Page 95 of From My Past


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They all shut up, thank fuck, and I focused on driving, letting the buildings and other cars fly by.

I just hope I was fast enough to keep my promise to my wife.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Talia

Standing at the stove, I stir my mac and cheese. I know, I know, dinner of champions but I was hungry and Kieron wouldn’t be back until later and I had plans to make actual food.

Chicken was thawing in the sink and I had the stuff to make chicken pot pie from scratch, Kieron will love it.

Today had been so nice and resetting for me. I fell back asleep after he’d left, watched a bunch of trashy TV and now, here I am. I was actually relaxed, safe and comfortable by myself, and in this house with my husband.

Jesus,my husband. I have a freaking husband. And he was the man I’d wanted for years but not able to be with. It was like a fairy tale. A smile crosses my face and my eyes tear up because it really is like a fairy tale. It’s a dream that I never thought I’d ever get and one I’d given up.

I’m so thankful that we found each other again.

The door to the kitchen closes with a slam and I jump, screaming in fright. When my senses came back and I realized there wasn’t anyone in the room with me, I went to open the door again but stopped.

How did the door close on its own? I was by myself and I had all the windows closed. Warning bells went off in my head and I was once again thankful that Kieron showed me where he kept the hidden guns. I was also thankful that he kept one in every room of the house. Of course, at the time, I thought he was being paranoid. But now I know better.

I grabbed the small handgun he had hidden under the ledge of the cabinets and as quietly as possible, I checked the magazine, flicked off the safety and waited for what was to come.

The sound from the TV show came through from the other room and the regular creeks and groans of the house and the sea that I’ve come to recognize. Then there was a slow scuffle that was not normal. It sounded like Quasimodo was in the other room trying not to make a sound.

I look around and curse when I realize I left my phone by the couch.

I’m kind of fuck out of options to try and contact Kieron; there is no phone in here, no computer, no way to get out of the house either. There’s a small window above the sink but I learned before that it squeaks loudly when opened.

I’m going to have to fight.

The footsteps get closer and closer to the kitchen door. The closer they get, I back up slowly towards the knife block by the stove. Then the steps stop.

My heart feels like it’s about ready to burst from my chest. I tried to remember all the lessons that Kieron taught me; how to throw a punch, how to block, how to evade and what to do in a tight spot, but my mind was just swamped with fear and adrenaline.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, darling.”

It was Luca. His accent dripped heavily with each word, his tone was just like it got before when he was going to let loose on me and I was going to hurt. Everywhere.

My feet felt like they were rooted into the floor. I knew what was coming next. I knew how his fists would feel against my body. I knew what his body would feel like as it violated mine. I knew the angry and horrible words he would spew at me.

And I also knew I couldn’t go through it again. Not when I’d finally healed some.

Tap, tap, tap.Luca was knocking on the door with something metal.

“I know you’re in there.” He said in a sing-song way.

I kept quiet, pointing the small gun towards the door.

Bam!The door burst open, splintering down the middle as he kicked the door in. I screamed and closed my eyes instinctively, losing the second that I would’ve had the jump on him. I fired a few shots off blindly, but I could already tell I’d lost.

Luca advances on me and we grapple for the gun. Having him this close to me is torture, making me physically sick and like I want to peel my skin off but I use all my might to try and keep a grip on the one small piece that might mean my salvation. I headbutt him in the middle of the face, hopefully hard enough to break his nose. The gun is knocked from my fingers as Luca swats at me, trying to grab my hands.

“Fucking bitch!” He screams and releases me for just a second to cradle his nose. My head hurts like a motherfucker but it got me free enough that I could dart forward. I scramble out of his grip and scramble to find the gun that dropped. “You’ll pay for that.” He snarls, blood dripping from his nose, running into his mouth and staining his teeth red.

“Get away from me.” I say, trying to put confidence and have some kind of threat behind my words. I feel around behind me for something, anything to defend myself but keep coming up empty.

“After all I’ve done for you?” He says and steps closer, tossing his own gun to the side. I watch it like a hawk, seeing it fall under the cabinet. He balls a fist and swings at me, and my fight-or-flight response kicks in. I feel the end of the punch, having dodged most of it and my cheek explodes with heat and pain but I’m out of his reach again. I fall back on my ass from the force of getting away.