Page 16 of Possessive CEO

My limbs begin to shake and I almost drop the tray. My stomach feels rock hard, like I just swallowed several stones. I walk to the employees’ room and find it empty. Sitting on one of the couches, I clench and unclench my clammy fists. This can’t be. It’s not possible. Why is she back in our old house? The one Ethan took us away from?

“Why are you there, Mel?” I whisper, trying to fight off a wave of dizziness.

“Please, Em. Just come.”

Click.

I dial her number but she must have turned it off. What’s happening? Why is she there? Didn’t she know Janus could come back and hurt us? They were safe in the apartment.

Quickly, I take off my apron and hat and grab my wallet. I run outside as I dial Ethan’s number, but it goes to voicemail, so I rush to tell him, “Hi. I’m going to the old house. Mel called me saying there’s an emergency, so I have to go get her. Call me as soon as you can.”

The travel time is way longer, and it takes me more than an hour. The neighborhood doesn’t look any safer in the morning, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It was the only one that could fit our budget. And it was within walking distance of Mel’s school.

The taxi drops me off and I almost wince at how much I paid him. I would have been crying for that amount if I was still working at the old cafe. Standing in front of our old house doesn’t stir any nostalgic feelings. We lived here for a year, but I was more than glad to pack our bags and leave.

This was never home to me. It was just a place we stayed in because we didn’t have much choice.

In the distance, I hear yelling and someone breaking something. Someone’s kid is crying.

Sighing, I walk slowly inside, hearing that familiar creak in our porch with each footfall.

The door is ajar, so I step inside and close it. “Mel? I’m here.”

When I turn around, I freeze as I come face to face with my mother’s ex-boyfriend, Janus. He’s just as disgusting as I remember. My gaze is fixed on the man who has caused me so much pain and trauma.

Time has not been kind to him. In the year that I haven’t seen him, he’s looking worse for wear. His eyes hold a hollow emptiness, his hair unkempt and disheveled, like he hasn’t washed it in months. His smelly clothes hang loosely on his frame. When he smiles, whatever teeth are left are rotting.

“How ya been doin’, Em? You look good. Like a million bucks,” he chortles but it ends in a coughing fit.

“What the fuck is this, Janus? What are you doing? Mel? Are you okay?”

My 12-year-old sister is standing behind him, still wearing her school clothes, with an open backpack on her feet. He must have rummaged through it, looking for something of value. Something he can sell.

Mel is crying. “I’m sorry, Em. He waited for me in the corner of my school and forced me inside his car. I’m so sorry!”

Glaring at Janus, I say through gritted teeth, “Since when did you buy a car?”

“Since I told my boys I can make millions in a week.”

Dread twists in my gut, turning my blood cold and causing the tingling in my fingers. I want to throw up. I know what he’s planning. This bastard!

“Where’s that billionaire boyfriend of yours?”

I scream and almost launch myself at him, but then, he takes out a gun and points it at Mel. All this time, he still knows how to get a rise out of me. Fresh terror rears up within me, and I stay rooted to the spot. Mel is shaking like a leaf, tears streaming down her face.

“See, I was just out with my buddies, right? Drinking, having some fun. Then Mike comes runnin’. Remember him? Tall, big guy bigger than a door frame? Yeah, he was with me while I’s chasin’ you afore. Knew what you look like. He shows something to my face, but I’m coked out of my mind, right? So I says, “What is this, asshole?” And he says, “Look closer.” And I did. Damn good I did.”

He coughs again and spits out the phlegm. “Then, whaddya know? It’s you! Lookin’ all glamorous and rich, walking beside this guy. We did a search and found he’s a billionaire. Hot damn, Em! Dunno what ya did to land a guy like him, but ya did well and good. Well and good.”

Janus backs to the wall and sits down so he can face both me and Mel. I take this chance to run to her and give her a hug. “It’s okay, Mel. Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you,” I whisper to her.

He hears it and laughs so hard that he almost falls from the chair. “Ethan Ericks…No, Erick-sumthin. That his name, right? Shit. Even his name sounds rich. Doesn’t take much to track your sister, though. Ya didn’t transfer her to another school, which is well and good. Well and good.”

God, he’s unhinged. I’ve always known he’s batshit crazy, but he needs to be locked up.

Mel and I both jump when someone knocks on the door. Janus beams and walks slowly to open it. “We got company, girls.”

This must be the guy he was talking about. He looks like someone who played football in high school. He fills the doorframe and has to crouch a little. They talk in hushed whispers, and I know nothing good will come out of it. I need to find a way to escape.

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