Her Only Salvation (15 page)

“Ray,” he said as he got to the front door. “I need you to hold the place down. I have to take off for a while. I might not be back.” Ray knew what to do, so he wasn’t worried about leaving the club in his capable hands.

“Don’t worry about a thing, boss. I got it covered,” Ray said, holding the door open for him to pass.

The phone rang and rang as Luke jogged around to the back of the building to his car. He could have just gone out the back door where it was parked, but he had needed to tell everyone he was going, so now he was cold on top of being edgy.

He got into the car and thrust the keys into the ignition. “Come on, Terri. Pick up,” he said as he broke out into traffic. There was no answer, but he kept trying until it was clear that she wasn’t coming to the phone. Then he called the police station, asking for Detective Young. When the detective answered, he yelled at him.

“Terri’s not answering the phone. Now tell me what the hell is going on!”

“The most likely scenario, her husband knows where she is and he isn’t happy,” the detective said unpleasantly.

“How the hell do you figure that,” Luke demanded, swerving to avoid crashing into a slow moving car. As far as he knew, only he and Terri knew that Luke was looking for her.

“Well, I got a break in the case this evening, which told me this Cunningham fellow was one bad character. But the biggest one was the guy that called me right after that. He gave me some pretty damning information, which prompted me to call you.”

“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?”

“That’s all I can tell you right now,” Detective Young said apologetically. “I’m heading to your place now. Is that where you’re going?”

“Already halfway there,” Luke said determinedly, pressing his foot down on the pedal.

“Good, we’ll meet you. And do me a favor,” the detective said before he hung up. “If you think something might be wrong when you get there, wait outside. Let the professionals handle it.”

“Right. Sure thing.” Luke snapped the phone shut. If even one blade of grass looked out of place, nothing would keep him from being in that house.

Chapter Eighteen

Terri sat back on her haunches and appraised her work. The bathrooms were gleaming, not a hair or a spot of dust to be seen. The smell of lemons hung in the air, giving it that clean, citrus fragrance she loved so much.

She checked the bathrooms off her list. With only two chores left to go, she gathered her supplies, then paused, hunched over the bucket she had used to carry them in, and checked her iPod. She pushed the button a dozen times, searching for the right song to suit her mood. Half the stuff she had on there was played out or came with the album and weren’t something she really cared for in the first place. She really needed to sit down and go through it, make some space for something awesome.

Settling on a tune that harkened back to her college days when she was wild and carefree, Terri hefted the bucket up and lugged it into the adjacent bedroom.

She really was pleased with her work tonight. The solitude had afforded her the perfect opportunity to get her head on straight. She was looking forward to when Luke came home and saw what she had done with the place. She knew he was only joking when he said he expected it to be spotless when he got home, but she wanted to give him something that said thank you for everything he had done for her, and cleaning his bachelor pad was probably the single best gift she could give him. 

As she sprayed a layer of furniture polish on the hardwood table in the middle of the living room, the song playing in her ears switched to her new favorite,
Sunday Bloody Sunday
, reminding her of her dance with Luke last night. She didn’t even remember having it on her iPod, but she was glad it was. She wiped down the furniture, swaying her hips and allowing the soothing yet upbeat melody to wash over her. 

Terri had just finished with the table and was tucking the dirty rag back into the bucket, when an unexplainable feeling of unease settled over her. And somehow, she just knew. Looking up, with Bono shouting in her ears “Sunday, bloody Sunday, wipe your tears away!”
she locked eyes with the lone figure standing in the middle of the kitchen.

“Hello, Terri,” Randy said in a disturbingly calm voice that chilled her to the bone. “Miss me?”

Terri was frozen to the floor, her muscles locked and her mind screaming frantically. She went through a dozen scenarios for escape. She could try to get past Randy to the back door, and run for help, but with his thick frame and quick reflexes, she wouldn’t stand a chance. She could run for the sliding door, fumble with the unfamiliar locks and dash onto the deck, assuming she made it that far, and try to outrun him there. But she knew that was an even more unlikely scenario because once again Randy would be on her in a New York minute. Her only other option would be to try and make it to the front door, fumble with the locks there, and scream her head off as she ran, but no one would hear her. She bit her lip, thinking. Maybe if she could get outside she could hide in the woods, wait for Luke to get home.

“What, no hugs or kisses for your husband,” Randy said, taking a step toward her.

Terri took a step back, watching him warily. “What are you doing here, Randy?” She gulped, praying fervently that Luke would walk through that door any second now and rescue her, but it was still several hours until closing, so she was very much alone, left to fend for herself. Bile rose up in her throat. He had defied anyone from getting into his house, but she always knew Randy was capable of anything, and here he was, proof positive that nothing and no one could hold him back. Why had she allowed herself to forget that?

Randy tilted his head and tsked. “Honestly, Terri. Did you think I wouldn’t come for you? I told you this day was coming. So let’s make this easy, shall we? Go get your things. It’s time to go home.”

Terri took another step back, mirroring Randy’s own movements. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Anger flashed in his eyes, but Randy restrained himself. He smiled a coaxing smile. “Come on, love bug. Let’s not make this more difficult than it has to be. Just get your things, or not. Doesn’t make any difference to me, but it might to you when you find you have nothing to wear tomorrow. Either way, it’s time we sat down and had a little chat.”

Terri rounded the table, keeping it between them and positioning herself closer to the front door. None of this escaped Randy’s attention, but he didn’t try to stop her. “We have nothing to talk about,” she said crisply, covertly widening her stance for when she decided to run.

“That’s where you’d be wrong,” Randy said sternly. “Do you even realize what I had to go through to get back to you? This last year has been hell for me. Do you even care?” His voice rose and he had to work to regain control of his temper.

“Do you realize the hell you have put
me
through,” Terri snapped, her own temper getting the better of her. She couldn’t help it. After so long of playing the punching bag, of always watching every word she said, she just couldn’t find it in herself to keep quiet anymore. “You ruined my life.”

“Me!” Randy said indignantly.

“Yes, you. Because of you I have lived every day in fear of my life. Because of you I have no friends. Because of you I have no children. I spent years trying to make you happy, wondering what was wrong with me that I couldn’t make it work, and where did that get me? Nowhere, except in a hospital bed with broken bones.”

Rounding the couch, Randy stood within arm’s reach, watching her closely. “There was nothing wrong with you, Terri, except that you refused to follow the rules. Everything that happened could have been prevented if you had just listened,” he insisted.

He reached for her. Terri jerked back, just avoiding his grasp. “Go to hell,” she snarled. Desperate to distract him, to bide time, she asked, “How did you even find me in the first place? And don’t think I don’t know you’ve been following me. You know where I live, where I work…”

Randy huffed, as if he didn’t appreciate her questioning him. “Why does it even matter? I found you, end of story.”

“It does matter!” Terri shrieked. “I moved away, I changed my hair.” She tugged the end of her dyed black ponytail as evidence. All that work, all the effort that went into becoming invisible, for nothing. “Yet here you are. I want you to tell me how you managed it.”

His shoulder lifted in a negligent shrug. “You always knew I was a man of many means. It shouldn’t surprise you then that I have resources.”

“What kind of resources,” Terri asked, narrowing her eyes on him. “You mean people? Money?” She had to know. It would drive her insane to never know how he had done it all.

“People, money…” Randy skirted the table and Terri mirrored him, always keeping distance between them.

“Who,” she demanded. “Who would help you?”

“I don’t think you really want to know that, do you, Terri? Sometimes the truth can do more harm than good.”

“Tell. Me,” she said more forcefully. She felt like screaming, racing for the door, anything to make this nightmare stop, to go away.

“Do you remember your lawyer, Jerry?”

“Mr. Montrose? What does he have to do with anything?”

“He has everything to do with everything,” Randy hedged, the light in his eyes turning dark and stormy. “While you were busy seeking a speedy divorce, he was busy keeping it from happening.”

Terri spluttered, her mind went on the fritz, and she began shaking violently. How could he do this? How could Randy convince a person of the law to do his bidding? How could someone be so cruel, so dishonest? “I don’t believe you,” she croaked. “He took an oath. He told me…he told me…”

“He told you what?” Randy snapped. “That the judge wasn’t listening. That things were more complicated than expected?” Terri raised horrified eyes to look at him. “News flash: he lied. He’s been working for me the entire time, telling me everything. Everywhere you went, everyone you talked to. I always knew, Terri. Always.”

“You had me spied on?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was like some crazy movie that had somehow turned into reality.

“You left me with no choice,” Randy roared, leaping at her.

Terri screamed and jumped back, narrowly avoiding his quick hands, and bolted for the front door.

It was further away than she remembered it, too many pieces of furniture in the way. She careened around the corner, slammed her hips into a side table and tripped on the edge of the runner. The air whooshed from her lungs and she slammed her chin on the hard wood floor beneath her, but she didn’t let it faze her. The sound of Randy’s boots pounding the floor as he gave chase had her up and running again. The front door was close, but it had too many locks that she would have to stop for. Plus, the stairs were closer.

Scrapping her original plan, which wasn’t all that great anyway, Terri took the stairs one at a time with quick, sure feet, using the railing to pull herself along. Randy was close on her heels, taking the stairs two and three at a time, and when Terri hit the top floor and dashed down the hall toward Luke’s room, Randy howled his outrage.

Luke’s door had a lock on it, which is why she chose it. That, and while she had been cleaning his bathroom, she may have taken a moment or two to snoop around. Normally, she would hate herself for violating someone’s privacy, but now that she was running for her life, she was thankful she had.

Throwing herself to her knees on one side of the bed, she ran her hands between the mattress and box spring until she found the hard metallic object she was looking for. The gun felt terrifying in her hands, but it was the only thing Terri had to defend herself.

She tried to remain calm as Randy pounded on the other side of the door, yelling at her to let him in. Of course she wouldn’t. That would be crazy. She’d set off all kinds of primal instincts in him when she took off, and now Randy was the predator, relentless in the pursuit of his prey. When he realized his fists and angry demands weren’t working, his booted feet took up the fight, kicking at the door furiously. Terri recoiled when it finally burst in, and she felt her arms lift the gun in response.

Randy stopped mid-stomp, staring at her with a dubious smile. “What are you doing, Terri? What, are you going to shoot me?”

Tremors in her hands made it nearly impossible to hold the gun steady, but Terri tried to call up some of the old television shows and movies as an example of how it was done. She worked to calm her breathing and steady her hands, and eventually was able to hold him in her sights. “You’ve left me with no choice,” she threw his words back at him viciously, and then she pulled the trigger.

Randy was stunned, momentarily stupefied by her willingness to shoot him. He looked down at himself, then back at her, and broke into a fit of mocking laughter. “You bitch,” he said taking long, purposeful strides across the room. “I can’t believe you actually had it in you to even try it.” Wrenching the gun from her hands, he backhanded her so hard she flew backward, slamming into the wall with such force the air exploded from her lungs.

Terri watched dazedly as Randy inspected the weapon, flicking his finger over something she couldn’t see. Extending his arm, he looked down the barrel at her. “My father used to take me hunting when I was a boy. Do you know what he taught me, Terri?” She shook her head. “The first rule of hunting, bring your weapon. The second rule, locate your prey. The third rule, and you’ll want to listen closely to this one because it applies to you, is to always,
always
check to make sure the safety is off before you shoot.”

Terri’s eyes widened in horror and her whole body shook violently. Randy approached her, standing in front of her for a moment that seemed to stretch into forever. Then, in a series of fast movements, he stashed the gun in the waistband at the small of his back and grabbed her chin, wrenching her face up, forcing her to meet his eyes. “I know you would never try to kill me, Terri. You don’t want to hurt me. Not really. That was a warning, wasn’t it? You wanted to get my attention.”

Terri was confused for a moment, before finally catching on that he didn’t believe she meant him any true harm, or he didn’t want to. She jumped on the opportunity he presented. “I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly, trying the words out. She hadn’t had to say them to anyone in so long; they felt almost foreign on her tongue.

“You should be,” he growled, transferring his hand to her hair and yanking her head back with a sharp snap of his wrist. “You’ve pushed me pretty far lately. Nearly driven me crazy in the process.”

With a shaking hand, Terri reached out and stroked his clean shaven jaw with her fingertips. “I couldn’t help it,” she said coyly. “After what happened, I was scared.” She wove the truth of her fear into a seductive lie, luring him in, trying to keep him calm, though it could still turn into chaos at any moment.

Randy’s eyes closed slowly at her tender touch, and he leaned closer, burying his face in her hair. “You never came to visit me. Not once.”

“I wanted to,” she lied, “but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see me. Not after everything that happened. Not after what I did to you.” She almost choked on that lie.

His hands stroked down her back, his arms coiling around her waist and constricting her in a punishing embrace that arched her back almost painfully. “You test me,” he rasped. “I wasn’t sure if I was coming here tonight to hold you or kill you.”