On the run

Twenty Seven

"Okay, you've got wine, music is on quietly, candles, anything else you want before I get in?" I shook my head. "Are you sure?"

"Alex, get in the fucking bath." I chuckled, sipping from the glass he'd handed me. We hadn't left this room all day, just trying to calm my nervous system. Cuddling and napping and binge watching his sitcoms. But not talking. We needed to. I know we did but we were both avoiding it out of fear of setting me on a crappy path. He slipped in, water splashing around him as he did, rising over the edge of the tub and leaving rose petals laying on the marble side.

"Happy?"

"I am now." He nodded, laying a kiss on my lips, and sitting back with a sigh. His hands rubbed at my legs as I sunk a little deeper into the water.

"We really should talk about it Pops." I sighed. "We can do it now, or when we get out but we have to."

"I know." I gave him a soft smile, gently setting my wine glass onto the side. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you who he was before. You had the right to know what you were getting yourself into before it was too late. You'd have had the chance to walk awa-"

"I wouldn't have if I knew Poppy. I'd have probably been a hell of a lot more demanding if I'm being honest."

"Still."

"Still nothing. You told me he was dangerous. Sure, I wasn't thinking major crime family boss. I was thinking drug dealer or something."

"I mean you were kind of right." He chuckled.

"I wouldn't have been anxious or scared about him if I knew who he was Poppy. But whilst we're on the topic, there's something I need to ask." I nodded. "Why did you leave him?" I sighed.

"We'd been together 2 years. We were supposed to get married like 4 months after I left. Around September time, someone had broken into the house and put simply I didn't wake up for a few days and I was tied to a chair in my nightie in some gross basement. They were going on about Jaxson and him owing them something and to tell them where he was. They broke a few bones over the week I was there until Cam eventually found me. Not Jaxson. Cam. He took me to the doctor and everything and got me home a few hours later and Jaxson acted like he cared, said he'd find them and whatever, that he had everyone looking for me everywhere, that he hadn't slept or eaten. He said he'd make sure it never happened again, that I was his top priority, nothing mattered more than me. But the night of my birthday 6 months later, I heard him talking to some of his friends when I went to get a drink at like 3am. He told them that if it came down to it, I'd be last on his list of things to save. That he had more important things to be worried about if that was happening. That when I'd been taken, I probably deserved the beatings I got and Cam should have just left me there and saved himself the trouble." Alex's hands stopped moving on my skin, moving into the middle of the bath, and pulling me into him. "So, I packed a bag with the things I wanted most, my laptop, phone and charger. Stupid stuff. Left the engagement ring on my dresser and climbed out the bedroom window, got in my car and left. I called him from like 20 miles away in the middle of a country road. Told him what I'd heard that I didn't feel like I was safe with him, that I was going and that he wouldn't find me so not to try. Hung up and threw the phone into a field before driving off as fast as I could. I spent a few nights in Edinburgh under Emily's Alias. Pawned the laptop, sold the car. Got all my money out the bank, dyed and cut my hair and then went to Manchester, different alias, bought a car. Went to London, set up a new bank account and started to work out what else I could do. Then about 5 months after that, I got a job at the office, got the flat and just kept my head down since. He'd gotten close whilst I was in London. I spotted him and one of his guys at the supermarket. I was dying my hair brown then and it was winter so I was able to pull my scarf over my face but yeah, I skipped town the same night. I was super lucky I managed to get 4 years without him. He said he was close to giving up until someone saw us in the airport and told Cam and Cam told Jaxson and then he spent that 2 weeks tracking your car and looking into us and he bugged the house, most likely my flat too. That's how he knew where I was the morning he showed up."