Chapter Fifteen
Zack and Krista are more than thrilled to have Melody stay with them as well. I knew they would be. What better place for us to stay than with a cop?
If I had even a piece of my heart left to break, hearing Melody tell me how she went most her life thinking one of her children was dead would do it. Time does not heal all wounds when it comes to the death of a child. God, the hell she must have gone through every single birthday and holiday and first day of school, and graduation. It’s a feeling I cannot even begin to comprehend.
Numbness sits in the pit of my stomach as I drive back to my house to gather my things. Martinez took Melody over to Zack’s house and I promised him I would call him the minute I got home and the minute I left my house.
I just don’t understand how James could be so cold and calculating toward a child he helped create, and I probably never will. Over money? Money can be such a dirty word. It makes people do things they normally wouldn’t do, like turn family members into victims. Is James going to make Trent a victim, too, or is Trent already just as ruthless as his father?
My phone rings and I see it’s Zack, so I answer right away.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” he screams in my ear.
“What are you talking about?” I scream back, frustrated.
“Jesus Christ! You didn’t tell me you were going back to your house on your own. What the hell are you thinking? I told you! Fuck! Just get your shit and get the hell out of there.”
“Zack, did something happen within the last half hour? You’re scaring the shit out of me.”
He lets out a long breath.
“Nothing has happened. I just . . . damn it. We found out that James spent four years in fucking prison for stabbing someone down in Tennessee.”
“What the hell? And you’re just telling me this now?”
“The information only came over a little while ago. The guy is a fucking loose cannon. And hell, from what you told me on the phone about him, I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself. I think it’s time we tell Dad about this, too.”
The thought of telling my dad is enough to shatter that last chunk of my heart. He’ll be worried sick, but now I know I cannot keep something like this from him any further.
“Give him a call and have him come over after work. We can all sit down and talk this out.”
All I can see is the look on my dad’s face when he finds out what’s been going on. He always told me his love and support for the both us was unconditional. Ever since this nightmare started, all I have wanted was for him to give me one of his big, strong hugs and tell me everything is going to be all right.
“Listen, get your shit and get the hell out of there. There should be an unmarked car with a couple cops parked across your street right now. And, Clove?”
“Yeah?” I sigh as I turn into my drive and see the unmarked car across the street.
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you too, Zack. Tell Krista I will be over there in about a half hour.”
“You’d better be, damn it.”
“I will be. Now let me go so I can get there.”
“I am walking out the station door as we speak and then I will tell you everything we know.”
“Sounds good. See you in a bit.”
I hang up the phone and toss it on the seat so I can hit the garage door opener. Pulling my car inside, I wave to the two cops sitting in the car directly across the street. God, I hope we’re doing the right thing here.
As I enter my home I am startled at the scene I see in front of me. Someone has turned it upside down. Everything is scattered all over the floor. The drawers are all pulled out and thrown all over the floor- papers, silverware, everything. I am rooted to the spot and I am scared to even take one more step for fear whoever did this is still here.
Turning back around, I reach for the door handle to get the hell out of there when I am grabbed from behind and a hand is firmly clamped over my mouth.
“Hello, Clove.” The voice I desperately never wanted to hear again whispers in my ear.
Fear and panic set in and I struggle to get out of his hold as Trent grabs me securely around my waist. Between the hand covering my nose and mouth and the intense pressure he is applying to my stomach, it’s difficult for me to breathe. I kick and claw at his arms and legs, digging my nails into the flesh of the arm that is gagging me. He hisses in pain as I continue to tear at him ruthlessly.
“Fucking bitch!” he shouts.
I can’t shake him. I feel lightheaded and my breathing gradually becomes shallower as he squeezes the life out of me. He’s going to kill me. I am going to die right here in my own home. I see my entire life fading away as my life flashes before my eyes.
Every good memory I have ever had will be gone in a matter of minutes. My dad comforting me with words of encouragement after falling off my bike as a young child. My graduation. My wedding day . . . oh God, my wedding day.
I can’t hold back the tears any more when I think about that day. The day I married my best friend. How can I forget the look on his face when I approached him at the altar? Turner looked at me as if I were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he told me as much.
I was all dressed and ready to leave for the church, so I gathered my things and went to slip my feet into my white pumps. That’s when I noticed the little love poem Turner wrote on the bottom of my shoe. I turned the shoe over in my hand and read his words in surprise.
‘Today, you become my wife. This makes today the best day of my life.’
I don’t want it to be over yet. No!
But there is nothing I can do as my eyes start to close of their own accord. My struggles cease immediately and my arms fall limply to my sides.
“I’m not ready for you to die yet. I’ve enjoyed fucking you too much.”
He lets go of me completely and shoves me to the floor where I gasp and cough, trying to get as much air and oxygen as I can.
“Get up.” His voice drips with malice.
“Go fuck yourself,” I say, regaining my voice.
He remains quiet for what feels like an eternity and my breathing finally comes back to normal. His stillness begins to scare me, but I will not die without a fight. I will never give up until I breathe my last breath.
I brace myself up on all fours and try to lift myself up, but as I start to stand, he grips a giant handful of my hair and whips me around. I fall back to the floor, hard, my hands flying up as if to ward off the pain he is inflicting.
I scream when he starts to drag me across the floor. He stops and yanks me up to meet his face as he kneels in front of me. He’s consumed with hatred. I can see it as plain as day seeping out of his eyes and boring into mine.
“Shut your motherfucking mouth. One phone call to my father and your fucking pussy of a husband is dead. This ain’t no fucking joke, sweetheart, so do as I say and this will go a hell of a lot easier for you.”
My head throbs as he violently jerks my hair back and I met his steely, cold eyes. I refuse to let him become aware of the fear his words have caused me. Instead, I make direct eye contact with him indicating I will not be an easy victim. He lifts his eyebrows as if to mock my stare and I spit directly in his face.
He releases his hold on my hair and even though I desperately want to cry, I reach deep inside and think of what Zack told me a few days ago. To hold onto love. What Turner and I have with each other will be all the strength I need to get me through this.
Wiping the spit from his face with the sleeve of his shirt he continues to stare at me.
“You know,” he says with a slight ridicule in his words, “You’re beautiful, smart, and one hell of a fuck, but I never pegged you for a woman with balls like a man.”
At that, he brings up his hand and slaps me across my face so hard he sends my head reeling back. The pain of the sting causes adrenaline to course through my veins, and yet I still say nothing. Fuck him. He can beat me all he wants.
“You will pay for that, you dumb cunt. Let’s get one thing straight, Clove.”
He grabs hold of my chin and puts his face just a mere inch from mine.
“If you want to see my dear old brother ever again, then I suggest you listen to me and do exactly what I say. I am not fucking around with you anymore.”
The muscles in his neck are twitching and his eyes look like they’re about to pop out of his head. Good lord, this man is deranged.
“How can you hate your own brother so much? What did he ever do to you?” I whisper.
He just continues to stare at me as if I have struck a nerve. So many emotions reveal themselves in his eyes. I can see them all. Hurt, anger, pain. They’re all there.
“He was fucking born. That’s what my brother did to me. You may think you know everything, but trust me, you fucking don’t. I am a hell of a lot smarter than you think I am, so whatever kind of shit you have brewing in that pretty little head of yours, I suggest you stop now. Because trust me, baby. IT. ISN’T. GOING. TO. WORK. My dear ole brother is as good as dead, bitch.”
Oh God, no. It all hits me at once. It doesn’t matter what I do or say, or if I help him get whatever it is he wants. They’re going to kill Turner anyway.
“You take me to Turner first.”
My voice never wavers or shows any sign that I am scared out of my ever-loving mind. Trent throws his head back and laughs in the most sinister way.
“That has to be the funniest damn thing I have ever heard. You see, I knew all along that you knew who I was, so don’t try and play me for a fucking fool. You will get me what I need or I will call dear old dad. Or, better yet, I will take all kinds of pictures of you spread out nice and naked and ready for me to fuck, and send them to your precious Turner so that the last thing he will see before he dies is me fucking his wife.”
“Good God! What kind of life did you live that you have so much hatred inside of you for a man who would have given anything to have a brother?”
“SHUT THE HELL UP. You know nothing about me or my life. As for my brother, I could give two fucks about him. You, on the other hand, are the best fucking piece of ass I have ever had. Trust me on this, babe. I am going to have you over and over again, whether it be right in front of my brother, or when I have you tied up and gagged. Either way I am going to get one more sweet taste of that creamy pussy of yours.”
He rakes his eyes down my body until they land right at my core, making me feel naked and exposed.
“I am curious about one thing, though.”
He lifts his brows with a shit-eating smirk on his face.
“Why did you let me fuck you when you knew exactly who I was?”
He tilts his head to the side with a look that says, lie to me, bitch, and see what happens.
“You know damned well why! It made me sick having you put your filthy hands on me. You repulse me.”
His laugh echoes.
“That’s not what this sexy body of yours said every time my cock was buried deep inside of you. You enjoyed every minute of it. I must say you have the sweetest tasting pussy I have ever had, and so responsive, too. I bet my brother doesn’t fuck you like that, does he?”
He observes me, waiting on my answer unspeaking and motionless. I am not going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know anything more about Turner and me than I have to.
“You’re fucking crazy,” I sneer at him.
“Oh, baby I know I am. Don’t you fucking forget it.”
His words sting. They sting even worse than the blow I took. I need to think. I hope I can stall him. I’m praying like hell that when I don’t show up at Zack’s house within the half hour I promised and he doesn’t hear from me, he will know something is wrong and be over here in minutes.
“How did you know I knew about you?” I ask, to keep him talking.
“You don’t think I would come in here and pretend to be my brother without knowing everything about him and you, did you?”
“I want to know. How did you do it? Were you spying on us?”
He simply shrugs.
“It doesn’t matter how I did it. What matters is I pulled it off, and you so graciously helped me without ever even knowing it. The thing is, this wasn’t something we planned to do overnight. We have been waiting for this opportunity for years and living right under your nose. The best part of waiting all this time to become Turner Calloway was the look on my brother’s face when he saw me. You should have been there to see our happy little reunion; it was priceless, I tell ya. Everything went according to plan. My brother fell right into our trap before he knew what hit him.”
A malevolent laugh erupts from Trent. Every distasteful and wretched image of this ultimate betrayal imbeds itself in my mind. I jerk myself free of his grasp and I start savagely swinging and connecting with any part of his body I can find.
“You fucking prick!”
I am kicking and screaming and he takes it. He takes every swing and hit and scratch that I am throwing his way.
“I hate you, you sick fuck! Turner has never done a damn thing to hurt anyone. You’re his brother, you fucking piece of shit!”
He just laughs, which fuels my fire even more. My arms and legs start to scream with pain with every connection I make to his body, and he just fucking laughs at me.
I pull back when my strength gives out on me and the tears finally start to fall.
“How could you?” I sob. “How could you do this to your own brother? Do you have any idea the hell that your mother has been through? Do you?”
“Ah, my mother. How is dear old mom, anyway? Never mind, don’t answer that. You, Melody, and Turner will soon be together for one last little family reunion and I can ask her myself.”
God he is so malicious and so full of hatred it makes me almost feel sorry for him. I start to laugh, and I mean laugh, as he has no clue where his mother is and he won’t be able to get to her at my brother’s house.
“What the hell is so funny?” he growls while right up in my face.
“You are. You think you’re the only one who has done their ‘homework?’ Well, you may have, although it was pretty half-assed. But let me tell you something- you fucking failed the test, asshole. My brother had you pegged the minute he laid eyes on you. Your little plan is fucked. You and your father may think you’re in the driver’s seat of this preposterous game you’re playing, but you’re not.”
He studies me closely as I lean in closer to him. His expression changes from shock to despair quicker than the beat of my racing heart.
“Yes, that’s right, fuck face. Melody is gone. She knows everything. You will never get your revenge on her. She’s gone and she’s safe.”
I look at him smugly.
“All this so-called homework you did is about ready to blow up in your fucking face. You may think you’re the one calling the shots here, but newsflash, Trent. Any minute now my brother is going to come barreling through that door and trust me, you’re going to regret every last one of the few short minutes he lets you live.”