The old grandfather clock began to chime one o’clock and it was the most ominous sound I’d ever heard. A creak in the old floorboards made me jump. Panic sucked the air from my chest and I spun my head in the direction of the sound. Ethan was leaning against the doorjamb to the utility closet.
“Hello, Gia.”
43
Gianna
I took in the sight of him. Ethan had always been well put together, but now… I’d never seen him look so unkempt. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were dark and wild, sunken into a face he clearly hadn’t shaved for days. His appearance made me second guess my decision to confront him. He looked like a madman, and I truly had no idea what he was capable of.
My fight-or-flight instinct threatened to kick into overdrive. Fighting would be my only option if I wanted this to end. It’s what I came here for. I squared my shoulders, not wanting to show an ounce of fear.
“So, when did you find out I was in New York?”
“I always knew where you were, Gia. I’ll admit, I did lose you for a day or two, but I’ve had eyes on you ever since you moved into this place.” He motioned to the space around him and grimaced at the threadbare sofa with disgust. “I didn’t think you’d go back to slumming it.”
He took a step closer.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t have much of a choice. It might not be the Ritz, but I like it,” I replied, inching backward and not taking my eyes off him for one second.
“You’ve proven to be resourceful. I’ll give you that much. You even used your pussy to lure in a new man, as if he could actually replace me,” he said in an eerily calm voice. “I’ve known all about Derek the Dickwad for quite some time too. And yes, I was here the day you spread your legs for him like a whore. I wanted you back with me, where you belonged, but not anymore—not after you let him use you. Oh, I heard how you came for him—how you screamed his name. From my spot behind the hot water tank, I watched you when you sucked him off. You always did give good head.”
Although I suspected he’d been here after the fact, I never thought to check the utility closet. My stomach churned with an overwhelming urge to vomit. I didn’t want to think about him putting a black stain on my relationship with Derek. What we had was pure and special—and real.
“You’re a sick bastard!” I spat out.
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. Matthew 15:19.” He shook his head and tsked. “Your insolence is partly my fault. I should have taught you the good Word, and maybe we wouldn’t be here right now.”
I blinked, having no idea what he was talking about, but I was sure it was related to the psychotic things Derek had relayed to me.
“You’re crazy.”
He took another step in my direction, so he was only a few feet away. I brought my hands up in a defensive position, and he laughed.
“What is this? You wrapped your hands? I feel like we’ve already been through this, Gia. Haven’t you learned anything? You can’t fight me.”
“Oh, no?”
In a swift move he never saw coming, my palm of my left hand connected with his nose. Just as quickly, my right hand followed and snapped a punch to his mouth. Staggering back, he lifted a hand to his lips. When he pulled it back, blood glistened on the tip of one finger. I smiled inwardly, knowing the split lip was the result of the rings I wore. Still, the vengeance I felt wasn’t nearly enough to make up for all the times he’d done it to me.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he hissed.
“No, Ethan, I’m not.”
“You really want to play this game? You know how it will end.”
“I do—and it won’t end well for you. I know all about Cynthia. I know about the FBI and your little masochistic den. I know all about the women you murdered. How much time do you think you’ll get for all of that?”
“I have an alibi for everything. They have nothing on me.”
Internally, I was shaking at the idea of him walking free, but I couldn’t let him know that. I had to keep him talking and distracted.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I mean, you always could schmooze your way out of everything, but I don’t think your charm will get you far this time. Maybe that’s one of the reasons you’re here. Am I a loose end you need to tie up? I can assure you, Ethan. I can’t help the FBI. I was blindsided by your secret life. I have nothing to tell them. Apparently, I don’t even know who you are. What’s the point in trying to shut me up?”
“Shutting you up is something I should have done a long fucking time ago.”
He lunged at me, but I was quick to sidestep his advance, and he stumbled past me. Spinning to face him once again, I watched as he tried to regain his balance.
“You see, here’s the thing, Ethan. You’ve always underestimated me. In fact, you’ve underestimated women in general. You might have your cronies in the police department at your back, but you know nothing about women and their survival instincts. Perhaps Cynthia figured it out sooner than I did, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t learn eventually. Even if you get off scot-free in this FBI homicide investigation—which I doubt—I have other protections in place. I won’t run and hide from you anymore. I’ve prepared three letters, two of which are already in the hands of the United States Postal Service. In fact, I dropped them in the mailbox before coming here tonight. If something happens to me, the recipients of those letters have been given instructions to turn the contents of the envelope over to the D.A. Even if you kill me, the truth about what you did to me will come out.”
“You have no proof of anything. Your little letters will be your word against mine.”
“And the word of several medical professionals. I have the medical records from the night I miscarried. I also have the results of a rape kit from the night I left you.” To my instant gratification, genuine outrage began to show on his face. “That’s right, Ethan. After you chased me from the hotel, I asked Teddy to bring me to a twenty-four-hour urgent care center. They accepted cash and the fake name I gave them, and I must say—they were extremely thorough. They took all kinds of x-rays. The doctors were shocked by the evidence of previous injuries that never properly healed.”
“I would have known if you went to a hospital. I’m calling your bluff,” he stated, twisting his lips into a menacing grin. “Then I’m going to kill you.”
He took one step forward. I took one step back and shook my head.
“Nope, it’s not a bluff. Oh, then there are the pictures the doc took. The bruises on my neck…” I let my words linger and tsked him. “That will be damning evidence. I mean, thanks to Cynthia, the FBI already has a shitload on you. This is just my little contribution.”
There was that telltale angry tick in his jaw and I chanced a glance at his fists. They were opening and closing, a sure sign that he was about to attack.
“It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. You may have your protections, but so do I. The FBI will never get to me. I’ll disappear. Vanish. Poof. It will be like Ethan Walker never even existed. I did it once before, and I can do it again. My mother taught me exactly how to do it. She taught me everything I know.”