Running Home

1.

Tess

Pulling up to the rod-iron black gates of the Deck Fortress, I feel like I am slowly pulling up to my version of hell on earth. Hi Satan, how are you today? The thought enters my mind causing me to smile despite the onslaught of panic and anxiety. Instead of Satan being a big red guy with horns and pointy fork, my Satan has exquisite looks, dark blue eyes, and a killer smile. Pretty positive torturing souls is what they have in common, though, and now I come back to him with more to lose than before.

Yet here I am, hoping that Satan lets me enter hell. Things have changed over the years, but the intimidation I feel is the same. After taking a deep breath, I mentally run through my plan again. Step one is to get here safely; step two is to gain entry, and that’s all I have so far. Other than begging the man I once was madly in love with to save our daughter.

I packed up so quickly to get here, only grabbing the essentials and any important documents linking us to our life. I glanced back at the back seat and saw my sweet daughter snoring softly with a lap full of stuffed animals. Her favorite one is a unicorn named Macaroni, acting as her pillow for the journey back.

I take a deep breath remembering why I am here, and that reason is drooling onto Macaroni with her dark brown, almost black hair falling into her face. It makes my heart ache how much she looks like her father. Yet I sit here feeling like I am going to puke as I take a deep breath and wipe my sweaty palms off on my jeans. My less sweaty but shaking hand reaches out to push the intercom button at the gates.

“May I help you?” The gruff voice on the other end asked.

I pull out the Ace of Spades and hold it up to the camera and say the words that almost punch a hole in my chest. “I need to speak with Ace. Tell him it’s Tess. It’s a matter of life and death.” Knowing that the person on the other end was probably rolling his eyes at my words.

Surprisingly, instead of the battle I was expecting, he spoke carefully, “As in The Tess? Tess Williams?” Like that, I felt like my stomach was dropping into my gut.

“Umm, yes, that is me. I mean, correct?” Internally groaning at how smooth that just came out of my mouth, sounding like a complete loon. The gates opened, and he said someone would meet me at the front to park my car. I drove down the lane lined with ancient trees that looked like they had been here since the beginning of creation. I caught sight of the impressive fortress ahead, smiling at myself, knowing that Ace was more than likely running this place with ease. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was married to her yet and how much my being here was probably going to cause a rift in their happy life. The life that I once thought we would end up having together. The thought makes me wipe my cheek at a lone tear that escaped. Fuck! I thought I had shoved all my emotions for him down deep before starting this journey. I should have known better, though, and nothing ever seems to want to uproot those feelings for him that I desperately wished would disappear.

I couldn’t help the tears in my eyes at the thought of seeing them together in person. Seeing the pictures Ace’s mother gave me years ago was bad enough. No time can erase that type of pain and embarrassment. Deep breath Tess, I said to myself, you can do this.

Climbing inside Ace’s bedroom, I took a deep breath to gather my nerves. I knew he would be home from training tonight, so I decided to come and surprise him. When I got inside, my breath caught in my chest when I caught sight of the elegant lady sitting next to the bookshelf, Regina Cress herself spoke coldly. “I wondered how long it would be until you showed up here.” The woman that Ace has been trying so hard to keep me from meeting her. He was always vague about why he didn't want me to meet her, but his warnings were enough to have me on guard. You could tell she was his mother, with dark hair with slightly greying, dark blue eyes, high cheekbones wearing a black power suit.

“This isn’t how I pictured us meeting, but I am-” I started to say, trying to the polite approach before anything else could be said.

“I know who you are, you foolish girl. Tess Williams, 18 years old. Your father died in an automobile accident, causing your mother to become a drunkard, drug-addicted whore. I might add that her pimp boyfriend, Daryl has his sights set on you. So yes, I know exactly who you are. I also know what you purchased at the drugstore yesterday.”

My eyes widened at that. I didn’t want Ace to learn about the baby through his mother. I wasn’t sure how he would take the news. We haven’t talked about children, marriage, yes, but children weren’t something we brought up. Probably because we were so young and there was so much time to talk about that. We talked about getting me on some form of birth control soon. That was a conversation that happened too late, according to the test.

“I have eyes everywhere, girl, despite what my children may think. I thought you would be a passing infatuation, but Ace wants his little pet.” She said as if I was almost a different species than human like I was something less. Yep, I was bug status. “However, you have become a bigger problem. Ace is getting married to Claire McGraw, and she has decided to move in before the wedding.”

I shook my head, “that can’t be right. Surely he meant to break things off with her if he was engaged?”

She closed her eyes and snorted. “The most you were ever going be was a mistress. I told my son before he left that he had to break things off before Claire moved in. Since it was the right thing to do.” She smiled coldly at me. “Do you know what he told me?”

I shook my head no, and my heart suddenly felt heavy. “He said to wait till you showed up and burn the treehouse.” I look behind me and see it going up in flames as we speak. “Then, present you with two options. I kindly made it three, given the new circumstances. Option one, you take that duffle bag,” she gestured to the two duffle bags by the window. They were even labeled option one and option three. “Inside, you will find documents to start a new life and enough cash to fund it. Option two, hand you over to Daryl to get strung out enough to get addicted, then become your mother, the apple not falling too far from the tree. And the third option that I came up with. Another new identity, an appointment card to cut that bastard out of your belly, and enough cash to start over. Whichever you choose, it makes no difference. Hell, take them both and decide on the way.”

“I want to hear this from Ace. I need to hear it from him.” I said in an attempt to sound braver than what I was feeling.

She stood, walking over to me before raising her hand and striking me across the face. “Wake up, little girl!” I quickly raise my hand to my cheek to help the sting. She thrusts a file at me before yelling, “this is what your ‘love’ has been doing on his so-called mission! It isn’t a mission at all. The Ace of Spades was NOT played.”

I held the file in my shaking hands, not believing this was happening. “OPEN IT!” She shouts at me before turning and walking away. “You have 10 minutes to decide before I send someone in with handcuffs to start the process for Daryl.”

No choice but to open the file, I see Ace lying in bed with a blonde bombshell with her head on his bare chest. The following photo was her straddling his naked hips and crying in pleasure. Unfortunately, there were more, and all the pictures' time-stamp was from last night at 11:45 PM. I barely make it to the bathroom before throwing up the contents of my stomach.

I rub my belly, reassuring the baby that they were not a mistake. Stuffing the file in one of the duffle bags, I take them both and make quick work of the window before writing ‘Goodbye’ on the window. The condensation appeared from leaving the window open in the winter. I closed the window and walked to the woods. Tears blur my vision as I watch our treehouse burn to the ground. My heart fell apart watching every piece fall before the whole tree caught. Digging up my emergency box, I hid in the woods and then determined I walk toward town. Promising myself I would never let myself feel this pain again, and ready to start a new life.

I shake off the memory as I park in front of the fortress, mentally unprepared for the battle ahead. I pull a sleeping Winnie out of her car seat, holding her close, trying to keep her sleeping. I turn around and suddenly am face to face with a pair of dark blue eyes trained on mine.

The years have been kind to him, and his dark, almost black hair was longer than it used to be, making him look rugged. He could stand to use a shave, but if anything, it just makes him look much more attractive, if that was even possible. He doesn’t stop when he gets in front of me, pulling my face between his palms like he is reassuring it is indeed me. “It is you. Where have you been?”