“Did he tell you?” I put down my spoon. “About my problem?” Grace seemed like a nice person. I would have been surprised and embarrassed, but not offended, if Dustin had told her.
“No. He just said you were in a bit of trouble and I should make sure you’re well taken care of. I intend to do just that. Starting with taking you shopping tomorrow. This is a very small town, but you will find some basic clothing. Nothing fancy.”
I nodded, somewhat relieved to hear Dustin hadn’t spilled all my beans. Sure, Grace would find out soon enough, but I would be the one to tell her—if I decided I wanted to.
Dustin walked in then. “Sorry to disrupt your dinner,” he said. “Haley, can you come to my office for a bit? There’s someone I want us to give a call.”
***
Cole Brannon was a private detective and Dustin’s brother, who lived in Serendipity. Dustin had thought it might be a good idea for me to talk to him about Jude.
I chewed the inside of my lip for a long time and slumped onto a battered leather couch, crossing my legs at the ankles. Dustin sat opposite me in an armchair.
I drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to talk to the cops or private detectives.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Jude has the power to turn the tables on me. If his crimes are exposed, he’ll make sure mine are as well.” My eyes welled up.
Dustin leaned forward and grasped my hands. “His crimes are worse than yours. Given what you told me about that… Leon guy, you probably acted out of self-defense. Cole is a great PI. He might find evidence to prove it.”
“I don’t see how he’ll be able to do that. The only two people who should know what happened that night are myself and Leon. He’s dead, and I can’t even remember any important details. In the eyes of the law, I will look like a murderer. I don’t want to go to jail, Dustin.”
“I don’t think you will. Look, I really think you went through a terrible ordeal that forced your mind to block certain events… to protect you.” He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think that man did terrible things to you and you just defended yourself.”
I closed my eyes and traveled the road back to the past—the past I could recall. Whatever happened before I woke up with blood on my hands was a blur, a dark hole, but I remembered something small. A sensation. Amidst the fear I’d felt that night, there had been pain. My cheek and wrist had hurt, and there had been a lot of pain between my legs. I opened my eyes again and saw hope in Dustin’s eyes—hope that I would let him and his brother help me. I sighed. “Self-defense or not, I still killed a man. I wish I could remember.”
“If you want to talk to a psychiatrist, my brother Garett can help you. He can drive up here any time. Maybe a few sessions with him will jog your memory.”
I gave him a surprised look. “Garett is a shrink? Wow, your family is just everything I need, isn’t it.”
When we were kids, Dustin’s brothers had kept a distance from him, the nerd. They were embarrassed of him, as teenagers often can be of their siblings. But I clearly remembered Garett, captain of the high school football team, and every girl’s fantasy boyfriend. Girls other than me, anyway. I only had eyes for Dustin. I thought Garett would go on to become a famous football player or something that put him in the spotlight. Definitely not a shrink.
“Garett is good at his job. He’s helped a lot of patients.”
“What if I remember what really happened?” I rubbed my temples, trying to stave off an approaching headache. “I might not end up going to prison for murder, but I committed another crime by not turning myself in sooner.” My stomach churned with anxiety. “I didn’t come forward.” I did try to, once, during my marriage with Jude, on one of those days when guilt overwhelmed me but Jude had stopped me. “I can’t. I can’t risk it.”
Jude had gotten away with the murders of his mother and wife. By killing Diana, he proved his confidence in being able to get away with murder again. If we went the legal route, he would use his charm, money, and power. He’d escape justice and make sure I ended up in jail. “I can’t make a decision now,” I continued. “Can I think about all this?”
Dustin sighed but nodded. “Of course. Take all the time you need.” He paused. “I’m here, Haley. If you need me, I’m here. I am right here.”
I took his hand and squeezed it. “I know.” How did I ever let him get away? If I had told him how I felt, chosen him, my life probably would have taken a different path. But no one knows what the future holds. Maybe Jude was my destiny, and there would have been no way for me to escape him.
“For now, just feel at home and relax. You deserve it.” Dustin kissed my forehead. “Whatever you did in the past doesn’t make me see you differently. You did what you had to under the circumstances.”
“I appreciate that,” I said.
***
I went to bed early and woke up several times with my heart pounding out of my chest. I swore I could smell Jude’s cologne, feel his presence in the room. Just like that night at the Drawbridge Inn. But it was just my imagination playing tricks on me.
I drew my legs to my chest and lay on my side, keeping my eyes closed. I wanted to enjoy the safety of this place just in case it was snatched away. I couldn’t help wondering how long I had before Jude figured out that I’d escaped with Dustin, and found out where he was hiding me. The thought of him doing anything to Dustin made my heart ache. I’d never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to Dustin because of me. Maybe talking to Cole wasn’t such a bad idea. I’d thought about it all night. What kind of life would I have if I had to constantly look over my shoulder? And how long did I intend to let Dustin babysit me?
But if I did talk to Cole, was I brave enough to handle the repercussions?
Chapter Eight
Jude
Jude slammed into another prostitute, taking her body before he took her life. She wriggled and moaned beneath him, a film of sweat clinging to her skin. He swallowed his disgust and rammed into her, harder, until she screamed from both pleasure and pain. He groaned. He shouldn’t have chosen her.
Her hair was not long enough, she didn’t have enough flesh on her bones, and she stank of bubblegum perfume. He had been desperate when he snatched her from a shady bar on the outskirts of Serendipity, a cheap place that reeked just like she did. It hadn’t been planned. He had gone in there just to have a drink.
When Jude was a child, his father drank every night after work, allowing alcohol to mess with him, and make him do things he didn’t remember the next day. The bastard was never sober long enough to be a father. Only a monster. No wonder Jude’s coward of a mother left them. But that had been her mistake. She had gone off with another man and left him with the monster. It had taken years for Jude’s scars to heal, for the memory of a cracking whip to stop tormenting him.
That was what Haley didn’t stay long enough to understand. They were more alike than she knew. They both had crappy parents who neglected them in different ways. She should have stayed so they could do things differently. She should have been grateful to have a husband like him, should have started a family, but she was stupid enough to leave him. Even after he had warned her, time and time again.
He threw his head back and stared at the wall in front of him. The bitch beneath him was doing nothing for him, but thinking of Haley did it every time.
Everything about Haley turned him on. Her naked body next to his, the way her hair fell like freshly spun silk along the length of her spine to her tailbone. Her tears. Especially her tears, glinting like jewels on her cheeks. He had never wanted to hurt her. His love for her ran deep. She drove him mad with lust in a way even his first wife hadn’t. At first, Haley had been a replacement for Lacey, but she quickly began to hold her own. Their first year of marriage had been exquisite. Then she started hurting him, pulling away, looking at other men, and he’d had no choice but to teach her a lesson she would never forget. He had become addicted to both loving and hu
rting her. Love and pain complemented each other so well inside his head, inside his groin.
He wrapped the whore’s ropey hair around his hand and yanked it like a horse’s reins. She screamed, and he pulled harder. He gritted his teeth as a wave of pleasure rocked him. Moments before he crashed into her for the last time, he focused on the image of Haley’s tear-stained face. He focused on the hurt that framed her big green eyes.
As he exploded, he groaned like an animal in pain, bruised and shattered, neglected yet again.
With his sexual need satisfied, he wrapped his hands around the woman’s neck while she was still facing away from him. She had seen his face for the last time. He wouldn’t make this mistake again. The next whore he chose would be the spitting image of Haley.
Chapter Nine
Haley
A knock on the door ripped me from sleep. On instinct, my chest tightened; I thought I was back in Madison, lying next to Jude. Then I opened my eyes. I was still safe on Dustin’s ranch. Jude hadn’t found me. Last night before going to bed, I had done a quick Internet search on the mobile phone Dustin had given me. I wasn’t surprised to find nothing reported about Jude’s missing wife. He clearly wanted to keep his dirty laundry out of the public eye. Not many people knew me, anyway, since he’d been isolating me for years.
“Come in,” I said. I pulled myself up in bed, then pulled the bed sheet up to my chest. I had worn one of Dustin’s t-shirts to bed, but my nipples always liked to show off when they weren’t covered by a bra. It could be Dustin, and I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
Now that we had walked back into each other’s lives, I couldn’t help wondering what would happen between us once my problems were sorted out—if they were sorted out. Would we pick up where we left off many years ago, or just continue on our separate ways? I had returned to his life with more baggage than most women my age. Dating me might be messy. We were also different people now, marked by our separate experiences.
The door creaked open and Grace’s smiling face peeked inside. “Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning.” She pushed the door wider and I saw the basket on her arm. “I’m going downtown for a little shopping. Better to hit the shops early and get the freshest fruits and veggies. Wait too long and only bruised pieces will be left over.” She paused. “Lucy’s Scraps is just on the way. We could get you some clothes from there.”
Lucy’s Scraps? I had to fight the urge not to laugh. Long way from designer clothes. I found it refreshing. “That would be lovely.” A sudden thought crossed my mind and I shook my head. “Actually, no, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think I should stay here at the ranch. I’m…”
“Running away from someone?” Grace looked worried.
My eyes widened. “How do you know?”
“You have that look in your eyes, darling. The one my sister used to have when… It’s a man, isn’t it?”
I nodded slightly. What was the point in lying? I’d be spending a lot of time with Grace, and it would be better for her to know so she could keep her eyes open. Just in case. “My husband. He’s dangerous.”
Grace’s eyes widened. “I had no idea. I had no idea you were married. Did he hurt you?” Her face became suddenly pale. I nodded, but before I could say anything, Grace held up a hand. “The details are not important, just that you left him. Believe me, he won’t find you here in the middle of nowhere. Hardly anyone thinks to drop by Stony Creek.”
I had no intention of staying in Stony Creek for good. All I needed was some time to hide until Jude gave up the search for me. I needed time to prepare a new life with a new identity, if it came to that. Reinventing myself completely could be the only way out.
“If you’re not comfortable going into town today,” Grace continued, “we can go another day, or you can tell me what you need and I’ll get it for you.”
I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again. The risk of showing my face out in the open was just too high. Especially since I was still reeling from Jude finding me within twenty-four hours the last time I ran away. Staying put at the ranch for now was the safer option. I hated asking Grace to run my errands, but I also couldn’t continue wearing Dustin’s t-shirts.
My silence must have given Grace the answer she needed, because she placed a hand on the door handle and smiled. “Let me do it. Don’t worry your pretty little head. It’s nice to have someone to care for apart from Travis.”
I’d met Travis last night.
Before Grace had left the ranch house, he’d shown up in a beaten-up pickup truck. The ranch was so big that Grace would have had to walk alone in the dark for at least fifteen minutes to get to their house. Dustin had offered to drive her, but Travis showed up before then. Like her, he was in his sixties, and much taller than her. He looked fit and healthy at his age. The way he looked at her, draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close—I could see he loved her deeply. Theirs was a healthy kind of love. The kind I thought I’d have with Jude. Until he tried to destroy me.
Chapter Ten
I placed the jar of freshly pressed orange juice on the dining table and stood back, my gaze sweeping over the breakfast I had prepared—fried eggs and bacon, sausages, pancakes, and fresh coffee. Making the breakfast was my way of showing my gratitude to Dustin. After begging Grace for half an hour, she had finally relented and shown me where everything was in the kitchen.
I decided not to wake Dustin yet, since it was not even 7 a.m. The air outside was still cool, so I took a light blanket from the living room and stepped out onto the porch with it wrapped around my shoulders.
I sat there with my legs pulled up onto the porch swing, hugging my knees, and observed the beauty before me—the lush green hills in the distance, and the sounds of water coming from the brook that sparkled a few steps below.
I thought of Jude and the damage he had caused me. Tears trickled down my cheeks. I don’t know how long I sat there, feeling lost and in pieces.
A warm hand placed itself in the space between my shoulder blades. It startled me but I didn’t turn. I knew it was Dustin and I didn’t want him to remove it. I closed my eyes and reached for the comforting heat of his hand, felt it spread deep into me until it reached my heart and wrapped itself around it. Then I inhaled and lifted my eyelids. I turned around and met his gaze.
His eyes were droopy with sleep, his hair disheveled. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his muscles were like expertly carved slabs of stone. I couldn’t stop my gaze from ungluing itself from his eyes and chest and drifting down to the line of hair that ran down his abdomen before disappearing into the elastic of his shorts. My heart fluttered for a few moments before I felt a stabbing pain in my core, followed by a rush of shame. Even though my husband had long ceased to be my partner, I still felt guilty. I looked up at Dustin. He blinked and ran his tongue along his bottom lip.
I bit my own lip and tried to ignore the thoughts of how we used to be as a couple, and the sexual tension that still crackled between us.
“Did you ever miss us?” he asked.
The words hit me hard as they reminded me of what I had given up—and the high price I paid only to end up with nothing. I nodded, my heart aching. Pulling away from him, from us, was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. I had taken my comfort from knowing he deserved so much better than me, than what I had become out of desperation. But now, I couldn’t help looking back at the time we’d lost and the memories we had never had the chance to create. “A lot,” I said. Even during my happiest times with Jude, I had thought of Dustin. And more so when my marriage was crumbling.
They say you never forget your first love. Whoever said that was right.
He smoothed my hair back. I allowed him to touch me for a few more seconds and then I stood up, causing his hand to slide down the back of my neck and my shoulders. “I made breakfast,” I said. My voice was a whisper.
His help meant the world to me. His arms called for me, and I wanted to walk straight
into them. But I was afraid of what letting me in would do to him.
***
After breakfast, which Dustin wouldn’t stop thanking me for, he helped me into his truck. He insisted on getting me out of the house and giving me a tour of the ranch, refusing to let me shrink back from life and spend the day crying my eyes out. I had nothing to wear except for the dress I’d arrived in, so Dustin gave me a pair of jeans that were too big for me and a baggy checked shirt.
As the truck rumbled and groaned along a dirt road, Dustin filled me in on what he had been up to since he graduated from NYU with a degree in journalism. From the start, he’d had no intention of becoming anyone’s employee. So he’d launched a small online publishing company that grew to print quite fast, finally becoming the giant that was now the TMT empire. While growing his business, he had also continued studying.
“Why would you keep studying after reaching your dream? Hadn’t you had enough?”
He removed one hand from the wheel, wiped his brow, and pulled his black cap lower onto his forehead. “Studying doesn’t have to be torture. Not if you choose a field you’re passionate about.”
“And you did. You always wanted to study journalism.” I glanced at his strong, manly hands as he maneuvered the truck around potholes.
“That was just one of my passions, Haley Bradley.”
I liked that he continued to call me by my maiden name. Hearing him call me that released a tingle that cascaded down my spine, leaving me breathless. In the split second that my name slipped off his tongue, I was able to detach myself from Jude. In that moment, I returned to the girl Dustin had fallen in love with, way before Jude crept into my life.
I met his gaze as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “One of my passions used to be you.” There was an obvious strain to his voice. He turned away again, his jaw tense. Before I could answer, he blew the horn. I looked to the right and saw three men in blue overalls. Dustin waved at them and they all waved back. The truck rumbled on.
Dangerous Intentions (His Agenda 2) Page 3
