“Maybe. To be honest, I don’t remember.”
“What about rolling the tube up from the bottom? Did you do that?”
His confused look transitioned to genuine concern. I was sure I sounded like a crazy person but I didn’t have time to worry about it.
“No, I don’t think I rolled it up…maybe. Gianna, Christ. It’s only toothpaste. Why are you so upset?”
His placating tone reminded me of Natalia when I asked her to drive by my old house. It made me remember I hadn’t heard back from her. Immediately, I snatched my cell phone up from the kitchen counter and dialed Natalia.
“Nat,” I said once she picked up. “Did you ever do that drive by like I asked you to?”
“Good morning to you, too,” she mumbled. “What the hell, Gia? It’s not even eight o’clock yet… and it’s a Sunday.”
“I’m serious, Nat. Did you do it?”
“Yeah, I did it, but I couldn’t tell if he was there—at least not until last night. All kinds of crazy shit happened. I would have called, but it was late. I planned to call you today about it.”
“About what? What crazy shit?”
“Ethan. Apparently, he beat up some woman named Cynthia pretty good a few weeks back. She barely lived. Once she recovered, she went after him hard.”
I glanced at Derek. His concerned expression was still there. I couldn’t blame him after the way I was acting. He needed to understand. Moving the phone away from my ear, I put it on speaker.
“Nat, I’m with Derek. You’re on speakerphone. Keep going. Cynthia was the name of Ethan’s mistress. What do you mean she went after him hard?”
“Oooh, you’re with Derek this early in the morning?”
I nearly rolled my eyes, becoming more and more impatient with each passing second.
“Nat, that’s not important. Tell me what happened.”
“Geesh, okay. Apparently, Cynthia is a prosecutor and she has even more pull than Ethan did. She pressed charges—her lawyers were on the television last night saying it was attempted murder. It was all over the local news. He was suspended from his job while an investigation took place. They had a warrant to search the house for some kind of club—or whatever it was he supposedly used to beat her. When they got there, they discovered a safe full of coke and about a half a million in cash. Ethan was nowhere to be found. There’s a warrant out for his arrest.”
Memories came in quick snapshots—the safe I didn’t know the combination for, the duffle bags Ethan came home with, his ability to afford the expensive house in the upscale neighborhood, the expensive cars he always drove…
“And you didn’t call me last night because it was late?” I accused as the implications of what all this could mean seeped in. I thought about what the news stations might be saying. Memories of all the police functions I’d attended flashed in my mind. The officers, their wives…what would they think? Would they know Ethan had abused me, too? I could almost hear their accusations, wondering why I’d stayed for so long.
“I’m sorry! I had…I had company last night,” Natalia explained.
In other words, she was getting laid. I huffed out a frustrated breath.
“Have they found him?” I asked.
“Not yet. The police are still looking for him. They’re also looking for you.”
“Me? Why me?”
“The news didn’t say, but I’m guessing they want to question you about Ethan.”
My stomach sank, not knowing which cops Ethan might still have in his corner.
“Have the police tried to contact you?”
“No, not yet. Why?”
“Nat, you can’t tell them where I am.”
“I would never!” Natalie said vehemently. “I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them. I’m not sure if you can get the Cincinnati news stations in New York, but I just turned on our morning news. Ethan’s picture is plastered all over the place. Apparently, they didn’t catch him yet. Now that he’s on the run, who knows what he’ll do? You need to be careful, toots.”
If Ethan lost his badge, there was no telling what his state of mind would be. That badge was his entire identity. Without it, I was sure he’d be more volatile than ever before. I truly believed it was the only thing that kept him from killing me, Teddy, Ben, and Natalia the night I escaped. A shiver of cold goosebumps raced down my spine.
“Alright. Thanks, Nat. I’ve got to go.”
“You don’t think he’d try to find you, do you?”
“I think he might have already. I really have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“Wait! What do you mean?”
I didn’t answer, and ended the call. Running through the apartment, I opened every closet door, looking for potential hiding places. If Ethan was here… if he was watching Derek and me…the thought of him seeing me naked in Derek’s arms this morning made me want to vomit.
The apartment wasn’t that big, and it only took me a minute or so to realize Ethan wasn’t there. Derek had been close on my heels during my search. Now that I was fairly certain Ethan wasn’t here, I turned to him.
“You need to leave—we both need to leave. It’s not safe here.”
Going to my bedroom closet, I pulled out a large canvas bag and began throwing clothes into it. My mind raced through all the hiding places I’d mapped out when I first arrived in the city. My focus was singular, only able to see through the tunnel that would lead me to safety. I didn’t even realize Derek had been peppering me with questions until I felt his hand touch my shoulder.
“Gianna, what’s going on? What are you doing?”
“Packing,” I replied automatically. “Every bone in my body is saying Ethan was here recently. I need to get out.”
“What do you mean he was here? How do you know?”
“The toothpaste. He was fucking neurotic about it. Now please, Derek…you need to leave and I need to…” I hesitated, not sure what it was I needed at that moment. I only knew I had to run. “I need to get someplace safe.”
“You’re running,” Derek asserted.
“Yes. Well, sort of.”
He grabbed hold of my arm and turned me to face him. Planting one hand firmly on my shoulder, the other lifted to cup my cheek.
“No. I missed you for three long years. You were the piece of me I didn’t know I was missing—the one who got away. You can’t run again.”
My heart was racing, ready to beat out of my chest. I wanted to give him the explanation he deserved, but there wasn’t time. I had to act now.
“I have to leave, but I promise it won’t be for long.”
“Look, I know you’re afraid, but let’s be rational about this.”
“Rational? Derek, you don’t understand. It’s not about fear. I won’t shy away from being afraid. I can’t. Fear is what kept me alive all of those years, and it has never failed me. But I trust my instincts more—and they’re telling me to run.”
“No,” he repeated more forcefully. “I’m not letting you run.”
“You’re not letting me? After all you know about me, you have to know I’ll never wait for a man to let me do anything ever again. I’m telling you I need to go—I have to take care of this—but I need a plan first. You asked me to trust you last night. Now, I’m asking you to trust me. Just give me a day, and I’ll be in touch.”