Letting Go of Us (Anchored Hearts Vol. 3) (26 page)

Dan had me give him the
code for the garage and the security system and had me park inside
my garage. Chessa greeted me and scurried off back inside when he
kicked at her.

“
Upstairs.” He had my
purse in his hands. I had to find a way to distract him and get my
phone so I could call for help. “Don’t get any ideas.” My eyes
darted to his as he caught me glancing at my purse. I walked into
my bedroom and he ordered me to sit down in the chair.

He pulled my phone out and
noted that it was low on battery. I motioned to the cord on my
bedside table and he plugged it in. Whatever he had in mind, he was
going to torture James and me both. He set the gun down on the
dresser and unzipped his hoodie before removing it. Dropping it to
the floor he walked over to me, a disgusting smirk on his face. I
refused to make eye contact with him as my stomach roiled. He
gripped my chin and grabbed my breast roughly with his other
hand.

“
I hear you’re a pain
slut.” I looked at him, not sure what he meant. “I know what he’s
in to, thanks to Melissa. He’s stayed with you long enough that you
must be into it too. This is going to be fun. All those weeks of
screwing you, I had no idea pain was what you really wanted. I
would’ve accommodated you.”

“
Screw you.” I fully
expected the smack that came.

“
See, we’ll get along just
fine.” He pressed his lips to mine and I bit him. “Someone likes to
bite.” He sneered at me, “So do I. Get on the bed.”

I refused and he
manhandled me until I was on my back on the bed. I didn’t recall
him being so strong. He was on top of me when our attention was
diverted to my phone and the ringtone that filled the room. I’d
changed it a couple weeks prior to
Come Get it Bea
by Pharrell
Williams
because it reminded me of
James and all the rides we took on his motorcycle. It stopped
ringing and started right back up again.

“
Why is he
calling?”

“
He’s persistent. You
should know that.” It rang a third time, he wasn’t leaving
voicemail and then my text messaging started going off. “He won’t
stop until I respond.”

It started ringing again
and Dan was becoming increasingly agitated. I managed to kick him
in the groin and dove for my ringing phone on the night stand.
Pushing the answer button frantically, I began screaming, “JAMES!
I’m at home. Dan’s here…”

“
Agh! You
bitch!”

Dan jumped on top of me as
his fist met the side of my face and we fell to the floor. My phone
was dropped to the floor in the struggle and I don’t know where it
ended up. I was searching for it frantically and heard the drowned
out sound of James screaming my name on the other end.

“
James! He has a gun.”
Everything went black.

I don’t know how long I was
out. A minute, an hour, a day, I had no idea. I opened my eyes to
see Dan pacing my bedroom floor. It must not have been long. My
phone screen was smashed and lying on the floor next to me.
Discreetly, I grabbed it and hoped to God it was still somewhat
functional. I shoved in down the front of my dress, into my bra
before Dan saw. I closed my eyes and waited to see what his next
move would be, trying to figure out what mine would be as
well.

“
Get up.” He kicked me in
the gut as I gasped for breath.

Pulling me to my feet, he
dragged me down the stairs and back to the car. My head was still
reeling and I tried moving as slowly as I could, trying to delay,
in hopes that James or someone would show up. He pushed me into the
passenger seat, opened the door and I noticed the door to the house
open. Chessa was standing on the stairs and ran out the door. She’d
never been outside before and I worried for her. I tried getting
out and running after her, but I came face to face with the barrel
of his gun.

“
Get back in the
car.”

As he pulled out of the
driveway, tires squealing, I heard another set of tires squeal and
looked to see Paul’s SUV heading toward us. They wouldn’t know it
was us and I frantically grabbed at the wheel to get their
attention. Dan pushed me off him, but not before my eyes met James
in the passenger seat of of Paul’s SUV. Paul slammed on the brakes
and turned to follow us. Another car flew by us and I guessed it
was Smith or Ryan, if not both.

Dan had a good head start,
but he wouldn’t so easily lose Paul. Paul had a need for speed and
used to race stock cars in his spare time. Dan ran a red light and
traffic jammed up in the intersection and put some more distance
between us and Paul and James.

“
Before you die there are
some things you should know.”

“
Fuck you. There’s nothing
you can tell me I don’t already know.”

“
Is that so?”

“
You killed my mother and
probably your uncle, too.” I was screaming and crying as I asked
him why.

“
Your mother was a whore,
just like you.”

“
She wasn’t a whore! She
was pregnant and you killed her!”

Sneering, “Yeah, with MY
kid.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Your bitch mother was
banging me too, not just my uncle. He didn’t have any kids, that’s
why his first marriage fell apart. He was sterile. Your mother
convinced my uncle that the child was his. Everything that was
supposed to be mine would go to your mother and her bastard
kid.”

I couldn’t believe his
words. Even if it was true, he was willing to kill his own child
just to get to the money. I was doomed. He’d never show mercy on
me. I sat motionless as he pushed a few buttons on the
stereo.

“
I know how much you like
music and how
meaningful
it can be to you.” He was being sarcastic as he
pushed play. “Listen to this and take it for what you
will.”

Water’s Edge
by Seven Mary
Three
began playing. He was fucking
twisted. I looked behind me and I couldn’t see Paul and James. As
we drove further—I was shocked we didn’t have cops on our tail—it
dawned on me where he was headed. I wasn’t quite sure what he had
planned, but he was going to kill me in the same place my mother
had met her fate. I remember thinking if he was going to kill me
that I hoped he would just shoot me. Drowning was my biggest fear,
knowing it’s what took my mother. Was I destined to repeat my
mother’s mistakes, suffer her same fate?

I pulled my phone out of my
dress and Dan didn’t try to stop me. I powered it on, but with the
screen cracked, I couldn’t make much of anything out. I pushed the
buttons where my phone icon should have been and called him, at
least I hoped it was him. I couldn’t hear anything and just started
rambling.

“
James, I’m so sorry. I
love you, please know that. I choose you. It’s always been
you.”

The phone was taken from me
as he tossed it out the window. I didn’t fight him, convinced that
there was nothing left to do or say. I was a dead woman. My only
solace was in the fact that James and Cal would never rest until
Dan was in jail or dead himself.

The sound of sirens in the
distance floated to my ears and I began looking around. We were
close to that old bridge my mother had driven her car off of. I
started believing that it hadn’t been an accident and I felt guilty
for all the hatred I’d harbored over the years. She may have
cheated on my father and been carrying another man’s child—it
didn’t matter who the father was—but she hadn’t killed herself like
I thought. I refused to believe that any longer. Somehow Dan was
behind that murder too. Looking behind me I was almost positive I
saw Paul’s SUV turn the corner.

“
They won’t stop me. It’s
over and you’re coming with me.”

I was thrown back in my
seat as he floored it. The bridge was still old and rickety, after
all those years no one had properly reinforced it like they should
have. I tugged on my seat belt to make sure I was strapped in and
took a deep breath. I couldn’t go down without a fight. I undid his
seat belt and when he reached for the gun I grabbed the wheel. The
curses flew out of his mouth as the gun fell at my feet. I reached
down for it as his fist slammed down on my back.

Pulling up, I pointed the
gun at him and demanded he pull the car over. He refused and before
I could beg him again the car smashed through the flimsy guardrail.
I braced myself, gun still in my hand, refusing to let it go. He
lunged for me and I pulled the trigger, knowing the gun wouldn’t
work once it got wet. I don’t know where I hit him, but he grabbed
his side. Next thing I knew, we hit the water and I was thankful it
wasn’t night time and not that far of a drop. Dan must have hit his
head because blood was pouring down his forehead when I looked to
him, thanks to my unbuckling him.

Water.

It was flooding in his
partially opened window and I undid my seatbelt as I became soaked.
I tried the button for my window and nothing happened. I don’t know
what I was thinking. Water was coming in too quick as I banged on
it. The gun. I could use it to try to break the window. Dan’s
screams filled the remaining air as he tried getting his window
down too. The water came in too fast and I couldn’t get out. I took
a deep breath, face pressed to the ceiling of the car as my hair
and neck became drenched. The car was fully submerged and I had no
escape. My eyes became clouded by the water as I tried to search,
for what I don’t know, anything to give me hope. My life was
flashing before my eyes.

The green dress floated
around me, like an abyss. My lungs were so tight that they felt
like they were on fire. I was lost, trapped, and couldn’t hold my
breath much longer. He would never know my true feelings, but at
least I knew his. He loved
me
, wanted
me
, no matter what. Thinking about
how my loss would destroy him, I banged on the glass one more time
with everything I had. The glass broke, but not before my lungs
betrayed me and I inhaled a mouth full of water. Hands grabbed at
me, pulling me under—or above—I wasn’t sure. He was the only
thought in my drowning mind.

I woke to a stranger’s
mouth on mine as I gagged and choked on the water pouring out of my
lungs. I recognized Paul standing over me, but if he was there with
me then where was James? I scrambled to my feet, pushing the EMS
worker aside and spotted Ryan in the water. He was frantically
diving under and coming back up. More Police and EMS started
trickling down the embankment as I scurried to the water’s
edge.

“
Paul! Where is he?” He
was panting and I knew it must’ve been him who pulled me from the
car or at least he who dragged me to shore. He looked miserable as
my heart refused to believe it. “Paul!”

“
Cassidy, I don’t know
what happened. I had to get you out.”

He walked over to me as I
pounded my fists on his chest. “No, no, no. Please, Paul.” I was
sobbing as he let me hit him without flinching. “Go in after
him.”

“
I had to get you out. He
made me promise.”

I looked back to the water.
Smith was pulling a body behind him and that body appeared
lifeless. I saw the hair and knew it was him. “James!”

Paul ran back in and along
with Ryan helped Smith carry his body to the shore. His lips were
blue, I’d never seen anything like it, and the EMS workers started
working on him immediately. Questions were flying about how long
he’d been under and if there was anyone else in the water. I
couldn’t take my eyes off of him as I silently offered my soul to
the devil, anything just to save him.

~ JAMES ~

I was eagerly awaiting her
arrival for breakfast. I wanted to give her back the necklace. I’d
found it all those weeks ago, after her attack. But, I knew I
should wait. I placed it back in the velvet box in my drawer in my
closet. Monday, that’s when I’d give it back to her. I checked my
watch again before putting it on. She was taking her time and I was
being impatient. Thirty minutes hadn’t yet passed. I pulled the
towel from my waist and dried myself off and got
dressed.

I threw on a t-shirt, cargo
shorts, socks and shoes, after pulling some boxers on. Leaving my
hair down, I headed down the stairs. I wanted her to relax today.
Whatever she wanted to do was what I had in mind. If she wanted to
sleep, I’d let her sleep. I could probably squeeze her into the spa
if she wanted a massage. Grabbing my phone, I called the spa. They
had a few openings and I told them I’d get back to them. Breakfast
was delivered a while later. I was scrolling my phone when Smith
called.

“
Hey man. What’s
up?”

“
Are you with
Cassidy?”

Fear ripped at me, “No,
she’s in the bridal suite.”

“
Her car just left the
garage, her phone is there, too. Ryan isn’t with her.”

“
God dammit.” I grabbed my
keys and bolted out the door. “Meet me at the bridal
suite.”

“
I’m on my way
up.”

Not wanting to wait for the
elevator, I took the few flights down and ran down the hall. Her
door was closed as I began pounding on it, praying it was some kind
of mistake. Just as I was about to try to kick it in, Smith stepped
in front of me and swiped his card, opening the door. We walked in
cautiously. The shower was still running, the phone was ripped from
the wall and disposed of on the floor. I was about to head out the
door when Smith handed me a notepad. I didn’t need to read it given
the look on his face, but I did anyways.