“It’s okay. There’s no need to apologize. There’s nothing to worry about. You shouldn’t have dragged yourself out of bed when you feel sick, just to tell me you’re sorry. I do appreciate it, but you could have just called or texted me.”
He walks over to me and takes my hand. “I just wanted to explain to you how I feel. You’re the one, always have been.” I smile a little uncomfortably as I retrieve my hand and make my way over to the sink.
I start washing some dishes just to try and escape the awkwardness when Tony speaks. “You have always been my English rose.”
I stand frozen, and the plate I’m carrying nearly slips from my fingers. My heart starts beating rapidly as the fear sets in.
No. Please, God, no.
The water’s still gushing, but I can’t move. I’m frozen, rooted to the spot. Did I just hear correctly?
Please, no. Please, don’t let it be Tony.
I feel as his fingers lightly touch my face, making me gasp. Tony reaches out, switches the water off, and inhales the scent of my hair. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you. I could never hurt a rose like you. Ever.”
I start to tremble. He tries to soothe me by stroking my hair, but I’m terrified. “Why? Why did you do it?”
He stops stroking my hair and sighs. “Why do you always have to spoil the moments between us? Those other girls were just sluts. They flaunted themselves around like bitches in heat. They wanted to take me back to their houses and have me do all sorts of disgusting things to them. I’d never met any of them before in my life, but because I have a badge and a gun, they think I’m game. They disgusted me, Ana.” He touches my face, making me wince. “But you … you have always looked so innocent, so beautiful, and so delicate. I’ve been waiting for the day when I could take you away from all of this, giving us the chance to finally be together forever. Can’t you see it? Don’t you know that you and I were always meant to be together?”
I feel a sob catch in my throat. All those poor women. What they must have been through. We spent so much time trying to find the culprit, and he was right under our very noses the entire time. He must have been laughing at us all along … goading us.
I feel sick.
“The night of the barbecue was when I really thought I had to put my plan into action. You looked so lost. I wanted to whisk you up in my arms and take you away from it all. I have a place we can go. An old farm. We can stay there, make lots of babies, and grow old together.”
I feel bile rising into my throat. I fight hard to keep it down. His face, which used to be soft, now turns sinister. “But then, the night after I left, I saw you two through the window. I saw what he was doing to you on that table, and it was disgusting. I never thought you would do that to me. You were always so sweet and loyal. Naturally, I was angry … really angry.” He grabs my face in his hands, making me yelp. “That last girl … she was just like all the others—just like you. I fucking hated her, and I hated you for what you’d done. After I spent a few days trying to calm myself down, however, I realized that I might not be seeing things correctly. I thought that perhaps you were still my rose after all. I realized he must have forced you just like your other stepfather did.”
I gasp and let out a sob. How on earth did he know about that? Even Jake doesn’t know about that.
Tears start running down my face. I don’t know what to do. Should I scream? Should I try to run? Tony has a gun, and Matthew is upstairs, and I don’t want to put him in danger. I have to try to keep Tony talking. Maybe someone will come for me before it’s too late.
Where the hell is Joe?
Tony starts stroking my cheek, swiftly halting my thoughts. “Shhh, please don’t cry. You know you’re safe with me, don’t you? I won’t hurt you. There’s no need to be afraid anymore. You have me, and I won’t let anyone touch you.” I see the determination in his face. “I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore. I promise.”
He throws his arms around me and rocks me back and forth. I’m still trying to stop the bile from rising in my throat and prevent the trembling in my whole body from giving me away. What do I say to someone who is obviously a psychopath like Tony?
What do you do when you think you know someone, then you find out that couldn’t be further from the truth?
Just as I’m trying to get my head around all this, Tony suddenly pulls away and grabs my shoulders. “This is what we’ll do. I have my car out front. I can take you away, but it has to be right now. I have everything in place. We can escape.”
I look up at him in shock. “But what about the squad car outside?”
Where the hell is Joe?
He waves a hand dismissively. “You mean that asshole, Joe? I took care of him. He won’t be any trouble. It’s just you and me. No one else can ever stand in our way again.”
Oh, God. What did he mean when he said he took care of him?
Please, God. No more death! No. More. Death.
In my panic, I quickly think of something that might just give me more time. “I will have to go pack a few things. I can’t just leave.”
Tony grabs my hand. “Look, we have no time for packing. They’ll be looking for you very soon. We need to go right now. I will buy you all the things you’ll need when we get there.”
The fear inside me is increasing. How can I stall him any longer? Where will he take me once we leave? Will I disappear forever then?
Just then, my phone starts to ring, and the urge to answer it is tremendous. I walk towards it, but Tony grabs my arm. “We have to leave. Now! You don’t need anyone else but me anymore. Let it ring.”
I wipe my eyes and take a few deep breaths. Tony’s watching my every move and is obviously growing more and more impatient. I have no other choice. No matter what, I don’t want to risk Matthew getting hurt. I won’t allow him to be in danger. I have to leave with him, and I must do so quietly to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. I must face my possible death head-on. If anything ever happened to Matthew, I would never forgive myself.
So I take another deep breath and nod my head. I place a fake smile on my face and squeeze Tony’s hand for reassurance.
He beams back at me. “I knew you would come around. You need to get away from all the monsters. I’ll keep you safe with me.”
I almost choke. Monsters? The only monster around me is the one staring at me and trying to drag me away from my family.
The only family I have ever known.
With shaky legs, we make our way outside to the car, and sure enough, the squad car’s there, but no sign of Joe anywhere. What has Tony done?
I jump at the sound of a car door opening and frantically look around for any neighbors who might see us. Unfortunately everyone’s at work, so all is quiet.
Just my luck.
Tony motions towards the passenger seat of the Explorer, and I have no choice but to climb up. I’m trying everything in my willpower not to completely lose it. I squeeze my hands together to try and keep control of my emotions.
I release another sob as I watch Tony walk around to the driver’s side. He climbs in, starts it up, and looks at me. “You know, I’ve been dreaming about this for a very long time. You don’t know how happy you’re making me right now—just by being by my side,” he says as he reaches out and grabs my hand, making me flinch. “I will look after you. I promise. I will make you mine. In fact, I think we need to start a family as soon as possible. That will strengthen our bond and cement our relationship.”