The Season of Sin (Peace In The Storm Publishing Presents) (8 page)

“I don’t believe this.”

He reached for her. “Dylan.”

“Don’t touch me.  Don’t ever touch me again.”

“I love you so much.”

“You love me?  I gave you everything.  I chose you over my family and it ruined my relationship with my mother.” 

“Listen to me okay?  I’d never hurt you on purpose. Let me explain.”

“You can’t explain.” She hit his chest. “Who was it? Who did you sleep with?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“How did Mom find out?”

“Nadia was having me followed.  She was relentless, waiting to catch me slipping up.”

“What are you talking about? My mom wasn’t following you.”

“Yes she was but she never told you. See I’m not the only bad guy here.  She had someone trailing me from the moment I came into your life.”

“This is insane.”

“It’s the truth. She would have set me up even if I hadn’t done anything wrong. Don’t you see how fucked up she was?”

“Don’t ever talk about my mom that way.”

“She wasn’t normal, Dylan. She only wanted you with her. She didn’t want you having a life of your own, didn’t want you sharing your love with anyone else. You know I’m telling the truth.”

“You stop it! You’re saying all this for me to forget what you did.”

“Nadia wasn’t right in the head when it came to you. You know that.”

“I can’t believe you’d sleep with someone else. I’d expect that from anyone but you.”

He snatched her. “Let me make it up to you. Give me another chance, please.”

“And I walked around missing you at that party like a damn fool and you’re back here fucking someone else.”

“It was only one time.”

“It doesn’t matter how many times!”

“I know it was stupid and I hated myself for doing it but I only loved you.”

“Mom was right about you. You’re nothing but trash and I should have never gotten involved with you.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“You’re a liar and I don’t want to see you again.” She ran to the front door.

“Wait!” He hobbled after her.  He slumped over when he got to the door.

“You make me sick.”

“Listen! Your mother twisted things. Mmm.” He clenched his stomach.
“
She even told me she was gonna get me out of your life no matter what. She loved you too much, Dylan. Way too much.”

“I loved
you
too much. I hope your little fling was worth it because you’ve lost the best thing you’ll ever have.” She opened the door. “And to think I even considered giving it another chance.”

“Dylan.”

“Go to hell.”

“Don’t leave like this!”

She slammed the door.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Tuesday Night (The following week)

So much for Dylan getting answers from the people in Shannon’s apartment building.  They hadn’t seen or heard from her in days.  Dylan wasn’t sure if they lied to protect Shannon but she didn’t pressure them.

She took the elevator to the first floor.  She smiled at the maintenance man standing by the front office.  She fastened her wool coat and pulled her collar up. She braced herself for the brutal chill and walked out the entrance.

She’d parked across the lot close to the bushes. A maroon Escalade blocked the view of her dark green Subaru. She ran down the lanes.  Wind lashed at her coat and knocked her hat forward.

“Shit.” She dropped her keys when she got to her car. Her knit gloves snagged on the pavement as she dug for them.

“Come on. Ah.” She caught the key ring. “Got’cha.” She brushed dirt off her coat and got in the car. 

A man jumped from behind the bushes and ran to her window. “Hey, lady!”

She held onto the locked door.

“I need help!” He pinched at the door handle. “My baby! Please!”

“What?”

“My baby!  Something’s wrong with my baby! Can you help me?”

She parted her door but didn’t get out.

He had bronze-colored skin and a body that could’ve been muscular or chunky but the bulky leather jacket made it hard to tell which. He towered over the car. His minuscule eyes suggested an Asian heritage. A crooked goatee outlined his purple lips. Breath smelled of cigarettes and jalapeno peppers.

He had a gold stud in one ear and a tiny gold crucifix hung from his beaded necklace.

She sheltered herself behind the door. “What’s wrong?”

He rambled so fast she could only make out “baby”.

“Calm down. I can’t understand you. What’s happening?”

He sobbed. “My baby!” He struggled with his accent. “My little baby!  She’s in my van!  My van won’t start.” He caught his breath. “My daughter…she’s not breathing!”

“Are you sure she’s not breathing?”

“I live on the other side of town. I was on my way home when she started shaking real bad.” He jiggled his arms. “Then she was kicking and then she just went still.  Her eyes are up in the air!  She’s diabetic and I think she’s having a seizure!”

“Oh my god. Uh…” Dylan twisted and turned.  “Hold on okay?”

“My phone’s not working.” He pointed to the building.  “I went to the apartments but the security guard didn’t let me in.” He pulled at his soiled sweats. 

“Shh. Okay, wait.” Dylan got her phone from her purse. “You can use my phone to call nine-one-one.”  

“I already did that! Please help. There’s no time!”

“I thought your phone wasn’t working. How did you call them?”

“Earlier it worked.” He scratched his head.  “They said an ambulance is coming or told me I could take her to the nearest hospital. That’s all the way downtown. Please help me. She could die!”

“It’s best to wait for the ambulance if…”

“She won’t make it! Please just come help me. I don’t know what to do. She might already be dead. Please.”

“Look I wanna help you but it would be best if we tried nine-one-one again. They might already be at the van.”

“I’ve been waiting forever. Please. You’re the only person out here. I’ll give you money.” He dug in his pockets.  “How much?”

“Put your money away.”

“My van is not far from here. I just need someone to help me. Please. I beg you.”

Something didn’t seem right but she had to help him. If she were desperate she’d want someone to help her. What goes around comes around.  She might be in the same situation one day.  She couldn’t let her fear stop her from helping his baby.

“Okay.” She overlooked him and prayed in silence.  “Get in.”

He directed her from Shannon’s apartment building to a homely area not far away with raggedy streets and abandoned apartment buildings. Her trembling hands made it difficult to drive but she didn’t let on.

“Down there.”

She went across the train tracks and ended up on a street with graffiti-stained houses and buildings with boards on the windows and doors.

“That’s my van.” He gestured to a crusty van parked on the street between dilapidated row houses.

He jumped out when she stopped. She almost choked on the stench of weed and mildew in the air.

She didn’t do drugs but knew how weed smelled thanks to Bruce. Back in the day he’d done marijuana like a religion. She’d broken him of that. Too bad she couldn’t change
all
his bad habits.

She got to the van.

“Come on.” The man climbed inside. The van rocked from his weight. “Come on. She’s in these blankets.”

“Is she okay?” Dylan crawled in on her knees.  “Is she breathing?”

He bundled a bunch of blankets in the corner of the van.

Dylan crawled past garden tools and pieces of metal. “Is she all right?”

“Yeah.” He reached his hand back. “I need you to put your hand under her head.  You know how to hold a baby right? Give me your hand.”

She hesitated.

His voice seemed more relaxed than before. Calm as if he’d never been crying.

“Give me your hand.” He wiggled his fingers.

She glanced over his shoulder.  He’d piled blankets on top of each other.

Not a baby in sight.

She backed away. “What…what is this?”

He grabbed her arm. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Let me go. What are you doing?”

“You and me are gonna have some fun. Hmm?”

“No.” She crawled back. “Stay away from me.”

“Come on.” He pulled her to him.  “We’ll have tons of fun.”

“Someone help me!” She jiggled the handle on the sliding side door.

“I’ll help you.” He bent her wrist back.

“Owww!”

He slid the door shut. “You’re staying for this party whether you want to or not.” He held her against him. “You’re so pretty.” He gripped her butt with one hand and her neck with the other.

“No!” She twisted in his arms.  “Someone help me please!”

He flung her one way.  She swung herself the other.

“No!” She reached for the shovel behind the driver’s seat.

“Be still huh?” He sucked her neck and moved his hands inside her coat.

“No!” She struck his chest.  “Help!”

“Don’t bother yelling.” He threw her down flat and got on top. “It’s just you and me out here. We have plenty of time to have some fun.”

“No!  Noo!” She sobbed and kicked.  “Nooo!”

“Come on.” He tried to pull her coat off her shoulders but her movements stopped him from getting a good grip. “Settle down and you might like it.” 

His weight pinned her as if she were under bricks and steel.

“Help me!” Dylan swatted but he held her arms down. “Please!  Stop! Don’t do this!”

His stiff crotch poked her thighs.

“Settle down or I’ll hit you!”

She almost choked from his rank breath.

“You wanted to be so helpful before didn’t you? Ha, ha! You fell for it didn’t you?”

“Stop!  Get off me! Help!”

He stuck a small knife under her chin. “I said be quiet. I’m gonna do you so good, baby.” He unzipped her pants.

“No!”

“I’ll show you what a real man is all about.”

“Get off!” She got one arm free. She swung it around. She didn’t know what she hit but she kept reaching. The shovel fell over. The hoe plopped into the front seat.  She knocked over a pail of old paintbrushes.

He pulled her pants and underwear down to her ankles with the look of pure malice in his eyes.

“I said cool it.” He pierced her chin with the knife.

She’d have to kill him. It would be the only way she would get out of here.

He unfastened his belt.

She slammed her knee into his crotch.

“Ahhhh!” He rolled off of her.

Dylan snatched the knife. “Stay away!”

“You’re not getting out of here alive.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I’ll bet…” The man’s tongue ran across his yellow teeth.  “You wouldn’t know what to do with that would you?”

Dylan blinked to see through the tears.  “I just wanna leave.”

“And I want you to stay.” He slid toward her.  “Who do you think’s gonna win?”

She swung the knife at his face. He grabbed it and knocked her down face first.

“No!” She reached for the door handle.

He pulled her arm back.  “If this is the way you want it…” He rolled his hard center against her buttocks. “Hey it might even be better doing it this way huh?”

Dylan closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle or whatever came first.

The van door slid open. “Hey what are you doing?” A man with glasses asked.

“Get the fuck outta here.” The attacker kicked at the man. “It’s none of your business!”

“No don’t leave! He’s trying to rape me!”

“She’s lying! Uh she’s my wife.  She’s high see? Delusional you know? I’m trying to calm her down. She’s having one of her spells.”

“It’s not true!” Dylan broke free and crawled to the corner of the van.  “Please call the police!”

She stared at the middle-aged stranger. He was a handsome man with black hair and dark brown eyes that glowed from underneath his glasses.

“If she’s your wife how come you have a knife?”

“I won’t say it again!” The rapist raised the knife. “Get the fuck outta…”

The stranger snatched the attacker by his jacket. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to treat a lady?”  He put the rapist in a chokehold. “When a woman says no your ass better listen.”

The stranger slung him down.

The rapist acted as if he’d put up a fight at first. Instead he climbed over to the front of the van.

The stranger grabbed the rapist’s leg. “Hey get back here!”

The rapist knocked the stranger back with one kick. “Fuck both of you!” He hopped out the van through the driver’s side.

The stranger tumbled over. “Hey!” He struggled to his knees. “Come back here!”

The rapist ran behind the row houses.

“Here’s my phone.” The stranger threw it to Dylan. “Call the police. I’m gonna see if I can find him.”

 “No!” Dylan reached for him. “Please don’t leave me alone!  Don’t leave me please!”

“But he’s getting away. I gotta…”

 “I don’t care if he gets away.” She put her head between her knees. “Just don’t leave me alone. Please.  Please just stay with me.”

He climbed in. “Are you all right?” He caressed her face. “Did he hurt you?”

“I prayed for you.” She threw her arms around him. He covered her with one of the blankets.  “I prayed and you came. You came.”

“Shh. You’re safe now.”

She rested her head on his shoulder.

“Dylan!” Jasmine jumped from the couch when Dylan walked in.

“Dylan where you been, girl?” Zoë set her coffee cup on the living room table and ran to her best friend.  Brianna and Steven sat on the two-seater by the window.

Dylan nestled the man beside her. She’d already gotten use to his warm embrace.

“Dylan?” Jasmine looked her over. “What happened to you?”

“We’ve all been worried sick.” Zoë hugged her.  “We’ve been calling your phone and you hadn’t gotten back with any of us.”

Jasmine shook her. “You’ve been gone for hours.  Where have you been?”

“Just let her catch her breath all right?”

Jasmine looked at the stranger from head to toe. “And who are you?”

“I’m a friend.”

Jasmine flipped him off.  “Dylan I want an explanation. And before you rant about being grown you can save it. A grown woman doesn’t disappear without letting people know where she is.”