He Loves Me Not: Lily’s Story, Book 1 (23 page)

A
s soon as
Trevor left for work, I picked up the phone to make sure there was a dial tone. Relieved to hear the hum of an active phone line, I decided to call Alyssa, but then I realized my cell phone held all my stored phone numbers, and I didn’t know Alyssa’s number.

While eating breakfast I thought about the car thefts. I wanted to learn more about them and decided to try accessing the Internet with my laptop, which Trevor hadn’t taken away from me. After plugging in the network cable, I booted up my computer, then opened a browser. When I received an error I checked the network connection screen and, though disappointed, wasn’t surprised to discover we had no Internet connection.

Trevor had discontinued the service.

I decided to call the phone company to have the service reinstated—Trevor wouldn’t know about it until he received the bill, and I hoped by then I would be long gone.

After looking up the number in the yellow pages phone book that I’d left in the kitchen junk drawer, I called the phone company and was told the DSL service would be restored by the next day. I was glad Trevor had at least kept the modem, otherwise it would have taken a week before I could access the Internet.

Careful to unplug the network cable and tuck it back along the floor, I shut down my computer and went about the rest of my day, anxious to have access to the outside world through the Internet.

T
he next morning
as Trevor left for work, I wondered where he was keeping my purse with my keys, wallet, and cell phone. I hoped he was getting tired of running all the errands and would be willing to give me back that responsibility, which would force him to give me back my purse.

As soon as it was safe, I checked to see if the Internet was available. I ended up checking three more times before it was finally up and running.

Elated to have Internet access and a way to communicate with the outside world, I checked my email and found several messages from Alyssa. They were dated starting several weeks before.

I immediately wrote back.

Alyssa,

I’m fine. Trevor has been keeping me all to himself, but it’s okay. Don’t worry about me. It will all work out. Have fun this summer and I’ll see you in the fall.

Love, Lily

Though I was tempted to tell Alyssa everything, there was nothing she could do from her parents’ house and I didn’t want her to worry.

I went through the rest of my email, deleting most of it, but one message caught my eye. The subject said
Trevor is dangerous
.

I opened it, anxious to see what it said.

I know you asked me not to contact you, but there is something I need to tell you. I can’t do it in an email. Will you meet with me?

I inhaled sharply.

Who is this person and what information do they have?

Anxious to know who this person was, especially now that the earlier warnings seemed to have come true, I determined to try and meet with this person. I clicked Reply and began typing.

I would like to meet with you, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to break away. Trevor is keeping a close watch on me and I can’t come and go as I’d like. Pick a time and place and I’ll see what I can do.

I hit Send, then tried not to think about the email. Next, I pulled up the website of the local newspaper and read all I could about the car thefts. There wasn’t much to learn—it seemed the police knew very little, although there was a number to call in tips. I jotted down the number, then frowned, considering whether to call and point the police to Rob’s shop.

What will the consequences be if I call? It would be anonymous, of course. But still, if I’m right about Trevor’s involvement, what will the fallout be? Am I ready to deal with it?

Last, I checked my bank account and was stunned to see the balance had dropped to less than one thousand dollars. I’d had eighty-five thousand dollars in my account the last time I’d checked. The account showed no activity for the current month, so I looked at the previous month’s activity. That’s when I saw that a check had been drawn for nearly my entire balance.

Did Trevor forge a check to himself? How can I escape with no money?

Upset over this new problem, I nearly forgot to clear my browser history to hide any evidence that I’d been online. I shut down my computer and leaned back in my chair, thinking about how I could meet with the anonymous email sender without Trevor knowing.

As the day went on, I couldn’t stop thinking about the person who wanted to meet with me. I checked my email several times, and when I found a reply to my earlier email, I was almost afraid to open it.

If you can get to Wal-Mart this evening, I’ll be waiting in the ladies’ room. I know what you look like and I’ll be watching for you.

I replied that I would try, then after shutting down my laptop, I nervously waited for Trevor to get home from work.

As it turned out, it wasn’t difficult to persuade him to take me shopping. I convinced him I needed to buy some maternity clothes and he agreed to take me to the nearby Wal-Mart.

As we browsed, I watched the other shoppers, wondering which one had been sending me the emails. Trying to hide my anxiety, I kept a close eye on Trevor, trying to gauge his mood, waiting for just the right moment to excuse myself to go to the ladies’ room.

After we’d been shopping for nearly an hour, I guided him to the electronics section, then placed my hand on his arm. “I need to use the bathroom. I think something I ate at dinner disagreed with me.”

Trevor’s brow wrinkled. “Are you okay? Do you want to go home?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll be all right. I just need to use the bathroom.” I paused. “Do you want to wait here? It shouldn’t take too long.”

He glanced at all the video games, then back at me. “That’s okay. I’ll walk you over there and wait for you.”

“Thank you.” I smiled brightly to show I was glad he was coming with me.

As soon as I entered the ladies room, I saw a woman standing next to the sink, watching me. “Are you . . ?” I asked.

“The one who asked to meet with you? Yes. Thanks for coming.”

“I don’t think you ever mentioned your name.”

“You can call me Tina.”

I nodded. “Trevor’s waiting for me. I don’t have much time.”

“I understand.” Tina stepped away from the counter and glanced around before coming close to me. “I don’t know how your relationship is with him, but I would suggest running far, far away.”

What if Trevor set up this meeting to test me?

“How do you know Trevor?” I asked, wary.

“We dated on and off for over a year. We finally broke up last summer.”

“Why did you break up?”

One eyebrow went up at the question.

“I think I have a right to know,” I said. “I feel like I’m taking a chance meeting with you.”

“You are.”

Surprised at her comment, I waited for her to explain.

“If he’s been treating you anything like the way he treated me, I think you know exactly why.”

My face paled. “Is that why you wanted to meet with me? To tell me what I already know?”

“No. If it were only that.” She closed her eyes and shook her head before meeting my gaze. “Trevor has involved himself in some dangerous activities.”

“Like what?”

“Look, you seem like a nice girl, which is why I tried to scare you away from him in the first place.”

“Just tell me what’s going on.”

As Tina opened her mouth to speak, a woman entered the bathroom and looked at the two of us, a question on her face. “Which one of you is Lily?”

“I am,” I said.

“Some guy out there is waiting for you and he asked me to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” I said.

The woman nodded and went into a stall.

A loud knock sounded at the bathroom door. “Lily?” Trevor called out.

Panic swept over me.

What if he comes in and catches me talking to his old girlfriend?

“I’m sorry, Tina,” I said. “I’ve got to go.”

“Wait,” she whispered urgently.

“I have to go. Please talk fast.”

“All I know,” she began, “is Trevor and Rob are running a chop shop out of that place of his—and they’ll do anything to keep it going. Apparently it’s very lucrative.”

I was right. He
is
involved in those car thefts.

“Thanks for letting me know,” I said.

She frowned. “Be careful.”

I nodded, then hurried out of the bathroom.

T
he moment
I walked through the door, Trevor stepped to my side. “It’s about time,” he said with a frown. “Do you feel better now?”

After the information I’d just learned, I was glad I’d told him I wasn’t feeling well—a good excuse for my pale face. “I’m feeling worse. Can we go home now?”

“Yeah, sure.”

That night I tossed and turned, anxious for the opportunity to report Trevor’s involvement in the car thefts to the police. Later I realized I should have reported him for holding me prisoner, but at the time it didn’t occur to me that he was doing something illegal in keeping me from leaving.

W
hen Trevor left for work
, I picked up the phone, ready to call the police, but then I hesitated.

Do I want to see Trevor in jail?

The thought made me sick, but the knowledge that it was my ticket to freedom pushed me to make the call. After a deep breath, I called the tip number and left a message, then hung up and desperately tried to put the whole thing out of my mind.

That night, as soon as Trevor got home, he went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. I lifted my gaze from the book I was reading as a tingle of worry fluttered inside me. It sounded like he’d pressed only one button on the phone—like he’d pressed the redial button

Is he checking up on who I called?

A moment later he came into the living room. “Why did you call Wal-Mart today?”

“Oh,” I said as relief cascaded over me when I remembered I’d called them after I’d called the police tip line. “I was just seeing if they had a certain ingredient in stock.” I smiled. “And they do.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

I went back to my book, but I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he turned on the TV.

Why did he check on my phone calls today? He didn’t do it last night. Did something happen at work? Something that made him suspect I’d called the police?

W
hen I woke
the next morning and thought about Trevor checking up on my phone call, I had a fresh sense of urgency to free myself from the prison he’d created for me. After he left for work I waited half an hour before calling a local locksmith and explaining that I’d locked myself in my house and couldn’t find the key.

He said he’d be over within the hour.

As I watched the locksmith work on the deadbolt, I anxiously glanced at the kitchen clock, terrified Trevor would show up and catch me. A short time later he was done. He unlocked the front door and handed me the new key.

“You might want to think about getting a regular deadbolt. Since this is your only exit, it’s kind of dangerous to depend on a key to open the door.”

I smiled and nodded, well aware of the dangers. “Thank you.” I handed him payment for the job, glad I’d known where Trevor kept some extra cash.

I just hope he doesn’t notice that some money is missing.

As soon as the locksmith left, I locked the door behind him and hid the key among my cleaning supplies.

Trevor will never stumble upon it there.

Elated to know I could leave whenever I wanted, I resolved to get my important belongings back first—my wallet, which held every form of identification I had, and the keys to my car. Without those things, it would be much harder to go anywhere.

As evening approached, then nightfall, I began to wonder where Trevor was. He’d been home most nights and I’d begun to expect him to be home by at least late evening, but after the late news finished I went to bed, anxious to know what was going on.

T
he next morning
when I woke, I was surprised to find Trevor’s side of the bed still smooth and unslept in. He’d never stayed out all night before.

Has he been arrested?

My heart stuttered at the thought.

At eight o’clock I called
Rob’s Auto Body
, impatient to discover where Trevor was, but no one answered the phone. I tried calling several times throughout the day, but no one picked up.

At one point I dug out my new key and stared at it, considering whether to leave even though I didn’t have my car keys or my wallet.

But where will I go?

As I tucked the key back into its hiding place, the phone rang. Startled, I looked at the caller ID screen, but it was blank—apparently Trevor hadn’t gotten the Caller Id service.

I picked up the phone, and with a tentative voice, asked, “Hello?”

“Lily,” Trevor said. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Trevor? Where are you?”

“Don’t worry about that now.” His voice was sharp and impatient.

“Ok. What do you want me to do?”

He was silent.

“Trevor? Are you there?”

“Listen carefully. I need you to get something for me at Rob’s shop and then come back to the apartment and wait for my call.”

My thoughts went in all directions at once.

He’s kept me prisoner for the last several weeks and suddenly he wants me to go out on my own? What’s going on?

“But Trevor, how am I supposed to do that when I don’t have a way to get out, or my purse or my car key?”

“Bronson is on his way over. I told him where to find your purse and I gave him a key to the apartment.”

My muscles tensed.

That loser Bronson is going to be touching my purse, going through my things?

Though furious, I kept my voice calm. “Okay. What do you want me to get at the shop?”

Trevor was silent for a moment, then his voice dropped to a whisper. “After Bronson leaves, drive to Rob’s shop and tell them you need to get into my locker. There’s a safe in there. It’s bolted to the floor so I have to give you the combination.” He paused. “I can trust you, right?”

“Trevor, I’m your wife. If you can’t trust me, who can you trust? I want you home with me.” I almost gagged on the last words.

He told me the combination and I wrote it down.

“What am I going to find in there?” I asked.

“There’s a gym bag. For your own safety, it’s best if you don’t open it.”

“Why not? What’s in it?”

“Don’t ask any questions now. Just get over there, get the bag, and come back to the apartment to wait for further instructions.”

I agreed to his strange request and watched for Bronson’s arrival.

He showed up a few minutes later, unlocked the door, and walked in like he belonged there. With my purse in his hand, he said, “Here you go, sweetie. I don’t know why your hubby wants to give this back to you all of a sudden, but here it is.”

I took it from him, hiding my disgust at seeing him again. “Thank you.”

He stood there a moment. “I guess I’ll get going.”

I forced a smile on my face and nodded slightly as I watched him walk out the door.

I stared at the purse in my hand. This was what I’d been working toward for weeks, but now that the opportunity for escape was right in front of me, fear tickled the back of my neck.

What is Trevor up to? If I run, where will I go? How will I take care of my baby? What will Trevor do when he finds that I’ve left?

I unzipped my purse and dumped the contents on the table, then looked through the items. Although my cash was gone, and my cell phone was missing, my driver’s license was tucked into my wallet, and my car keys were there.

I placed everything back inside and walked to the front door, then stopped, my hand on the doorknob as alarm began to grow within me.

What if this is a test? What if Trevor’s watching me to see if I run? He’ll follow me, and then I don’t know what he’d do. What if he’s having Bronson watch me?

Heart pounding, I sank onto the couch as I tried to figure out what I should do.

I should at least see what he’s hiding in his locker.

With fresh resolve, I walked out the front door, and as I slid behind the wheel of my Honda, I relished the feeling of having a small measure of control back in my life.