My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) (26 page)

“Drove around mostly, ended up falling asleep on the beach.”

“That wasn’t safe, you could have been hurt. I can’t stand thinking about anything bad happening to you. Please promise you won’t take risks like that again.”

“I know, I’m sorry I was careless.” The silence stretched between us as we both considered how to proceed.
 

One thing I’d come to learn about us was that we were both too damn stubborn for our own good. From the moment we met we had been caught up in a silent struggle for control. The only time that didn’t seem to matter was when we were intimate. There was nothing I loved more than making love with my husband. He was attentive, sensual, gentle when required, and rough when desired. He was the missing piece to the puzzle that made up my life. We fit so perfectly that when the last piece had been put into place, together we made a masterpiece. I knew it was stupid for me to be apart from him any longer. He was my husband, and I belonged by his side.
 

“Listen, I’ve been thinking about coming out to see you, maybe tomorrow I could--”

“Tomorrow isn’t the best time,” he replied. I had started to tell him that I wanted to join him this weekend, but I wasn’t about to beg. He obviously still needed some time. I’m not going to lie, that hurt a little bit.

Actually, I felt more like I’d just been bitch slapped.

“Oh, yeah. That's okay.” I scrambled, trying to mask the knot building up in my throat, threatening to choke the life out of me. I immediately felt myself falling back into my old habits of putting up walls and pretending nothing rattles me. “Maybe some other time. I’m not sure I’m up to flying right now anyway.”

“Are you still sick? You really should go to the doctor. Are you able to keep anything down?” Even though I knew he was still upset, I could hear the concern in his voice, and that was enough to give me a flicker of hope.
 

“A little. Listen, Jesse…”

“You can’t afford to lose any weight baby. I don’t want you to ignore this. Promise me you’ll go get checked out.” He was back to being the Jesse that I knew and loved.

“Um, sure. I’ll call later this afternoon. Well, I guess I’ll talk to you sometime later.” My lips trembled as I fought off the tears that threatened to gush out of me. I had so much that I wanted to tell him, the most important thing being that I loved him, but I was afraid he wouldn't say it back. “I miss you so much.”

“Yeah, I miss you too. Well, I’ll call you soon.” He hung up the phone and I gave up the fight, letting them spill in large pools down my cheeks. I fell to the floor, dropping my head in my hands, and prayed.
 

Please don’t let me lose him, not after everything we’ve worked so hard to build.

I
headed over to Mel’s apartment after hanging up with Jesse. I needed someone to talk to and thankfully I had caught her as she was leaving for work. She called in, telling them she would be in later, and made a pot of coffee. I was now in her kitchen with my bottom perched high atop the counter, legs dangling against the cabinet doors.

"Did he sound angry?" she asked.

“He sounded distant, not like the Jesse I know.” I threw the paper napkin I had been shredding apart. “This is all my fault. If only I could just learn to fucking trust him. We were doing so well.” I hopped off the counter and began pacing in the small space; being with Jesse must have worn off on me as I mimicked the same pattern I used to watch him perform. “When I think of all the years I have wasted letting my parents poor example get in the way of my happiness, it makes me want to tear something apart.”

“I think you did a great job on that napkin, poor thing never stood a chance,” she replied wistfully, looking at the mess on the floor. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her attempt to make me smile.

“I did this Mel. I created this mess, and now I don’t know how to clean it up.” I rubbed the flat of my palms over my eyes. “I’m scared of losing him, but more terrified that I already have.”

"You haven’t lost him Rhyann, he just needs time,” she wrapped her arms around me and held me close. “This fear you have, that keeps holding you back, you need to let it go sweetie. Jesse is not your father. He's a good man and he loves you deeply. He has turned his life around for you, Rhy. Don’t you see that? He dotes on every little thing you do, everything you say. You need to cut him some slack. He is trying so hard to prove to you that he has changed. You have a gorgeous rockstar that is madly in love with you, and you need to start showing him the same kind of love. I know this is hard for you, but if you don’t feel the same way about him, maybe you need to let him go.”

“Why would you say that? Of course I love him. I’m just scared that he will continue to betray my trust.” I argued.

“He hasn’t done anything to betray your trust. So what, she texted him, big deal. So he agreed that she could see them, that’s not adultery sweetie,” she took my hands firmly in hers. “I agree he should have had more respect for your wishes in regards to this woman, but if you make him shut out everyone that feels like a threat to you then you are asking him to stop doing what he loves. He is a performer, and a damned good one. He has fans that adore him, but he only has eyes for you.”

“I know,” I nodded my head slowly before throwing my hands up in concession. “I know, you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. I'm always right when it comes to men." She gave me a nudge with her shoulder. "Now, I have to get to work before my staff blows off the whole morning and I’m stuck picking up the slack. Are you going to be okay?” She pulled me in for a bear hug and rested her forehead against mine.

“Yes, I’ll be alright. I’m just going for a run to clear my head. Go have a good day at work, and thanks for listening,” I kissed her cheek.

“Anytime sweetie, you know I’m always here for you. Hey, let's get together and have a girls night. What do you say, pizza back here at seven?”

"Sounds great to me. Thanks, Mel."

T
he park was quiet for a Saturday morning. The weather had turned colder so maybe that had something to do with it. I put in my earbuds and started down the path as Twisted Fate played loudly in my ears. I had made it just past the one-mile marker when a text came through. I slowed down, checking the screen, and saw that it was from Jesse.

I’ve been thinking that maybe this would be a good week for you to come out after all. I’m sorry about earlier, you just threw me for a loop when you called. I was being stubborn. I love you and I miss you too. Text me back right away and let me know what you think.
 

I couldn’t hide my smile, he wanted to see me. I had just started typing out a response when I heard a voice behind me that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I slipped my phone into the pocket of my hoodie and turned to face him.

“Hey baby,” he sneered through his clenched teeth.

“Steve,” I croaked. “What are you doing here?” Everything within me told me to flee but my legs suddenly felt like rubber. I stood there mentally running through all of the self-defense techniques I had learned in class many years ago. Should I let him get close and then bring my elbow up into his throat? Should I knee him in the groin and punch him in the nose? Do I scream and make a run for it, hoping for the best? Or should I wait until he came up behind me and stomp him on the foot and reach my hand back to squeeze his testicles until he screamed for mercy? All of them sounded like the right thing to do, but at the same time panic seemed to be getting the best of me. I stared him in the eyes, not backing down. The look on his face heightened all of my senses and pretty soon rage and common sense kicked in.

“My, my. Look at you Rhyann. You’ve done well for yourself I see. Guess you found yourself someone to take care of you after all. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Montgomery? Rhyann Montgomery. That man you were with at the police station was Jesse Montgomery. I thought I recognized him. So our fair Rhyann married a rockstar. You must be loaded now. How much is he worth? Ten or twenty million?” He circled me, clenching a knife tightly in one hand. “That’s pretty funny seeing as how I'm financially ruined, thanks to you. I think you owe me.” Spit spewed from his mouth after each angry word. It was clear that I was going to have to try and do some damage control if I wanted any chance of getting out of this situation in one piece.

“Steve, I wasn't responsible for you being fired. I didn’t want any part of that.” I declared, moving backwards slowly, while my eyes remained focused on the knife. “That lawyer sought me out. She asked a few questions and I answered them. I left my job and had no intention of discussing our work issues with anyone. I never even told my husband. I only wanted to move forward with my life. I honestly never thought I would see you again. I’m truly sorry that all of this has happened.” I continued backing up, but stopped as he moved slowly around me.
 

I waited until he was on my left side before slamming into him, catching him off guard and knocking the knife out of his hand. We rolled around on the path, grabbing at one another’s arms and throat. I smacked his face and clawed at his eyes, trying my best to blind him. He rolled over and pinned me to the ground before punching me hard in the mouth. Even through the pain I managed to keep my hands on his face, trying my best to draw blood. I bucked hard with my hips and legs and finally made direct contact with his groin. He let go of me for a moment and covered himself. I got on my knees and scrambled forward, ending up on the other side of a wooded area before he grabbed hold of my ankle and twisted it violently.

“Fucking bitch!” He slapped me so hard I saw stars. I screamed and threw punches of my own before he placed a hand firmly over my mouth. I bucked wildly and turned my head left and right, trying to shake him loose. His pinky finger slipped over my parted lips and I bit down hard. “Ouch! You like it rough don’t you?” He pulled at the zipper on my hoodie, revealing the thin tank top underneath. “Well, look at what we have here,” he growled, staring at my heaving breasts. His free hand moved to grasp one of them and I smacked at him. He threw his head back laughing and squeezed harder, making me wince. “You do know that every time you buck against me I get a little bit harder for you. You’re only making it that much more enjoyable for me.”

“No!” I screamed. “Please don’t do this Steve. Please don’t hurt me,” I pleaded.

“Too late honey. I’m taking what was owed to me a long time ago. I should have had my way with you in that hotel room. We could have been so good together. I could have made you happier than your rockstar. You know you want this so stop fighting me.” He grabbed both of my hands with one of his and held them over my head. I spit in his face when he leaned in to kiss me. He stopped and licked it off his lips. “Yum. I can’t wait to see what the rest of you tastes like,” he laughed wickedly while trying to yank down my yoga pants. I heard my phone ringing but I couldn't reach it. I knew in my heart that it was Jesse, and if he were with me he would have killed Steve.

My mind spun out of control. I didn’t want him touching me, just having him this close made my stomach curdle. I choked back bile that burned my throat and fought hard against him, but he outweighed me by at least sixty pounds. His hand traveled to the waist of my pants and started to pull them down. He stuck out his tongue and licked his way across my neck before kissing between my breasts. No fucking way was I going to let him rape me. I brought my knee up to the side of his head and rammed as hard as I could. He fell to the side and I kicked him again. I scrambled to get out from under him and stood on wobbly legs, trying desperately to get away. I screamed for help, and almost made it to the clearing, when he yanked me backwards, sending us both to the ground. I kicked back at him and stretched my arm out for the knife I saw shimmering in the grass just inches away from my fingertips. I had nearly reached the tip of the blade when he flipped me over.

“Oh no you don’t,” he hissed, pinning me beneath him once more, “I’m putting an end to this right now.” The last thing I saw was his fist approaching my left cheek, I felt the first blow, and the next, then, nothing…

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Do you think she’s dead?”

“Nah, I think I see her chest moving.”

“Put your ear to her mouth, see if you hear her breathing.”

“Hang on, wait, I think I hear something. Holy shit!”

I opened my eyes and found two more staring back at me, just over the tip of my nose. I screamed and clawed at him, afraid he was going to finish what he had started. He screamed back at me. I squeezed my eyes shut then opened them again, it wasn’t Steve. It was a young boy, and he had been so frightened by my screaming that he had scrambled backwards over the pathway. I looked quickly between him and his friend, not sure who they were, but pretty sure they had played a part in saving my life. I tried pulling myself up on my elbows but the pain in my head made me woozy.

“There was a man here before, did you see anything?” My voice came out sounding small and weak.

“Yeah, we were playing soccer just on the other side of the woods when we heard screaming. We ran over the hill and saw you on the ground and he was kneeling over you. He saw us and took off in that direction,” the boy pointed toward the park entrance. “Were you two having a lover’s spat?” The other boy said something nasty to him but I couldn’t hear. “What? That’s what my grandmother calls it. Anyway, did he hurt you?”

“Don’t worry, an ambulance is on the way. I called 911 right away, they taught us that in school last year,” said the other boy, who slowly came into view as he leaned over me, smiling.

“Thank you. I believe you both saved my life. That man was trying to hurt me.” I looked toward the edge of the path, just beyond the grass, and caught the shimmer of the knife blade. “Do you see that knife just over there,” I lifted a hand to point, they both looked and nodded. “Don’t touch that, it’s evidence that the police will need.”

“Okay, we’ll be sure to show it to them when they get here. Do you think they’re going to ask us a lot of questions? Will we have to go down to the police station?” I heard the sound of sirens approaching and my rapidly beating heart finally began to start slowing down. I was going to be okay. I closed my eyes once again, drifting into blackness.