Destiny's Wrath (Destiny Series - Book 3) by Straight, Nancy (read full novel .txt) 📗

Cynthia picked up her cell phone and dialed the only person she could think of.

“Hello?”

“Maggie, it’s Cynthia.

“Hi, how’ve you been?”

“Maggie, I need your help. Are you still dating that cop, Dennis?”

“Yes, but . . . did you hear about Jimmy?”

“No, is he okay?”

“He’s been arrested.” Cynthia could hear the strain in her friend’s voice.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize. What was he arrested for?” Cynthia couldn’t wager to guess. Jimmy had always been a little aloof and was rarely around when she and Maggie got together.

“The police believe he murdered several people.”

“Maggie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.” Silence responded to her, “I’m sorry I bothered you. Is there anything I can do?”

“Well, you’re the first friend that has called me in the last couple days. Any chance you’d want to come over and keep me company?”

“Of course.” Cynthia looked at her watch; it was nearly midnight. “Do you want me to come over now?”

“I’m not sleeping very well, so now would be great, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Cynthia hung up. She picked up the wire cutters again, but chose not to free herself from Bert’s sadistic harness. The chains ran through the loops, pierced into her flesh. She needed Maggie’s help, and leaving this on would allow her to show Maggie rather than to describe what had happened. Cynthia donned a loose fitting t-shirt, sweatpants and flops, took a look in the mirror and brushed her hair quickly before walking slowly to her car.

When she pulled up to Maggie’s house, the front porch light was on, looking like a welcoming beacon in the darkness of the neighborhood. Cynthia gingerly eased out of her car and walked slowly up the steps. Before she could knock, Maggie pulled the door open. Maggie looked terrible, sleep deprived and exhausted.

“I’m so glad you came! Your timing is perfect, the last television news van left just after the 11:00 news.” Maggie took Cynthia in a tight hug; Cynthia let out a gasp from the pain but said nothing.

They both sat on the sofa. Maggie began, “They won’t let me see him. I’m his own mother, and they won’t let me talk to him.”

For the next forty-five minutes, Maggie unloaded. She filled Cynthia in on everything she knew, and a few things she’d learned from the news. Cynthia felt her troubles paled in comparison and made up her mind to be a good friend tonight, just to listen, not to seek Maggie’s help. After Maggie was finally able to get everything off her chest, Cynthia could tell she felt better. Cynthia even thought she looked better, more relaxed.

Maggie could see Cynthia was listening, and had said almost nothing the whole time. “I’m so sorry. I feel like I’ve just about talked your ear off. No one has . . . I mean no one . . . I haven’t heard from anyone but you and have just been going a little stir crazy. But enough about my troubles. You said you needed my help on the phone?”

“Uh, you’ve got enough on your plate. I’ll be okay.”

“Come on, out with it. I can’t do anything for Jimmy; having a different problem to concentrate on will do me some good.”

“No, really, I . . .it’s not a big deal.” A single tear escaped Cynthia’s eye. She was hoping Maggie would ignore it, but she didn’t.

“Cynd, you’ve listened to me. It’s your turn. What’s wrong?”

Cynthia took a deep breath, steadied herself as best as she could, the humiliation of the last two evenings nearly destroying her. “There’s this cop I’ve sort of been seeing.”

“Really! Who is it?” Maggie was excited about this tidbit of gossip. It took only moments for her to realize that Cynthia wasn’t as thrilled with the development as she was.

“I’d rather not say. It’s, well, it’s not going well. I’m scared and I need some help.”

“You’re scared? What’s going on?”

“He’s kind of . . . mean. He hurts me . . . a lot. I don’t know how to get him to stop.”

“What do you mean? He hits you?”

“Not really, he, um . . . This was a bad idea. Forget I said anything.”

“Cynd, tell me. You can tell me anything, I promise. You’re one of my closest friends. I want to help if I can.”

Cynthia’s eyes turned into faucets as tears streamed down, and a sob escaped. She knew she couldn’t say it out loud, at least not yet. She fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt, arguing with herself on whether she could even show Maggie.

“I’m not going to judge, but you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

Cynthia took a deep breath, “Don’t freak out, okay?” Maggie nodded. Cynthia stood up and lifted her t-shirt about six inches; she stared off into the wall as she didn’t want to see her friend’s reaction.

Maggie gasped, her hand covered her mouth, and her eyes were wide. “Cynd, what the hell? What happened to you?”

“This guy, it started out, a few days ago, just a guy I knew. It all happened so fast, I didn’t think anything of it . . . we . . . I mean, I liked him and we hooked up, you know?”

“And he did that to you?”

Cynthia nodded. “What is that? A necklace?” Maggie reached for the chains hanging down her friend’s abdomen, taking them in her fingers to examine them more closely.

Cynthia sucked in air fast, “Don’t pull those!”

Maggie realized they were attached and let go as if it were a snake in her hands. “Oh, my God, what did he do to you?” Maggie reached for the reading light hanging over the couch and aimed it at the bruises on Cynthia’s stomach. “We need to take you to the hospital, now!”

“No, I can’t. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”

“Cynthia, you didn’t do anything wrong. This monster should be behind bars. Right now, we’re going.”

“No, Maggie, I don’t want to go to the hospital. I just want him