Lawson by Crystal Daniels
Willow
I'm sitting in the hotel office with Vera while she lets me use her computer to scour the local listings for a place to rent. Graystone only has one apartment complex, being a small town, and they don't have any available units. So far, I've only found one promising option, and that's someone offering to rent a small apartment over their garage.
"Why don't you ask Jackie to help you find something? I'm sure she'd be able to find you a place," Vera offers.
"You're probably right. I should ask her the next time I see her," I agree.
"We sure are going to miss you around here when you're gone. Just make sure you stop by every now and then to visit an old lady."
My heart warms at Vera's words. "I'm going to miss it too. And I promise to stop by and visit."
Peering down at my watch, I note how late it has gotten. "I better get back to my room. I have to be at work an hour early tomorrow."
"Alright, dear. Sleep well." Vera pats my hand.
With a wave over my shoulder, I push open the glass door and step out of the office. A blast of humidity hits my face, and I take in the smell of honeysuckle and rain. Looking to the sky, I see a flash of lightning off in the distance through the thick gray clouds. I hate storms. I've hated them ever since I was a little girl. When I was seven, the power in our trailer was cut due to my mom not paying the bill. Not having electricity was something I was used to, but the darkness that came with it in the middle of the night was not. Not only was the heat of the Texas summer unbearable, but summer storms were frequent. There was nothing scarier than lying awake at night with the wind howling, the lightning and thunder so fierce it rattled the windows.
Being too far lost in my childhood memories, I didn't see the familiar car parked in the parking lot. It's not until a voice I wish I never had to hear again speaks that I'm brought back to the present.
"Willow."
I come to a halt, just a few feet in front of my door. Standing there with his hip against the railing is James. Instinctively, I take a step back. I don't bother with questions this time. "You need to leave." My words come out firm, and surprisingly, my voice doesn't waver. With each day that passes being out of my husband's grasp, I become stronger. And the tick in his jaw tells me he doesn't like it. James was used to me cowering and giving in at his every command.
"We need to fucking talk. I'm done…"
Snapping, I cut him off. "No, I'm done. It's over, James. For the last time, it's over. I'm not coming home."
"Willow," he grits out.
"Sign the papers, James. I know you got them."
"Oh, I got the papers," he sneers.
"Sign them."
"Willow."
"Sign them, James," I cut him off again.
"Goddamit, will you let me talk?" he barks, his face turning red.
"Sign the damn papers, James!"
In a flash, James invades my space. Gripping my arm, he jerks me until we are face to face. I wince at the tight hold he has on me. "I'm done fucking around with you, Willow. Don't think I haven't seen you hanging around that prick. I'm done letting you make a fool out of me, and you're even more stupid than I thought if you think I'm going to sit back and watch my wife pant all over another man like a bitch in heat."
The grip James has on my arm tightens to the point that I know it will leave bruises. James has never hit me, but he has manhandled me more times than I can count. I always figured it was only a matter of time before he escalated and right now, he looks like he's toeing that line.
"What's going on here?"
At the sound of Vera's voice, James suddenly loses the hold he has on me and takes a step back. Looking behind me, I see her cautiously making her way toward us.
"Are you okay, Willow? Is this man bothering you?" she asks.
"We're fine," James answers for me, his tone laced with irritation.
"I don't believe I was speaking to you, young man," is Vera’s snippy reply.
"I'm okay, Vera. James was just leaving."
"No, I…" James goes to say, but his words come to a screeching halt, and his nostrils flare when Vera interrupts him.
"Willow said you were leaving, so I suggest that's what you do." Moving her right arm from behind her back, Vera shows off the shotgun she is holding. "Do you need to be told a third time?"
"You may not be aware of this, but I'm a cop. And something you don't do is threaten a cop, old woman!" James spits.
I roll my eyes. James let being a cop go to his head. It's all a power trip to him.
"You ain't the law around these parts, so your little bullshit speech doesn't mean shit to me. Now, it's time for you to get gone," Vera finishes.
James seems to weigh his options, and luckily, he chooses to heed Vera's warning. Taking his menacing eyes off Vera, he turns to me. "This isn't over, Willow." James shoves past me and attempts to intimidate Vera with one of his nasty looks when he passes her, only it doesn't work. Vera simply lifts her brow.
When James is gone, I breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume he's an ex," Vera remarks.
Closing my eyes tight, I nod. "I'm fighting like hell to make him my ex."
"Is he why you're here?" This is her next question. And I know she means here as in Graystone and here as in living out of a hotel.
"Yes," I answer.
"Are you in some kind of trouble?"
I shake my head. "No. James is just persistent. He'll eventually get it through his head that we're over." I point to the shotgun she's holding. "I think you helped with convincing him." I let out a small chuckle.
Vera smirks at my comment, but it quickly dies. "Maybe you should go down to the station and let the boys know what happened here tonight. You know, as a precaution. Won't hurt to have extra patrols in case he decides to show his face again."
I give Vera a weak smile. "You’re probably right."
"Alright, dear. You phone me if you need anything. I can be here in a jiffy."
"I will. Thanks, Vera, for what you did."
Vera smiles, then turns and makes her way back down the stairs while I slip into my room. Once the door is shut, I take a deep breath and let some of the tension weighing me down leave my body. I think Addilynn and Vera are right. It might be time to go to the police.
* * *
"Willow,I have to know what is up with you and Lawson," Lilly says dramatically, throwing her hands up in the air as soon as I walk into work the next day. As usual, Genesis and Lilly watched through the store front window as Lawson dropped me off. I'm surprised Lilly has held her tongue this long.
"Geeze, Lilly. At least say hi before you start interrogating me." I giggle.
"Good luck getting her to spill," Genesis mutters underneath her breath as she makes her way toward the back of the store.
"I'm going to tell you like I tell everyone else. Lawson and I are friends. I think he sees me more like one of his sisters or something." The words taste bitter on my tongue. The truth is, I'm in denial. Lawson doesn't look at me like a sister. In fact, I'm the one who has friend-zoned him. But that's only because I'm still married. That and my life is a mess. Lawson deserves better than the baggage I come with. Lawson made his feelings known when he tried to kiss me. God, I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on mine and his hands on my body, but I couldn't in good conscience allow myself to have the one thing I want the most in this world. Not while I'm still legally bound to another man.
"Are you nuts?" Lilly all but shouts.
"Give it up, Lilly," Genesis emerges from her office and rejoins the conversation. "I've already tried getting through that thick head of hers. Just sit back like the rest of us and watch as things run their course."
Lilly and Genesis share a devilish smile like they know something I don't.
Rolling my eyes, I ignore them both and go about getting my work day started. An hour later, I knock on the office door. "Hey, Genesis. Do you think I can get Jackie's number from you? I want to start looking for a place, and after not having luck with the online listings, I figured Jackie might be able to help."
"Actually, I was going to mention that one of Ransom's rentals just became available. He had a tenant skip on last month's rent, and when he went by the other day, they had moved out. They didn't leave the house in terrible shape, but there is a hole in the bathroom wall, and he's going to take care of a few other minor repairs. I told him I'd ask you if you'd like to possibly rent the house, and Ransom was on board with the idea."
"Really?" I perk up. With the pay increase that comes with my new title working here at GiGi’s, I can now afford the rent that comes with a house.
"Yep." Genesis smiles. "It's a two-bedroom one bath and smaller than the one I was staying in before, but since it's just you, I thought it would be perfect. Ransom said the house would be ready in about a week. How about I have him stop by tomorrow with the lease agreement for you to go over?"
"Tomorrow will be great. Thank you, Genesis. For everything. For the job, for this…it means a lot."
"You're welcome, Willow. I may be your boss, but I'm also your friend, and that's what friends do."
Later that evening, Genesis decides to close the store an hour early. "Looks like there is another storm rolling in, and I'd like to be home before it gets here," she says as she cuts out the lights. Lilly's shift ended a couple hours ago, so it's just the two of us here.
"Did you let Lawson know you're leaving early?"
Grabbing my purse from behind the register, I shake my head. "No. I texted him a second ago, but he hasn't responded yet."
"I'll wait with you," Genesis offers.
"I don't want you out in this weather. I heard it's going to get worse. I can wait inside and lock up before I go. I'm sure he'll be here any minute."
Genesis looks at me like she wants to argue.
"I'll be fine, I promise."
"Alright. Text me the second Lawson gets here, so I don't worry."
I smile. "I will."
Once Genesis is out the door, I lock it behind her then check my phone. Still no response from Lawson. I get antsy waiting another few minutes for him to call or text back. Peering out the window, I see the wind has started to pick up outside. Not wanting Lawson to get caught in the storm when he finally sees my texts, I decide to go on and walk. After shooting off another text to Lawson, letting him know to not worry about picking me up, that I will walk to the hotel, I set the alarm to the store and quickly lock up. On the walk to the hotel, I notice how the streets are practically empty. All the townsfolk have heeded the warning from the local news to get inside. The last time I listened to the reports, there was mention of downpours, lightning, damaging winds, and flash flooding. The first drop of rain hits my cheek as I walk across the parking lot toward my room. I'm so focused on getting inside that I don't notice the danger waiting for me the moment I step in front of my door. Out of nowhere, a bone-jarring force slams me from behind, and I go crashing into the hotel room, landing with a thud on the floor. My attacker doesn't give me time to recover before he's on me a second time. Straddling my hips, the masked man flips me to my back then lands a fierce blow to my cheek with his closed fist. Flashes of light cloud my vision. My instincts kick in, and I begin fighting back. "Get off me!" I scream, thrash, kick and claw at the man hovering above me. My fingernails break when I dig into the flesh of his neck, drawing blood.
"Fuck," the man grunts in pain.
I don't let up. I continue to fight by pounding my fist into his jaw before I can maneuver myself from under his large frame. As I'm climbing to my knees, a large hand grabs hold of my ankle. Dropping down to my hip, I bring my other leg back. Then with all the strength, I can muster, I slam my foot into his chest, knocking him backward. I take this opportunity to stumble toward the door. My attempt to escape is short-lived as a searing pain radiates from my scalp when the man grabs a fist full of my hair, and my whole body is jerked backward. I cry out in pain just before my body launches across the room. I land in a heap on the bed.
"I was told to rough you up a little, but I wasn't told I couldn't have a little fun first."
Dread settles into the pit of my stomach at the vile words. A second later, the man is on me again. The smell of his rancid body odor and the sound of his heavy breathing causes bile to rise in my throat. This is it. I'm going to be raped. Refusing to give up, I scream. "Help! Somebody help me!"
"Shut the fuck up," the guy orders, then starts landing blow after blow to my face. I don't know how many times he hits me, but there is no mistaking the crunching sound I hear and the throbbing I feel on the left side of my face or the tearing of fabric when my blouse is ripped from my body. Through all of this, I do my best to keep fighting. My body has gone numb, and my arms feel like lead.
"No, please," I plead one last time before feeling his meaty fingers struggling with the button on my jeans. Suddenly, I hear the loud rumble of a familiar truck. Lawson! Heaving in a lung full of air, I scream.
"Lawson!" I call out, but my voice sounds weak.
"Shit," my attacker hisses, and a beat later, his weight is gone.
Opening my mouth, I try to call out for Lawson again, only no words come out. Nausea and dizziness wrack my senses. I force my body to move, but nothing happens. Red hot pain invades every inch of my body, and I struggle to fight the black hole that is hell-bent on consuming me. Moments later, the darkness wins.