43 - Samantha
“Samantha Jane,” Jess says with her hands on her hips. “You cannot blackmail the Shelbys. That’s insane! You’ll get yourself killed.”
I look at my best friend and shake my head. “I have to,” I say. “It’s the only way to get Dean out of this.”
“Fuck Dean!” she exclaims. “Seriously! Think of yourself! Think of the baby! You need to get away from these people. RUN.”
Heads start to turn, so she grabs my arm and drags me out of the lobby. We head towards her car. I get into the passenger’s seat, clutching my phone against my chest and then playing the recording again.
“Honestly, Jess, this would ruin a political career. Imagine the headlines: Billionaire Family Threaten Non-Profit Children’s Worker,” I say, fanning my arm out in front of me. Jess slams her door and shakes her head.
“Imagine this headline: Body of Deceased Non-Profit Worker Found in the Hudson River.”
She raises an eyebrow and starts the car. I nod. She has a point. They’re obviously dangerous, and they’ve had these plans for a while. I have no idea what I’m up against. All I have is one measly recording. We start driving and pass a car in the parking lot.
“Jess! Is that Ronnie!?” I exclaim, craning my neck to see into the car. Jess slows to a stop and looks over. There are two men in the front of the car. They’re talking to each other and looking towards the building. Jess looks at me, her face drawn with worry.
“What is he doing here?”
“Pull over up here. Let’s see what they do,” I say, pointing to a side road just ahead. Jess nods and turns the car around so we have a view of the front of the building. We say nothing to each other as we watch the other car. Jess sighs.
“This doesn’t feel good, Sam. This feels very very bad.”
I nod. There’s a lump in my throat. She’s right, it feels very bad. I look down at my phone and take a deep breath. Maybe she’s right. Maybe this is too dangerous, and I should just run.
“How do you know Dean even wants to be saved? Didn’t you say that he told you it was over? And those pictures…”
“They’re not real! They admitted it up there. They told me that they were just using him.”
“How do you know that! Who knows what’s a lie and what’s real.”
I shake my head. “Dean doesn’t want this. I know it, Jess. He wants to be with me.”
“Sam,” Jess starts. I hold up my hand and point to the front of the building.
“It’s Dean,” I breathe. He’s being led to the car, and is thrown in the back seat. They drive towards us and we hide our faces as they drive by. I tap on the dash. “Come on, Jess. Let’s see where they go.”
She takes a deep breath but says nothing. We follow the black car from a short distance. Jess turns off the radio and we drive in complete silence. We follow them for just over half an hour until they pull up into a motel parking lot. I see Ronnie get out of the car and grab Dean by the arm. They push him up the stairs and throw him in a room. Ronnie and the other man sit down outside the room, guarding the entrance.
I turn to Jess. “We have to get him out. He’s being held hostage!”
“Samantha. You have a baby on the way. Your ex husband is holding your new boyfriend in a shitty motel. His billionaire family threatened your divorce settlement and said they’d ruin your career. What do you want us to do? Go up there and ask Ronnie to let him out? Let’s get the fuck out of here!”
The frustration builds inside me and I shake my head. Tears start prickling my eyelids and I look at Jess, pleading her with my eyes to understand where I’m coming from. She sighs and opens her arms up to give me a hug.
“Look, let’s just go home for now. We can come back tomorrow morning and see what happens. Just sleep on it, please.”
I nod. “Ok. Let’s go.”
Jess puts the car in gear and pats my leg. “It’ll be ok,” she says. “I promise.”
I nod and turn my head, staring at the door where Dean disappeared until it’s out of view.
By the time we get to Jess’s place, my head is a mess. I don’t know what to do. If I try to help Dean, I put myself and the baby in danger. If I don’t help Dean, I’m abandoning him to his family. I collapse into bed and stare at the ceiling. I run my hands over my stomach and let the tears flow out of me.
I don’t know what to do.
I hear Jess and her family making dinner and getting ready for bed. I don’t have the energy to get up. I don’t want to see her and Owen and the twins and be reminded of what a mess my life has become. All I want to do is lie here and forget about it all.
My phone buzzes and frown when I see Ronnie’s name.
I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.
My heart squeezes in my chest and the tears start to flow freely. I read the words over and over and all I feel is hurt and anger and betrayal all over again. I pick up the phone and dial his number. His voice is timid when he picks up.
“Sam?”
“What the fuck are you doing with him at that motel?” I growl into the phone. I hear Ronnie shuffle as if he’s getting up and walking away.
“How do you know where I am?” he says in a hoarse whisper.
“Answer my question,” I spit back. “Why are you texting me apologising when you’re keeping my boyfriend hostage. She got the divorce papers from you, didn’t she?!”
“I’m sorry, Sam. I’m sorry,” his voice breaks and I hear a sob. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Sam.” He repeats it over and over and I try to stop him.
“Ronnie, get out of there! Go back to Lexington. What are you doing!”
He sobs once more and finally stops. “I can’t,” he says, his voice more firm. “I can’t. Not until they’re married. Then she’ll let me go.”
“When’s that?” I ask, trying not to sound too forceful.
“I gotta go, Sam. I shouldn’t be talking to you.”
The phone clicks and I exhale. “Fuck!” I say under my breath. Dean’s mother must be using the divorce over him as well. I lay back and stare at the ceiling. The fire in my stomach starts to burn hotter and my resolve strengthens.
Jess is right about a lot of things. She’s right that this is dangerous and stupid and it might be suicide. But she’s wrong about Dean. He’s being held against his will and forced to marry someone who betrayed him. I sit up in bed and listen to the recording of our conversation again. I pull up Ronnie’s name again and type a message.
What does Mrs Shelby have on you? Why is she making you do this?
I grip my phone and hope he answers. If he does, I’ll have two small but powerful bits of ammunition against them. If the recording doesn’t scare them, maybe evidence of coercion and extortion will.
She’ll make me lose everything in the divorce. Her lawyers told me they’d leave me with nothing.
I smile as I read the text over and over. Another one comes through.
Wedding is tomorrow at the courthouse at 9am.
I hold the phone to my chest and whisper a silent thank you. Ronnie may have betrayed me over and over, but for telling me this I’ll forgive him everything. It doesn’t matter, because now I can make everything right.