Page 42 of Coty

I need to do something to get Kira and me out of this awkward moment. “I’ll make coffee.”

Her phone rings as I walk into the kitchen. “Hey, C. C., how’s your night?” She’s quiet for a moment. “What? You’re what?”

Someone knocks loudly on the front door. An eerie feeling comes over me. Kira thinks nothing of it and rushes to the door. I pause, pouring the water into the coffee maker.

“C.C.!”

She sounds happy, so I go back to making the coffee. Well, I wanted to meet the fiancé. Now that he’s here, I’d rather not.

“What? No. That’s not true,” Kira cries.

“You ungrateful piece of trash!” a man yells.

“No, Cory. Don’t,” Kira pleads.

What in the world is going on? The sound of a slap comes from the living room. Kira wails in pain. The slap comes again. That’s not a hand. It’s a belt. I knock the bag of coffee over on the counter in my haste to get to the living room. What I find horrifies me and pisses me off at the same time.

Cory has Kira trapped in a corner. She’s crouched down on the floor with her arms over her head. Her cries and pleas don’t faze him. He swings the belt back again, and I spring into action. I run across the room and cover Kira with my body. I cry out when the leather makes contact with my back. I nudge Kira to the side just before the belt strikes my back again. I hear my friend scream. Words don’t register. I can’t make out what they’re saying. It’s like I’m in a tunnel. All I feel is the sting of another strike.

Among Kira’s screams, something crashes. Her screams stop, and she’s there. “Kayla. Oh, Kayla. Are you okay?”

“Kira,” I croak out her name and wince when she places her hand on my back.

“Sorry.”

“Kira, what happened? Where is he?”

She takes my arm and carefully helps me to my feet. Her hand flies up to cover her mouth as she cries harder. “I think I killed him.”

I’m scared to turn around, but I do. Cory is lying face down on the floor. There’s blood on the carpet. A shattered lamp lies next to him.

“What do we do?” She wails louder.

I grab her shoulders and shake her hard. She snaps out of it for a moment.

“Go. Shove a couple of outfits into a bag. We’re getting out of here.”

“What about him?” She looks past me to Cory.

“We’ll make an anonymous 911 call once we’re on the road.” I nudge her toward her room. “Go now. Only grab what you need, and fast.”

Thankfully, she listens. I grab my things as quickly as I can. Within ten minutes, we’re on the road to Willow Creek. An hour into the drive, I know I need help and make a call.

“Kayla, are you okay? Where have you been?” Lily asks.

“Nope, not okay. I need your help.”

Lily shifts like she’s sitting up. “Okay. What do you need?”

"We need a nurse." It’s a good thing my friend is one. “Can you meet us at my apartment?”

“I can’t leave club property right now. You come to the guest house. I’ll let the guard know you’re on the way.”

“Why can’t you leave?” Yeah, Jack’s protective, but this sounds like something more.

“I’ll tell you when you get here.”

“Okay. I need another favor.”

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