Twenty-Eight
Vivienne
My stomach rolls as I open my eyes. I’m completely disoriented, freezing, and have no idea where I am. When I see Taylor in a chair in the corner of the room, flashbacks of him showing up at the house hit me and I try to sit up but one of my wrists is cuffed to an old iron cot. The mattress is full of stains and it takes all the strength I have not to vomit all over.
“Please let me go,” I cry. He smiles a sadistic smile and rubs his thumb up and down the blade of a hunting knife.
“Go on, keep begging.”
I bite on the inside of my cheek until I taste blood. I saw Denise in the woods. I saw what he does with that knife. Tears roll down my face as I think about how stupid I was for coming home and not telling Ollie. I’m going to die at the hands of a psychopath because I was too stubborn to listen.
“I like crying, too. Keep it up.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask. I know I shouldn’t speak, but I want to know why.
“Oh, I think I’ll save that story for when your boyfriend gets here. In the meantime, we can have some fun.”
He walks over to the bed and uses the knife to cut off the sash of my robe. “I think I’ll tie your mouth with this.” I swing at him, sluggish from whatever he drugged me with, so he grabs my hand instead and ties it next to the one that’s in handcuffs. “Feisty. I like a girl that has some fight in her.”
I start to kick at him, but he just walks away and laughs. I’m helpless to do anything but scream for Ollie and pull at the restraints around my wrists. The more I scream, the more he laughs.
“Better save some of that fight for later.”
I keep screaming, fueled by anger and a need to escape from here, but he goes from entertained to furious. He lunges at the bed and holds the knife up to my face, pushing the tip into my flesh. A drop of blood rolls down my cheek and drips in my mouth. “I said save some for later.”
It takes everything in me to stop. I squeeze my eyes shut and push all thoughts out of my head. All thoughts except those of Oliver. I need him to find me. I need him to come and get me before it’s too late.
“I’ve been waitin’ for this for so long,” he says from the corner. He hasn’t spoken in about an hour. “Bishop and I had a talk about you, right when you came back to town. He said y’all were done, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I had to make this perfect. Bide my time, go through all those women, building up from ones he didn’t give a shit about so I could end with the great love of his life. You’re my masterpiece, Vivienne. I’m ready to start workin’.”
He moves from his chair and walks toward the cot with his knife in hand. It’s not far from one end of the room to the other, but each stride feels like a mile. Each step echoes in my head and causes my heart to pound against my ribs.
“First, we need to get these clothes off you.” With one flick of the wrist, he puts the blade between my breasts and pulls up, cutting my bra in half. I pull at my hands to cover myself, but it’s impossible to get loose. He traces the tip of the knife down my stomach and swirls it around my hipbones before cutting either side of my lace panties. I push my knees together, but he overpowers me and pulls them back apart. “Like unwrapping a present,” he says, more for himself than me. My body is covered in a cold sweat and I can’t stop shivering. Every touch, every word out of his mouth is nauseating. I can’t help but to think of all the other women. My fate is to die by that knife he’s touching me with, just like they all did.
“You don’t have to do this,” I plead. “Let me go and I won’t tell Ollie it was you. You can leave and I’ll never breathe a word. He doesn’t ever need to know it was you.”
“You’ve got this all wrong. I want him to know it was me. He needs to know it was me.”
“Why?”
“I told you, I’ll save that story for when he gets here.” He looks at his watch. “But I’m getting impatient. I thought he’d get here sooner. We might have to start without him.”
He runs that blade up and down every inch of my body, followed by his tongue. When I cry out, he pokes the blade into my flesh, causing my blood to spill. When he tries to kiss me, I bite his tongue.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he yells, positioning himself between my legs. I fight with everything I have in me, trying to kick and flail, screaming, making it impossible for him to penetrate me with the knife. I feel the blade slicing at my skin as I try to fight him off, but the pain doesn’t register.
We fight with each other until I start to lose hope. I can feel my strength draining. I’m getting weaker and weaker. I’m going to die at the hands of a psycho while tied to a bed in the woods.
I’m sorry, Ollie, I think.
I cry out when I see Ollie and Smith storm into the cabin. Ollie runs to me, but Smith holds him back, saying something to him about the knife.
“Welcome,” Taylor says. He moves from between my legs to behind me and holds the blade to my throat. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Let her go,” Ollie growls.
“Not gonna happen.”
“Please,” I beg, but he tightens the knife. I can feel it biting into my skin. Ollie comes closer but Taylor warns him to stop or he’ll slit my throat. He backs up and raises his hands.
“You ever wonder why I did all this?”
“Had no idea it was you.”
“Surprise,” Taylor laughs. “I know it took you a while to make the connection, but did you ever think, ‘Why me?’ You had to wonder why someone was going after all the women in your life.”
Ollie’s jaw is tense. “No.”
“Wanna hear a story?”
“Will you let Vivienne go?”
The blade on my throat pinches tighter and I’m scared to move a muscle. I’ve felt this knife slice and prick the skin all over my body. He could end my life with one swipe of the handle.
“Once upon a time, there were two brothers. Their dad was a controlling dickhead. Always telling them how to act, how to dress, how he wanted them to live their lives. If they didn’t obey, their punishment was delivered with fists. Both brothers hated their father and couldn’t wait to leave home.” He stops for a minute and looks down at me. “What shall we call these brothers, Viv. We need to give them a name.”
“Um, I, um,” I stammer, but the blade nicks my skin.
“I said they need names.”
“Okay. John and Joe.”
“Perfect. As soon as he was able, John left home and went off into the world. He tried to convince Joe to come with him, but Joe was afraid he wouldn’t make it. They didn’t have money. They didn’t have a plan. John became a drifter and Joe joined the Navy. John got into some trouble and made some really bad decisions. Joe, on the other hand, kicked ass in the Navy and became a SEAL.” I see something spark behind Ollie’s eyes. Recognition maybe? I’m confused by all of this, but he must know where this is heading. “He was always going on the secret missions overseas, but always came home in one piece. He would keep in touch with John and prevent him from becoming the monster that was always hiding just under the surface. He would reel him in and help him maintain his last threads of humanity. Well, big brother Joe didn’t come home from his last mission. His leader, Oliver Bishop, let him get blown up in a roadside bombing. I met Bishop at my brother’s funeral, where the last of my humanity ended up in the ground with my Joe’s body. That day, I vowed to destroy Oliver Bishop’s life, just like he destroyed mine.”
Ollie’s shoulders slump in defeat. Smith grabs his arm and says something in his ear, but he shakes his head.
Taylor looks at Smith and speaks to him for the first time since their arrival. “If you’re asking if he recognizes me, I’m sure the answer is ‘no.’ Right before I came to Bellemere, I cleaned up my look, changed my name, and there was not a hint of recognition when I ‘met’ Bishop the first time. You see, we were both pretty fucked up the day of the funeral. He was feeling guilty for killing my brother, and I was thinking of revenge. It’s all I had on my mind that day. I knew I had to avenge my brother’s death. As luck would have it, my great-uncle was the Sheriff of the same town that Oliver Bishop was from, thinking about retirement after a long and successful career. It’s a shame he died in a tragic hunting accident, but lucky for the town, his loving great-nephew was here to take over.”
“I’m sorry about your brother,” Ollie says. I can hear the sincerity of his words. “I carry the burden of the deaths of those men every single day of my life. But that has nothing to do with Vivienne. You killed my sister.” His voice cracks. “I’d say we’re even.”
He laughs and a new round of chills breaks out along my skin. “We won’t be even until you watch me fuck your girlfriend with the knife I used to kill your sister.”
All at once, a shot explodes, I scream, and Taylor’s body slumps over me. Smith and Ollie rush toward me. Ollie works at freeing me but I can’t concentrate on that. My eyes can’t move past Smith – a gun in his hand – getting Taylor’s dead body off me.
Smith just killed a man for me, I think. As the words run through my head, my breaths get faster and I start to feel dizzy. Things only slow down when Ollie takes off his shirt and covers me with it, then pulls me into his chest. We hold onto each other and sob, repeating that we’re sorry over and over.
He finally pulls me away from his body, but only enough so he can look me over for injuries.
“I’m okay,” I tell him. “I’m okay.”
“You’re covered in blood.” His eyes are wet with tears. “He hurt you.”
“I’m okay.” Those seem to be the only two words I can get out.
“I need to get you cleaned up.”
“Not here. Please get me out of here.”
Smith approaches the cot with a big blanket. He wraps it around my shoulders and Ollie takes over, making sure it’s covering me up. I’m shaking uncontrollably, but I don’t know if it’s from the cold or if I’m in shock.
“I put in a call outside. Cops’ll be here soon. Told them they could get a statement from her at the hospital.”
“No hospital. I just want to go home.”
“Okay,” Ollie says before he lifts me up and carries me out to the truck.
We ride home in silence. I stay on Ollie’s lap, scared to lose contact. He refuses to leave my side when we get to his house. Smith stays in the kitchen with the police, giving his side of the story while Ollie puts me in his old clawfoot tub and gently washes my hair and bathes my body. Tears roll down my face as I watch the water turn pink from the blood coming off my skin. When I think about what could have happened to me if Ollie and Smith hadn’t shown up, my silent tears turn into loud sobs. Ollie climbs into the tub with me and holds me, whispering in my ear and telling me that everything will be okay now. I’m safe. I’m home. I’m loved. I cling to him and refuse to let go, even long after the water cools and we’re both shivering. Finally, he gets us out and dried off, bandages my deeper cuts, and tucks us into bed, where we continue to cling to each other.
We don’t leave the bed for a few days. Smith stays at the barn, dealing with the cops, making sure the pets and Ollie’s livestock are taken care of, and bringing us food. It goes untouched, but without fail, he brings a tray around for us three times a day. Ace doesn’t leave our side, either. She knows something is wrong with her momma, and she tucks herself into my body and lets me cry into her fur whenever I need to.
Davis flies in right away. He’s always close by in case I need him. Just seeing his face is enough for me. Not enough to make any of this go away, but enough to give me some comfort. My parents spend each day in the kitchen, drinking from the unending supply of coffee that always seems to be around. They were horrified when they got the call from Ollie about what happened to me, as any parent would be. I may not be on speaking terms with my mother, but I’m glad she’s here. She and Ollie have had some hushed conversations by my bedside. I’ve heard her heartfelt apologies whispered in my ear. I know she’s apologizing for it all - the past and the present. I forgive her.
Life’s too short and fragile not to.
After a week, Ollie asks me to take a ride with him. We haven’t left the house since he rescued me. I only leave the bed when I need to take a shower or go to the bathroom. Reluctantly, I agree. The fresh air might do some good.
“Where are we going?”
He gives me a grin. Only one side of his mouth moves up. I can’t help but match it. It might be the first time I’ve even attempted to smile since Taylor took me. It’s a start.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“You know I never could resist a surprise.”
“I know.”
The farther out of town we go, the more I want to talk about what happened. I haven’t had the slightest desire to bring it up before, but something about being on the road with Ollie makes me want to talk. Maybe it’s from all the drives we used to take as kids. We’d get in his truck and drive for hours, never having a destination in mind, just craving time to talk and spend time together.
“Ollie?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think I’ll ever get over what happened? Will I be able to move on?”
He takes my hand and rubs his thumb back and forth across the top. “I don’t know if it’ll ever fully go away. Things like that have a way of stickin’ with you. But, as the days go on, you’ll be able to separate yourself from it. You need to find a corner in your mind, lock that shit up, and don’t let it come out.”
“Is that what you do?”
“I wasn’t, but I’m learnin’ to. Smith and I have been doin’ a lot of talkin’ since I reconnected with him. We’ve been through the same shit, seen the same atrocities. He’s havin’ a better time adjustin’ to civilian life, so I figured talkin’ to him was a good place to start.”
“I’m glad you have him.”
“Me, too.”
“What about the nightmares?” The flashbacks during the day are bad enough, but the dreams I have about my time in that cabin are almost unbearable. Not only do I see myself in the dreams, but I’m usually there with Annie and the other women.
“Those’ll get better with time, too.”
“I don’t want this to consume my life. I want to be happy. I want to move on. There’s so much I want to do and I can’t have this getting in the way.”
“That right there, baby, that fire you have inside you, hold onto that. Grab it and don’t let go. That’ll get you where you need to be. I was missin’ that when I came home. I had no desire to move on. I had nothin’ to live for. Not until you came waltzin’ back into Bellemere, all sass and attitude.”
“I love you,” I tell him quietly.
“Love you, too, Princess.”
I was so involved in our conversation that I didn’t even notice where we were going. I recognize the place as soon as he turns into the long driveway. “What are we doing here?”
“Your surprise is here.”
Smith greets us at the truck. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own head that I didn’t know he left Bellemere.
“How you doin’ today, Viv?”
“Better,” I answer honestly. The talk Ollie and I had on the drive up here really sunk in. I will not let Taylor win. There’s no way I’m going to let him mess up my life.
“What about you?”
“Better,” he echoes. “Met with the DA’s office today. No trial, no charges against me. They agree with my attorney that I shot Taylor to save your life. I can put it all behind me.”
“You just made my day even better.” On top of everything else, I’ve been so worried about Smith. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he was convicted of murder because he shot Taylor in order to save my life.
“Well, I’m hoping I can top even that.” We follow him to the barn, and my heart starts to beat overtime in my chest. “I breed and train guard dogs, like Ace, but I also have dogs specifically trained to help veterans who suffer from PTSD. I know your situation is a little different than a soldier returning from war, but I have just the pup for you.”
He slides the doors open and I walk toward a pile of puppies that are wrestling in the corner of the barn. They are obviously Shepherds, but their coloring is different from Ace’s. They just might be the cutest things I’ve ever seen.
Smith walks ahead of me to the pile and picks up one of them and holds her out to me. “This is the one I had in mind for you. She reminds me of you, full of sass, always speakin’ her mind.”
I hold her up to my face and breathe in that puppy smell that’s so wonderful. “I love her.”
“Do you wanna look at any of the others?” Ollie asks me.
She licks my face and snuggles into my neck. “Nope. I love this one.” I pull her away from me and look into her bright blue eyes. “Wanna come home with us, Sassy?”
She gives me a short bark, and I take it as a ‘yes.’
“She’s all yours,” Smith says. “Enjoy.”
Without letting go of my new baby, I throw my arms around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
He chuckles. “Don’t thank me. Thank your man.”
“Thank you, Ollie.” His eyes grow warm and he gives me a smile.
“Anything for you, Princess.”