Alive (Mended Hearts #1) (28 page)

She grabs my hand, and I quickly put her cell in my pocket. Then I’m being dragged out of the room. I turn one last time, getting a look at my beautiful woman, who I plan on getting back as soon as we’ve been rescued. She looks like she’s given up. I need to get that beautiful smile back on her face. I just need to do this one last thing first.

Chapter 26

Maisie

Watching Jesse walk out of the room, holding hands with Tiffany, guts me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt soul crushing pain like I’m feeling now. Even when Jesse broke up with me, it didn’t hurt as much as seeing him flirting with Tiffany. This is the girl that he claimed to despise more than life itself.

It doesn’t help that I have Matt kissing my neck and whispering sweet nothings in my ear. It’s not even like I can get him off of me.
If I tell him to stop, he’ll just hit me, and I don’t want to be in anymore pain. So I just let him do it because that’s all I can do.

“I told you he didn’t deserve you. He’s just gone to fuck another girl, leaving you here,” Matt reminds me.

“Drop it, Matt,” I tell him dejectedly. I’m not in the mood for his snide comments, especially when he’s right.

“Just remember that I’m not the one who left you to sleep with another girl.”

Did he really just say that?

My temper flies through the roof. “If I remember correctly, you did. That’s why we aren’t together anymore.”

His face changes, anger returning and reminding me that I need to just keep my mouth shut. I know this isn’t going to end well. He’s right. I will never learn, it seems. “You just had to bring that up, didn’t you? If you have nothing good to say, then keep your mouth shut. You’re ruining my mood, and I don’t want you to have to make me teach you a lesson again.”

“Matt, you can’t keep me here forever. Please
, just let me go. We aren’t going to work anymore,” I plead, even though I know it won’t help the matter. But I have to try, since Jesse’s left me to defend myself.

“I’ll never give up on you
, Maisie. I’d rather die than never have you again, and if you decide that you don’t want me, then I’ll end us both. I can’t stand to see you with anybody else. Do you know how hard it was to see you with
him
?”

My eyes widen
. I’m shocked that he said he would kill us both. I can’t have heard that right. “Did you just say that you would kill us both?” I ask, making sure that I heard him correctly.

He nods his head adamantly. Oh shit. “Yes
, I did. If I can’t have you, then nobody else can. The only way I can make sure that happens is if I take you with me.”

“That won’t be happening
, son,” a voice interrupts.

My head snaps in the direction of the new voice. I release a sob. It’s the police. I’m going to be free. Thank you, God.

“Who are you?” Matt asks, standing in front of me and blocking my view. His body goes rigid, his hands balling into fists.

“Son, move away from her
, please.” Two men walk forward, slowly coming toward us. The one talking is tall and stocky and has a moustache. He looks scary. I wouldn’t want to mess with him. The man with him is just as tall, but not as stocky. He looks even scarier, if that’s possible.

“Stay away!” Matt raises his fists. Come on. Don’t tell me he’s going to be stupid enough to start a fight with them. He will lose.

I stay quiet. I know they will get me out of here eventually.

“That’s not possible. I’m going to have to ask you to move out of the way please,” the
first one tells him calmly, as they continue slowly making their way toward us.

“TIFFANY?” Matt shouts, panicking
. He’s looking past them and out the door. He shouts so loud, I think my ear drums just burst.

“She won’t be coming to help you. My partners have a hold of her
, I’m afraid. Now, we can either do this the easy way, where you come with us willingly, or we use force. Choose wisely.” They stop moving, waiting for his answer. The leaner cop looks over toward me, giving me a little smile. I give him the best smile that I can muster up in return.

“You can’t do this. You have no right. You’re ruining everything! She’s
supposed to be mine!” Matt screams in hysterics, pointing at me. I’ve never seen him like this before.

They don’t say anything
; just move forward a little more. Matt turns and grabs me, squeezing the life out of me.

“I’m sorry. I love you so much
, Maisie. I love you. I love you. I love you,” he keeps repeating in my ear.

I don’t feel anything. How can I
, after what he’s just done to me? He’s ruined me in ways that he will never realize, and for that, I despise him.

“NOOO!”
Matt screams as he’s dragged off of me. I watch him leave the room, kicking and screaming. His eyes are pleading with me to do something. I don’t do anything, though.

Two other officers take over, dragging Matt out of my view. I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s over. I’m finally free.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” the stockier officer asks, crouching down next to the bed.

The tears come hard and fast now. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s okay. We’ve got you now.”

The other officer comes over to me with a key. I’m guessing all handcuffs use the same type.
He doesn’t say anything, but just looks at me with pity in his eyes. Usually, that would bother me, but right now, I’m just so relieved that I’m being saved.

Finally, a few
moments later, my hands are free, and I’m shaking them to get some feeling back into my arms. I sit up, welcoming the feeling of my feet touching solid ground.

“Thank you,” I tell the officers, giving them a grateful smile.

“It’s our job. Come on. Let’s get you checked out to make sure you’re okay.” I stand up, swaying from not walking for a few days.

Wait. How did they know that I was here? I never
called anyone. “How did you find me?” I ask.

“We had a call from Jesse. He’s outside waiting for you.”

I stand still, shocked. He didn’t leave me. He called for help. But how? I’ll have to ask him when I see him.

The sunlight feels good
as it beats down on my face. You miss simple things like sunlight when you’re locked up, not knowing when you will next see it. I just wish I could see the sunlight properly, but my eyes are swollen, making it hard to see.

“MAISIE
! HELP ME!” Matt screams. I turn in the direction of his voice and watch as he’s shoved into a police car. The door shuts on his face, silencing his screams. Thank God. I can’t deal with that right now.

I see Jesse standing there staring into the distance. He doesn’t notice that I’m watching him, but I can see that
his face is all swollen from where Matt hit him. I just want to run over there and make sure he’s okay, but that isn’t my place anymore, and I don’t think my body would allow me to after the abuse it’s been put through.

I should say thank you to him for rescuing me, except I don’t know what to say. After everything we’ve been through, we’re in an awkward place right now. He’s not my Jesse anymore
, not the person who I could talk to when something was wrong, and not the person who can comfort me when I need to be hugged. Those days are over. I just need to remember that.

“We’ll go deal with him. My colleagues will take you both to the hospital
, and we’ll come and collect a statement from you later,” one of the officers tells me as he hands me a card. I look down at the card. Detective Jones. I completely forgot that I didn’t ask him his name.

“Thank you
, sir,” I tell him.

Then he’s gone, walking over
toward his partner.

****

On the ride to the hospital, the events of the last few days replay in my mind. Jesse and I don’t talk. I guess both of us don’t know where to start.

I’m seen straight away,
and Jesse is being seen in another room. Thankfully, nothing is broken. I have a few bruises and am seriously dehydrated, so they put me on a drip to get some fluids back in me.

The door bursts open,
and a head of blonde hair comes bundling toward me, wrapping me in a tight hug.

“Chloe, you’re hurting me,” I hiss through the pain shooting through my body.

“Oh shit, sorry,” she says, letting go of me. “What did that asshole do to you?” she asks, her eyes watering up when she takes in my appearance.

Tears fall from mine too. “Everything apart from kill me. There were a few times when I wish
ed he would. It was horrible.”

“If I ever get my hands on him…” She leaves her sentence hanging. She would kill him, I know.

“I’m okay now,” I try reassuring her.

“I didn’t know what had happened to you. Then
, when Jesse called me, I came straight here. I was expecting the worst. He didn’t give me any details, just told me to get here straight away. I’ve been going out my mind!”

“Well
, as you can see, I’m still alive, so you can stop worrying now.”

“I won’t stop worrying until that sick fucker is behind bars. Has anyone told your parents?”

I really don’t need them worrying about this. They will be down here before I know it, babysitting me. I don’t need that right now. I need to recover in peace.

“No
, and I don’t want them to know yet. You know what they are like. They will be down here and won’t let me out of their sights. Or worse, they will take me back home. I just need time, Chloe. Promise me you won’t tell them?” I plead.

She looks torn. I need her to be on my side for this one.

“Please?” I ask again.

She sighs, obviously not happy with my decision. “Fine
, but you will have to tell them eventually.”

“I will in a few days. I promise.”

Knock, knock
.

Detective Jones pokes his head around the side of the door.

“Come in,” I tell him.

This is it.
Time to spill my guts.

“Hello again.
How are you feeling, Miss?” he asks, now standing in front of my bed.

“Please
, call me Maisie.”

“Okay
, Maisie. I need to take your statement, if that’s okay? Do you want your friend with you?” He looks toward Chloe.

“She can stay,” I tell him. He just nods.

“Okay, first of all, how do you know Matt Davis?” he asks, pen and paper at the ready.

“He was my boyfriend in high school.”

“And did you break up on good or bad terms?” I can’t exactly tell him that I walked in on him having sex with another girl. Embarrassing.

“Bad terms.”

“When was the last time you spoke to him?”

“When I went home three weeks after
Thanksgiving, Jesse and I bumped into him in the store parking lot.”

“How did he seem?” How am I supposed to answer that? We weren’t friends anymore.

“I don’t know. He was trying to rile Jesse. He took a disliking to him,” I tell him, remembering that he tried to punch Jesse that day.

“So
, can you tell me how you ended up in that building?”

I tell him how I was on the beach late at night
, and that Matt randomly turned up. I go on and tell him everything else and all that happened over the last few days.

Chloe looks shocked
once I’m done. I haven’t had time to tell her what happened, so this is all new for her.

“And how do you know Tiffany Dawson?”

“She knew Jesse. She took a disliking to me when we became friends. She’s always made it known that she didn’t like me, and she even threatened to ruin me,” I tell him. She definitely succeeded.

“Did she help Matt kidnap you?

“No, but they planned it together. Matt was to get me, and Tiffany was to get Jesse,” I tell him what I know.

“Okay
. I may need to ask more questions later, but for now, that will do. You have my card if you need anything, don’t you?” he asks as he closes his notepad.

“Yes
, I do. Thank you for all your help.” I smile as best as I can at him, which he returns. Then he’s gone, leaving the room in silence. Chloe probably realizes that I need a few minutes.

The door opens again, and this time Jesse enters. Chloe sees him, turns to me
, and says, “I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be back later. Call me if you need anything.” Before I can protest, she’s leaving the room.

Jesse stands awkwardly at the door. It’s nerve wracking.

“Are you coming in or what?” I ask, breaking the silence. He doesn’t reply, just comes and sits in the chair next to my bed.

“I’m sorry you had to be involved in all of that
,” I tell him, staring at the wall opposite me. I can’t bear to look at him after what I caused him to go through. I know Tiffany was the one to take Jesse, but if they hadn’t have met me, then she wouldn’t have got in touch with Matt.

“It’s not your fault. I’m glad I was there
, to be honest. I don’t want to think what could have happened to you if I wasn’t,” he says, his voice sad.