by Joan Davis
Taking a deep breath, Sarah said. “Okay, I’m going to try to give this whole thing some perspective that may help you to understand, at least a little, so bare with me okay?”
“Okay,” Risa agreed.
“Do you like being up high in the air, like on a rollercoaster or in a plane?”
Looking confused, Risa shrugged, “They don’t bother me. I like fair rides, and I don’t mind traveling by plane.”
Nodding, Sarah said, “Well, when I was ten, I fell out of a tall tree in my back yard and broke both my legs.” Seeing Risa frown in concern she continued, “Yeah, it was really traumatic for me. From that point on, I have had a nasty fear of heights. I hate going up in glass elevators or riding on amusement park rides that take people high in the air. Don’t even get me started on flying,” Sarah shuddered and continued, “The last time I was on a plane was when we went out to California to meet Chris’s mother last year. I took so much Valium that I passed out, and Chris had to carry me off the plane,” Sarah said, looking sheepish.
Sighing, Sarah said, “What I am trying to say is that it’s the same with what you saw today. Risa, I never experienced what you have. I was never hurt by someone who set out to cause me pain. I can’t even imagine it.”
“I trust Chris with my life, and I know he would never hurt me. I also know that he would do anything for me.” Pausing, Sarah sighed but went on, “So we have a sort of teasing thing between us. He acts all macho and takes charge. and I act all girly and helpless. To me it’s fun and exciting. I love it when Chris goes all he-man on me. It’s hot,” Sarah said and shrugged. “Does that make any sense to you?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Risa said reluctantly. “So, do all men do stuff like that?” she asked cautiously.
Maria laughed and shook her head. “Jose is a teddy bear. He treats me like fine China, especially since I got pregnant.” Smiling she continued, “It really depends on the couple. It is all about trust and what turns you both on and what turns you both off.”
Maria looked at Risa seriously. “Chris is freaking out about all this. He really likes you. He and Jose are majorly protective of you, Risa. They volunteered to help watch out for you when Conner told them what happened. You have to understand. They really hate what was done to you. You probably don’t remember . . .” Maria bit her lip and stopped.
“What don’t I remember?” Risa asked cautiously.
“Tell her, Maria, it might help,” Sarah encouraged her friend.
Sighing and looking apologetic, Maria said, “We weren’t going to say anything, in case it brought back bad memories.”
Tensing up a little bit, Risa asked, “What? Just tell me.”
“We, I mean Chris, Jose and I, knew you from before. You know, before you were kidnapped,” Maria said gently.
“What? I don’t remember you,” Risa said, trying to think back to when she might have met them.
Slowly, Maria added, “When we first got here to North Carolina, all three of us would travel around the state to see the sights when we had free time. One day, Chris told Jose and me about this cool Renaissance Festival he heard about in another nearby town. So we found out when it was being held and drove over to Cloverdale for the weekend.
Gasping in disbelief, Risa said, “You were there when I was there selling my work?”
Maria nodded, but said, “We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want. I was just trying to show you that Jose and Chris took what happened to you personally. They fell in love with all your work and loved everything you did.”
Nodding jerkily, Risa said a little breathlessly, “No . . . I want to hear. Please tell me.”
“Well, if you are sure . . .” Maria said. “We had been at the festival for about an hour when Jose noticed a guy walk by with this really cool shirt. It had an amazing dragon head airbrushed on it. It looked so real, like it was looking right at you. Anyway, Jose asked the guy where he got it, and the guy pointed at your booth. Jose and Chris made a beeline right to you,” Maria laughed. “Jose just stood off to the side and looked at all your stuff forever. It was so crowded in front of your booth that it took a little while for us to reach the front. What I remember most from that day was watching you talk to this shy little girl who was in her mom’s arms. She had big blue eyes and black hair. You pulled out this little tiny T-shirt and it had the most amazing airbrushed painting of a fairy sitting on a flower. The fairy had black hair and blue eyes and these beautiful iridescent rainbow wings. The little girl got so excited, but her mother told her it was too expensive. Jose just reached over and paid you for it and told the mother it was his pleasure. I don’t know if the mother knew what to do. She was grateful and freaked-out by Jose all at the same time,” Maria chuckled. “You were so cool. You just smiled at Jose and winked at the little girl and handed her a bag with the shirt inside it. You told her and her mom that angels are always near us. You just never knew who they’d be or how they’d look.”
“I remember that little girl,” Risa breathed out. “She was so beautiful and excited about the shirt.”
“Yeah, I think your mom and dad were helping Jose and Chris by then, and you had other people waiting.”
Risa looked thoughtful. “Did my dad remember you guys?”
Maria chuckled. “Oh yeah, he spotted Jose the first day when they came up here to help you pack up and move here to Samson’s house. Your dad was a little freaked out, but when you didn’t seem to remember them he was okay. Jose assured him that he and Chris would never bring up anything to you that might hurt or upset you. Jose couldn’t resist though, telling your dad that he still has the shirt your dad sold him during the festival. He has been keeping it in his truck.”
“Wow, I had no idea,” Risa said, still not sure how to take this new information. She had so few connections left from her past. This was unexpected and a little daunting.
Maria leaned towards Risa and took her hand. “I just told you this so you would know how much you mean to all of us. Chris, Jose and I feel like we have a full-circle connection to you.” Risa grinned at the Oprah-ism. “We would do anything to help keep you safe, honest,” Maria said sincerely.
Risa smiled tearfully at both women. “Thank you, It does mean a lot knowing I have this great support, and I am sorry about being so weird. I guess I still have things to work out in my head. Let’s go back out and make sure Chris knows that it’s all okay.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Sarah stood up and helped Maria stand, too. All three women left the bedroom and found Samson waiting just outside the door. Risa at once took his hand and smiled.
“All good . . .?” He asked, smiling down at Risa. She nodded, and they all made their way back to the party. Chris was pacing back and forth, and Jose was sitting morosely. They both jerked when they saw Risa coming back out to the deck. Jose stood up next to Chris and waited silently.
Shrugging self-consciously, Risa said, “Sorry I freaked out. Sarah and Maria explained it to me. I was just taken by surprise.” Before either Chris or Jose could say anything, Risa changed the subject. “So, I hear you met me before, at the Renaissance Festival.”
“Risa, honey . . .” Bill Landau said in concern.
Holding up a hand in comfort, Risa said, “It’s actually okay Dad. I don’t remember them, but Maria told me a story about a little girl that I do remember.” Risa grinned at Jose. “I hear you’ve been carrying one of my T-shirts in your truck.”
Jose blushed like a school boy and nodded cautiously. “I brought it to show Bill one day. I bought it on the third weekend of the festival, since I couldn’t make up my mind on what to choose. I kept dragging Maria and Chris back to Cloverdale with the promise that I would make a decision on what to get from your booth. That’s why your dad remembered me. He was getting sick of me skulking about so much.” Jose laughed at the memory. “I still remember him standing in the background, with those great big arms crossed over his chest while your mom kept trying to find something I’d l
ike.”
“Yeah, I finally pulled out a few of your expensive T-shirts that we didn’t figure would sell well. I dropped a pile on the table and told him they were a hundred dollars each and to choose one or go away,” Bill growled in mock anger. “Jose chose one and paid the money.” Bill laughed at the memory.
Risa turned back to Jose. “So, do you have it with you today? I’d love to see it.”
“Really, you don’t mind?” Jose asked shyly, already moving toward the porch.
Grinning in delight, Risa said, “Really.” She laughed as Jose rushed excitedly out to his truck to retrieve the shirt. Risa turned and caught Chris’s concerned gaze. “Chris it really is okay. Honestly,” she said and smiled sincerely, until she saw him relax and take a seat next to his wife.
In seconds, Jose was back with the shirt, and Risa instantly recognized it. She had airbrushed a dragon until it was wrapped around the T-shirt. Its tail lay curled at the bottom front of the shirt and then coiled around the back where the body and wings where displayed in all their glory. The neck and head of the dragon came up and over the right shoulder. It ended with the dragons face squarely in the middle of the front part of the shirt. The detail was extraordinary. Blazing amber eyes, blackened, red scales that seemed to glisten and a smoky haze rolling up from the dragon’s sharp-toothed mouth, made the black T-shirt come to life.
Risa sat down next to Samson as old memories came flooding back. “Wow, I remember working on this shirt, Daddy. Mom said that I shouldn’t sell it for less than five hundred dollars because of all the time I spent on it,” Risa said smiling at her dad.
“I sure do, too. She gave me hell for selling it to Jose for only a hundred bucks,” Bill laughed at the memory. It was the first time that either he or Risa had been able to revisit that time without experiencing the grief and pain that came after it.
“I would have paid the five hundred,” Jose said smiling crookedly.
Both Risa and Bill laughed. Samson looked down and found Risa’s hand clutched tightly in his, and he squeezed it lightly in reassurance.
*****
A new normal seemed to settle around Risa. The world seemed to open up wide and invite her to join in. Her natural curiosity made every day an adventure in discovery. Making trips to town got easier, especially if she was with Samson. People tended to be less intrusive when he was with her. Though Samson was never overly demonstrative towards Risa in public, she felt the cloak of protectiveness he projected toward anyone who approached her.
On one of her trips to town with her dad, Risa impulsively bought a few pieces of casual clothing from Target and Wal-Mart. Her father teased her about her addiction to those two stores. Risa loved the one-stop shopping experience. You could get groceries, clothing, and even furniture in one store. She ended up getting a few pair of jeans, Capri pants and khakis that fit her small frame. She also found several tops that ranged from empire-wasted baby doll tops to fitted T-shirts with different length sleeves. She also picked up several cute and casual sandals and slip-ons that were comfortable and functional.
Her last purchases were more personal. Risa blushed, and her imagination ran wild as she chose various delicate lace and silk underwear in a multitude of colors. Shivers running up her spine, Risa also picked out several cute pajama sets with Samson in mind. She even looked at bathing suits, but she was still too sensitive about people seeing her back for her to wear something so revealing in front of others.
The only blight of the day was when another customer accidentally brushed up against her when she was trying to find something on another rack. Risa froze in terror as an overwhelming feeling of dread pored through her body. Both her father and Jose had seen her fright, but the customer was long gone by the time they reached her side. Risa felt so embarrassed by her irrational reaction that she lied and said she was fine. She told her therapist about it later, and they worked on tools Risa could use to overcome these feelings.
The next morning, Risa had modeled a few of her purchases for Samson. He had stared at her in open admiration and said she looked beautiful, but he didn’t overreact. He just seemed happy that she got what she wanted. Risa loved the fact that he somehow knew what a huge step this was for her, but that he didn’t make a big deal out of it.
With a little more confidence, Risa began visiting other stores in town. She needed additional art supplies, and her dad took her to a unique little shop that seemed to cater to the artistic community of Dalton. Who knew? Samson had come along and was next door in the hardware store.
Risa found everything she wanted. She then came across an expensive airbrush kit and paints that went with it. She impulsively decided to buy it and several bottles of paint as well. She then added a few stretch canvases and even a few blank T-shirts to her cart. Just as Risa brought her items up to the cash register, LuAnne Franklin and another woman entered the shop. Oh crap, she isn’t here to buy paint by number kits, I’ll bet, Risa thought to herself. Risa tried to ignore the women and looked around for her dad, but he was nowhere in sight.
“Risa, I am surprised. You’re out and about and on your own? I’m impressed. You usually have to have someone holding your hand, don’t you, poor thing.” LuAnne said, a pitying look on her face, and then she smirked at her friend, not bothering to introduce her.
“Hello, LuAnne,” Risa said and slowly started putting her items onto the counter as she smiled at the cashier.
“Buying crafts to keep you busy? How cute. I hear you and your father have moved in on poor Samson. He is so generous, really. He will take on any sad charity case without blinking an eye,” LuAnne said.
Risa just ignored her vicious comments and continued to unload her items. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that LuAnne’s friend was looking uncomfortable.
“Of course, you do know that it’s just temporary. Samson’s . . . appetites are very strong. It takes a special woman to satisfy him. You do understand what I mean, don’t you, Risa?” LuAnne said, pinning Risa with a pointed stare.
“Then you must be totally pissed that he didn’t consider you special enough to keep around him,” Risa said quietly, smiling at the shocked and amused look on the clerk’s face who was working behind the counter. Risa saw LuAnne’s friend put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
LuAnne’s face flushed with anger, and she stepped closer to say something but instead, Samson’s voice cut off her words.
“You ready to go, baby?” he asked in his sexiest voice. He came around LuAnne without even acknowledging her and leaned down sweetly to kiss Risa’s lips.
“I’ve seen everything I needed to see,” Bill Landau said with some satisfaction in his voice as he walked up to stand next to Sam. “You ready to go, Sweetheart?”
“Yep,” Risa said, feeling more than ready to leave. She took her bags of art supplies and began following her dad and Samson as they walked towards the door of the shop.
“I dumped him, Sweetheart. Everyone knows it. Just ask anyone,” LuAnne said spitefully.
Risa stopped and turned around with an amazed laugh in her voice. “Damn girl, then you must feel like a prize-winning jackass right about now, huh?” Risa said, and then turned and marched out of the store, missing the flare of shock and outraged heat that stained LuAnne Franklin’s face.
As Bill and Samson brought up the rear and began walking down the sidewalk towards the SUV, Bill pointed his thumb at his chest and grinned saying proudly, “That’s MY girl.” Samson found himself slowly smiling with satisfaction and thought he couldn’t have said it any better himself.
*****
She walked right past me. I could have reached out and twisted her neck until it snapped. She didn’t even know it was me. He father and lover are so weak. They think they can protect her. The witch would never see him coming. He had stood behind her in the grocery store, and she never even looked his way when he sat next to her and Knight at Maybell’s Diner.
He had followed her and her father into Target
, keeping a wary eye out for the man with the tattooed head that followed them at a distance. He watched her try on clothing, and she had even chosen new underwear. As a dare to himself, he had touched the clothing in her arms as he brushed against her while pretending to be a preoccupied shopper. It thrilled him when he felt her jump and freeze at his faint touch. It was only for a second, but it was like a heady drug that ran through his blood. Being so near her in the store had been tricky since her father could have recognized him. His old, stringy long hair had long ago been transformed by a crew cut, and his body was bulky with muscle. He was no longer skinny and weak. But he couldn’t change his face and had to wear makeup to disguise the marks and scars he had retained from puberty. He wore a common baseball cap low over his eyes. No one even looked twice at him. He had thought he might have to disguise himself a little more heavily when she was with her father, but realized he was wrong.
Just a few days ago he had dared to stop by the Landau property and knock on the door. His professional courtesy had earned him a ticket inside Bill Landau’s house, and he even had coffee with the Russian. So close, he could have sunk his knife blade right through the Russian’s heart. Instead, they discussed the progress on the security system. He hadn’t been able to get a good look at it, but he would, in time. Who would stop him?
The nesting sites he found in the wooded area next to Knight’s house were almost invisible. You could be standing just feet from one and never see it. He had watched the pathetic party they had. It would have been so easy to take them all out right then with his assault rifle. But then he wouldn’t get to have his vengeance. He wanted the pleasure of seeing her terror and pain before she died.
