One That Got Away Page 5

  Nope. Nothing. Of course not. He’d abandoned her and why wouldn’t he? There were plenty of other women who’d want him; plenty of others who wouldn’t push him away. Or had a disastrous life and family he didn’t have to deal with.

  A hard rap on the window made her jump and her phone slipped out of her hand. She turned her head to see Evan standing at the side of the car.

  “Emily!” He frowned at her. “What’re you doing parked here, so far from your house?”

  “Go away, Evan!” she shouted.

  He blinked in surprise. “Come on out, Ems. I just want to talk to you.”

  “I don’t wish to speak to you.”

  Evan reached for the door handle, and Emily banged the door lock shut as fast as she could. Her erratic heart rate pounded against the inside of her head and rang in her ears. What if he turned furious and tried to break the window? She shivered at the thought.

  “Emily, be reasonable. I brought your car back.”

  “Really? Why would you do that! So you can call the police on me the next time I drive it?”

  “Emily. I’m sorry. I was stupid.”

  “You got that right!”

  “Damn it! Open the door, Emily,” he snapped. He put his hands on the top of the door and leaned down to press his face into the window. “Get. Out. Now. Bitch!”

  Emily shrank away.

  Evan’s mouth drew into a tight line as he clenched his jaw. His storm-filled eyes frightened her more than anything else ever had in her life.

  “Go away, Evan! Leave me alone!” Emily trembled as she reached for her phone that had fallen at her feet. It lay halfway between the seat and the console. Her long fingers felt the phone case and just as she managed to curl them around to pull it forward, Evan slapped the window with his hand so hard, she jumped and lost the phone again.

  “Emily, open the fucking door right now!”

  Terrified, she shook her head frantically, reaching for the phone again and begging that she could get it before he shattered the glass all over her. Finally, her fingers found the phone and she pushed it toward her legs so she could grab it.

  If the car ride home had felt long, this simple task seemed to take forever. The smooth case slid suddenly toward her feet and she quickly reached down to grab it. “See this?” she hissed, her hands shaking so bad she had to clutch at the phone to prevent it from flying out of her hand again. “If you don’t go away, now, I’m going to call 911. I’ll get the police here, Evan.”

  “Do that,” he said with venom in his voice and pure hatred in his eyes, “and you’ll be sorry! Incredibly sorry.”

  Despite the fact Emily hadn’t called the police yet, a Walkerville police cruiser pulled up next to them, lights flashing. For once, something had gone her way today.

  Evan’s face tightened in pure rage. “You stupid bitch!” he yelled.

  The police officer got out of his car but remained at the driver’s side of the cruiser. “Sir, on the ground with hands on your head.”

  Evan turned to Emily before he kneeled down. He mouthed the words, “You’re gonna be fuckin’ sorry!”

  She had no doubt she would be.

  He was a monster with the face of an angel. Or he tried to look like an angel. Only now, all Emily saw was a demon.

  Another police car pulled up and parked in back of Emily. Justin and Angela arrived behind it and parked in back of it. Soon Emily’s neighbors were sticking their heads out the doors or standing on their porch watching the spectacle of two police cruisers in the street, Evan, and Emily.

  One officer was talking to Evan, who was standing now and talking with his arms crossed.

  “Miss, please get out of the car,” said the second officer.

  Emily unlocked the car and stepped out. The officer asked her name and to see her driver’s license and he filled out information in his notebook.

  “What’s the problem?” said the officer as he handed her the driver’s license.

  “I’ve told him to leave me alone. He won’t. He was at my work this morning and made me late, so I was given a written warning. Then he showed up here.” She knew she was babbling because of shock, but couldn’t stop herself. She sounded like a moron complaining about the written warning. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

  The police officer didn’t appear to notice. “Then, you didn’t ask him here?”

  “No! Never! Not after what happened.”

  Justin hurried over. “I’m Emily’s lawyer, officer, Justin Kennedy.” He handed the police officer his card. “What’s going on?”

  “The neighbors called in a disturbance.”

  “Emily called me as soon as she saw Mr. Waters’ car in her driveway. Per my instructions she stayed in her car until I could get here.”

  “Is that right, Miss?”

  “Yes.” Her head bobbled up and down. “I sat in my car waiting for Justin when Evan came to the car and started pounding on it.” She shivered, but not from cold.

  “Did he threaten you?”

  “He pounded on my window and told me to get out. He got angry when I wouldn’t. He told me I’d be sorry.” Evan’s glaring eyes and tight face swam in her head. You’re gonna be fuckin’ sorry! She could hear the hatred in his voice.

  “Is there a restraining order in place?”

  “Not yet, officer,” said Justin. “But after today there will be one.”

  The officer nodded and walked over to his partner. They talked for a few minutes out of everyone’s hearing. Angela moved close and laced her arm around Emily, watching the police talk. Emily leaned against her, grateful for her little sister’s presence.

  Evan paced the road across from them, shooting angry stares at Emily. She half expected him to sprint across the street with his arms outstretched, ready to strangle her.

  The officers broke away and approached the curious neighbors. They asked a few questions, then moved on to a few other houses. They didn’t take long however, but met up again, and talked one last time.

  The officer returned. “We’re going to arrest Mr. Waters for Breach of Peace and that should take care of things for tonight. But if you are going to get a restraining order, do it first thing in the morning. Don’t wait.”

  The other officer handcuffed Evan and put him in the police car.

  Evan shot one last glance at Emily, one filled with anger and hate. “Are you fucking him too, Emily?” shouted Evan, nodding his head toward Justin.

  The police officer took her former boyfriend’s arm and guided him firmly into the police car as Emily burst into tears. She wished the ground below her would open and then swallow her up. Anything was better than this. Anything.

  Chapter Six

  Consequences

  Reger rubbed against Emily’s legs as she tried to serve coffee to Justin and Angela.

  “Poor Reger,” Emily cooed. She had managed to compose herself again after the police cruiser had left with Evan in the back seat. She set the cups down on the counter and picked up her orange tabby.

  Justin sat on the stool at the counter facing the kitchen.

  Angela, standing behind Emily, leaned toward the kitchen window peering out onto the street. “The car’s still here. Which means he’ll be back for it.”

  “The officer said I should be okay for tonight.” She rubbed her face against Reger’s soft fur, hiding her fear so Angela wouldn’t see it. She glanced over at Justin.

  Justin shook his head before taking a sip of his coffee. “Breach of Peace is a misdemeanor. He can bond out at the police station. He could be back here tonight.”

  “Emily!” Angela quickly stepped back from the window, as if a brick might come through it... “I think you should stay with me tonight.”

  “I have work in the morning, and—”

  “Emily,” said Justin firmly. “Angela’s right. You can’t be here alone. It’s not safe.”

  “I can’t keep hiding because of one idiot.”

  “You’re right.” Justin
sighed. “It’s not fair. But it’s more important that you’re safe. If you don’t want to stay with Angela, stay with your parents, but until we have that restraining order, you shouldn’t be alone in this apartment. Does he still have a key to it?”

  Emily rubbed the back of her neck. She didn’t want to agree, but Justin made sense. Already Evan disrupted her work and her love life. “I don’t know about the key. He could still have his or have made a new one. I’m not sure.” She sighed. “Okay, Justin. But just for tonight. I can’t keep leaving my cat alone because Evan’s an asshole.”

  Angela snorted. “Emily!” she chided softly.

  “What? He is, isn’t he?”

  “Yes.” Angela nodded and then shook her head. “But what would Father Peters say if he heard you?”

  Justin drank the last of his coffee and set it down. “He’d say,” said Justin, “that Evan was being an asshole, though probably he’d have a biblical phrase for it. Like a crevice or something.” He looked back and forth at the two of them. “Not funny?”

  Angela shook her head.

  Emily giggled despite Angela’s motherly look of disdain.

  Justin winked at her, his head tilted perfectly so Angela would see it. “Pack a small bag, Emily. I’ve got to get Angela home.”

  “You go. I have to speak to Mrs. Diggerty and get my things together. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “You sure?” Angela set her glass in the sink.

  “Yes. He’s not going to show up in the next ten minutes! It’ll take him a while to finish things at the police station, won’t it?”

  “Yes,” said Justin. “A couple of hours at least.”

  “Good. It’s settled. Go along and I’ll be there in an hour. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  When they finally left she hurried to fill an overnight back and feed Reger a little more cat food. “Be good, Reger. Mind the house while I’m gone.” She hurried over to Mrs. Diggerty’s door and knocked hard so the older woman would hear her. “Mrs. Diggerty!”

  “Oh, Emily,” she said, opening the door. “How are you?”

  “Did you see the police?” She felt terrible going straight to that but otherwise she’d be standing for an hour talking about the weather or a recipe before they got to the real reason she had come to talk to Mrs. Diggerty.

  “Yes. What were they here for?”

  “Evan’s been bothering me. I’m going to spend the night at my sister’s house, and I won’t be back probably until tomorrow after work. Can you watch Reger for me?”

  “Of course, dear.”

  “If you see Evan in the building, call the police. He shouldn’t be here. Tomorrow, I’m getting a restraining order to keep him away.”

  “Oh, that serious? I’m sorry, dear. Yes. I’ll take care of Reger. Don’t worry. You take care of you.”

  Emily wondered a moment if Mrs. Diggerty would be safe as well. Evan was an asshole, but not an idiot. She knew he wouldn’t bother her. She gave Mrs. Diggerty a kiss on the cheek. “You’ve been wonderful. Thank you very much.”

  “You be careful, Emily.”

  “I will. You too. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll get back as soon as I finish work. Minus traffic commute.”

  “No rush. I’ll enjoy the company of your tabby. Be careful,” she reminded Emily again.

  Emily nodded, close to tears. She made her escape and came out on the porch, looking around carefully, watching to see if Evan might be lurking anywhere. A light breeze rustled the new leaves on the oak trees that lined the street and she started at the sudden sound. Emily felt ridiculous, but on the other hand, Evan showed up unexpectedly twice today. When she walked past her car, the vehicle she put so much money in, a thread of sadness wound around her heart. In a way, the car reminded her of Luke, something she could have for a moment, but never possess on her own.

  When she got inside her sister’s car, her nerves steadied, but only because she felt safer than walking in the open. She put on her headset and put her phone on the seat beside her. Her overprotective little sister would be calling her to check on her progress in getting to her apartment. She checked her phone one more time on the off chance that Luke called her, then kicked herself for being disappointed when he didn’t. He showed his true colors by taking up with Sheila Harmon at the first opportunity. All the talk of getting married? Yeah. That was just a line of patter to keep her interested in putting out. When she cooled on him, he was on to the next conquest.

  The sadness tied tighter around her heart as she passed Walkerville’s city limits into Westfield. Instead of taking the highway, she’d taken the secondary road that ran parallel to it, thinking to stop at a Walgreens to pick up a few things. She needed toothpaste for one thing, and other personal items just in case. Emily pulled into the first pharmacy she saw.

  It didn’t occur to her until she saw Luke’s SUV in the parking lot that she was in his neighborhood. She sat in her car staring at it and then decided she was being silly. They lived within ten miles of each other. They were bound to bump into each other from time to time. Ironic that they hadn’t for the past ten years prior.

  What was she supposed to do? Avoid every man she ever had a relationship with?

  Still, it took more courage than she thought she possessed to get out of the car and walk into the pharmacy. She just needed a few things, and it was a large store. There was no need to see him at all, especially if she moved quickly – at least that was the lame excuse she told herself.

  She grabbed a basket and began tossing the stuff she needed as fast as she could. It was one thing to be brave outside the store, an entirely other thing to be inside so close to him seeing her before she spotted him. She kept her head down as she shopped, hoping he might have already left and not even noticed her sister’s car parked outside.

  She stopped short when she came to the end of the aisle and saw Luke standing on crutches in line at the pharmacy. The nervous butterflies in her stomach felt like a swarm of bees as she watched him. He was in his own world, oblivious that she was even there.

  He stared straight ahead, slightly swaying on the crutches. She couldn’t get a good look at his face, but his whole body seemed drawn tense as if he were in pain. She felt her eyes widen when she saw the patch of red blood at the back of his jeans. She debated walking over to him and saying something to him, but then he moved to speak to the pharmacist and the moment was gone. Instead, she hurried to a cash register at the front of the store and quickly paid for her items.

  Emily slipped into the car, but couldn’t find it in herself to turn over the engine. She sat staring at Luke’s SUV, longing to talk to him but not having the courage to. Her sister said he had been with Sheila. That’s probably how he got the knife wound – two women were fighting over him. She shook her head at the crazy thought.

  Finally, he hobbled out of the store and climbed in, his face drawn in tight lines. It killed her to see him looking like he did. Jealousy aside, she didn’t like him hurting. She longed to say or do something, anything to ease the pain etched around those beautiful eyes.

  Emily shook her head as she started her car. She was just getting herself into a mess thinking about him.

  She didn’t have any excuse as to why she ended up behind him, though she hung back. His SUV swayed back and forth slightly, and she bit her lip. It was clear he shouldn’t be driving.

  “It’s none of your business, Emily Rose Dougherty,” she told herself sternly. But instead of turning off on the road that would take her to her sister’s apartment, she followed Luke. “Just to make sure he makes it home okay,” she murmured to herself.

  As she drove, the anxiety of the day piled onto her thoughts of Luke. She decided he deserved a piece of her mind. He had no business treating her like he did, fucking her, and then moving on. He was a jerk, an ass, and any other nasty name she could think of. He was nearly as bad as Evan. Nearly.

  When Luke turned into his parking lot, she chickened out. She drove past the entrance
and found herself on Main Street, Westfield, the streets clogged with evening traffic. Emily grew annoyingly frustrated by the way-too-many one-way streets. It took her an interminable length of time to find the right combination that brought her to the right direction back to her sister’s house. Even when she did, the traffic was so slow she was barely moving at ten miles per hour.

  Her phone chimed.

  “Damn,” she swore and clicked the phone on through her headset. As she predicted earlier, it was Angela.

  “Emily, are you okay?” Angela, as usual, worried too much about Emily.

  “Yes. I just missed the turnoff to your road and have been trying to navigate the damned one-way streets of Westfield.”

  Angela laughed. “I never go downtown if I don’t have to. How’d you end up there?”

  “I missed your street and also stopped at Walgreens to grab a toothbrush and some other stuff.”

  “Gotchya.”

  “I believe I’m finally travelling in the right direction. It’ll take me a bit, I think the entire town is out in their cars right now.”

  Angela chuckled. “Take your time. No reckless driving.”

  “Ha. Funny, sister. Very funny.” Emily smiled despite herself. “I should be there in about fifteen-twenty minutes, barring any road rage I may suffer.”

  “Glad your humor’s still intact.” Angela laughed again. “See you soon.”

  Emily clicked off the phone and stared out the front window and sighed. It had been a horrible day. She wanted to think she was a victim, but she knew she was also responsible for letting things happen. She banged her fist against the steering wheel. She was tired of other people dictating the terms of her life. Emily was sick of people doing what they wanted to her without thought or care of how it affected her. Furious that she’d allowed other people to do things that messed up her life. Evan was an ass. Everybody could see that and if they couldn’t, they were idiots.

  As she inched toward Luke’s apartment complex, she glared in his direction. Luke was a dick. How dare he get involved with criminals, tainting her chance to be with him!