Tangled Fury Page 2

  That was their rule – if you were going to be late, they needed to know, although you’d still get charged the late fee. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a cell phone and in reality, I probably wouldn’t have called anyway. My hands had been too busy gripping the steering-wheel in terror, which had begun soon after I’d pulled out of the parking lot of Eagle Drugs. I’d been pretty certain that Ray had been tailing me at a distance. Fortunately, I’d lost him at a red-light and was able to get back on track to pick up Emma.

  “Well, things happen,” replied Mrs. Rogers, grabbing her purse. “I understand. Next time, however, be considerate and give us a call. We have families, too.”

  “Of course and I’m really sorry.”

  She nodded curtly and then hurried out of the gymnasium.

  I looked down at Emma, the one true love of my life. She was now five-and-a-half, surprisingly well-adjusted, and had just started kindergarten. “How was school today?”

  Her hazel eyes lit up. “It was really fun. I made you something with water-colors. It’s in my backpack.”

  “Oh, I can’t wait to see it,” I answered, grabbing her hand as we started walking. “I bet it’s just beautiful. You’re such a great artist.”

  She smiled up at me. “Do you want to see it?”

  I squeezed her hand. “I’d love to, but let’s wait until we get home. I don’t want to get locked inside of the school.”

  Her eyes widened. “That could happen?”

  I laughed. “No, I’m only teasing. But, I think we should get going and you can show it to me when we get home. It will give me something to look forward to.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  As we left the building, my eyes darted around the parking lot. Even though I was pretty certain that I’d lost him, I never let my guard down when it came to Ray. I couldn’t imagine what he’d do if he caught us. Now, it wouldn’t even matter if he was sober or drunk, my gut feeling told me that he hated me with a passion. It also told me that we needed to get out of town, and soon.

  The leaves swirled around as we headed towards the Chevy Cavalier. Normally, this was my favorite time of the year, with the beautiful autumn colors and long-sweater weather. Tonight, however, I was too nervous to appreciate anything other than the fact that I had my daughter with me. That we were alive and he hadn’t gotten to either of us yet.

  I buckled Emma into her car-seat, and then got in myself, locking the doors quickly. Holding my breath, I put the key into the ignition and sighed in relief when it started. It was twelve-years-old, had a lot of miles, and probably needed repairs, but money was tight. Especially after the last couple of months. Not having any medical insurance, I’d needed to get Emma’s immunization shots for kindergarten, which had been quite a bit more money than I’d anticipated. Then, she’d gotten an ear infection, which meant antibiotics and more money. Now, I needed to pay for the afterschool care and it seemed like there was a never-ending battle when it came to bills.

  As we started driving, Emma asked me to turn on the radio, and I obliged. One of her favorite songs began to play, by Katie Perry, and she began singing with the music. As she did, I kept an eye out for Ray’s black pickup and wondered how he’d found us.

  Easily, his friends are cops, I reminded myself.

  We’d been gone for six months, soon after Jim’s birthday party. Ray had come home from the bar the following weekend, and when I’d asked him where he’d been, he beat me so badly that this time, even Emma had noticed. It was then that I finally realized I’d had enough. That I didn’t want my daughter growing up in a home where her mother allowed herself to be a victim. I knew the chances of her following in my footsteps were great, and that I’d never forgive myself if she, like me, had become someone else’s punching bag. So, we quietly snuck away after he’d passed out on the bathroom floor, driving to an old co-worker’s house, where we’d stayed for a couple of days. Thankfully, she borrowed us some money and we were able to drive to Seattle, where my mother lived. Now, we were staying in her trailer home until I could save up enough money to get an apartment. Unfortunately, it seemed like we would be dependent on her longer than I’d wanted. But, thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she encouraged us to stay. What she didn’t know was that the longer we stayed, the more dangerous it would be for everyone, including her. I hadn’t told her about Ray’s abusive nature. She was a recovering alcoholic, and had enough problems of her own, so I’d kept it a secret. All she knew was that we were separated, and that I didn’t want any contact with him.

  “Mommy?”

  I turned down the radio. “Yes, honey?”

  “Do you think Grandma will be home, tonight?”

  “I’m not sure.” I looked back at Emma in the rearview mirror and then my eyes strayed to the road behind us.

  Still no sign of Ray.

  I relaxed. “She might be.”

  My mother worked in a diner and was currently dating Sam Bailey, one of the short-order cooks. He seemed nice, and treated her like a queen, which was a breath of fresh air, compared to Ray. She usually stayed overnight at his place, when she worked a later shift, but always came home in the mornings to fix Emma breakfast. Mom loved Emma and Emma just adored her. It made my heart swell watching them grow closer with each passing day. By losing her violent, demented father, she’d gained a gentle, loving grandmother. It was sadly ironic.

  “Today is Tuesday, October fifth. That was on our calendar at school.”

  “Yes, it is. Great memory.”

  “Grandma has Tuesdays off. I hope she’s home when we get there. I want her to see my picture, too. She can put it on the fridge. You both can share it, if you’d like.”

  I smiled back at her. “That’s sweet of you.”

  Emily talked about school, for the rest of the ride, while I kept my eyes peeled for any signs of Ray. The fact that he’d found my place of employment was frightening. I wondered if he’d somehow tracked me down, using my social security number, since I hadn’t changed my driver’s license over from our Wisconsin address. I’d also never shared anything about my mother, mostly because we’d had a strained relationship the previous years because of her drinking. Now, it looked like it had been a blessing in disguise. Had he known about her, I don’t know where we would have gone.

  As we drew closer to the exit that would take us to the trailer courts, an overwhelming sense of doom rushed through me and my stomach clenched up in fear.

  Don’t go home…

  I immediately turned down the next block and headed the opposite way. I’d recently found that my gut instincts weren’t anything to question. In fact, they were almost always dead on, especially now that I’d left Ray. It was as if letting go of him had opened up an intuitiveness that I’d never noticed before. Sometimes it even made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

  Emma stopped singing. “Mommy, where are we going?”

  I forced a smile. “It’s a surprise.”

  Her forehead scrunched up and I could tell the wheels were spinning in her head. “Okay, mommy.”

  “I’ll bet you’re hungry, right?”

  “Yes. I’m so hungry that my tummy is rumbling,” she answered, touching it.

  I knew it had been a few hours since she’d eaten lunch, so it didn’t surprise me. “How about a cheeseburger and malt?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “At Jake’s?”

  Jake’s was the diner where mom worked. “Yes. Does that sound yummy?”

  She clapped her hands together. “Yes! Can I have a strawberry shake with whipped cream and… and a cherry on top?”

  “Of course.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed as the smile left her face. “Why are we going there, now? We never do that after school.”

  “I just thought it would be fun.”

  ‘Okay,” she replied, although from the look in her eyes, I could tell that she was still confused.

  “Hey.”

  “What?”

  “I love you more t
han ice cream,” I teased, playing our little game.

  She smiled. “I love you more than rainbows.”

  “I love you more than… unicorns.”

  “I love you more than castles,” she answered.

  “I love you more than gold.”

  “I love you even more than gold or diamonds.” She grinned. “Beat that!”

  “I love you infinitely more than anything.”

  “What does ‘infinitely’ mean again?”

  “It means that my love will never end.”

  Her eyes twinkled. “I love you infinitely more than that.”

  I laughed. “You’re too smart for your own good.”

  She bit her lower lip. “That’s what daddy used to say.”

  I smiled sadly. “Well, he was right about that.”

  Nodding, she looked down at her hands but didn’t say anything.

  “Do you miss your daddy?”

  Emma looked up but remained silent.

  “It’s okay, if you do,” I replied, my heart aching for her. It was the only father Emma knew and she was such a sweet little girl. I knew that she could never hate anyone, let alone Ray, who’d, thankfully, never raised his voice or a hand to her. It had been one of the reasons I’d tried so hard to make things work. Even though he’d been an asshole to me, he’d managed to treat Emma much better. “He’s your daddy and you haven’t seen him for a while.”

  She bit her lower lip. “I miss him, but… he hurt you. That was really bad.”

  “Yes. I know.”

  “Why did he do that?”

  “Honey, I’m not really sure. I don’t know… maybe someone was mean to him when he was younger, and now he doesn’t know any better?”

  “Like Grandpa Joe?”

  Grandpa Joe was Ray’s father. He’d had a stroke a few years ago and was pretty docile these days. But, Ray had mentioned more than once what a son-of-a-bitch he’d once been. I had a pretty good feeling that Ray had learned his behavior from his dad, but I didn’t want to get into it with Emma. She was the kind of girl who would over-think things until they ate her up inside. She’d once asked me about dying, and for two weeks straight, I’d had to try and reassure her that we wouldn’t, even though I knew none of us could control something that. Then, another time, she’d been frightened about going to “the bad place”, if she had mean thoughts about someone else. Her mean thoughts at the time, I’d learned, had been nothing more than getting mad at another girl, at school, for bullying her. She was definitely a girl who worried about things, and to the extreme, at times.

  “I’m not really sure,” I answered and then changed the subject quickly. “You know what I am sure about, however?”

  “What?”

  “That I can talk someone into giving us more than one cherry on your milkshake.”

  Her face broke out into a smile. “They can do that?”

  “They can,” I answered, winking at her in the mirror. “Especially when you know the right people, and we know all of the waitresses, don’t we?”

  “We do!”

  “Well, there you go. Let’s see if we can talk them into it.”

  “Okay!”

  When we arrived at the diner, I sighed in relief when I noticed my mother’s Ford Focus, behind the building. I pointed to her car as we turned towards the front entrance. “Look who’s here, Emma.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Yaay! Can we sit in her section?”

  “Of course,” I answered, parking in front of the restaurant. I got out, unbuckled Emma, and we hurried into the diner, with her skipping beside me.

  “Grandma!” called Emma, waving at my mother, who was standing next to a booth in the back of the diner. Her silvery-blonde hair was pulled back into a hair-net and she had more makeup on than usual, which made me think that Sam was also working, or she had plans with him for later.

  Mom waved back, smiling, and then finished taking her customer’s order, while we waited by the register.

  “Mommy, look at that pie,” said Emma, staring into the glass enclosure of the bakery goods. There were pies, cookies, muffins, and scones. My own stomach growled from looking at the tantalizing treats.

  “That’s a cheesecake,” I answered, noticing the cherry drizzled confection on the top shelf. It looked so thick and decadent. Almost too pretty to eat.

  “Cake? It looks like a pie.”

  “I know. It also looks delicious, doesn’t it?”

  She licked her lips. “It does. Can I have a piece?”

  “We’ll see.”

  I turned as mom approached.

  “Surprise!” yelled Emma, smiling.

  “Emma, not so loud,” I said, touching her shoulder.

  “It’s fine,” laughed my mother, bending down to hug her. “You have to yell when you’re trying to surprise someone, don’t you Emmy?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “That’s why I did it, mommy. To surprise her.”

  I shook my head, smiling. “I think you surprised everyone in here.” I looked back at my mom. “Isn’t it your day off?”

  “Gina called in sick, and I figured I could use the extra money.”

  “I don’t blame you. Is Sam working in back?” I asked, trying to peer into the kitchen.

  She pulled a strand of silver hair behind her ear and secured it with a bobby pin. “No, he’s working later this evening.”

  Emma’s eyes became round. “Wow, your nails are so pretty, grandma.”

  My mother smiled down at her new bubblegum-pink-colored manicure. “Aren’t they, though? I went over to Raina’s Hair Salon and had them done.” She looked back at me. “Which reminds me - Sera, didn’t you tell me that you used to be a nail technician, back in Amery?”

  I shrugged. “Yes. But I didn’t make very much, so Ray made me quit after I became pregnant.”

  “He made you quit? Why, because of the chemicals?”

  “That and he didn’t want me working, which was fine. I was able to stay home with Emma,” I answered, smiling down at my daughter.

  “Were you licensed?”

  “Yes. I went to school for it.” I sighed. “I guess it was a waste of time and money.”

  Mom smiled. “Maybe not, Sera. I spoke to Raina and she said that their nail technician is leaving, and they need someone to replace her. She said that if you’re interested, you should stop in and talk to her.”

  “Well, I’d have to get my license renewed,” I answered, feeling uncertain about even getting back into it. “Like I said, it’s been a few years. I might even have to get more training.”

  “It might be worth looking into. The place is always busy,” mom replied. “She said that Mandy, the nail technician, made a decent living. You should really think about it. I’m sure you’d make more than what you’re making at the drugstore as a clerk.”

  As I was about to answer, the phone began to ring. For some reason, I felt another jolt of anxiety, this time so intense that I started to break out in a cold sweat.

  “I’ll get it,” called one of the other waitresses.

  “Are you okay?” asked mom, studying my face.

  Feeling a wave of dread, I looked towards the parking lot and saw Ray’s truck pull into it. “No,” I whispered in disbelief.

  “What is it?” she asked, following my gaze. “Do you know that person?”

  I felt like all of the air had been sucked out of my body. I could barely breathe as I watched him drive slowly through the lot, and then facing us as he parked. Seeing the truck up close, there was no doubt in my mind that I wasn’t being paranoid and that he’d found me. Although the windows were tinted, and the license plate had been changed, there was the same decal of a florescent green skull, near the window.

  “Mommy, what’s wrong?” asked Emma.

  Trying to appear calm, I grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the break-room. “Nothing, honey. Uh, mom, we have to leave. Is it okay if we go out the back door?”

  “I suppose. What’s going on?�
� she asked following me quickly.

  I stopped to look back at her. “I’ll explain later.”

  “But, I don’t want to leave,” whined Emma, pulling at my hand. “You said I could have a strawberry shake with a bunch of cherries on the top. You promised!”

  Crap.

  “I’m sorry, honey, I’ll get you one later.”

  “Sera, what’s going on?” repeated my mother.

  I lowered my voice. “Ray is here. We have to go. He must have found out where you lived.”

  “Daddy’s here?” asked Emma, looking back over her shoulder.

  “For Heaven’s sake… why don’t you just talk to him?” replied my mother, as we started moving again towards the back-room. “You can’t keep avoiding the man and he is Emma’s father. He probably misses her like crazy.”

  I shook my head vehemently. “No, I can’t talk to him and I doubt he’s even here to do that. At least not rationally.”

  Her eyes bore into mine. “Are you frightened of your husband, Sera?”

  Feeling my throat tighten, I nodded.

  Her eyes softened. “Oh honey, I’m sorry. Look, we’re in a public place. What could he really do?”

  Besides take my daughter away or try killing me?

  She just didn’t get it and that was my fault. I hadn’t confided in her. “Mom, listen to me - if he comes inside and asks for us, just tell him that we were passing through town, or something. That we’ve already left. Tell him that you have no idea where we are even headed.”

  She raised her hands. “Sweetie, why don’t you just calm down and wait back here until he leaves. I’ll tell you when he’s gone.”

  “You don’t understand. He’s not just going to leave. He’s obviously seen my car parked in front, so if anything, he’ll just go back out and wait.”

  “Oh.”

  I chewed on my lip. “Okay… this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to sneak back around the building. As soon as he walks into the diner, we’ll jump into the car and take off.”

  “Then he’ll just chase you around town and that’s dangerous,” she answered. “The best thing that you can do right now is to stay back here until I find a way to get rid of him.”