Page 71 of Shattered

No Alek.

I was simply frozen with fear.

“Hi, Sara,” he said in the most haunting voice imaginable.He was so calm.Too calm.“I’ve missed you so much.”His head was centered perfectly between his shoulders, but when he asked me his next question, he tilted a bit to the left, almost as if he was daring me to utter the wrong answer.“Have you missed me?”

He advanced toward me, not even waiting for my response.

There was nowhere for me to run.But I had to try.I had to try for myself but more than that, I had to try for Alek.

I stumbled away from him, almost snapping my wrist in the process.When I thought there was enough space to do so, I jumped to my feet, but it was too late.He grabbed my hair and yanked me backward until I hit his chest.

An all-too-familiar sour smell I had long-tried to forget smothered me.

I flailed like a fish out of water, trying to escape his grasp, but all I accomplished was inhaling more of the odor into my lungs, suffocating me with every breath I tried to take.

The world quickly faded around me, the darkness but a heavenly godsend to the reality I was thrown into.At least in the dark, I wouldn’t see his face.Or hear his voice.Or feel his touch.

~39~

Alek

I couldn’t stop grinning like a fool.I was finally going to have Sara all to myself, alone for the whole weekend.No friends to distract us, no job to get in the way.Well, I had a bit of a distraction but only for a short time, then she would be all mine.

I had half a mind to tie her to the bed and not let her up until we had to head back home.But I knew she was looking forward to spending some time on the beach, so I’d have to share her with the world.For a little while, at least.

Oh, shit!I better check what bathing suit she packed for our getaway.I could only imagine.I’d prepare myself because I knew unless she planned on donning a burlap sack, we were going to have words about what she wanted to wear on the beach.

I decided to grab a quick drink to calm my overactive mind before I started to feel the familiar pangs in my chest.I got so worked-up sometimes it was hard to calm down.Although, I was making an honest effort to do so.For her.And for me, so I didn’t keel over from a heart attack.

Loving that woman was the best thing to ever happen to me.But my God, I was petrified all the time something was going to happen to her.I had those feelings beforehand, but ever since I’d lost sight of Samuel, I was even worse.

I loved her strong-willed spirit, and I wouldn’t want her to change for anything.But because of the way she was, she also tested the edges of my sanity.

I was nervous about the upcoming weekend.I wanted our relationship to continue to move forward, and I was planning on asking her to move in with me…officially.She was staying with me for the time being only because of the threat of Samuel, but I wanted her to make the decision towantto live with me.For good.

I had to make sure my approach was gentle and not stifling at all.If it was, she would back away, and I didn’t want that to happen.Shit, if it was up to me, we would’ve been making plans to be married and working on our first child.

But with Sara being the more rational one out of the two of us, I had to proceed with caution, so as not to overwhelm her.

Glancing down at my watch, I noticed time had escaped me.It was much later than I’d thought.I wondered what kept her. We had plans to catch a late dinner then turn in because of our early trip.

I busied myself in my office, trying my best to allow my work to distract me.Plus, any extra time I could dedicate to Sara was time well spent in my opinion.

I was lost in spreadsheets before I noticed it was well past the time Sara should’ve been home.Dialing her cell, I fully expected her to pick up, so I remained calm.Until there was no answer after my second attempt.

Then my third.

Then my fourth.

Panic coursed through me.I tried to remain calm and remind myself sometimes her ringer was shut off.Even though I had repeatedly reminded her it was in her best interest to make sure the damn thing was on.

I tried her one more time before letting my anxiety take over.“Come on, baby, answer the phone.Come on,” I whispered.

The more time passed the more of a wreck I became.She would never be so late without at least calling me.Somehow, she would find a way to contact me.We weren’t fighting, so there was no reason for her to purposely give me the silent treatment.

Right before I totally freaked out, my phone rang.With a loud exhale of pent-up breath, I answered without even looking to see who was calling.

“Hello.”

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