AllFreeNovel
Share Us
16
CAMBRIA
While Abram puts his clothes back on, I begin to feel guilty about the way I’d been treating him. He doesn’t have any idea why I’ve been so harsh towards him, and I don’t really either. It takes me a moment to really unpack what’s been eating away at me, and then I remember.
Cole is still out of prison.
“Hey, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” I say, starting to feel my anxiety rise again as the afterglow fade and reality hits.
“What’s up?” he asks, pulling the zipper up on his charcoal slacks.
“I’ve been a complete asshole to you lately, especially after I got out of the hospital, and I just need to apologize. I feel absolutely terrible,” I confess, sitting up straight in the bed to look at him more directly.
“I mean, you had a head injury that was caused by my involvement with the cartel. Being angry at me is hardly a crime,” he replies.
“No, no. There’s something else that’s been stressing me out, and I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for a while,” I say nervously.
His eyes narrow. “Is someone at the club harassing you? Are the girls giving you a hard time because I chose you?” he asks, already allowing his anger to take over his judgment.
“No, it’s nothing like that. Everything at the club is fine now. It’s my ex,” I begin, feeling his energy change as soon as I say the wordex.
“Fuck, please don’t tell me that you’re going back to him or something,” he says, his voice slightly pleading with a tinge of annoyance.
My body stiffens. “No, absolutely not. It’s nothing like that. What happened is that he recently got out of prison, and I’m afraid that he’s going to come after me and kill me,” I confess, feeling the weight of the statement leave as soon as I’ve put it into the atmosphere.
He sits up straighter. “Wait, your ex was in prison? For what?” he asks.
I pause for a moment. I know that as soon as I say what he did, Abram will know exactly who I’m talking about.
“He murdered five women,” I’m finally able to confess.
He thinks for a moment. “Wait, is your ex that guy that was on the news constantly like three years ago? Cole something?” he asks.
I nod my head solemnly. “Yeah, that’s him. Cole Davis. He was recently released on a technicality, and it’s only a matter of time before he comes after me and finds me. He already has my phone number. I’m the one who turned him in, so there’s definitely animosity.”
He sits next to me on the bed again, putting his arms around me. “I am not going to let that psycho anywhere near you. I remember the details of that case because all the girls at the club were talking about it nonstop. That guy is a psycho,” he says.
I begin to tear up at the memory of what he did. I had found a box of used panties with a necklace and a cellphone hidden in the storage unit of our apartment. At first, I thought that he was just cheating, but when I tried to unlock the screen of the phone, I recognized the woman in the lock screen photo. It was her and her new boyfriend, sharing margaritas together at sunset.
It was also the photo used by the police when she had gone missing.
“He’s fucking insane. I have no idea what he would do to me if he found me. Please, please make sure he stays away from me,” I choke as I begin to cry.
He holds me tighter. “I’m not leaving this apartment until you feel safe without me here. Do you understand?” he asks, taking my face in his hand and turning it towards him.
I nod, feeling extremely vulnerable as I gaze into his eyes with tears streaming down my face. I’ve never liked feeling vulnerable around men. I’ve always known them to take advantage. But right now, I feel safer than I ever have.
An hour later, we both fall asleep in each other’s arms as we listen to the hum of the central air in the bedroom. The sheets and blankets feel cool against our skin, but the warmth of each other keeps us close all through the night. For the first time since the accident, I sleep all through the night with no nightmares at all.
