Tess’s cheeks got red and she looked away. “Um…we should probably go inside before some of my neighbors start wondering what’s going on.”
“Agreed.” He nodded. “Lead the way.”
She put the flat metal key in the lock and turned until the mechanism made a small, sharp clicking sound. Then she pushed the door open.
The smell of dried blood and some kind of animal fur hit Garron in the face, making him wince. When Tess pressed a wall plate which brought harsh, overhead lights flickering to life, he saw the source of the stench.
There was a small table in the middle of the front room which appeared to be some kind of food prep area. The table had wilted flowers and glass shards strewn across it. They were lying in a pool of congealed, mostly dried blood which covered the table and had dripped onto the floor.
There were papers too, strewn in careless heaps. Looking more closely, Garron saw they were covered in small, dense script. Many of them were brown around the edges, having soaked up the blood.
Scattered around the messy scene were a few tawny tufts of animal fur. From the scent, Garron could tell that the blood and fur were from the same animal…and judging from the size of the puddle on the table which had spilled out onto the floor, he doubted it was still alive.
“Oh God…” Tess’s soft voice was hoarse. “I’m so sorry I didn’t warn you. I…I forgot how bad it was in here. I guess I kind of blocked it out.”
“What happened here?” Garron asked quietly.
“I…my…” She took a deep breath and tried again. “When I left Pierce and moved in here, I got myself a dog. Not a huge one—just a mixed breed mutt from the pound. I’ve never been a dog person but the woman at the shelter, she told me Gus—sorry, that was his name—she said he was a good guard dog. That he would alert me if anything was wrong.”
“And did he?”
“He never got a chance. Pierce did this while I was gone to work.” She put a hand to her eyes. “I knew something was wrong when I came home. Gus always barked while I was putting my key in the lock—he was always waiting for me. So happy to see me. That day there was nothing…silence.”
She was quiet for a moment herself, with her hand still over her eyes as though she was trying not to see it all again.
Garron’s heart burned in sympathy for her pain. He wanted to tell her she didn’t have to say any more if she didn’t want to. But after a moment, she took a deep, trembling breath and went on.
“When I came in Gus was…was dead in the middle of the table. See the broken vase?” She gestured to the shards scattered around. “Pierce used one of those to…to stab him and…and cut his throat.” She blinked rapidly and Garron could tell she was trying not to cry. “That way if I tried to press charges, he could say the dog attacked him and he had to use the closest thing to hand to defend himself. ‘See, your Honor? No premeditation here. I was just coming over to drop off some paperwork and that vicious mutt…’” Her voice died for a moment and she had to breathe deeply before continuing. “That’s what he would say. But I know Pierce planned it—he wanted to send me a message.”
“Which was?” Garron asked.
“That he owns me. That I’ll never really get away.” She reached out and picked up a crumpled paper covered in dried blood. “These are the divorce papers I sent him to sign. I’ve been trying to get away from him for months using legal means. I was trying to be civil—trying to make it an amicable break. I wanted to keep living here—get into the nursing program at HCC and finish my RN degree. But when I saw this…when I saw what he’d done to Gus…” She shook her head. “I knew he was coming for me and if he got me back, I’d never be free again.”
“Tess…” Garron began but then didn’t know how to go on.
She sighed. “So I took Gus to Di’s house and buried him in her backyard but I didn’t dare to come back here to clean up. I knew he’d be watching. That was when I moved up to the Mother Ship. I just…didn’t have anyplace else to go.”
Garron’s whole being ached with pain and shame. “And I sent you right back down here,” he said in a low voice. “Back to be beaten and terrorized.”
“You didn’t know,” she said gently, putting a hand on his arm. “I don’t blame you—really.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He pulled away from her light touch—though he longed to receive it, he didn’t deserve her comfort. “I blame myself.”
Tess took a deep breath. “Well right now we’re both going to be to blame if we keep standing here until Pierce shows up. I need to grab some clothes and get out.”
“I’ll wait and keep watch. Unless you need some help?”
“No—I think I can manage.” Stepping carefully around the glass and pooled blood, she left the food prep area and made her way to the back of the dwelling.
Garron squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his temples, trying not to smell the stench of dried animal blood and fur. Gods, to think that bastard had killed her one companion! The only creature she had to care for and love. What kind of heartless son-of-a-bitch was her ex mate?
One who will stop at nothing to get to her, whispered a little voice in the back of his mind. Which means you must be twice as vigilant in protecting her.
Garron vowed to himself that he would be. He would keep his vow to remember Nella and be true to her memory but this situation was his responsibility. He wouldn’t leave Tess’s side until he knew she was safe. Until Pierce was incarcerated forever, unable to hurt her…or dead.
He opened his eyes and looked around at the messy food prep area. Clearly this scene disturbed Tess greatly—and with good reason. He didn’t know if he had time to do much, but maybe he could clean it up a little. Now where did she keep her cleaning tools…?
* * * * *
When Tess finished packing her large duffel bag, she realized it was too heavy to lift.
Need to leave some of this behind. You’re going on the road—got to travel light. She opened it again and dumped half the clothes and all the non-essential knick-knacks except for the small music box her mother had given her for her twelfth birthday. That was special—she had to have it. She took a few travel sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner and her e-reader which had all her favorite books and pictures on it. The rest she left.
She pulled out the bottom drawer of her night stand and felt for the envelope taped underneath. She was relieved to see it was intact with the contents—about seven hundred dollars—still untouched. It was her entire savings—not much but enough to keep her going a little while if she was careful. She kept it hidden in her apartment because she didn’t trust banks—the transactions were too easy to trace. Especially for a man like Pierce who could just flash his badge and get any information he wanted.
When she’d finished her purge and repacked the bag with the money hidden in an inside pocket, the duffel was only a little bit lighter. Still, it was slightly more manageable and Tess thought she could deal with it. But it still hurt to carry the strap over her cut and bruised shoulder.
In fact, she was beginning to fear that her back might be more of a problem than she’d thought. Pierce had beaten her before so she was used to bruises and welts. But the cuts… well, they weren’t going to heal well unless she could tend to them and she couldn’t reach her own back.
She went to the bathroom and took off the dirty towel which was now much worse for the wear. She should probably pack it too—it had both her blood and Garron’s on it. For a moment she stared at the large, bloody handprint which had dried on the white terrycloth. She held her own up to compare. The Kindred’s hand was more than twice the size of hers—he really was a big guy. But she still didn’t know why he was here and so eager to protect her.
Sighing, she draped the towel over the closed toilet seat and reached under the bathroom counter for a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. It was unopened and she had to spend a moment fighting with the protective packaging around the lid. Back when she was still living with Pierce, she’
d kept an entire first aid kit complete with bandages, gauze, peroxide, and antibiotic ointment. When she’d moved into her own place, she had left that all behind. Buying the bottle had been a reflex—a habit. When she had seen it, unpacking her groceries, she’d actually smiled grimly and thought, Well, I won’t need that anymore. Then she’d shoved it under the bathroom cabinet and forgotten about it.
“Looks like it’s a good thing I bought this after all” she muttered dryly as the protective film finally peeled away. “Pierce strikes again. Literally.”
She was trying to make light of it but the memory was still as fresh and painful as the bruises and cuts that covered her back. Cowering in a corner with her arms wrapped around her head while the metal buckle tore at her flesh over and over…Listening to Pierce shout and rave…“Is this what you need to make you mind you little slut? You little whore? Is this what you need to remind you not to spread your legs for other men?”
Don’t think of it now, Tess ordered herself. Turning so that she was at an angle to the mirror over the sink, she craned her head around, trying to get a good view of her bare back. What greeted her eyes was even worse than she’d feared. Wow, he really did a number on me. That’s going to be sore for awhile.
Well, sore was all right—what she couldn’t deal with was infected, especially if she was going to be on the run with no access to antibiotics.
Grimly, Tess reached over her shoulder and dumped the peroxide across her wounded flesh, biting her lip against the pain as it bubbled and stung its way down. God, that really hurt. But at least now she knew she didn’t have to worry about infection for a while.
She repeated the process and then blotted her back gently with a clean towel. There was still half a bottle of peroxide left and she packed it in her duffel for later.
Now the question was what to wear?
A bra was out. She’d packed several but there was no way she could wear one now, not when her back was a mass of bruises and fresh cuts. Tess didn’t like that—her boobs were too big to go au natural. She felt wobbly and obscene without support. But just the thought of cinching the tight elastic straps over her wounded shoulders and across her mid back made her wince. Reluctantly, she decided to go braless—for now.
She found a pink t-shirt she usually used for sleeping and pulled it on gingerly, trying to keep the soft cotton from sticking to her cuts. Probably it would be better if she could bandage them but she didn’t have any bandages or antibiotic ointment. Have to get some later, she told herself as she put on a pair of panties and some black yoga pants. They were form fitting but comfy and they didn’t hurt her hips and lower back where the belt had struck.
Last she found an old pair of ballet flats. They were comfortable and versatile—good for travel. And it looked like she was going to be doing a lot of traveling in the near future.
By yourself? asked a little voice in her head. Or are you going somewhere with Garron?
Tess didn’t know. She still didn’t understand the big Kindred’s motivations. She only knew when he looked at her with those pure, clear turquoise eyes she found it hard to think straight. Mainly because she kept remembering the “forbidden” things he’d wanted to do to her when he thought she was a Pairing Puppet. Also…she frowned…now that she really thought about it, he reminded her of someone somehow. Which was ridiculous of course. She didn’t know anyone who looked like him—how could she? It wasn’t like she was friends with any male models. But he somehow seemed…familiar. Why was that? It was right on the tip of her brain if she could just…
“Tess? Do you need any assistance? We should go soon.” Garron’s deep voice calling from the kitchen broke her concentration.
“Oh, uh, coming.” He was right, they needed to go. Tess grabbed her duffel bag and winced when she unthinkingly tried to sling it across her shoulder. She let out a little hiss of pain and decided to just drag the damn thing. Accordingly, she came out of the bedroom pulling the bag behind her. She had her head down and nearly ran into Garron, who was standing in the short hallway outside her bedroom.
“Oh!” She took a step back from him, an instinctive fear coming into play. He was so big looming over her like that, his broad shoulders filling the small space between the walls of the hallway with barely an inch to spare. The light was behind him, casting his face into shadows, making him dark…dangerous…threatening.
“What’s wrong, you little whore? Are you afraid to take your punishment?” Pierce’s voice hissed in her ears. Tess’s heart was suddenly drumming madly in her chest, her breath coming in harsh, panting gasps.
“Please…Please, no…” She took another step back and then another, nearly tripping over the bag.
“Are you all right?” Garron reached out lightning-fast to catch her, his big hand supporting her upper arm to keep her from falling.
Strangely, his touch soothed her fear. Maybe because Pierce never would have caught her that way. Oh, he would have grabbed her arm to stop her from falling, all right, but then he would have pinched her or squeezed too tight or found some other little, mean way to cause her pain. He never missed a chance to hurt her, though in the early days of their relationship he had passed it off as a joke.
“Oh, come on, don’t be such a girl,” he would say if she complained. “I’m just playing with you, Princess.”
Except that playing with Pierce always involved pain.
Not so with Garron. His touch was firm but gently supportive and his eyes, when he ducked his head to look at her, were filled with concern.
“Are you all right?” he asked again.
“Fine.” Tess gave a shaky laugh. “You just…startled me, that’s all. You’re so big I thought you were some kind of monster or something when I first came out here. Stupid, huh?” She tried to laugh again but her throat was too tight.
To her surprise, he seemed to understand the real reason for her fear.
“It wasn’t a monster you feared—it was that bastard who hit you, wasn’t it?”
“I…” Tess’s mouth felt too dry to speak.
“I shouldn’t have crowded you in a dark hallway,” Garron said gravely. “Not after what you’ve been through. Forgive me.”
“It’s…all right.” Tess cleared her throat.
“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have frightened you.”
“You didn’t—your size did. You just looked so big standing there in the dark. It reminded me of—” She stopped, biting her lip.
“Of him,” Garron finished for her softly. “As I said.”
“Well…a little,” she admitted hesitantly. “Not that you’re anything like Pierce. You’re just…a really big guy. That’s all.”
The big Kindred sighed. “I can’t help my size or strength, Tess—they’re part of me. But I can promise they will never be used against you. I don’t hit females. Ever.”
Tess nodded. “I believe you. I’m just…a little jumpy right now. I’ll be all right soon.”
Not unless soon means weeks and weeks, whispered a little voice in her head. As in weeks and weeks of nightmares. Because guess what, Tess? I have a feeling that your little run in with the ex is going to start that whole miserable cycle again. Hope you’re up for a little sleep deprivation. Or a lot of it.
Tess sighed inwardly—the little voice was probably right. She’d had nightmares about Pierce finding and “punishing” her for weeks after she finally moved out. In fact, they had only really subsided when she started having the other dream…the one she couldn’t remember. For a moment the thought of her recurring forgotten dream bothered her, but then Garron was asking if he could carry her bag.
“Sure, I guess.” She handed him the strap and watched as he lifted the heavy bag as though it was light as a feather. Like you should be surprised? whispered the little voice. You just saw him pull a freaking metal mesh cage out of a concrete wall. And after you fell out the window, he was holding you like you didn’t weigh any more than a doll which we know is not the case. Lifting you
r big-ass duffel is nothing.
Thinking of that made her remember that he’d hurt his hands helping her get away from Pierce’s house.
“Hey…” She touched him on the elbow. “Wait a minute. Let’s go in the bathroom for a minute so I can see your hands.”
“No time. We should leave here.”
“We will—in a minute as soon as I look at your hands. Come on.” Tess tugged him by the elbow into the guest bathroom which was tiny, consisting of a sink, a mirror and a toilet. “Hold out your hands,” she said. “And let me get into that bag a minute—I’ve got a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in there.”
She dug out the bottle and waited until the big warrior reluctantly extended his hands, palm up.
What she saw made Tess hiss in sympathetic pain. The palms and fingers of his large hands were raw and bleeding in several places.
“This looks painful! You should have said something,” she scolded, unscrewing the cap of the peroxide bottle.
“Not nearly as painful as your back,” Garron said softly.
“Oh, well…” For some reason Tess felt her cheeks getting hot. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just pop a couple of ibuprofen. Now, here—this is probably going to sting.”
She had him hold his hands over the sink and poured the hydrogen peroxide over his cuts. He didn’t even wince as they bubbled and foamed but only watched patiently as she blotted his hands with some clean paper towels as well as she could.
“There—that’ll have to do until we can get some antibiotic ointment and some bandages,” she said. “Just try not to get them dirty for now. I can do more in-depth first aid later.”
“Thank you.” Garron nodded gravely and they left the bathroom and moved on down the hall.
As they went through the kitchen, Tess had to stop and stare. The blood, the broken vase and the crumpled divorce papers were all gone. The little round kitchen table was completely bare…and spotlessly clean. So was the floor.
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