Hooked Read online

  “You’re going into shock, Jenna. Are you lying down?”

  “No…not yet.”

  “I need you to lie down and put your foot up. Can you look at it and tell me what you see?”

  She lay back and struggled to lift her leg so she could put it on the arm of the couch. As she did she knocked the bottom of her foot against the arm and the piece of glass was ripped right out of her.

  “Jenna? Jenna? What’s happening?”

  She could hear Toby’s voice through her phone as she screamed in agony. It felt as though all of her nerves from her hip to her foot were being ripped out with the glass and she could barely focus on anything except the pain.

  “Jenna! Jenna! Can you answer me?”

  “My foot,” she gasped as tears streamed down her face. “I hit…the glass…it’s out.”

  “Okay, that’s okay. Just focus on my voice and try to relax. I can understand how much pain you’re in, but try to focus on my voice,” he said soothingly and she tried to do as he said. “Can you look down at your foot now? What do you see?”

  When she glanced down she almost threw up. Her stomach flipped over, and she gagged involuntarily. Blood was bursting out of the wound.

  “Blood.”

  “Is it flowing or spurting?”

  “Spurting.”

  “Is your foot throbbing?”

  “Yes.”

  “In time with the spurting?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you wrap it in something while you wait for help? You have to keep it elevated, but you need to apply pressure.”

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head. She was really starting to feel fuzzy.

  “What are you lying on?”

  “Couch.”

  “Can you bring your leg up, put your knee on your chest and reach up? If you can do that then grab whatever is nearby and press it on the wound. It will hurt, a lot, but it’ll help stop the flow of blood. Can you do that?”

  “I’ll…try.”

  She lifted her leg and put her knee on her chest. Her arm felt extremely heavy as she lifted it. She didn’t have anything nearby she could use as a cloth so she just pressed her hand against the wound, trying to ignore the feel of her warm blood and the pulsing under the wound. Her foot was coated in blood, and it was running down her leg and staining her leggings. She tried not to focus on any of that and put her efforts into pressing down on the cut.

  “I’m being told the ambulance is less than two minutes away. They’ll be there soon. I need you to keep talking to me.”

  “Okay.”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Blue.”

  “When did you graduate high school?”

  “2006.”

  “Did you go to college?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did you study?”

  “Communications.”

  “Did you play any sports? Do any clubs?”

  “Not really.”

  “What did you have for your last meal?”

  “Cereal.”

  “What’s seven plus four?”

  “Eleven.”

  “Which is your favorite season?”

  “Spring.”

  “Do you like music?”

  “Yes.”

  “What kind?”

  “Classic rock.”

  “What’s nine plus six?”

  “Fourteen.”

  “Try again. What’s nine plus six, Jenna?”

  “Fifteen.”

  “What do you do to relax?”

  “Read, go walking.”

  “Okay, Jenna. The EMTs are at the building. They’re on their way up. Can you hold on until they get there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. As soon as your door opens I want you to tell me. Tell me they’re there, and I’ll know you’re safe, okay?”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  “You’re doing great, Jenna. Just a few more moments and you’ll have help there. You’ll be okay.”

  She heard something at her door, and a moment later there was a loud knocking.

  “EMS. Did someone call for an ambulance?”

  “Yes,” she managed to call out, hoping they could hear her.

  “Are they there?” Toby asked as her door was unlocked and swung open.

  “Yes.”

  “Perfect. I’m going to cut the connection. You did great, Jenna.”

  “Thank you,” she said a moment before the line went dead.

  The two EMTs who came into her apartment moved surely and quickly. One of them used a cloth they’d brought up with them, putting it on the floor and using his boot to sweep away the glass away from the couch as the other brought in a sitting gurney.

  “Miss? Can you tell me your name?”

  “Jenna,” she answered as one of them came to kneel beside her.

  “Okay, Jenna. We’re going to check you out, fix you right up. I’m Cory, and that’s Derek.”

  She tried to focus on them as they moved her hands and looked at her foot. She was feeling really weak and very fuzzy. She didn’t know how much of it had to do with her foot, her hangover, or just her life.

  They bandaged her up and carried her over to the gurney. One of them grabbed her purse off the table she’d set up by the door, and the other grabbed her phone for her. When she had everything she needed they wheeled her down the hallway. She just leaned back and closed her eyes as she fought the dizziness swirling around her.

  * * * *

  Six weeks later she was finally able to walk normally again.

  A lot had happened in those six weeks, and she was feeling very battle weary. She’d needed minor surgery on her foot to repair some of the damage. She’d had to wear a walking cast for the entire six weeks while it healed. She’d only had it taken off that morning, and her foot was weak and looked very skinny and small compared to her other one.

  She felt a little more in control of her life. She’d finally gone to the police and gotten a restraining order against her ex. He’d shown up at her apartment three days after her accident, pounding on her door and demanding she let him in. She’d been so scared she’d called the police, and after they’d come she’d told them everything. It had taken almost a month to get the restraining order, but they’d been able to use the messages he’d sent her as evidence, and that had expedited things slightly. He seemed to have taken the hint, and she hadn’t seen him since, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten about her.

  She’d also gone to Tristan’s funeral. His family was local, and Brian had brought his body home for the wake and service. That had been the hardest two days of her life and she’d barely managed to keep it together while she’d been there. She’d broken down completely when they’d watched his casket being lowered into the ground. She’d spent weeks crying about his death, but she was finally coming to terms with the fact that he was gone. She would always miss and mourn him, but the pain wasn’t so fresh anymore.

  Patty hadn’t tried to contact her, and Jenna was at peace with the end of the friendship. Patty’s words still hurt, but Jenna had washed her hands of everything. If Patty couldn’t be there when she’d needed her after her always being there when Patty had a problem, then she was the one who was better off.

  Now the only thing bothering her was the email she’d received at the end of day. Her boss wanted to see her tomorrow morning, but he didn’t say why. She had no idea what it could be about. Whatever it was she would have to wait until tomorrow.

  * * * *

  Jenna put her phone to her ear and waited as it rang. She was barely managing to keep her tears in check, and when she heard her mom answer she almost broke down right there.

  “Hello?”

  “Mommy?”

  “Jenna? Sweetie, are you okay?”

  “I just…”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to come home.”<
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  “Of course. Do you want us to come and get you now?”

  “No. I’ll drive home tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure it was okay.”

  “Of course it is. You can come home any time. What happened?”

  “I got fired.”

  “Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

  “With everything that’s happened I just need to get away for a bit.”

  “Of course. Come home and we’ll take care of you.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come down? I can be there in a few hours.”

  “No, it’s fine. I have some stuff to do before I leave. I’ll be home tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Call me if you change your mind.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been through a lot in the past few months.”

  “I’ll be okay. How’s Dad?”

  “He’s fine. He’s at work if you want to call him.”

  “No, that’s okay. Is Dan there too?”

  “He should be. Oh Ellie and the twins are coming over tomorrow. Do you want me to cancel?”

  “No, don’t. I’d love to see them,”

  “Okay, they’ll be here around three, after the babies wake up from their nap.”

  “I’ll be home before then.”

  “Call me when you’re leaving, okay?”

  “I will.”

  “If you need anything, even if it’s just to vent, just call. I’m home all day.”

  “Thanks. I will.”

  “Bye, sweetie.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  She hung up the phone and sighed.

  This was the last straw. She didn’t know why everything was happening right now, but she needed to get away and revaluate her life. Things hadn’t been good for the past year and a half. It was time to go home and figure out where she fit in the world.

  Chapter 18

  The Bottom

  CLAY sighed as he looked at the forms in his hand. This was the fifth time the inventory had been screwed up in the past six months. It was also the fifth time he’d been the one who had to clean up the mess.

  It really wasn’t a big deal. He’d screwed up the inventory more than once when he’d been training. It was easy to mix up the serial numbers on the parts if you weren’t paying attention or were hurrying. The only reason it was bothering him so much was because of the mood he was in.

  “Hey, man.”

  He glanced up to find one of his coworkers standing in front of the desk.

  “Oh, hey, Ty. What’s up?”

  “You okay? You’re in your own world, dude.”

  “Yeah, just have to do the inventory again.” He sighed and put the papers down. “What’s up?”

  “So, my sister called me, again.”

  “Oh?”

  Four months ago Ty had set him up with his sister Riley. They’d dated for about a month but things had gotten weird, fast. Ty had warned him that Riley had a tendency to go balls to the walls when it came to relationships and men, but he hadn’t really thought much of the comment.

  They’d hit it off, and for the first two weeks, things were great. She was a little freaky when it came to sex. She’d been into some stuff he wasn’t so sure about, but that hadn’t been the problem. He was relatively open-minded and he’d been willing to try some of what she liked, but it was the overnight change in her behavior that had turned him off.

  Within two weeks she’d told him she loved him, and she’d gotten angry when he hadn’t said it back. He didn’t know her well enough to love her, and that wasn’t a word he threw around just because someone wanted to hear it.

  If that wasn’t bad enough she’d started talking about their future, and not just the normal stuff like where they would celebrate their first holiday together or what they considered their song. She’d planned a whole timeline for them spanning a year. In that year they were apparently getting engaged, getting pregnant, and then getting married.

  The cracks about getting married and engaged he could have laughed off. He could have pretended they were a joke, and she was just teasing him. It was the constant talk of getting pregnant that had scared him.

  She’d told him she was on birth control, and she didn’t want to use condoms since they were monogamous. As soon as she’d starting talking about having a baby he’d second-guessed every time they’d been together. He flat-out refused to go without one. He didn’t trust she was being truthful about the pill, and he wasn’t about to risk unprotected sex.

  When she’d handed him a condom one night and told him to use it because it was one of those special ones that was designed for women, he’d had a bad feeling about things. He’d switched it out for the one in his pocket when she’d been distracted and that night he’d taken a closer look at it. There’d been puncture marks in the plastic cover. He’d pulled it out and filled it up in his bathroom sink like a water balloon and watched in horror as tiny streams of water started leaking out of it. She’d tampered with it.

  That was the night he’d broken up with her, and it hadn’t really stuck. She’d called and texted him incessantly for weeks. She’d shown up at work, and he’d even seen her hanging around outside his building.

  He’d finally talked to Ty, and Ty had stepped in and talked to his sister, and that had calmed things down. The only problem was he was still terrified she’d gotten pregnant while they’d been together. He’d used the condoms at her house before her talk of babies and had never checked them. They’d had sex a few times with only her pill as their birth control, and he knew firsthand it only took one time.

  After almost three months he figured he was in the clear, but every time he heard her name he felt his chest tighten and the panic start to set in.

  “What happened when you broke up with her?” Ty asked.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, confused as to where this was going.

  “She told me something. I need your side of the story.”

  “Like the actual breakup? Or after?”

  “The actual breakup.”

  “Not much to tell.” He shrugged, noticing how serious Ty looked at the moment. “I called her, told her it was over, and that was pretty much it.”

  “You did it over the phone?”

  “Yeah, she kind of did something, and it was the last straw. It was a shitty thing to do, and I didn’t want to see her again.”

  “What did she do?”

  “Dude, you really want to know the details? It was fucked up, but she’s still your sister. I don’t want you to slug me for talking shit about her.”

  “Trust me, you need to tell me.”

  “She tampered with a condom. She gave it to me and I didn’t use it. I used one of my own instead. When I checked it I found it had been punctured.” He paused as he watched Ty’s face.

  “So you called her and broke up with her? You didn’t see her again after that?”

  “No, not until she started showing up here.” He neglected to mention the times she’d shown up at his house and the incessant messages. Ty didn’t need to know about that.

  “Oh okay.” He nodded.

  “Why? What’s this about?”

  “Riley’s always been…dramatic.”

  “And?” he prompted when Ty fell silent.

  “She called and told me you hit her when you broke up with her.”

  “I what?”

  “She said you were cruel, said some terrible things, and then hit her.”

  “Do you believe her? Is that what she’s telling everyone?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know what to believe.” Ty shrugged. “She’s lied before about things—”

  “About this?”

  “Yes.”

  “So she’s lied about being hit, and now she’s doing it again, about me?” His head was spinning. He could barely think straight. If she was telling people this, i
t could destroy him. Rumor or not, abuse was serious, and if he was falsely accused, again, of something like this, it wouldn’t disappear this time around.

  If the police got involved he would have a hell of a time trying to prove it never happened. Even if he was proven innocent the Internet would never forget, and his identity wouldn’t be protected this time around. His name would be out there, and this would never fully go away.

  “So three months after we break up she calls you out of the blue and tells you I hit her? How does that even make sense?” He shook his head. “If I had, then why was she stalking me for weeks?”

  “She might have been a little persistent—”

  “Persistent? If the tables had been turned, and it was me doing what she did, I would have been arrested for harassment.”

  “She sent me a picture.”

  “What?”

  Ty dug his phone out of his pocket and started tapping on the screen as he looked through it.

  Clay just bit his lip and tried to keep the adrenaline from rising in his body. He was about ready to snap, and he couldn’t believe the conversation he was having

  “This.” Ty held out his phone and Clay leaned closer as he stared at it.

  It was a picture of Riley. Her cheek was red and a little purple and she had tears in her eyes.

  “She said she took this right after you broke up.”

  His mind was spinning. He’d never touched her. He’d broken up with her on the phone, and he’d never, ever raised his hand to her. He’d raised his voice a few times, but he’d never even thought of hitting her.

  “I can’t explain that.” He shook his head. “But I swear to you, I didn’t do that.”

  “I don’t know what to believe.” Ty shook his head. “I didn’t see her for about a week after you told me you broke up, so I have no idea how bad this bruise got or even if it was right after you told me it was over. All I know is my sister sent me a picture with her face bruised, and she said you did it.”

  “But she’s lied about this before—”

  “That doesn’t mean she’s lying now. For all I know you did hit her, and you’re trying to shift the blame onto her.”

  “Ty—”

  “She’s my sister. She might have done and said some questionable things in the past, but I have to stand behind her.”

  “What are you saying?”