Moth to a Flame (23 page)

Still joined, I finally spoke what I’d never wanted to say aloud into his chest. “Three years ago, I was a happy, popular cheerleader at the University of Texas in Austin in my senior year. Being president of my sorority was my proudest achievement. I had big dreams of making it big in the finance world. One day, I went to a typical party with my best friend and ended up leaving alone. I walked alone that night in the dark.” I shuddered at the thought of the next series of memories.

Cale kissed my head and waited for me to continue.

“The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a car driving down the highway. Cale, I’d been abducted.” His entire body tensed at my statement, but he remained still and quiet. “Realizing that my eerily silent kidnapper was taking me somewhere to do God knows what to me, I panicked. He reeked of alcohol. My mouth was taped shut and I had a bag over my head. I couldn’t move my hands because they were taped together behind my back.”

I let a tear roll down onto his chest while he rubbed my back. “In a moment of bravery, I reached out with my leg and kicked the steering wheel, causing us to crash. I was able to escape because he had hit his head pretty badly and was bleeding all over.”

This time, his body froze and I swear it actually turned cold.

“I managed to run back to the dorm, pack a bag, and ended up here.” I sighed, relieved to finally get the story off my chest. “I’ve been scared ever since that he’ll find me, thus the three locks on my door and fear of dating.”

Cale sat up quickly with me on top of him. My legs were unmoving on either side of him. And even though he was no longer hard, he still was inside me.

“Lia, when did this happen?” he questioned very seriously, like he might be sick to his stomach.

“November fourth, 2010.”

His face paled and he stuttered his next statement. “Please, for the love of God, tell me that you did not have blond hair then.”

It was my turn to go ghost white.

OH GOD. PLEASE no.

“Yes,” she replied with a shaky voice.

“Fuck,” I groaned, completely defeated.

She tensed up with a worried look on her face.

This is un-fucking-believable.

Shit!

I couldn’t believe the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

“Lia, I am about to tell you something, and please, if you love me right here in this moment, do not freak the fuck out. That same night, I left my house drunk as a skunk,” I began.

She stared at me, openmouthed like a statue.

“I completely blacked out that night, having no recollection of where I’d been or what I’d done, but, Lia, I was in an accident. I injured my head so badly I was in a coma for twelve days. I nearly died,” I explained. Then I braced myself for the next words. “Lia, I was your abductor.”

It all made sense. The memory was gone, but the angel’s face was etched into my brain—thus the need for my tattoo. Her eyes darted down to my tattoo and then back to me.

Time stood still as realization came over her. A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and she slapped my face with surprising force.

“Don’t FUCKING touch me, you ANIMAL!” she screamed, jumping off me and running naked from the room.

“Lia!” I shouted after her, leaping from the bed.

She’d already snatched her bag and run into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. This was so fucking bad.

I threw on some jeans and a shirt, quickly following after her. Banging on the door I pleaded with her, “Lia, please listen to me.”

She was wailing on the other side of the door.

“I don’t know how I became that person that night, but, Lia, I am NOT that person anymore! You have to believe how much I fucking love you,” I begged her through the door.

“You RUINED my life!” she screamed back at me through her sobs.

“Lia, please come out. I want to talk to you. Please. You have to forgive me for what I did. I can’t live without you.” I was shakily fighting tears of my own. This was so fucking wrong. “Please, Lia. I love you,” I begged some more.

The door flung open. Lia had hastily pulled her hair into a bun and was completely dressed. Her green eyes were blazing with fury, hurt, shock. “I fucking HATE you,” she snarled as she shoved past me. I grabbed her arm in an effort to stop her which caused her to spin around and smack me hard against the cheek once again. Quickly, I released her. “Don’t FUCKING touch me EVER AGAIN!” she shrieked before stalking out of the room, bag in hand.

I was hot on her heels as she bolted into the kitchen, snatching up her purse and keys. “Lia, please don’t leave. Please. God, please, Lia.”

She ignored me and headed for the door.

Knowing this might be the last time I’d ever see her again, I hauled her to me and kissed her with all the passion and love I could convey. She hesitated for a second before coming to her senses, shoving me away.

Calmly, she seethed, “Do that again and I’ll mace the shit out of you.”

Turning on her heels, she ran out the front door and out of my life.

ONCE I MADE it to the safety of my car, I yanked my phone from my purse and dialed Mom.

“Hey, sweetie. How are you?” she chirped into the phone.

“Mom!” I wailed.

“Honey? What’s wrong?”

“I need you. Where are you? Can I come to you?” I cried into the phone.

“Get to the airport, honey,” she spoke calmly. “I’ll have a ticket to New York waiting for you.”

As I drove toward my house to pack a bag, I called Pops. It took everything in me to calm my voice.

“Hey, Lia. What’s up? Everything okay?” he questioned when he answered, knowing I never called on a Saturday.

“Um, yeah. My mom is actually in the States right now. I thought I’d fly to New York to see her. I know this is short notice, but do you think I could schedule my vacation for next week?” I asked, hoping he’d say yes since my mom was already getting me a ticket.

“Of course, hon. Anj and I can handle things while you’re gone. I know you miss her. Is Cale going with you?”

I cringed at his name, tears welling in my eyes. “No,” I whispered.

His silence let me know that he knew I was upset about something. Probably assuming I was upset from a breakup, he sighed. “Lia, take care. I’ll see you when you get back. Tell Cathy and Rich I said hello.”

After hanging up with Pops, I checked my phone to see who had texted me while I’d been talking to him.

Mom:
Sweetie, the flight leaves in four hours Central time. Take your time and grab some breakfast. I’ll be waiting at the airport when you get here. I can’t wait to see you, baby girl.

I smiled at my mom’s text as I parked. I hadn’t been alone at my house in ages. It stood there looking neglected. Once I got inside, I took in my surroundings. Yesterday, I hadn’t even noticed that Cale had cleaned up the glass and remnants of the fire. My heart burned in pain at the thought of him.

I quickly packed a bag for the week and hopped into the shower. There was no way I could make it all the way to New York with his scent on me. It was too conflicting. The hate I had for him was intense, but a part of me still loved him.

What a shitty weekend.

After getting ready, I locked up and went back to my car, throwing my things in and stepping inside. When my phone chimed, I cringed. And just as I feared, there was a text from Cale.

Cale:
Lia, please talk to me. I am not that person anymore. You have to believe me. Please, let’s try to talk this out.

Ignoring his text, I drove to the airport, which gave me too much time to think about everything.

How could this have even happened?

It was impossibly ridiculous to think that the one man who’d been my savior throughout this whole ordeal and had pulled me out of my self-imposed terror was the one person who’d started it. Fresh tears filled my eyes as I forced thoughts of Cale from my mind.

After going through the rigorous motions of security at the airport, I found my gate and sat down to wait for my flight. My mom would comfort me and tell me how I was going to survive this. I was going to tell her everything from the abduction, the attempted rape, and now the horrific situation with Cale. Moms were good at that sort of thing. If anything, she’d hold me while I cried.
God, I missed her.

The flight was long, with a layover in Atlanta for a bit, but I finally made it off the plane in New York and breathed a sigh of relief as I pushed through the throng of people at JFK International. Since I’d only brought carry-on, I bypassed baggage claim and set out to look for my mom, who was picking me up out front. Once outside, I heard her calling for me in the car bay near a cab. Seeing her, I sprinted to her, throwing myself into her arms.

She gathered me in for a hug, “Oh, sweetie, everything’s okay. We’re together now.” Her voice was soothing as I cried into her hair.

We finally broke apart and she took a moment to study my tear-stained face before tossing my bags into the cab.

I might have been a fighter like my dad, but I definitely looked like my mom. She was very pretty for her age and had the same brown hair. She and Rich were health food nuts, which kept them looking trim. Because of their jobs, they had to dress nice as well. My mom was definitely a knockout.

After tossing my bags into the trunk, I got into the back of the cab with her. She pulled me close and held me in an embrace all the way to the hotel.

This. I definitely needed.