My Demons (The Angel Trilogy #2) (18 page)

I wipe my face seeing that there are three huge men standing in my living room beating the shit out of Marco. “Should we kill him here?” the smallest of the three ask. The largest guy nods in my direction.

“Hey Abby? I’m Brent,” he says with a soft tone as he bends down to comfort me, I’m assuming he’s trying to comfort me.

I nod, still rocking.

“You’re safe, Abby. You’re safe.” I nod and wipe away the tears. “Let’s get you covered up.” His hands wrap around my arm to help me stand. I don’t know who he is, so I scream a blood-curdling scream. “Abby, it’s all right. Evan’s hired us to keep you safe. We’re here to keep you safe,” he states hurriedly.

I nod with sobs following. “My Evan?”

He nods. “Yes,
your
Evan.”

“I don’t know where Evan is. Do you know where he is?” I cry louder and collapse into his arms.

“Shit,” he whispers. “It’s going to be ok.
Oh fuck, Skits!
” he yells, freaked out.

The guy runs from outside. “Fuck, dude.”

“What do we do?” Brent asks.

“Get her to the shower, she’s gonna need to go to the doctor or hospital or something.”

“No, I’m not going to the hospital,” I insist.

“Abby.” He lifts my chin. “You’re bleeding really badly.”

I look down and see the trail of blood. “My parents, oh fuck! I don’t want them to know,” I say terrified.

The two men look at each other. “Not a problem, we’ll get it fixed up. The bigger guy announces. “See it’s ok. We’ll take care of everything.”

I nod taking a deep breath in between sobs. “Oh my God, where is he?” I panic.

“It’s ok, we’ve got that taken care of too.”

“Think again, he’s fucking gone,” another man speaks

I jump.

Marco just took my body for his own sick satisfaction. I know what it’s called, but I can’t bring myself to say the word. If ever. I’m not even going to think about what he’s said about Evan. I’m not going to consider that he was telling the truth.
What if it is the truth?
My head’s beginning to throb in my skull. “I need to go upstairs, my head.” I realize that my pants have been ripped off and I’m standing in front of these men with no pants on.

“It’s all right, Abby, we aren’t looking.” He smiles. He must realize I’ve just freaked out.

He sweeps my naked body in his arms taking each step on the stairs walking straight to my room. He sits me down in the bathroom and turns the water on. “It’s going to be ok, you’re safe now,” he says kindly.

I stand in the shower watching as the blood flows from my body. “What the fuck?” I scream. When I’m finished crying, I step out reaching for the towel wrapping it around myself. I pass the mirror not even looking at my appearance.

I throw clothes on feeling so fucking nasty and dirty. The shower didn’t clean me. I feel the need to soak in bleach. I grab my bag and head toward the bedroom door stepping out into the hallway. Brent’s standing there waiting. “You ok?” He walks with me because I don’t stop to listen.

“Fuck no, I’m not ok.” I wipe away the tears that are pouring down my cheeks.

“Can we take you somewhere?” We quickly take the stairs and I don’t answer. Instead, I go to the drawer that houses all of my parents’ car keys.

“Perfect,” I say grabbing the keys to the car that’s been in the garage for years, that’s never been driven. The Porsha Addie got for her sixteenth birthday. Mine was totaled when Addie died. My parents wanted to give hers back, but I wouldn’t let them, so it just sat here. My dad has kept it up. It’s his piece of her. “Nope, I’ve got this. Lock up when you’re finished.” I walk toward the door. “Thank you for… everything.” I turn and walk out the door. “That’s the last fucking time someone hurts me or someone I love.” I say in shock, I
know
I am. It’s getting me from point A to B though, so for now I’ll take it and keep moving.

Chapter Twenty-One

Abby

“Tell me what I need to do,” I say as Natalia answers the phone.

“Are you ready for this? It’s not going to be pretty and your shell-shocked innocence isn’t going to last one second around these people.” Natalia is definitely the tell-it-to-you-straight kind of girl, that’s for sure.

“Yeah.” As strong as I want to be and as weak as I feel. I can’t not be strong after what’s just happened or should I say what’s been happening.

“What’s wrong, Abby?” If I admit what’s happened doesn’t it make it real? Does it make it undoable, unforgivable? I’m crying and I know that she knows without a doubt something’s wrong. But, this wrong is something that is going to send me over the edge, but hell is more of my concern now. “Abby, you can trust me. Tell me what’s wrong?”

“Meet me at Evan’s apartment and we’ll talk then. Forty-five minutes.”

“On my way.”

The security I’ve just learned Evan hired to keep me safe has officially been upgraded to my saviors because I don’t know what I would’ve done without them there.

I know they're close and apparently can see my every move. Thank God, because my life has just been rocked and trust me, I’m about to turn into a psychopath. I not for one second would’ve thought that Marco was capable of…
that.
I drop to the floor of Evan’s apartment. I just need a few minutes to myself after what’s happened. My phone buzzes.

Unknown:
You will get what you what you deserve and soon.

Damn it!

“Leave me alone!” I throw my phone toward the couch.

I’ve changed my phone number how many times now?
Who the hell is this?
“Why are you doing this to me? I just want you back Evan! I just want you back!
Please leave me alone, you fucking freak!
” I scream until the saliva in my mouth is covering my lips. I’m lost, I’m scared. I can’t tell my family what’s going on because the level of fucked up has just hit high on the Richter scale. Natalia was right, I should’ve run when she gave me the way out. She said Evan would kill her if he found out she was giving me the tools to save him.

The tears are hard and fast and my body is shaking on the floor. On the cold hardwood floor. I lay my head down staring out the large windows and imagine Evan’s arms wrapped around me, comforting me. His heartbeat soothing me to sleep, his warm arms keeping me safe. That’s all I want.

“I love you, Evan. I’m so sorry that I forgot you. I wasted so much time. And now, you’re gone!
What the fuck?
” I scream again, this time I pull my hair and stand on my wobbly legs. I throw everything I can. I want to hurt everything. I want to crush every piece of beauty that I see. “I love you, Evan Young, more than I ever knew was possible. Come back to me, please! God, please bring him back to me!” I fall to my knees over the broken glass. I’m begging God now. I’m begging him to bring back the one man I will willingly die for. I’m begging for him not to be dead or to be brought back from the dead. Truthfully, I don’t know what I’m begging for anymore.

I don’t want to move from my spot on the floor, but I need to shower again I want to clean that bastard’s touch off of me.
That fucking bastard.
I’ll never be clean again.

I stumble through the broken mess I’ve created as I enter the hallway. My hand grabs the edge of the door as I approach the bedroom I shared so many times with Evan. I want to burn it down. Looking at the bed makes me feel pain that I don’t want to feel. I’m sick of feeling empty and alone. People are being ripped away from me every turn I take in this shitty life.

When he’s with me, I’m free and I believe in something. When he’s gone I feel nothing, but sickness. I try to ignore the room that’s closing in on me and I enter the bathroom. The cold tile is slippery and when I look down I see the blood running down my legs.

“Damn it!” I cry because I’ve been cut from the broken glass in the living room.

The bathtub is turning into the next dark memory I don’t want to remember anymore. Evan and I shared many baths in here. We’ve made love in this tub more times than I can count and every time I fell more in love with him. I bend over, turning the water on. I want it to be as hot as it can get. I want to scald the touch of that prick off of me. I slip my clothes to the floor and step into the water. The eerie quiet of this apartment is starting to get to me. “Why did I come here?” I ask myself.

My knees find my chest as the water climbs half way to my thighs. I hold my legs and rest my cheek on my knees. I should’ve known right away as soon as he told me Marco was bad. I should’ve believed him. “You’d be here right now.” I can’t help the pain that fills my stomach, there isn’t anything that will fix this. Nothing will ever be enough to fix this. I feel a sting as I realize my nails have dug into my legs. It doesn’t hurt though and it actually seems to help, if only a tiny bit it helps my mind wander for just a brief moment from my hell.

I hear a crashing noise and my heart pounds in my ears immediately. I don’t know what to do. I grip the edge of the tub while I think. I can’t hear anything else because of the continued pounding of my blood in my head, so I attempt to slow my breathing, but it isn’t helping. “Holy shit!” I scream.

“Abby, what happened?” Natalia holds a gun in her hands.

“Holy shit!” I scream. My body gives out and I fall back in the tub taking unintentional, hard, deep breaths. “Are you ok? Where is the blood coming from?” she yells. I guess she’s scared too. I try to answer, but I can’t catch my breath. My eyes are flooded with salty water when Natalia splashes me trying to get my attention. “Shit!” I gasp. “I broke some stuff. I’m fine, just a few cuts.” I don’t tell her about the other reason I’m bleeding.

“Holy shit, Abigale Hayes.” She slumps against the edge of the tub.

“Towel?” I ask holding myself. She reaches for the towel in the basket and unfolds it holding it out for me.

“What’s going on?” I don’t answer right away, I simply wrap myself in the large towel and head toward the bedroom. I don’t want to see.

“He’s dead, Nat.” My legs threaten to give out just saying those words out loud.

I turn to her and tears are running down her cheeks. I’m surprised to see this emotional side of her. She’s a tough girl and she doesn’t ever seem to be affected by many things.

Unlike me…

“Why? How? Why would you say that?” she asks in quick succession, but in a low, hushed voice.

“Marco, he…” I collapse on the bench next to the bed. I hide my face in my hands because I can’t get that disgusting feeling off of my skin. I know that I’m crying uncontrollably and I can’t help that either.

“What happened?” She drops to her knees in front of me. “What did he do, Abby? What did he say?” I hear her lay her gun on the hardwood floor. Her arms cover me just like a sister. “It's ok, you’re safe,” she whispers. Why do people keep saying that to me? I’m not safe. I’ve been violated in a way I never thought I would be.

I look up through blurry eyes and attempt to say what I fear I can’t, but I know I have to. “He’s gone, Nat. He fucking killed him. What do I do?”

Her reaction is fast and controlled. She pulls out her white phone. “Get to Evan’s now, and when I say now, I mean in like three minutes, and tell your gun freak security friends to get their asses here too!” She quickly heads to the closet and I hear her tossing through stuff. I’m sure I have a blank look on my face. “Here put this on.” She throws me jeans and a t-shirt.

I grab the clothes and hug them to my chest because I don’t know what’s going on.
Oh my God, I never know what’s going on.
“Abby, I don’t have time for this. Get your ass dressed and I mean that in the nicest way,” she says as she hauls a huge crate out of Evan’s closet tossing it on the bed.

“What’s that?”

“Abby. Clothes. Now.”

I go to the dresser that I know holds the underwear and bra that I need. After I slip a pad on I quickly pull the white cotton out of the drawer and slip them on.

I’m watching her as she pulls the crate apart and begins to throw something on the bed. I bend over to pull my jeans on and I hear clicking. I look up to see her assembling weapons at a mad pace.

“What’s that?”

“Brush your hair.”

“Bossy much?” I stomp off. I grab the hairbrush from the drawer in the bathroom and walk next to her.

“Where’s Marco, Abby?”

“I don’t know. After he… and the… I don’t know.” I shake my head wanting to get rid of the thought of him touching me, invading me.

“Did he hurt you?” she asks in a monotone voice.

“Yes,” is the only word that leaves my lips.

“Did he?” she asks turning to me and I see a glint of pain and understanding in her blue eyes. I hadn’t noticed before, but her eyes are so similar to Evan’s. She must catch me staring because she turns her head.

“What’s going on? Seriously?”

“This is a passport that Evan had made for you.” She holds her hand out for me to take it. I just stand there. “Abby listen to me!” She grips me by the shoulders. “If you want to see him again, you need to do everything that I say. Do you understand me?”

“You act just like him.” I realize.

“Really?” she asks in a hushed voice with her head down. “Well we have work to do, so let’s get to it. Pack a very small bag. A quick change of clothes and that’s it.”

“Ok.” I do as I’m told because she’s probably going to get sick of me in a minute and kick my ass.

“Here read this, memorize it. Do not forget this information Abby, I’m very serious about this. When you have your bag packed come into the living room.” She stuffs a bag of her own, mostly with the papers and guns she pulled from the case.

“I grab a few things from the closet. I don’t know where we’re going so I just grab jeans, a top and sweater, socks and underwear. I throw the bag on the sink and pull my hair in a hi-pony and brush my teeth. I quickly wrap the toothbrush in a tissue and toss it into the bag.

“Grab sneakers, Abby,” I hear Natalia say from down the hall and I once again do as I’m told.

I slip my socks on and follow with the shoes. Grabbing my bag and heading down the hallway. When I enter the living room, I see six people standing in different positions and they all have a gun in their hand. “So, I hear that you’ve met your detail?” Natalia asks, even though she clearly has the answer.