by Jessica Loft
CHAPTER 8
William clenched his fist as he walked towards the tall middle-aged man named Raymond. It had been a month since he’d seen Maryann, and his worry for her safety had grown every day. The first Sunday that she hadn’t shown up he’d been bold enough to ask Raymond casually where his daughter was. The old man had sneered and told him that she was not his daughter, and that she was at home where she was supposed to be. Something about the old man had always put him on edge, but now that William was falling for Maryann, he flat out just wanted to beat the guy to a pulp for the bruises he gave her.
“Where’s Maryann?” He asked, stepping close to Raymond’s face. The older man scoffed at him and took a step back.
“None of your business boy,” he said, turning his back to William.
“It is if you hurt her,” William shot back. That got Raymond’s attention. Slowly he turned around, stepping close once again to William.
“What did you say?”
William’s eyes never left Raymond’s as the two men stood toe to toe. Random shoppers around them started walking away, feeling the tension of an impending fight.
“I said if you hurt her, you’re going to sorry,” William ground out.
Raymond’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the shorter, but equally as muscular man.
“What did she tell you?”
William scoffed.
“She didn’t have to say a thing, her bruises were loud enough for her, you abusive bastard.”
Raymond growled, grabbing at William’s shirt, intent on making him pay. It was then he caught a familiar scent. One that he’d only ever caught once before.
“It was you,” Raymond whispered.
“What did she do for you, huh? The salve? What did that whore do to pay that stinking salve you sell over there!”
“Hey!” A third voice called, stopping both the men. William looked towards the voice and saw Todd in his blue police uniform.
“What’s going on here?” Todd asked.
Raymond roughly pushed William away, brushing the front of his shirt.
“Nothing,” Raymond hissed, walking towards his truck.
“I was just leaving.”
Todd put his hand up.
“Sir, you can’t leave, not until you’ve answered some questions.”
With surprising speed, Raymond hopped into his truck and peeled out of the market, nearly running people as he drove through the crowded street.
“Todd, we have to follow him!” William hollered, already heading towards the parking lot where Todd’s cruiser was parked.
“We have to go before he gets to her.”
~
A prickle of nervousness shot up the back of Maryann’s spine, sending warning bells through her brain. After the previous night’s escapades with Husband, she had decided once and for all that she would be leaving the compound. Even if she would be homeless with only twenty dollars to her name, she’d at least be moving towards a better life. Her plan was to leave in the middle of the night, and call William’s memorized number the moment she reached a phone.
However, her intuition was telling her to get out immediately. At first she tried to ignore it, telling herself it would be safer for her if she knew that Husband was asleep in the house and not somewhere on the road where he could find her. Still, the closer the night drew, the stronger her urge to leave became. Near sunset she realized she could wait no longer, and from the field she worked in alone she began to run, as quickly as she could, towards the dirt road that lead out of the compound.
She had just reached the field by the house when she saw Husband’s truck speeding into the drive. Quickly she ducked down into the brush, watching as he flew out of the cab, hollering her name. Fear spiked through her as she heard the utter rage in his voice. She could hear the other wives begging him to be still, and telling him that she was in the fields.
Terror laced through her as she took off again, running as fast as her legs could take her past the house. From the back yard she could hear the roar of Husband’s anger as he caught her rapidly moving figure heading towards the road.
“Get back here!” He bellowed, hopping the back fence of the yard to chase her. A scream threatened to rip from Maryann’s chest as she felt him bearing down on her, but she used the fear to pump her legs faster. The month of hard labor in the fields had made her stronger, and to her surprise she was staying ahead of him. If she could just outrun him until he got tired enough to turn around and get his truck, she might actually have a shot of getting outside the compound and into the woods for shelter.
Up ahead, she saw the green gates of the entrance, and to her surprise, a fleet of police cars driving quickly towards them. Immediately she raised her arms as she came closer, screaming for help. A heavy object hit her in the back and she went down, her mouth and nose filling up with dirt as she was taken to the ground by Husband’s heavy body. She felt her body being wrenched around and she looked up to see Husband’s face, red and full of anger, glaring down at her as he raised his fist.
“Freeze or I’ll shoot!”
Above her she could feel the pure hatred trembling through Husband’s body, but he obeyed. Slowly, he lifted his eyes from her to the police officer in front of them. He was poised only a couple feet away, his gun aimed directly at Husband’s head.
“Slowly put your hands on your head and step away from the girl,” the cop commanded.
Lifting his hands, Husband did exactly as he was told. As soon as the weight lifted from her, Maryann turned and struggled to her feet, immediately recognizing the officer as Todd, William’s friend that she’d met earlier. Hope sprung in her heart as she looked around. From the third cop car to the right she saw William springing from the passenger side door, and she heard him calling her name.
“William!” she cried, her feet taking her quickly to him. His large arms lifted her up to his chest and he held her trembling body.
“It’s alright,” he promised, “I’m here now.”
CHAPTER 9
Four Days Later
After stirring the honey into the tea, William carried the two cups to the couch, where Maryann sat huddled beneath one of his blankets. She’d just showered, for probably the tenth time since she’d been at his place, and her long, damp hair hung in loose strands down the front of the oversized hoodie he had lent her.
Raymond was arrested for abuse, along with a plethora of other charges, and the police had gained a warrant to search the compound. To Maryann’s surprise, she found out that though she was the only one in her household, there were several other women who were being treated just as inhumanely as she was. The entire compound was now a crime scene, and all the wives and children were taken and put into protection, despite the fact that they were there voluntarily.
Maryann had to go into the police station every day, and would probably have to do so again for quite some time until they had all the information they needed. She was given the choice to stay with the other wives or William, and she quickly chose William, who had pleaded her to come stay with him anyways.
“How are you doing little lamb?” William asked, taking a seat close beside her. She took the offered teacup and laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling into his side.
“It all feels so unreal,” she told him, her eyes not focusing on anything in particular.
“Sometimes I wake up, thinking he’s watching me. Watching us.”
While she had started sleeping in a separate bed, William would feel her slipping into his late at night. They would curl tightly around one another, and for several minutes they would hold each other and kiss; their lips coming together and breaking apart in a sweet, seductive fashion until she would fall asleep in his arms. It would take time to build a trusting relationship, but William was prepared to be as patient she needed him to be.
“It’ll pass,” William promised, kissing the top of her head.
“Sometimes I wonder where I’ll go when this is
all over,” she confessed.
William stilled. He hadn’t thought of the possibility of her wanting to leave, but if she did he couldn’t stop her, not after what Raymond put her through.”
“Where do you want to go?” He asked.
He felt her shoulders lift in a shrug, not sure.
“I need to find a job, learn how to make money and be on my own.”
“Well, it just so happens that one of the herbalists just quit a week ago. Would you be interested?”
Maryann’s head shot up in surprise as she looked into William’s eyes, not believing her ears.
“You…you would do that for me?”
She wanted to stay with William more than anything, but she didn’t want to presume that he wanted the same. His offer was more than generous, and spoke volumes to her.
William chuckled, nodding his head.
“I think it’s pretty obvious Maryann, I would do anything for you.”
Now Enjoy The Next Story Below Or Choose One From The Table of Contents
Guilty
Chapter 1
Nikki Hunter untied her scarf as she closed the door to the corner office behind her. She’d worked hard to get to where she was as a prominent attorney for Wiest and Winzor. She was partnered, financially stable, and contemplating giving up her dream job. It was just a thought; she would never actually leave law completely. But she was really tired of defending the guilty.
She sat behind her large mahogany desk with her face in her hands, her grey eyes firmly shut. A monster of a headache was threatening to make a bad morning worse, and she just didn’t have the patience to battle through anything more. She riffled through the desk drawer for something strong enough to head it off, but not incapacitate her. Advil would have to do. She popped more pills than her stomach would appreciate and returned the bottle to her desk drawer. Another successful case complete. Another member of the wealthy elite walking away from a lawsuit they should have had to pay out on. Instead of feeling pride for her virtually unmarred record, all she could feel was guilt. She was the one standing between the wealthy and accountability, and it was getting harder and harder for her to simply do her job.
Nikki pulled her scarf off completely and unbuttoned her suit jacket, glad to be at least a little more comfortable. She wasn’t expecting any more clients today and therefore the formal business attire wasn’t needed any longer. She would hole up in her office only as long as necessary to make her final case notes, and then she would take off and go away for the weekend. She needed the reprieve of open skies and less noise in order to be ready for next week. In truth, she needed a lot more than that, but it was all she had to work with and it would have to do.
Nikki took off the jacket to her tailored suit and hung it carefully in the small closet after loosening the top buttons of her crisp white shirt. She unbuttoned the cuffs as well, and rolled up her sleeves in order to finish the work in front of her. Her expression was stern as she started to write her closing thoughts. Her dark hair was still perfectly coiffed even as she repeatedly ran her fingers through it. Her exhaustion was starting to show, but women like Nikki didn’t know how to turn their brains off enough to slow down. She knew she needed to, and soon. She couldn’t go on much longer like this.
Nikki was busy at work when the buzzing of the intercom interrupted her. Her secretary, Margaret, broke into the cherished silence.
“Ms. Hunter, there is a car here for you. Mr. Thomas has sent someone to escort you to your meeting. Would you like me to clear the rest of your day now?” she asked.
Nikki frowned in frustration. “Does he have an appointment?” she asked as politely as she could under the circumstances.
“Yes ma’am. He is your one o’clock. Shall I clear the rest of your schedule?” repeated Margaret.
Nikki pulled her planner from the desk drawer and looked it at. In spite of her misgivings, she did indeed have Sean Thomas in her planner. The one o’clock appointment had been there all along and she’d just overlooked it. She released an exasperated breath, biting down on her bottom lip and pulling it into her mouth. She quickly buttoned up her shirt and started to pull on her jacket.
“Yes, Margaret. Tell them I will be right out.”
Nikki quickly gathered her things and exited the office for the last time today. She wasn't looking forward to this meeting. Normally she preferred her clients to come to her office for their initial consult, but Sean Thomas had insisted on a place of his choosing. Nikki tried not to be annoyed as she slid into the backseat of the posh Bentley with buttery-soft leather seats and wood grain interior. It was a nice car, but things didn’t impress Nikki. People did. Lately even they had been letting him down.
Nikki went over her notes and everything she knew so far about Sean Thomas. The wealthy billionaire was well known for his philanthropy and his special interest investing in small businesses. He was hardly ever attached to anyone, and rumors swirled that there may be a particular reason for that. Nikki didn’t pay any attention to rumors. They rarely helped in the cases she defended against. Besides, Nikki tried to know as much about her clients as possible, without actually getting tangled up in their affairs. She knew about Sean’s business dealings, and that he was the only child of what had already been a wealthy family. Nikki knew the billionaire was generally liked by most he encountered, but that didn’t mean much to Nikki. Wealthy guilty men always had friends.
The Bentley pulled into the harbor and then to a stop. Nikki stared out the window at the rows and rows of yachts of various shapes and sizes. This was where the wealthy came to play, and she knew it by name. She’d never been on one of the boats though and her interest was piqued. The driver handed her a slip of paper with handwritten directions and the name of the boat she was to board.
Less than a minute later, Nikki was the collected and professional lawyer she'd always worked to be. She was standing outside of the car, making final adjustments to her scarf when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Sean Thomas, a somewhat local celebrity with international reach walked toward the parking area. Nikki knew the man from news articles and her research, but she’d never been this close to him before. Nothing could have prepared her for Sean’s striking features. The angled jaw, carved cheek bones and eyes as blue as any horizon Nikki had ever lost herself in, caused a surge of heat in her tailored pants. She cleared her throat and diverted her attention to anything other than the steady, sexy gait of Sean Thomas walking toward her.
Nikki took a deep breath, forcing herself to remember she was a professional at work, and didn’t have time to get lost in attractions. Besides, if Sean needed her services it was because he’d done something he shouldn’t have and now wanted Nikki to get him off. Nikki tried not to let her mind drift to the ways she would prefer to get Sean off. She would work wonders with what she imagined was a physically fit, muscled body beneath the expensive suit.
“Mr. Thomas, it’s nice to meet you,” said Nikki as she extended her hand.
Sean took her hand and they shook firmly. Nikki liked the way her skin warmed beneath Sean's touch. She licked her lips. In her head, she knew that Sean was just like all the rest she defended. In her heart, she was hoping she was wrong.
“Nice to meet you too, Ms. Hunter. I hear you are the best for my particular problem.”
“I like to think so. Just what is your problem?” Nikki asked.
“We can talk about that on my yacht. I hope you don’t get seasick. We’re going to take her out a bit.” With that, Sean led them away from the parking area.
They made small talk as Nikki followed Sean to a beautiful sixty-foot yacht, the Serenity. The craft was, even to her untrained eyes, far more extravagant than any they’d passed. They boarded the Serenity, and Nikki followed Sean below deck. Marble floors covered the main living area and tapped lightly beneath her heels. A lavish sitting area with an oversized, pristine white sofa and accompaniments was something out of a magazine. Priceless pieces of
art were placed throughout, along with built-in shelving for a vast book and statuette collection.
Nikki worked with some wealthy clients, and she’d still never seen anything like this. A dazzling crystal chandelier hung over a long dining table with seating for eight. Gold-rimmed dining sets told tales of over-the-top dinner parties. A full-length mahogany bar was against one wall and stocked with every imaginable alcohol. Most of the names she didn’t recognize. Sean offered her a drink and Nikki gracefully declined. No drinks while she was working. Besides, she didn’t want the alcohol to influence her perception of Sean. She wanted to know what kind of man she was working for. As if just sitting and waiting behind the door, the yacht staff quickly came out and served them various hors d’ oeuvres. Nikki decided on a cold soda and popped it open.
