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I climb out of my car, wincing at the soreness lingering in my body. It’s a reminder that even if he isn’t here at this moment, Adam is still in my life one way or another. I probably like it more than I should. I lock my car behind me, head in the clouds as I think about what to do while Adam’s not around.
I push open the door and walk inside, realizing too late that I hadn’t unlocked the door. The door was already open and unlocked, as if—
Suddenly, a hand closes over my mouth and a thick arm wraps around my chest to pull me into a massive weight. It happens so quickly that I don’t even get the chance to think about screaming, about leaving and calling for help.
“Hello my little Yuri, miss me?”
My body grows rigid with tension. I know that voice. It’s been ten fucking years, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. A handful of basic words and I’m immediately reliving the moment I was grabbed from my front lawn at age twelve.
My eyes well up with tears as my greatest fear is realized. He fucking found me. I told the cops that he’d come back for me, but they wouldn’t believe me. They said I was just being paranoid.
I fucking told them. And now I’m here. He’s here.
“You’re going to come with me, little girl. We’ll finish what I couldn’t start ten years ago.”
Ice trickles down my spine as I gag at the thought of going anywhere with Jim. Even as I urge myself to act, I can’t move. I can’t make my muscles strong enough to fight a three-hundred-pound man. I can’t get my mind out of the cycle of fear gripping my heart.
Jim starts dragging me outside. If he takes me away, no one will ever find me. No one will know I am gone until it’s too late. My body awakens at the thought, and I try to fight him but it’s hopeless. He is bigger, stronger, and taller than I will ever be.
“Shut up and stop fighting or I’ll hurt you,” he hisses as he pulls me along.
Suddenly, he trips and falls, taking me with him, but I don’t hit the hard ground. A hand catches me right on time. I look up to see familiar cobalt blue eyes, filled with fury.
“Are you hurt?” he whispers, helping me up and pulling me behind him.
“No,” I whimper. I watch as he stalks towards the man sprawled out on the ground.
I’ve never seen Adam angry like this. He grabs the man by the collar of his jacket. For a moment I wonder if he’s going to help him up, but instead, I watch in horror as Adam slams Jim’s face into the concrete of the driveway with a sickening crunch.
“Oh my god,” I scream when Adam slams his fist into the bleeding man’s face. The sound of blood hitting the pavement propels me forward and I grab Adam’s hand before he can land another blow. “You’re going to kill him, Adam! Stop!”
But he doesn’t. Adam’s heavy fist lands on the man’s face until he’s limp and even then, he doesn’t stop and for the first time, I see the Brute I read about weeks ago. I didn’t really believe someone could be punched to death when I first learned of Adam’s case but now I see it. I see firsthand what landed this man in prison ten years ago.
I see the man that said he’d kill for me except I don’t want him to. I couldn’t bear it if he was sent back to prison because of me.
Suddenly, I throw myself in front of Adam and just as suddenly, he stops. He lets go of the man, who drops into a crumpled mess of broken bones and bloodied clothes.
Tears blur my vision and my throat tightens as I stare up at the man so willing to sacrifice his freedom for me. The distant sound of sirens, no doubt called by one of my neighbors after the loud commotion, is not enough to take my attention from Adam.
“I asked you not to follow me,” I whisper, dropping my forehead against his chest as a sob wracks my body.
“I live and breathe for you,” he rasps, hugging me tight. “You can take all the time and space you need, but I will be there to watch you while you do. I’m not leaving your side as long as I live, Yuri.”
“You could have killed him. How can you stay by my side if you’re arrested again?”
“I would have been out before dawn, Yuri,” he whispers. “Now that I have something to live for, nothing short of death will keep me from you. I’m not leaving you, ever.”
I shouldn’t like hearing this. It should scare me. Instead, I feel warmth welling up into my chest. I can’t help it, I like it. Probably too much. He makes me feel cherished in a way I’ve never felt before.
I bury my nose into his chest as cops flood my home and first responders rush to help the man I desperately hope is still alive. Once the paramedic confirms that Jim’s breathing, I stop listening, choosing instead to bask in Adam’s warmth and strength.
Honestly, I don’t need time to make sense of our relationship. Adam is all I need. I don’t care if his attention borders on obsession. It doesn’t matter to me; his arms around me make me feel secure and loved enough that nothing else matters.
“I love you, Adam.”
Epilogue
Yuri
