Breaking Through the Waves (12 page)

Her mother acted like the information meant nothing. “You should go into hair styling. They make good money.” She buttered another roll and shoved it into her mouth.

Sydney was speechless. The naivety and ignorance of her family baffled her. “This is what I love to do.”

“Well, it sounds boring,” Johnny said.

“It’s the most fascinating thing in the world,” she said quickly.

He rolled his eyes. “Sounds like you’re a hippie.”

“I
’ll take that as a compliment,” she said as she drank from her wine glass again. She hardly touched her food but she wasn’t hungry.

Coen waited for them to ask about him, the man she was going to marry, but none of them seemed to care. “I
’m also studying marine biology.”

“S
o you are perfect together,” Dan said sarcastically.

Coen drank from his glass but said nothing.

“Where am I sleeping?” Johnny blurted.

“In the entryway,” Sydney said.

“You don’t have another bedroom?” he asked, annoyed.

“You saw the size of this house,” she said sarcastically.

Dan narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t talk to your brother like that.”

“This is my house,” she snapped. “I can talk to him however I want.”

His eyes lit up in flames but he still didn’t say anything. His hand gripped his knife.

Coen caught the look. “I’m also a personal trainer, proficient in self-
defense, martial arts, and jiu-jitsu—just to let you know.”

Dan
glanced at him but didn’t respond to his comment. “And where will we be sleeping?”

“In the living room,” Sydney said.

“What?” he snapped. “As your guests, we should get the bedroom.”

Sydney crossed h
er arms over her chest. “No. Coen and I are sleeping there.”

He raised an eyebrow.
“You and Coen?” He glared at Coen. “That’s the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever heard. You have a lot of nerve.”

“I live here,”
Coen said calmly.

“Even worse,” Dan
snapped. “You aren’t even married. How can you defy God like that? Living together without being married?”

Sydney hated it when he spoke of religion. He
had sex with her mother before they got married. The sound of the crashing headboard always woke her up. Then, he beat her until she was put in the hospital. How dare he speak of God. “You are such a hypocrite.”

Dan
jumped from his seat. His chair skid across the floorboards as it moved. The table shook as he slammed his fists down, livid. Coen was on his feet just as fast, his arms dangling at his sides. Even though his stance wasn’t threatening, the look in his eyes was. Sydney remained in her seat, waiting for something to happen. Coen kept his word and didn’t attack but she knew it took all his patience to remain in control. A part of her wished he would just break his oath to her. Dan threw his napkin on the table. “Let’s hit the beach.” He walked away from the table and the other two trailed behind him.

Sydney didn’t want them to l
inger on the small beach next to her tiny shack. It was a safe haven for her. If their skin touched the water, poison would leak inside of it. They left their plates on the table, not offering to help her clean up. She still waited in vain for a thank you.

Coen
helped clean up the table. He carried the dishes to the sink and started to rinse them. She watched him for a long time, admiring his devotion to her. He was insulted and challenged but he took it passively. She knew he was strong and had a short temper. The fact he was so calm was truly astounding. She hoped he wouldn’t leave her. She helped him clean the rest of the dishes and store the leftovers in Tupperware. When they were finished, Coen kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you for cooking Thanksgiving dinner.”

She felt the tears in her eyes. “
You’re welcome.”

15

The three of them stayed on the beach until the sun set over the horizon. While they were gone, she and Coen prepared the air mattresses and laid them on the floor. They gathered a few pillows and blankets. Fortunately, it was never cold on the island so extra padding wasn’t a concern. And Sydney didn’t care how comfortable her guests were anyway.

When they came into the house, they trailed sand everywhere because they didn’t rinse off with the hose in the front. Sydney was already so annoyed that she didn’t bother to reprimand them. They were rude and stupid, ignorant to everyone around them.

All three of them took a shower and used up all the hot water. The bathroom was a total mess with toothpaste and toilet paper all over the place. She suspected that Johnny trashed it on purpose. She tried to ignore it. They were only there for a few days.

“Do you need anything?” Sydney asked as she walked into the living room.

Dan
and her mom were lying on the air mattress. He turned on his side. “This is going to hurt my back.”

“There’
re a ton of hotels you can stay at,” she said as she walked away. When she walked into the entry way, she looked at Johnny. “Need anything?”

He just stared at her, a hungry expression in his eyes.

“Good night, then.” She felt his eyes drill holes in her backside.

When she finally closed her bedroom door and locked it, she breathed a sigh of relief. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes, thankful for the separation. Coen was
already sitting in bed, his head against the headboard. His chest was bare and he only wore his boxers.

“It’s only for a few days,” he whispered.

“I know.”

“Come to bed.”

She pulled one of his shirts from his drawer and put it on, sleeping in just her underwear. She crawled into bed alongside him. He took the side closest to the door, which he didn’t usually do. “The door is locked.”

“I know.”

She pulled the covers over her shoulder and sighed to herself. “I’m sorry you have to deal with this.”

“Stop that now.”

She stilled at the command in his voice. “You don’t deserve it.”

“I mean it,
Syd.”

She wrapped her
arms around him and held him close, trying not to cry. “Okay.”

“We’re a team. This is just for a few days. After they
’re gone, you are never going to speak to them again. This is it—the last time.”

“Okay.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “Now go to sleep.”

“Thank you so much,” she said, squeezing him. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

He ran his fingers through her hair and stilled her frantic heart. He said nothing as he caressed her, running his fingers down her smooth skin and the soft locks of her hair. Not a single inch of her skin was untouched. He massaged the area between her legs and even her toes. Somehow, it made her relax enough to fall asleep, content with his hard body in her arms.

She felt the touch of cold against her neckline. It burned slightly th
en slithered across her skin. A snake was crawling across her, constricting around her windpipe. She dreamt she was in a jungle, running from an unseen enemy. Her heart hammered in her chest. She opened her eyes and felt her heart fall.

A hand covered her mouth
while another held a knife to Coen’s throat. He was still asleep, unaware of the danger lurking so close. Her eyes widened as she looked at Johnny, a maniacal gleam in his eye. He nodded to the hand with the knife, holding it against Coen, then looked at the hand over her mouth. She knew what he meant. If she screamed, he would kill Coen.

He removed his hand, and when she didn’t scream
, his smile widened. His hand moved under the blanket, slithering to the area between her legs. His fingers grazed her thigh. With every passing inch, she felt bile rise in her throat. She wanted Coen to wake up to save her, but at the same time, she didn’t.

“Let’s go outside so we don’t have to be quiet,” she whispered.

Coen didn’t stir at the sound of her voice.

Johnny was quiet for a long time before he held the blade against her throat instead, almost drawing blood. He grabbed her arm then gently pulled her
from the bed. Coen started snoring but he still didn’t wake up. With the blade still held to her skin, Johnny marched her out of the room and through the front door.

Sydney felt her heart accelerate. She had spared Coen. That was all that mattered at th
at point. If something happened to him, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Johnny made her sit on the top stair. With the knife still held to her throat, he walked around her then kneeled before her. In the darkness
, she could see the erection in his pants. His breathing was heavy with excitement. It seemed like he would come just from getting her alone. He reached his hand up her shirt and grabbed her underwear, about to pull it down. As it started to yank, Sydney made her move.

She grabbed the knife then twisted it away from her neck, slamming it against the stair
s. He still didn’t release the knife so she slammed his hand down again until it finally fell free. With the knife out of the way, she kicked him back, sending him to the dirt. Adrenaline coursed through her body, giving her more strength than she thought possible. He was twice her size but that didn’t slow her down. She pounced on him, slamming her fists against his face. His head flew back and surprise shined in his eyes, shocked that she was able to hit him so hard. She kicked him in the nuts and he yelled, screaming at the top of his lungs, but she punched him again. When the blood dripped from his nose, she smiled. It felt so good. Just to get more satisfaction, she socked him in the nuts again. He howled loudly, rolling over on his side.

The front door opened and Dan
came running out. When he saw Johnny lying in the dirt, clutching himself, he eyed Sydney with hatred. “Get away from my son, you bitch!” He marched to her, his arms swinging at his sides. Her mother watched from the doorway, not making a move to help her.

Sydney watched him approach her, her defensive stance ready. She was ready for this, wanted
it to happen. The hatred shined brighter in his eyes despite the blackness of the night. If he was ever going to kill her, he was going to do it now.

Her mom was pushed out of the way as Coen sprinted down the steps. He had his jeans on but his chest was sti
ll bare. He moved past her stepfather then placed himself in front of Sydney, his entire body blocking her from sight. She wished he hadn’t intervened but she could never ask him not to. That went against everything he believed in.

“Move out of my way, boy,” Dan said, grabbing
his arm.

Quicker than Sydney could watch,
his arm jerked away, making Dan take a step back. “Don’t touch her.”

He ignored him. “You beat my son, I beat you,” he said, trying to walk around Coen.
Coen wouldn’t budge. He kept his body in front of her, completely sealing her off. “Get over here!”

“He attacked me first!” she said.

“Don’t lie to me,” he snapped.

“I’m not. I’m not a liar.” She couldn’t see his face, ju
st Coen’s back, but she could imagine the sight of his features. The look was forever ingrained into her mind. Her mother rushed to Johnny and assessed his body. She seemed to be relieved he was okay as she helped him to his feet. She expected her mother to act this way, but actually seeing it knocked the wind out of her. There was never any chance that her mother would ever love her. Sydney meant nothing to her.

“If you hit him aga
in, I won’t be so merciful,” Dan said, still trying to move around Coen.

“Then tell him to keep his hands off me,” Sydney said.

“My boy would do no such thing.”

“Then you don’t know him very well.”

Coen held up his hand. “Step away from my fiancé.”

Dan
glared at him. “If it happens again, I won’t spare you either.”

Coen said nothing, but Sydney knew what he
was thinking. He hoped her stepfather would throw a punch. He wanted nothing more than to kick his ass.

Dan
walked back in the house, following behind Johnny. They talked inside for a long time before the house returned to quiet. Coen remained in front of her. The crickets sang in the night and a few bird calls could be heard. He finally turned around when he felt it was safe.

He grabbed her face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He looked at her body, examining every inch of her skin. “Are you sure?”

“Coen, I’m okay.”

“What the fuck happened?”

She didn’t want to tell him. It would make him insane. “I got a glass of water and we started to fight. One thing led to another until we wound up out here.”

“Did he hit you?”

“No.”

“Did you hit him?”

“Many times. I kicked him in the nuts twice.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “I hope it hurts next time he has a boner.”

She felt horrible for lying to him but she didn’t know if she should tell him the truth. He had a knife pressed to his throat and he didn’t even know about it. What if he turned and left, leaving her all alone. She closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe how selfish she was. “I lied.”

“What?”

“That isn’t what happened.”

He waited for her to continue.

“He came into our bedroom and held a knife to your throat. If I didn’t do what he said, he was going to kill you.”

He stared at her for a long time, shock on his face. “We need to go to the police,
Syd.”

“And say what? You were asleep the entire time then my mom and
Dan caught me beating him. It’s just my word against his.”

He ran his fingers through his hair but said nothing.

“If you want to leave, I totally understand.” She looked at the dirt below her feet.

“I’m not going anywhere with
out you.”

“This isn’t fair to you.”

“You are my girl. I protect you. End of story.”

“I would
n’t blame you if you left.”

“Shut up,” he snapped.

She flinched.

“I said I’m staying. Stop trying to convince me to go.”

“Okay.”

“Now let’s go back to bed.”

“You can sleep?”

“He won’t bother us again.” He grabbed her hand and helped her back inside the house. Johnny was sleeping beside his parents in the living room, under the protection of his father. Sydney couldn’t help roll
ing her eyes. Coen guided her back into the bedroom then shut the door behind them.

“He must have picked the lock,”
he said. He grabbed her dresser then moved it in front of the door. He grabbed an umbrella then pinned it underneath the handle, making it impossible to turn even if the lock was picked. “He won’t be able to get through that.”

She
finally felt safe.

“Now get to bed.”

She crawled under the covers then gave him room to lie down. He sat up against the headboard and ran his fingers through her hair.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” she asked.

“No.”

“I can stay awake.”

“I’m not sleeping until they leave.”