Page 80 of Jack

We say our goodbyes and I close up the shop. Between my two employees, Cam, and I, we get the cleaning done quickly enough.

He sees the girls out front and to their cars, before locking the door, then returning to the counter next to me.

“Lil, I will take these out back, while you cash out.”

“Sounds like a plan; thanks, Cam.”

He winks and walks into the kitchen.

Once I have the drawer from the register, I walk to my office to count up the cash. It is pleasing to see as much money as we took in today. I get lost in the counting, so much that I have no idea how much time has passed, as a chill makes its way down my spine.

“Cam,” I call out his name, but I am met with silence.

Picking up a ceramic candy apple, a gift from Tree and Kady, I exit my office, not liking the feeling that washes over my body. Stepping close to the back, I move into the kitchen, and I see feet on the floor and rush in and gasp. Tears fill my eyes seeing Cam on the floor unconscious, blood seeping from a wound on his head.

“Fucking got you, bitch,” I hear, as pain radiates through my skull, before everything goes black.

I blink, trying to push away the darkness that is at the forefront of my mind. My body is cold and on a hard surface. Shifting my body so I am sitting up, I lean against the wall behind me. Moaning as my head swims and my stomach roils, I fight back the vomit that is threatening to make an appearance.

“Where am I?” I whimper.

Bringing my hand to the back of my head, I wince at the pain. When I bring my hand to the front of my face, I see blood. I sob, tears flowing down my cheeks. What happened? Who did this? The questions flood my brain and only one person comes to mind.

Christopher.

‘Fucking got you, bitch,’ his voice echoes around my head, as I remember him saying it before he hit me.

“Lilith,” a pained voice startles me. “Thank God, you are awake.”

I squint against the dim light that is in the room that looks like a basement. One single window is high on the wall, but it seems to have been painted over.

Someone, a female body, is curled up in the corner. I see her blonde curly hair and another gasp slips from my lips.

“Vanessa?”

“Yeah. I am so sorry, Lilith.”

I push to my feet, wincing as the room spins, but I push through it to get to my cousin. When I stumble closer, I see why she sounded like she was in pain. Her face is black and blue. One eye is swollen shut, and blood coats one side of her face and head.

“Oh, cousin.” Everything she has done to me over the years fades away as I see how badly she has been beaten.

Her top has been torn in half from her body, and there are bruises and scratch marks on her skin.

“Christopher did this. God, I am so stupid to believe that he was different with me. I am so sorry, Lil. Please forgive me.”

“Why did he do this, Vanessa?”

She scoffs, but it ends in a cough.

“He didn’t like that you had moved on from him. So he would come home from work angry. It started with a slap here and there, his words also hurt just as much. He was always telling me that I was nothing like you, and when I brought up that he cheated on you— I mean, why would he, if you were so special —he hit me so hard, he knocked a tooth loose, and I woke up hours later.” She sobs.

“Oh, Vanessa. He is unhinged. I wish he would just leave me alone, but clearly his ego got in the way. But he has never been violent with me.”

Gently drying her face with the sleeve of my top, I gasp as the door swings open and my suspicion that it was my ex who did this to me is confirmed.

“Well, look who decided to wake up.” His voice sounds like what I am used to.

It is deeper, more devilish, and it makes my body scream with the need to escape. This can’t end well for me or my cousin.

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