Safe at Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 1) Page 24

  “Thanks for letting me know.” Spencer hung up. “There’s no one over there right now.” He pulled on his jacket. “Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”

  “Yes, go over and make sure things are okay. Besides, Jake will be here soon and I’ve had an epidural now. Should be smooth sailing.” Her smile looked forced.

  Spencer turned with one hand on the door. “Try to relax. I’m sure I’m overreacting.”

  Ann nodded and then Spencer took off. He wished he believed what he’d said.

  The rain made it hard to hear anything else. She couldn’t tell what was happening in the house anymore. Where was he? Still downstairs? Had he made his way up? There was no way to know. She inched her hand toward one of the boxes and tried to feel what was inside to see if anything could be used as a weapon. She kept hitting paper junk and somehow didn’t think old programs and ticket stubs were going to do her much good.

  If he found her, it would be over, but unlike two years ago, she had something to live for now. She couldn’t just roll over. She needed to fight. Or at least try. Her fear was still there, but her survival instincts were kicking in. She moved from sitting on her butt to a crouching position with utmost care. He was much stronger than her, but maybe if she had the element of surprise it would help. About that time, her hand closed over an old trophy. She wished more than ever she still had a bat, but it was something at least.

  He knew she was in the house. The TV was on and her phone kept buzzing on the table. She couldn’t be far. He walked over to the TV and flipped it onto the floor, then he crushed her phone under his boot. Oh and wasn’t that sweet, a Christmas tree. He pulled it over and knocked the books off of the shelves. Seeing her precious things destroyed gave him a certain amount of satisfaction, but it did nothing to calm the rage brewing inside him. He reached around to his back and slid the knife out of his belt.

  “Samantha, it’s time to come out now.”

  She started at the crashing sounds that were coming from downstairs. At the same time, she heard a noise from the attic. Her eyes flicked to the ceiling. What was he doing up there? Be quiet, Alex, please, she thought. Then it became quiet. There was no more noise from either direction. The eerie silence was back and it was almost worse. The anticipation, the feeling of being hunted, it was almost more than she could bear. Part of her wanted to scream and jump out and say here I am just to end the waiting, but she wasn’t suicidal.

  The top step gave its familiar squeak. He was upstairs now, but his feet didn’t cross by the door. She continued to watch for shadows. He was heading toward her room. More crashing sounded form the opposite end of the hall. She heard glass break, loud thuds and doors slamming, then nothing. It was a small house. Only one more place he could search.

  She broke out into a cold sweat all over her body and her hands began to shake. Adrenaline flooded her system, the taste of copper on her tongue. The shadow from his boots darkened the area at the bottom of the door and then it swung open. He flipped the light on and there was a pause while he looked around the mostly bare room. He walked over to the closet, put his hand on the door and yanked, but instead of catching her by surprise, she surprised him. She sprang at him like a cat, swinging out with the trophy. It flew through the air in an arc, hitting his knife hand and then striking his face. The cheap gold plastic broke against his chin and left a cut along his cheek in the process.

  “Stupid bitch,” he exploded, grabbing at his face.

  She ran for the door, but she wasn’t fast enough. He kicked her in the back and sent her head first into the opposite hallway wall where she hit with a thud. She scrambled to her hands and knees and began to crawl down the stairs. Her back throbbed with every movement.

  He started down the stairs and grabbed the back of her shirt lifting her just enough to throw her the rest of the way down the stairs. The impact jarred her to the core and she hurt her wrist, but she was conscious. She had to keep moving. The further from Alex the better. She didn’t want him to hear her scream or find her body. She tried to stand, but it was pointless, he was on top of her before she could make any progress. He straddled her back and grabbed her by her hair, slamming her face into the floor.

  An explosion of pain fanned across her face as her nose broke and black began to swim at the corners of her vision. She tasted blood on her lips and knew if she didn’t act fast, she was going to die right there at the base of the stairs. He grabbed her hair again and she whimpered, fearing he would slam her face into the floor again. Instead, he hauled her to her feet and dragged her over to the chair where he shoved her down. He stood in front of her, glaring down with a sick half smile and blood smearing one side of his face.

  “Hello there, Samantha,” he said, putting extra emphasis on her name. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” He retrieved his knife and examined it while he spoke.

  This was the first time she’d come face to face with him in years. Before this moment she’d begun to wonder if she’d built up how scary he was in her mind, but when she dared to look up at his face, she saw a raw hate in his eyes that was terrifying. He hated her in a way there was no coming back from.

  “Nice place you have here. It’s such a shame it’s been wasted on someone like you.” He stopped speaking and backhanded her.

  Blood flew from her face and stars shone behind her eyes.

  “Where’s your boyfriend tonight, Samantha? Out with another one of his whores?”

  She stared back at him as she held her face and tears swam in her eyes.

  “What? You don’t want to talk? No begging for your life? No stammering about how it wasn’t your fault?”

  She kept quiet. She knew anything she said would be wrong and there was no way to stop what was coming. An icy calm came over her. Her face and back throbbed, but she was thankful Spencer wasn’t there and Alex was okay. It was just her and Eric. He took a step toward her and made the mistake of getting within her kicking range. She didn’t waste the opportunity. She kicked out with all her strength and went straight for his knee.

  A sickening crack sounded as his knee bent at an unnatural angle and he hit the floor gasping for breath. “You stupid bitch,” he screamed, but she was already moving for the back door.

  The front was no use. There was no time to deal with the chain and the dead bolt and the Christmas tree was blocking her path. She braced herself on the wall as she went, fighting the dizziness threatening to pull her under. The door was still hanging open where Eric came through. She cried out when glass sliced into her feet, but she had to keep moving. She could hear him coming from the other room. Stumbling and panting as he dragged his bad leg. She stepped out into the rain and headed for the fence. If she could get to the street, she might be okay. But in reality, she knew it wouldn’t really save her, but she had to try. The police would be back soon. If she could hide and wait it out.

  She heard his heavy boots hit the porch as she stepped off, a little unsteady now without having the railing for support.

  “Get back here, Samantha,” he spat. “You can’t get away from me. There’s no one there for you. You’re alone. No one would dare help a murderer like you. A child murderer.”

  She tried to ignore his voice as she went through the gate, but it was hard. The dark and the rain were adding to her disorientation. She paused to blink the water from her eyes and then he slammed into her back, knife first. She screamed, stumbled and landed on her knees. She crawled through the wet grass, her hair hanging in wet tendrils around her face. She made it to the front yard and then he grabbed her ankle.

  He pulled her back and she could feel him breathing on her neck even through the rain. He flipped her over and she clawed his face where she’d already cut him. It earned her another backhand, but he dropped his knife to hold his face. He reached for her neck and began to squeeze. She tried to grab at his hands to pry them off, but they were too slippery, she couldn’t get a grip. She kicked and fought, but she knew there was no be
ating him. He was too strong.

  “Shit,” Spencer yelled. He threw the phone onto the seat next to him. He rounded the corner for Sam’s street and saw someone running. “Oh my God, Alex.” He hit the brakes and the truck slid to a stop.

  With a hand raised over his eyes, he jumped out and into the rain. He ran to Alex and gathered him close. “What’s happened? Alex, what’re you doing out here?”

  “Uncle Spencer. There’s a man.” Alex gasped between breaths. “He was shouting at Sam and she made me hide, but I climbed through the window.”

  Spencer lifted Alex and jogged back to the truck while consoling him, but he could barely breathe. He put it in gear and drove like a madman the rest of the way down the street and then slammed on the brakes. He saw that bastard on top of her in the beam of his lights. She wasn’t moving.

  “Stay in the truck, lock the doors and call 911.” He jumped out of the truck and sprinted across the lawn.

  Eric placed most of his weight on one leg and then stood up with a grunt in time for Spencer to tackle him. Spencer pinned Eric on his back and straddling him, began to punch him repeatedly in the face. He kept picturing Sam scared, Jenny all beat up, the look on Betsy’s face when she stood worrying about Earl, and he snapped. He hit him until Eric quit fighting. Quit moving.

  “Spencer,” Sam whispered. “Please, stop.” She tried to reach for him, but she could barely lift her arm. “Spencer, please.” Something in her voice broke through the red haze of anger. Spencer crawled to her, relief washing through him.

  He put his arms around her and lifted her so he could hug her, but she cried out and went slack in his arms. “Sam, oh my God, Sam.” He could feel the warm blood on her back. Red and blue lights shone in the distance, but Spencer couldn’t stop looking at Sam’s face. It was bloody and bruised. He’d almost been too late.

  “Stop right there,” someone shouted.

  Spencer looked up and saw a police officer pointing a gun in their direction and then turned to see Eric coming at him with a knife. A gunshot rang out. Eric seemed to freeze where he stood and then he crumbled to the ground. Spencer gathered Sam to his chest and held her. “Don’t you leave me, Samantha. Don’t you dare leave me.”

  Epilogue

  It was strange to be back. Her bruises were mostly faded and her back only gave her a little trouble, luckily the stitches would be out soon. The last couple of weeks with her parents had been good ones. Her mother cooked everything she loved and her father hugged her as if he was afraid to let go.

  It was time to say goodbye to her old life on her terms, not out of fear. Seeing her city, didn’t stir the same emotions for her anymore. She would always have a soft spot for Chicago, but it didn’t feel like home. Her family was no longer there, her friends had all moved on with their lives and there was no Spencer.

  She missed him with every breath she took. She hoped he would be able to forgive her when she returned. She knew she shouldn’t have left the way she did, but she also knew this was something she needed to do on her own. Spencer had barely left her side.

  Her drive out to the cemetery where Denise was buried wasn’t a long one. The air was crisp and the light snowfall was already beginning to melt. She found the grave without much trouble. It was silent except for the light crunch of her boots on the ground. It was strange how just a few weeks ago the quiet would have made her nervous, but not anymore.

  “Denise, I am so sorry for what happened to you.” Sam crouched to the ground. “I miss you every day. I wanted to be the one to tell you that he’s gone. It’s finally over.”

  “Have you heard from her?” Jake glanced at Spencer from the driver’s seat of the truck.

  “You mean since she disappeared from the hospital? No.” Spencer turned his head and went back to staring out the window. “Maybe she missed home more than I thought.” He tapped his healed knuckles on the glass. “I was stupid to think she would stay here.”

  “She’ll be back, Spence.”

  “What makes you so sure?” He didn’t look at his brother for fear he’d see how scared he really was that she wasn’t coming back.

  “All her stuff is still in the house. She probably just needed some time.”

  “I guess,” he said. “So, what is it you need me to help you do this morning?”

  “I thought we could stop by the hardware store and then I thought you could go with me to Sam’s house and put it back together.”

  Spencer’s head snapped up and he stared at Jake.

  Jake shrugged. “Someone needs to fix the back door. The temporary fix isn’t going to last forever and Ann told me she didn’t want to see me for a few hours. She’s trying to get me out of the house.”

  The physical activity was good for him. It kept his hands busy and almost kept him from thinking about Sam, except that this was her house. And it was a mess. The back door didn’t take long to fix so they moved inside to clean up the TV, tree, and all the other broken things. There was a patch of blood on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. It made his heart lurch. He’d almost lost her. She may not have been there now, but he knew she was okay.

  He heard the front door open behind him.

  “You missed a spot.”

  He paused, a ghost of a smile crossing his face. Sam. He turned to look at her and they stared at each other. She looked great. There were no circles under her eyes. She was happy.

  “I really appreciate what you’re doing here, with the house.” She smiled at him.

  “Sure.” He stood and in one long step, pulled her into his arms. Kissing her, he poured every ounce of longing into it. He needed her to know how much he loved her. How he’d missed her. “I didn’t know if you were coming back,” he said with his lips still against hers.”

  “Of course I came back. You’re here. Where else would I go, Spencer?”

  The following weekend found everyone gathered at Jake and Ann’s house. Things were back to normal. Sam went back to work and got settled again in her house. Spencer was there every night, making up for lost time as he put it. All of their friends were there now, and she couldn’t help but think, as she looked around at Ann holding her new little boy on her lap, and Alex playing with Boomer on the floor, that this was the happiest she’d ever been. It was a life beyond any she could have wished for. She was so lost in her thoughts, it took her a moment to realize the room had grown quiet.

  “Sam?”

  She turned to see Spencer down on one knee behind her.

  “Sorry your Christmas present is a little late.” He held a ring out to her and smiled. “Are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me?”

  A tear slid down her face as she looked at him. “I never got you a present.”

  “I don’t need a present, I just need you.”

  “I better say yes then,” she said in a watery voice.

  He stood up and hugged her as all of their friends looked on. “Never leave me again,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Never,” she replied, looking in his eyes. “My home is here with you.”