Page 59 of The Sting of Love
“My dear Willow. I have two daughters, and I know exactly what to say when I get an answer like that,” he states in a matter-of-fact tone that grates me. “Now, sit down and eat up. I won’t have my son bitching at me if he comes back and discovers his woman hasn’t eaten.”
“I’m not his woman,” I snap, and he quirks a brow.
“That’s not a discussion I’m going to have with you.Eat.” He looks visibly tired of me. That will work in my favor.
Unlike yesterday when I served myself, he serves me the eggs and a bit of everything. There’s too much food on the plate, more than what I’d normally select. When he finishes his selection, he gives me a piercing stare, daring me to say something. I don’t but only because I know I’ll probably need the food if everything goes to plan.
“Where is Donny?” I ask. That’s the last thing I need to know. I need daylight, and if he’s coming back today, I need to head out before he gets back. I need to have as much of the daylight on my side as possible, and pray I can get far, far away.
“Working. He’ll be here today at some point,” he answers.
“What time?”
“I don’t know. You don’t have to worry about that, unless you need him for something else.” He tilts his head to the side, and I frown.
“No, I don’t.” I don’t need either of them.
I look away from him and start eating. I finish off the food as quickly as I can then excuse myself. Armand barely looks at me as I leave. He served lunch just after one yesterday and didn’t come to see me until then, so I figure I’ll be free of him for the next few hours. I just have to hope that Donny doesn’t come back any time soon.
If I’m going to leave, it has to happen now.
I draw in a deep sigh as I rush back into my room. The first thing I do is place the dresser in front of the door. It was really heavy, but I managed to slide it across without making too much noise. It helps that there’s carpet in this room. If the floor were marble like the rest of the house, the noise would have alerted Armand.
With that done, I grab a chair and undo the curtains from the windows. I twine them into a series of knots like macramé making sure they’re strong enough to hold my weight.
Once I finish I secure the end to the grilled bars outside the window. Those are the strongest fixtures to hold everything together. Hope fills my heart when I test out the strength by pulling down hard and it feels like it will work. I just need to be able to get down safely. The rest will be me trying to get across to the beach. That should hopefully be easier.
This is it. It’s now or never.
Pulling in a deep breath I lift myself up onto the window bay. Donny comes into my mind as I gaze ahead, and I hate that I think of him in any shape or form. I shouldn’t, and once again, I curse myself that I got it wrong. What I hate, though, is that I still feel something for him. I still have those strong feelings, and I need to forget them.
I need to remember three things: I don’t know him, I can’t trust him, and he’s dangerous. Those are enough reasons for me to attempt this terrifying escape.
I use the bars to help me get through the window and balance on the ledge, then hold on to my roped curtains to start my descent.
Jesus, it’s starting to rain, and the fucking clouds are darkening like there’s going to be a damn storm.
It’s colder too, very unlike the beach near Lurlene’s house and more like somewhere colder. Like a much colder country.
I make the mistake of looking down, and shit… the drop is definitely further than twenty feet. The curtains barely make it past fifteen feet, and that’s just a guess. I’ll have to freefall the rest of the way and hope I don’t slip off the rocks.
This is it. I start to pant and slow my breathing to steady me. I breathe in and out, and just as I’m about to step off the ledge, I hear it. A knock on the door.
Shit. It’s Armand. He’s gonna know soon enough that I’m not in the room.Jesus… I’ve gotten this far. I’m outside. I can’t give up. Not now.
I position myself and step off the ledge, gripping the curtains as tightly as I can so I don’t fall.
It holds, but I know from the minimal strength in it that it won’t support me for long.
More knocking comes, and the sound pierces through me, along with fear and the wind. I press my feet to the smooth wall and slowly ease myself down. Down I go, as steadily as I can against the shaking in my hands and my soul.
I can’t hear the knocking anymore. What I hear is the clash of the sea against the rocks as the storm in the distance stirs the waters. The waves roll in, and it’s then I notice the tide beginning to rise over the area I hoped to cross. I can just about see the tops of the rocks and the beach.
I slide down the curtains and get to the end, where I hang suspended in the air. It’s so far down. I know I’m going to hurt myself, but I’m not ready to accept yet that this was a bad idea.
I think of Lurlene and how much she means to me. I think of how close we’ve always been and how grateful I’ve been to have her in my life, especially during all the rough times. She was always there for me, and now I have to be there for her too.
That thought fills me with courage, and I let go of the curtain. I fall, and even though I try to bend my knees to ease the impact, I fall hard and hit the mass of rocks below. I scream from the pain that shoots up my legs, and blood covers my knees. The salty sea water washing over me stings the cuts and soaks me.
