Secret Obsession (2 page)

G
lass shattered, and Paige’s eyes popped wide open. Then she heard a loud thud and looked over at the clock. But as soon as she did, the intruder rushed into the bedroom. She quickly grabbed her cordless phone, but the tall muscular man snatched it away from her and slammed it against the wall.

The moonlight shone through Paige’s window, and she could now see part of his face. “Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?” the man asked.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything.”

At first the man hesitated, but then he grabbed both her legs and dragged her closer to him.

Paige squirmed to the other side of the bed, but when he pulled her back, he slapped her so brutally she saw stars.

“That’s it,” she said, moaning in pain. “But harder.”

The man sighed but did as he was told. He beat her repeatedly with both his fists, and Paige broke into real tears.

Next, the man pulled out a gun and struck her across the face with it. He struck her three different times, and Paige bellowed out in sheer agony.

The man backed away from her. “Paige, please. I just can’t do this.”

“Yes you can!” she exclaimed. “You promised me you would. Now come on!”

The intruder sighed again, set his gun down on the nightstand, and savagely ripped Paige’s nightgown apart. Then he lunged on top of her, and the two of them struggled like longtime enemies.

At the same time, though, Paige hoped Pierce would appreciate the fact that she’d literally had to concoct this whole rape scheme just so they could be together. She hadn’t wanted to take things this far, having to endure such excruciating and violent physical pain, but it was a sacrifice she’d been fully willing to make. She’d done so because she knew it was all going to be very much worth her while in the end—she knew when it was all said and done, Pierce would thank her profusely and would be glad to know she was the kind of woman who was willing to do anything. Anything at all to be with him.

D
etectives and police officers were scattered everywhere. Outside the house, inside Paige’s bedroom, inside the kitchen, and also in the living room where Paige was sitting now, bawling hysterically and lying in Camille’s arms. Pierce was standing nearby, too, right next to her parents, George and Maxine, and Paige was glad she’d dialed Camille immediately after calling 911.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Camille said to her sister, crying along with her.

Paige sniffled and held Camille even tighter but slightly pulled her face away from her sister’s chest because of all the pain. Her face was severely swollen, her lower lip was busted, and her right eye was slightly closed as well.

“I just don’t see how something like this could happen,” Maxine finally said. “And why on earth wasn’t your security system armed?”

Paige raised her head up and frowned. “Mom, is that all you care about? An alarm system and how I forgot to set it?”

“No, but with all the crime that goes on nowadays, I would think you’d take a lot more precautions. I wouldn’t expect any woman living alone to be so lax.”

“Maxine, please,” Paige’s father said, obviously trying to silence her.

But Paige wept harder than before, and Camille hugged her again. Now Paige wished Camille hadn’t called her parents at all, because it wasn’t like they really wanted to be there. Their mother could be so trifling, self-righteous, and cold sometimes, and Paige wished she would leave.

“Honey, can I get you anything?” Camille asked. “Something to drink maybe?”

“No, I’m fine,” she said, and two detectives came over and stood in front of them, one male and one female.

“Miss Donahue, I’m Detective Johnson, and this is my partner, Detective Anderson,” the woman said. “We are truly sorry about what just happened to you, but if we could, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Paige slowly lifted her head again and tried making herself more comfortable on the sofa. “Okay.”

Detective Johnson opened a miniature notebook and pulled a pen from her jacket. “Can you tell us what time you went to bed?”

“Maybe around eleven, I think.”

The detective jotted down a few words and then asked, “At what time did you realize someone was in your home?”

“Around two o’clock. I was in a deep sleep, but suddenly I heard glass shattering and other loud noises and that’s when I glanced at the clock and reached for the phone. But he stormed into my room right away and grabbed it from me.”

“Uh-huh,” Detective Johnson said. “And what happened next?”

Paige gave them every detail she could think of and hoped this would be all the information they needed.

But Detective Johnson continued. “Do you remember seeing any strangers in your neighborhood earlier yesterday or anytime recently?”

“No. I don’t.”

“How about a possible description?” Detective Anderson said, chiming in. He seemed like a nice enough man, but she was already becoming a bit tired of all the interrogating. “I realize it was probably pretty dark in your room, but were you able to see his face? Maybe from the moonlight possibly?”

Paige knew she had but calmly said, “No. I couldn’t see anything. It all happened so fast, and he was so violent.”

“Did he have any weapons?” Detective Johnson asked, writing additional notes.

“Yes, a handgun. And that’s what he kept hitting me with,” she said, realizing she hadn’t mentioned the gun before now. She’d told them how he’d struck her several times but not how.

Detective Anderson looked toward the front doorway. “I see you have an alarm system, so is there some reason it wasn’t set?”

Paige saw her mother eyeing her with an I-told-you-so look on her face, but she ignored her.

“I guess I was so upset after Owen left I forgot.”

“Owen?” Detective Anderson said.

“My boyfriend. We broke up a few hours before I was raped,” she said and then forced more tears from her eyes for credibility. “I don’t know how I could have been so careless.”

The detectives were called into the kitchen by one of the officers, and all Paige could think was how Owen and she couldn’t have ended their relationship at a better time because, without even knowing it, his proposing to her and her not accepting had indirectly given her a solid alibi. She hadn’t been all that worried anyway, not with how well the rape had been staged, and also because her close friend Derrick Nelson had agreed to help her out with everything. But still—this
alibi
made her feel a bit more at ease. Although, when it came to Derrick, she couldn’t deny that when she’d first told him what she was planning to do, he’d thought she was joking, and then when he’d realized she was dead serious, he’d thought she was insane. But she’d begged him and insisted that she couldn’t do this without him. She’d also reminded him of all the times he’d slept around on his wife and how she’d covered for him on too many occasions—how she’d even allowed him to use her condo whenever she was out of town with a client. So it hadn’t taken Derrick long to realize how much he owed Paige and that as her friend he was obligated to do what she asked. Plus, it wasn’t as if he’d had to have real sex with her. He’d only had to help make things appear that way. What she’d done instead was make sure she and Owen had engaged in very rough sex just a few hours before so the rape kit exam—something she knew the detectives would suggest she have—would prove that sex had actually taken place.

When the detectives returned, Detective Johnson said, “We were just looking at the window inside your back door, but the fingerprints look a bit too small to be a man’s. We’ll run them anyhow, though, but more than likely they’re yours.”

Paige nodded but knew they had to be hers and not Derrick’s, because he’d worn gloves the whole time.

“So,” Detective Anderson said, “did it seem as though the intruder knew exactly where you were? Because if you heard glass crashing in the kitchen but didn’t have time to call for help, he must have come straight to your bedroom.”

Paige wished Detective Anderson would leave all the questioning to Detective Johnson, because he was starting to unnerve her.

“To be honest, I’m not sure, but he did make it to my room pretty quickly.”

“Was the breakup with your boyfriend a bad breakup?” Detective Anderson asked, totally changing the subject. “Was there a lot of arguing or did he threaten you in any way?”

Paige wrinkled her forehead. “No. But you don’t think Owen is the person who did this, do you?”

“We have to check all possibilities,” Detective Johnson said.

“Well, I can promise you, it wasn’t him, because I heard the man’s voice. Plus, this guy felt much bigger and was a lot taller than Owen.”

Camille, Pierce, and Paige’s parents looked on in silence, and finally when the detectives finished questioning her, Detective Johnson said, “I think that’s it for now, Miss Donahue. But we definitely want you to have a full examination. That way we can obtain a semen sample.”

“That’s fine, but the strangest thing about all of this is that this man was actually decent enough to put on a condom. So I’m not sure you’ll be able to find anything,” she said, knowing they truly
wouldn’t
find anything, not even from Owen, since he always wore protection without fail.

“Perpetrators who wear condoms don’t do it because they care about their victims or about themselves,” Detective Anderson said. “They usually only do it because they don’t want to leave behind any DNA. Although if we find stray hairs or skin cells, we’ll be able to use that, too.”

Paige wasn’t sure why she looked at her mother, but as soon as she did, she regretted it. Her mother seemed disgusted and sickened by what had happened, and she could tell her mother thought she deserved whatever she got. It was as if she thought Paige had asked to be raped. Of course, in reality, she
had
asked for it, but her mother didn’t know that and had no right blaming her. She had no reason to treat Paige this way, but who was Paige kidding? Maxine Donahue really didn’t care one way or the other, because her number one girl was Camille and not much else mattered.

The police officers gathered and documented any evidence they could, and Detective Johnson came back over to Paige. “Can we take you to the hospital now?”

“Is it okay if my sister takes me? I really need her,” Paige said, thinking how this would create another opportunity for her to do some serious bonding with Camille, making Camille think she couldn’t go through this without her. Although, Paige
was
really concerned about her niece and nephew and said, “Is someone home with PJ and Crystal?”

“I called our next door neighbor right before we left on our way over here, so she’s there with them,” Camille assured her.

“Good. Well, if you don’t mind…”

“Don’t say another word,” Camille said, standing.

Paige stood, too, and hugged her sister. “Once I come out of the restroom, I’ll be ready.”

Detective Johnson followed Paige. “Miss Donahue? We’ll go ahead and follow you to the hospital, and also, if you can manage, please don’t use the restroom or wash any part of your body, because remember, even though your perpetrator used a condom, we still might find DNA from other sources.”

“Oh that’s right. I think I can hold out a little while longer then. Oh, and Detective, can you have someone come out to cover my backdoor window until morning?” she asked with tears rolling down her face again.

The detective rested her hand on Paige’s back. “Of course. No problem.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll just grab my jacket and purse then,” Paige said and then went into her bedroom, turned on the light, and looked into the mirror over her dresser.

She stared at her bruises and sighed with much relief. She was satisfied with a job well done.

P
aige nestled her body further into Pierce’s beautiful sleek black Mercedes S550, leaned her head all the way back, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the ride to the hospital. She and Camille were both sitting in the back, and Paige was in pure heaven. She’d been wanting her own Mercedes for some time now, and she was thrilled to know that she was finally only months and possibly only weeks away from having one—this particular Mercedes right here to be exact. She was excited because it was only a matter of time before Pierce removed Camille’s name from the title and added hers. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be driving it whenever she wanted to, and for the first time in Paige’s life, she wouldn’t be seen as the underdog. For the first time ever, people would love and respect her and treat her with dignity, and she would be accepted by the “in” crowd. She’d be able to intermingle with high society and well-to-do folks the way she’d always dreamed about, and her parents would never be able to hurt her again. She would receive from Pierce what she’d never gotten from them, and life would finally be good for her.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Camille asked, and Paige slightly opened her eyes and gazed at her.

Paige sniffled and wiped forced tears. “Yeah, I guess so. But I still can’t believe this has happened. I feel so violated.”

“I can only imagine, but we’re going to be here for you no matter what.”

It wasn’t quite daylight, but Paige still saw Pierce looking in her direction through his rearview mirror. “We’ll be here for as long as you need us.”

“I really appreciate that. I appreciate you both.”

“And don’t you worry,” he said. “They’ll find this guy eventually.”

“I hope so. Because if they don’t, I doubt I’ll sleep peacefully again.”

“Well, in the meantime, you’ll come stay with us.”

“Absolutely,” Pierce agreed.

Bingo. This was the invite Paige had been waiting for and the reason she’d played the woe-is-me bit ever since Camille and Pierce had arrived at her condo. She had to pretend, though, that she didn’t want to be a bother to either of them.

“Are you sure? Because I would never want to be an intrusion.”

“Of course we are,” Camille answered.

“We wouldn’t hear of anything different,” Pierce added.

Paige did her normal bursting-into-tears routine again and reached over and hugged her sister. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you guys. This is truly very kind of you.”

Pierce stopped at the red light and said, “You’re family, Paige, and you can stay for as long as you need to.”

“You’re my sister, girl, and I love you,” Camille said. “I always have, and you know I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“I know that, but if you want, I’m sure Karla wouldn’t mind my staying with her,” Paige said, referring to her best friend.

“Yes, I’m sure she wouldn’t, but I’d feel a lot better if you stayed with us so we can protect you. And it’s not like we don’t have room.”

“I’m sure I could also stay with Mom and Dad, too, if it came down to it,” Paige said, knowing she would never spend one night with those people and only mentioned them because she wanted Camille to believe she really was trying to find other options and didn’t want to invade their lives and privacy. She wanted Camille to think that her coming to live with them was solely Camille’s idea and not hers. That way when Paige broke her and Pierce up, no one would be able to say that Paige had weaseled her way into their lives on purpose and then caused the downfall of their marriage. It was true that she was doing all of the above, but no one would ever be able to prove it.

“We even have an extra room with a desk where you can set up a temporary office,” Camille went on. “So how can you possibly say no?”

Paige smiled. “I’m so blessed to have you, Camille. I’m blessed to have you both.”

“Everything is going to be fine,” Camille told her.

Paige leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes again. Her plan was still running smoothly and right on schedule, and now all she had to do was get through this rape kit examination. As she’d told the detectives, she doubted they would find anything, but she figured she’d better do whatever they asked so as to eliminate any unnecessary suspicion.

They drove maybe another ten minutes, and when they pulled into the parking lot of Covington Park Memorial, Paige saw the two detectives parking right next to them. She’d hoped they’d possibly changed their minds about meeting her at the hospital, but since they hadn’t, Paige was ready to provide them with another award-winning performance. She would do whatever it took to fool them.

When she opened the car door, Pierce rushed around the vehicle and helped her outside of it. Gosh, was his hand soft and warm, and she wished she could hold on to it forever. What she wouldn’t do to hold him tight the way any wife ought to be able to hold her husband—and she could have, if it hadn’t been for that doggoned Camille hovering over them and breathing down their necks.

“Thanks so much, Pierce,” Paige said.

“Anytime.”

Camille wrapped her arm around Paige, and they strolled toward the emergency room entrance. Detectives Johnson and Anderson walked directly behind them.

“We’ve already called ahead,” Detective Johnson said. “So I’ll just escort you back to the examination area once we’re inside.”

“Won’t I need to register and give them my insurance card?”

“They’ll take care of that as we go along. That way, you won’t have to answer any questions in front of others who are standing in line or sitting nearby in the waiting area.”

“That’s good to hear,” she said, walking through the automatic doorway.

“Do you want me to come back there with you?” Camille said, caressing her sister’s back.

“Would you?” Paige said with tear-filled eyes.

“Sweetie, of course. I told you, I’m here for you, and I meant that.”

Paige swallowed hard and hugged her sister for the umpteenth time, pretending that she loved and appreciated Camille with the utmost sincerity. She did what she had to do—for the time being.