Baby Doll(73)

“What if there was?”

Rick knew in that instant he was golden. All he’d had to do was orchestrate a plan and make sure Angela didn’t screw things up. It was difficult entrusting details to someone else, especially a high school dropout. But he had no choice. While Angela worked on things on the outside, Rick did his best to slow down the judicial process, which was easier than he’d expected. He made all kinds of crazy demands, firing two lawyers and filing a motion demanding that he be allowed to represent himself. But it was all just smoke and mirrors. Once Angela had all the details set, he’d finally agreed to the plea.

His overworked public defender—a slick-haired twentysomething clearly using this to pad his résumé—couldn’t hide his relief.

“This is the best possible outcome.”

Rick agreed with him because what was he going to say? I’m escaping. Go f*ck yourself.

No, the plea was his only choice. All because of Lily’s betrayal.

He thought about her every day. All the hours they’d spent together laughing, reading, and listening to music. The times he’d spent brushing her hair, how she’d laugh at his jokes, the eager way she responded to his sexual desires. He still couldn’t get over the depths of her deceit.

That’s why initially Rick’s first order of business when he escaped was to punish Lily. Murder wasn’t really his thing. He liked them alive, liked the challenge of pushing women to the edge and bringing them back. But Lily deserved to pay for what she’d done. There was no question about that.

He’d kill her entire family, starting with her mother, then her bitch sister, and then Sky. He’d make Lily watch and then he’d take her life. It was an appropriate punishment.

But the more Rick worked through the details, the more he realized that going anywhere near Lily or her family following his escape would land him right back in jail. No, the best option was to simply vanish and wait for things to cool off. He’d come back for her, months, maybe years down the line when she’d grown comfortable. In some ways it would be better. Every day Lily would wake up and wonder where he was. She’d constantly be looking over her shoulder. He’d still own her. She’d always be his.

He’d made a lot of mistakes over the past few months, mistakes that he’d have to live with. But he was getting back on track. He couldn’t wait to have a cold beer, to bask in the sunshine with some good tunes playing. He’d find himself a lovely new girl, someone better than Lily, a girl who’d appreciate everything a man like him could offer. Rick smiled and finally felt tired. He sank down onto his cot and closed his eyes, preparing himself for a good night’s sleep. In a few short hours, this place would be a distant memory. Freedom, here I come.





CHAPTER FORTY-TWO


ABBY


It was midnight, the night before Rick’s sentencing, and Abby was still awake. The tension in the house that evening had been off the charts. Weeks before, reporters had started calling. News reports about Rick and Lily and the other girls dominated the TV and Internet. Everyone was nervous but Abby was especially on edge. Glancing at the clock, Abby sighed and quietly crawled out of bed. She moved over to David’s crib, where her little monkey was fast asleep, his tiny arms splayed out, his chest moving up and down. Leaving him tonight was especially difficult, but she had to do this for Lily. She touched David’s soft, smooth cheek, whispered “Mommy loves you,” and then she slipped into the bathroom.

Abby carefully dressed, curling her hair, putting on her makeup. She wrote a note for Lily and her mom saying she’d gone for a drive but hoped she’d be back before they ever knew she was gone.

Abby gave herself a final once-over in the car mirror, feeling pleased with her appearance. She’d dropped the baby weight and then some. Her cheekbones had reemerged. Her green eyes were bright, and her face was flushed. She almost looked like her old self. Abby drove straight to Wes’s house and knocked on the door. He was a night owl, always awake until dawn, tinkering around in the garage or binge watching Netflix. The hours he kept used to drive her crazy, but tonight, she was glad that he was up. He opened the door immediately, worry flashing across his face.

“Abs, what’s wrong? Is it David? Or Lily?”

She kissed him. They hadn’t kissed since that night in the hospital when David was born. She’d wanted to kiss him a million times since then. She hadn’t been lying to Wes that night in the hospital. She wanted to make a go of it; she just didn’t know how. Not with Lily living with her, not with her guilt over having created her perfect son with Wes. But that didn’t stop her from wishing she had the courage to just go for it. On their walks in the park. On nights when he’d stay for dinner and they’d bathe David together, leaning over the bathtub, arms and legs touching but never really touching. Wes had made it clear that he wanted to be with her, that he wanted to be together, but he’d refrained from any displays of affection. She understood that. She’d pushed him away for far too long. Now he was waiting for her cue.

“Abby, wait.”

But she wasn’t waiting. She continued kissing him, but this kiss was different. She’d always held back; she didn’t even realize that’s what she’d been doing until tonight. For eight years, she’d loved this man and hated herself for it. Tonight all of that was gone. To Abby, this was their first time. Free and clear.