Sunni
The morning at the diner sucked. It was slammed. All morning, I meant to text Jag. It never happened. I know we need to have the talk tonight. I’m confident he’ll never understand my past. Hell, I can Google his name and see all his past sins, and it’s nothing compared to mine. Once he knows my real name and Googles me, then it’s game over.
I had a handful of chances to slip out of work this morning. My palms would grow sweaty, and my heart rate picked up at the thought of facing my reality. I’d allow outside stressing factors of the diner to distract me. It was so much easier to serve another customer, put in an order, or pour a mug of coffee, and that’s what I grounded myself in instead of facing my reality. The same reality that was about to rip everything from under my feet.
Time’s up. The sand in the hourglass has poured its last grain. I relish every single memory with Jag as I stride down the sidewalk, and now it’s over. He deserves to hear the truth from me, and that’s what I’m going to do.
I grasp the chilled door handle with my sweaty palm and swing it open. I walk into a scene that’s not typical. There are no swinging or throttling sounds on the punching bags; it’s dead silent. All eyes turn on me. I freeze.
The truth of the presence of my past stares me in the face. Jaco whips around. Jag steps in front of him, striding toward me. There’s not a single emotion to be read on his face. His signature shit-eating grin has long vanished, leaving behind determination. Jag has never scared me until now.
Jaco cuts him off, pushing him to the side. A stranger who must be his partner strides up next to him.
“Sasha Brown, we have a warrant out for your arrest. You have the right to remain silent and everything…”
Jaco’s old and abused words dull into a cyclone of nonsense I’ve heard so many times on repeat. It’s not the fact he’s here for me that crushes the remaining pieces of my soul, but Jag’s defeated look on his face.
My wrists are ripped from my sides and whipped around my back. The familiar feel of cold metal clasps around my bones. I don’t fight. I refuse to, because every single time he wins. Fighting is worthless. A lost cause for the believers who refuse to quit believing. I knew it was coming, could’ve predicted it from the beginning of this story. It was Jag who pried and tugged out the hopeless romantic in me.
And it’s the same reason I never lift my head to look at him. It’s a cycle. I’m on wash, rinse, and repeat. I dared to hope things would be different because I felt loved, only to have it ripped away.
Jaco stops and turns back to the gym. “Thank you for your cooperation in putting this menace to society back in jail. Your community is now safe.”
He jerks on my hands, causing the metal of the cuffs to bite into my flesh. I don’t wince or react, not giving this sick fuck a reaction he’s craving. It doesn’t stop him from leaning forward just enough to hiss in my ear.
“Got you, Sasha. I said you can run, but I’d always find you.” His tongue darts out, licking the shell of my ear. “Seems another little boy has been found abused and broken, and you match the identity.”
The sunlight that just warmed my skin as I walked to the gym freezes me to the core. The unidentified car comes into view. Before I’m stuffed in the back seat, Landon steps in front of us, cool as ever.
“Glad it worked out, nephew. Crazy how life crosses paths. Justice has been served.”
“You’re right, uncle. I won’t ever be able to repay you.”
“Jag will never come back from this one. My brother, God rest his soul, would be proud of you, Jaco.”
I glance over at the other cop or detective. He’s older with salt and pepper hair; aviators cover his eyes with the only sign of his anger in the form of his ticking jaw. He doesn’t seem pleased at all as he scrolls on his iPhone.
Landon pats Jaco on his back and strides away. Their exchange sinks in. None of it makes sense. Jaco doesn’t have the last name Chandler, and he was adopted. He didn’t have an uncle named Landon. The shards of the puzzle fall together in hazy view.
Their identical sharp jawlines, hysterical laugh, and glinting eyes. I don’t ask questions. But I know those two are related somehow. I wrack my brain, processing the years we were married. Jaco’s adopted parents died in a house fire when he graduated from the force. He had no other immediate family members. The entire town in Iowa worshipped at his feet, expressing their sympathy.
The doors slam as the metal cuffs bite into my wrists. Jaco chuckles as he puts the car in drive.
“Who knew finding my birth father would lead me to my uncle helping to bring down that cunt?” He hitches a thumb over his shoulder.
“No shit,” the other man responds.
“Yeah, found out about six months ago there’s a shit long story about the gym we just walked into and my birth family.”
“Makes sense why we made it out here from Iowa. Glad there’s a good story behind it all.” The other man glances over to Jaco.
“Yeah, my birth father died three years ago in a fatal car crash. He left behind two brothers, Monty and Landon Chandler. Dumb bitch in the back ran right into their hands.” Jaco glances at me in the rearview mirror. “Two birds with one stone. Landon needs Jag out of the picture to make better odds for his fighter in Vegas, and Sasha here needs her ass behind bars for the rest of her days.”
They continue talking as if I wasn’t listening, not leaving out any details.
The unknown detective runs his hands through his coarse salt and pepper hair. “And you married that bitch not knowing the monster she was?”
Jaco flicks on the turn signal. “Yeah, fucking nuts, man. I walked in on her one day with a little boy stripped down and Sasha on her knees.”
I force it out. Guilt washes over me knowing Jag is believing all of this since everyone else did. There’s no point in arguing. My past caught up with me, and it was all over Jag’s face. He believed them.
Out of nowhere, Jaco erupts in manic laughter. “Dude, you should see the look on your face. Priceless. Naw, man, set the cunt up after I found out she was leaving me. Had the entire town eating out of the palm of my hand. They all felt sorry for the distraught husband when he found out how big of a monster he was married to. The meals didn’t stop for months, and the number of women willing to spread their legs to soothe my sorrow via their pussies was endless.”
“Don’t you ever worry about getting caught?” The man in the passenger seat stiffens.
“It’s all a façade I’ve perfected over the years. It’s a talent I mastered at a young age. I’ve got my shit on a tight lockdown. Don’t you worry about me.”
The car takes a swift turn into a well-lit parking lot. I recognize the building from when I encouraged Layla to bail out Boss only mere hours ago. Ironic. I’m yanked from the backseat without warning. Warm streams of blood run down my wrists. Jaco slams me against the harsh metal of the car.
He chuckles like the genuine maniac he is. People always warn you about the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Some believe it to be an old wives’ tale, and I did too, until I married the man tossing me around like a rag doll.
“Quit resisting,” Jaco seethes in my ear.
Not one muscle in my body has protested his harsh jerks. It hasn’t stopped him from yanking me around. I glance up at the other man who stands back with his cellphone in his hand. He’s immersed in whatever social media site he’s scrolling.
“Didn’t think you’d see me, now did you, wifey?” Jaco’s palm stings the tender skin on my cheek. “Bitch, I’ll follow you and whatever other scum crosses my path. Nothing will stop me. Can’t believe you had the nerve to rape another little boy and possibly a toddler, you monster.”
Jaco whirls me around and plants a palm between my shoulder blades. I sail forward with the asphalt in view. I turn my face in time so my cheek, jawline, and temple catch the brunt of the fall.
“Quit resisting an officer.” Jaco rips me up by a fistful of hair. “Told you to never think about leaving me, you cunt! And what did you do? File for divorce! Big mistake making me look like a damn fool in our hometown.”
I glance over to the other man, hoping to plead for help. He’s still obsessed with his phone. I barely catch it out of one eye since the other has nearly swollen shut.
“Gonna be on every front page and big news channels in the morning, Sasha. Smile real pretty for the camera in that mug shot.” Jaco slaps his hand over my crotch, cupping my core and pressing me back into his chest. “Should fuck you before I put you back where you belong. Cock is getting hard thinking about it. Thank hell I’ve been paying off the night guard. Going to pay you a little visit tonight. Miss that tight little ass.”
“Why?” The simple word escapes my lips, and I don’t stop. “Why me? You loved me at one point and then snapped. I’ve never done one damn thing to you or anyone.”
My head snaps back as fire blazes across the back of my skull. Jaco grips onto another chunk of my hair, ripping me in whatever direction he pleases.
“You crossed me. Worked too many hours in your salon and was packing to leave me. You knew fucking better. You saw firsthand how powerful I was and the game I was playing. I could pin anyone for any crime of my choice. You’re a loser, and that’s why I married you. Nobody cares about you, Sasha. You have no family who’d come to your rescue. You will forever be my pawn. The gift that keeps on giving.”
“I have a family,” I whisper.
“Excuse me, cunt?” I’m shoved to the ground again. The same side of my face crashes into the unforgiving surface. The old familiar sound of bones cracking crescendos in my skull. My tongue is trapped between my teeth, causing blood to pool in my mouth.
Jaco is a maniac determined to take me down. He’s winning and always will.
“Tomorrow your lover boy will be down here along with your new friends. It seems they’ve found some bruises on their daughter. I generously planted a seed of how it could’ve come about.”
“Fuck you!” Blood spits out between my lips.
“Yeah, Sasha, you’re about to be fucked. That sweet little girl of theirs will make the perfect poster child to pin you with a crime that will put you behind bars for life. Nobody will be on your side once I frame you up nice and good for raping a toddler, you fucking monster.”
This time, I keep my mouth shut. I’m numb. He’s won. The worst part is knowing he’s charming enough to convince the nation I hurt Bella. I’m processed and stripped of my rights and tossed in a stale, cold cell. I find comfort in the bars and pray Jaco stays away when the sun goes to sleep.
The side of my face throbs with a steady rhythm of pain. I close my eyes and pray upon a deaf God for Jag to come save me. I know it won’t happen. The hurt and pain reflected back in his once caring and loving eyes told me everything I needed to know. He fell for Jaco’s bullshit. The tears never come. They’re useless when your future days are filled with nothing but darkness.