Love Hurts

Fifteen

                                                                  Warning, major trigger warning this chapter has violence and death in it, please be advised of this before you read on. I do hope you have enjoyed this book so far. I know it is a dark book but my hope is it help just one victim of violence to see they are not alone, this book is very close to my heart. Most events are fiction but some are very real and was hard to write so please don't let it trigger you. Much love and keep rocking on 🤘!

                

Camilla,

I was aware that Hoss wouldn't allow me to do this alone, so when Alan texted me, I understood that I needed to divert Hoss's attention long enough for me to escape.
       Alan: Just come back to me, and I will release Kim.
Me: Alan, I'm begging you. If you still have any love for me, please don't harm her. I'm willing to meet you anywhere you want, just give me a couple of hours.
Alan: If I didn't love you, Camilla, she would already be dead, along with you and that police officer of yours.
Alan: And just so you know, if I even sense that he's nearby, say goodbye to your friend's life because I will shoot her right in front of you.
        I need to find a way to keep Hoss unaware of my plans. How can I distract him long enough to locate Alan's whereabouts and rescue Kim?
I quickly tell Hoss that I'll be right back and make an excuse to leave.
"Where are you going, baby?" he asks.
I smile and give him a kiss. "Just to the little girl's room," I reply.
As I try to walk away, he grabs my arm. "Are you okay?" he asks, concerned.
I shake my head, assuring Hoss that I'm okay. I avoid making eye contact with him because I know he can see right through me.
Alan gives me a one-hour deadline to tell him what I want to do. He reminds me that he's not a patient man.
I ask Alan where he wants me to meet him. He instructs me to call him when I start driving so that he knows I'm alone.
I want to ask him how I'm supposed to know which direction to drive, but I realize that doing so would only anger him and put Kim in danger.
I call the police station and speak to the front desk officer.
"Hello, my name is Kelly Thompson. I would like to speak with Officer Moore regarding a case he was involved in in Georgia."
      "I apologize, but Officer Moore is currently unavailable as he has finished his work for the day. However, I can arrange for him to call you in the morning when he arrives."
"I believe Officer Moore will want to speak with me about this. Can you please call him and ask him to come in as soon as possible?" The desk officer clears her throat nervously. "I will try, ma'am. Please stay on the line and I will let you know if he is coming in or not." I realize that Hoss will see right through this. I was foolish to think I could get away with it. A minute later, the officer returns to the line and informs me that Officer Moore will be here within the hour to speak with me.
That was surprisingly simple, I remark. Hoss knocks on the bathroom door and asks me to stay in the house until he returns. "Sure, baby," I assure him. "I'll be right here." I encourage him to go and take care of whatever he needs to do so that we can continue our search for Kim once he returns.
Hoss gives me a kiss before leaving through the front door. "We'll find her," he assures me. I whisper back, "I know we will. I just hope you can find me before it's too late."
Once I hear Hoss's truck start and drive away, I grab my keys and head to my own truck. I call Alan and say, "Alright, Alan. I'm in my truck alone now. Where do you want me to meet you?"
Alan reminded me of the warehouse we went to before, and he asked if I remembered it. I confirmed that I remembered and mentioned that I wanted to hear Kim's voice to ensure she was okay. Alan responded angrily and caused Kim to cry out in pain. I pleaded with Alan to stop hurting Kim and assured him that I was doing everything he wanted. Alan impatiently told me to hurry up because his patience was running thin.
I quickly arrive at the terrifying warehouse. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths, trying to gather the courage to confront my worst fear. Saving my best friend means confronting something I never thought I would have to. I repeat to myself, "I can do this," over and over again. Suddenly, there is a knock on my window, and I scream in fear like a frightened child. When I open my eyes and see Hoss looking back at me with disapproving eyes, I know I'm in trouble.
I step outside and quietly ask, "What are you doing here?" I scan the area, making sure Alan isn't nearby.
Hoss hisses back, "I'm wondering the same damn thing. You can imagine my surprise when my desk sergeant called and said that Kelly was trying to reach me about a closed case, and the suspect we were after is dead."
       "Damn it! Camilla, I can't let you go in there alone."
      " Hoss, he will kill her. He has already threatened to harm her if he suspects anyone else is around." Hoss sighs in defeat. "I promise you, Camilla, if anything happens to you before I can reach you, I will bring you back and take care of it myself. Do you understand?" I grab his shirt and pull him close to me, kissing him with more intensity than ever before. I leave everything out there in that kiss. When I break away, I look into his beautiful blue eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, baby. I'll be back with you before you know it. Now, you need to let me go in there before he comes out and sees you here, okay?"
       "Go."  Hoss growls. I head towards the door that leads to the warehouse. I notice Alan and Kim at the other end of the building, so I quickly make my way towards them. I see that my best friend is tied to a chair, with blood dripping from her forehead. I kneel down in front of her and ask if she's okay. I gently move her hair away from her face to get a better look at her. She manages to choke out that she's okay. I tell her that I'm going to untie her and she needs to run out of the building as fast as she can. I ask if she can do that for me, and she says yes.
         "I whisper in her ear, 'Hoss will be out there waiting for you.' I untie her and help her up out of the chair while Alan stands back, watching me without even a mutter. He is making me very uneasy. 'Run outside to Hoss,' I whisper in Kim's ear. As soon as Kim takes off to the other side of the building, Alan grabs me by the waist, pulling me into his front. 'Watch this, princess,' he whispers, and it all happens so fast I can't even react. Alan raises his gun in Kim's direction and fires two shots. 'No!' I shout."
        I hope that they missed her, that she is too far away for him to hit her. But when I see my friend fall to the ground, all the blood drains from my body.
      "Why did you do that?" I yell at him. "You promised me you wouldn't hurt her."
       "And you promised to love me, till death do us part. Look at you now, fucking some other man and faking your own death so I can't find you."
      "You should have been smarter, sweetheart."
      "She had nothing to do with any of this, so why punish her for my actions?"
       "God, you're really stupid. It wasn't to punch her. It was to punish you, and that goddamn boyfriend of yours is next." And then he smiles. "You will be last."
       "Why not just kill me?"
       "What fun is that?" Alan smirks a wicked smirk.
        I hope and pray that he only hit Kim in the arm, and she's just pretending to be hurt. Alan, please release me so I can go check on Kim. I start crying.
      "Nope," Alan says, holding me tighter.
      Now it's just the two of us again. Just the way I like it," Alan says, kissing my neck.
     "Please let me check on Kim," I cry once more.
     "And why the hell would I let you do that, Camilla? That woman is the reason you came up with the idea of faking your own death and leaving me. That woman can rot in hell where she belongs," Alan yells.
    "You promised me that if I came back to you, you wouldn't hurt her."
    "You should know better than to trust me, princess."
    Alan throws me to the ground and attempts to remove my pants. I panic, determined to prevent him from raping me again. With all my strength, I deliver a powerful punch to his nose.
    "Damn it, Camilla," he exclaims, frustrated. "I'm trying to do the right thing. I just want to make love to my wife."
    "You will never violate me again," I yell, instantly regretting my outburst.
     Alan wipes the blood from his nose and smirks down at me before retaliating with a punch to my stomach. The pain is unbearable, and I curl up, feeling nauseous on the filthy concrete floor.
     In my mind, I desperately call out to Hoss. He should have heard the gunshots by now. Why isn't he coming to our aid? Although it feels like hours, this torture has only lasted minutes.
     Alan forcefully pulls my hair and strikes me, causing me to fall backwards. I can already feel my broken bone swelling.
     He leans over me, his sadistic smile sending chills down my spine. "Now, are you going to comply like a good girl and give me what I want? After all, it's rightfully mine."
    In this moment, I realize the true extent of his depravity.
    "Fuck you," I muster the courage to say. After all, he intends to rape and kill me regardless.
    "I plan on it, sweetheart," he replies, his sadistic grin widening. The threat alone almost makes me lose control of my stomach.
   "Why don't you just end my suffering and kill me already?" I challenge him, knowing that death would be a release from this torment.
    "He says, kicking me in my ribs again, 'Because princess, this is so much more fun.' I hiss out in pain once more, and he laughs at me. 'Screw this,' I think to myself. I raise my leg up and kick him hard in the face, pushing him backwards. Then, I try crawling towards Kim. All I can think about is getting to her and making sure she is okay. 'Where are you going, bitch?' I hear him say, and I feel him grab my legs, pulling me back towards him. I try kicking and screaming, but he is much stronger than I am. 'Not so fast, princess,' Alan taught me."
      Once he regains control over me, he forcefully tugs at my clothes once again. As I desperately struggle to break free, he delivers a harsh slap across my face.
     "Stay still, you bitch, or I'll slice you from here to here," Alan threatens, brandishing his knife from my buttocks to my pussy.
      I am paralyzed with fear because I know he is capable of carrying out his threat.
     "That's a good girl," he sneers, pulling down my pants and underwear even further.
     Just as he positions himself at my entrance, he is suddenly lifted off me and thrown against the far wall.
    I watch in astonishment as he tries to regain control over his assailant, but I can't quite make out who it is. Then, a gunshot rings out.
   Oh God, he shot the person who was trying to save me. Please don't let it be Hoss.
   Alan turns around, pointing the gun in my direction, and I close my eyes, bracing myself for the impact. I hear another gunshot, but I feel nothing. When I cautiously open my eyes, Alan is lying on the ground, his eyes vacant and lifeless.
    I am frozen, staring at him. Is this really happening? Has it finally come to an end? Is the monster truly dead?

                            Authors note: From this point the book will get intense for a few chapters then it will mellow back out. I hope you are enjoying the book so far. If you have feel free to leave a comment and hit the star down at the bottom to vote. Much love!

      @Crystal  Steadman 2023