Surrendering (Surrender 1)

The doorbell rings, but by the time I get to the door, there’s no one there. There’s just a package addressed to Declan leaning against the wall. I put it on the coffee table. I hear the garage door going up and then down as Declan opens the door to the house.

“Hey, babe, I’m in the kitchen cleaning.”

He lays the grocery bags on the table and we start unloading them. He smirks when he sees the 409. He’s probably thinking about our midnight romp last night that had my bare ass on the counter.

“Did you see anyone leaving when you drove in?”

“Not that I noticed, why?”

“There was a package delivered to you not two minutes before you came in.”

I motion to the box in the living room and he goes to open it. It’s a DVD.

He puts it in the player and starts the movie. The quality is shitty, but you can totally make out the two bodies fucking against a wall. Heavy metal plays in the background as the scenes change on the screen. It’s evident that each new scene is the same man having sex with different women. I gasp when I see the familiar tattoo on the guy’s arm. The environment changes with each new partner, but it’s clearly Declan. After the fifth girl, I scream at him to turn it off. I run to the closest bathroom and throw up. He leans down next to me, holding back my hair.

“What the hell was that?” I scream.

“I think you know,” he answers quietly.

“Who the fuck would send that to you? Do you even know all those girls’ names?”

“No, I don’t. And I have no idea who sent it. I never knew we were being filmed.”

“There was more than one girl, Declan. It was several girls at several different places. Were you being followed?”

“Apparently I was. But you have to believe me, all of that stopped in July. Nothing on that video is recent.”

“Oh my God! What if we’ve been followed? What if someone was watching us? We have to see the rest of it.” I’m hysterical now.

“I don’t think you need to see anymore at all. Why don’t you let me watch it and then I can tell you if we’re anywhere on it?”

“I actually think that’s a better idea.” I lean into him and let him rub my back. I feel empty. When I’m sure I’m not going to be sick again, he lifts me up and carries me to the bed to lie down.

Declan goes back to the other room to watch the video. The low music of the DVD seeps through the door and all I can do is cry and hope that we’re not going to be showcased on it.

A few minutes later, Declan comes back with a resolved look on his face. He sits next to me and hugs me tightly.

“The good news is we are nowhere on the DVD.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“This is a blatant threat. I need to hire an investigator tomorrow.”

“Why?”

He’s quiet for a minute, probably thinking of a way to lie to me about whatever it is. I shake my head, letting him know I won’t tolerate any secrets.

He sighs, “The end of the video has a note in deep red ink saying I need to break up with you. I think you’re in danger.”

WHAT THE FUCK! “You have to be kidding me.”

“Nope.”

I swallow; I’m scared of his reaction. “Are you going to break up with me now?”

He looks at me horrified, “Raven, you are not some fly by night hook-up. Whoever this is must not know too much about us. Three nights ago, you agreed to be my wife. That means vows, a honeymoon, babies, diapers, graduations, grandkids, and everything else that comes with marriage. No one is going to take that away from me. How could you even ask that?”

“I’m sorry; I panicked.”