Page 76 of Wild and Unruly
“I appreciate it, but it’s time for me to move on.”
She steeples her hands. “What will you do?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure yet.”
By the time I get home to my apartment, my feet hurt and my back aches from all the hours I sat at my desk, preparing people via email with my resignation. This last week at work was going to be hard, not just emotionally, but with everyone needing things from me, I was going to be running around like crazy.
As I climb the last step that leads to my landing, I see some newspapers on the ground. I sigh as I bend to pick them up.
Then, suddenly, I feel something shove against my back, and I fall toward the door, my face slamming roughly against the metal material. I groan, wondering what tipped me over.
I stand and turn to look, but that’s when a dark figure rushes me. I scream, but a hand clamps over my mouth, and I’m slammed roughly against the door, the back of my head hitting it with a sharp whack. I feel my teeth rattle in my mouth, and my vision goes slightly blurry.
“You fucking bitch,” a seething voice rasps, and I blink, trying to see who this figure is that has his entire body pressed against mine. I jerk and try to pull away, but my bag has one of my arms tied up between our two bodies, and I can’t get a proper breath in.
A tear leaks out of my eye, and finally, as my vision clears, I see Tommy’s face.
“You’ve ruined my entire fucking life with your stupid little magazine,” he growls, pressing hard against me so I was sure to bruise.
I don’t care if I do. I was more worried he was about to kill me.
“You’ll recant every fucking statement you made, say you’re my jealous ex who wanted payback, and restore my good name.” He presses a forearm to my throat, making me gasp, and I see the evil slide across his face. The mask he usually kept in place of the charming horse trainer was gone.
“I…can’t,” I choke out, fear coating my every word.
Fuck. I was going to die. I thought I did the right thing, but I didn’t consider this. I never considered being killed over something I wrote.
I knew he was crazy, but this was not what I expected.
He reels back for a moment. I gulp in air, but before I can blow it out again, his fist connects with my face, making me cry out in pain and lean against the door for support. His fingers wrap around my throat, squeezing too tight.
“You can.” He pushes harder until I can’t even make noise because there’s no air. “You will. Or you’ll find out what happens to those who betray me.” He clicks his tongue, his wild eyes tracing over my face. “It’s not pretty, little Bonnie.”
Then, air returns, and I slide down my door, gasping and watching with blurry vision as the silhouette of the man disappears.
29
bonnie
I immediately wantto get out of here. Without opening my apartment door, I turn and leave, keeping my wits about me on the way to the parking garage where my truck sits and watching for shadows on every corner.
I feel dread and fear coat my skin like goose bumps. Every sound, every car horn beeping, every scuffed shoe against pavement makes me jump.
I hold my keys in my hand, remembering to stick a key between each finger in case Tommy doubles back and changes his mind. I don’t know what I can do if he does attack, but I’m not about to find out.
My head is throbbing, and I feel a trickle of something slide down my face, wondering belatedly if there was blood. All I needed to do was drive a few blocks to my mom’s place, and I would be okay. I just need to be around people. I probably won’t even come back tonight.
Safely tucked away in my truck, I start the drive and am therewithin minutes, using my key to unlock the door. I enter only to find my brother in the same position he was in the last time I was here.
Only his eyes are bright with tears when he takes in my appearance. “Bonnie?”
“Is Mom here?” I ask, now realizing how sore and hoarse my throat feels after he nearly choked me to unconsciousness.
“No, she’s at her book club,” he says, moving his arms like he’s going to get up, only to struggle to reach his wheelchair. “What happened to you?”
“Oh,” I say, not answering his questions. I reach up to touch the blood on my forehead and freeze when the next words that come out of his mouth are, “What the hell were you thinking?”
I blink, confused and frustrated and hurt by this whole night that I’m not sure I even follow what he’s talking about. “What?”
