CHAPTER 31
THERESA

 

I called Jane from the car as we were cruising toward my apartment. I had so much to fill her in on it was crazy. This business trip had taken her a lot longer than I figured it would, and the karmic part of all this was that I’d be on my way to Boston by the time she got back.

She needed to at least know I wasn’t going to be here.

“I swear, I’m going to ream my boss for not getting me a better phone plan,” Jane said.

“Then you’re really going to be mad when I tell you what I have to tell you,” I said.

I looked over at Grant and found him grinning as his arm hung out the window of his car.

“Do you want me to start with the good or the bad?” I asked.

“Tell me whatever it is I’ve missed from front to back.”

“Well, you know Grant and I were hooking up.”

Grant ticked an eyebrow into the air, and it made me giggle.

“Yes, I know all of that. Who are you giggling to?”

“Grant,” I said.

“Wait, you’re with Grant right now?” she asked.

“Just listen. Ike came back to the apartment.”

“What the hell did that asshole have to say?”

“It wasn’t so much what he said as what he did.”

The silence on the other end of the line made me nervous.

“Jane?”

“I’m fucking grabbing my crowbar. Where the hell is that son of a bitch?”

“Jane, settle down.”

“Did he lay a hand on you?”

“Hands and knees and all sorts of other things. Jane, he’s in jail. And he’s not getting out on bail,” I said.

“I’m going to kill that fucker.”

“Well I won’t be here to witness it,” I said.

“What the hell does that mean?” she asked.

“I’m going to Boston with Grant.”

There was another brief pause, but this time it wasn’t as tense.

“Boston.”

“Yes,” I said.

“With Grant.”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Holy. Shit. Does your dad know? Fuck me, does Hollis know?”

“No, and no, and it isn’t any of their business.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Theresa?” she asked.

“Are you ready to stop asking questions and listen?” I asked.

“I’m going to chew my cheap ass boss out for this stupid phone plan,” she said.

“When Ike put me in the hospital, Grant came. Hollis saw Grant kiss me.”

“Well, I’m sure that went over well.”

“And by well, I’m sure you mean absolutely terribly. And of course, in wonderful Hollis fashion, he called my father.”

“Who then came to try and beat the shit out of Grant.”

“Yep. But I kicked them out of the hospital room.”

“You did not,” she said.

“I did.”

“Holy fuck, Theresa. I would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall for that.”

“I didn’t even tell them when I got out of the hospital. My apartment was still an active crime scene when they released me, so Grant booked us an oceanfront hotel suite.”

“And I’m sure he made you feel all sorts of better,” Jane said.

“Oh, you better believe he did. After a couple of days there, I went to talk to my father. And I laid all of it out for him.”

“When you say all of it, you mean?”

“Everything. How disappointed I was with him for kicking Grant out. How angry I was at him for being a hypocrite and bashing Ike when he and Hollis do a version of the same thing.”

“Oh shit. You gave it to him.”

“I did. And do you know what he told me?”

“What?”

“That he was the one who emailed Grant to come into town for me.”

“I’m not following. Did I miss something?” she asked.

“Long story short, Grant originally came into town because of an email he got from someone. An email that said I needed him.”

“And your father sent that.”

“He did.”

“Are you sure he didn’t have a stroke?”

“I’m sure. My father told me he knew Grant was the only person I would even remotely listen to,” I said. “And I have to admit, it pissed me off.”

“Um, yeah. I could see that happening.”

“But we talked it out.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” Grant asked.

I looked over at him and smiled as Jane squealed in my ear.

“I heard that! I heard all of that!”

I giggled as we pulled into the driveway of my apartment.

“Grant told me he loves me,” I said as I looked over at him.

His eyes raked down my body before he reached for my hand. He wrapped it up in his and brought it to his lips for a kiss, and I felt my cheeks flush.

“I can’t believe this. I miss everything!” Jane exclaimed. “Did you say it back?”

“I’m in the car going to Boston with him, aren’t I?” I asked.

“Say it back to him, Theresa. I know you. You wait too long on these kinds of things. If you feel it, fuck what you’ve been through. Screw Ike and his jailbird ass. Fuck Hollis and whatever bullshit he thinks is his to be pissed over. It’s about damn time you lived your life by your own rules.”

I gazed into Grant’s eyes as her words descended onto my ears.

“When are you leaving for Boston?” Jane asked.

“I’m about to pack, then we’ll be on the road.”

“So, you know I’ll be coming to see you soon, right? And by soon, I mean all the damn time.”

“I know,” Grant said.

“Can he hear me?”

“The entire East Coast can probably hear you,” I said.

“Well damn. Aren’t you a sassy pants now?” she said.

“When are you coming back?” I asked.

“I’m still here for another couple of days. I mean, it’s paid leave, and I have a per diem stipend, but I’m ready for this boring ass conference to be over. I’m ready to write some shit.”

I shook my head as my eyes gazed up at my apartment. The crime scene tape was gone, and the door looked fixed, but I still felt my heart fluttering in my chest. I swallowed thickly as images of that night came crashing into my mind, and I felt my hand trembling in Grant’s.

“I gotta go pack,” I said.

“You call me as soon as you and Grant get into Boston, okay?”

“I will, Jane. I promise.”

“And Theresa?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m so happy for you, it’s sickening. We’re going out when I get to Boston to celebrate.”

“Looking forward to it,” I said with a smile.

I hung up the phone and looked over at Grant and found nothing but empathy in his eyes.

“You okay to do this?” he asked.

“Yep. It’ll be quick. I promise.”

“Then let’s go.”

We headed up to my apartment, and the door was unlocked. Everything had been cleaned up and the broken furniture had been hauled off. But having Grant next to me made the trip around the apartment less painful. I saw my set of keys sitting on the kitchen table with a note from my landlord, and I picked it up and took in the words.

Theresa,

If you still want to stay, here are your keys. If you don’t, call me. We’ll work something out.

Short. Sweet. And to the point.

I showed the letter to Grant, and he immediately pulled out his phone. He dialed my landlord’s number at the corner of the page, and I made my way down the hall. My hands trembled, and my breaths came in short spurts. The sooner I could get out the better off I would be. Grant’s voice drifted down the hall as I pulled out a couple of bags, and I stopped to listen to what he was saying.

“Theresa?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you be okay for a few minutes? Your landlord agreed to let me settle this on your behalf.”

“You go ahead. I’ll finish packing. Almost done.”

“I’m taking your keys back to him. He said to just lock the door when you leave.”

“Grant?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I’ll be back soon.”

I drew in a deep breath as the door closed behind him, and I went back to packing. I was shoving every piece of clothing into my bags that I could. Dresses with tags still on them because Ike didn’t like them. Shoes I’d never worn because Ike didn’t approve. Sweaters and jeans and socks and underwear. So many things I would enjoy donning in the streets of Boston at Grant’s side.

And the next thing I knew, I was waking up in darkness.

I couldn't remember anything that had happened. The last thing I remembered was grabbing a pair of pink heels from the back of my closet.

My body rolled around in the tight space it was crammed into, and I quickly figured out where I was.

I was in the trunk of a car.

Tears flooded my eyes and panic robbed me of my breath. I was gasping for air as my legs throbbed in pain. My ribs hurt again, and my tears were blinding what little bit of vision I had in the darkness of the moving vehicle.

But it was the movement of something in my pocket that caught my attention.

It was vibrating, and I scrambled for it as the car went over a bump. As I slammed against the hood of the trunk, I tried not to cry out. I picked up the phone, and I attempted to find my voice, but Grant’s panic took over my presence.

“Theresa. Where are you?”

“I don’t know, Grant. I don’t know. I’m in a—”

We went over another bump, and it crashed my shoulder into the roof of the car. The phone tumbled from my hand, and I scrambled for it. Grant was my only connection to the outside world, and my battery was dying. The car was flying down the road and tears were rushing down my cheeks, and I could barely catch my breath enough to speak.

“You’re in a car,” Grant said. “Is there anything you can see or hear around you?”

“No. Grant. We’re going too fast. We are going over a lot of bumps. Help me. Find me, please. I don’t—I don’t know what—”

We ran over yet another fucking bump, but this time it rolled me to the back of the car. I crashed against the metal, and it took everything I had not to cry out. My entire body was screaming in pain. I sobbed into my arm to muffle the sounds as I clung helplessly to the phone in my hand.

What in the world was I supposed to do now?

“Theresa? Theresa!”

I put the phone back to my ear as the car started going down a hill.

“We are going down a hill now. Help me, Grant. Please find me! Hurry!”

“Listen to me. I’m going to find you, Theresa. I’m calling Hollis, and we’re coming for you, okay? Keep your cell phone on. Hide it. But whatever you do, don’t shut it off.”

“Hurry. Please. I hurt so much, Grant.”

The phone hung up, and it shattered my heart into pieces.

I pulled up a text message to Hollis and managed to send something off to him. I told him I was in a car and I didn’t know where I was and that I needed him. I needed my brother. Then, just as I sent off the message, the car came to an abrupt stop. With shaking hands, I turned my phone onto silent and shoved it into my pocket, and the moment the trunk of the car flew open the sun blinded my eyes

“Come here.”

And I recognized the voice instantly.

Ike grabbed my hair and pulled me from the trunk. He tossed me to the ground, and I heard the cock of a gun. The cool sensation of metal pressed against my head, and I began sobbing. Tears dropping onto the dirt beneath me as I held my arm up to try and block his attack.

“Please. Ike. Don’t do this,” I said breathlessly.

My eyes finally adjusted to the light around me and the look in his eyes made me heave. The crazed angry glare of a man who had lost control of his life. It made me vomit onto the ground below me. I felt his hand come down around my arm and he yanked me up, ranting about how disgusting I’d become. How he could’ve loved me was beyond him. How I was a waste of space and wasn’t going to get away with ruining his life.

I stumbled along beside him, and an abandoned building came into view. I had no idea where I was. No clue. I spat onto the ground to try and rid my mouth of its awful taste, and Ike slapped my cheek. I tried yanking away from him, but it was fruitless. His grasp was so tight I could feel the bruises already forming, and I knew I was in trouble.

I honestly wasn’t sure if anyone would find me. How the fuck had he gotten out of jail?

Ike kept ranting as he yanked the door to the abandoned building open. He tossed me inside, and I stumbled and crashed to the ground. The floor was cold and covered with mold, and I immediately began to cough and wheeze.

Then, I felt his gun at the back of my head.