“Brea. Please, wait!” He stopped in front of her car and pounded on the window, pleading, begging for her to listen. Fat tears slid down her cheeks as she tried to crank her car. The fates must have been on his side tonight because the vehicle wouldn’t start.
“Brea, I’m begging you to listen to me. She doesn’t mean anything to me. Candy came on to me. I was about to push her off right before you walked in.” He dropped to his knees so they were now eye level with each other. He knew his excuse, truth that it might be, sounded like a load of shit. “You have to believe me, Brea. Please.” He didn’t bother stopping the tears from leaving him. He didn’t care if men weren’t supposed to cry. He could not let her leave if she thought he cheated on her. “I would never hurt you, Brea,” he whispered but he knew she heard him because she looked at him. “I love you.”
He heard her choked sob even through the glass. “In the end it’s me that is going to hurt you. I’m sorry, Adrian. Please, I don’t want to see you again.” Her tears came harder and she cranked the car again, this time having success. When she pulled out of the parking lot he stayed on his knees, watching the car disappear into the distance.
* * * *
Hard, wracking sobs tore from her as she drove away. It had been a mistake looking in her rearview mirror, seeing Adrian on his knees, the look of failure etched into the hard planes of his face. The pain of seeing him on his knees, hearing him plead for her to stay, ripped her body in two. She hadn’t meant for their separation to be like this, but in a way she was glad it had been. Although everything inside of her hurt over seeing him with another woman, she grabbed onto that pain until it gave her the strength to keep driving.
She pulled onto her street, deciding that she would not spend another minute in this town. Her mind had been made up before she went to the club, so everything that was crucial was packed and ready to go. After pulling into her driveway she let the car idle for a minute, trying to clear her thoughts but failing miserably. There was no getting over the turmoil she felt, and although she wished the separation with Adrian hadn’t been so harsh, in the end she knew it had ended the way it should have. When she found the strength to get out of the car, she grabbed her purse and made her way to the front door. The street was quiet at this time in the evening, but the sound of an idling car had her looking up. There it sat, a black nondescript car with fully tinted windows. The same car that had been at the shooting range. Her heart dropped into her belly and her mouth instantly went dry. No, this wasn’t a coincidence, and neither were any of the other times she had felt like she was being watched, like something was off.
Before she could take another step, the car turned off. No one exited and she didn’t wait around to see if they would. If Cameron was behind the wheel she wouldn’t have very much time to get to her gun. Sure, the pepper spray and stun gun would give her some time, but what she really needed was inside her house. Not waiting another second, she took off toward the front door. Keys in hand, she tried to unlock the door, but her hands were so shaky it made the task nearly impossible. A look over her shoulder still showed the car in the same spot. Taking a deep breath she tried opening the door again. When the key slid in and the door was shut behind her she went into action. She could have called the police, but if that really wasn’t Cameron in the car and the cops came she would have to give a statement. She really didn’t want to leave a paper trail like that, especially since that had caused Cameron to find her the last time.
Disarming the alarm and then resetting it, Brea immediately dropped to her knees and grabbed her duffle bag under the bench. Her gun should have been on the top of her clothes. That was where she put it when she came back from the shooting range.
No gun.
This is not happening. Not again. Before she could stand, three hard raps sounded on her door. Everything stopped around her as she stared at the only thing separating her and what was most likely the very devil himself. The sound of her heart beating fast and hard filled her ears. When she was able to stand her legs felt like they were about to give out at any moment. She had to brace her hand on the wall to steady herself as she walked to the door. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and it was then that she realized she was biting her lip hard enough to break the skin.
The palms of her hands were sweaty, and when she placed them on the door she noticed they shook uncontrollably. Another pound on the door assured her that whoever was on the other side was not going away. When she mustered enough courage to lean in and peer out the peephole she realized she was holding her breath. A moment of confusion settled inside of her when she didn’t see anyone on the other side. No, this most certainly wasn’t her imagination. She might not have wanted a paper trail, but she was smart enough to know that whoever was fucking around with her wasn’t going to give up. To hell with leaving a paper trail, especially if Cameron was really on the other side.