Her Only Salvation (6 page)

Eyes narrowing, Randy focused on that car, determined to witness this scene play out.

Terri made an appearance first, the clicking of her heels audible through the closed windows as she approached the luxury car. Cutting the engine, the driver pushed open the door and stepped out.

Definitely a man, Randy thought, sneering as he sized up the competition. Tall, at least six-foot, dark hair and a wide smile. He wore a simple pair of dark jeans and a form-fitting T-shirt. Aside from the car, the only thing that hinted that he was loaded was the platinum watch around his wrist and the diamond stud glinting in his ear. Other than that, the guy was pretty average.

It must be the money, Randy thought with some irritation. That was a woman for you, though. His mother had been a gold digger, raised by a gold digger. It only made sense that Randy would marry one, considering what he was raised with.

He couldn’t hear their conversation, only muffled voices through the thick glass. As they walked side by side up the walkway toward the front door, Randy experienced a moment of panic. It was too late to backtrack down the hall and out the back door where he had come in without getting caught. He didn’t know the house well enough to find an adequate hiding place, either, but as the front door opened and he heard the couple step inside, he visually inspected the room for the best option.

The closet was tight, and would be the most likely place Terri would go first if she planned to change out of her work attire. The bathroom was a close second, and there was no way he would be able to duck into the neighboring bedroom without being caught on the spot, the living room being just feet away and in clear view of the short hallway.

The bed was the only option he had left. Crossing the room, Randy dropped to his stomach and slithered beneath the bed, scowling over the fact that he had to hide from his own wife.

Chapter Six

It felt awkward, having her boss in her house again. Of course, since he had been here before, given himself the grand tour, she could skip that part. The problem was more his presence, how he seemed to overwhelm the room with his sheer size and strength of character. It made her feel out of place in her own home. Then again, that same strength made her feel feminine and protected, like she didn’t have to worry about anything when he was around.

Giving herself a little shake, Terri slammed the lid closed on that thought. That line of thinking was exactly how she had gotten herself in such a mess with Randy. He had been the same kind of guy, strong in both body and mind. He was the kind of guy who commanded attention when he entered a room. Women loved him, men wanted to be him. In the beginning, he had been her protector, and in the end, he had become her attacker. Luke was exactly like that, and Terri refused to get involved with another man who fit that description.

No, Terri thought next. Luke wasn’t anything like Randy. Luke showed compassion and understanding, whereas Randy had always been about himself. He never wanted kids and hated animals. Who hated animals? Serial abusers, that’s who. He hadn’t even managed one kind word to help her through the toughest time in her life, when her dad died of a brain aneurism. Luke? When she showed fear, he had wrapped her in his arms and assured her that everything would be fine, and he would not only shelter her from any storm that might roll in, but he would weather it with her, as he was doing now.

And it helped that he was amazing to look at.

Feeling marginally better now that she had her concerns squared away, Terri moved on to her next thought: being a good hostess.

“Would you like something to drink? I have water, juice, coffee, tea…” She trailed off waiting for him to make a choice.

Luke shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”

Terri pursed her lips. She never had been much of a conversationalist, and offering beverages was about the extent of her hostess abilities. She was lost, completely out of her element. With nothing more to say, she excused herself to go change.

Once inside her bedroom, Terri slipped out of her painful shoes and shed her tight, skin-smothering clothes. It always felt good to get out of her work attire and into something more comfortable,
breathable
. When she came to the push-up bra, she hesitated. Normally, she wouldn’t bother with one, but with Luke sitting in the next room…

She chose to leave the bra on. Pulling a purple T-shirt from its hanger, Terri tugged it over her head then opted for a pair of black yoga pants. A comfy pair of thermal socks later and she was ready to head back to the living room. Almost.

Ducking her head into the hall, she called out to Luke. “I’ll be out in a minute. I just need to wash my face.”

“Take your time,” Luke called back.

Closing the door again, Terri was just turning to head into the bathroom when she thought she heard something, a muffled noise, almost like a shuffle of fabric against fabric. She stood, waiting and listening, straining her ears and willing the sound to happen again. It didn’t, and Terri almost laughed at her edginess. Her mother always said that a solitary existence was a breeding ground for lunacy. Living alone must finally be getting to her.

Shaking her head, Terri slipped into the bathroom and started the water.

***

The moment Terri disappeared into the bathroom; Randy dragged himself out from under the bed. It enraged him that she would allow another man in the house, but there was nothing he could do about it right now, short of killing the guy. He knew that he would, too, if he didn’t get control of himself. Even now his hands were shaking, crying out for him to do violence. Restraint would prove difficult, if not impossible, when another man was sitting just within reach, but he would have to practice control if he didn’t want to go off the deep end and land himself back behind bars. Murder had a way of catching up to you. Not to mention, Terri was the kind of woman that needed constant guidance, and where would the lesson be in that if he got himself arrested?

The water was running now and he could just make out the small splashes of her hands dipping in and out of the water. A part of him wanted to march in there right now and ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, but again, he reminded himself that he needed control. There was a plan, and he needed to stick to the plan if things were going to work out.

Opening a drawer in the table next to the bed, Randy pulled out a small tablet of paper and pen he had seen earlier while rummaging around, and started writing. Terri might know that he was out and about, she might even realize that he had been keeping an eye on her, but he didn’t think she realized how close he had gotten yet, and he wanted to shake up her world a little. He wanted her to know that he was everywhere, watching, waiting…planning. He liked the idea of her finding his note, knowing that he had been right where she was standing, in her home, touching her things.

With a dangerously dark smile, Randy placed the pad on the table top. What would she do when she read his words? Call the police? Crumble into a pitiful ball and cry into herself like the weak little girl he knew her to be?

A knock on the door jerked him from his thoughts and Randy froze, unsure what to do.

“Terri?”

The deep, smoke-roughened voice of the man Randy knew from the bar came through the thin wood causing a growl of hatred to bubble up his throat. He just barely kept himself from wrenching the door open and pounding the guy’s face into the floor.

Balling his fists, he listened as the man continued to speak.

“Terri, I forgot something in the car. I’ll be right back.”

The water shut off in the next room and Randy felt that familiar, ridiculous urge to duck and hide. He held his ground, though, his heart pounding in his ears, waiting to see how this would play out.

The door to the bathroom opened a crack, shedding a thin line of light into the room. “Luke? Did you say something?” Terri called out.

Luke? It even sounded like a rich boy name.

“I’m going to run out to my car for something,” Luke repeated.

“Okay.” Once it was clear that Luke was gone, Terri turned the water back on, not bothering to close the door again.

Randy waited until he heard the front door open and jumped on the opportunity. On quick feet, he darted past the open bathroom door and out of the bedroom. At the end of the hall, he saw that the front door was standing wide open, but knew the man, Luke, would be coming back through it any moment. Retracing his steps, he went in the opposite direction, leading him through the kitchen and out the sliding doors onto the patio. He was just about to close the glass panel behind him to cover his tracks, but at the last minute chose to leave it open—just one more reminder to let her know that she was his and he would never let her go.

Dropping his hand, Randy ran around the side of the house. Luke was just closing the door to his flashy car when Randy spotted him. A brief vision of his hands wrapping around the guy’s neck, his eyes bulging as he gasped for breath, flitted across his mind, but he held himself in check until the guy was back inside, the door closed and locked behind him, before jogging across the street and into the shadows where his truck sat waiting.

Taking once last glance back at the house, Randy fired up the engine and tore off down the street. Soon, he promised himself. Soon they would be together again, and he would show Terri what happened to women who cheated on their husbands.

***

She could have sworn she heard something. Shutting off the water, Terri stood bent over the edge of the sink, beads of water dripping off her chin and nose while she listened once again to nothing but the steady
drip drip drip
on porcelain. Shaking her head, she reached for the towel she kept hanging next to the sink and blotted her face dry. After smoothing on a little moisturizer, she swung open the bathroom door and froze. The distinct smell of smoke tickled her nose and called up memories she would rather not acknowledge, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come, like a phantom called up from her subconscious, designed to torture her.

Suddenly, she didn’t feel so safe, despite Luke’s close proximity. Hugging herself, she just stood there staring out from the doorway into the room. The only light came from the globes over the sink behind her, casting a towering shadow of herself across the center of the bedroom. All of her senses told her she was alone, her ears picking up the sound of Luke moving around in the front room, but she shivered anyway, a feeling deep in her core telling her that something wasn’t right.

Outside, the sound of a powerful engine roared, tires squealing in protest. She had lived in the neighborhood long enough to know that it was a quiet area, and so the noise was out of place. Crossing to the window, she parted the curtains and pried one of the slats in the blind down so she could peek out the window.

Already halfway down the block, she caught the tail end of a dark pick-up truck speeding around the corner, disappearing into the night. She didn’t recognize it, but uneasiness crept down her spine and she backed away, letting the window dressings spring back into place. Needing to be surrounded by light and warmth, Terri strode quickly from the room.

Luke was relaxing on the overstuffed couch, his dark eyes surveying the photos hanging on the walls. All were of landscape or some such scenery, nothing of Terri or anything that hinted at her past, except for the picture of her parents sitting on the corner of the end table next to the colorful lamp.

The design was purposeful.

She had heard once that you had to surround yourself with positive things if you wanted positive things to come to you. Her parents hadn’t had a perfect marriage, but they had always been her champions, and whenever she looked at their smiling faces she felt a sense of peace envelope her.

Her life with Randy had been a sham. A total lie. People thought they were happy, but behind the scenes it was a nightmare. They didn’t know the abuse, both mental and emotional. They didn’t have to live with the betrayals, and they certainly didn’t have to live with the constant fear of never knowing what the day might bring looming over their head.

Yes, the design of her home was intentional. She kept all pictures of her and Randy from before, during and after their marriage in a box on a shelf in her closet. If she put them out she would have to pass by them each day, always seeing and being reminded of the life she so desperately wished to leave behind. One day she would be brave enough to destroy them.

She may be hiding from her husband, but some might say she was also hiding from herself. So be it. You had to do what you had to do to survive.

Gaze landing on her, Luke sat up, smiling in a way that called an instant blush to Terri’s cheeks. He really was a good-looking guy, she thought as she crossed the room and dropped down into the chair opposite him.

“Feeling better?” he asked, looking her over.

“Much. Are these the plans?” Scooting to the edge of her seat, Terri took a closer look at the papers spread out on the table. Luke had asked her for assistance in planning a St. Patty’s Day themed party at
Sunset Black
for the upcoming holiday, and she found that she couldn’t say no. Besides, she didn’t have much to keep her busy these days and it sounded like the perfect opportunity to immerse herself in something fun that would keep both her hands and her mind busy. Lord knew she needed the distraction, especially since she hadn’t been getting much sleep or peace of mind since that night Randy had contacted her at work.

“One and the same,” Luke confirmed, then leaned in closer so he could fill her in on what his ideas were and how they should go about making them happen.