For one brief shining moment, I felt true happiness once again.
CHAPTER 14
Libby
I closed the door to my bedroom behind me and leaned against it for a brief moment. The day was grinding to a close and nothing in the world sounded better to me at that moment then climbing into that comfortable looking bed. Well, except for a nice, hot shower. That was definitely calling my name first. Followed by a glass of wine. I was certain I could swing that, but I hadn’t brought the bottle or the glass into my bedroom with me, and I was not going back downstairs to get it.
Maybe I could order it from Mason, like room service. I laughed at my musings. After all, this place was big enough to be a five-star hotel, right?
I couldn’t get over the majestic size and beauty of it. Several families could live there for years without running into each other.
Leaning against the door I pushed back into a nice stretch accompanied by a perfect yawn. I could have just laid down in the bed right then and slept for a few days, but I felt a bit dirty. And that hot shower did sound great.
I removed my clothes and glanced at my body in the elegant, full length mirror in the corner of the room. It reminded me of the one at my place, only obviously much more expensive and well-made. I wondered what was left of my home right now. Were the cops there? Were they looking for me? I would have to answer some difficult questions, I was sure, unless…
Maybe the Scarlucci’s were such pros that they would have already cleaned everything up and silenced the neighbors with hush money. I had no real knowledge of how they operated or what kind of elaborate systems they had set up.
As I started to go into the bathroom I decided that I should call Marla and tell her what happened. I was just reaching for my phone when I had a second thought. What if by calling her I inadvertently put her in danger or tipped of the wrong person to my whereabouts. I was becoming increasingly paranoid, but I held onto it. My paranoia might just have been the thing that was keeping me safe.
I put my phone down on the nightstand beside the bed and walked into the bathroom.
The shower felt amazing. It was by far the largest shower I’d ever been in. It was entirely made out of marble. The door was strong glass and there were two different shower heads at opposite ends of the shower. They were also angled straight down, which I found a bit cumbersome at first, but after a few minutes decided that it was actually very enjoyable.
The warm water washed over my body as I stood there, soaking it all in. I slowly nudged the dial warmer and warmer, letting my skin get used to it until a steady fog of steam began to rise all around me. I inhaled it deeply, trying to completely relax from the inside out.
My muscles were sore, both from being tense for most of the day, and from jumping around on my hardwood floor during the shootout at my home just hours earlier. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to get over such a thing, if I ever would. I was holding on pretty well, at least keeping myself from bursting into tears constantly. But standing there in the shower I felt my grip loosening. I was alone, but I was safe. I was being comforted, and my body was thanking me with good feelings
But my mind was shattered. I’d almost been killed. Evil men had come to my home and tried to murder me. Most people never had that experience. I never in a million years thought that I would either.
Then it happened.
I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I buried my face in my hands and let the tears flow. The sound of my anguish was pleasantly drowned out by the drizzle of the shower. Within minutes I found myself slumped down in the middle of the shower, on my knees, the hot water pouring over my head and rolling down my face, my chest, and my back. It was cleansing me, removing the pain of the day away from me.
My fear, my worries—everything that had led up to those pivotal moments today were all pouring out my body right then. It was a sweet catharsis. I needed it more than I realized.
Thankfully, I’d held it back from Mason. I didn’t want him to know exactly how scared I was. I’ve always been that way. I hide emotions from people. I’m not sure when that started or where it came from, but it’s something I’ve always done.
I’d buried my feelings far away for the entire day, almost forgetting what had happened completely. How did that happen? It was there, drifting along in the back of my mind.