Page 53 of Exile

“You keep her safe, Kai. I don’t like the way that man was acting. It was…irrational.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kai responds, his eyes trained on me with a look of reverence, like he is swearing an oath.

When the call disconnects, I know we need to come up with a new plan. Dominick is planting seeds painting Kai as the bad guy. He’s going to say Kai hurt me. I refuse to let Kai take the fall for Dominick’s abuse.

“We need to get my mom somewhere safe. I can’t report anything until I know she is somewhere he can’t get to in case he retaliates. Then we need to get irrefutable evidence that Dom is an abuser.”

I watch Kai’s brows furrow in confusion at my last statement. He doesn’t like where my train of thought is leading but I’m not letting that deter me.

“ReRe—”

“Don’t ReRe me, Kai. I mean it. I am done letting this man ruin my life, and I will do what it takes to punish him for the hell he has put me through. I will not let this happen to another woman.”

Kai doesn’t say anything for a long moment before nodding his understanding.

“Alright ReRe, we will do this your way.”

When we leave Arianna’s to go pick up my mom, she is making some phone calls to friends she has on the local police force, trying to figure out who will be most receptive to hearing my story. She is fully aware of our need for discretion until we have Mom in a safe location, out of Dominick’s reach, but she wants to have the right person lined up for when I’m ready to make a report. Once we pick up Mom, we will meet up with Arianna and let Mom stay with her while we deal with Dominick.

On the drive to Whispering Grove, my body turns into a knot of tension and fraught emotions. I’m excited to see my mom and tell her about Kai buying the house but ashamed and terrified to tell her everything that went down with Dominick. In my heart, I know she won’t judge me, but the gremlin in the back of my mind won’t stop whispering how I should’ve known better. I shake my head, trying to shake loose that line of thinking. Mentally I begin chanting, “It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault,” trying not to spiral into a pit of shame and self-recrimination.

A text comes through on Kai’s phone from his mom, pulling me from my doubt spiral. “Do you want me to check that for you?” Kai nods and swipes his thumb over the unlock screen before handing me the phone, not taking his eyes off the road. He’s being overly cautious, driving just under the speed limit, refusing to give any cops a reason to pull him over. We can’t afford to let Dom find us before we get Mom somewhere safe. My stomach drops when I read the message from Kai’s mom.

Mom: Don’t come home. Officers here with warrant searching the house. Stay wherever you are.

“Shit…Kai. They’re searching your house.” Nausea rolls through me as I consider the consequences of this.

“It’s okay, ReRe. They won’t find anything.” Kai tries to reassure me, but we both know it’s an empty promise. It doesn’t matter if there is anything to find at his house. If Dominick wants to get Kai in trouble, he’s not above planting evidence.

“You know that means nothing, Kai. Dominick isn’t going to leave you alone while I’m with you. He’s going to set you up.” My voice comes out in a high-pitched whine, panic seeping into my bones again.

“He can try, ReRe. But he’s not going to win.”

When we reach Whispering Grove, my body is vibrating with tension. I feel eyes on me as soon as I exit the car, and I can’t get to my mom fast enough. When I rush through the lobby, it sounds like someone calls my name, but I ignore them in my rush to get to my mom. Bursting through her door, I am greeted by an empty space. No sign of my mother anywhere.

“Mom? Hey, you here? I came to see you.” I walk through her small apartment, hoping maybe she’s in her room laying down or in the bathroom. She is nowhere to be found and her phone is sitting on her nightstand.

“Shit, where is she?”

“Maybe she’s walking on the grounds or visiting with one of her friends? Come on, let’s go ask.” Kai’s voice is calm, a balm to the rapid beating of my heart.

Yeah, she’s visiting with friends. She has friends here now. That has to be it. I let him tug me back through the door, and we run into the woman who works the front desk.

“There you are! I tried to get your attention when you came through. Your fiancé came by a little while ago and picked up your mom. He said he was going to surprise you by taking you both out to dinner. He wasn’t sure what time you were coming by to visit Laura, so he told me to tell you to meet him at the house.”

The blood drains from my face as I realize we are too late. Dominick has my mom.

Missing the despair that must be written all over my face, the woman smiles before saying, “He’s such a sweet man. You sure did get lucky with that one.” With that, she turns and walks away, taking my last bit of hope with her.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

SERENA

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Outside in the parking lot, I’m pacing next to Kai’s car, hands snarled in my hair as I fight not to let panic take control. Dom has my mom. I don’t know if he will hurt her, but I can’t take that chance. She’s all I have left, and I will do anything to protect her. I’m so lost in my thoughts, I don’t hear Kai calling my name until his hands grasp me by the biceps, halting me in my tracks.

“Serena, we will go get her. It will be okay. He’s not going to hurt her. He’s using her as bait to make you go back to him.” Kai’s reassurances fall flat when his thumb brushes over a bruise on my arm, reminding me exactly what Dominick is capable of.