Page 124 of Heartstruck at Dawn
They were Mimi’s.
Thomas wore one of those long-sleeved, button-down fishing shirts with jeans. It was black and oversized. I’d never seen him wearing that kind of shirt before.
As I evaluated my situation and the alternatives I had to either get out of here or ask for help, William started playing the song I loved on the piano. The one he usually played. That meant he couldn’t hear anything happening in my bedroom anymore.
I quickly realized there was nothing much I could do but make a run for the panic button. It was now or never. So I dashed toward my nightstand, but Thomas gripped my arm tightly and tossed me on my bed like a rag doll. He pinned me down, clutching my wrists beside my head.
“Where’s Mimi? What did you do to her?” I demanded, wriggling under his weight, but he had me pinned down good.
“I didn’t want things to end this way. All I want is to talk to you. But I can’t let you press that button,” he said with a calm voice, which was even more disturbing. “Remember, I was here when they installed them. All four of them.” He sighed. “Let me explain. I know you’ll feel differently afterward.”
“Whereis she,” I insisted, trying to move my arms with no success. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if anything happened to Mimi because of me.
“She’ll be asleep till Sunday, probably. That depends on the dose Nicholas decided to use on her.”
I kept twisting under Thomas’s grasp without much success in getting him off me as I said through my teeth, “I swear if anything happens to her—”
Thomas released one of my hands and slapped my face. Hard. I could feel my skin burning where he struck me. “That’s for cheating on me,” he said, holding my hand back down after I tried shoving him away. “I heard your conversation with William just now. All of it. Iknewyou two had something going on behind my back.”
“Inevercheated on you. I swear.” Involuntary tears streamed down my face. “Ilovedyou! You were the one who pushed me away. You lied to me and kept things from me. You hurt me! Many times. Just like you’re doing right now.”
He sighed. “I’m willing to forgive you for it. But I need you to stay calm, okay?” He stared into my eyes, nodding, but tightened his grip on me. “Can I trust you, babe?”
I pressed my lips tightly and whimpered. My wrists were about to pop. I could feel my bones grinding against each other. It was best to stop trying to fight him off.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his eyes still trained on my face as if analyzing my every gesture. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just need to talk to you. That’s all I’ve ever been trying to do.
“I didn’t have proof. That’s why I couldn’t tell you when we were together. But I do now. It’s all inside that envelope. We can make him pay for what he did—together. I just need you to calm down and promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay? Let me explain.”
“Okay—yes.Yes. Let’s talk, but you need to let go of me. You’re hurting me,” I said softly and trying to smile, hoping to sound convincing. But his grip remained the same. Firm. Crushing. “You need to let me go. M-my wrists.” I didn’t know whohimwas. But my first guess went to his father. He was the reason for all of Thomas’s traumas.
He stared at me, probably trying to decipher my level of honesty. “Thomas, please,” I begged in between pants, as the slow and painful grating of my wrist bones threatened to become cracks in seconds.
Thomas softened his grip on me, careful not to let go of me completely. He seemed undecided, as if he were fighting against an impulse to doubt me.
I slowly bent my knees behind him.I can do this.Nathan had taught me three basic Krav Maga self-defense techniques. We used to practice this one a lot when we were in bed, which was very often.
But Nathanneverheld me as tight as Thomas was doing right now. Even as Thomas softened his hold, it was still painful.
Hehadto soften his grip on me some more for me to try the maneuver. I only had one shot at it. One shot, and if I missed, I wouldn’t be able to gain back his trust.
“Thomas, hey. Let’s talk, okay?” I actually smiled. “You’re going to have to let go of me at some point. Please, babe, come on.”
Thomas’s eyes were filled with pain. And hope. He believed me, I could see it in his eyes, and I felt like I could throw up any second now. I was disgusted by him but mostly terrified of those eyes and how they changed so much from the last time I saw him.
“Babe, I miss you,” he said, finally releasing me.
Ow! I swallowed back the pain and nodded with a smile.
He cupped my face and brought his face closer to mine. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You need to understand. I—please forgive me.”
Thomas kissed my cheek, and I closed my eyes, making sure I didn’t shut them too hard to seem disturbed. He kissed my forehead, my nose, and finally … my lips. They smelled and tasted like alcohol. He didn’t seem drunk, but he had something to drinkfor sure.
“God, I missed you.” He kept going, placing kisses all over my face. I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t put up with this any longer.Himon top of me—kissing me. He held my wrists again. Shit. He wasn’t hurting me, but I guess he wanted to have control over me, just in case. “I can’t live without you, babe,” he said with despair, almost a prayer.
I took a deep breath and said, “Then why are you still breathing?” I extended my left hand to the side and thrusted my hips upward to flip him. He was now on his back, and I landed on my knees. I immediately punched him in the groin with my free hand, just like Nathan taught me.
He cursed, cupping his crotch with one hand, but he crushed my right wrist when I tried to slip away from him.
