WindSwept Narrows: #13 Charity, Faith & Hope

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “I think she’s bruised a lot…but check her ribs,” Dominic held her against him, after she lifted her shirt, the guard snapping a photo of the forming black and blue area.

  “We’ll file the police report, Mr. Matthews…and pull video to find out how he got inside,” the guard nodded and closed the door quietly behind them.

  Nico pressed gently, looking up at the closed lashes and sharply drawn breath. “No breaks…some ice will help. Let me see your face, Faith,” he eased her carefully to sit up, his hands feeling gently around her bones.

  “He slapped me open handed…I don’t think anything is broken,” Faith told them, her voice low and shaky. She looked up at Charity. “He was looking for you. Why? He said…he thought I was you because of my hair…he said…get it through your head, Charity, we want these sales stopped and stopped now. Got it?”

  “I’m sorry, Faith,” Charity whispered.

  “Are you staying with her tonight?” Nico asked, digging into his bag and scribbling on the front of a small vial.

  “Yes, but she’s coming home with me,” Dominic said firmly.

  “We’re neighbors,” Faith said with a watery smile, putting two sets of cold hands over her closed eyes. “I hate crying…I like breathing…” She joined the soft laughter around her.

  “You’re moving out to the condo?” Charity looked at Dominic and saw him nod before Faith answered.

  “He seems to think I won’t make him too crazy,” she said, pushing against the sofa and putting up a palm to stop him. “Bathroom…alone…sit…”

  Dominic countered with a throaty growl that made her smile as she went into the bedroom.

  “Dominic…I am so very sorry for this…” Charity felt Nico’s hand on hers, tugging her to lean into him where he perched on the high stool.

  “This isn’t your fault, so stop, Charity. Faith doesn’t blame you and neither do I,” he said firmly. “I’ll shoot out some emails when I get her settled and find out where the sales are in regards to completion and let you know in the morning. Thanks for coming over, Nico. I had a feeling dragging her to the ER would have been a royal pain.”

  “I know the feeling,” Nico commented, holding Charity close to him, his chin resting in the joint between her throat and shoulder. He held a small vial out to Dominic. “She might need help sleeping. Instructions on the label.”

  “Thanks,” Dominic dropped them into his pocket and stood up. He honestly couldn’t recall ever being so furious and so scared all at the same time. He held his hand out when she came from the bedroom, tucking her close to his side. “Ready to go home, Faith?”

  She nodded, reaching for Charity’s palm.

  “I’m okay…and they’re right…it isn’t your fault. Thanks for coming over, Nico,” she hugged him and they followed the other couple to the parking lot.

  Dominic decided that he definitely did not like a quiet Faith. He carried the large carpet bag over one shoulder, his arm possessively around her waist and guiding her easily to the elevator.

  “How about if I make us some sandwiches?” He asked, standing with her outside the large walk-in closet in the bedroom.

  “Yes…thank you…but…” Faith looked at him, closing her eyes against the hot burning.

  “Faith…” He gathered her against him, his palm stroking over her head.

  “A shower…please, Dominic…I need a long shower,” she whispered, her palms pressing for space he reluctantly granted her.

  “Alright,” he stepped back, his hand lifting her eyes to his. “I’ll be in the other room if you need anything. Okay?” He accepted her nod, leaving the room, but not closing the door behind him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mundane things, her brain screamed as she lifted the bag to a small bench in the closet. She spent a quiet fifteen minutes hanging things up on the empty side of the closet and laying her personal things out on the huge double sink area in the master bathroom. She looked around at the walls and thought he needed some colorful pictures as she striped off her clothing and stepped into the large walk-in shower. Faith set the temperature high and turned the nozzle of the spray to sting, her head back and losing herself in the steamy comfort.

  She stepped into the large, warm bedroom thirty minutes later wrapped in a thick towel, another in her hands and rubbing the wet hair. She left socks, bras and panties in the carpet bag. She pulled a pair of panties absently up her legs, wincing when she stretched to lift the short night gown over her head. It stopped mid thigh with a low front and empire waist and tiny sleeves. Faith was dragging the comb through the wet hair as she entered the living area.

  “Oh my god, Dominic! What have you done?” Faith stared at the mass of cables and cords on the floor in front of the large screen television. She could swear she saw teeth marks on some of them. Her gaze went from the wounded pile to the dark eyes glaring at them.

  “You know what to do with this shit?” Dominic demanded roughly, a strong dislike inside him at the unusual feeling of helplessness. First with the situation with Faith and now these idiot cables.

  Faith hastily wound the long hair into the band she’d carried with her, dropping the comb to the table and moving slowly forward. Her palms were out much the same as she’d used to soothe him when he caught Ryan hugging her. She pressed gently on his chest, stroking over the shirt calmly.

  “It’s okay, Dominic…I’m okay,” she said softly, immediately aware of the tension in him and wanting it gone.

  “I thought some TV with your dinner…” He growled, wanting to grab her and hold her but afraid of the bruises she was now wearing beneath her nightgown.

  “I’ll take care of this…is there a cable box?” She watched his eyes sweep the offending collection to land on the unopened box next to the DVD player and recorder on the other shelf below the television. “Alright…not to worry…you could get me a nice cup of cocoa…alright?”

  Dominic nodded and stepped back, aware of the soft fabric clinging to her curves as she went to stand by the pile of cables. She dropped lithely to her knees and began untangling things, laying them out and checking the connections behind each of the offending black units waiting to be installed.

  He set the large mug of steaming cocoa on the shelf of the built in unit holding the large screen television, dark eyes watching those delicate, tiny fingers connecting things and nodding to herself. He moved to the computer desk, sinking down and giving in to just watching her. One by one, the cables disappeared from the floor. One by one, the black units were relocated to one of the shelves, cords and cables hidden in the back of the shelving.

  Faith sat back on her heels, the warm cup of cocoa between her palms. She nodded in satisfaction, holding the cup firmly and reaching for the universal remote.

  Dominic had his laptop open, the router resting at the side of the television and three cables lying beneath the desk at his feet. He lifted one and slid it into the port on the laptop with a sigh.

  “Having a tech girl on my side can come in handy,” he said quietly, watching the fingers on one hand program the remote to instructions popping up in rapid succession on the screen of the television. “I made sandwiches…”

  Faith tossed the remote to the shelf next to the television, a tiny frown in place when she looked over at him. “Please…don’t go randomly pushing buttons on this thing.”

  “That…I know how to work,” he assured her firmly, watching her position one foot and rise to stand up. She moved to the table and lifted a sandwich, checking inside quickly before biting down hungrily. “Hand me a bucket of money and I’m a whiz…a pile of disconnected cables and cords…”

  “No problem…we each have our own specialties, Dominic,” Faith glanced at his computer. “You haven’t set up your desk top yet for the same reason?” She popped the rest of the sandwich into her mouth and dropped to her knees, peering at the large box next to his side. “Is the laptop at full power?”

  “Yes.”

  “How about sitti
ng over there and let me do this real quick?” Faith waited for his nod before she began opening the large box and carefully unwrapping things.

  Dominic watched her reach for another half sandwich, relieved she was eating. He knew she was involving herself in things she knew to avoid remembering. He leaned into the corner of the sofa, watching as she quickly had the desk unit hooked up and running. It was funny. He’d never given a thought to her capabilities or skills. Like most of the people around him back then, all he saw were external things, visible things. He’d almost blown the best part of the mystery inside Faith.

  He didn’t ask what she was doing, her head shaking now and then as her hands moved over the keyboard with more speed than he imagined possible. He looked up to see her pulling the unit forward, the side removed and a scowl on her face. She moved a few things around and made notes on the pad he had sitting on the top of the desk.

  “How long have you had this thing?” She asked, closing her eyes and wondering if she should have sounded a little less derisive. She opened one eye, relieved that he hadn’t taken offense at her tone. She put things back together, dusting her hands and draining the cocoa.

  “A few years,” he shrugged. “It does what I need it to. Stop glaring at it like that.”

  “Trying to decide which earth period it came out of…I’m going with Triassic…maybe even Jurassic,” she teased with a chuckle.

  “It is not that old. It works just fine for me.”

  “Well, when I get finished with it, it’ll fly,” she promised with a chuckle.

  Dominic looked disdainfully at the laptop and then at Faith. “Is that thing ready to go?”

  “Oh, sure…” She stood up and went into the kitchen, absently and as if she belonged there, she began cleaning things up. “You don’t like the laptop?”

  “I…” Dominic shut it down, closed it and moved gratefully to the desk chair. “It’s good enough for travel. My hands are too damn big for the thing. I spend more time fixing errors than getting anything done.”

  “I noticed the large letters on the new keyboard,” she mentioned, carefully keeping her lower lip between her teeth after she spoke. He had that look on his face when he followed her with his eyes from the kitchen to sit facing him on the sofa.

  Dominic sighed, opened the center drawer of the desk and pulled out a deep brown case. He opened it and lifted a pair of silver rimmed glasses from inside.

  “When did you get glasses?” She asked, deciding she liked the way they set on his face.

  “A month before my last birthday,” he told her, waiting for the teasing but receiving nothing but a smile. “For reading and computer work.”

  “They make you look sexy,” she told him with a wink. “You need one of the new MAC’s for travel, Dominic. Much larger keys.”

  “Not planning on traveling with it,” he replied solemnly. “Unless it’s to a wild tropical location with white beaches and you, I’m not doing the travel for work thing any longer.” He glanced up to see the smile on her face at his comment. “Thanks…for setting all this up. I never thought much about the skills you have bundled inside you before,” he admitted, leaning back to watch her. She’d picked up the comb, released the still damp hair and was working it into a long braid.

  “You didn’t think much about me at all, Dominic,” she said quietly, studying her hands as she made the braid. “Things you voiced weren’t overly approving.”

  “Faith…” He felt too many things all at once and fear was at the top of the list. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life apologizing for being an idiot, but I will if I have to,” he met the surprised look on her face. “Just…please…give us a chance.”

  “Then I suppose it’s past time we learned about each other,” she nodded slowly. “I don’t want your apologies, Dominic. I understand it’s where you thought you were and you didn’t believe I fit there. I think I’m afraid you’ll discover sometime in the tomorrows that you don’t fit here, either. I’m not sure I could take that,” she concluded with a very soft whisper.

  “I’ve come to realize you fit everywhere,” he pushed the keyboard back and watched her as he spoke. “I’m the one who was living in a one level world, Faith. A good many of the people were plastic and superficial but until I actually spent time with you, I never noticed it before. I’ve been chatting with people working at the resort during breaks and curious ones who stop by the office, trying to be casual about their inquiries. They’re filled with concerns and possibilities for the future. Some want to open businesses some day. Some just want their kids to not go broke paying for school.”

  “It sounds like you’ll be busier than you imagined,” she said, the animation in his voice making her smile up at him. Faith sighed tiredly and nodded to the large volume on his desk. “Homework?”

  Dominic sighed thickly, his palm up and rubbing his neck and grin crooked at the word she chose.

  “Homework. Tax codes for the state. Rules and regulations of various retirement plans and banking rules and regulations for this state. Nothing like California,” he said flatly. “Similarities only so far as federal rules are concerned. Makes tax season easier, though, since there’s no state filings.”

  Dominic looked over to see her wince when she stretched.

  “Think you might want to go lay down and get a little rest?” His breath caught in his chest at the fear that suddenly came to life in her eyes. Her head shook vehemently, but he could see her fighting drowsiness. “How about if I bring my book and notepad and work next to you in the bed…..would that help, Faith?” There was the briefest hesitation before she nodded slowly.

  Faith watched him stack the leather covered notepad, a pen, highlighter and the heavy book before he tapped out the lights and held the empty palm out to her. A long sigh of relief flowed between her lips when she curled on her side, watching him work. He wore a pair of pajama bottoms and his glasses, the tiny print on the pages highlighted as he made notes to himself on the paper at his side.

  She listened to the soft music playing from the CD player, wanting to be social. Wanting to talk to him more. But it was all crashing around her and once she had the soft pillows beneath her head and warm blankets over her, she lost the fight.

  It was barely eleven when he stacked his work on the dresser and wandered into the bathroom for his shower. An odd warmth spread through him each time he noticed something of hers neatly lining the shower or countertop. He was vigorously rubbing his head when the sounds reached him from the bedroom. Dominic shoved his legs into the pajamas even as he moved into the other room.

  Blankets were restricting her and she was fighting them with everything she had inside her. Dreams seemed to trap your speech but the grunts were clearly protesting and the whimpers filled with the fear she never voiced when awake. Dominic quickly fixed the blankets and pulled her hard against him, pinning her arms to her side before talking to her. Low and steady, soothing and patient. One arm held her firmly against his heat, the other stroked heavily over her head. Slowly her body began to relax, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist and face pressed against his upper arm.

  Faith woke a long time later, her face against a very warm body. She could smell his soap and a small smile formed as she brought her mind into the morning. Her hands were around his waist. He slept on his stomach, facing away from her; she slept on her side, curled against him. She sighed, her lips brushing his back before she rolled to her back and shoved her arms above her head.

  Pale lashes blinked and stretched before she sat up and squinted at the clock. She listened to the grumbling from Dominic and smiled as she made her way into the other room, starting his coffee before going to the large closet, staring at her choices.

  Faith couldn’t stop the giggles when she stepped from the closet. She’d never seen him so disheveled before. He was at least partly human. But wow…that chest and those hips…she vaguely heard the whimper in her throat as she fastened the belt around her waist and dropped
her ankle boots on the floor by the chair. She watched him drag two heavy hands over his head, raking the unruly hair back several times before standing up.

  Dark eyes took in the deep violet dress that stopped mid-calf. It had a lace inset and went to her neck; the sleeves stopped at her wrists. She was covered from head to toe and still managed to look sexy. And he could smell coffee…

  Faith giggled again when his head went up and he sniffed. She couldn’t help thinking wolf, her head shaking as she finished a little eye accent and wandered into the kitchen. Rummaging brought out toast and some cut up oranges. She’d decided to go for a run on Saturday morning, mapping out the new area before attempting it pre-daylight.

  “You know…” Dominic lifted the large mug of coffee with a grateful swallow. “A guy could seriously get used to this,” he remarked, watching her fingers neatly work his tie into its knot and patting it into place.

  “You look so good in those suits…” She whispered, kissing him and moving into the kitchen, a quick glance at her wrist. She wasn’t able to stop him or the sound that came from her when he put his arm around her, the curse leaving his lips loud and emphatic. “It’s okay…” She drew in a long breath, holding the counter and counting. “A few days, Nico said…left side…bad…”

  He refilled the travel cup and capped it off after about four apologies, he positioned himself on her right and walked to the car. Smiling at the face she tipped toward the sun peaking over the distant hills.

  Dominic listened to her talk about running on the weekends along the beach; about loading some things into her car to bring to the condo and about attending the review in the lounge tomorrow night. He knows he watched her too closely, worried about the nightmares she’d battled with during the night. But when they parted at the junction to the computer lab, she kissed him and stuck an ear pod in place, bobbing along to the music through the thick glass doors when the computers hummed.

  Faith groaned at the humming of her phone as she drove. Add a hands free device for the weekend, she told herself, imagining his message. She knew she was running late. She’d emptied most of the kitchen things and stopped at the market for a couple bags of fresh things and stuff she liked to add to his kitchen. She should have called. The instant she pulled into the spot before the condo, she had the phone open and his voice was there.