Take a Breath(84)

“Hold on a sec, Tony!” I shout, as I quickly switch the alarm off to open the door.

“Hey, Tony.” I look over to the car to wave at Joe, but he’s not there. “Where’s Joe?” I ask, pulling myself over to the door to let him pass.

“One of your neighbours wanted to call him over the house. Something about a lock on the back door being tampered with. I told him to go check it out and I’ll look after things here.”

I shut the door behind him. “I hope everything’s okay?” I ask.

“I’m sure it will be fine. It may have been one of their kids, or someone messing around, but better to be safe than sorry.”

I nod in agreement. “How are you feeling, Tony?” He looked tired.

“A little better, thanks. I just wanted to say sorry for the way I behaved. I really wanted to say it in person, so that’s why I’m here.”

I was a little surprised, “Apologise for what, Tony?”

“You know, the way I was with you a couple of days ago and how I reacted when you came out of Mr Bennett’s office?”

I nodded and proceeded into the kitchen. I got a bottle of my favourite Pinot Grigio out and poured Tony and myself a glass.

“It’s okay, Tony. There’s no need to apologise. There’s nothing to worry about. You shouldn’t have dragged yourself out of bed when you feel sick, just to tell me you’re sorry. I do appreciate it, but you could have just called or text me.”

He takes my hand. “I just wanted to explain to you how I feel. You’re the one, always have been.”

I smile a little uncomfortably, as I make my way over to the sink.

I start washing some dishes just to try and escape the awkwardness when Tony speaks. “You have always been my English Rose, Ana.”

My eyes nearly bulge out my head and the plate I’m carrying nearly slips from my fingers. I go still, I can’t move. The water’s still gushing and I’m standing there frozen. Did I just hear correct? Please God no. Please, not Tony.

I feel his fingers on my face and I jump out of my skin. Tony nears me and switches the water off and inhales the scent of my hair.

“Don’t worry, Ana. I’m not going to hurt you. I could never hurt a rose like you. Ever.”

I start to tremble. He tries to soothe me but I’m terrified.

“Why Tony? Why did you do it?” He stops stroking my face and sighs.

“Why do you always have to try and spoil the moment between us, Ana? You know those other girls they were just sluts flaunting themselves around like dogs on heat. They would want to take me back to their house and do all sorts of disgusting things to them. I’d never met them before in my life, but because I’ve got a badge and a gun, they think I’m game. They disgusted me, Ana. But you, you have always looked so innocent, so beautiful and so delicate. I’ve been waiting for the day I can take you away from all of this so we can finally be together. Don’t you see, Ana? We were meant to be?”

I start sobbing. All those poor women. What they must have been through, and all this time trying to find who it was. In the end he was right under our very noses the whole time laughing at us, goading us. I felt sick.

“That night at the barbeque was when I really thought I had to action my plan. You looked so lost, Ana. I wanted to whisk you up in my arms and take you away from it all. I have a place we can go, an old farm. We could stay there and grow old together and make lots of babies.”

The bile rose in my throat and I fought hard to keep it down.

“But then that night after I left, I saw you two through the window. What he was doing to you on that table, it was disgusting, Ana. I never thought you could do that to me. You were always so loyal and so sweet. I got angry, Ana, really angry. That girl, she was just like the others, just like you. I fucking hated her, hated you for what you did. After a couple of days of calming down I realised maybe I didn’t see correct. Maybe, Ana still is my rose. I bet he forced her like her other stepfather did.”

I cringed. How on earth does he know about that? Even Jake doesn’t know about that. Tears were running down my face. I didn’t know what to do. Should I scream? Should I try to run? Tony had a gun and Matthew was upstairs, I had to try to keep him talking. Maybe someone will come for me eventually.

“Shh, Ana please don’t cry. You know you’re safe with me, don’t you? I won’t hurt you. There’s no need to be afraid anymore. You have me and I won’t let anyone touch you.”

He throws his arms around me and rocks me back and forth. I’m still trying to keep the bile rising in my throat down and the trembling in my whole body from giving me away. What do I say to a psychopath like Tony? You think you know someone and in fact you don’t know them at all, or the kind of secrets they're hiding.