OBEDIENT. (Book Four)

22

You think you've seen her naked because she took her clothes off?
Tell me about her dreams. Tell me what breaks her heart. What is she passionate about, and what makes her cry? Tell me about her childhood. Better yet, tell me one story about her that you're not in.
You've seen her skin and you've touched her body, but you still know as much about her as a book you once found but never got around to opening.
-Anon Ymous.

"Wow, I've never been greeted like that before." David joked, slipping both hands in his pockets and bracing the desk Ms. T was still sitting at. "Would you like to explain to me what's got your ex client so riled up?"

"Apparently, my ex employee said something to her about us that's totally false and she thought it necessary to come tell me."

"Hmm, what a nice person." Came his sarcastic reply.

Ms. T was yet to look me in the eyes and I watched as she fidgeted with the lose thread on her blouse. It was a similar tactic to what I used to do to somehow distract myself from my reality and give me peace of mind and all I wanted to do was get that monster away from her and hold her in my arms like she did me so many times before.

Instead, I turned to him. "I don't know what you threatened her with to make her this scared of you but I promise you I won't let you get away with this. Even if I have to ruin your life like you ruined hers, I promise I won't stop until she's free of you."

David just laughs his evil, sadistic laugh and my skin crawled as he tried to appear all friendly but there was no denying the beast inside him.

"It's really commendable how you can threaten me in hopes of saving someone who doesn't think twice about you after you're gone. She might have saved you from your own abusive relationship and now you feel as though you have to run with any and every person's stupid version of what they think is going on in our marriage."

He turns towards Ms. T and squeezes her shoulder and I could have sworn I saw her flinch, scratch that, I did saw her flinch.

"Get your hands off her this instant or I'll call the police!" I snapped, advancing towards them.

David's innocent smirk changes in an instant and he stood causing my steps to falter.

"For the first few minutes it was fun, even endearing to hear you defend her but now I'm bored and you're getting on my last nerve."

He invades my personal space and I dare not back down as I stood my ground. "I'm not afraid of you. I've had enough to be afraid of in my lifetime and I'd be damned if I just sit back and watch you damage her any more."

"Damage! Me! Damage her?! A whore?!"

He throws his head back with quiet laughter before staring down at me. "I can't damage a whore, it's humanly impossible." He mocks and I turn to Ms. T to see if she'd at least defend herself but her eyes were fixed to the desk she sat at.

"She is not a whore." I defend.

"Oh isn't she-"

"I highly suggest you leave before I call the cops." I threaten once more, pulling my phone from my pocket.

He snatches it from my hand and as I reached out to snatch it back, his hand suddenly is around my neck and the only thing I can do is let out a squeak as I tried desperately to breathe again.

Ms. T is suddenly on her feet but her husband is quicker as he shoves her towards the desk. She hits it hard as she flies across it, knocking down almost everything on top and for the first time my eyes focused on her body that was decorated in deep dark bruises.

I scratch at his hands as he turned his murderous eyes towards me but nothing was affecting him and my head was getting very light.

There was a knock at the door and for the first time since entering her office I remembered my brother was right outside.

"Justine? Is everything okay in there? I hope you guys aren't fighting or doing anything weird in there cause I'm starting to feel like a fool just standing out here."

My eyes were starting to roll back in my head and I watch as Ms. T is lying sprawled on the floor unconscious. I pleaded for my brother to come in but I could feel the life slipping from me and instead of me thinking about my imminent death, all that occupied my mind was the fact that Ms. T was being abused and I never knew. The woman I was madly in love with was unconscious on the floor and she never knew how I felt about her...

How I truly felt about her.

And it hit me as I was close to unconsciousness...

She never will.

"It's sad really." I faintly heard her husband say. "You're about to die for a woman who murdered another and yet you think I'm the demon."

~

"Mom?"

I could hear the distant call of my name and I tried to focus on it but the heaviness around me was more powerful than my need to focus.

"Mom please... Wake up. I need you." The voice continued but somehow it sounded distressed.

I willed the fogginess of my brain to go away as I somehow tried to force myself awake, but nothing seemed to be working. Soon the inevitable darkness claimed me and I had no other choice but to let it.

I didn't know how long I was out for but when I awoke, my daughter was fast asleep in the chair beside my bed and I smiled as I brushed the hair from across her face.

The slight touch was enough to wake her up and a smile took form before it dawned on both of us.

"Janie?" I said frantically but my voice was so hoarse that we both went still, her eyes as wide as mine.

I cleared my throat and tried again as I rubbed my fingers against my neck. The slightest movement felt like thousands of tiny grains of sand were along my throat and when I saw Jane's eyes starting to swell with tears, I knew my throat was in bad shape. After all, I bruised easily.

My worst nightmare was coming through and I pushed my panic away as I focused on my daughter. I promised myself I'd never allow her to see me bruised and broken again and I'd be damned if I let her fear of the past come back to haunt her.

Ignoring the pain I was bound to experience, I spoke to her. "What happened?" I croaked out.

"She's here. She's fine." Came her reply and I wanted to laugh and cry at the fact that my daughter just told me about Ms. T instead of what happened to put me in the hospital.

I was so sure he was going to kill me and as much as I wanted to know why I wasn't dead, I needed to know she was okay way more.

"She's talking to the police."

"And her husband?" I once again croaked out.

"He's here too, under close watch."

"Here?"

"Yeah, two seconds more and uncle Austin would have killed him, luckily, Ben walked in."

"Where-"

"Uncle Austin is fine. He went to see Carol."

I smiled at her as I closed my eyes. Ms. T was okay, Austin was fine and her piece of shit husband was under police watch.

"Hey."

The voice was so small and timid that I had to do a retake to actually believe it was Ms. T and when my eyes met hers I still couldn't believe it was her.

Jane quietly left the room, giving us privacy, but all I could focus on was the empty, closed up, completely guarded shell of the woman I fell in love with and I was so confused until her eyes met mine.

"What did he mean by you killed someone?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop it and I literally witnessed Ms. T shrink further into herself, confirming my worst nightmare.

"I... I'm sorry."