Chapter 1

Oh, I will love you more than that/I won't say the words then take them back/Don't give loneliness a chance/Baby listen to me when I say/ I will love you more than that

“How many times is she going to call me?” Roslyn exclaimed out loud as she heard the familiar ring of her cell phone for the fourth time in forty-five minutes and, feeling a little exasperated, assumed it was her cousin Kaci again with more questions about the wedding. She ran across the room to the coffee table where she had left phone after hanging up only five minutes ago with her cousin.

“You know Kaci, I know we’re family and all, but when I agreed six months ago to help you plan this thing and get stuff ready I didn’t know it would include a phone call every seven seconds,” Roslyn chided into the phone without so much as a hello beforehand.

“Um, Ros, it’s not Kaci, it’s Serena,” a quiet voice clarified on the other end of the phone.

“Oh, Serena, I’m so sorry,” started Roslyn, feeling slightly embarrassed but mostly rude. “Kaci has been calling me nonstop for the past hour or so and I was positive it was her again with another wedding question.” Roslyn heard laughter through the phone and was relieved that her friend was not upset at her awkward and inappropriate greeting. Serena knew how Kaci was, especially when she was in the middle of something huge, and she understood exactly what Ros was going through with her.

Kaci, Roslyn and Serena grew up together in a small town outside Memphis. Ros’s Dad and Kaci’s Mom were siblings, and coincidentally enough they each had baby girls within the same year. Being so close in age and being family really cemented Ros and Kaci’s bond to each other and it was always the two of them wherever they went. Then, when they started Kindergarten together at the elementary school down the street from their houses, they met Serena. From that day the trio had been inseparable, that is until Kaci’s music career took off and she moved to Los Angeles. Now, all of them at the age of 24, Kaci’s wedding was in the works, and both Roslyn and Serena had quite a load of responsibilities for the grand occasion.

“So what’s up girly?” Roslyn asked casually into the phone, happy to hear from her friend. It had been almost a two weeks since Ros had talked to her, not because she wanted it that way, but because that’s how things had to be now.

“Actually, I was wondering what you were doing tonight. I thought since Rob was out of town, and you’re all by yourself, without him around, maybe you’d want to catch a movie or veg out on the couch, watching re-runs and eating ice cream or something.” Roslyn caught the tone and implication in Serena’s voice when she mentioned Rob’s absenteeism; she sounded relieved, but then again that’s how Roslyn felt too.

Rob was Roslyn’s boyfriend of a year and a half. They started dating shortly after he moved to Memphis from New York City. After completing his MBA in business, he started his own consulting firm. Serena later found out why he decided to do it in Memphis instead of New York when he told her there are more hillbillies and rednecks that need direction and financial security in life than the city slickers do; she had found that quite amusing.

Ros was working the closing shift at The Blue Note, a bluesy nightclub on the south side of the Memphis and he came in with some buddies from work. He was 27 and had just started his consulting firm called “Freedom, Inc.”. She was 22 and in her final semester at the University, with a major in music production and a minor in music theory and performance. They hit it off immediately; he was so charismatic and charming; he seemed too good to be true. The relationship had started out so great—fun, spontaneous, full of good times and laughter. However, before she knew what was happening, it turned into quite the opposite, and just within that past three months or so. First it started off as only little arguments and yelling, and then came the insults, and it got progressively worse from there.

Without knowing exactly what went on behind the couple’s closed doors but being perceptive to the fact that something was going on, something they would prefer to not be a part of, her numerous friends became dwindling, as did Roslyn’s entire soul. What was happening with her and Rob, what the man that she loved and catered to was doing to her and more so what he was turning into was something she did not even understand, leaving her confused and broken.

Serena was one of the few friends Roslyn had left, and she wasn’t sure why Serena stuck it out with her. She knew that Serena suspected something, even though Roslyn had tried to hardest to cover up any indication that her and Rob were having problems, but if she did suspect something, she never asked about it. Serena was not going to abandon her friend of almost 20 years like the rest had, but she did not know how to help her, especially when her friend shut down more and more with each passing day. Serena had watched the light of love and life drain out of her best friend, and like Roslyn, she was left feeling confused and heartbroken.

Rob had left earlier that afternoon on a business trip for his consulting firm. He was headed to Knoxville to speak at a seminar, “Taking Control of Your Finances, and Your Life”. Rob was just the man to lead that seminar, seeing as how he was so great at controlling things, Roslyn being number one on his list. She had felt so comforted watching him walk out the door earlier that day and knowing that he wouldn’t be back until at least Thursday night, two days from now, left her with a feeling of security and safety, a feeling she had not had in quite some time.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” replied Ros, feeling very happy and excited. I’ll order the pizza now and it should be here by the time you get here.”

“I’ll pick up the ice cream and some wine on my way and I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Oh girl, you know how to give me a good night; pizza, ice cream, and wine.” Both ladies began cackling loudly, and Serena could not help the tear that formed in her eye before slipping out.

How long has it been since she’s laughed like that? she sadly reflected to herself as she ended the call with her friend. “I’m going to get her to talk to me tonight,” Serena vowed out loud as she walked out of her house and got into her car. “I know exactly what he is doing to her, but I need proof. And I need Ros to admit what is going on with them. She needs help.”

She formed her plan in her head as she drove to the corner market to pick up the essentials for any good adult sleepover. With the ice cream, two bottles of wine, a bag of tortilla chips, a jar of salsa, and one plan in mind, she pulled back into traffic and quickly made her way to Roslyn’s apartment.

Three hours, one bottle of wine, three quarters of a pizza, half a quart of ice cream and three re-runs of Law and Order: SVU later, the ladies were into quite the conversation about the wedding that was taking place in four days.

“I still cannot believe your cousin is marrying a Backstreet Boy,” raved Serena as she took the last gulp of her current glass of wine. “Tell me again why they are doing it here instead of LA? Does she know what kind of wedding she could have had out there? Oh my God!”

Roslyn laughed loudly at her friend’s expression and gestures. “Because the chances of having a nice, quiet wedding are greater here than they would be in LA,” she explained, fumbling on her words a little as the wine began saturating her brain. “I’m glad she’s doing it here though, because we get to be a part of it.”

“I’m still having doubts about doing all the food and the cake. I mean, celebrities and really important people are going to be at this thing! This will either make me or break me Ros!” Roslyn wrapped her arms around her friend supportively and gave her a quick wink.

“You have been doing this for hundreds of weddings, you’re a pro, and you went to one of the best schools in the country for this crap. Kaci would not have asked you to do it if she thought for one second it wouldn’t turn out right. Oh, and I forgot to tell you earlier, Kaci wants you to call her.”

“I just talked to her this morning!” cried Serena as she began opening the second bottle of wine. “What could she possibly need to tell me that she couldn’t this morning or can’t wait until she gets here tomorrow?” Ros sighed, completely understanding what Serena was saying.

“I don’t know. But just call her. When we get married and Kaci is helping us, we will be driving her crazy too, so let’s just be patient and get her through this.” Ros leaned back against the couch at the thought of getting married. She wanted to be married and have a family so badly, but she knew it wouldn’t happen with Rob; she couldn’t let it, but she didn’t know how to get away from him. As her mind began to wander into painful territory her phone rang, like an omen from the devil, and she knew it was Rob, her Rob, the Rob that she didn’t want to talk to.

Serena grabbed the phone off of the coffee table and looked at the screen. She gingerly held the phone out to Ros, but Ros wouldn’t take it. “Just let it go to voicemail,” Ros instructed quietly. “I don’t feel like talking to him. He’ll be pissed if I tell him what we are doing and I can’t lie to him, cause he’ll find out anyway.” When the phone stopped ringing she finally took the phone out of Serena’s hands, and after flipping it open and hitting the power button, she threw it back onto the coffee table where it had originally been.

Serena knew that this was her chance to talk about Rob, but Ros sensed the same thing and quickly changed the subject before Serena could even open her mouth.

“I want to show you what I got for Kaci; her wedding present,” exclaimed Ros with a high level of excitement. She wiped her eyes quickly, as if to keep the tears that were threatening to spill out at bay, and then she leaned down off the couch and pulled open a drawer in the coffee table. She was wearing pajama pants and a tank top, and as she leaned over her pants fell down slightly and her top crept up a little, revealing most of her lower back and her side.

“Oh my God,” hissed Serena, throwing her hand over her mouth, trying to quiet herself, hoping that Roslyn didn’t hear her. She stared at her friend’s bare skin, her eyes welling up with hot, stinging moisture, a range of emotions flying through her body. She didn’t know whether to yell, to cry, to run away, or to hunt that son of a bitch down and beat him the way he so obviously beats her best friend.

On Roslyn’s left side there was a deep purple bruise roughly the size of a grapefruit, or a really big fist, that couldn’t have been more than a day and a half old; it hadn’t even started to turn yellow. As Serena moved her eyes off the bruise and onto Roslyn’s back, she saw scratches and welt-like bruise, like one would get if they fell back against something with an edge on it. She stared blankly at her friend, trying to figure out what to say, and then she noticed the inside of Roslyn’s right arm as she stretched it out to grab the box out of the drawer. She had five little marks around her upper arm, obviously from someone grabbing her tightly.

Serena tried to conceal her shock and emotion as Roslyn sat back up on the couch with a small box in her hand and a huge smile on her face. “It’s so beautiful, she’s going to love it,” explained Roslyn as she opened the box. Serena didn’t even pay attention to what she was being shown; her mind was racing, trying to figure out what to say to Roslyn about the bruises.

“Have you been kickboxing recently?” Serena asked, deciding to take an ambiguous angle in an attempt to not upset her friend prematurely. Maybe they really are accidental bruises, I really don’t see how Rob could do that to her.

“Kickboxing? No, I haven’t been kickboxing recently…or ever for that matter. Why?” Roslyn was slightly amused by her friend’s question, assuming that the alcohol was affecting her too, since Serena typically got very random and spontaneous when she drank.

“Did you fall down some stairs? Run into something? Play a game of tackle football?” Her tone of voice was snappy and harsh, something Serena was not trying to do, but couldn’t seem to control her anger at what she had seen on her friend’s body.

“What are you talking about?” Serena responded, a little scared and agitated. She knew what happened when someone got angry with her, but she never thought her best friend would hurt her too. Serena reached for Roslyn quickly, trying to grasp her shirt and lift it up, but Roslyn thought she was going to hit her and instinctively put her arms in front of her face for protection. Serena gasped and the tears she had been trying to hold back exploded out of her eyes; and seeing her friend’s reaction solidified her suspicions.

She softly pulled Roslyn’s arms away from her face and pulled her into a hug, both of them crying together. “I would never hurt you Ros, you have to know that. I’m never going to hurt you like he does,” Serena repeated over and over as she held her sobbing friend in her arms, rocking her back and forth. Fifteen minutes later, Serena heard even, calm breathing coming from her friend, indicating that she had finally fallen asleep. Serena gently laid her back against the couch and covered her up with a blanket.

She got up from the couch carefully so she wouldn’t disturb Roslyn and quickly ran over to the kitchen table, digging through her purse for her cell phone. When she felt it in her hands she pulled it out hastily, knocking her purse and its entire contents onto the kitchen floor as she did so. She didn’t seem to care as she bolted into the bathroom and shut the door quietly behind her. She sat down on the toilet and pressed number three on her speed dial—Kaci’s number. It rang several times before anyone picked up, and during that time, Serena’s eyes had brewed a fresh pot of tears and she could not control them from falling or her voice from shaking and faltering.

“Hello?” a sexy male voice said as the phone was answered. Serena knew it was AJ, Kaci’s fiancé.

“Alex, it’s Serena, I have to talk to Kaci, put her on the phone now!” she cried, becoming quite hysterical at this point.

“Okay sweetie, hang on,” AJ replied, sensing something was terribly wrong by the way Serena sounded. Serena could hear him calling Kaci and she heard him whisper to her that something is wrong and he hopes it is not about the food for the wedding.

No AJ, this is not about the wedding, it so much more important than the wedding, this is a matter of life and death.

She heard Kaci’s sweet voice on the other end of the phone say, “Hey Serena, what’s up sweetie?” but all Kaci could hear back were sobs coming through the phone. “Serena? What’s wrong Serena? Serena, talk to me!” Kaci was now screaming into the phone, frantic with worry, and knowing in her gut that it had nothing to do with her precious wedding.

“Kaci, it’s Roslyn, she’s in trouble,” was all Kaci heard before the phone dropped from her hands and crashed onto the floor.

“We have to go now,” Kaci whispered to AJ as he stared at her in shock. She walked into her bedroom and began wheeling out her suitcases. At least she had packed yesterday so leaving in a hurry wasn’t as hard. AJ followed her with his eyes and then, realizing that she was serious, picked up the phone off the ground and said quickly into it, “We are on our way,” and within a minute the couple was out the door and speeding towards the private airstrip where their plane was waiting.

Around six o’clock the next morning Roslyn opened her eyes to find three other pairs of eyes staring at her from different spots in the living room. For a moment she had forgotten where she was, but as she rubbed her sore, swollen eyes and stretched her limbs that ached from sleeping on the couch all night she remembered all too clearly what had happened the night before.

I guess my secret is out, she thought bitterly as she looked from person to person, waiting for someone to say something. Serena was the first to speak.

“How are you feeling?” she asked gently, unsure of how Ros was going to handle this intervention.

“I’ve been better,” she responded flatly, making no effort to look Serena in the eye. “What are you two doing here anyway?” she inquired, referring to Kaci and AJ. “I thought your flight was at 2 this afternoon?” Even though she had asked them in question format, she didn’t expect an answer; she already knew why they had come earlier than expected and as much as she wished they hadn’t gotten involved, she was very thankful that they had. She knew that if it was Kaci in trouble, nothing would have stopped her or Serena from getting to her.

“You know why we’re here Ros,” AJ replied slowly, in a deeper than usual tone.

I hope he’s not getting a cold or anything; that wouldn’t be good for the wedding. Instead of focusing on what he had said she was focusing on anything thing else she could find. She didn’t want to do this; she loved them so much for caring, but there was nothing they could do to help her. Rob could hurt them just as easily as he hurts her. She knew she would never get away from him, mostly because he told her she wouldn’t, and so far, the only thing that he’s told her that he hasn’t followed through on was the one time he told her that he would never hurt her…and obviously he had lied.

She thought back to the day he had said that to her; it was after they had run into one of Roslyn’s old friend’s from high school while they were out shopping one day.

“Roslyn Bushman, is that you? It’s Darla!” Ros stopped in her tracks as she heard that all too familiar voice from behind her. She turned slowly and came face to face with the girl that had ruined her Senior Prom.

“Darla, what are you doing here? I thought you moved to Colorado or something?” Ros could feel her hands shaking as she tried to keep her tone as even as possible.
“Well, I did, but then Ryan and I started talking again and so I moved back here to try and take off from where we had left things.” At the mention of her old crush’s name she jerked a little, the urge to punch Darla in the face flooding back to her all over again. Darla looked from Roslyn to Rob and back again. Then with a smirk she said “I’d ask you what you are doing nowadays but I guess he’s standing right in front of me!”

“Right,” Ros replied, gritting her teeth, “and I say it was nice talking to you, but, well, it wasn’t.” She sneered at Darla and then grabbed Rob’s hand and led him out of the store quickly. Once inside her car, Ros hit the steering wheel and began to cry.

“Who was that babe?” Rob asked, wide-eyed with concern and wonder.

“She was a friend from High School who stopped being my friend after she spread rumors around the entire school that I had an STD, when I was still a virgin, and my date to the prom blew me off and went with her instead.”

“I’m sorry she hurt you like that,” Rob said gently as he stroked her hair and her back. “It’s in the past though, and it doesn’t matter anymore. You’ve got me now, and I will never hurt you.”

“Fuc king bastard!” screamed Roslyn aloud, startling everyone in the room. It was only then, at hearing her friends’ gasps and seeing them looking from her to each other, wondering what was going on, that she lost it. The tears began to tumble out of her beautiful green eyes and she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. “He told me he’d never hurt me!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “How did I let this happen? Look what I’ve become,” she sobbed softly into her hands.

“You did nothing wrong, Ros,” said Kaci as she pulled her cousin close to her. “There was nothing you could have done to stop it.” While Kaci was trying to calm Roslyn down, Serena had picked up Ros’s cell phone, turning it on. She was so irate at what Rob was doing to her best friend that without thinking logically she dialed his number.

“You fuc king bitch,” was the first thing she heard after the phone rang twice. She knew he thought it was Ros calling him, but she was stunned that he actually talked to her that way. She remained quiet for a minute, waiting to hear what else he would say. “How dare you not answer your phone last night. I guess you are just so dumb that you don’t remember the rules, but I’ll make sure you remember tonight.”

Serena didn’t know what to say to him, she had so many things in mind when she dialed the phone, but now, nothing seemed good enough. There was nothing she could say to him that would make a difference, that would hurt him at all the way he had hurt Ros…well, maybe there was one thing. It might not hurt him emotionally, but it would definitely piss it off to no end. She took a deep breath and let it fly.

“You’ve brainwashed her, taken away everyone in her life, made her feel dependant on you while you beat the shit out of her every night, telling her that she will never find anyone better and that she can never leave you. It worked for a while, but it’s over now you son of a bi tch. You’re never going to hurt her again, and if you try, I swear to God I will kill you myself.” All she heard was breathing on the other end of the phone and she knew she had hit him where it hurts.

“You can’t stop me, Serena…..and don’t forget, I know where you live.” The way he said it sent shivers up her spine and for the first time, she understood how Roslyn could be so scared of him and why she didn’t feel like she could leave. With her whole body starting to shake even more than it was before she had a hard time holding onto the phone and almost dropped it. AJ, Kaci and Ros had stopped what they were doing when they heard Serena talking on the phone and up until that point they had just sat there and watched her, listening to what she was saying to Rob, but now, seeing the way that Serena was reacting AJ knew that Rob said something to her and he grabbed the phone from her trembling hands.

“This ends now,” AJ said evenly into the phone. “The police have been notified, reports have been filed, and everyone that doesn’t already know about you and how you treat women will know soon enough. I can’t imagine this is going to look very good with your company and all, so it would be in your best interest to just walk away, do you understand?” All AJ heard in response was the click of the line going dead, and in his gut, he knew what he said didn’t get through to Rob. He knew that Rob would be coming back tonight, and he knew that it was going to be nothing but trouble.

“Alex, we haven’t contacted the police yet,” said Kaci as AJ slowly took the phone away from his ear and held it out to Roslyn.

“We’re going to right now.” He wiggled his hand a little at Ros, waiting for her to take the phone from him. “Ros, you have to do it. This isn’t going to go away, and Rob is going to keep coming until you stop him.” He spoke those words gently, but the message was loud and clear, hitting her right between the eyes. She knew Rob wouldn’t stop, but she didn’t know if the police would be able to stop him either.

Once Roslyn was speaking to an officer over the phone, AJ got up from the chair and walked out of the living room towards the back hallway. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number by heart.

“Yo,” a male voice said into the phone.

“Hey man it’s me. Listen, I need you to catch and earlier flight and get out here now. Some sh it’s going down tonight and we’re going to need you. I don’t have time to tell you more than that right now, so just get here, man.” AJ hung up the phone and walked back out into the living room.

“They are sending some officers over,” said Roslyn as she flipped her phone shut. She had no expression on her face at that moment, and it was scary for Serena and Kaci to see you like that. This was not the Ros they had known and loved, but they knew she would come back…eventually.

Chapter 3



“Maybe you’re missing the point I’m trying to make,” Ros urged one of the police officers, who had introduced herself as Officer Meeks. “How are you going to protect me from him when he comes back here?”

“Ms. Bushman, I understand your fear and anxiety—“

“No, I don’t think you do!” Ros screamed, interrupting Officer Meeks in the process. “Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? Have you ever been told by someone you loved and trusted more than anything how badly they were hurt you if you ever tried to leave them?” The tears were streaming down Roslyn’s cheeks now, fully feeling the hopelessness and frustration this situation was heavily laying on her. She suddenly felt suffocated and found the normally involuntary act of breathing quite difficult to sustain.

“I can’t breathe,” she whispered as her inhales of air became quicker and shallower and her exhales became almost non-existent. The last bit of pigment that was clinging to her face faded immediately as a cold sweat started appearing in the form of tiny droplets of moisture around her hair line. Kaci ran to the kitchen cabinet next to the sink and pulled out a brown paper bag from inside it.

“Here; breathe into this,” she demanded as she opened it, stuck in Roslyn’s hand and helped her cousin lift it up to her mouth. She simulated the breathing with her cousin, almost the same way a Lamaze coach would breathe with the laboring woman, and within a minute Roslyn’s breathing was returning to normal, a slight bit of color returning to her pale cheeks.

Officer Meeks and the other office, Officer Gerard, remained silent through the brief ordeal, unsure of what they could say in response to Roslyn’s emotional outburst. They knew full well how difficult these situations were; many times the abuser got the “final word” and it was quite obvious that Roslyn knew that, and that’s what she ultimately feared.

“Ms. Bushman, we will keep surveillance on you around the clock. As soon as Mr. Manzke makes an appearance we will place him under arrest and he will remain in our custody indefinitely. If nothing else will give you piece of mind and a feeling of safety, just remember one thing; you are not going to be alone until he is apprehended,” Officer Gerard told her gently. Roslyn nodded her head slowly at the male officer as she pulled the bag away from her mouth. That thought did comfort her…immensely.

Officer Meeks and Officer Gerard stayed for a few more minutes, getting as much information on Rob’s whereabouts as they could. After explaining to Ros and everyone else in the room that there would always be an officer following them wherever they went and another officer would be positioned near the lobby of the apartment complex at all times they left Ros’s apartment silently.

Ros looked at the clock on her VCR and with a heavy sigh she got up from the couch for the first time since she had fallen asleep last night. Her legs buckled underneath her as she placed her weight on them, causing her to fall back onto the couch.

“I guess my legs are still asleep,” she laughed, allowing the panic-stricken expressions on everyone else’s faces to slowly fade away. At noticing this, Roslyn cleared her throat and faced them. “Listen guys, this is a really scary situation, but I refuse to let Rob control my life any longer. I am not going to stay here, worrying about every noise I hear. I am not going to be afraid any more.” She stood up from the couch again, this time without trouble, and began walking towards the bathroom.

“It’s ten o’clock on a beautiful Wednesday morning. I don’t have to go to work and we have tons of stuff to do before the rehearsal dinner Friday night. I’m going to take a shower, get ready, and then we are going out.” She didn’t wait for any of them to respond and she shut the bathroom door quietly.

Once she was tucked safely in the confines of the soothing, hot shower, out of eyesight from all the people that cared about her, she cried. She slid down the shower wall until she was sitting against it, letting the tears fall down her face just as the powerful water spray was doing, and she prayed.

Please God, please protect him from him. You haven’t so far, and I’m not sure what I did to make you turn from me, but I’m so sorry for whatever it was, and I am begging you to keep me safe now. I don’t want to die, especially by his hand. I want someone to love me, I want a family, I want to be happy.

As those words rolled from her lips, the ring tone on her phone sounded, and as she listened to it, she began crying a little harder.

I will love you more than that/I won’t say the words then take them back/Don’t give loneliness a chance/Baby listen to me when I say/I will love you more than that. That’s all I want, she thought sadly as she carefully pulled herself up from the shower floor. But do I deserve more than that?

***********************************************************


AJ, Serena and Kaci heard the shower turn on, and they all sat down in the living room to wait. While Kaci grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels, Serena stood back up and walked into the kitchen.

“I know I’m starving, so I can only imagine how hungry you two are,” she called as she snooped through Roslyn’s refrigerator.

“Does she have stuff for omelets?” AJ yelled into the kitchen at Serena, referring to Ros’s food supply. She did, and after Serena took ingredient orders from Kaci and AJ, she began her culinary workings in the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later four delicious omelets were placed on the kitchen table, and Kaci, AJ and Serena sat down in front of them, deciding to wait for Ros to get out of the bathroom before they indulged in them.

“Mmmm, something smells good,” said Roslyn, announcing to everyone that she had emerged from the bathroom.

“Omelets. Come on and sit down, I made you one too,” responded Serena with a smile, knowing that Ros would need the sustenance to re-fuel her drained body. Roslyn obliged, and soon all four plates were empty, leaving them rubbing their full bellies in satisfaction.

“Okay Kaci, what’s first on the list?” Ros asked as she stood up from the table and began clearing the plates away.

“I guess to the dress shop for the final fitting, and then we’ll go to the tux place and get AJ’s tuxedo.” She listed off a few more places they needed to go, just to check in to give them piece of mind that everything would be ready in three days. They all grabbed what they needed and headed out the door, making sure the new locks that had been installed while the police were there worked with the new keys Ros had been given. When they felt satisfied that the apartment was secure they walked into the elevator and made the descent down to the ground floor, to talk to the officer waiting for them down there.

“I’m Office Miller and I will be following you on your excursions today,” he explained as gave a 10-4 into his walkie-talkie. He also handed Roslyn a little device that was about the size of a stop watch. “Pull this pin out and a shrill noise will sound so loud it can be heard for a half a mile,” he explained, showing her what to do as he was speaking. “If you run into a problem, this will either scare him away or alert people around you that you need help.”

Roslyn grabbed the device from him, giving him a thankful smile before tucking it into her purse. The foursome was off, with the officer in tow, and soon, they were so enveloped in wedding stuff that, for at least those few hours, Roslyn and everyone else had forgotten about Rob, and were just content of having a normal afternoon in each other’s company.

Chapter 4



“Okay guys, I’m starving,” whined Roslyn as they walked out of the tuxedo shop. Kaci looked at her watch and laughed.

“Ros, it’s only two o’clock; you just had a huge omelet four hours ago!”

“Yeah, I normally eat breakfast around eight and then lunch at noon; four hours apart—so what’s your point?” retorted Roslyn, a little annoyed at her cousin’s tone. I know she’s like a size NOTHING and eats like a bird, but us NORMAL women eat three meals a day, plus snacks! She’s not even that much thinner than me! Of course, to Rob, I’m a cow.


“Okay Rob, I’m ready to come out now,” Roslyn announced from her bedroom to Rob who was sitting in the living room waiting for her. He felt so bad about her Senior Prom being ruined that after a few months of planning he had put together a prom-like event in Memphis. All of their friends, family, and various members of the community had been invited, making it a huge ordeal.

“Get out here then!” he yelled back to her, slightly amused at how excited she was and how much it actually felt like a real prom to her. Slowly she emerged from her room and moved into the kitchen, where Rob got a great look at her, since the living room and kitchen were open, meaning there were no walls separating the two rooms.

She was wearing a strapless lime green silk number with a black lace overlay from the top to the dropped waist and then a solid black overlay from the dropped waist down. It was form fitting at the top, with a corset look to it, and then it widened as it went down so that by the bottom of the dress the fabric flowed and cascaded with each step. The final accent on the dress was a slit on the left side that almost reached her hip, exposing her entire left leg. Jesus himself would have stopped dead in his tracks if she had walked past him and she only hoped that Rob would have the same reaction.

“Wow,” he whispered as she took several more steps through the kitchen. He started walking towards her and met her halfway into the kitchen where he started walking around her, taking it all in. She was beaming, feeling so sexy and beautiful, loving the way Rob’s eyes wandered over her entire body, obviously pleased with how she looked. She had been so careful about what she ate in the past month, also doing some light cardio and weight training in hopes of toning her limbs a little before the big day. She was waiting for the praises of beauty and attractiveness to poor out of his mouth, but that didn’t happen.

“Your arms look great, but you should have done some extra running on the treadmill to firm up these love handles,” was the first thing out of his mouth and he stepped behind her and pinched the little bit of skin above her hips. Then he reached his hand down to her exposed leg and slid his hand inside the slit until his hand was right under her butt cheek.

“This is a little loose too, but with any luck your dress with cover it when you walk and dance so no one besides me will notice it.” The tears stung in her eyes and she fought her hardest to keep her face from twisting and the tears from falling. Her lips were trembling and she placed her hand over them to try and stop it. Rob didn’t even notice, he was still too busy examining her body with a magnifying glass and a fine tooth comb.

He moved around to her front and studied her face, and then he smiled. “You have always had such a beautiful face Ros, that’s never been an issue to me. At least I know that if you don’t get rid of those problem areas I will have a beautiful fatty instead of an ugly one.” He laughed a little at his own joke, thinking it was hilarious, but Roslyn couldn’t even move. She had never been spoken too like that, especially by someone she loved and trusted. It takes a lot of trust and self-esteem to allow a person of the opposite sex to see you naked, and Roslyn felt, at that moment, she had made a terrible mistake.

What must he think when he sees me naked every night? No wonder we always have sex with the lights off, she thought to herself, horrified and embarrassed beyond control. She was shaking so hard she could almost hear her brain rattling inside her head and almost didn’t hear Rob asking her if she was ready to go. Without another word she walked out the door, silent tears ruining her perfectly made up face.

She tried to conceal the tears that were falling from her eyes as she remembered that horrible night four months ago. That was the first time he had emotionally and verbally abused her, and it was a moment that she had never, and probably never would forget.

“Ros, I’m sorry,” Kaci said softly, seeing her cousin’s tears and feeling like a complete bi tch for saying anything. She knew Roslyn’s insecurities about her body, but looking at Ros she knew she had nothing to be insecure about.

Ros was five seven, about 145 pounds, making her a size 10. Most of the size 10 though was made up of her amble bum, for her stomach was quite taught. She had an hourglass figure, her hips roughly eight inches rounder than her waist, making a single pair of hip-hugger jeans look deliciously perfect on her. Her breasts were a full C-cup, and provided the right amount of cleavage with a low cut shirt.

Kaci felt slightly like a lesbian, giving her cousin the once over with her eyes, but she was trying to figure out how Rob could have been so cruel to her. She had a gorgeous body, always has, and it was not fair to Roslyn for anyone to challenge or argue that.

How much damage control and repair is this poor girl going to need when this is all said and done? Kaci wondered to herself as she pulled her cousin into a tight hug.

“I’m really hungry too,” piped in Serena, hoping it would take some of the pressure and focus off of Roslyn. “Let’s find some place to eat.” The foursome walked down the street to Roslyn’s favorite Italian bistro. “A little Café Mulino should cheer you up.”

As they were sitting down at their table, AJ’s cell phone rang. After glancing at the caller ID, he excused himself and walked away from the group towards the entry way to talk privately.

“Hey man, did you land?” AJ asked into the phone.

“Yeah, we are in the rental car driving out of the airport now. Where should we meet you?”

“We? What do you mean we?”

“You know as well as I do that Q is back home for his dad’s funeral and I’m on double duty this week Alex.”

“Shit, that’s right.” AJ went on to fill his bodyguard, Marcus, in on the details and then ended his spiel by telling him to come to Café Mulino and meet them for lunch. “I’m sure you guys are hungry and this will give you a good chance to get better acquainted with everyone else.”

“I’ve already got it pulled up on the navigation system. We’ll be there in ten minutes,” Marcus responded.

“Marcus,” AJ started, but then paused, unsure of how to put this.

“Yeah man?”

“Don’t let Nick cause any problems. We both know how he gets when he’s ‘on vacation’. He’s not going to care that there are real issues going on here or even that me and Kaci are getting married. He’s just going to get drunk every night and probably make a fool of himself at the wedding.” As soon as he said that, he felt horrible. He loved Nick so much and knew he shouldn’t talk about him that way, but there were just so many things weighing on his shoulders right now, and the thought of having to keep Nick under wraps was just too much.

“He’ll be fine Alex; don’t worry,” was all Marcus said before hanging up.



“Were you talking about me?” Nick asked defensively as soon as Marcus hung up the car phone. “What was he saying?”

“Nick, relax man. AJ is stressed about the wedding and some problems that have come up with Kaci’s cousin and he is just worried that you’ll—“

“That I’ll screw things up again like I always do?” Nick asked with a hurt look on his face. He didn’t wait for Marcus to respond; he just plugged the ear buds from his ipod into his ears and turned the music up as loud as he could stand it.

Nobody has any faith in me anymore. Nobody’s even seen that I’ve changed. The last tour was months ago, and they still look at me as that guy. Vanessa hasn’t even noticed, he thought bitterly. He closed his eyes, trying to push all of the bad energy out and breathe the good energy in. This trip was his chance to show everyone that he had grown up, that Nick Carter was not the childish, self-centered person they all think him to be, and if he was completely honest with himself, the childish, self-centered person he had shown himself to be in the past. His first task: finding out what the problem was with Kaci’s cousin and fixing it so AJ and Kaci didn’t have to deal with it.

I mean, how hard is it going to be to re-dye her hair her normal color or fix a couple broken nails anyway, he thought, assuming that any “problems before the wedding” would be that simple and minor.
Even if she gained a few too many pounds, there has to be a tailor somewhere in Memphis that can let the seam out a little more. God knows how many times it’s happened to me.

He almost laughed out loud as that thought crossed his mind. Of course, no one’s noticed that either, he gently reminded himself, referring to the fifteen pounds he’d lost since the tour ended. But he knew they would; he was here now, and he was going to show them, and he was going to make everything alright.

“The backup landed and is on the way here,” announced AJ as he joined the group at the table. Kaci nodded her head, understanding what AJ meant, but Roslyn and Serena looked back and forth at each other completely clueless.

“Backup?” Serena asked, a little agitated that AJ and Kaci seemed to be speaking in a code language and only the two of them understood. Kaci looked up from her menu, and at seeing the puzzled expression on her friend’s face, she started giggling.

“AJ’s bodyguard, Marcus,” she responded casually, as if everyone has a body guard and the definition for the term “backup” is common knowledge.

“And Nick,” AJ added quietly, waiting for the reaction he would surely get from his fiancé. Surprisingly, it was Serena that spoke up first.

“Nick? As in Nick Carter? As in the hot blond guy in your group that I’ve had a crush on since I was fourteen?” She sounded like a pubescent girl on the verge of a rather embarrassing attack of the star-struck giggles slash hysterical crying.

“That would be the one,” responded Kaci, amused. “Promise me, Serena, and this is important so listen carefully….Promise me that you won’t scream, cry, or lose consciousness when you see him, okay?” AJ and Roslyn started laughing while Kaci struggled to keep a straight face.

“Whatever,” muttered Serena as she rolled her eyes. Ros, Kaci and AJ continued staring at her, waiting for her promise.

“Well?” Kaci coaxed.

“I’m 24 years old,” responded Serena defiantly. The stares continued. “I am a mature adult!” Still nothing. “I took the posters of him off my wall years ago!” She was almost pleading now, hoping they would turn their attention from her back to their menus. They still stared relentlessly and finally she sighed and she took her white linen napkin off the table, waving it in the air comically. “Fine, I surrender. I promise I will not scream, cry or lose consciousness when I see him, happy?”

“I might though, depending on who we are talking about,” a male voice said from behind Serena. Kaci and AJ, who were seated directly across from Serena, covered their mouths and laughed as they watched Nick walk up behind her. Serena knew that voice, and she sat frozen in her seat, refusing to turn around, afraid that she might not actually be able to keep her promise if she did.

“Remember See, you promised,” snorted Kaci, unable to control her laughter any longer.

“You guys all suck,” murmured Serena as she covered her face in embarrassment.

“Serena, let me introduce you to Marcus, my bodyguard, and Nick Carter, your favorite Backstreet Boy.”

“Nice to meet you both,” she said loudly, her hands still covering her face. The table erupted with laughter as Nick and Marcus took their seats in the two empty chairs between Serena and AJ and picked up the menus.


“Will there be anything else?” the waiter asked an hour later as he placed the bill on the table. Everyone shook their head no and he began clearing away the empty plates.

“I got this,” said AJ casually as he grabbed the bill off the table and pulled out several large dollar bills from his wallet. He stood up and took the bill up to the bar to pay while everyone else finished their beverages.

“Sh it, guys, sorry to break this up, but I gotta get going,” said Serena reluctantly as she glanced at her watch. Roslyn gave her puppy dogs eyes, making Serena giggle. “Don’t give me that look. If you want your cousin to have a wedding cake and food at the reception then I have work to do.”

“Fine, but don’t forget to be at The Blue Note by eight,” Roslyn reminded her as she stood up and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” responded Serena with a smile. She said goodbye to Kaci the same way and then waved at Nick and Marcus. “Guess I’ll see you around,” was all she said before heading towards the bar to bid farewell to AJ. When Serena was gone, Kaci turned to Roslyn with excitement in her eyes.

“Are you singing tonight?” she asked her cousin, a huge smile on her face. Roslyn just nodded her head in affirmation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Roslyn shrugged her shoulders. “When have I really had a chance? Besides, it’s not that big of a deal. People are going to be more interested in you, AJ and Nick than they will be in me anyway.” She looked away from her cousin, feeling unsure of herself now. Sometimes, being related to Kaci was hard on Roslyn, especially when it was her time to be the star.

She had been singing at The Blue Note since she started working there two years ago. At first, she just filled in as a backup singer for the featured singer, Skyla, whenever one of the regulars couldn’t make it, but sixth months ago Skyla got a record deal and someone needed to fill her shoes. Roslyn has been singing there twice a month since.

“Don’t say that,” said Kaci softly. “People go there to see you and you know that.” Roslyn smiled and decided to just let it go. She didn’t want to argue or debate the issue. She didn’t even want to sing tonight with everything going on.

I can’t miss another show though or they will replace me, she thought, remembering back to the night two months ago when she couldn’t perform.

“Rob, I don’t have time for this. I have to be there in twenty minutes!” she screamed at him, trying to get him to move out of the way.

“You have all the time in the world. You don’t go unless I say you go and…” he started, grabbing her around the throat, “don’t you ever yell at me again.” He pushed her against the door, choking her as he did so. “You’re not going to sing tonight, you’re not even going to be able to talk tonight, and if you try to defy me again, I’ll make sure you can never sing again,” he told her as she started to run out of air, her eyes rolling back into her head. He had lifted her off the ground by this point, but when he noticed she was losing consciousness he dropped her like a rag doll and she crumpled to the floor.

She tried to stand up, but she couldn’t. She coughed as she tried to catch her breath, and Rob just stood over her, watching her. She opened her mouth to speak but only air came out, and she knew he was right; she wouldn’t be able to sing tonight.

She stood up from the table abruptly and excused herself to the bathroom. She almost ran AJ over as he walked back to the table. “What’s wrong?” he asked, oblivious to what she had been thinking about.

“She’s worried about singing tonight with us there,” Kaci explained, also in the dark about what was really bothering Roslyn. “She thinks that everyone will be more interested in us and Nick than her.”

That didn’t really seem like what was bothering her, thought Nick. I don’t see why that would cause her to run off.

“What is the problem with her anyway?” Nick asked, taking the opportunity to satisfy his curious mind since they were on the subject of Kaci’s cousin. “Marcus said we had to come out early because there’s a problem.”

“I’ll tell you later,” AJ whispered as he saw Roslyn walking back towards the table. “Is everything okay Ros?” he asked as she got closer.

“I just want to take a nap,” she told him as she picked her purse up from the table.

“Then let’s get you home.” He led her out of the restaurant, followed by Kaci, Nick and Marcus.

On the walk back to Ros’s apartment, fire trucks and ambulances went speeding past them with the siren’s blaring, causing a pit to form in their stomachs.

“What the h ell is going on?” Kaci wondered out loud as they quickened their pace. When they turned the corner she got her answer; Ros’s apartment complex was engulfed in flames.

“Oh my God!” Ros gasped as she took off running towards her home.

“Ros, no, get back here!” Kaci yelled, but Ros didn’t listen. She didn’t stop until the fireman holding back the crowd grabbed her around the waist as she tried to get by him.

“This is my apartment complex; I live here!” she screamed, trying to get him to let go of her. “How did this happen?”

“We won’t know for sure until the blaze is put out and it can be investigated, but from what everyone is saying, the fire started in apartment 3D and just grew too quickly to contain it.”

“That’s my apartment!” yelled Roslyn in disbelief. “I haven’t even been home all day!” Nick, AJ, Marcus and Kaci had now caught up with her and had heard what she had just said. One of the policemen walked up to them and asked them to come with him.

“Ms. Bushman,” the officer said once they were out of earshot from the crowd. “Some of your neighbors claim they saw a male matching the description of Mr. Manzke on the fire escape outside your apartment. We believe that he broke into the apartment that way and when he discovered that you weren’t home he set the fire out of anger.”

“I need to lie down,” whispered Roslyn.

“Okay sweetie, we’ll get you to our hotel,” Kaci told her, rubbing her back gently. “Excuse me, Officer….?”

“Brooks, Miss, Officer Brooks.”

“Okay, Officer Brooks, can I take her back to my hotel room?” Officer Brooks look at Roslyn and nodded his head slowly.

“Yeah, I think that would be a good idea,” he said quickly, putting his index finger up as a signal for them to wait a second. He walked over to one of the other officers as whispered something in his ear, and then came back.

“I’ll take her,” he said, placing his arm gently around her back. “My car is right over here.”

“I’ll ride with,” said Marcus. Maybe he had been working as a bodyguard too long, but he had a bad feeling about this guy. “Here,” he said, tossing the keys to the rental car at Nick, “you guys walk back to the restaurant and get the car, then meet us at the hotel.”

They nodded, and Marcus and Roslyn followed Officer Brooks to his car. “Don’t worry honey,” Marcus told her as he helped her into the backseat before scooting in right next to her. “You just stick with me. I don’t have any loyalties to your boyfriend; I’ll keep you safe.” He said it just loud enough for Officer Brooks to hear, and somehow he knew he had hit the nail right on the head.

“I’m think it’s time for you to tell me what’s up!” Nick yelled as he, Kaci and AJ took off running back down the street towards the restaurant where Marcus had parked the rental car. They reached the car in less than a minute and they jumped in as quickly as they could.

“What hotel?” Nick asked as he pealed out of the parking lot.

“The Wyndam Garden on Second,” snapped Kaci as she wrung her hands and chewed on her lower lip. “Just follow this road,” she explained, pointing to the road they were on, “it will take you right to Second Street.”

“Okay fine, I’ll do that, but tell me what the fu ck is going on!” he ordered firmly, keeping his eyes on the road. “Who is Mr. Manzke and why is he setting fire to her apartment? It’s not that prick she’s been dating for a while is it? Don’t they live together? Why would he burn down his own apartment?” Nick kept going on and on, asking questions but getting no answers. “Did they break up? Will someone answer me?”

AJ turned in his seat and glanced back at Kaci, the two of them silently deliberating who was going to share the sordid details with Nick. Kaci sighed and began.

“Yeah, Rob Manzke, Ros’s boyfriend. She reported him to the police today and now he’s trying to get at her.”

“Why did she report him?” Nick kept his eyes on the road, but the tone of his voice was rising a little, as if it was starting to affect him personally.

“He hurts her Nick,” Kaci replied softly, as tears began to form in her eyes. Everyone in Ros’s life, now that the truth was out, felt guilt and pain, but because Ros was Kaci’s best friend, she felt even worse, like she should have known and done something to protect her.

“What do you mean he ‘hurts’ her?” Nick was pretty sure he already knew that answer, but he needed to hear it anyway.

“He beats the shi t out of her, man!” AJ yelled before Kaci had a chance to answer. “He pushes her, kicks her, slaps her, punches her, says horrible things to her, take your pick. He was out of town on business and Serena and I kind of tipped him off that the cops were after him and now he thinks this is a game, a challenge, and God knows what he’s else he’s going to do!”

“Why would you tip him off? Are you insane?” Nick didn’t mean for his words to sound so hurtful, but they did.

“We didn’t mean to. Serena was so upset that she called Rob and tried to scare him, threaten him, just let him know that we are onto him and he better stay away, and then I got on the phone with him and did the same thing, but I guess it didn’t work and now he’s even more pissed and he’s going to take it out on Ros!”

Nick had a hard time concentrating on the road, horrible images and thoughts of Rob hurting Roslyn haunted his mind. How could anyone do that to her? And how could she let him do it for so long? I knew something was up with her when she was in LA a couple months ago.

Roslyn and Nick were actually more acquainted than they led most people to believe. They had met over two years ago when she had come out to LA to spend a few weeks with Kaci over Spring Break. That was her first time meeting her cousin’s new boyfriend, Alex, as well as his five band mates.

Nick liked her immediately, which surprised him, seeing as how she wasn’t his typical, platinum blond, colored contact wearing, tanning bed colored type of girl, but since he was in a current relationship with someone of the aforementioned description, he reluctantly passed on the ample opportunities to take her out. If it was a group thing, he was there, watching her, listening to her, taking all of her in, but never got any closer than that.

They had kept in touch over those two years, making a point of going to dinner or catching up over a cup of coffee whenever she would venture out to the West Coast or whenever he was passing through her neck of the woods, which wasn’t very often. Whenever they did get together though, they made the most of it. Talking for hours about what each other had been up to, learning each others likes and dislikes, and eventually moving into more personal territory like relationships and history that wasn’t made known to a lot of people in their own lives. And as weird and random as the friendship was, it seemed to be turning into a very strong one.

Two months ago, however, Roslyn had been sent to LA for her job, but he had to hear that she was there from Kaci; Roslyn didn’t call him like she always did.

“Hey Ros, it’s Nick, umm, Kaci said that you were in town, but, ah, do you want to umm…why didn’t you call me? I guess if, uh, want to, you know, umm, catch a late lunch or an early dinner or, um, whatever, I guess, give me a call. It’s the um, same number as always, in case, you know, you forgot or something.” He hung up his phone and stood in the middle of the living room of his condo, wondering why she hadn’t called him.

“She always calls me when she’s in LA,” he murmured to himself, his feelings hurt and his heart disappointed. He was about to set his phone down on the mantel but it rang before he could.

“Yeah?” he said into it quickly without looking at the caller ID.

“Nick? It’s Ros,” a quiet voice said from the other end. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I really didn’t think I would be here long enough to see you, but, well, after hearing your voice I, umm, will you come pick me up at my hotel?”

Nick wasn’t sure what he heard in her voice, but he wasn’t going to find out now. She had asked him to come get her, and he didn’t need to be asked twice.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he said as he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. They continued to talk as he was driving; only ending the call once he saw her walking towards his car in front of her hotel.

“What happened?” he asked, pointing to the cast on her arm and sling she was wearing. She looked away from him and answered blankly.

“Oh, I slipped going down the stairs at work last week, no big deal.” Throughout their evening together he had seen bruises and marks on her body, some appearing older than others, but he never questioned her. Like everybody else in her life, he assumed that if they were from something serious, she would say something.

He hit the steering wheel with his hands making the car horn sound as he did so. Why didn’t I do something then? he thought. He pulled into the parking lot of the Wyndam and they all hopped out, giving the keys to the valet attendant before walking into the exquisite lobby.

Oh I will love you more than that/I won’t say the words then take them back/Don’t give loneliness a chance/Baby listen to me when I say/I will love you more than that.

“How ironic,” Nick mumbled as “More Than That” played over the speakers as they walked through the lobby. I would love her more than Rob. I would never hurt her.

“It’s still so weird to be walking next to you and hear you singing on the radio,” said Kaci with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a little. They took the elevator up to the eleventh floor and then walked down the hallway to room 1169, which, of course, was AJ and Kaci’s room.

“Where’s Ros?” Kaci asked Marcus as they entered the room and saw him sitting at the desk making notes on a piece of paper. He pointed to a door that was slightly ajar, which Kaci knew was one of the bedrooms. She walked over and peeked in the door, then silently pulled it closed.

“What are you thinking man?” AJ asked Marcus as he plopped down on the couch.

“I googled this Rob guy and he seems to be a pretty popular guy. His consulting services are in high demand, he’s on the Forbes list, and he’s really involved in the community.”

“But yet he lives in Memphis, Tennessee, in a two bedroom apartment in an old part of town, drives a Ford, and beats his girlfriend? It doesn’t make sense!” Nick’s observation was right and everyone else was thinking the same thing, he was just the first to verbalize it.

“My thoughts exactly, and my theory why is that he can control things here. Four out of the five cops that are working on Ros’s case were listed on his website as community leaders, he’s president of about a half a dozen organizations in this dam n city, he’s got everyone so snowed or on his side that it doesn’t matter what he does.”

“So what do we do then? She’s lived in this community her whole life and you’re telling me that the cops are going to help the criminal instead of the victim? She doesn’t have anyone here to help her except for Serena; my parents aren’t even here very much anymore!” Kaci was beginning to get a little hysterical at this point, helplessness flooding over her.

“What about her parents?” Nick asked, wondering why Kaci didn’t mention them. AJ and Kaci just stared at him, as if he had two heads and the question he just asked had been spoken in some alien language.

“She’s never told you?” AJ spat at him, doubting whether or not they should. If she never mentioned it to him in all the times they had spoken, if might be something she just didn’t want him to know.

“Told me what?”

“Her parents were murdered last year.” AJ regretted saying it as soon as it came out, feeling that he had just betrayed Roslyn’s trust. It’s not my place let the skeletons out of her closet.

“They were asleep and Randy, Ros’s Dad, heard something crash downstairs. I guess it was two burglars and he scared them and one of them shot him. Then Diane, my aunt, heard the gunshot and came downstairs. They killed her too.” Kaci began crying, the loss of her aunt and uncle still hurting terribly.

“They never found the guys either,” AJ added, hugging Kaci tightly.

“Excuse me,” said Nick quietly as he made his way to the bathroom. When they thought he was out of earshot, Marcus spoke first.

“We are going to have to settle this our way. I already put in a call to some of my guys; they will be here in a few hours. We can’t rely on the cops here to catch him, since most of them appear to be this guy’s friends.”

“So, what are we going to do?” AJ asked.

“Whatever we have to,” was all Marcus said.

“Kace, does Nick have a thing for Roslyn?” AJ could tell by the way Nick was acting that he must be feeling something.

“It’s pretty obvious to everyone but her isn’t it?” she responded with a smile. “She’s got a thing for him too though; she just doesn’t let herself feel it. I think if anyone is going to help her through this it’s him, but we’ll see what happens.”

“Where is he anyway? He’s been in the bathroom a really long time,” AJ noted as they all looked towards the bathroom. The door was open again and the light was off, so it didn’t appear that he was still in there. Kaci got up and walked towards the bedroom where Ros was sleeping and pushed it open quietly.

“Oh my gosh,” she whispered as she peered into the darkened bedroom and saw Nick lying on the bed with Roslyn, his arms wrapped around her protectively. She backed away from the door and smiled. “I knew it,” she murmured as she sat back down on the couch next to AJ.

“He’s in there with her, isn’t he?” AJ asked with a grin on his face. Kaci just nodded her head in confirmation. “Good. They need each other more than they know.”

Roslyn woke four hours later feeling well rested. She knew the nap was a good idea, but she was surprised that she was actually able to fall asleep and stay asleep for four whole hours. Lately, when she would sleep, she would wake during the night from bad dreams, but that did not happen during this slumber.

It wasn’t until she tried to stretch that she realized a pair of strong, heavy arms were holding her body securely. He really does love me, she thought happily as she snuggled a little deeper into the embrace. I knew he would come back to me. He always said he never wanted to hurt me. She rolled over to face him, her intentions being to kiss him passionately, to tell him she forgave him for all the things he’s done to her, to take the first step out of he ll and begin their new life together, but her intentions were stopped short when she leaned in for the kiss and met a pair of piercing blue eyes instead of the dim, brown ones she was used to.

She felt like an idiot; a gullible, foolish woman. She knew Rob would never be the man she wanted him to be; she knew that no matter how much she loved him, he would never love her back. She just lay there, crying, giving no explanation for her actions to the man lying next to her, still holding her carefully, tenderly. He didn’t need one though; he knew what she had thought, what she had hoped, and he knew her heart was breaking all over again at that very moment. He just continued to hold her, understanding that there was nothing else he could do, and nothing else she wanted.

“I’m never going to change him am I?” she said quietly, the tears slowing a bit. “No matter what I do, no matter how much I love him, the relationship would be nothing but disaster.”

“Ros, there’s no way for you to change it,” he responded softly, brushing her hair from her face. “It’s him, not you. He’s the monster, the one with the problems, and he doesn’t deserve the love you’ve given him.” His words were true, the sound of his voice calming her as he spoke them. She lay in his arms for another fifteen minutes, the most intimate feelings she still had within her flowing through her body as her tattered and bare soul exposed itself to him through an un-spoken language. He understood her pain; she had the essence of damage and sorrow. His heart ached to take that away.


********************


“Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, the Blue Note Night Club is proud to present the smoking hot band, right out of Memphis, Jade, featuring singing sensation Roslyn Bushman.” The crowd at the night club was busier than usual tonight, people driving from all over to see Roslyn’s band, and they went crazy at the introduction, clapping and screaming as loud as they could. Roslyn had fans, something that she took great pride and accomplishment in.

For the next hour Roslyn sang her heart out, performing original songs that she and the band had written, as well as covering other artists’ songs. Kaci, AJ, Marcus, Serena, and Nick had been seated up in the balcony section; that was the most VIP a downscale nightclub like the Blue Note got, especially since the rich and famous didn’t frequent the place very often.

When Serena arrived at the Blue Note at eight, Roslyn had still been in her dressing room getting ready. She didn’t hit the stage until nine, but she was already in a panic. She had taken the dress she was supposed to wear for her final song to the dry cleaners and when she picked it up the next day she was on her way home. It was in her apartment when it burned, and now her choices for a replacement were severely lacking the look she wanted to portray.

“Don’t worry,” Serena had told her. “You just finish getting ready and I’ll take care of your closing number.”

Roslyn still didn’t know what Serena had come up with, and she wouldn’t know until she ran backstage at the end of the set to change into whatever it was for the last song.

The last two songs in the set were very fast, upbeat, dance tempo ones, and Kaci and Serena couldn’t stay in their seats any longer. They jumped up and grabbed the guys by the hand, dragging them down the stairs with them all the way up to the stage.

“She is so fabulous!” screamed Kaci over the loud bumping bass.

“I know!” Serena yelled back. “It’s amazing to watch her up there; it’s like she becomes this completely different person. It’s so hot!” Kaci and Serena started laughing and trying to get Roslyn’s attention so she’d play and sing to them from the stage.

“Well, Nicky, what do ya think?” AJ asked as the last song in the set died down, Serena took off to the dressing room to help Roslyn and he and Nick moved away from the stage a little. The noise level had dropped dramatically as the lights went out on the stage and the crowd made a mad dash for the bar for another round before the grand finale. Roslyn always wowed the crowd with her ending number, and it was always a song that she did by herself, with only a piano or a guitar accompaniment and the anticipation and excitement from the crowd was no different tonight.

Nick stood there for a moment, listening to everyone talking about Roslyn and the band and how much they loved it, and he couldn’t think of any thing to say that could possibly express to AJ what he was thinking. “Awesome man, completely awesome,” was all he could say, and AJ understood him all too well.


*********************************


As the lights went off on the stage, Roslyn sprinted to the dressing room to see what Serena had found for her. Her mouth dropped as she stepped into the room and her eyes set on the most beautiful black dress she had ever seen.

“Oh my God, Serena, it’s beautiful! Where did you get this?” she cried as she walked over to it, almost afraid to touch it. It was a strapless sheath dress, obviously made to hug every curve of the wearer’s body, but then it fluttered out slightly at the bottom, creating a beautiful feminine look. It has a slit on the right side that traveled from her ankle to her upper thigh and that was all there was too it; but just the simplistic elegance of the dress was enough to take her breath away.

“I didn’t do it alone; Kaci helped,” was all Serena gave as an answer. “Now hurry up and put it on, we still have to put your hair up and fix your makeup!” Roslyn did as she was told, and ten minutes later she was ready to head back onto the stage for her final number; well outward appearance wise she was ready, inside she was dying.

Maybe I shouldn’t sing this song, she thought as she walked towards the stage. It’s so personal; maybe it’s too personal to sing.

“What wrong buttercup?” Serena asked as she pulled Roslyn closer to the stage door.

“Maybe I shouldn’t sing this one, See. I don’t think it’s the right choice.” Serena grabbed Roslyn’s hands, holding them in her own as she faced her friend, locking eyes with her.

“Ros, there is not a better song you could sing tonight, for so many reasons. You can’t keep running. You know the truth and you know the emotion, all that’s left is to sing it.” Roslyn nodded; she knew Serena was right. If she used every feeling and emotion and thought and fear and hope and disappointment she had within her right now, the entire place would be sucked into the mystery of her words.

“You have all been a fabulous crowd tonight and the entire group would like to thank you for coming out and seeing us tonight,” Cecilia, the keyboard player, said into the lone microphone positioned in a stand in the middle of the stage. The rest of the stage was completely void of anything else, except a grand piano in the far left corner.

“And don’t forget, you can come back and see us right here on the 17th, nine o’clock sharp,” she continued, the crowed whistling and clapping. “And now, for the final number of the night, please welcome back to the stage, Miss Roslyn Bushman.” The crowd grew louder, and the single spot light went out, the stage going black.

“Roslyn, Roslyn, Roslyn,” the crowd began to chant. She was standing on the stage waiting for the spot light to illuminate her, and the sound of her name being chanted gave her chills. She felt so at home on the stage, so wanted and adored, something her life had been lacking so much.

She heard the piano intro start behind her and the spotlight on the left side of the stage lit up, casting a beautiful glow around Cecilia as she played the grand piano. And now it’s my turn, Roslyn thought, waiting for the spot light to hit her.

“This is a song I wrote a few months ago. It means a lot to sing it for you all tonight,” she said quietly into the microphone. “This is Beautiful Disaster.”

He drowns in his dreams
An exquisite extreme I know
He's as dam ned as he seems
And more heaven than a heart could hold
And if I try to save him
My whole world would cave in
It just ain't right
But it just ain't right

Oh and I don't know
I don't know what he's after
But he's so beautiful
He's such a beautiful disaster
And if I could hold on
Through the tears and the laughter
But would it be beautiful
Or just a beautiful disaster

He's magic and myth
As strong as what I believe
A tragedy with
More damage than a soul should see
But do I try to change him
So hard not to blame him
Hold me tight
Baby hold me tight

Oh and I don't know
I don't know what he's after
But he's so beautiful
He's such a beautiful disaster
And if I could hold on
Through the tears and the laughter
Would it be beautiful
Or just a beautiful disaster

I'm longing for love and the logical
But he's only happy hysterical
I'm searching for some kind of miracle
Waited so long
I've waited so long

He's soft to the touch
But frayed at the ends he breaks
He's never enough
And still he's more than I can take

Oh and I don't know
I dont know what he's after
But he's so beautiful
He's such a beautiful disaster
And if I could hold on
Through the tears and the laughter
Would it be beautiful
Or just a beautiful disaster.

He's beautiful
Lord he's so beautiful
He's beautiful

Her eyes fell on Nick as she sang the last lines of her song, her heart making the gesture for her mind. That would be a beautiful disaster too, she thought sadly as the song ended and entire nightclub erupted in ear-shattering screams and claps. Serena and Kaci wiped the tears away from their eyes, both knowing what that song really meant.

Nick was awestruck. He had never heard such emotion mixed with such a beautiful voice in his twenty-six years of existence. He wanted to revel in that moment forever; staying in that four minutes and thirty-four seconds for the rest of his life was all he could comprehend, but that was cut short too.

“We have a problem,” yelled Marcus, slightly out of breath, as he ran up to them. “Rob…he’s here.”

Roslyn walked through the door of her dressing room moments after finishing her song, feeling both exhausted and ecstatic, physically and emotionally. It had taken so much of her to sing her most personal words like she had just done, but the toll it had taken on her was not gratis; she felt liberated, fear and anxiety losing their control on her. Serena had been right; all she needed was to sing it.

She slid out of the dress, hanging it carefully back on the hanger from which it came, running her hand down the soft fabric one last time before zipping up the plastic bag that protected the beautiful garment.

“If anyone walked in right now,” she mumbled out loud, realizing that she was standing in the middle of her dressing room, in nothing but a thong, caressing the dress she had just taken off, with a longing look in her eye, and anyone that saw her would think she was a little off her rocker. She quickly stepped into a pair of gray, knit athletic shorts, rolling the waist band twice so they sat below her navel, low on her hips. She didn’t feel like hanging out in the club tonight, and the thought of dressing up just to head home wasn’t something that appealed to her.

Not like there’s anybody I need to impress anyway, she thought dryly as she reached for her favorite lemon yellow ribbed knit tank. After catching herself in the mirror, and realizing she wasn’t wearing a bra and the light colored tank top would not leave much to the imagination, she pulled a second tank out of the dresser, this one hot pink. Thank God for layering, it just works, she mused as she started putting it on, just getting it over her head before hearing a noise behind her. She quickly pulled the tank top down and immediately turned around to see what it was; bringing her face to face with Rob.

She opened her mouth to scream, her first instinct, but he wrapped one of his large, strong, dark hands across her mouth, preventing anything from escaping it. A second later his other hand was around her back, pulling her into his body, holding her so tightly she couldn’t wriggle away.

“I saw you with him,” he hissed into her ear, pressing his mouth so close to her skin she thought his hot breath would burn a hole in her face. Roslyn was trembling so hard she lost her balance, her legs giving way under her, relying on Rob to hold her up. He relished in the fact that once again he had control over her, the choice to let her fall completely up to him.

“I see the way you look at him, the way he looks at you. I know about your little get togethers in LA, the emails between you two.” He pulled his mouth away from the side of her head and looked right into her mascara smudged eyes. “I guess I didn’t make it clear enough that you are to love no one but me.” His eyes flickered with hatred and anger as he pulled his hand away from her mouth, raising it in the air, cocking it for the strike. The next instant was a blur to Roslyn as the back of his hand collided with her cheek, following through until his hand was on the other side of his body. He chose that moment to release her from his hand, sending her body flying from the force of his hit.

She stumbled as she tried to catch herself, falling backwards against the edge of the dresser. She hit hard, knocking the wind out of her lungs, and she struggled to regain her breath as she slid down the dresser. Now that she was free of his hold, his hand no longer covering her mouth, she needed to scream, to yell as loud as she could for someone, anyone, to help her, but she couldn’t.

She began crawling towards the door, clawing the carpet in her attempt. She was going nowhere fast, the pain in her hand and back from her crash with the dresser overtaking her.

“Great idea Rossi, we should leave,” he patronized, watching her feeble attempt at escaping. In one swift movement he was over her, pulling her off the ground and dragging her unwilling body towards the door. He flung it open, pulling Roslyn into the dark hallway, his getaway plan rolling. He knew if he could get her out the back door at the end of the hallway and into his car without incident he would be free, unstoppable even. His plan, however, ran into a snag as he saw two men running down the hallway towards him.

“I didn’t want to have to do this, Ros,” he snarled in her ear as he left go of her with one arm and reached around his back. “It’s all your fault; all the horrible things you make me do because you don’t listen…” She felt something cold and hard against her head as Marcus and a very tall, very wide man that she had never seen before stopped several feet in front of her. She saw the looks on their faces and she knew that Rob had just put a gun to her head.

“Don’t come any closer,” he said evenly, pressing the barrel into her temple harder. She cried out a little and Marcus’s eyes flickered with frustration and helplessness as the horrified sound filtered into his ears.

“She goes with me alive or she stays here dead; you choose,” Rob said coldly, squeezing Roslyn tighter against him.

“It doesn’t have to be like this Rob,” the unknown man said, his voice surprisingly higher pitched than his large frame would imply. “Just let her go and things won’t be so bad for you.” A maniacal laugh came out of Rob’s mouth, sending a shudder through Roslyn’s body.

He’s insane; he’s going to kill me. Somebody help me! She screamed so loud in her mind, but the words were unable to come out of her mouth.

“Big Mike is right, man. Just let her go and we’ll make sure you don’t go down for something you didn’t do,” coaxed Marcus, hoping the negotiation tactics would work. They should have known better though….

“Now why would I let her go,” Rob responded, brushing his lips against Roslyn’s neck. “She wants to with me, don’t you baby?” He licked her neck, rubbing the gun free hand up her body and across her breasts, squeezing the left one territorially. “Don’t you?” he asked again, pressing the gun even harder against her head. She tried to nod her head up and down, but any signal her brain was trying to send to her body was not going through.

“Say it,” Rob ordered, shaking her.

“Y-yes,” she stammered, feeling like she was going to urinate all over herself.

“There you have it; now call off the thugs I’m sure you have waiting outside for me and we’ll be on our merry little way,” he instructed them, waving the gun at Marcus and Big Mike as he said it. Marcus flipped his phone open, telling whoever was on the other end to go back into the club through the front entrance and wait for him there.

He and Big Mike stood like statues, in shock that the scene in front of them was unfolding this way. They were supposed to protect her, but had no way of doing it. They knew a guy with a gun called all the shots; until they could outsmart him that is. They watched Rob back his way out the door leading to the employee parking lot, and as soon as he disappeared through it, Marcus and Big Mike took off running back into the club.

“What’s going on? Why did you call us off?” another large man asked as Marcus came towards him. He was just as tall as Big Mike, 6’ 2” or so, but weighed about 100lbs less. He appeared to be a very athletic man, with muscles giving definition to the tight fitting t-shirt he was wearing.

“He’s got her Trey,” Marcus shouted as he ran past the burly man in his middle twenties. “Car, NOW!” Trey, Big Mike, Marcus, Nick, AJ, Serena and Kaci ran out of the night club in time to see a car squeal around the corner and fade out of sight.

“Fuc k!” screamed Marcus as he punched through the pane of glass on the club door and then squatted down on his haunches, wrapping his hands around his head in frustration.

“What happened?” Kaci screamed hysterically, looking around for an answer.

“He had a gun, there was nothing we could have done without risking her life,” explained Big Mike. “Serena, do you have idea where he would take her?” Everyone turned from Big Mike to Serena, staring her down, waiting for her to spill some ground-breaking news that would lead them to Roslyn.

“I-I don’t know,” she squeaked, tears falling freely from her eyes. “I don’t know!” Kaci wrapped her arms around her, she too unable to control her tears.

“It’s okay, See. It’s okay.” She stroked Serena’s hair as she frantically looked in the eyes of each of the males standing before her. “You have to find her. No one else can do it, and we can’t trust the cops here. Find her.”

They all knew it was only a matter of time…before time ran out.

Chapter 9

            Roslyn looked frantically out the car window as Rob sped through the surface streets of downtown Memphis.  It looked to her like they were about a mile from The Blue Note, apparently heading towards the interstate. 

            Where is he taking me?  What do I do?  She reached down towards the floor to grab her purse which contained her cell phone, only to realize that she had been unable to get it before Rob dragged her out of the dressing room.  She also didn’t have shoes, which she knew would slow her down in the event that she could find a way to escape. 

            “Rob, you have to let me go,” she told him, talking loudly, hoping he wouldn’t hear the click the lock made as she unlocked her door.  “You could keep driving north until you hit Canada; the cops can’t get you there.  Just let me out and you can be free.”  She pleaded with him, reasoning with his common sense.  Just let me go Rob!  Let me go! 

            He sat there silently, a look of mocking on his face, obviously enjoying her pathetic attempts at negotiating with him.  He kept his eyes focused on the road ahead though, as it had started raining quite heavily and the visibility on the road was diminished. 

            “Rob, please,” she whimpered, unable to control her hysteria any longer.  I’m going to die.  I’m never going to be able to get away.  “Let me go.”  He still didn’t look at her, or even acknowledge that she was talking to him.  He kept that smug smile painted on his face though, enraging Roslyn even more.  “LET ME OUT OF THIS FUCKING CAR YOU BASTARD!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, her throat burning from the force, causing her to cough as soon as the last syllable left her mouth. 

            Rob began laughing, that same maniacal laugh that he sported back at the club, and once again, Roslyn’s blood ran cold.  He was laughing so hard he didn’t see the cars slamming on their breaks in front of him, nor did notice Roslyn’s demeanor change as she realized this was her chance to get away.  As Rob pressed the brake pedal down as fast as he could, Roslyn yanked the handle on the door and pushed all her weight against it.  The door flew open, wilder than usual from the force of the car slowing to a stop so quickly, and she leapt from the vehicle just before the front of Rob’s car smashed into the back of the car in front of his. 

            She hit the pavement hard, rattling every bone in her body, as she tucked and rolled, going with the gravitational pull.  She felt her body hit the curb, and then, with great difficulty, she lifted herself off the ground and took off down the sidewalk in the direction of the club, the last place she knew the people who could help her were.  She did not make it far though, collapsing on the sidewalk eight blocks from the accident, the rain pelting down on her as she struggled unsuccessfully to get to her feet again.  She knew she couldn’t afford to give up, having no idea if Rob was right behind her or not, but she couldn’t lift herself off the ground anymore.

            “Nick,” she cried softly, a river of blood mixed with rain running down the sidewalk in front of her.  “Help me.”

            Ten minutes had passed since they watched Rob’s car tear off down the road, and they had called the one officer they knew they could trust, Officer Meeks.  She was the first officer that had shown up at Roslyn’s apartment earlier that morning, and she was in no way affiliated with Rob or his interests.  Kaci and Serena remembered her as well, not from this morning, but as one of the officers working Randy and Diane’s case, their murder case.  They knew she could be trusted, and they knew she would whatever she could to help Roslyn. 

            “Thank you for coming Officer Meeks,” said Serena as the officer got out of her car.  “We didn’t know who else to call.”

            “Please, call me Kate,” she answered, grabbing her walkie-talkie out of the car before slamming the door shut.  “And you were right to call me; I have my suspicions too.”  She stopped talking as some noise came though the walkie-talkie, everyone turning silent, trying to figure out what they were hearing. 

            “We’ve got something,” yelled Kate after giving a 10-4 into the walkie-talkie.  “There was an accident on Monroe about seventeen blocks from here involving a maroon colored sedan matching the description you gave me of the car Rob was driving.”  She started running back to her squad car, but Nick grabbed her by the arm.

            “There’s no word about a female passenger,” was all she said as she slid into the car and pulled the door shut.  Officer Meeks sped down the road with her lights flashing and siren blaring, leaving everyone else behind as the rain began falling harshly on them. 

            Before a word could be spoken, Nick took off running down the street in pursuit of the police car.  Five blocks later he could see the traffic already backed up from the accident and he kept running towards it, pushing people out of his way as he went past them. 

            “Roslyn!  ROSLYN!”  He was shouting her name, but he didn’t remember telling his brain to do it; the two syllables flying out of his mouth on their own.  “Roslyn, I’m coming….just hang on.  I’m coming!”

            Four blocks later he ran into Officer Meeks, which puzzled him since they were still eight blocks away from the accident. 

            “Nick, did you run all the way down here?” she asked him, the answer obvious from his labored breathing and his soaking wet body. 

            “Where….is….she?” he asked, saying each word in between breaths. 

            “I don’t know yet,” Kate answered, staring down at the sidewalk.  Nick looked down too, noticing traces of blood that were just being washed away from the rain.  “What was she wearing when she left the club?”  The tone in her voice was urgent, leading Nick to believe that the answer to that question was of the utmost importance. 

            “I, I didn’t see her, but Marcus and Big Mike did,” he stammered as he dug his cell phone out of his pants pocket.  “A hot pink tank top over a bright yellow tank top and a pair of gray shorts,” he yelled at Officer Meeks, the phone still up to his ear. 

            “Then we know she was involved in the accident; a piece of her pink tank top was caught on the bottom edge of the passenger side door,” responded Kate gravely.  “I would bet anything that she was right here no more than two minutes ago.  Are you sure you didn’t pass her as you were running down here?”

            “I didn’t see her!” Nick yelled, looking around at the crowd that had gathered, searching the faces for the one he needed.  Then it hit him, the question he should have asked right away, but his mind was so focused on Roslyn, not her attacker.  “Where is Rob?” 

            “There was blood on the steering wheel and the windshield was cracked; the blood is being sent to the lab as we speak to see if it’s Rob’s, but as of right now, he’s gone too.”  Nick uttered a few explicatives, his frustration that Roslyn was right here and now gone getting the better of him. 

            “We’ll find him Nick,” said Kate reassuringly.  “From the amount of blood in that car there is no way he will be able to keep running without seeking some sort of medical attention first.  We’ll get him.” 

            “Before or after he gets her?” Nick added, his throat closing at the thought.  He’s hurt her enough already, and I’ll be damned if he’s going to do it again.

            Officer Meeks pretended to blow off his comment, but she too wondered what the answer to that question would be.  “I’ve got a call in to all the hospitals and medical centers in the area; if anyone matching either Rob or Roslyn’s description comes in, I’ll be notified.  But neither one of them could have gotten far if they are injured, so I think our best bet is to look between here and the club.”  She paused for a moment and then added, “And from the looks of it,” she said, pointing to the spot where the blood had been, “she’s making her way back to where she knew you were, back towards the club.” 

            Nick didn’t have to be nudged twice; he took off running back towards the club, his cell phone back up to his ear again as he told Marcus what Kate had said.  “I’ll be back there in about five minutes; I’m going to go down this street….uh…Freemont,” he said as he looked up at the street sign.  “Maybe she took a different way so Rob couldn’t find her.” 

            He flipped his phone shut and ran across the street, off the main road onto a much dimmer Freemont Street.  He ran all the way down it, then turning left onto another street that he couldn’t see the name of because the street light was burned out.  He peered down every alley, looking in every door way, eyeing every person he passed along the way, calling her name as he did so.  He wasn’t sure exactly where he was until he saw the illuminated sign for The Blue Note, and he realized that he was on the backside of the building. 

            “Mother fucker!” he yelled, upset that he was back at the club and had seen no sign of her. 

            “Nick, was that you that just screamed?” Marcus chirped into the two-way, causing Nick to jump a little.  “Yeah, I’m coming up to the back entrance; no sign of her.”

            As he walked up to the back door of the club, the light above it shone on a figure crumpled on the ground.  “Marcus, guys, get back here!” he screeched into his two-way as he ran full speed toward the huddled mass.  “Hurry!”

            He put his hand on his forehead, the pain so unbearable he faltered as he walked, crashing onto the road in front of him.  He pulled his hand away from his head, only to find it covered in blood, his blood, his forehead cracked right open from hitting the windshield.  That accident had been a big one, and he was surprised he was able to walk away from it. 

            “I’ve got to get this fixed,” he said as he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket.  It rang a few times before a male said hello on the other end.  “J, it’s Rob, I’m outside Barley and Hops, come pick me up…and bring your first aid bag.” 

            “Are you okay man?  What’s going on?”  Jerome, or J as Rob called him, had been Rob’s best friend since high school.  He moved here with Rob from New York, working for Rob’s firm and acting as his partner in crime whenever the situation called for it, although J was usually kept in the dark that an actual crime was taking place.  This time would prove no different if Rob could help it.

            “I just had a little accident and my head is bleeding; I slipped and hit my head on the edge of the stairs outside.  Just hurry okay?”  He didn’t even give J time to respond, he just shut his phone and tried to think of what to do next. 

            I’ll have to borrow Jerome’s car, since the cops are looking for mine and that stolen car is totaled.  Just thinking about all his effort to find the perfect car to steal and then wrecking it only hours later pissed him off to no end.  No one would have even noticed that car gone for days; it was just too perfect, making it just another thing that bitch ruined for me. 

            His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an approaching car, and he quickly ducked into the shadows of the doorway so he wouldn’t be seen.  As the car slowed in front of the pub Rob peered out from his hiding place, and, after breathing a sigh a relief that it was Jerome, ran towards the car. 

            “Jesus Christ Rob, what the hell did you do?” exclaimed Jerome as Rob climbed into his car and he got a good look at Rob’s head. 

            “I told you; I hit my head on the steps, no big deal.  Just get me away from here and cleaned up,” Rob ordered through gritted teeth.  The less you know the better J; for your own good. 

            Ten minutes later Rob was sitting in his friend’s living room allowing J to clean and bandage the wound on his head.  “You might need stitches Rob; are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?” 

            If you take me to the hospital I will get caught you idiot.  I’m sure the cops have already put an alert out for me. “Is that your professional opinion or just that of a caring friend?” Rob asked with a grin on his face.  No sense in being rude and grumpy with him; for one, he won’t buy it, and two, I need his help. 

            “Both, I guess,” he responded, a little concerned.  Jerome, along with being Rob’s right hand man at the consulting firm, was a certified EMT; which was a big reason why Rob called him for help.  He knew Jerome would be able to patch him up and he could forgo the hospital. 

            “J, I’m fine.  I actually have some work to do tonight so I can’t spend the rest of it waiting in the ER for a few stitches.”  Please believe me, please believe me.  It appeared that Jerome did, so Rob took the opportunity that had presented itself to get something else he needed from his friend.  “And since my car is in the shop, I was hoping I could borrow yours.  Is that cool?”

            The truth was that his car was parked in a storage unit and had been since he arrived back in Memphis earlier that afternoon.  He couldn’t take the chance of someone seeing it, and since he had burned down the apartment complex he lived in there was no garage for him to park it in. 

            He waited for his friend to answer, puzzled as to what was taking so long.  Jerome was the go-to guy, he never said no to Rob, so why would he start now? 

            “J?  Is it cool?”

            “Shhh,” J responded, straining to hear the police scanner that was sounding in the background. 

            “Black male, 6’ 1”, short black hair, brown eyes, muscular build, last seen wearing a gray t-shirt, dark wash blue jeans and dark shoes, believed to be armed and dangerous, with possible facial injuries caused by a car accident he was involved in before fleeing the scene.  Suspect’s name is…..”

            The scanner hit static as the dispatcher was about to name him as the suspect, but he had not been saved.  Rob looked down at his blood stained clothes; the gray t-shirt, the dark jeans, the dark shoes.  He brought his hand up to his head, feeling the bandage that Jerome had just finished attaching. He was made, and the look on his friend’s face told him that he had made him too, just as the rest of the city had. 

            He watched his friend open his mouth, he could tell Jerome wanted to ask, to find out what was going on, but nothing came out.  He stared at Rob in disbelief, disbelief that his friend of over 10 years was capable of the things he was being accused of over the police scanner. 

            “Also looking for Caucasian female, 5’4”, long brown hair, green eyes, approximate weight 150, last seen wearing a pink tank top and gray shorts.  She is believed to be involved in the accident as well, but is not  willingly with the suspect.  She answers to the name Roslyn Bushman.”

            And that cemented it; Jerome had heard far too much to just pretend it was a mistake and lie his way out of this.  God dammit! Rob screamed inside, dreading the inevitable.  He now had a decision to make; a very important decision that would change his fate either way: tell Jerome everything and make him a part of the plan…..or get rid of him.