Healing Faith (16 page)

Within minutes, I was stepping into the general
store, where everything had changed for me. It seemed a lifetime
ago. I dug into my bag and pulled out the last of my cash for a
tall bottle of water, ignoring the little corn cakes that had
gotten me into trouble in the first place. The man behind the
counter eyed me suspiciously as I asked for a restroom, eventually
pointing towards the back of the store. I disappeared into the
restroom, the incessant flicker of the fluorescent lights
irritating as I rinsed the dirt of the road off of me.

The water was cool and it helped against the burn
that was starting along my shoulders and cheeks from the late
summer sun. I looked in the mirror, the first time in days and
grimaced at the image before me. A girl, flushed and gritty, with
her hair still tied up in a simple bun stared back at me. I looked
so plain as I traced my hairline, my cheek. I knew I was plain.

Dull blonde hair, overlarge dark eyes and tender pink
skin from the sun. I was nothing spectacular. But now, having lived
the plain life, I felt even less so. It was then that I felt the
prickling of the tears. I didn't belong in my life; I certainly
didn't belong in his. I had nothing to show for my life, or where I
might go.

Shutting off the water forcefully I dug around in my
backpack looking for my hairbrush until my fingers wrapped around
my phone. I pulled it out, hesitating before I opened it to
retrieve the number. It was only a matter of time before Sean might
find me again.

I dialed Stacy’s number and she answered on the first
ring.

“I’ve been so worried!” she said in a breathless
voice. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I didn’t have cell service and was afraid Sean
was tracking me with my phone,” I replied, relieved to hear a
familiar voice.

“I’m sorry, Katie. Dad called and threatened to cut
off paying my tuition if I didn’t tell him where you were. And then
Sean called me,” she said and I could hear the fear in her
voice.

I closed my eyes at the pain I had caused her.

Sean would never stop.

“I shouldn’t have gotten you into this mess,” I
whispered and leaned against the sink, exhausted.

“Just tell me where you are and I’ll get you here,”
she started.

“No,” I said and shook my head vehemently. “Then Sean
will just come there.”

“Then we’ll get a restraining order, Katie. Where
else do you have to go?”

“I shouldn’t have left,” I whispered. “I should have
just dealt with it. Given him what he wanted.”

“You know that would have ended with you in the
hospital or worse,” she argued. “Come here, maybe Dad will be happy
to have you out of sights. And the police will take care of
Sean.”

“The police will only help if he actually does
something, Stacy,” I shot back. “And I don’t want to think about
what he has planned for me. You didn’t see him the other
night.”

She was quiet for a moment, thinking things over.

“What are you going to do?”

I sighed and closed my eyes.

“Katie, let me talk to Dad. I’ll get him to wire some
money and then we’ll get you set up here. You can start over
again.”

I knew as soon as she told our father where I was,
Sean wouldn’t be far away. Chances are he was having my phone
traced as I spoke to her.

“I’ll call you as soon as I know where to wire some
money. Just don’t talk to Dad yet. I need to figure things out,” I
replied.

I hung up before she could answer.

I needed to figure out what to do next.

I contemplated hiding in the bathroom all day, but I
was sure the man behind the counter was already counting the
minutes I was in here. I splashed water on my face again and paced
the room, weighing my options.

I really didn't have many options left. I took a
measured breath and stepped out of the restroom, trying to decide
where to run next. I’d get to Stacy’s, and figure it out then. For
now, I needed to get out of this town, away from the last week and
more importantly, away from the threat of Sean.

I pulled out my phone and dialed up Stacy once more.
It was ringing as I stepped out onto the porch of the store.

One ring.

Looking down the street I caught a glimpse of one of
the many buggies I had seen in the last few days coming towards us
from the community.

Two rings.

I glanced off towards the diner and noticed an old
couple entering the diner, walking past a dusty car that was parked
in the alley next to the restaurant.

Three rings.

My heart stopped at the recognition of the car, red
under all the dirt.

Four rings.

"Kate."

"Katie?"

I startled at the meaty hand that grabbed my phone,
as I looked up at black eyes in wide-eyed terror.

"Do you have any idea how worried I have been,
Kate?"

Large arms wrapped around me, arms that suffocated
and gripped me too tight as the heat of Sean's body overwhelmed me
in the hot summer sun. I stood there frozen in fear as he held me
against him, his nose burying deep into my neck to lay a kiss at
the base of my neck.

Run.

He let out a relieved sigh and kissed me again, the
steamy wet heat of his breath uncomfortable in the heat of the
day.

"I was so worried, Kate. But I found you. Everything
is okay now. Shhhh, it's all right. Don't be afraid. I found you,"
he whispered along my neck, making me tremble. I felt trapped,
swallowed up from his massive frame tightly wound around me.

"I missed you," he said and pulled away enough to
look down at me, his smile too wide as he took me in.

"Sean," I croaked, trying to carefully extricate
myself from him.

His smile widened further at my attempts to escape
and his hands wrapped around my wrists hard, a flash in his eyes
told me he knew I was trying to flee.

"Uh-uh-ah‚" he tutted. "I won't let you go this
time."

"Please, Sean," I pleaded, feeling his hands tighten
on my wrists enough to make them burn. "Please just let me go. I
promise, I won't run. Please. You're hurting me."

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes, as he looked
me up and down.

"You hurt me, Kate. By leaving. I'm not letting you
out of my sight anymore. I'm taking you home. I won't have you
rushing off again. You're mine," he explained in a voice that was
too calm, tugging me to his side as he stepped off the steps
towards his car.

I slowed my steps, until he was practically dragging
me across the street. I looked around, trying to get someone's
attention. I thought to I cry out and get someone to help me, but
there was no one. The old couple was safely inside the diner. The
buggy I had seen way down the road was still too far away to call
out to.

I was alone, and quickly approaching the car that
would deliver me back to my cage.

"Please, Sean. I don't want to go," I whispered,
struggling in his grasp.

I felt him tighten his hold on me, whimpering at the
ache in my wrists from the compression. I stumbled and tried to
pull away, only to have him grip me around the waist and shove me
roughly towards the car. I had just a split second to veer away and
make a run for it. I turned and bolted, but hands moved in and
grabbed my arm roughly and spun me hard into the side of the car,
Sean's imposing body sandwiching me until I could not move.

I shuddered as he moved against me and grabbed at my
chin to bring his lips to mine in a forceful kiss. A kiss that only
lasted a second before he pulled away and shoved me harder against
the side of the car, his eyes raging.

"Have you been kissing someone else? You reek of a
man, Kate! Have you been whoring? To get across country? You won't
let me, but you'll let some stranger do you?" he grated and held my
jaw firmly in his hands until the pain made my eyes tear up.

"Have you? Answer ME!" he yelled.

"No. Please Sean, you're hurting me!" I whimpered,
sagging against the hot metal of his car.

"Get in the car, Kate! I wasted so much time on you,
only to find you screwing around in some nothing town. I should
just let you stay here, let the guys you hooked up with have their
way and throw you out like the trash you are. But I couldn't do
that to your dad," he ground out, his face an inch from my own.

"I didn't, Sean. Believe me," I whispered, trembling
in his grip.

"You're a whore, Kate. Telling me you were saving
yourself, but I bet you were screwing around before we even started
dating, weren’t you?" he spat and forced himself against me harder.
I could feel he was aroused; clearly excited by scaring me.

I felt sick to my stomach.

This was not the Sean I had fallen for. This was the
beast, the terrifying dark side of him. His Jekyll and Hyde.

"Get in the car. I'll pretend you are the pure little
thing you profess. For your dad’s sake, but you will always be my
little whore. Maybe now that you give yourself so easily, you'll
finally let me have it," he said and grabbed my face for another
violent kiss.

It was cut short by the voice behind us. A voice I
knew, and thought I wouldn’t hear ever again.

"Let her be."

The voice startled me.

It startled Sean more.

He lurched away from my face, his eyes blazing at the
intrusion. He looked at the man at the opening of the alley, his
dark hat obscuring his face into shadow as the sun hid behind the
building. But I didn't need to see him to know who he was. I knew
because his profile haunted my every thought. And his voice was
like a beacon of hope.

Nathan took a step towards us, his hands bunched into
tight fists beside him as he moved closer. I saw the glimmer in his
eyes as they flickered my way for an instant before settling back
on Sean. Taking in how Sean pulled me possessively against him.
Taking in the hand around my upper arm that was squeezing it until
it burned with pain. Taking in the way Sean regarded him.

Sizing one another up.

"Get in the car, Kate."

Sean's voice was low, almost a growl as he opened the
door and tried to shove me inside. I fought him, angling myself
against the side of the car to avoid being pushed inside.

"I said let her be," Nathan said again, taking
another step towards us.

"Mind your own business, farm boy," Sean growled and
grabbed a hold of me and pushed me towards the door, my head not
dipping fast enough before it met with the top of the car hard.

I cried out, everything a blur as I struggled to pull
away from Sean once more. I felt his hands shove me roughly towards
the car before I was suddenly free and slipping to the ground as my
knees gave way under me, crashing to the asphalt beneath me.
Gripping the doorframe I pulled myself up and swayed slightly at
the dizziness, but the scene before me cleared my head
immediately.

Sean circled around Nathan, who stood as still as a
statue in the middle of the alley. Sean leered at me for a moment
before returning his gaze back to Nathan, looking him up and down
and laughing.

"Seriously, Kate? You'd do the little country boy
here and not me? Does he screw you like he screws his sheep? Do you
get on all fours for him?" he said, watching as Nathan's hands
closed and opened slowly. Nathan's eyes held mine, calm under the
tightness of his body.

"Stop it, Sean," I whispered.

I could tell Sean was trying to get a reaction from
Nathan. And as he circled, he moved closer and closer.

"Stop it? Why do you always say that, Kate? Do you
tell him that? When he kisses you? Do you tell him to stop? Is that
why you reek of him? Did he have a little roll in the hay with
you?" Sean taunted.

"Stop it, Sean! Please! It's not like that!" I cried
out, struggling to stand, only to cringe back against the car when
Sean rushed over to me, his face an inch from my own.

"It's not?" he hissed, forcing me to flinch away from
him. His hand moved lightning quick and caught my wrists in his
large hand, squeezing hard until I bowed over in pain.

"Let her alone. She has done nothing wrong.”

I was aware of Nathan beside us, and of Sean's body
tensing at his closeness.

Nathan's fingers slipped over my forearm like cool
water, wrapping around Sean’s fingers with determination. I felt
Sean's fingers tighten on me as Nathan's pried at them. All the
while Nathan seemed eerily calm, staring intently at the man who
held me captive.

"This is not how Kate should be treated, you are
hurting her," Nathan said, his voice low. Sean's eyes widened at
the statement.

"How would you know about Kate? She's mine. I'll do
what I want. Stay out of it!" he growled.

Nathan's hands never left me, even as Sean moved to
block him. I felt one vice give way, followed by a shove from Sean
as he continued to berate me. Nathan stood his ground, never
pushing back. He continued to work at releasing me from Sean’s
strong grip.

"She's a lousy lay, you know that? Cold and limp. Of
course I guess that's better than the farm animals you're used to.
She’s not even worth it. At least you can get something out of
livestock," Sean prodded.

Nathan remained where he was standing and looked down
at me, his face a mask of calm. But his eyes burned as he looked at
me. Anger and determination made that calm exterior fierce.
Something I had never seen in him before.

"Kate, you do not need to hear this. Wait for me by
my buggy. I will take you somewhere safe," Nathan was saying.

"You won't take her anywhere! She's going with me!"
Sean hissed and tried to grab me just as Nathan's fingers had pried
the last finger away.

I watched in horror as Sean pushed Nathan, Nathan
holding his own, as he stood there, solid against Sean's shove. It
frustrated Sean, his nostrils widening as he puffed out his chest
and moved towards Nathan once more. Sean was almost as tall as
Nathan, but he was definitely wider, having trained for so long
with football.