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“Why didn’t you call her when you left?”
“I was scared to. I thought he’d go after them if they heard from me or knew where I was. And I was so embarrassed to admit what happened. That I was with him for seven years, and five of those I was trying to leave. I even got a job in Birmingham and told him I was moving. He was mad, said he’d never let me go. Beat the shit out of me that time. I couldn’t go to the ER because he’d get in trouble, and I was more afraid to make him more mad than I was to lose the tooth he knocked out and have my wrist heal wrong. It did. I wrapped it best I could, but it still hurts sometimes. He’d be so nice after, bringing me presents and getting a job for a while and loving up on me. It would be like it was at the beginning for a while. But I was smarter that time and I waited till he was passed out drunk and I took off. All I took was my purse and a change of clothes. I went to Birmingham, took the job, got a place with a roommate. I was on my own almost two weeks, looking over my shoulder the whole time. Then he showed up at my work with flowers acting all sweet.”
“How did you finally get away from him?”
“I changed everything. Cut up my ID and my credit card, didn’t use anything that could be tracked. I don’t have social media under my own name and never post pictures of myself. I’m not in contact with anyone from my old life. When I got this job I had to give my real name and get the background check. I guess filing taxes in Virginia must’ve got me or else he just knows how to find me no matter what I do.”
“Don’t think like that. He’s not all powerful and he’s no match for us. The bastard doesn’t have a chance. But here’s what I’m thinking… you move in with us for a few weeks till we get the cops to take care of him.”
“I don’t want to—”
“I know none of this is what you want. But before you say it, you’re not an inconvenience. It’s move in with us or one of us sleeps at your place and you never get a moment’s peace. At least at our house you’ll have your own room and won’t have to step over some six-foot-four grizzly bear on your bedroom floor to get to the bathroom,” I said.
Her eyes shut, tears trailing down her cheeks. She gave a small nod, agreeing to stay.
I got on the bro chat and told them she needed to stay with us for a while. That I’d tell them everything later and just be gentle with her. They unanimously chimed in that of course she could move in, and they’d go get her stuff for her and anything she needed. When I told her, she gave a watery smile and thanked me. I never wanted to see her like that again, broken down and crying, scared and sad and grateful for any bit of decency she was shown.
5
TY
It was late before I got home. Feeling tired from a long day, it had occurred to me not for the first time to slam my fist into the thumbprint scanner that Jake put on the stupid gate. I muttered about him being paranoid, cursed the exhibitors at the security conference who had sold him on so many security measures for our home.
Granted, nobody had robbed us or vandalized anything, and no one had broken into the house thanks to his cameras and locks and security fob and thumbprint scanner and code entry pad. I asked him once if those who failed to put in the right code on the keypad went through a trapdoor never to return. He had just looked at me like I was nuts, which wasn’t exactly a no.
When I’d made my way through the layers of security to get in the house, I took off my shoes at the door and went in. I found Jasmine curled up in my recliner holding a cup of hot tea and watching some kind of baking show.
“Who’s been sitting in my chair?” I teased.
“Just me. I’m not blonde enough to be Goldilocks but I’m crashing here for a few days. Do you want me to move?” she offered.
“No way. You’re good. Anything I can do to help?”
“Actually, there’s no question who is in your chair since Jake makes us all undergo a retinal scan to get in the building,” Eli piped up.
“There is no retinal scan,” Jake said.
“Yet,” I quipped.
“I was pretty impressed by the whole setup. Especially the vestibule where packages can be delivered and the door locks behind them but the delivery person can’t access the house. That was pretty cool. Porch pirates are out of luck here.”
“Porch pirates probably get zapped with an electric shock if they even think about it,” I said.
“I have never put in traps intended to cause bodily harm. I’m not sure you know me at all if you think I’m propagating torture. It’s about keeping the structure secure and the people I care about safe.”
“Yeah, whoever isn’t in the immediate family better say their prayers. Because I’m pretty sure you have ways of deterring the uninvited.”
“I don’t have a fleet of robotic hounds of the Baskervilles to deploy when someone shows up selling Girl Scout cookies,” Jake protested.
“Really? Seems oddly specific to deny having robo-hounds,” Jasmine quipped and drank her tea. “Robo-cats maybe? Some other bionic guard animal…”
“You sure you want to stay here?” I teased her.
Jasmine shifted uncomfortably in the recliner and looked down.
“I wish I didn’t need to. You guys are so generous to invite me to stay while Chris is out there making trouble, but I know I’m in the way. You have your lives and your routines, and I don’t want to intrude on that or make you think you have to entertain me.”
“You’re a hell of a lot better looking than the other residents,” Eli teased.
