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“He showed up. Cornered me after work and threatened me. He said, ‘Fuck around and find out.’ And I think he did something to that Jeannie girl. I had lunch with Craig today and he told me they’re related. That he stopped by there this morning to check on her and she’s terrified. Wouldn’t tell him why but I have a feeling she got the same message I got. He said there was a bruise on her face, and she said she ‘fell’. Maybe she got an even stronger message than what I got. And Craig said Adam is so distraught he won’t even leave his house. He’s shutting everyone out. So, who knows what else he’s done to Adam.”
I swallow down what feels like broken glass, then ask, “Tell me what happened after work yesterday. What did he do exactly?”
“He grabbed my wrist and pinned me to the wall and got in my face.”
“He hurt you?”
“Not physically, no. He scared me. That’s what he wanted to do. And mission accomplished.”
I feel sick.
“Chloe, this guy is really fucking cracked. I don’t know what I can even do to help you.”
“You can’t help me. I have to figure this out myself,” I say softly.
“Well, he’s warned me against trying to intervene again, so what am I supposed to do? Just leave you to him? Craig is backing off, too. Craig says his hands are tied. We wound up arguing at lunch about this and that’s when he told me about that Jeannie. He’s frustrated, but he’s stuck. And I’m frustrated so I took it out on him and now I guess I’m taking it out on you, too, because I hate being powerless and I feel like that’s what’s happening here. This guy forced you to marry him by having three of us held by a dirty cop with a gun pointed at us. From what you said, he had some other guy hold you and Adam with a gun to make Adam break up with you. Something has to be done. I might be getting myself in big trouble here because he’s probably listening in on this call, but Chloe, what the fuck? When does the gun actually get used? Do I wind up in that unmarked van he threatened with and then disappear without a trace?”
I’ve been holding my breath, so I let it out in a hard exhale.
“I don’t know how I can sit back and watch this happen to you, Chlo. It’s already like you’ve lost so much of yourself because of Adam’s accident. If we can’t get you away from this guy, you’re going to disappear completely, and I don’t want to lose my best friend.”
Tears are streaming down my face now. And I’m angry, too. He threatened her. Scared her. After everything he’s done already, after me granting his marriage demands while she was held at gunpoint he goes and threatens her some more?
And to think where my mind was going today. And how I didn’t even try to stop him last night. I even kissed him back when he kissed me. He’d come back from terrorizing her and I let him fuck me and fed him dinner!
“Fuck. This is so fucked up.” I reach for the box of Kleenex and pull one out.
“You sounded okay when you called, and I just ruined your mood. It must be so hard being in that situation 24/7. I’m sor-”
“No. Stop.”
She’s right. I needed a reality check. Not that I’m about to say that aloud because I don’t want him to get pissed off with her.
“I don’t have Stockholm Syndrome. Believe me. I’ve just been trying to decompress because all this is so, so stressful. And he was out all day yesterday and he’s not here today, so I’ve had a chance to decompress a little. But the fact that he threatened you after he already made me marry him to keep you safe? Not okay.”
“He doesn’t want me interfering again. If I hadn’t done that, I’d have been there for you for your wedding day. As if you even wanted to be there. He’s completely off his rocker anyway, but if he thinks me being there would’ve made the day somehow more magical for you, I don’t even know what to say about his delusions.”
“He has a whole lot of delusions,” I mumble. “I… I need to go. I’ll call you later.”
“Yeah. Be safe, honey.”
“You, too,” I say.
Fuming, I go upstairs and quickly get dressed, put a jacket and shoes on, pocket my phone, my charger, and grab my purse.
Once I’m at the front door, seeing the security panel says the house alarm is armed, I take my phone out, disarm it, then go outside and press the app button to open the garage door. I see my Jeep sitting there and my keys are in the cup holder.
Where is she?
I came in, noticing the house alarm wasn’t armed and I didn’t like that. Now I know why.
I walked in with dinner, flowers, and when I didn’t find her, I checked the security app and saw that two hours ago, the house was disarmed, the garage was opened and closed, and then the gate was opened and shut.
I don’t have to go look to know that her car is gone.
I haven’t put any surveillance in the house. Didn’t want to do that. I also hadn’t had cameras installed on the exterior either.
I still have access to her phone logs including calls and a key logger and I’ve got tracking on her Jeep. While I’m relieved to see her toothbrush and face stuff is in the bathroom, and that one of the books I bought her yesterday is on the couch with a bookmark in it showing she’s already halfway through it, I don’t know what to think.
