All I Have to Give

Chapter 9

Kevin's heart jumped into his throat as he heard Sarah's frantic voice over the phone. He could hear Keith in the background, yelling at her to open the door. There was a loud banging noise and Sarah screamed. Kevin paced around his living room, listening to the dispute escalate.

"Sarah!" he screamed into the phone as he heard more banging and sounds of movement coming from her end of the line.

He could hear her crying and he quickly ran upstairs to his office and picked up his cordless phone. With a trembling hand, he set his cell phone on the desk and dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?" said the voice of a female dispatcher.

"My friend just called me and I think she's in trouble," he said shakily. "You've gotta help her!"

"Okay, what is your name, sir?" she asked.

Kevin huffed as he stated his name. "Kevin Richardson."

"And your phone number for verification?"

Kevin ran a hand over his face as he picked up his cell phone, listening for more coming from Sarah's phone. His focus shifted away from the dispatcher and he barely heard the question.

"Sir?" the dispatcher said, bringing Kevin's focus back to his cell phone.

"407-836-3111," he stated as he listened for Sarah, holding the cell phone up to the opposite ear. He could hear garbled voices as if the phone had been tossed across the room.

"What's the address of the friend you're calling about?"

"223 East Concord Street," he said with a nervous sigh. "You have to send someone quick. I can't hear her on the phone anymore. Her boyfriend is a fucking psychopath."

"Alright, Sir, we are sending someone her way right now. Would you like us to call you after we get a report from the police?"

"Not necessary," Kevin said as he stood up and headed downstairs, shoving his cell phone into his pocket. "I'm heading her way."

"Sir, we really advise against that. The police will handle it."

Kevin clenched his jaw as he grabbed his keys off the coffee table. "I'll see them when I get there," he said as he hung up the phone and rushed out the door, barely stopping to lock it behind him.

Kevin stepped swiftly to his car, shoving his key into the keyhole and unlocking it before getting into the driver's seat. He didn't bother putting on his seatbelt as he turned on the car and hastily backed up onto the street. His back wheels squealed against the asphalt as he peeled away and headed in the direction of Sarah's house. He went down the block and turned at the signal that lead him to the highway, to cut the travel time in half.

His usual twenty minute drive took ten minutes because he sped on the highway at 80 miles an hour. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he focused on the exit signs, thankful that there was no traffic on the highway and no cops to pull him over in the process. Kevin spotted the sign for Concord Road and slowed down to exit the highway. He barely stopped to yield to oncoming traffic and cut in front of a red Jeep that honked loudly as he sped ahead of them. His heart beat heavily against his chest in relief of avoiding an accident and also in fear of what he might find when he arrived at Sarah's house.

Parking his car on the street, he quickly made his way up to the door. The police had not arrived, which didn't surprise him. The Orlando police department wasn't known for their speedy response time. Kevin exhaled sharply, curling his fingers into a fist and banging loudly on the door. He listened for any sounds coming from inside the house but nothing was heard. Kevin creased his brow as he reached down and turned the doorknob, hoping for a miracle that it would be unlocked. He let out a breath of relief as the knob turned and he was able to quietly step inside. He silently looked around the dimly lit living room, intently listening for any sounds of movement or voices coming from within the house. There was no sign of Keith or Sarah at the front of the house so Kevin stealthily crept down the hallway, hoping to find them somewhere.