Page 54 of Affliction
I reach the bathroom and slowly remove my shirt. Avoiding looking at myself in the mirror, I carefully climb inside the hot bath. One hand gripping the side and the other planted on the wall, I lower myself intothe water. Nausea rolls through me when my bottom touches the water. Forcing myself to sit, I wrap my arms around my legs and pull them into me. Resting my head on my knees, I stare blankly at the wall.
Eventually, the water turns cold and I begin to shiver. Reaching forward, I push the button for the drain to let the water out. Something in the water catches my attention and I glance down. Another sob bursts through me and I cover my mouth to silence it.
Blood.
Bright, reddish-pink water surrounds me and I hurriedly lean over the side of the tub to throw up once more. I wipe my mouth and robotically I pull myself to a stand and turn on the shower. Scalding hot water pelts my skin as I stare at the blood that continues to drip down from between my legs and swirls down the drain. Tears fall like rain drops into the water below me and a feeling I’ve never had before slams into me like a freight train. A cold chill runs down my spine, and I feel dizzy as I grab onto the shower wall to keep me upright.
He’s going to kill me.
Chapter twenty-nine
“Maverick?” Her small voicetrembles in the darkness of her bedroom, dazed and confused.
“It’s me, Parker. Give me the gun” I soothe and extend my arm. My hand grazes hers and she flinches away.
“Hey, hey.” I whisper gently and inch closer to her. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. It’s just me.” Reaching out again, my fingers touch her hand and I give it a gentle, assuring squeeze.
“Maverick.” She exhales in relief and flings herself into my arms. Sobs rack her small frame and she buries her face in the crook of my neck. She lets out a pained wail and my heart shatters into a thousand pieces. Wrapping my arms around her tightly, I rock her in my lap.
“I’m right here, Sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
The scene in front of me is devastating. Parker–normally unafraid of anything and resilient–cowering naked against her night stand. Her skin is ice cold and riddled with goosebumps. The shower still runs in the bathroom, and the soft sound of Halsey’sComing Downechoes in the otherwise quiet house. There isn’t a single light on, not even her stove light that she keeps on all the time. Something is wrong here. Very very wrong and I need to get to the bottom of it.
After a while her cries subside, and she stops trembling. Keeping her wrapped tightly in my arms, we sit on the floor of her bedroom bathed in darkness until she sniffs and pulls back slightly.
“What happened, Sweetheart?” I ask calmly, in stark contrast to the war of emotions raging inside of me. My body is vibrating with rage, and my heart splinters more with every tear she sheds. Unwrapping an arm from around her waist, I reach up and cup her cheek.
Doc’s had closed by the time I finished digging into Hazel’s background check. Cole had called to tell me that someone had flattened Parker’s tires tonight. He told me he would follow her home, and I hung up the phone. I took a quick shower–knowing she was safe with Cole–then came right over here. When I pulled into the driveway, something felt off. Not a single light was on in the house, and when I entered I could hear her talking to herself. I wasn’t able to make out what she was saying, but I could hear her voice laced with terror. Through the pitch black of the room, I could make out her tiny, naked silhouette curled up in a ball on the floor. She saw me and tried to get away.
Someone has my girl terrified, and when I find out who, I’m going to fucking end them.
She presses her cheek into my palm and lets out a shaky breath.
“C-Cole followed me home and watched me come inside. I l-locked the doors and came in here to take a shower. When I was washing my hair, the power went out.” She takes a deep inhale before she continues. “There were footsteps out on the porch. I grabbed my gun and came out here to check it out, but as I got closer, whoever orwhateverit was started banging on the door. Over and over and over again. It was so loud.” She starts trembling again and I hear her try to reign in tears. “It just kept happening.” Her voice breaks as she continues. “I tripped and fell on the floor. They kept banging and then, it just…stopped. Then I saw you.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me, and pull her back into me. Rocking her some more, she eventually calms down and I dig into my pocket to grab my phone. Turning on the flashlight, I place it on the floor face down. Cupping her face with both hands, I lift her head until my eyes meet hers. The sight in front of me causes my soul to crush. Her light brown eyes that normally glitter, are dull and filled with fear. Silent tears continue to stream down her face, and I brush them away with my thumbs. Bringing my right thumb to my lips, I suck the tears off of it.
“I will take every last one of these tears for you, Parker. I will take every bit of fear you feel, so you never have to feel it again.” Leaning forward, I pepper kisses along her cheeks–kissing away and remaining tears. She wraps her arms around my neck and clings to me.
“Let’s get you out of here.” Keeping my arms wrapped around her, I stand from the floor and take a few steps over to the side of the bed. Lowering her, I gently place her on top of the mattress and her arms unwind from my neck. Stepping to the dresser, I rummage through the drawers until I find a pair of sweatpants, socks and a long sleeved shirt. Walking back to where Parker sits silently–fingers knotted in her lap–I bend at the knee and begin helping her get dressed.
“Where are we going?” She asks softly.
“I’m going to take you away for a couple of days. I have a beach house we can go to. I’ll get someone here to check out the electricity tomorrow.” I tell her and watch as the tension leaves her body slightly. Standing, I make my way to her closet and grab a duffel bag off of the top rack, my eyes flash to the safe containing the letter to Nick.
That’s going to have to wait.
My plans of pushing her a little more to tell me what she’s hiding took a back seat the moment I saw her on the floor.
Back in the bedroom, Parker steps to her dresser and begins pulling out more clothes. I drop the bag on her bed and she places them inside. She disappears into the bathroom and I hear her opening and closing drawers. My eyes flick to the floor where her weapon lays, and I walk over to pick it up. Inspecting it, I see the safety is off and I pull back the slide. A bullet sits in the chamber, ready to be fired off. Smirking to myself, I put the slide back in its place and drop it on the bed next to her bag.
That’s my girl, even when terrified, she wasn’t going to back down from a fight.
She exits the bathroom with an arm full of shower products and her phone, then goes to finish packing her bag. Once she’s done, I pick my phone up off the floor and the duffel bag, then lead her to the front door. She grabs her purse then slips into a pair of Vans and we exit the house. Shining my light for her, she locks the front door and we walk off the porch in silence to my truck. Opening the door for her, she climbs in while I drop the duffel into the back seat. Once she’s seated, I round the vehicle and slide into the driver's seat.
Firing up the engine, I turn up the heat and my eyes slide over to her. I can see she’s still shaken up and I place my hand on her thigh.
“It’s about three hours away, why don’t you try to get some sleep.” I give her a small smile then lean across the center console to drop a kiss on her forehead. Her hands wrap around my wrist and she lets out a sigh. Pulling back, I settle into the seat and put the truck in gear. We back out of the driveway and head for the interstate. Looking over at Parker, I see she’s already closed her eyes.
