Leticia

  Chapter 18

  I was about ten minutes from the house when I realized I was being followed. I turned around quickly, hoping to catch a glimpse of my stalker.

  “Relax,” I heard Jackson say, before he actually came into view. “It’s only me.”

  “I wish it had been one of them.”

  “Thanks.”

  I turned my back on him and continued walking, I heard his pace quicken as he caught up to me.

  “Why are you coming back?” I asked with a slight attitude.

  “What’s the point in staying out, they’re all coupled up and I only get bored.”

  “Oh.”

  “Are we ever going to get along?”

  “What are you asking me for? You’re the one with the wrong attitude!”

  He didn't answer me and we walked the rest of the way in silence.

  I walked in the house and straight into the living room. I flopped down on the sofa and lay my head back, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I kept them closed until Jackson walked in.

  “Here,” he said, putting a steaming hot chocolate on the table in front of me. “I thought you might like one.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Mind if I sit next to you?”

  “It’s your house, do what you want.”

  He sat beside me, only an arm’s length away. He turned to look at me and spoke.

  “You asked me why I wanted to change and what it had to do with you.”

  “Yeah,” I said, before taking a sip of my drink.

  “I... I like you Leticia.”

  It was a good thing I’d stopped drinking before he said it, otherwise I might have spat the hot chocolate all over the place.

  “Are you trying to be funny?” I asked.

  “Why would I do that?” He looked hurt by my question and I instantly felt guilty. “Do you really think I’d say that just for the hell of it?”

  “I didn't mean it like that.”

  “Really.”

  “Jesus Christ, do you know what, I like you too, for some unknown reason I always have,” I almost shouted, while standing and waving my arms around.

  “What?” he asked shocked.

  “I said....”

  “I know what you said, but why?”

  “I don’t know, maybe because sometimes I can see that you actually have a good heart.”

  He came and stood right in front of me, once again I could feel his breath on my cheeks. I stared him straight in the eyes, getting lost in them for a brief second.

  “Leticia, please, just be patient with me, don’t take what I say to heart if I’m having an off moment. I’ve been like this over twenty years now, it’s not easy to just stop.”

  “I just...”

  I didn't get chance to finish my sentence, a loud bang from the hallway silenced us. We heard muffled voices and ran to investigate. The door had been kicked open, and half a dozen men were now barging into the house. One of the men drew his gun quickly and fired it at me. It hit me in my stomach. I admit, it did smart a little, but I just stood there laughing at him. He shot me again and again, Jackson looked horrified until it dawned on him that they weren’t going to kill me.

  I continued to laugh as I made my way towards the scrawny looking middle aged scum bag in front of me. I allowed myself to partially change, just to increase my strength, then slammed my hand against the center of his chest. He flew backwards, back through the door and down the steps of the porch. He rolled on the floor writhing in agony and trying his best to breathe. His ribs must have broken and punctured his lung. I watched for a moment as he began to choke on his own blood. Another man started to run at me, I struck him with the back of my arm and sent him crashing against the wall. The largest of them moved forward, Jackson grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck; he made it look effortless, as easy as snapping a pencil.

  “Next!” he shouted, turning to face the remaining attackers.

  They all looked at each other for a moment; almost as though each of them were hoping someone else would try to take us down.

  “OK, we’ll do it the easy way,” Jackson continued. He reached around his back and pulled out a gun, two of the men went to run, but Jackson shot them, kill shots, both to the head. Then he pointed the gun at the last man standing.

  “Either fight like a man or just be shot, your choice,” Jackson seethed.

  The man was panicking, naturally, shaking from head to toe and staring at the gun. Then his attention briefly turned to behind where I was standing. The guy who I’d sent crashing into the wall was now on his feet, before I had time to react he stabbed me in my chest, just below my heart. I screamed out, but it wasn’t a normal human scream; it was half mixed with the growl of the wolf. The pain was unbearable; the blade was made of pure silver. I dropped to my knees. I heard two more gun shots, and the man who had stabbed me fell to the floor, lifeless. He had taken two shots to his chest, I heard someone running behind me, then one last shot and a body hit the ground.

  “Leticia,” Jackson panicked, sliding on his knees beside me and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Leticia talk to me, come on baby-girl, speak to me.”

  “Get it out of me, get it out,” I struggled to say.

  “What...”

  “Get it out now!”

  He grabbed the handle and ripped the knife out of my chest, I screamed out in agony.

  “Leticia tell me what I need to do,” he said, still panic stricken.

  “You just did it,” I croaked. “I’ll heal.”

  He gathered me in his arms and carried me upstairs to my room. He laid me on the bed then sat next to me holding one of my hands and stroking the side of my face with his free hand.

  “I’ll be alright,” I tried to assure him. “Honestly, I just need to rest for a while; I’ve already started to heal.”

  “You were shot over and over...”

  “Look,” I said lifting my top slightly. “There are no marks.”

  “Where are the bullets?”

  “They popped out before I started to heal, you’ll find them on the floor somewhere.”

  “Leticia that was too close, half an inch higher and that would have hit your heart... you’d...”

  “I know, I know, it was my own fault, I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off him.”

  “Next time kill them don’t just injure them, it’s either they die or you do and....” he hesitated.

  “And?”

  “I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered, squeezing my hand tighter. “That... what just happened... what could have happened... that scared me more than you could possibly imagine.”

  “Jackson I...”

  “LETICIA! JACKSON!” we heard Nancy screaming.

  “We’re OK, we’re up here,” Jackson called back to her.

  Both of them came running into the room, Nancy looked at my top and saw the blood stains from the bullets and the knife.

  “Oh my god!” she cried, making her way over to me.

  “I’m fine don’t worry.”

  “What happened?” Tristan asked.

  Jackson filled him in on the events of the last hour and what a close call I’d had. He looked furious.

  “We need to get rid of the bodies,” Nancy said while still fussing over me.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Tristan told her, before exiting the room.

  Jackson said he was going to help him so I could get washed and changed. Nancy stayed with me just in case I needed her.

  I went into the en-suite and removed my top, when I looked in the mirror the only mark left on my body was that from the blade. It was definitely healing, but not as fast as I’d like, at least it wasn’t bleeding though. I got changed and walked back into the bedroom. Nancy was sitting on the end of the bed waiting for me.

  “We need to do something about all this, we need to hunt them down and pick them off one by one,” she raged. “This is ridiculous.”

  I didn't respond at first; just
as I was about to speak we heard the phone ringing. Jackson walked in the room a minute or so later.

  “It’s for you,” he said handing me the phone.

  “For me?” I asked. “I haven’t given this number to anyone, I don’t know it myself.”

  I took the phone from him and put it to my ear.

  “Hello,” I said warily.

  “Hello Leticia,” the male voice replied.

  “Oh piss off will you? You’re pathetic.”

  “I see you’re still alive and kicking, that’s a bit of a disappointment.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I sighed.

  “Am I boring you?”

  “As a matter of fact yes! Yes you are!”

  “Well I promise you sweet-cheeks you won’t be bored for long.”

  He hung up. I felt sick to my stomach, my hands started shaking and my heart was racing.

  Jackson took the phone off me and put his hand on my shoulder.

  “What is it? Who was it?” he asked me.

  “I know who this is; I know who’s doing it.”

  “What!”

  “Can we go downstairs; I need to finish telling you what happened eight years ago.”

  Chapter 19

  February 13th 2001

  After the attack and being left the threatening note, I moved. I was now staying at a hotel in Cardiff, and hadn’t moved out of the room since I checked in. I planned on staying just long enough to work out where I was going to settle next and what I was going to do with myself. I’d done nothing but cry and get annoyed and cry some more lately. Now I was getting annoyed with myself for thinking about it and letting myself get upset.

  I hadn’t heard from Luke, not even so much as a text message. On the other hand, I’d had no nastiness either, nobody following me or leaving me horrible threatening messages under my door. So maybe, even though not speaking to him hurt, it was actually a blessing in disguise. I’d decided to stay in again today and look on the internet at houses; nowhere in particular, I just thought I’d see if anything caught my eye. After a couple of hours searching I found a lovely little cottage in Colchester; it was done as a private advert. The owners were renting it out and weren’t asking an outrageous amount for it. I called them and arranged to view it the following morning, they said if I liked it, I could move in within 3-4 weeks, which was great.

  So the following morning I set off, met the owners and had a good look around. The cottage was beautiful and I told them I’d take it. I checked in to a local hotel feeling a lot happier. I booked in for a week but told the staff I may need to stay longer and they were more than happy with that. I spent the week getting to know the area, I talked to a few people who seemed really nice, and even went for a drink one night with one of the guys who worked at the hotel. There was no romance because he was gay, but we got on really well and had a great time together. It came at the right time really, I needed something to lift my mood and that really helped.

  21st February 2001 – around 8pm

  I’d ordered room service, I was starving and I’d been out this morning getting my finances in check and buying a few things for when I moved in the house. It was fully furnished, but I wanted things in there that would make it feel more like home. Some little pictures on the wall and a few trinkets. I was sitting on the bed reading when there was a knock at the door. I jumped up quickly; I couldn’t wait for the food.

  When I opened the door a few men stood there, they pushed their way into the room. Two of them grabbed me, restraining me, while the other closed the door quickly behind them.

  “Stop, please, wait, who are you? What do you want?” I shouted frantically.

  The man who had shut the door walked up to me and punched me in my stomach. The two restraining me let go as I dropped to the floor, in pain and gasping for breath. I looked up at the man who’d struck me.

  “I have a present from Luke,” he grinned, before punching me in the face. “I hope you like it.”

  I cried out, spitting blood on the carpet.

  “Don’t cry, we have more presents for you,” he laughed.

  The two restraining me threw me onto the bed. They tore at my clothes ripping my jeans and shirt off me and throwing them to the other side of the room. The man who struck me stood there smirking as the other two, between them, pinned my arms above my head and prised my legs open.

  “No!!” I screamed, “Oh god no!”

  The man who’d hit me started to undo his trousers. I fought the two men as much as I could, but they were too strong, I couldn’t get them away from me. Fear and anger built up inside me and I couldn’t control myself any longer. Just as the man who was assaulting me climbed on to the bed, he noticed my eyes, now no longer human. Wolf eyes. He watched as my teeth became slightly longer, jagged and sharp.

  He scrambled back off the bed, falling to the floor. I was stronger now and I could take them. I pulled my arms free. I grabbed one of the men who had held me by his collar and threw him across the room. I kicked the other man in his ribs so hard that I actually heard them snap. He fell to the floor, clutching his chest and coughing up blood. The man who had tried to get between my legs was now on his feet.

  “What the hell are you?” he almost shrieked.

  “I’m your worst nightmare come true.”

  I was about to attack him when I got a searing pain in the back of my head. I fell into the table by the end of the bed. I felt it again, and again, and then...

  Chapter 20

  I sat on the sofa watching the expressions on their faces as I finished my story. Nancy had tears in her eyes, Tristan look confused, angry and upset. As for Jackson, he looked livid. His whole face had changed, his jaw had tightened and his eyes were darker than normal. If it had been possible, I’m sure steam would have come bursting out of his ears.

  “That’s what a man who claimed to love you... want you forever... that’s what he got people to do to you.” Nancy eventually managed to get out.

  “Yeah,” I sighed sadly.

  “I want a few minutes alone with this Luke,” Jackson barked. “He’d think he’d been to hell by the time I was done with him.”

  “I haven’t seen him since I left for Cardiff, or spoken to him. The men that attacked me must have thought I was dead.”

  “Scumbag!”

  “What happened after that?” Nancy asked me.

  I woke up a few hours after, I didn't know where I was, what had happened or anything,” I started to explain. “I finally managed to get off the floor, using the bed post to drag myself to my feet. I looked in the mirror and saw the state I was in, bruised, covered in dry blood, especially around the back of my head, my hair was matted with it. I got in the shower, cleaned myself up, packed my things and left.”

  “Then what?”

  “I’d driven most of the night, my eyes were stinging, my stomach was rumbling like crazy, my mouth was so dry. I’d basically thrown all my belongings in my car, left the hotel room and drove, not looking behind me and certainly not stopping. My gas light was flashing, I just hoped I would make it to a fuel station before I completely ran out of juice. Thankfully, luck was on my side and I came across a 24hour Tesco, complete with an empty gas station. I filled the tank, paying on my card at the pump, and drove off again quickly. I didn’t know where I was, I hadn’t paid much attention to where I was going, I just knew I had to get as far away from Colchester as possible.”

  “Where did you end up?” Tristan asked.

  “I eventually stopped when I reached Longdendale. I’d moved and he found me; I knew if I simply moved again, it would only be a matter of time before he found me again. I knew I had to disappear. It was just before tea time, I’d spotted a charity shop on my way through Glossop and so I took all but the clothes I was wearing inside and donated them. I went into the bank and paid every penny I had on me into one of my accounts.”

  “What then?”

  “Then I headed to Woodhead Pass. I pulled onto a side road that, if you f
ollowed it all the way, would have lead you back into Glossop. I stopped just past a point known to the locals as ‘The Devil’s Elbow’. I trashed the car then set it alight. The only thing I had on me now was my bag with my essentials. You know, passport, bank cards, and so on. It was dusk and there was no one around, so I started walking into the hills. I was crying all the way, heartbroken, frightened, not of being attacked, but knowing I was about to spend a long time in complete isolation, nobody to speak to, laugh with... nothing.”

  “Why didn't you just hunt Luke down and kill him?” Jackson asked, pure venom now in his voice.

  “I still cared for him, despite everything, and plus, I wasn’t a horrible person. I didn't want to take someone’s life, besides; I didn't fancy facing a murder inquiry.”

  “I can understand that,” Nancy nodded.

  “Anyway,” I continued. “That phone call before, I can safely say... that was Luke.”

  “WHAT!”

  “How the hell has he found you again?” Tristan thundered.

  “I don’t know, I wish I did,” I said, standing and walking to the window.

  “We’ll find him,” Nancy assured me.

  “Have you known it was him all along?” Jackson asked me.

  “I thought it might have been at first, but then I thought, how could it be? Those guys left me for dead. I was in the middle of nothingness for eight years; I’ve been here about a year now and never heard anything from him. I’ve had phone calls before this one as you know, but his voice, although it sounded familiar in a way, it was also different, very different.”

  “What gave the prick away then?”

  “When he called me sweet-cheeks, it was his nick name for me,” I answered.

  “What exactly did he say to you just then?” Tristan asked.

  “He said ‘I see you’re still alive and kicking, that’s a bit of a disappointment’, then ‘Am I boring you?’ and finally ‘Well I promise you, sweet-cheeks, you won’t be bored for long.’”

  “So he’s gonna make another move? Well this time, we’ll be waiting, no more surprises,” Jackson stated.