Steven grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. He hugged her.
“They did that to you?” he asked, and she nodded her head as she cried against his chest. She heard Mason curse behind her.
“Baby, we would never hurt you. We wouldn’t force ourselves on you,” Mason stated firmly. She pulled from Steven.
“There’s nothing going on between us so it doesn’t matter. I’ve never…existed in your eyes.”
She walked out of the room and into the living room.
She moved near the window, unable to see in the darkness and with her mind consumed by too many emotions.
“We need to talk, Sally,” Steven stated as he entered the room. Mason was behind him.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’ll be fine. As soon as Monte gets here, I want y
ou both to leave. Just leave me alone.”
* * * *
Sally remained in her room most of the week. Garret and Keiffer were arrested on Wednesday. Alexa informed her that Keiffer had a broken nose and Sally was glad that at least she had gotten that shot in on him. The sheriff had told her that Garret and Keiffer didn’t even know that the police were looking for them. They told the police that Sally wanted to play rough. They went as far as saying that Sally and Keiffer and Garret planned the little act because Sally was into some kinky stuff. In a fit of anger and disgust with their audacity to make up such lies, Sally cried out in exasperation and anger. Susanna, Ava, Elise, Juliet, and Paula all helped Alexa to calm Sally down. Sally was planning on heading back to work on Thursday. Her lips looked a lot better and her wrist wasn’t so sore anymore. The only thing that looked bad was the bruised cheekbone. It was now an ugly discolored yellow. She also came to realize that her words rang true. Garret and Keiffer were going to get away with this, and there was nothing Sally could do about it.
She was sitting at the island in the kitchen comprising a list of the people who called that were interested in performing during open mic night on Friday. She heard her cell phone ring and answered it. It was another young woman interested in performing. She jotted down her name and gave her a time from the list. There were only two more slots opened.
Her phone rang again. “Hello.”
“I missed you, sexy. Been thinking about you for days.”
She swallowed hard as the sound of Garret’s voice came over the line.
“Go to hell.” She began to hang up the phone.
“Don’t hang up. I just want to remind you that I’m not finished with you. Keiffer and I have plans for you, sexy, and if you don’t cooperate, some of your little friends might just happen to fall upon some bad luck. Get my drift?”
“Don’t threaten me. The cops know about you. They know what type of creep you really are. You’re in jail. How are you calling me?”
“Lawyer got me out. The cops know what kinky shit you and your friends are into. You should’ve heard them talking about your ass and those big tits of yours. It pissed me off, especially, since you’re mine. Now, I can focus on you again. You and me, sexy. Real soon, I’m gonna come visit again. I want to see that pretty face.”
“Go to hell!” she yelled then disconnected the call.
Her hands were shaking, her entire body was, and she couldn’t stop the fear and concern running through her veins. The sound of the front door opening then closing frightened her. Garret was a big man. His muscular chest and weight-lifter build had drawn her attention to him immediately. But, now she knew he could use his strength against her. He was trying to get under her skin and it was working. She jumped then tried to relax before whoever entered would see her concern. Elise threw her bags down on the counter. She had black smudges on her cheeks and her jeans had some grease or something on them.
“What happened to you?” Sally asked.
“Oh, I ran into town really quick and don’t you know it, I got a damn flat tire. I just bought new tires a few weeks ago. The mechanic in town had no idea how it could have happened.”
Sally immediately felt her gut clench. She recalled Garret’s threats to her friends. She tried to ignore the sensation. Her mind was playing tricks on her. It had to be coincidental.
“How did you get the grease on you?”
“I was trying to change the damn tire myself and the jack was broken, but I didn’t know that until I already undid the lug nuts. I could have gotten seriously injured. I was stranded on Farmer’s Pass. No cell service, no one coming or going for a while. I was getting nervous when Mason drove up in his big black SUV. Thank God Mason was driving by. He helped me. He’s really nice, Sally.”
Sally was half paying attention now. Her mind was on the phone call as she stared at her cell lying on the counter.
“Sally?” Elise said her name and then her cell rang. Sally jumped.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. So Mason helped you. Good.”