Page 77 of Angels & Whiskey

I turned slightly to her. “Mom, you gotta trust me.”

Dad rubbed his forehead and I turned back around to the clerk. “Sorry. We need a room for four nights with a king sized bed if you have it.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” Mom asked.

“I’ll tell you everything once we get to the room.”

Dad paced as I checked in, and Mom sat in a chair, her leg bouncing up and down. I wondered what the front desk clerk thought. We were all dressed in sweats, walking in to check in for four days without a reservation at eleven o’clock at night and paying in cash.

We rode the elevator up to their room. Once the door was closed behind me, I went to the phone and called Gabe.

“Hey. It’s me,” I sighed.

“Oh my God, angel. Are you okay?” Hearing Gabe’s voice put me at ease. I wanted to break down and cry, telling him how scared I was, but I had to be strong in front of my parents. I couldn’t let them know how truly bad it was. Dad already suspected, but if I stayed calm then he would too.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m at the Luxor with my parents.”

“I thought you were going to their house?”

“We did, but I was scared for their safety when Rich comes looking for me—”

“Good thinking.”

“I’m going to tell them everything. Can you come pick me up?” I turned to see my parents staring at me.

“Yeah, I’m on my way.”

I rattled off the room number then hung up. “Okay,” I groaned, turning around to face my parents.

“Who was that?” Dad asked.

“Sit. I’ll tell you everything.”

They sat on the bed while I sat in a chair and proceeded to tell them the truth about my marriage and about Gabe. Dad’s arms were across his chest as he waited for me to start. Mom worried her lip and my heart was once again beating so fast I was certain it was going to fly from my chest and slam into the wall as it tried to escape.

“That was Gabe,” I started.

“Who?” Dad asked.

“The guy from the party who told us the guy was threatening Rich tonight.”

Dad’s head tilted a little as he recalled who I was referring to.

“He’s my … friend and he’s going to help me get away from Rich.”

“Why do you need to get away from your husband with another man?” Mom asked.

I paused for a moment, searching their faces. Taking a deep breath, I decided I should tell them the truth so they knew how serious everything was. “Before Rich and I got married, everything was perfect. It wasn’t until after our honeymoon that he started to hurt me.”

Mom gasped, covering her mouth, and Dad groaned, bringing his arms down to his lap, fists clenched.

“It started off with a grab once in a while. I can’t even remember how it started or why. I just know I did something to piss him off. It got to the point where he’d grab me so hard I’d have to wear long sleeves to cover the bruises.”

I paused, swallowing the lump forming in my throat as I saw Mom on the verge of tears. “I hid it from everyone because I was scared of him. He started saying stuff that led me to believe he had people following me to make sure I did what I said I’d be doing for the day. I had to make sure I checked in with him when I wanted to go anywhere but the gym and to Starbucks. The first few times heallowedme to go to Starbucks, I made sure to grab onto it as one of myapprovedplaces. I needed to go somewhere other than the gym and home. And you know what? That’s where I met Gabe a month ago. I know it’s only been a month, but he’s helped me come up with a plan to leave Rich. And tonight … tonight I found out that Gabe knew Rich in the army—”

“Can you trust this Gabe fellow?” Dad interrupted.

I paused for a moment. I really hoped I was right. “Yeah, I can.”