Page 9 of Demon's Savior
"At that time, Danielle was my only friend. So, I decided to go with it, not expecting anything to come of it other than a new friend. Guys are not usually breaking down my doors looking for a date, you know what I mean? Anyway, after a few months of casual dating, we became official. He was a perfect gentleman in the beginning. Handsome, attentive...what else could a girl ask for? But things changed after I met his father.”
"Why did things change after meeting his father?"
"I'm not quite sure, but he started getting angrier, more possessive. And then he hit me for the first time. He apologized, offered to take me to dinner, bought me flowers, and he seemed genuinely sorry. That night, I had to stop your sister from killing him."
"That sounds like her.”
"Yeah, she is a real spitfire and kind of like mama bear when it comes to me." I laugh at the thought of how protective Dani has been over me in all the years that I have known her. That girl would walk through fire for me. "Well, to keep a very long story short, the beatings got more frequent and more violent. She begged me to leave him every time he did it, but I couldn't. I guess I believed I was in love with him."
Sighing, I lower my head in embarrassment and pain while he squeezes my hand, encouraging me to finish. I take a deep breath before continuing.
"Every evening, he would come over to my place for dinner. This last time, I had to stay late at work and wasn't home in time to have fixed his dinner and have it plated. I guess that's why she freaked out earlier when I was going to fix your plate," I revealed.
"If you need to stop, Kira," Demon says, looking up from his hands into my eyes.
"No, no, I've never told anyone about that night,” I say, embarrassed at what I'm about to reveal. “Not even Dani, so I think I need to tell someone if you don't mind."
"Okay. If you’re sure."
Nodding my head, I proceed to tell him what went on that night. "I sent a text and told him I would stop and pick him up something to eat, or he could eat the leftovers in my fridge. With no reply, I knew he was going to be angry. So, I stopped and picked up his favorite Chinese food in hopes he wouldn't be too upset, but I guess that didn't work. When I walked into my apartment, he was on the sofa waiting for me."
Taking in another deep breath, I shake my head to try to clear the memories from my mind but, of course, to no avail.
"Without letting me explain why I was late and why I didn't have dinner ready and plated for him, he pulled me by my hair and dragged me into my bedroom. There, he beat me within an inch of my life. I begged and pleaded for him to stop. He kicked, punched, and even spat in my face while calling me a black bitch, whore, and any other degrading name you can think of. Dani tells me she found me lying in a pool of my own blood and got me help. Her finding me is the only thing I can’t remember from that night. I was in a coma until the swelling on my brain went down.”
"Why aren't the cops doing anything?" Demon questions while pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Avery's father is a very important man in North Carolina, and the Hansen family is from old money, so they run the town. He owns people in the police department as well as the D.A.'s office."
"So, he's protected," he asks the question more to himself.
"Yes, very. Even with the DNA he left on my body and at the crime scene, the numerous threatening messages he's sent to both Dani and me, the police refuse to do their jobs." I shake my head in disgust at how this has played out. "They say there is nothing they can do until he tries to harm me physically and they can prove he did it."
At that minute my phone rings, interrupting our conversation. The caller ID shows unknown number.
"Should I answer it?" I ask Austin. "This is a new number no one has it, but Dani."
"Answer it and put it on speaker."
With shaking hands, I accept the call. "Hello?"
"Where the fuck are you, Akira?" Avery screams, causing me to flinch at his tone.
"How...how did you get this number, Avery?" My voice shakes as Demon grips my hand tighter, mouthing the words, “I'm right here.”
“How the fuck do you think I got it, you dumb bitch?! Akira, I swear on everything I have you better bring your ass back here now, or I'm coming to find you. And when I do, I’ll finish what I started.”
Before I can answer, Demon cuts me off. "Avery...Avery...Avery, now is that any way for you to talk to a beautiful lady?" Demon kisses me on the back of my hand, causing me to smile, despite the awful conversation. "I suggest you change your fucking tone." His menacing tone sends shivers through my body. "Let's get one thing straight, you fuck. You are no longer going to have any contact with Kira or Danielle, and if you do, I'm coming for you."
"Who the fuck is this? Ohhhh...let me guess, you're the dumb motherfucker she's fucking? How long Akira, huh? How long have you been sleeping with this piece of shit!" Avery yells into the phone. “Never mind, it doesn't matter because both of you are dead. Akira, I'm coming for you. You are everything my father said you were."
"Avery...Avery...Avery." The sing-song, menacing way Demon says his name makes my blood run cold in my veins. "Now, don't go making promises you can't keep. You aren't dealing with Kira anymore. Now, you’re dealing withme. I'll see you sooner rather than later."
Demon ends the call.
"Austin, what are we going to do? He's going to try to kill us." I'm scared out of my mind. "He knows too many people. He will find us."
"Kira, calm down. Sweetheart, let me take care of you. I promise neither of us is going to get hurt. Danielle brought you here for a reason because I can protect you. Let me protect you." He places another kiss on the back of my hand and stares into my eyes to reassure me. "Trust me, I'm not going to let anything happen to you or Dani."
