Page 53 of Dare
“Yeah…Ijust can’t go home tonight. Do you mind if I stay with you?”
“Ofcourse you can stay with me. What happened? Did Dare do something? I’ll tearhim a new one, you know I will.”
Sadiecan always make me laugh through my tears. “No, but I don’t want to see himright now. It’s a long story.”
“Well,I have wine and ice cream, so get your ass over here and tell me.”
“Onmy way. Thanks, Sade.”
WhenI arrive, Sadie takes one look at my tear streaked face and yanks me into herhouse. “I’ll kill him,” she says, assuming it’s Dare who has me so upset. I arguedwith myself all the way over whether to tell her or not, but I know Sadie.She’s a hardass and she isn’t going to let me take any shit. She’ll go right tothe cops, and then Dare.
“It’snot him…well, not really,” I mumble.
“Ayda,you have bruises on your neck that look a hell of a lot like fingers and yourlip is busted. Are you telling me you did that to yourself?” she demands,leading me to the couch.
Sobsrack my body as Dare rings my phone for the tenth time. I have to tell her. Ineed to tell someone. The whole story pours out, starting from Dare’s fightwith Talbot, and ending with Talbot’s threats against Dare. The only thing Ileave out is ISH and Dare’s cyber-stalking. Sadie brings me an icepack for mylip and a glass of cold water to soothe my throat.
“Weshould get you checked at the hospital,” she says.
“I’mokay. My throat is sore, but I can breathe. There’s nothing they can do.” Igrab her hand. “And we can’t call the cops.”
“Clearly,”she sighs, and I look up at her in surprise. “I’m not naïve. I know how thisshit works. If this psycho is related to a senator, who used to be a judge, Idon’t doubt he can make things go his way. Is there any security video of thefight?”
“No.”
“So,it’s just his word against Dare’s.”
“Asenator’s son versus an ex-con,” I agree.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
Darerings my phone again and I decide I have to say something. “What the hell isgoing on, Ayda?” he demands before I can say hello.
“I’mspending the night with a friend.”
“Somethingis wrong. I can hear it in your voice. What happened?”
“Nothing,I just…need some time. I don’t think we should see each other for a while.”
“What?What the fuck? What did I do?”
Tearsthreaten again, and I try to swallow the lump in my throat. “Nothing, you’reperfect. I just need some time. Please, stop calling me. I have to go.” I hangup before he can respond and he instantly rings back. A text appears after Isend the call to voicemail.
-Talkto me, whatever is going on, we can figure it out.-
-Ayda,damn it.-
Afew minutes pass before his last message.
-Thisisn’t over.-
Butit is. It is over, and the sooner he accepts that, the safer he’ll be.
* * * *
“Justmake me a list of what you need,” Sadie says while we sit at her kitchen tablethe next morning. “You can stay here as long as you want.”
