Chapter four:
“I take it that is for you.” I shrank like a violet, until I was down in the fetal position rocking back and forth. “My god, what did this guy do to you to make you feel like you have to hide?” He looked through the curtains, reaching for the nightstand to produce a black revolver that had a sliding clip. “It’s a good thing that you came in here. It looks like he has already busted into your room. I get the feeling he didn’t allow the pesky business of your privacy to get in his way.”
Timothy had a lot of money at his disposal and he could throw it around to get what he wanted.
“I can’t let him find me. He’ll kill me and the child.” I touched my stomach, and I reminded myself that this kid needed to survive. “The child is innocent and doesn’t deserve any of this. What’s going on between me and my husband can not bleed into this child. It needs structure and safety, and I don’t think that I’m going to get it from him. He will never accept this child as his own.”
“I know you’re here. The front desk clerk told me that you checked in last night and didn’t leave. I’m going to find you, and then we’re going to finish this once and for all.” If I could’ve crawled into a hole, I would have done so happily. The only thing separating me from his wrath was a very thin door and a man that looked like he was dealing with a hangover to beat the band. His hand was shaky on the curtain, and he was obviously coming down from a night of debauchery and overindulgence.
“It’s slowly coming back to me. You and your husband cheated on each other behind each other’s backs. You got pregnant and you tried to make him believe that it was his. Somehow he found out the truth and decided to call you on the carpet. Instead of allowing you to leave gracefully, he wanted to make sure that you couldn’t say anything to anyone. I’m guessing that he’s the type of overprotective, possessive man that doesn’t take kindly to any kind of betrayal.” My eyes were wide open, and I was hugging my knees. I was begging god to let this end. “You can stay sitting there all day, but it’s not going to change anything.” I could’ve said the same thing to him about the subpoena, but I didn’t really want to throw salt in the wound.
“I can’t get away from him. He’s going to kill me. It doesn’t matter how much I fight back. You can see him yourself, and he’s more than equipped to make short work of me. If you’re thinking that he’s going to be prosecuted for killing me, then you really don’t know what kind of resources he has. He will call in favors, markers that are from high profile individuals with a lot of clout. It wouldn’t even surprise me if he had the Mayor or the chief of police in his pocket. If I don’t do something, then I’m going to be running for the rest of my life. I can’t constantly look over my shoulder to see myself staring down the barrel of a gun.” I took a deep breath, steeled myself for the confrontation at hand, and got up to face my problems head on.
I went to the window. I could see that he was throttling a young kid with acne problems. “She wasn’t there. You better tell me what I want to know, or things are going to get ugly in a hurry.” He looked like he hadn’t slept, but he was impeccably dressed, as if he was going into the office. “I’m not going to ask you again.”
The kid was out of his mind and staring at him like he couldn’t quite believe that this man was threatening him with bodily harm.
“I gave you her room number. If she’s… not there… there’s nothing that I… can do about it.” He had the kid by his lapels ,and the anger in his eyes was making it very difficult not to run out in defense of the kid.
“You are useless to me. I’m going to knock down every door in this place until I get my hands on her.” He pushed the kid backwards, and he went into the pool.
“I can’t swim… for god sakes…. I can’t swim.” He was sputtering, and then he went under, the weight of his clothing pulling him down. He came up two more times, begging with his eyes for somebody to help him, and then suddenly Ian took it upon himself to be the hero in this equation.
He swung the door open and ran, until he dove headfirst into the pool. His heroic efforts had left me a sitting duck. The door was open, and Timothy was staring at me and pointing. “You are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Let’s see if we can’t finish what we started last night.” I had the forethought to grab the door and slam it closed with the lock in place. I heard his footsteps, and then he was knocking incessantly. “Open up and take your medicine like a good little girl. You are really starting to get on my nerves, Lori.” I saw the gun, and I grabbed it. I held it in my hand like it was a life preserver.
“I’m asking you to let me go and not to come looking for me. I’m not going to try to take half of your earnings in divorce proceedings. Just leave me and the child alone and let us move past this chapter in my life.” The gun felt good and the steel felt cool against my fingertips. I had my finger on the trigger. I backed away from the door.
“I would really like to be reasonable, but you have gone too far this time. I’m going to bust down that door, and you are going to die at my hands.” I heard the thumping, and I saw that the door was buckling underneath the pressure of his weight slamming up against it. “I would like to say that this is going to hurt me a lot more than it’s going to hurt you.” He continually beat on it, until it started to splinter. He did not give up and as a last ditch effort, I decided to try and put the nail in his coffin.
“Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.” The gun went off in my hand, and the power that I felt was like an aphrodisiac. I fired the entire clip of eight shots through that door, letting in pin points of light from the outside. There was only silence, and I thought for sure that I had killed him. I made my way over towards the door, holding my breath and then swung the door open.
His face had this pale complexion, but he was still standing and looking just as menacing as ever. “Is that… the best that you can do… bitch?” When he talked, blood seeped out of his mouth. “With my last breath, I will end this.” I backed away, and he stumbled forward with his white crisp shirt now crimson. I had no idea how many bullets had actually punctured his body, but at least I could say with some certainty that I did do some damage.
“Stay away from me.” My hand was shaking on the trigger. I pressed and hoped that there was one left in the chamber. The only thing that I heard were empty clicks and each one made my heart sink a little bit lower.
He tried to reach for me. I closed my eyes and hoped that it would be over quickly. I had done what I could to survive, but it was to no avail. I felt the cold clammy hand of death on my throat. The gun was swatted out of my hand and any form of resistance had gone out the window with it.
I heard a thump, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it until I deemed it necessary to open up my eyes. He was on his knees, and Ian was choking him out. Timothy gasped for breath, and then I saw the life in his arms drain away. They fell to his side, and Ian wasn’t letting go.
“Soldier, I need you to let go. Stand down.” I was using those words that I had heard in several army movies. He looked like he was in his own little world. He finally let go and allowed a gasp of breath to escape Timothy’s lungs.
He made a call and waited until the police arrived to take our statements. Timothy was taken away in an ambulance, but he was under armed guard. They told me that I would have to testify. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I was going to do what I had to do to protect myself and this child.
They left and I turned to Ian. It was time to give him some advice. “I think deep down you want to do the right thing. No matter how much it pains you, you need to tell them how your commander took advantage of you in times of war. If it helps, I will be there with you every step of the way.” In the time that I had been with him, I had grown to care for him. I had no idea where my child’s father was, but I was happy to open up my heart to another. He grabbed my hand and then he kissed me like you would see in those movies where the hero got the girl.
“It would be my honor to have you stand with me, and I will do the same thing for you against your husband.” We had found each other in a world that seemed like it was unforgiving. We were both lost and by finding each other we had a new lease on life.
It was going to be a long road, but one that we would hold on to each other for support through the entire thing. My child would have a father. Ian was a man that knew what it was to have responsibility thrust on his shoulders. “I’m not sure, but I believe that I might be in love with you.” This took me a little aback, but I threw my arms around him and I was never going to let go.