Definitely, Maybe in Love(55)

"We don't know for sure they went to that beach cabin," Mel said, sitting beside me. "The same one he took Cami to."

"That's what he does, Mel," I countered, running a fist across my forehead. "You read Henry's letter."

"Yeah," she replied, somberly. "I'm just hoping we're wrong."

We weren't wrong, and I knew it. "He got rough with Cami," I said after a  minute. "And she was fifteen. She wasn't the only one; he's been doing  this for years, always keeping his exploits on this side of a felony.  What does he do if they try to fight back?" I shut my eyes in a long  blink. "He's disgusting and deserves to be castrated!"

"Do you know where he takes them?"

"Not the exact location. All Henry alluded to was somewhere down by Monterey, but that's a big place."

Mel and I sat for hours, sharing our worries, while going over possible  scenarios and hoping Julia's ex – Navy Seal father didn't call the house. I  tried Alex over and over too, but he never answered his phone. Shadows  crept across the floor of our living room, slowly morphing the scene  from afternoon to evening. Tomorrow, we decided, we would call the  police.

Eventually, Melanie's head sank to my shoulder and we both fell asleep.

My dreams were sporadic, because I slept without rest. The only one I  remembered was right before I awoke. The picture in my head was mostly  fuzzy, but there were definite fireworks, and a cowboy hat, and a face.  The face was the only part of the dream that was crystal clear. When I  lifted my arms out to him, there was a sudden stabbing pain in my side,  but that didn't keep me from reaching out, even though I felt the knife  stabbing me again and again. Over and over.

"Spring, wake up."

I peeled my eyelids apart, feeling Mel's sharp fingernail poking my  ribs. Through the dim early morning shadows, she was staring at me.

"Julia," she whispered then pointed at the front door.

I threw my legs off the couch and sat up.

She was standing by the door under the only illuminated light in the  room. She wasn't looking at us, but at whoever was lingering under the  threshold, unseen behind the open door. She whispered something then an  arm reached out, the front half of Dart's body coming into view.  Silently, he touched her cheek in the gentlest of ways. She tilted her  face so he could cup her cheek, whispered something to him, then he  left.

After she closed the door, she stared at it, touching the wood with her  fingertips. I knew she knew we were there, but she didn't acknowledge  us.

"Are you okay?" I asked, easing to stand. My body ached from having napped in a vertical position.

A few moments passed before Julia turned our way. She appeared unharmed, but she didn't look fine.

I walked to her, trying not to wince when I noticed the marks on her  upper arms. Rage and sorrow spun like a tornado in my stomach. Julia  must've caught my examination because when I met her eyes, they were  brimming with tears, and her lips trembled.

"Jules?" I opened my arms just as she broke into loud sobs. "Shhh." I  rubbed her back as she cried on my shoulder. "It's over. You're home."                       
       
           



       

She couldn't talk for a while. I didn't blame her; it wasn't a story I  was eager to hear. As I waited, I silently surmised that the reason Dart  had been with her was because Henry must have told him why Mel and I  had suddenly left his house that morning. Then Dart must have taken over  and tracked them down.

Whether Dart got there in time, I didn't know yet. But considering how  long Julia and Alex had been alone, as well as the angry red marks  ringing her wrists, it did not look good. When the deeper sobbing  started, I had my answer, and felt sick.

Julia wept while I held her and listened. "I'm so sorry," was all I was  able to offer. Because I was sorry. It was me who had brought Alex into  our lives and I couldn't help feeling tremendous guilt about that.

We went through three pots of tea but didn't move from the couch, me on  one side of Julia, Mel on the other. After a while, Julia seemed to want  to tell us everything, maybe needing to get it out at least once.  Terribly unhappy, more than buzzed on peppermint schnapps, she'd left  with Alex. She admitted that everything got pretty fuzzy after that, but  they did arrive at a cabin a couple of hours later. She'd been drunk  but consensual. I said a silent prayer of thanks that nothing more than  rough sex had taken place. Knowing Alex's tendencies, it could have been  worse. She did remember that a condom was used, which seemed pretty  miraculous. But that was probably just Alex wanting to cover his tracks  in case Julia pressed charges. Still, nothing is 100 percent foolproof.  Julia would have to be tested. Mel and I promised to be with her when  she took the first one.

Julia remembered still being slick with Alex's sweat when Dart had shown  up. He'd rushed straight to her, wrapped her in the bed sheets and  carried her to the car. Julia sobbed as she recalled how he'd placed her  in the backseat, laid his head on her lap and begged for forgiveness.  Mel and I were sobbing, too.

"Dart's a real hero," I said, rubbing Julia's shoulder.

"Yeah," she said, trying to smile through her wobbly bottom lip.

"How did he know where to find you?" Mel asked, passing Julia a fresh cup of chamomile tea. "And so fast?"

"Henry," she whispered, her hand trembling as she took the cup.

"Henry, what?" I asked.

She didn't answer.

"He probably told Dart where the cabin was," Mel explained logically. "He knew the location because of Cami, right?"

Julia stared down at her cup then took a slow sip.

"Is that what happened?" I asked. "Is that how Dart found you?"

"That's what I thought at first," she confirmed. "All I saw was Dart at  the cabin. He's the one who broke through the door and got me out. When  he took me to the car, we sat there for a while in the backseat. Maybe  twenty minutes later, I realized the car was moving."

"Who was driving?"

Julia finally looked at me. "Henry."

"Henry," I repeated, my mind fuzzy. "He was there, too?"

Julia bit her lip and nodded. "I honestly didn't realize it was him at  first. I was still a little out of it. Dart never left me for a second,  and I guess I hadn't noticed that Henry went inside the cabin after Dart  got me out. Alex was still in there. When we stopped for gas an hour  later, my purse and clothes were in the front seat. I noticed it then,  Spring."

"Noticed what?"

"Henry's knuckles," she whispered. "They were red and-" She broke off.  "I have brothers, I know what it looks like after someone has a fight."

My stomach hit the floor. "They fought?"

Julia shrugged helplessly. "I think so."

"Is Henry hurt? Do you know what happened?"

Mel reached over the back of the couch behind Julia and touched my  shoulder. "I'm sure Henry beat the living hell out of him, babe."

"Besides his knuckles," Julia said, "he looked fine. Not a mark on him, I  swear, Spring. After he dropped us off, he was heading straight to the  airport."

"What?" I blinked, rising to my feet. "Henry dropped you off here?" I  spun around to the front door, thinking that he might materialize from  thin air. "Why didn't he come in?"

When Julia didn't answer, Mel said, "He probably thought you were asleep."

"So? He could've woke me up."

"I don't think he wanted you to know he was with us," Julia whispered, her voice watery with new tears.

"Why?" I stared at her, then at Mel, then at the wall behind them. No one had an answer.                       
       
           



       

"Maybe he had to get right back to the ranch," Mel offered. "I mean, Cami was still there and, ya know … the horses?"

"What?" I gaped at her.

Mel spread her hands. "I don't know. I'm just talking."

I couldn't help exhaling a laugh at Mel's attempted explanation. "Well, thanks for comparing my needs to that of a horse."

Mel batted her eyelashes. "It was too easy, babe."

"Springer, I'm sorry," Julia said, touching my arm.

"Yeah," I replied, feeling sullen again. Honestly, I didn't know what  she was apologizing for. For running off and making us worry? For  cutting my road trip short? Or was she proxy-apologizing for Henry not  coming in to see me? I met her eyes, she looked exhausted and had  probably been awake for longer than back-to-back study sessions. And of  course, she'd just been through an unspeakable ordeal. "You should go on  to bed," I said.