Vain: A Stepbrother Romance (7 page)

Chapter 11 – Firetrucks Mick

“911 what’s
your emergency?”

         
“My house is on fire! My fucking house is on fire!”

         
“Calm down, sir. Please give me your address.”

         
“Holy shit! Calm down? You’re telling me to calm down?! My fucking house is on
fire!”

         
“Sir, please give me your address so we can send firetrucks.”

         
“I am at 546 Blue Terrace.”

         
“Stay out of the house, we are sending help now.”

         
I watch in terror as my house is engulfed in flames. The fire emerges from the
window at the front of my house and wraps itself around the roof, licking the
treetops. Running to the garage, I take the hose and pull it as far as I can. I
begin trying to quell the fire. It seems hopeless, but I am not going to let my
house go up in flames. The tiny hose doesn’t do much, but it is better than
nothing.
Where the fuck is the firetruck? Why do I pay for extra service?
         
Sirens blare in the
distance. It is deeply disturbing to watch helplessly as my personal belongings
and the place I live in goes up in smoke. Finally, the firetrucks pull in. When
the firemen come out, they cast me sidelong glances upon realizing I have been
trying to put the fire out with a hose. The supervisor comes over to me and
begins peppering me with questions.

         
“I think we can take it from here. Is anyone inside?”

         
“No.”

         
“Are there any animals inside?”

         
“No.”

         
“Is there anything combustible—explosives, gasoline, or a high-pressure vessel
of some type?”

         
“No.”

         
“All right. Do not leave the property. We have some more questions to ask you.”

         
I feel numb. This is one of the most surreal moments of my life. I broke up
with my girlfriend, I lost my opportunity with Sam, and now it seems the fire
department thinks I set my own house on fire. That’s the only reason I can
think I was asked to remain here. It seems like he is telling me that this is
my fault.
Fuck him!

         
I walk around the driveway, apprehension slithering through my veins as the
fire crews extinguish the fire. It doesn’t take them that long. The damage,
however, looks extensive. The front room of my house is now exposed to the open
air; you can see through the gaping hole that the walls are now black. I cannot
believe it. I walk over to my steps, sit down, and put my head in my hands,
only to be rudely interrupted by the supervisor.

         
“Tell me what happened.”

         
I tell him everything that I know, all the way down to the Molotov cocktail. I
hear one of the firemen call out.

         
“Found it.”

         
The fireman brings over the remains of the bottle with a rag in it.
Who
would do this to me? Why would anyone want to do this to my house?
Delia
came to mind, but that would be just too much, even for her
. Is this
something Sam would do? Nah, she doesn’t even know where I live.

         
“Do you have any idea who would want to do this to you?”

         
“No.”
          A police car pulls onto
my driveway and stops right in front of me. With his window open, the officer
begins to speak.

         
“Are you Mick Anderson?”

         
“Yes, sir.”

         
I notice Delia in the back of the car.

         
“Do you recognize this woman?”

         
Delia avoids my gaze, looking straight ahead, tears streaming from her eyes.
Her blonde hair is all dishevelled and makeup is running in lines down her
face.

         
“Yes, that is my ex-girlfriend. Did she do this?”

         
“Well, we found her walking around outside of your property with burn marks on
her hands. We don’t know for sure, but we are pretty sure. We are going to need
you to come down to the station to give us a statement.”

         
“Of course.”

         
How could someone be so angry with me that they chose to do this? I knew she
was crazy, but this took it to a whole new level. She destroyed my house. I am
going to be sure to nail her to the wall.

         
“Do you need a ride to the police station?” the officer asks me.

         
“No I have my own car, I will meet you there.”

         
I immediately get into my car and drive to the police station. When I arrive, I
have built up such a head of steam that I’m ready to rip her head off. Storming
out of my car, I almost push a police officer over, rushing into the station.
At this point, I couldn’t care less. I want to be sure that Delia is not going
to get away with this. She is a menace and always has been. I see it now more
clearly than I have ever seen anything before.

As I enter the building, there is a long desk was in front of
me with two officers behind it.

         
“How can I help you?” one of them asks.

         
“My girlfriend just set my house on fire. I am here to see her go down!”

         
“How do you know she set your house on fire?”

         
“The police arrested her,
that’s how
.”

         
“Okay, sir, I know this is a pretty emotional time. Do me a favor: go sit over
there and we will get the report from the officer on duty, then take your
statement.”
          I turn and storm away as
the front doors of the police station burst open. The police are trying to control
someone in handcuffs. He is thrashing and kicking around, trying to get free. I
watch as the melee ensues and they wrestle the man to the ground. It takes five
officers, one at each limb and one on his back, to contain him. Once they
establish control, they place cuffs on his legs and arms and carry him into the
station.
          I sit, waiting
impatiently on the uncomfortable, long bench. My leg shakes uncontrollably,
which just makes me more antsy. Watching the police take down that guy
distracted me a little and reminded me of the power the police had. The doors
of the police station open again.
          As I look over my
shoulder, I am shocked. It’s Sam.

                                      
Chapter 12 Day 14 – Samatha’s Vindication
“You little whore, you haven’t
changed one bit. Now you are going to get it.”
          John starts to take off
his belt as I cower on the floor, awaiting my fate. A loud bang rings through
my ears and then mayhem. I’m very confused by all the commotion, but realize
that it’s the cavalry coming to save me. There are a band of police officers
standing, shouting, guns drawn.

         
“Freeze! Put down the belt!”

         
With John’s hands already over his head, he has no choice but to let the belt
drop to the floor. His pants fall down to his ankles, revealing his tighty
whities. A smile forms on my face as this somehow seems like just desserts for
him. As soon as his pants fall down, the officers jump in, tackling John to the
ground. I am shocked by the violence of the act, but secretly glad to see it.
Now
he will know what it is like to be on the other end of a beating
.

         
An officer looks over to me. “Ma’am, are you okay?”

         
I am okay. Better than okay. Finally, something has gone right. Finally, John
has been caught red-handed with no chance of ducking out. “I guess so,” I
reply. “Thank you.”

         
“Just glad we got here in time. That text message really did the trick.” John
looks over to me, as if to say, what the hell is he talking about? “ We will
need you to come with us to the station, to make a report. You may also want to
apply for a restraining order against him.”

         
          “I understand.”

         
“We can drive you, if you like, and have someone bring you home later on.”

         
“That would be appreciated.”

         
I am so shaken up, the last thing that I want to do is drive around and find
the police station. The officer brings over a blanket and puts it over my
shoulders. There is something very comforting about it, perhaps the warmth. He
leads me to the car and helps me inside.

         
Out of the corner of my eye, I see John being led into the car and driven away.
I hate him. I hate him with the whole of my being. Yet somehow, I felt guilty for
getting him in trouble.

         
As I sit in the police car, tired from the long day, my eyes begin to close.
Drifting off to sleep, my thoughts float to Mick’s comforting arms. I think
about him holding me, keeping me close. Keeping me safe. I had not thought of
it until now, but I think I’m in love with Mick.

         
Disturbing images of John rush into my mind. He’s standing over me, holding a
belt and whipping me hard with it. No one else is near; in fact, there’s
nothing around us at all. We exist on some blank plane, just John and I. 
He is repeatedly beating me. I am immobilized.

         
All at once, a huge wave comes out of nowhere and crashes down on John’s head,
knocking him away. When the wave recedes, Mick appears, standing tall and
proud. I grab his hand as he helps me up and pulls me close to his lips. His
lips are drawing me in, like the first time we kissed. Slowly I move in, part
my lips, and wait for the sweet taste of his mouth. But rather than kiss me, he
began shaking me.

         
“Ma’am? Ma’am!”

         
Why was he calling me ma’am?

         
“Ma’am, wake up. We’re here.“

         
I am surreptitiously brought back to the land of the living by the officer. He
wakes me from my dream kiss, rudely. I look at him with unintentional disdain.

         
“Sorry to wake you. You looked uncomfortable, like you were having a bad
dream.”

         
“Oh, yeah. Thank you…” I turn my head so he will not see my disappointment as
my thoughts return to Mick.

         
I long to feel Mick’s lips upon mine, even though my feelings about him are
still so conflicted. Not only is he my stepbrother, but he may have been
cheating on his girlfriend. I have to stop going around in these circles and
just decide on a plan of action.

         
“Here we are, ma’am. If you will come with me, we will make this as quick as
possible.”

         
“Okay, thank you.”

         
The officer hurries over to my side of the car, opening the door before I can.
He holds out his hand graciously and helps me out. I am so tired and just want
to go home, but I realize the importance of protecting myself from John. We
walk into the police station and go right over to a long desk.
          “This is Officer Davies.
She will help you from here.”

         
“Hi, Sam. Come in and sit down. I will take your statement.”

         
I tell the officer all of the details as best I can remember. I truly hope that
this will be enough to keep John away from me. I was scared of him before he
knew where I lived, and now I am just a sitting duck.

         
“I will get someone to take you home. Just go back out and wait on the bench.”

         
“Thank you again.”

         
Walking out to the front of the police station, I notice someone else sitting
on the bench. Oh, my God. It’s Mick.

         
His jaw drops. “Sam?! What are you doing here?”

         
I stare right back at him. “What am I doing here? What are
you
doing
here?”

         
“Long story,” he mutters.

         
I sigh. “Seems like we have both had interesting nights.”

         
“Listen, Sam, I am sorry about all of this. I truly am. I want to get to know
you, I want to have time with you. Sure, I was in a relationship, but that
was—”

         
I cut him off before he can finish. Though I promised I would be sympathetic to
his cause, I can’t help but think he is a cheater. “Mick. You have a
girlfriend, and what you did to her was wrong.”

         
As I hear the words fall from my lips, I wish they hadn’t. Truly, though, what
chance did we have? Our courtship has been a passionate one, but at this point,
that’s all it was. I still don’t know what his status is with his ex. It’s too
bad that reality has to get in the way of true passion.

         
“Tell me that your feelings for me are gone, and I will leave you alone
forever. Tell me that all we are to each other is objects of desire, and I will
be gone. This is more than that—you know it, and so do I.”

         
Mick stands up, walking over to me. He grabs my elbows and looks deep into my
eyes. “I can’t be the only one who feels these things.”

         
My heart pounds. His touch is so gentle, yet so firm. His gaze forces me to
avert mine, but I can still see those lips—they are calling to me. My body
aches for him. I want nothing more than to kiss him, but it’s not our time. I
am filled with a sense of sadness at the futility of our love. A tear rolls
down my cheek as I push away from Mick.

         
“I have to go.”

I don’t even turn to look
at him. Remorselessly walking away.