Chapter 4: When it rains...

Sage

       It’s a damp, gloomy morning, making it even more depressing due to lack of sleep. I guess I have to be grateful that my sleepless nights for the past week star Priest.

Ever since I saw him last week, I’ve been on an emotional high. I recall every moment of our conversation─ down to the secretive nature of his real name. A private part of me likes knowing his true name when only a few people know it. Especially people who know him intimately. I guess I should be grateful that in my dreams, I call out his real name in the throes of passion— instead of crying out in fear. Every other night, for the past couple of months, all I’ve done is have nightmares about Smiley Alvarado and the day he kidnapped me from my apartment. I play it over and over in my mind. Every night I remember how he drugged me and chained me on top of a bare mattress with the sole intent of raping and torturing me. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to me if Priest hadn’t found me. Would Smiley have raped and dismembered me the way he did the other women who came before me? Smiley had been stalking me for months before he kidnapped me and took me to his secret hideaway.

Smiley was not your run-of-the-mill stalker, though. What the police would later reveal about Smiley Alvarado would be so much worse. According to the police, Smiley was kidnapping and murdering women as an initiation to become an enforcer for the local gang lord. Unfortunately, Smiley became obsessed with me and decided to keep me as his pet. The police found the dead bodies in the basement of his house after they rescued me. The mere thought of it makes nausea roil inside my stomach. Who knows what Smiley would have done to me if Priest hadn’t saved me when he did? Priest felt guilty for not killing him after everything that happened. He was so angry. I’ll never forget that night of terror and... passion.

~ “Okay, grab what you need, and let’s go.” Priest says, walking ahead of me as he looks around to make sure the apartment is clear. He’s very thorough, going as far as to check my windows, closets, and underneath my bed. However, Smiley Alvarado had an ace up his sleeve. One that we didn’t predict.

Giving him a warm smile, I head towards my bedroom and lay my overnight bag on top of the bed. I have been staying with Priest since the night Smiley sent the recording. Unfortunately, the little amount of clothing I brought along was not enough. I can’t go to work in my yoga pants. That night, I convinced Priest to take me home so I could get a few much-needed essentials. The apartment is eerily quiet. Not a thing is out of place. Which is probably why I let my guard down so easily. Turning back to Priest, I gesture to my bathroom. “I’m going to change into some fresh clothes. I’ll be out in a minute.” Priest nods but halts my progress before I step inside. “Let me check first.” He steps into the bathroom and opens the curtain before giving the towel closet a quick check. The room is untouched. Turning back to me, he steps out the door and points to the living room. “I’ll be waiting on the couch. You have five minutes. If you’re not out by then, I’m going in to find you.” I nod my head and roll my eyes. “The place is empty, Priest, and there are no windows in my bathroom. I’ll be okay.” He doesn’t agree. “Five minutes, Sage.” He mutters with a serious scowl.

Giving him my most sincere smile, I turn to the bathroom and close the door behind me. My bathroom is between the living room and bedroom. It’s a small bathroom with a claw-foot tub and a small porcelain sink. The walls are painted a soft cream color, and the floors are covered in old, yellow, laminate tiles. Slipping out of my jeans and Yankees t-shirt, I face the mirror and let the clothing fall carelessly across the floor. My skin looks pale beneath the dim bathroom light. My black lace underwear makes me look sexy. I release my hair from its ponytail and shake my head to let it fall haplessly across my shoulders. Tendrils of hair caress the peaks of my breasts, making me groan with desire. Thinking about the gorgeous man sitting outside my bathroom door, I resist the urge to step out of the bathroom and straddle his lap. I wonder what he’d think if he saw me in my sexy underwear.

I’m about to reach for my change of clothes when the back of my neck prickles. My heart speeds up at the sound of a door creaking. Before I turn to the noise, a sting on my neck jolts my body. Looking up at the mirror, terror overwhelms me at the sight of Smiley Alvarado standing behind me. He’s holding a large syringe against my throat. I want to scream out, but my lungs are frozen. My vision hazes as my body begins to slump down onto the floor. Smiley grins gleefully before he lifts me in his arms and drags me to the closet. I shudder with horror at the sight of the secret door behind the shelves of my linen closet. Before darkness overtakes me, my last thought is— Oh, that’s how he got in without us noticing.

Unfortunately, the nightmare would not end there. I don’t know how long I was out, but I woke up to a nightmare. I remember how dry my throat was, my blurred vision, and my pounding head. Rising up, I looked around in a panic when I realized that I wasn’t home or with Priest. The smell of blood and urine permeated my senses first. It wasn’t until I tried to get up from the bare mattress that I realized that my ankle was chained to the floor. Looking around dazedly, I stumbled around, trying to find some way to unlock my shackle. My stomach rolled with nausea, and my vision wavered.

The room was dark and barren of any furniture, and the gray paint on the walls are soiled and peeling. Holding my hand against my pounding forehead, I swallowed deeply and stumbled over several pieces of litter and debris. Come to think of it, the whole floor was littered with trash. I flinched back when a rat squeaked and scurried across the floor. I remember wrapping my hands around my shoulders, stepping back, and shuddering from the cold seeping inside my bones. That’s when I realized that I was still in my underwear. My heart began to speed up as fear permeated my senses. I jumped when a loud, creaking sound resounded on the other side of the room, and who should come striding in but Smiley Alvarado. True to his name, he had a broad, cocky grin. Frightened, I took a few clumsy steps back and stumbled because I was still disoriented from the drugs he injected me with. Regrettably, I could only go as far as the chain allowed. Smiley laughed at my panicked gesture and moved closer. He was wearing a large black hoodie and slouchy jeans over his slim frame. The bottom part of his face was hidden behind a bushy beard, and his dark, hellish eyes glowed maniacally.           

A sniffle escaped my lips at his approach. His bald head gleams beneath the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Fear, like I’ve never known overwhelmed me, and paralyzed me in place when he raised his hand and rested it against my face. His palms were sweaty and clammy, and his eyes were sly as he ran them down my bare body.

“Hey, baby, you look so beautiful tonight.” He muttered with a hiss as he pulled my reluctant body close to his. I struggled weakly in his arms, but whatever drug he gave me made me sluggish and weak. “Please, don’t.” I plead as I tried to pull away from his restraining arms.

Smiley ignored my pleas. “Man, I’m going to fuck the life out of you, and you’re going to beg me for it. You’ll see.” He muttered in a raspy smoker’s voice. Before I could argue further, Smiley released me and pushed me down to my knees. Pain radiated through my body from the jarring move, making me cry out.

Slinking back onto the mattress, I observed warily as Smiley pulled out a syringe and approached me. I tried to crawl away, punching and slapping any part of him that I could, but he was able to detain me quickly. The pinch of the needle still managed to surprise me when he plunged it into my arm. I cried out, tears falling from my eyes as I watched him inject a liquid into my body. It didn’t take long for whatever he injected me with to take as my chest burned and my body shuddered. Unlike the other drug, this one did not make me sluggish. Instead, I felt like I was injected with adrenaline. My whole body came alive with pleasure, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Still feeling weak, I gasped as whatever drug he gave me took over my body.

Seeing my state, Smiley crawled across my body and began to touch me. “Oh yeah, baby, you’re feeling really good right now, aren’t you?” He whispered as he leaned close and laid kisses on my collarbone. I tried to pull away, disgusted by his touch, but Smiley simply laughed as he ran his brutish fingers over the lace of my bra and bit my throat. My body ached wantonly, but my mind was disgusted with what he was doing.               “Don’t! Please don’t!” I cried out; tears of terror began falling down my face. I made every effort to pull away, but it was no use because I was still too weak. Smiley was going to rape me. “Ahh!” I cried out, thumping his chest with my fists as he wrapped his hand around my neck and whispered in my ear. “Why won’t you give in, you little bitch! It will be much better if you do.”

I shook my head and squirmed beneath him, trying to crawl away from his touch. “No!” I screamed out when his hand slid between my legs.

Thankfully, Priest and his men walked in at that moment and saved me. I remember lying there as Priest lifted Smiley away from me and beat the crap out of him. It was so bad that his men couldn’t stop him. Licking my dry lips, I turned weakly and called out his name. “Priest...” But it came out too weak. I watched as his broad back coiled and his fist slammed into Smiley’s bloody face. Licking my dry lips, I called out again. “Please, Priest, it hurts!” I croaked out, feeling my stomach cramp. I rolled onto my side as my body began to throb painfully. I felt like my womb was about to explode. I don’t know how he heard me, but he stopped punching Smiley, turned to me, and gathered me into his arms. I clung to his body weakly, sweat gleaming all over my body and wrapped my arms around him. ~

Things happened quickly after that. Things that I will never forget but wish to forget because they still torment me.

Priest says that I made some kind of distressing sound before Smiley took me from the bathroom. He became suspicious when I didn’t answer the door right away, so he kicked the door in. Unfortunately, Smiley had already dragged me into the closet. Thankfully, he put a homing device on the necklace that my dad had given me when I was a little girl. It was a tilted heart with a small diamond in the center. My dad gave it to me before he died─ I never took it off. Because of Priest’s quick thinking, I was alive, and I was grateful for it. I don’t care that Priest feels guilty about what happened that day. All I care about is that he saved me before Smiley could do any real harm. He’s my hero.

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind from the past. Even after so many months, I check the closet in my new apartment and every nook and cranny, making sure there were no secret rooms. I even asked for a blueprint of the building to ensure there were no surprises. Who knew that my previous place had secret passageways?

Apparently, Smiley had been using those passages to sneak into my room. The guy used to do illegal, underground drug runs for his boss. He knew the layout of many buildings within the city and used that knowledge to his advantage. It was scary.

The sound of New York traffic greets me as I step out of my apartment building and head towards my lawyer’s office. Rhania, my attorney, called me earlier this morning to discuss a few business contracts. Rhania Davenport and I have worked together for years. She handles all of the legal work for my contracts, the dessert shops that Maleah and I co-own, and any future legal matters that I need to take care of. The woman is an incredible lawyer. She is a machine for justice in Prada. Rhania and I both interned for the same company— in different departments, but somehow, we managed to hit it off.

It doesn’t take me long to get to her office. Her assistant, Craig, greets me with a sincere smile. “Good morning Ms. Sage.” He chirps. I smile back and point to Rhania’s office door. “Hey, Craig, she’s expecting me.” He nods his head and nudges his chin. “Go right in. Do you want something to drink?” I shake my head. “I’m good. Thanks, Craig.” He smiles warmly then goes back to whatever he’s doing.

I knock on the wooden door before I pull the handle and step inside the room. Rhania looks up from her computer and gives me a grim smile. “Hey. Come in. Just let me send this, and we can talk.” I nod my head and take a seat in front of her desk. Rhania’s office is a lot like her in many ways. It’s elegant and classy. There’s a stylish cherry wood desk in the middle of the room littered with files and several bookshelves stacked with legal books and documents. The guest chairs are made of metal and leather, and the walls are painted navy blue with several prints on the wall.

Rhania lets out a satisfied sigh and closes her laptop before she turns to me. “It’s good to see you, sweetie. How have you been?” I shrug my shoulders, noticing a slight tension in her shoulders and eyes. Something is up, and she’s worried about telling me about it. Rhania is a stunning woman with mocha-colored skin, full lips, high cheekbones, and large chocolate-colored eyes. Her body is curvy like a fifties pinup girl, and her dark brown hair is long and silky. “I’m okay. But that’s not why you asked me to come here, is it?”

She swallows deeply, looking down at the surface of her table before she looks back up at me with a grim frown. “You know me so well, babe.” She takes a deep breath and leans forward, placing her folded hands on the table. “Okay, I’m going to be straight with you because you know I love you, girl.”

She pauses, taking another deep breath. “It’s...Smiley Alvarado...” She mutters quickly. She continues to talk, but I can’t hear her over the roaring in my ears. My heart speeds up, and nausea gathers in my throat.           “...Sage...Sage...” She rises from her chair and walks towards me, snapping me out of my terror. “Did you hear me, Sage?”

I shake my head, covering my mouth with the back of my hand to stop myself from throwing up. “Oh god, oh god...” I wheeze out in a panic.

Rhania wraps an arm around my shoulders, making soothing noises as I slowly break down. After a moment, I stop panicking and take a deep breath.

Rhania frowns with concern and whispers softly. “It’s okay, Sage. There’s no way that bastard is going to get out of this. The jury is going to find him guilty tonight... I promise you.”

I nod my head tightening my arms around my waist. “Oh god, I didn’t know that today was the sentencing. I guess I pushed it out of my mind.”

I gaze at Rhania. “But they’re going to put him away, right?” Rhania nods. “I assure you that he will. I’ve been speaking to the D.A., and he says it’s an absolute life sentence.”

Taking a deep breath, I rise from the chair, wanting to get as far from this office and any talk of Smiley. I have to go.” I mutter with a panicked growl. Rhania nods. “Okay, but let me call someone for you.” I shake my head and take a few steps towards the door. “No, I’m fine. I just need some fresh air. Thanks.” I whisper with a shaky smile.

Rhania opens her mouth as if to argue, but no words come out. Before she can say anything else, I rush out of the office. I don’t think I breathe until I’m outside. Taking a few deep breaths, I look around, lost. I can’t go back to my apartment or my house. I don’t think I can handle being alone right now. I consider going to Sweet Perfect, but I remember that Maleah is visiting her parents. We finally hired a manager and a few employees to have some time off when we need it.

The thought of calling Priest is nearly overwhelming, but I resist the urge. The last thing I want to do is drag him into this again. If only things had been different. That’s when I realize that I have to stop hiding and face my fears.