Kisses and Revenge (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sleep had become a foreign concept to her. Nothing but fear consumed her mind, and she tossed and turned all night wishing she could figure out what to do. The idea of spending the rest of her life in prison was not appealing, but she also knew Warren had contacts. If he threatened it, he more than likely could make it happen. She had pretty much quit her job working at the women's shelter and once again kept to staying at home. If anyone were to see her, they would know something was wrong. Leslie had never been very good at keeping a poker face.

As she lay in bed, Warren's arms were like a vice grip around her. Worried that he might do something to hurt her or the baby, she had done nothing but go along with whatever he wanted. It had been days since she last cried. It wasn't like crying would help her anyway. Warren had it in his psychotic head what he wanted to do, and there was no stopping him. She was stuck, all because she had been stupid. Sharron had tried to tell her she was getting too involved, but the feeling of being loved after so much loss meant too much to her. She hadn't talked to anyone in days.

Feeling him shift next to her, Warren groaned and sighed, a sure sign he was about to wake up. That sickening feeling washed over her, and she was starting to believe it had nothing to do with her pregnancy. Everything made her sick these days. Her stress only escalated when anyone tried to contact her. Instead of answering her phone, she was ignoring everyone. There was no way for her to face the world beyond the house without causing more damage.

Warren acted like nothing was wrong, strutting around as if he had won the fucking lottery. As she tried to move out of the bed, his arms tightened even more on her and she sighed. "You have to let me go. I need to pee and throw up." Her words were blunt. No longer could she pander to his ever-growing ego.

"But I'm not ready to let you go. Can't you hold it for a few more minutes?" Warren moaned against her. His hands slid over stomach and down between her legs.

"Not unless you want me to make a mess of you," she answered in a dead pan voice.

Shaking his head, he rolled away from her and sighed. "Then hurry back. I need to get ready for work, and you are holding things up."

Getting up and heading to the bathroom, she quickly took care of herself. By the time she walked out of the bathroom, Warren was standing next to the bed waiting for her. His hand stroked up and down his shaft, making it ready for what he wanted from her. His lovemaking had turned into straight-up fucking. As she moved toward him, he gripped her hair and slammed her down bent over the bed. "There is my sexy woman. You need to send me off to work the right way, now don't you. Besides, I have to give you something to look forward to when I get home."

He rubbed his hard cock against her not so ready opening. Leslie found it more and more difficult to give her body to her husband's killer, but he didn't seem to care. Warren would fuck her until her body gave into it, or he would just get his and leave her. There was no sympathy or passion to it anymore. She was his prize, and he was determined to get all he wanted out of her.

As he slammed his body into her, she whimpered a bit at the sensation. She hated that even though she wanted nothing to do with him, her body still physically reacted to him. "Yes, you know you want this. You know you need me. Stop trying to fight it, Leslie. Let go of the past and accept that you love me."

There was no response; nothing she said would matter anyway. Her body bounced and bobbed as he gripped hard onto her hips and rutted into her. His grunts and groans of pleasure mixed with the sound of their skin slapping together in a twisted symphony of her broken life. Though her breath quickened, and her hands gripped into the sheets, she held back any sign that would make Warren think he had won possession over her soul. Her body was his. There was no way she could fight him, but he would never have her heart and soul. Those two things would slowly die away until all that was left of her was the shell he seemed so intent to have.

Warren didn't take long to finish with her, slamming himself deep and crying out in glorious victory over her. Once he finished shaking and panting, he pulled from her and made his way to the bathroom. Leslie just lay there, hanging off of the bed and feeling like her life couldn't get worse. Part of her wished for her to have a miscarriage so at least she wouldn't be putting a child through this Hell she now lived in. It wasn't fair to the baby, but she also couldn't bring herself to really wish harm for it. As Warren finished getting ready for his day, she pulled herself farther up on the bed, feeling more and more like a used whore every moment of her life.

"Okay, my precious. I will be home late tonight, but I expect you to get something nice made for dinner. Now be a good girl, get cleaned up, and stop feeling so fucking sorry for yourself. I'm going to give you a good life." He pulled her up by the back of her hair and kissed her hard and bruising. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and she fought to pull away.

Warren chuckled pushing her back down on the bed as he walked out of the room. His cocky arrogance made her cringe as she watched him strut out the door for work. Sitting there, sick and ashamed, she knew she had to do something. This was no sort of life to live.

Jumping out of bed, she showered to get the stink of Warren off her. Then she started searching the house. If he had used a gun to kill Adam, that meant he had a gun somewhere. If she could find it, or the supposed evidence he had on her, she would be able to take it to the police. With a racing heart, she didn't even bother to brush her hair. Instead she flipped it up into a wet messy bun and got to work searching. The Finn house was huge with lots of rooms for her to go through. Warren had completely changed the place, too, making it more his home than his parents. Most of their things had been sent off to a storage unit or sold after Adam had died and Warren no longer had someone telling him to hold on to things.

Warren had several rooms he kept locked, and Leslie had no key to open them with. She thought about trying to jimmy the locks open but worried it would cause damage to the door and he would figure out she was trying to snoop on him.  Frustrated, she fell to the couch and leaned over crying. What had happened to her life?

Her phone rang, and she looked at it, not wanting to make Warren angry. It was a message from Sharron. It was strange, but since Leslie found out she was pregnant, Leslie was the one not answering any of her texts, and the way they were going, Sharron was getting more and more desperate about it. Finally she pressed the button and called the woman who had been her best friend most of her life.

"Leslie, what the Hell? You tell everyone you're having a baby then just drop off the face of the Earth," Sharron said into the phone. Her voice was a mix of worry and anger.

"I know, I'm sorry. Look, I just haven't felt well, and everything has just been crazy." Even to her own ears, Leslie sounded weak and defeated.

"Well, I would be there to help you, but you have been acting like you don't want anyone around you. It's like you have shut out the world. I know we fought, but you are still my best friend." Sharron sounded desperate to have her friend back, but Leslie didn't feel like the woman Sharron once knew. That life seemed to be so long ago. In a time before Adam's death. Maybe even a time before she got married.

"I'm sorry. I just ..." Leslie's voice cracked trying to talk to her old friend. Memories of the past overwhelmed her. "Sharron, I can't explain it to you. You just need to leave me alone. I have to go."

"Wait, no! Leslie, I'm not leaving this at that. Tell me what is going on? You sold your house. You left everything and everyone behind. What aren't you telling me?" Sharron interrupted her before she could hang up the phone. Feeling like the worst sort of person, Leslie began to cry.

"Sharron, please. I can't tell you. I just can't. Just leave me alone." Leslie didn't wait that time; instead, she hung up the phone and threw it across the room, letting it shatter into thousands of pieces. What was the point of her having a phone if she wasn't going to use it anyway?

As she got up, the sun was setting and she hadn't even started working on what she was going to do for dinner. Cooking made her sick, but Warren demanded his meal be made for him. She had turned into some sort of perverted 1950s housewife without even realizing it. What once had been a happy life had quickly descended into Hell as the death of her husband was replaced with this sick version of a little brother.

Searching the cabinets, she found the ingredients for chicken parmesan. It wasn't the easiest of meals, but it would make him happy and keep him from taking things out on her. She covered her body with an apron and got to work, having to take breaks every so often to throw up again. She hated the morning sickness more and more. It was just a reminder of the stupid choices she had made.

"I wish I would have been with you, Adam. I wish I wouldn't have lived through your death," Leslie whispered, flipping the chicken in the pan before rushing back to the bathroom.

There were no answers to her prayers. She was certain Adam thought she had betrayed him. What sort of person got engaged to the man that killed her husband? Only Leslie had that sort of screwed-up luck.

Warren walked in just as Leslie was pulling the meal out of the oven. He did his usual of giving her a hug and kiss before going to change clothes. While he did so, she made up his plate and poured his wine. Leslie was sure she wouldn't be joining him to eat, but he would more than likely make her sit with him anyway.

"Sorry I am so late tonight. I went to check on Vivian. She had her baby, and I wanted to make sure everything was all right with the little guy," Warren said, walking into the room.

Leslie didn't want to hear about Vivian and her baby. There were still all the questions in her mind if what Warren said about Adam were true, and if so, if Vivian had been one of the women Adam had been having an affair with. Maybe Warren was the one having the affair with her, and she was in on his twisted game. Was it all a ploy to get Warren head of the company and Vivian set for life? Shaking her head, she set Warren's meal on the table and sat down across from him. "Nothing to say?"

"That is great. I hope they are both doing well." Her robotic response had him reaching out and pulling her toward him.

"You are going to stop acting like this, you stupid cunt! You are mine. Adam is fucking dead. Get over yourself or so help me I will send you off to prison just to be done with you," Warren growled before kissing along her ear.

"I thought I was the only thing in the world you ever wanted. Isn't that what you killed my husband for?" she groaned, trying to breathe past the grip on her.

"Oh yes, that is, but I have had you now. So learn your place, or I'll make sure you find it the hard way." He shoved her away, knocking the chair back and sending her falling to the floor.

Leslie fought back the tears she felt starting to form in her eyes and picked herself up from the ground. Taking her seat next to him once more, she was starting to have the feeling she wouldn't be around much longer either.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Leslie had fallen asleep on the couch when she heard the pounding on her front door. Forcing herself to wake up, she felt like she was wading through molasses to wake from her sleep. Maybe she was. Finding her feet, she started for the door, hoping it wasn't anything important. There simply wasn't enough energy in her to deal with anyone.

When she reached the door, she swung it open and was pushed to the side as Sharron came rushing into the house. Shaking herself awake more, Leslie's face wrinkled in confusion as she looked over toward where her friend was heading into the living room.

"Sharron, what are you doing here?" Leslie asked, looking at her friend.

"Well, I try to talk to you last night, and you blow me off. You sound horrible. No one has seen you since you found out you were pregnant. I'm here to make sure you are okay. I'm worried about you. Everyone is," Sharron answered, giving her a face that said Leslie should have known what she was there for.

Leslie's heart started to race and her palms became sweaty, but she did all she could to fight showing what she was really feeling. The last thing she needed was for Sharron to get mixed up in whatever twisted shit Warren had up his sleeve. "I'm fine. I'm just not feeling well from the pregnancy."

"That doesn't mean you can't talk to people. I'm sorry, but ever since you started getting serious about Warren, you have changed and not for the better. I love you, Leslie. I miss you. No man can be worth this," Sharron protested, walking up to her friend and wrapping her arms around her.

The warmth and love in that hug was enough to break Leslie, and she collapsed into the embrace with all she had. Tears broke free of her iron clad hold, and she began to sob. She could blame it on pregnancy hormones, but she had a feeling Sharron wouldn't believe her. Not that she was sure Sharron would believe the truth either. Leslie was still having trouble believing the truth.

"Leslie, please. Tell me what is going on. I can't help you if I don't know what is happening," Sharron whispered, stroking her back. It felt so good to have her friend with her again. She wished she could be honest with her, but there was too much fear of what Warren would do.

"Please just hold me. I can't ... I can't talk about this. You have to trust me. I love you. I miss you." Leslie had no idea what to say. Almost anything she said would be incriminating and put Sharron in harm way.

"I can't do that. If you are hurt or in danger, then I am getting you out of here. I am not going to let you stay here if there is something wrong." Sharron moved away and started to head toward the stairs.

Panic hit Leslie as she thought about the repercussions. Warren swore he had evidence against her that would place her as Adam's murder. She couldn't let that information get to the police. It would turn into a battle of he said she said, and Warren had superior contacts than Leslie. "Sharron, no, everything is fine. Please. It is just pregnancy hormones and all that. I'm just really tired and sick all the time."

"Stop lying to me! Leslie, I have known you for far too long. Something is wrong, and I am getting you out of here." Sharron started up the stairs toward the bedrooms. Not that Sharron had been to the house since she moved, but her headstrong friend had no problem storming the castle when the time called for it.

"No! Sharron, stop! Please. You don't understand!" Leslie called after her, racing to catch up with her friend. Her body shook, and that rush of adrenaline took over. She was starting to think panic was her new normal.

"Then help me understand, Leslie. Help me understand what is going on with you. I can't keep sitting by and watching you get worse and worse. You have pushed everyone out of your life, and you look like Hell. What has Warren done to you?" She was so sincere, so determined, but the words stuck in Leslie's throat, and all she could do was stand there with her mouth open.

Shaking her head, Sharron stormed into the rooms, at least the ones that weren't locked, until she found the one Leslie kept her stuff in. Without asking or saying another word, Sharron began to shove Leslie's clothes in a bag. All Leslie could do was stand there and watch scenes of horror playing out in her mind. Warren would kill them both, Leslie was sure of that. Sharron was not safe from his wrath.

"Sharron, please. I can't tell you what is going on. It just ... it isn't safe. I'm sorry, but I have made a mess of my life, and I'm not going to see that happen to the people I care about." Leslie moved in and pulled Sharron away from her clothes.

"There is no mess that I won't help you clean up, Leslie. Just be honest with me. Does this have something to do with Adam? Do you know something? Oh God, Leslie, did you do something?" The horror that filled Sharron's eyes broke Leslie's heart. Everyone knew how much she loved Adam. Just the thought of her best friend thinking she might have something to do with his death was soul shattering.

"Just leave, please. Go and find something else to do with your life. I can't have you around me anymore," Leslie answered, reaching into the bag and pulling out her clothes. Every move she made shattered what few pieces of her heart remained. A deep cold began to take over her, and resolve set in. This was her life now. Dead, loveless, and empty. She had chosen it through her own ignorant actions, and she would spend the rest of her life paying for it.

"I can't do that, Leslie. I won't do that. I know we fought before. We were angry, and I was pushing, but I am not going to abandon you like this. Just tell me what is going on, and I will do everything I can to help you," Sharron tried to persuade her, but Leslie stood there, shaking her head and wishing it would all go away. Her ice armor started to form around her heart.

"Yes, you can, and you will. I need you to. There is nothing anyone can do to help me. Please. I need you to do this, and you have to promise me something," Leslie said, placing her hand on her stomach. "If anything happens to me, you have to promise me you will take care of my baby."

"Leslie, this is crazy. What is going on? Stop shutting me out like this." Sharron was begging her, and it hurt for Leslie to shut her out. There were just no other options.

"Just promise me, and you need to go. Please, just go." Leslie pushed Sharron out of the room and walked her to the door. Both of them were crying, but the secrets between them could not be spoken. Leslie couldn't promise Sharron's safety if Warren found out about her knowing.

Sharron turned toward her as they reached the front door. Her wide dark eyes were panicked and upset. "Please, Leslie, let me help you."

"It's too late to help me. Just go." Leslie said nothing else as she closed the door, not wanting to hear another word from her friend.

Walking away, she could hear Sharron screaming at her from the other side, but she didn't answer her. She just kept going until she was back upstairs. Her room was a mess, and Warren would question why it looked like she was packing to leave. She needed to get the clothes put back away and everything straight before Warren got home.

By the time Warren got home, Leslie had put on her fake smile and everything looked normal. He wanted her to act as if nothing was wrong and everything was better, then she was going to. Once she felt safe, she was going to figure out what kind of lies he had worked up about her, and then she was going do everything she could to get him taken away. Adam deserved justice. It was just going to take her playing along for it all to work. He came in and gave her his usual greeting, then stopped, and looked at her.

"You look different today? Are you feeling better?" His hand pressed into her tummy as he asked the question, and she smiled at him.

"A little bit. I think my hormones were getting the best of me. You are right, you know. I know you are going to take care of me, and I should be grateful of that." Leslie leaned in and hugged him again, kissing the side of his cheek.

Standing back, Warren stroked her face and looked deep into her eyes. It was as if he was trying to see the intent deep in her soul; Leslie was certain her soul had died. All that remained of her was the desire for revenge and justice for her husband. Slowly a grin spread over his lips, and he gave her another kiss. "I'm so glad to hear you are feeling better. Maybe we can start planning our wedding. I would love to be married before you start to show. I would hate for people to think the only reason I am marrying you is because I knocked you up."

There was no way in Hell Leslie would be marrying this psycho, but she gave him the shy smile she knew he would want to see. "That would be wonderful. I need to get some of those magazines so I can pick out a dress. Maybe we can do something nice at the beach or something."

"I want it to be a day that makes you happy. Whatever you want to do is fine with me. Hell, we could run off to Vegas and elope. So long as you are mine, I don't care how we make it happen." He kissed her again, pulling her in more closely. His once warm strong arms now felt like a cage around her. Her body shivered, and she felt him sigh in relief. If only he knew the shiver was of disgust.

"Being with you will be what makes me happy. Now come on, I think I found a dinner that won't make me sick. Let's eat and then we can spend some time together." She took his hand, leading him to the kitchen, and he followed. The pride rolling off him made her sick, but she had to keep going. She had to stay strong so she could be free.