My silent question was answered as I rounded a curve, and I saw dozens of motorcycles heading my way. My eyes widened as I took the sight in. There were men and even a few women wearing leather jackets and helmets as they straddled their bikes. They all seemed to move in unison as they took a sharp corner, their machines leaning to the left before straightening out. Everyone I saw was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses as well, which I figured came in handy on bright days. They didn’t exactly have visors they could use to block the harsh rays of the sun.
As the group passed my small Toyota, I could feel the vibrations from their powerful engines in the center of my chest. I forced my eyes to stay forward, paying attention to the road ahead. The last thing I needed right now was to wreck my car because I was gawking at a bunch of bikers. It wouldn’t help me to stay under the radar, and that was exactly what I had to do right now. Another glance in the rearview mirror showed that Dominic was waving at the bikers as we passed. Most of them were returning the gesture.
Thirty-two minutes later, I pulled up to the curb in front of a two-story duplex. I swallowed thickly as my eyes traveled over our new home. An unexpected emotion clogged my throat as I couldn’t help measuring this place against the house that I left this morning.
There was no comparison. This duplex was nothing like the five-bedroom estate I called home for the past eight years. That house had been built to our specifications and meticulously maintained. My husband, Jeff, was very concerned with appearances. So, he spared no expense, ensuring that we lived in luxury. The place was bigger than we needed, even after Dominic was born, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t love the house. It was gorgeous.
It was also the place that my life turned into a nightmare.
I shook my head at my conflicting thoughts. The house in front of me might not be fancy, but it wasmineand mine alone.I would be safe here.
Who cared if the siding needed a good power washing or the concrete steps leading up to the porch looked like they might crumble under our feet? The surrounding houses also looked a little rough, so I surmised this might not be the best neighborhood, but I was going to make this work.
“Mom, is this where we’re going to live now?”
I put the car in park and unbuckled my seatbelt so that I could turn and look at Dominic. His expression showed no distaste as he stared at the house, just quiet regard. I wished that I had his innocent curiosity. It would be so much better than dwelling on the negative aspects of my situation.
“It sure is,” I said, hoping that he couldn’t hear the strain in my happy-go-lucky tone. “This’ll be our new home.”
Dominic turned to look at me, and I was struck by the haunted look that lingered in his eyes. He’d seen so much darkness in his seven years of life.
That strengthened my reserve. I was doing the right thing here. Our house back in Arizona might have been big and beautiful, but that was just for show. What mattered was the life that was lived on the inside, and I was going to do everything within my power to ensure that Dominic was happy here. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled easily or slept through the night without nightmares, and I was desperate to restore that part of life for my little boy. He deserved a better childhood.
“Let’s go in and check it out,” I said, stepping out of the car.
I pulled open the back door of the car and helped Dominic out of his booster seat, nearly bumping my head on the top of the door frame. I wasn’t used to this small car yet, as I had purchased it this morning, using cash that I had been squirreling away for months. My roomy SUV was bought brand new six months ago, but it was in my husband’s name. I couldn’t take off in that, since it would be too easy to track down. The thing that made this place safe was that Jeff had no idea where we were. I wasn’t sure what he’d do if he tracked me down, but he was a violent man.
I knew that I had to carefully consider everything once I decided to leave. Jeff would definitely try to find me. Not because he cared about me, but because he considered me his property, and his massive pride wouldn’t allow me to leave without a fight. That was all our marriage was - one big fight.
The only good thing to come out of it was my little boy. I held Dominic’s hand as we walked up the concrete path to the porch. To my relief, the porch steps were sturdier than they looked. The porch itself was divided in half, a low wall separating two front doors. The house was split into two separate dwellings, sharing only a front and back yard. I knew that a family already lived in number twenty-one, but I hadn’t met them yet. In fact, I hadn’t even seen this property in person before I put down a deposit. Desperation led me to take the first thing that I could find, hoping that the pictures online weren’t deceiving in any way.
I reached into the mailbox of number nineteen and pulled out a silver key, right where the landlord had promised it would be. Unlocking the door, I held my breath as I pushed it open and got my first look at the place.
The first thing that caught my eye was the dark hardwood floor. It was a little scratched up, but I liked it all the same. We were in the living room, and directly ahead, I could see a small dining room. There were french doors separating the two rooms. Two panes of glass were missing, but I like that the woodwork looked original to the house, matching the frames of the large windows and the banister of the stairs to my left.
I felt tension ease out of my shoulders as I exhaled. This wasn’t that bad. It had a certain charm to it that made people fall in love with older homes. As I shut the door behind us, Dominic headed toward the stairs. They creaked as he tentatively walked up the first few steps.
“Why don’t you go on up and pick your room while I check out the kitchen?” I suggested. I knew from talking to the landlord that there were two bedrooms upstairs of roughly the same size, so it really didn’t matter to me which one I ended up with. I just hoped that this would help Dominic to feel like he had a little control over his own life.
I walked into the kitchen, and my eyebrows popped up in surprise. The only picture online of this room had shown the stove and countertop, so I had no idea that the walls were covered in seventies-style wood paneling. Combined with the dark wood cabinets and black appliances, I felt like I had just walked into a cave.
A tacky, outdated cave.
“Yikes,” I mumbled.
At that moment, I heard a siren outside. Returning to the living room, I glanced out the window just in time to see two police cars go speeding by. I worried my bottom lip, wondering if they were heading somewhere nearby.
“You okay, mom?” Dominic’s voice came from right behind me, making me jump as I spun around.
“Uh… yep. I’m perfectly fine.”
Squatting down in front of him, I reached out and brushed his thick brown hair off of his forehead. He needed a haircut.
“Then, can we have pizza for dinner?” he asked, not seeming to notice as a third police vehicle went by.
I smiled. This boy could eat pepperoni pizza every day of his life if I’d let him. “Sure. Go get your jacket.”
It might be springtime, but this was a coastal town, and I was willing to bet that the spring evenings could get a little chilly with the wind coming in off the water. Dominic was quick to obey.
