Page 65 of Unravel You

“This is it.” The driver pulled into a parking lot.

I relaxed into my seat. The intersection Alex had chosen wasn’t secluded, as I thought it’d be. There were restaurants and shops all around us, even a public parking lot. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll wait for you. Take your time.”

Spying every face and corner in the place, I walked toward the Tex-Mex restaurant on the corner. When I didn’t see Alex, I crossed the street to check the ice cream parlor on the other side. No Alex. Maybe this whole endeavor had been a bad joke after all. I fished my phone from my purse and called the house in Tucson again. Still no luck.

What would Max think of me now that he’d met Alex? Max had always wanted a real dad like the rest of his classmates. He was happy to have Derek in his life, but he would always be curious about his bio dad, curious about why he’d left us. The answer was simple, though not easy to explain to a six-year-old.

Alex didn’t want to be tied down to a pregnant nineteen-year-old. One who was stupid enough to get knocked up just to land a marriage proposal. His words, not mine. It had all been an accident. I’d been on the pill, but I got pregnant anyway. I wiped the tears away. As rough as that first year after Alex left had been, I was glad I had Max. That sweet boy deserved a happy life. Why did Alex have to come back to ruin it? How much money would it take to get him out of our lives for good?

I crossed the street again to check the bar on the third corner. On a Saturday night, the intersection was packed with cars, scooters, and bicycles. Not to mention, a ton of drunk people. Where was he? I glanced down at my phone. He was late. I swallowed my tears. What if he’d decided he wanted to keep Max instead? I walked a full circle, waving at Anabelle’s driver when I strolled by the parking lot again.

On my third round past the ice cream parlor, a hand gripped my upper arm and yanked me toward the side of the building behind an AC unit, where it was dark. He slammed me against the wall, covering my mouth with his hand. The second his dark eyes glared at me with familiar disdain, I tasted bile in the back of my throat. He still scared the hell out of me. But I wasn’t here for me. I was here for my son.

“Don’t get any romantic ideas. I had my fill of you a long time ago.” He slid his fingers across my lips and gripped my neck. “Now be good and hand over the money.”

His greedy words sent a wave of calm over me. If all he wanted was money, Max was going to be okay. We’d be home inside of fifteen minutes. I slipped the bag off my shoulder and gave it to him. He counted the money with a toothy grin.

“I told her it’d be a piece of cake. Jesus Christ, if your brain was half the size of your tits, you wouldn’t be this dumb.”

The insults hadn’t changed in six years. For a long time, I believed him, but now I could see how weak he was. How small. It made him feel good to put me down. The verbal abuse I could handle. The punches were a different matter. He grabbed a bunch of my hair. I flinched, gasping for air. Fleeting images of the day I told him I was pregnant with Max flooded my mind.This will be over soon. This will be over soon.

I stayed quiet. Whimpering made him more violent. He dragged me farther into an alley behind the ice cream parlor where it was completely isolated. We reached a sort of warehouse, and he shoved me inside.

“Where’s Max?” My teeth clattered when I hit the wall. The mold and rust rubbed on my palms. “You have your money. Now let us go.”

“You don’t tell me what to do.” He pressed his body against me. I winced at the beer stench of his breath.

“You miss me, don’t you? I knew you’d run out here as fast as you could just to see me.” He grazed his teeth along my neck as he grabbed a handful of my breast.

I stood very still, fisting my hands. No emotion.

“Come on,” he whispered in my ear. His tone had gone soft. I was officially on the Alex rollercoaster. Cold and cruel one minute, warm and soft the next. “Let me hear you moan for me, like you did for him in the woods.”

“What? You’d been spying on us?” I pushed him off me.

He clutched both my wrists and slammed me against the wall again. “Don’t make me repeat myself.” He kissed my neck and the top of my dress. A million miles of difference separated this pathetic excuse for a man from Derek Cole. I pursed my lips to keep from crying.

“I’d bet he’s fuming right now, knowing you’re with me. He knows you still want me. That’s why he gets so pissed every time he sees me.” He stepped back to meet my gaze. “Did he tell you about that?”

“Tell me what?” I said through gritted teeth.

“I figured he wouldn’t. He’s so insecure. I’d bet he was afraid you’d run out to meet me if you knew I was in town. He was so pissed when he saw me yesterday.” He rubbed his jaw, smiling fondly at the memory.

“Derek knows you’re in town?” That would explain why he was in a strange mood when he came back from his outing with his brothers. He’d run into Alex, and he didn’t tell me. Why? Did he really believe I’d want to see Alex? No, he wouldn’t. I rubbed my temple. I had to stop listening to the vile coming out of Alex’s mouth. Everything he said was meant to hurt me. I knew that now.

“He does know. He even chased me down the street.”

“I see you weren’t man enough to face him.”

He struck me across the face. I covered my cheek, clenching my teeth. “I’m trying to share something with you.” He touched his fingers to my chin to assess the damage.

Just a handprint. I knew that already. He’d have to hit me way harder than that to leave a mark or a scar. This had to be a nightmare, one of the many bad dreams I’ve had about him for years. I should have known he’d want to have some fun before letting me go. Putting me down always made him feel like a big man.

A flash illuminated the warehouse and all the junk cars around us. We were in some sort of mechanic shop.

“Smile.” His chuckle sent a spasm down my spinal cord.

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