Safe With You, page 13
Elizabeth shut the door behind Rachael. When she looked back at her, she could see her face twisting as though she held back tears. She reached out and took her hand.
“What’s going on, Rachael?”
“I need you to keep Captain, after all.” A tear fell and she quickly swiped it away, pulling her shoulders back. “And find him a new family.”
Elizabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Rachael loved that dog. “What are you talking about?”
She took off her backpack and set it down on top of the examination table. “These are all of his things. I can pay for his stay here until you find a family, but could you please take him?”
“Of course.” She leaned down to catch Rachael’s eye. “But stop for a second, and tell me what’s gotten you so upset?”
Rachael stood up and closed her eyes. Two tears fell in unison down her cheeks. “I have to leave.”
“What?” Elizabeth placed her hands gently on Rachael’s arms. “Why do you have to leave?”
Rachael blew out a breath, then in a low voice said, “I just need to leave.”
Elizabeth wasn’t going to take vague answers anymore. “Sit down and tell me what’s going on.”
Rachael looked like she was going to argue, but then took a seat in the chair. Elizabeth held her hand.
“What’s got you so spooked?” Elizabeth only had one guess, with the way Rachael came to town. With all the things Jack had told her.
“I think someone went into my apartment while I stayed at your place.”
“Seriously?” Elizabeth had lived in Camden Cove her whole life and could only think of a few instances where someone’s house was broken into. “Did you call the police?”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Why?” Elizabeth understood why she’d be nervous about staying alone, especially if she thought someone had been there. “You don’t have to leave. Jack can install an alarm in the apartment if you’re concerned. You can stay with us until you’re comfortable.”
“An alarm won’t work.” Rachael shook her head. “That won’t stop him.”
Elizabeth heard the pronoun. “Stop who?”
Rachael took back her hands, her thumbs rubbing the inside of her palms. “I need to get away from someone.”
“Who?”
“My husband.”
RACHAEL LISTENED AS Adam talked on his phone. She picked at a string hanging out of the corner of a placemat as he spoke about her situation. Elizabeth sat next to her at the table, her attention on Adam, who spoke about filing a motion for divorce. Rachael rubbed her fingers against the smooth oak top, remembering the last time she sat at the table. She had felt completely at ease, sitting around with Elizabeth’s family and Jack. Now, her anxiety revved with every heartbeat pounding inside her chest.
“Maggie has a little cabin on the property for staff.” Elizabeth had showed her the website of a rehabilitation farm. The farm had mostly horses, but also other animals who needed help. The irony that Rachael would work with abused animals didn’t escape her. “She’s been looking for someone for some time, can’t seem to keep much in the way of farm hands these days. It’s hard work, but it’s a beautiful farm, and Maggie’s one of the best around.”
Rachael wasn’t so sure she believed that Maggie had been looking for someone, but for the time being, she had no other choice. She needed to leave, whether Nick went into the apartment or not. She had depended on Jack and his generosity for too long.
Adam put his phone in his pocket and returned to the table. “Did you ever call the police when you were with Nick?”
“Once, but he wasn’t charged. I doubt there was any record of the call.”
That night had been one of the worst times with Nick. She was sure he was going to kill her. Somehow, she managed to call 911 and leave the phone off the hook. When the police showed up to the house, the two officers knew Nick. They spent the night cooling him down and convincing her not to press charges because of his career. They had promised to help her, but had only helped Nick.
“Did you go to the hospital for any of your injuries?”
“Yes.” She knew she could’ve gone to a judge, brought her medical papers showing all the injuries she had been treated for over the years, but she doubted that any judge would believe her over Nick. She had covered it up, lying to the medical personnel about how she got hurt. Only one emergency room nurse, who had recognized her after her third visit, had asked about her situation at home without Nick standing over her shoulder. At that point, she should’ve said something, but the nurse would’ve given herself away once Nick returned to the room. Somehow she’d give him a look, or act differently in front of him, and at that point Rachael wasn’t sure what he’d do to her.
“I only went to the hospital a few times.” Her voice was small. Shame washed over her as Elizabeth grabbed her hand. What kind of person didn’t stand up for themselves? What did that say about her as a person?
“Many women don’t tell how they get their injuries,” Adam said, as though he could read her mind. “They know the repercussions are too great.”
Adam’s phone started to ding. He grabbed a legal pad and began scribbling notes. He walked to the table and sat across from Rachael.
“We’re going to call all the places you were treated and get records. Once we get everything, we can start by filing a motion to a judge for a divorce, and a new social security card. They will be discreet if we can prove you’re concerned for your safety. If we can show you called the police station that night and they came out, then I’m sure a judge will help you.”
Rachael started shaking her head before he finished his sentence. “What if he finds out, he’ll come looking for me. Nick’s not the kind of guy who will just let me leave him.”
“That’s why you’re going to Maggie’s. No one except for Elizabeth and me will know where you are.”
“But he’ll know I’ve come this far. He could come after you.”
“He’s not that stupid.” Adam shook his head. “I can even send another attorney down to represent you. Giving another degree of separation.”
“I can’t afford this.” Rachael twisted her hand so hard she no longer could feel it.
“A new social security number could mean you can get your own bank accounts, credit records, and get away from Nick for good.” Elizabeth reached for her hand.
Rachael shook her head. “I don’t think that’ll ever happen.”
Adam leaned forward in his seat, the wood cracking underneath his weight. “Rachael, you can’t afford not to.”
She nodded.
“I can bring you tomorrow, if you’re ready to go,” Elizabeth said.
Rachael looked over at Captain, lying with the other dogs. “I just need to do one thing before we leave.”
She knocked on Finn’s door an hour later.
“What you doing here?” he asked, instead of inviting her in.
“I needed to say goodbye.” She wasn’t going to beat around the bush.
“I have dinner for Sunday.” He looked upset that she would be ruining his plans.
She smiled and handed him an envelope with her letter inside. “Thanks for giving me a job.”
He pushed it back. “You can’t leave now. You just started figuring out how to fill the paper orders.”
She reached out and wrapped her hand around his forearm, squeezing it. “I will call you when I’m settled.”
He huffed. “Did that Jack Williams raise the rent on you?”
She shook her head. “It’s time for me to move along.”
He walked back into the house and slammed the door on her. Frozen in shock, she stared at the door and watched him through the window. He walked through to the dining room and straight out the back door. She heard the screen door slam shut. Then he started up his truck, backing it down the driveway. She watched the whole thing from the porch.
He cut the engine and got out. “Well, you’ll need to get some gas, but you should be able to get where you need to go with this truck.”
Her mouth fell open. “I couldn’t.”
He climbed the porch steps, handing her the keys. “Just promise me you’ll call when you can.”
She walked over and embraced him. “Thanks, Pop.”
He only patted her back before stepping away. “You’re going to be okay, Rach.”
THE WHOLE NEXT DAY at the restaurant, Jack perseverated on his reaction with Rachael about the apartment. She was rightfully upset that he had gone inside her apartment. He should’ve asked. What was he thinking? His mind couldn’t focus for more than a second. He wanted to go up to her apartment so badly, to apologize, but what would be the point? She’d never trust him again. How could he have been so stupid?
He needed to fix things. He’d leave her alone, but after he apologized. When he finally got up the nerve to go up, tell her how sorry he was, Elizabeth walked in the back door of the restaurant with Captain on his leash.
He knelt down and rubbed the dog’s neck. “Where’s Rachael?”
“Well, I’ve had an interesting couple of days.” She bent down to Captain, who sat happily between them. His mouth opened wide in a doggy smile, even though his leg was still bandaged up. “Look, I’m not supposed to tell you, but...”
“What?” His stomach dropped to the hard floor.
“Rachael left.”
“She left? Where’d she go?”
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”
“You can’t tell me? Are you serious?”
Elizabeth gave him that look she did when she felt sorry for him. “Look Jack, she isn’t something you can fix.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack crossed his arms.
“She doesn’t need your help.”
“She obviously needs help.”
“That may be true, but she has to be willing to accept it.” She sounded strangely reasonable, which annoyed him.
“So, I just have to sit by and know she’s in trouble?” he almost growled at her.
“No, you have to sit by...” She handed over the leash, “And take care of Captain.”
“Where is she, Elizabeth?”
She made the sorry face again. “I promised not to tell you.”
“This isn’t high school.”
Elizabeth let out a long sigh as she stood up. “It’s like what mom always said, you can’t cross the monkey bars without letting go.”
“What do monkey bars have to do with anything?” He didn’t have time for nursery rhymes.
“It means you care enough to let her go, so she can get to the other side on her own.” Elizabeth stood up. “If you can’t take care of Captain, I can start looking for another home for him.”
Jack shook his head, scowling at his sister and her advice. What had Rachael told her? “I can take care of Captain. I just don’t understand why you can’t tell me where she is.”
She handed him an envelope. He looked inside, at the brass key he had given to Rachael.
“Is she okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, she’ll be okay.”
She left after that. Good riddance, too, because that was all he could take in the way of sisterly advice at the moment. Who was she trying to be, Oprah? Because it wasn’t working. He ran upstairs to the apartment to see for himself. The place was empty. She was really gone.
As Jack brought Captain back to his house, his annoyance with Rachael grew for taking off without saying a thing, and his anger with Elizabeth grew for holding to her word. He may have crossed the line with going into her apartment, but he had apologized for that. If he had been a jerk to her in the past, maybe he’d understand why she was so repulsed by him, but his reasoning for going in the apartment was legit. The least she could’ve done was to give back the key in person, not in some envelope given to his sister.
He turned his annoyance back to Elizabeth. She just expected him to swallow the fact that Rachael took her help after everything he had done, and then to take care of Captain, to top it all off? Was he that much of a sucker?
Then he looked down at Captain. Rachael wouldn’t have just given Captain up, unless something made her. What was she hiding?
“What are we going to do, Captain?” The dog looked back at him as though he was going to answer.
He drove home and practically parked in the bushes, because of Matt’s crummy job of parking in the driveway. Captain pulled him through the thorns, scraping his arms up. He cursed the few roses still hanging on. There hadn’t been a frost yet, but it would be coming soon, and the roses would die. Nothing lasted. He laughed bitterly, almost sneering as he thought about all the relationships that had turned cold in his life. He had thought he felt the way his father had on the day he laid eyes on his mother. God, how many times had he drunk to that speech?
When he opened the sliding glass door, he heard a woman’s voice. He looked around and saw a jacket on the back of a kitchen chair, a purse on the table, and a pair of jeans on the floor.
He turned the corner to the living room and saw Matt, standing with only a couch cushion covering himself.
“What the...?” Jack said. Captain instantly went into hyper mode and started barking at Matt.
“I thought you were at work.” Matt looked sheepishly at him.
Jack looked out the front window and noticed the now-familiar car in the road. “Are you kidding me?” he gestured toward the window. “You’re sleeping with Justine?”
“She is my wife,” Matt’s voice held an edge.
Jack didn’t care if he made Matt upset or not. He was making the biggest mistake of his life. “I have only two words: Freddy Harrington.”
Matt’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a cheap shot, Jack.”
Jack shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
Matt shook his head. “I think it’s best I be on my way.”
“I agree. Lucky for you, there’s an available apartment.” He threw the key at him and it bounced off the cushion.
Matt walked over to the brass key, bent down and picked it up. Then he walked up to Jack and held out his hand dropping his cushion.
Jack huffed, “What?”
“A bet’s a bet.” Matt’s hand reached out further. “You owe me two hundred dollars.”
“THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR letting me come tonight,” Rachael said to Maggie, the owner of the farm she was now a resident. She looked around the small cabin and couldn’t believe how once again she was indebted to the Williams. Once again she promised herself she’d pay them back somehow. Elizabeth and Adam had done so much for her, she should’ve been more grateful, but sorrow filled her chest. How did Jack react to her leaving? Was he upset? Or relieved?
“Sure thing.” Maggie stood in pair of rubber boots and a baseball cap and pulled the rest of the sheets off the furniture. “I always need an extra hand around the farm.”
She flipped on all the lights and walked around the room. It wasn’t much larger than the apartment above the restaurant, but perfect for her. Rachael suddenly wished she had said goodbye to Jack. But she knew if she had, he’d just try to convince her to stay, and she couldn’t risk it.
“There’s a small bedroom through that door and a bathroom around the corner, which only has a tub.” The woman put her hands on her hips. She looked like she was in her fifties, or maybe early sixties. Her long gray hair hung down in a braid, just like the horses out in the fields.
“Thank you, it’s perfect.” Rachael didn’t move from the entrance. She wondered how much Elizabeth had told her. Enough for the woman to agree to have Rachael move in. “Thanks again for everything.”
“Adam and Elizabeth have helped me out more than once. If you need anything, don’t be a stranger.”
Rachael nodded.
“The closest grocery store is... nowhere close.” Maggie chuckled at her own joke. “But I’ve got some essentials you can have for the time being.”
“I’ll be fine,” Rachael said. “I’m not that hungry anyway.”
Rachael’s stomach had twisted in knots through the whole ride to New Hampshire. Even though it was less than an hour away from Camden Cove, she felt nauseated at the idea of not knowing where she was going, or not being able to plan out her next move. Would this be her life? Always in constant anxiety of what lurked around the corner? Would she be in this same position, again and again?
“I heard you had a dog?” Maggie asked. “Plenty of space for it to run around here.”
A pang hit her in the chest. She didn’t want to think about Captain. Elizabeth had tried to insist that Rachael keep Captain, but she couldn’t be on the move with a dog. Maggie might be cool with her having a dog, but most rentals were not on a farm in the country. Besides, one thing she knew for sure, Jack would take care of him.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Rachael plastered on a smile as best as she could. The day she left Nick, she had been as scared as she was right now, except then she also had a sliver of hope that she was gaining her freedom. Now, even though she couldn’t have asked for a better situation — no one within miles, no one except for Elizabeth, Adam and Maggie knowing where she was — she felt more trapped than ever.
Maggie didn’t stay long and after she left, Rachael checked out the small cabin, thinking of when she first moved in with Nick. It had been the first time she had left home, left her mom. She couldn’t wait to have her own place and be able to decorate the way she wanted. Nick promised she could start as soon as they got married.
Even after he first hit her, she still browsed the home decoration sections in department stores and leafed through home and garden magazines, dreaming up color schemes.
As cute as the little cabin was, the wood paneling of twelve-inch pine, the tiny woodstove, the loft overhead, she didn’t care about any of it. She didn’t have it in her to ever look at this place as a home. And she feared she’d never have a home again. The last thing Nick promised her was that he’d kill her before he let her leave him. And she believed him.
