Hot Coffee (The Hollens Book 1)

Then Comes the Rain

Emma's POV

Sharon and Ethan's mom appeared before my eyes. I was half naked and wrapped up between the covers on the bed.

"I don't believe my eyes," Ethan's mom started as she walked into the room and her eyes locked on me.

"I told you that we'd find her here. Here's the little black prostitute who seduced your son— my fiancee!" Sharon butt in, holding her chest as if she had just swallowed a very large pill.

"You're a shameless maid who'll do anything to get some money, even if that means sleeping in bed with your employer," Ethan's mom said with a hard look on her face. "You're disgusting and you disgust me. I'm giving you five minutes to get up and get out of my son's house!"

I was stunned. So stunned that I couldn't speak. I couldn't wrap my mind around what, and who, was in front of me.

"I said to get up!" her voice echoed throughout the room.

I pulled the sheet around me as I stood. She moved closer to me and Sharon tailed right behind her.

"Now you listen to me. You don't belong here, so don't even try. You think you can just spread your legs for my son and weasel your way into this family? This family has standards that you couldn't even dream of meeting. Sharon is his fiancee and she'll remain his fiancee."

I felt her breath on my face as I squinted my eyes. "Ethan will hear about this," I said  and reached for my phone, but she was already at it.

She threw it to the floor and smashed into it with her heels continuously until it was nothing but crushed glass underneath her feet.

Sharon smirked.

I held my chest to hold back the tears. "How could you? What have I ever done to you?" I cried as I remembered that the phone was a present for my birthday.

"I don't like you. I'll never accept you as my daughter-in-law. So, get out of my son's house and get out of his life or you'll rue this day."

"I can't leave him... I'm p—" but she cut me off with a slap across my face, then another and another. I fell to the floor. 

Sharon moved and pulled me by the hair and threw me on the bed. "You are a very stupid girl. You came here and corrupted my husband and pit him against me while you spread your legs for him. He's not yours. He's mine!"

"I didn't pit him against you. You did that yourself when you tried to steal from him!" I cried out, holding my face while standing and looking at Mrs. Hollen, hoping that she had no idea what Sharon tried to do and, now that I'd exposed her, she'd be on my side.

But the woman only stared harshly at me as if she were ready to kill.

"Oh shut up, you have no idea what you're talking about. What I did, I did for him! He's my fiance!" she screamed.

I covered my ears.

"I've had enough of this!" Mrs. Hollen cut in and then dragged me to the floor. I fell hard on my stomach.

My baby, my poor baby! I was thinking about only my child at that point.

"I told you to get up and leave my son's house. You're not welcome here. He already has a fiancee, you whore!" She held me by my arms, with Sharon at my feet, and they carried me out the room.

They dropped me on the floor outside of the bedroom and I rushed to stand. Mrs. Hollen shoved me towards the stairs and I walked willingly because I didn't want them to throw me down the long flight of stairs.

My eyes darted all over the place for Halley, but she was nowhere in sight. I yelled for her but Sharon covered my mouth and pushed me hard towards the main door and out on the pavement where a black van was parked. It reminded me of the types of vans that kidnappers used in the movies—the ones without any windows. I was shoved into it with nothing but my underwear and a sheet around me. I yelled for Halley and for the security guards who roamed the compound but no one was insight.

Where did everyone go?

Suddenly, the van began to drive away from the mansion. I couldn't see anything, but I could hear the sound of its revving engine. I pounded heavily on the interior body of the vehicle, screaming that they stop and let me go and that Ethan would have their heads if anything bad was to come to me. The driver paid me no attention at all. The vehicle kept on going further and further.

I began to cry when my arms got tired from the pounding and my throat was aching from the constant screaming and shouting. What had I ever done to Mrs. Hollen to deserve this treatment and banishment from her? It was true that she was very rude at the auction in Miami, but I realized would have to accept her regardless and I was willing to try; she was to be my mother-in-law for crying out loud. But, now, she had done it. She had planted the seed of hate in my heart, she and Sharon both.

I didn't seduce Ethan. I wouldn't do such a thing to my employer. The situation wasn't anything like how she described it. Ethan came to dislike Sharon and got attached to me. I admit, I did feel things for him while he was still engaged to her, but I would never wreck her home. She paved the way for that herself— she and her selfishness and greed. I had nothing to do with it and Ethan told me so himself.

After what seemed like hours of driving, the vehicle finally came to a stop. I panicked. I had no idea what to expect from the driver.

What if he was paid to kill me? What if he rapes me and leave me to die?

The two doors of the van flung open and a big figure, face covered in a mask, pulled me out. I landed on my feet but I was trembling like a wet dog. It was dark and cold and there were lots of old trees in sight with a terrible scent circulating the air. I was at a swamp.

The man closed the doors, got back into the van and drove away with a speed.

"Help! Somebody help me!" I screamed the last scream in my body.

I collapsed on the wet, muddy, smelly ground and began to cry again. I had no idea where I was, no idea where to go. The swamp looked like something out of a horror movie. Weird noises came from the distance and it was getting darker quickly. I was left for dead out in this mosquito infested swamp by the woman who supposed to be my soon-to-be mother-in-law. 

I gathered myself. I had to pull myself back together and figure out a way out of here, alive. I decided to head straight, in the direction the van drove away. I strained my eyes in the darkness in search of the tire marks, but they disappeared after a puddle. I was lost, cold and afraid. I was afraid of yelling for help again because I didn't know what, or who, was in this god forsaken place.

I heard the sound of thunder and saw a flash of lightening and then the rain poured down, washing away the mud from the sheet, which was acting as a makeshift dress. I was completely wet and colder than I was before. It would be a miracle if I got out of this alive. I continued walking.

Then came the sound of voices and I saw a flashlight. I hid behind a tree as three huge guys walked past me with rifles on their shoulders and big bags on their backs.

"This coke is worth over one million dollars. We need to deliver this first thing tomorrow morning," one of the guys said as they walked on.

Oh my Goodness! Was this swap a hide out for drug dealers? I had to get out of here, now! I moved from behind the tree where I was hiding but missed a step on the slippery surface and fell onto a pile of wood, which made a loud noise as they broke from my weight.

"Who's there?" a loud voice called out. 

The three men aimed their rifles as they moved closer and closer to where I hid against the pile. 

I held my breath and my heart pounded heavily in my chest.

"Lets go," one guy said slowly. 

They looked around again and again, then walked away, deeper into the swamp. 

I exhaled and pulled myself up.

"Make one more move and I'll blow your fucking head off," a voice said from behind and I felt the gun against the back of my head.