Her Simple Request

by Cole Baxter

Genres: Domestic Thrillers; Psychological Thrillers

Synopsis

Be careful who you choose to help...

Daniel, a loner haunted by his past, seeks solace in his successful graphic design career. When a chance encounter leads him to rescue a stranger from a violent attack, he unwittingly becomes entangled in a web of deceit and danger.

As the repercussions of his actions unfold, Daniel finds himself drawn into the desperate quest for justice by Carlotta, the woman he saved.

But when legal avenues fail in getting justice for Carlotta’s attacker and she asks Daniel for an unthinkable favor, he's confronted with a moral quandary that threatens to unravel everything he holds dear.

Daniel must confront his demons and navigate a treacherous path to protect those he cares about.

Will he find the courage to confront his past and seek retribution? Or will the weight of guilt consume him into following through with her request?

Her Simple Request– the gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, and K L Slater.

 

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Release date: February 26, 2024

Print pages: 478

Sample

Daniel pushed past Sherri, opening the door with greater force than was necessary to get outside and discover what was happening. The hot air slammed into him in stark contrast to the air-conditioned temperature inside. He was used to it after living here his whole life, so he simply rushed outside.

"Where are you going?" Sherri demanded behind him.

Daniel didn't bother to reply, he was hell-bent on discovering the source of such distress. There was a woman out there, somewhere, near this motel, who was in pain, and he would find her.

He had to.

It was still fairly early in the night. The city around them was alive, but Daniel moved past all the usual noises and sought those that stood out, then followed them like a beacon. He ran, thoroughly searching the area around the motel. He was already pretty jacked up on adrenaline, thanks to his fight with Sherri, and his body was definitely ready for a different kind of fight.

Where are you? He looked frantically.

He could hear Sherri following him at a distance. It sounded as though she was whining the whole time. Why was she coming after him, if she was so reluctant to be seen with him, was something he couldn't and wouldn't contemplate at the moment. He had more pressing issues right then. Like finding the woman who’d screamed.

He was prepared to yell, and beg for guidance, but stopped himself at the last moment. He sensed that it was a bad idea, and that it was better to remain stealthy for the time being. He needed to find this woman who begged for help.

"Help, somebody!" he heard again. "No, please stop. No!"

Daniel turned slightly to his left, then started running as though his life depended on it. More accurately, he felt like someone's else life depended on it. He moved past a barely lit parking lot and arrived at the outskirts of a small park. There, among the trees, on the ground, he saw the true horror unfolding in front of his eyes. He was right. A woman was indeed fighting for her life.

She was lying on the ground, screaming, fighting, as a big, looming figure, a man, brutalized her. He was grunting and mumbling something unintelligible, as he pressed her to the ground. He was in the process of ripping her clothes and ripping her blouse apart when Daniel showed up.

"No! Get away from me," she cried, begging him to stop, but he wouldn't. He was too blinded by selfish passion and his evil desires.

Daniel froze. Instantly, his brain decided to treat him with a very particular flashback of some past times, darker times. Times he wanted to forget.

"No, get away from me," she cried, begging him to stop, but he wouldn't. He was enjoying this moment immensely. He liked her at his mercy.

Daniel hid beneath the table. He was much smaller than the man who was hitting a woman in front of him. He was crying, sobbing, begging for someone to help. He was not the only one. His mama was crying, too.

"Please, stop," she begged the man who was practically sitting on top of her, as she was sprawled on the floor, hitting her over and over again, savagely, brutally, with a fury that was so great it was almost too hard to comprehend, especially for a 6-year-old.

The man was hitting her senseless, his mouth stretched into a hideous grimace, as though he was enjoying it. The blood was everywhere, and his mama was going quieter and quieter. Even Daniel knew that meant something bad.

"You stupid whore," the man boomed. "How dare you speak to me like that. Never speak to me like that!" Each word was accentuated with another blow to the head.

"Please," his mama begged in a soft voice.

She was about to die. No.

No, no, no, she couldn’t die. Not again. He couldn’t go through this again. Rage unimaginable washed over him. The emotion was so great, so all-consuming and powerful that he slightly swayed on his feet.

Protect her. Kill him, passed through his head.

Daniel exploded. He was not going to allow this monster to hurt an innocent. "Get away from her!" he boomed, rushing forward.

Both the woman and her would-be rapist looked his way. Daniel's body slammed into the other man, full force. It felt like he hit a block of concrete. He was a sturdy bastard. Daniel lost his footing, but the attacker crashed to the ground, away from the woman.

He wasn't done. He had to kill him. Daniel stumbled back to his feet, but the other man was quicker. He practically leaped back onto his feet effortlessly, like a ballet dancer, and started running full speed away from them all. Every atom in Daniel's being told him to chase, catch this motherfucker, yet one look toward the bleeding woman on the ground kept his feet planted firmly on the ground. He had to help her. There was no doubt in his mind. She was more important.

Sherri simply stood by the side, leaning against the tree and pitying the other woman, not looking like she was prepared to do anything else, while the other woman cried inconsolably, clearly still in shock.

Daniel crouched next to her, needing to make sure she was all right, and she simply lost it, shrieking at the top of her lungs, trying to get away.

"No!" she cried out.

Instinctively, Daniel raised his hands. "He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore," he rushed to explain. "You're safe now. Everything will be all right."

Although she was still in distress, crying, and scared out of her mind, some part of what he said must have reached her because she stopped to look at him.

"I'm here to help. I won't let him get to you," he continued to soothe, yet for whatever reason, his words triggered her, and she started crying even harder.

Sherri said something, but he paid her no mind. All his focus was on this woman in front of him.

Should I help her get up? Should I take her home? Does she need a doctor?

Of course, she needs a doctor, he snapped at himself. He needed to call the police, too. All of that rushed through his head. Perhaps he was in slight shock as well, but he pushed through that. He wasn't important right now.

He tapped his pocket, only to realize he didn't have his phone with him.

Son of a bitch. It was at the motel with the rest of his stuff.

"Sherri, call 9-1-1," he told his ex-girlfriend, or whatever she was, as she continued to just stand there, blending into the ambient, impersonating a bush or something.

"I don't have my phone with me," she informed with a lot of attitude, as though she was blaming him for that.

"Fuck. Then go get it." He did not trust leaving this woman alone with Sheri to retrieve his.

"I'm not going anywhere with that maniac on the loose. What if he tries to rape me next?" Sherri countered.

Daniel felt like pulling out all his hair. All kinds of scenarios passed through his head in a flash, and he didn't like any of them. But then, the simplest solution presented itself as his eyes landed on a small purse.

"Ma'am, can I use your phone to call for help?" he asked softly, trying hard not to look, or be, intimidating in any way.

An eternity passed. She gave a slight nod.

"Would you like to get up?" he asked as an afterthought, and immediately regretted it. He had no idea what her injuries were. What if he caused more damage than good?

"I'll do it," the woman said, shifting to a sitting position. She grimaced, grabbing the side of her head as she swayed. Daniel caught her before she smacked her head on the ground.

The woman's eyes went wide the instant he touched her, so Daniel made sure she was comfortable, as much as she could be on the freaking ground, before releasing her. The woman picked up the pieces of her blouse, trying to cover herself. He cursed himself for not having anything to offer her to wear. Taking off his shirt was the last thing this traumatized woman needed at the moment.

He refocused on the things he could do. Daniel gingerly looked through her purse and eventually pulled out a phone. It was locked, but the woman touched it, unlocking it.

"Thank you." Daniel made the call.

He rushed to explain to the operator what happened and gave their location as best as he could. He had no idea what this street was called. It was the street the motel was on, but he remembered the motel's name, hoping that would be enough. The operator reassured him she knew where they were and luckily, she didn't torment him with too many questions, instead stating that an ambulance and the police were on their way.

Only after finishing the call did he remember that he’d failed to ask the most important question. "Are you all right? Are you in pain? Did he hurt you?"

"Not too much," she said in a soft voice, through a completely busted lip.

"Would you like to stand up?" he asked, lamely.

The woman paused for a moment. "I don't think I can," she confessed.

That made him see red anew. What kind of a person dared to do something like this to a woman? He knew the answer to that question very well. A sadistic bastard, a scum of the earth who had zero regard for the other people's sufferings as long as his needs were met.

That kind of person deserved a bullet through his head. Period.

"The police are on their way," he informed.

"Thank you," she replied.

Daniel knew she was thanking him for more than that piece of information. She was thanking him for saving her life. He didn't dare think about what could have happened if he hadn’t heard her scream. He nodded in return.

"Daniel, can we go now?" Sherri's voice oozed irritation, breaking the silence.

He looked at her in confusion.

"I'm cold," she complained.

How do you think the half-naked woman on the ground feels?

Thinking it would be better for the woman who just got attacked not to hear what he had to say to his ex, he stood up, reassured her that he would return shortly, and walked the small distance to Sherri.

"What is the matter with you?" he snapped, not being able to hide his outrage.

"What? You said the police are on their way. You did enough."

"Are you that self-centered? Do you comprehend what just happened?"

"I saw."

"A woman just got attacked and you want to leave?" He couldn't believe it, but at the same time, he could. Sherri was not the woman he thought she was.

"It was a tough night all around, OK? I got dumped tonight and you don't see me crying about that."

How was that the same? How was it possible that he had ever been in a relationship with this selfish creature? Sadly, he knew the answers to that without a thought. He had been blinded by the tits and ass. But that was no excuse. He would be better next time. He had to be because this was just tragic.

Looking away from Sherri, he could see the fear in the woman's eyes as Sherri said all that. Despite his best efforts, she had heard everything.

"Go if you want. I'm staying," Daniel threw in her face, before returning to his previous position.

Sherri huffed, but in Daniel's eyes, she was permanently dismissed. He gently sat next to the woman, who was shivering slightly.

He still had nothing to offer her.

"My name is Daniel, by the way," he said, as though needing to distract both of them.

"Carlotta," she replied meekly.

Perhaps it was a bad idea to engage her in a conversation. It couldn't be too pleasant to speak through a busted lip.

"Everything is going to be OK now, Carlotta. He can't hurt you anymore," he tried to be reassuring.

Carlotta looked away.

He felt like such a failure, no matter what he said, or whether he tried to do the right thing, all these women ended up disappointed or angry with him. But this wasn't about him, he reminded himself, and pushed the self-pitying notions away. There would be a time and place for introspection, and this was definitely not it.

As he tried to calm Carlotta down, he could see out of the corner of his eye that Sherri had decided to stay. In a huff, she sat on the nearest bench and shot daggers at Daniel, as though angry that he had put her in this situation. He returned to that same question — Who was that woman? Because he had encountered a completely different version of her.

He read someplace that if you wanted to truly get to know someone, you needed to get them angry, because that was the only way someone would show their true colors. Observing Sherri's behavior, he had to agree.

Luckily, he was done with her and refocusing on what mattered the most, he made sure Carlotta was comfortable while they waited, as much as one could be in such a situation.

The police arrived in record time, and right behind them was the ambulance. Officers scattered about, as though making sure the place was safe, although Daniel didn't expect that monster to return.

Rapists were usually cowards, so there was a slim chance he would return to the scene of the crime, although Daniel would like nothing more. That filth needed to be caught and brought to justice for what he did. Daniel had always believed this society was too lenient toward people who committed such crimes, as though tormenting another human being, treating someone else like a sex toy with no voice, no mind of their own, was of no greater consequences.

Daniel stayed by Carlotta's side as the paramedics fussed over her. Once they made sure she was stable enough, she was put on the gurney and ready for transport to the hospital.

She sent a last, silent, thank-you before the doors of the ambulance were closed and she was driven away. Daniel stayed put to speak to one of the uniforms. Sherri surprisingly did the same. He half expected she would leave before they arrived. That didn't mean his opinion of her improved. This simply meant that she was more afraid of the consequences at the moment than her anger at him.

Very briefly, without getting into too much detail, Daniel explained how he was in his motel room when he heard someone calling for help.

"Can you describe the assailant?" an officer with a thick southern accent asked in return.

Daniel tried his best, but it was too dark. "All I saw was black clothes, hoodie pulled up, huge constitution."

The officer scribbled everything he said, no matter how light it was.

"You will be asked by the lead detectives to come to the precinct and give a formal statement," the officer explained, putting his notepad away.

"Of course. Whatever is needed."

He started to leave, then paused. "One last thing, Mr. Braun. What were you doing in this motel if you are a Miami resident?"

"I was with my girlfriend," he replied simply.

The officer nodded, walking away to join his colleagues.

He must have thought Daniel was having an affair. That didn't sit well with him, but Daniel was too spent to even try and explain the mess that he knew as his life.

As he finished his conversation with the officer, Daniel looked about and spotted Sherri still talking. Since it wasn't like she was miles away, he could pretty clearly hear what she was saying. She insisted she hadn’t seen anything. Daniel didn't think she was necessarily lying. It all happened so fast, it was dark, and she was behind him the whole time.

Without a thought if he should wait for her or not, he started walking toward the room. He had to get his shit, go home, and try to get some rest. He was more than ready to be done with this day.

How is Carlotta?

No matter how hard he tried to stay in the moment, images of what happened replayed in his mind. And why did he have to see her, his mother, in those moments as well?

"Hey! Wait for me," Sherri yelled, jogging toward him.

He didn't reply or slow down.

He was surprised by his outburst, he was so angry in those moments. Seeing that man on top of Carlotta, he was ready to kill, tear him limb by limb with his bare hands. That was disconcerting. He'd tried hard all his life to keep his temper in check, and it was scary to him that he got so close to the edge without even realizing it. All that it took was the right trigger, and he was gone. Then again, he managed to pull himself back. This time.

Considering what happened to him in the past, it was no wonder that he reacted the way he did. It was still scary though.

"I got so scared, Daniel. Please hold me."

"You have your husband for that."

Part of him knew he was cruel, but it couldn't be helped, Sherri needed to know it was over. As it should be.