Page 37 of A Second Chance At Forever

“I want you back here, now. That’s all.”

“Why, so you can beat me some more?”

He laughed. “Come on Lennox, you know what happens when you piss me off. It’s not that hard, just don’t piss me off.”

“I’m not coming back. I’m not marrying you and I am going to release the news of the breakup.”

“Lennox, I swear. You better think twice before you release anything. I will find you. I will give you two days to get back here before I go for Alissa. You don’t want anything to happen to her, do you?”

“Leave Alissa out of this.” I stood and started to pace the floor.

“You’re the one that brought her in on this. If something happens to her, it’s on you.”

I couldn’t leave Alissa there to be hurt by Chris, but I couldn’t go back home either.

I called her back as soon as I hung up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Listen, I need you to pack a bag and go to the airport. I will tell you where you’re going when you get there. Understand?”

“Lennox, slow down. What are you talking about? It’s not a good time to take a vacation, I have work to do.”

“I talked to him. He said he would go after you if I wasn’t home in two days. I’m not going back, I can’t. You have to come here. It’s the only way I can keep you safe.” My heart was pounding in my chest. I knew what Chris had done to me would be nothing compared to what he would do to Alissa.

“Do you really think he’s going to hurt me?”

“I don’t know what he will do, Alissa. But I can’t take that chance. Now please, pack a bag and go to the airport. You can work from here. Please,” I pleaded.

She let out a long breath. “Okay. I will call you soon.”

“Please hurry,”

I was too wired to sleep after that. I was worried about Alissa getting caught by Chris while she was trying to leave.

I couldn’t bear to think about it. Alissa and I had become close over the years. She was the first friend I had when I moved to Tennessee.

I had only been in Tennessee for a month. If I wasn’t doing school work or recording, I was alone. I was upset and hurting over not being able to see Mason. I wanted to drink the pain away. I stumbled into a run-down bar that was just around the corner of my apartment and found Alissa.

She was bartending and when I asked for a shot of Jack, she eyed my I.D. She looked into my eyes, seeing how much I really needed that shot, and slid the I.D. back to me before handing over the liquor.

We clicked automatically. By the end of the night, I was trashed and offered her a job as my assistant. She didn’t think I was serious at first. She thought I was just some drunk girl who was making up stories to make her life sound more interesting than it actually was. She accepted, with no real intention of quitting her job.

When I sobered up the next day, I went back to the bar and begged and pleaded until she took me up on my offer. We had been best friends ever since. I saved her from a life of working in a run-down bar and she saved me by being a friend.

After my career took off and I moved to California, Alissa came with me and was by my side through it all. I couldn’t leave her for Chris to find.

I tried everything to get my mind off her and Chris. I tried watching TV and reading a book, but nothing worked. I began to go through my closet, cleaning out stuff I didn’t need anymore and going through pictures from my past when my phone finally rang.

“Okay, I’m here. Now, what?” she asked around the noise of the airport.

“I’ve already bought your ticket, you just have to pick it up.” I stayed on the phone to make sure she didn’t have any problems.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“What?” I asked afraid that Chris had found her.

“Georgia? Lennox, I can’t come there.”

---