In Her Eyes

Chapter 11

Breath in, breath out. That's what I continued telling myself as I walked up the steps of the small familiar house I visited from time to time. Breath in, breath out. She's safe. You're safe. Raising my hand to knock on the door, I took one last deep breath, but before my knuckles hit the door, it swung open.

Her beautiful brown eyes looked at me filled with tears as her lips began to shiver. She was scared, just like me. Ava leaped into my arms as her body began to shake. Rumors were circling around that he was looking for us. I didn't believe them until Ava called me sobbing about pictures being delivered to her house. Amongst those pictures in the envelope she had were photos of me. He wants us to be afraid. He's winning.

I lied to Leo and Lexi. I told them I had errands to run but here I am in Ava's house, with her and her mother, looking at the photos that will always haunt us. Never knowing if he has more hidden away. We thought when he was arrested they found them all, but clearly, he played his cards right.

"What are we going to do Amy?", Ava asked with swollen eyes. "He got out on good behavior. They don't care what he did to us. They don't care that he took choices from us." I stared at the photo in my hand. I was about six or seven years old. My hair was down and long at the time. He always told me not to cut it, he liked it long. I remember not to long after I begged my mother to allow me to have short hair instead. I stood in one of his shirts with no pants on because he said I wasn't allowed to wear them when we were alone. The memory of me fighting him off me burned deep in my mind.

I remember lying to my mother about the bruises he gave me. I told her we were play fighting and that it was my fault because he wouldn't allow me to watch something on the television. He threatened to sneak in my room that night and do worse if I tried to tell her the truth.

I looked at Ava's mother as her mother held back her tears for her daughter. She blamed herself. How could she not know that the man she was in love with was a monster? Just like how could my family not see the person I called my brother was the demon I fought daily.

"You two need to leave here. He was able to send these photos straight to your house without any problems. Which means he's keeping eyes on you and probably me." I put the photo down and took another deep breath.

"I won't let him get to Ava again, but you need to make sure he never finds a way to even attempt to do so. I don't care what you have to do." I took out my phone and looked for the number I knew would help keep them safe, just like he kept his promise to help me leave my past behind. Hitting the call button, I got up from the couch leaving Leslie to console Ava.

He picked up on the second ring.

"Are you okay?" were the first things to come out of his mouth. "He sent photos to them. He knows where they live, which means he knows where I live. He's coming for me, and I refuse to let Ava get hurt again because of me."

He sighed, "Amy, it was never your fault."

"Can you help them or not?", I replied feeling impatient.

"I'll be there in an hour. Make sure they pack light." He says before hanging up.

I walked back into the living room seeing Ava had somewhat calmed down. She looked at me with such pain in her eyes. Pain that I knew she saw looking back at her through mine. "You have forty-five minutes to pack whatever is important to you starting now"

Leslie stood up tilting her head with confusion. "Someone named Knox is coming to move you. Think of it as witness protection. He helped me leave my family behind when no one would believe me. He's going to help you. So let's start packing." Ava ran up the steps and grabbed a couple of gym bags and totes she had and started throwing clothes and shoes into them.