head.
“Honey, I know it’s a big decision, but surely there’s something that catches your eye,” Mom encourages.
“I don’t want to disappoint Brad, and this is a big decision,” I lie. “The wedding will be televised, and I want to make you all proud.”
“He’s going to be disappointed you didn’t pick a dress,” Mrs. Coventry states matter-of-factly. “Now our appointment is over, and that woman refuses to give us more time.”
I hang my head. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I’ll call later and see if there’s a slot available for next Saturday,” I promise. “Will you be available to accompany us, Mrs. Coventry?”
I strum my fingers across my keyboard, but a blank screen taunts me as I recount the events that happened instead of doing my homework. Both of them agreed to come with me the following Saturday. I have to come up with a plan before then, but I’ve been distracted ever since I met tall, dark, and mysterious.
Grim’s eyes haunt my dreams, and he’s all I’ve been able to think about for the past week. Meeting Grim and Cece gave me confidence that I don’t have to do this alone, that there are still good people in the world who willingly help strangers.
“Violet!”
Yelling and pounding at the door knocks me out of my stupor. I take a few breaths to steady myself for the onslaught of questions and plaster a fake smile on my face before answering it.
“I’m sorry, Brad,” I gush. “I was doing homework and lost in thought.”
He brushes past me roughly, and I shut the door before following him back to the living room. “How was your tr—”
Brad grabs my arms, hauling me to him and brutally kissing me. He forces my mouth open with his tongue. I don’t fight him because it’s not worth it.
As soon as he has his fill, he lets me go.
“Now that that’s out of the way, care to explain to me what happened when you went shopping?” he asks.
He’s calm, too calm. I try and explain to him that I couldn’t find a dress worthy of our wedding.
“I’m sorry I didn’t find one yet, but I asked your mother to co—”
