Snapped from his frozen state, he quickly dialed 911. Olivia listened impatiently as he reported what was happening, barely able to restrain herself from snatching the device out of his hand.
After giving him the exact street address to relay to the dispatcher, she turned and was horrified to see that the first few tendrils of smoke had morphed into great billowing flags of doom. Then the deep boom of an explosion rocked the air.
Sharp stabs of throbbing pain shot through Olivia’s head as she watched the unfolding tableau with dread. Her eye had already begun to swell, steadily shrinking the scene before her down to a bare slit of vision.
All day she’d been trying to convince herself she could handle the situation, but she’d had no idea just how wrong she’d been.
Chapter Thirty-One
Robert slammed into the motel room, seething with frustration. He cautiously shrugged his jacket off and examined where the blood had seeped through his shirt. The flesh at his side flamed from where Olivia’s blade had sliced him and he could already feel his face beginning to swell from the encounter.
What a little hellion. It probably shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to him that she’d turn a kitchen knife on him. Hadn’t he been watching her in the café for the past few weeks?
Wincing, he gingerly pried his shirt from the wound where the blood had already begun to clot, and took the shirt off. He scowled at his reflection in the mirror as cold water streamed from the faucet, inspecting the bruise slowly purpling under the skin on his cheek. He bent down and splashed water on his face.
Surprised, he found flour had gotten into his hair. It was then he remembered the bulk canister getting knocked off the counter and spraying forth a burst of powdery white as the lid had come off on impact.
Robert was disgusted with himself. How could he have let this situation get so far out of his control? Not only had he failed to take her, but now he’d also shown his hand. It was simply a matter of time before the cops realized he was in the area and began to look for him specifically.
Impatiently, he grabbed one of the threadbare towels from the rack in the bathroom and, after dampening it, used it as a compress against the wound in his side. Thankfully, it didn’t look deep enough to require stitches. The angle would have made doing it himself difficult and he certainly wasn’t able to go to the hospital to get it looked at.
He clenched his free hand into a fist, slamming it down onto the chipped porcelain sink. If only the bitch had behaved as she should have.
He paused.
He admitted to himself he’d underestimated her. If she’d come quietly, he wouldn’t have had to take such drastic measures.
He chuckled as he headed back into the bedroom to grab another shirt. Oh, but he’d found a way to punish her for her insolence. Robert smiled in dark delight at the memory of those first few tendrils devouring the fryer oil, watching the red flames flicker across the counter’s surface and over to the open flame of the gas stove.
Torching the place had been immensely satisfying. Too bad he’d had to leave before the gas had ignited. It would have been a pleasure to see the reactions flitter across her face as she watched her beloved café burn. He could imagine the flames reflected in her golden eyes, the way they’d be rounded in horror.
He hardened at the thought of her distress and idly rubbed himself with his hand. Really, who could have known she’d have so much fight in her?
The thought of taming her quickened his pulse.
For a moment he allowed himself to lay back on the bed, seeing images of her struggling beneath him, arms pinned at her sides, her hips bucking under his, and that moment when she capitulated to his dominance. Oh, he could practically hear her whimpering now.
Panting a little at the thought, he forced himself to stop. The outline of his hard cock pressed against the front of his jeans, arrogantly demanding release. Not yet…not yet, he reminded himself. Control, above all else, was essential. It was everything. He must master his urges and his body, or else how could he expect to gain the upper hand with Olivia when the time came?
He stood up from the bed and began packing his meager belongings into his duffel bag. Besides, he thought, the anticipation would make it so much sweeter once he did finally conquer her. For now, the best thing he could do was concentrate on getting out of town and up to the cabin. He’d lay low a bit and let her relax into a state of complacency, and then strike!
In fact, thinking about it further, taking a few weeks would be exactly what he needed to get the cabin prepared for Olivia’s arrival. And won’t she be so surprised by what he has in store for her?
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Olivia!” Liz’s high, shrill, desperate voice, finally did what nothing else could have done. Olivia turned toward the frantic calling of her sister and watched as she came barreling down the sidewalk towards them. Detachedly, she noticed a number of other people had begun gathering, standing and watching the fire as it started to build momentum.
“Oh, my God, Olivia. I’m so sorry! Some lady with a flat tire drove up right as I was leaving the shop and I stopped to help her fill it up.”
Liz searched her face and winced at the damage done there. “Shit, look at you.” Gently, she grabbed both of her shoulders, turning Olivia away from the view of the smoke and forcing her to look directly at Liz.
Liz’s eyes filled with tears as she gripped her in a hug. After a moment, she pulled back, disturbed by the lack of response in her older sister. “Olivia, honey, are you okay?”
Olivia’s hollow eyes met hers before sliding back towards the ominous plumes. “The café. Liz, the café!” For a split second, her face crumpled around the edges before she managed to iron it out again. She couldn’t seem to turn away from the sinister, sooty, black balloons of smoke.
Sirens pierced the frigid air around them, steadily growing louder as they approached, but in her heart, she knew it was already too late. The damage was done.
“Oh, Livvy. I know…” Liz whispered, as she watched her sister’s face, taking in the scene before her.
Anger, sharp and hot, pierced through Olivia. Trembling, she shot a quick look at her sister. “That bastard is going to pay for this.”
“Wait, you mean…” Horror grew on Liz’s face as she began to really assess the damage done to Olivia’s face and body. Only then did Liz notice that Olivia couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Her whole body was one big tremor as the adrenaline drained from her system.
“Ma’am?” Olivia flinched as a paramedic came up behind them. Liz wrapped her arm around her waist to help steady her. “Ma’am, I was told you had some injuries that I should see to.”
What had started out as only slight trembling had quickly taken over her small frame. With her teeth chattering, she nodded her head at the young man. He held a warm blanket in his hands and gently wrapped it around her shoulders. “Why don’t you come over to the ambulance so I can take a look at that cut on your forehead?”
Olivia raised her fingers to her head, only just realizing there was a robin-egg-sized lump beginning to form. No wonder her head was pounding so badly.
She gingerly sat on the back ledge of the ambulance. The paramedic dug a small light from his pocket and began to shine it in her eyes.
Liz stood just to his side and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Olivia had a hard time concentrating on what she was supposed to be doing with the drama of the fire unfolding behind him. Her eyes kept drifting to the smoke.
She could see the burning red glow of the flames reflected against the windows in the stores across the street, but from her vantage point, couldn’t actually see her café. Honestly, she wasn’t sure that was such a bad thing given the circumstances.
“Okay, it doesn’t look like any permanent damage was done, although you may have a slight concussion from that knock on your head.” She focused on the man in front of her, but didn’t know how to respond. No permanent damage?
How could he possi
bly say that as the inferno behind him blazed? Even if the fire could be stopped instantly, the damage would be extensive. Not to mention the feeling of violation, and the loss of security she was already experiencing. It all felt like permanent damage to her.
Dully, she simply looked away from the man and became aware of a uniformed officer standing to the side of the ambulance, patiently waiting for the paramedic to finish his tasks. After his assessment was announced, the cop stepped up. “Ma’am? Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Liz came back over and sat down beside her, taking her hand for support. “Do we have to do this now? We really should call our sister, Fiona.”
Olivia huddled a little deeper into her blanket and leaned into her sister’s strength. After giving Liz’s hand a reassuring squeeze, she nodded wearily at the officer. “Actually, I’d rather get this over with. However, before you start, you should know I already have a file related to this with Officer Brad Thompson. I’ve had a stalker harassing me for the past few weeks.”
The young cop looked up from his pad. “A stalker did this?”
The weight of those words, and the knowledge that came with them, threatened to crush her. There was no getting around it now. No room for doubt.
“Yes.” She whispered, barely audible over the sirens and excitement.
Just then Brad strode up and patted the younger man on his back. “Don’t worry about this, I’ve got it.”
Relieved, the cop gave him a nod and hurried back across the street to where some police tape was being set up.
Liz looked up at him. “Hi, Brad. Thank goodness you’re here.”
Brad nodded at her, then took a moment to really look at Olivia, as if cataloging her many injuries, both physical and otherwise. He sighed. “Well, this became a shitstorm, didn’t it?”
His unexpected candor managed to break through Olivia’s sense of shock. Startled, she looked up and offered him a wan smile. “That, I think, would be an understatement.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened? From the beginning.”
Haltingly, she began to relay the events that had occurred after the café had closed. Liz winced when she got to the part of her story where she was in the kitchen alone.
Brad was quietly intent and listened without interrupting. After she was finished, he asked, “Would you be able to recognize him again if you were to see him?”
An image of the man standing in the doorway flashed into her mind. She began to nod her head, but stopped when the pounding pain ramped back up to piercing, reminding her of the beating she’d just taken. Hot, sharp misery flashed behind her eyes.
“Okay, I know your head hurts, but I think we need to get at least a preliminary description of him before I let you go tonight. Your memory will be freshest right now. Are you okay with that?”
Olivia closed her eyes to better picture her assailant. “He’s wasn’t very old, or overly young. I’d put him about mid-thirties or so. He had dark brown hair. Brown eyes.” She paused, trying to recall any other details.
“About how tall would you say he was?” Brad prodded.
Olivia got a flashback of him standing behind her and shuddered. Silently, Liz scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Um, taller than me. I came to about his chin. Not as tall as Mason.”
Brad looked down at his pad and added a few more notes.
“OLIVIA! OLIVIA!” The deep roar of a desperate man cut above the noise of sirens and the crowd. All heads turned towards the sound. Olivia instantly felt relief as she recognized Mason’s voice.
“OLIVIA!”
Brad pivoted to look at where the panicked voice was coming from, and noticed the young officer valiantly trying to restrain Mason from entering the protected area.
He quickly got up and strode over to the cop. “It’s okay. He’s with me.” Relieved, the younger officer gave him a harried nod and stepped back. Mason didn’t even stop to utter thanks, but bounded over the tape and ran straight to Olivia.
“Olivia…” he slowed once he got a bit closer and could see the damage. “Oh baby, look at you.”
Gently, he cupped her face in his palms, taking note of the lump on her forehead and her black eye, now swollen shut. “Can we get an ice pack here?” he yelled over to the paramedic. Instantly chagrined, the young man rummaged in his bag and broke a cold compress open.
After wrapping it in a bit of cloth, he handed it over to Mason. “Here.” He held it to her face until she took it from his grasp and held it in place herself. He softly brushed her hair, trailing his fingers across her shoulders and down her free arm.
He held her hand and turned it over so the palm was facing up. The heel of her hand was scraped, her knuckles bruised, and a few nails torn down past the quick from when she’d fought the man off. He groaned and slowly lowered his head to kiss her poor, abused fingers.
Liz watched the two of them intently, taking note of the way they bent towards each other. Seeing the relief on her sister’s face at Mason’s arrival, she shifted and hopped down from the back of the ambulance to stand by Brad.
Now the full weight of what had transpired hit her. “I’m so, so sorry,” she stammered brokenly.
“What do you mean, ‘you’re sorry?’ How did this happen?” Mason’s head jerked up to pin Liz in a stare before shooting a look back at Olivia.
Pulling her hand from his grasp, Olivia roused herself in defense of her sister. “It was NOT her fault. Don’t you DARE give her a hard time!” She turned to look at her sister, who had lowered her head in shame and was staring at the ground at her feet.
“Do you hear me, Liz? Get it right out of your head that you had anything to do with this. If it wasn’t today, it would have been tomorrow, or the next day, or the next…” Olivia’s voice choked at the thought. The truth of her words reverberated through her soul.
She was trapped, as surely as if she were a prisoner in her own life. She turned haunted eyes back towards Mason and whispered, “This man is determined. It was just a matter of time.” She closed her eyes, fighting back the nausea her poor head was causing her.
Liz sniffled and raised her damp eyes to meet his. “I guess I just didn’t realize stopping to help that woman fill her tire would lead to something like this. I had no idea the magnitude of what we were dealing with.”
He observed Olivia with serious eyes. He could see the exhaustion and pain she was desperately trying to hide. It was obvious she was maintaining control by a thread. However, despite her distress, he could see a deeper layer of resolve in her eyes. She may have just had a setback, but she hadn’t given up, not yet.
He looked back at Liz. “Olivia’s right. Probably even more right than she even knows. I apologize. I shouldn’t have gone off like that.”
Brad had been watching the whole reunion and exchange intently. Now he stepped forward. “Olivia, we will get this man. It’s just a matter of time before he makes a mistake.” He turned towards Mason. “If you have some new information, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with me.”
Mason regarded the officer with grave concern. “About that, I may have some details that are relevant to the case, and I’m hoping to have more by tomorrow morning. I’m just waiting for the results of a few tests that could help illuminate exactly what kind of person we’re dealing with. Under the circumstances, it may be best to let her rest for a bit. May we please pick this back up tomorrow?”
Brad cast a look at Olivia and noticed the way her shoulders were hunched over, her hand still holding the ice pack over her eye, and sighed. The officer in him wanted nothing more than to get the details he needed from her, but as her friend, he could see she’d reached her limit. Resigned to waiting until the next day, he stepped towards her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
“Okay, I have enough to get started, at least. I swear to you, this is a personal priority for me. We will not stop until we get this guy.” Olivia’s one good eye swiveled up at him. It pa
ined him to see her like this. He turned towards Mason and gave him the go ahead. “We’ll put a unit outside her house tonight, just in case. All the same, guard her closely.”
“With my life.” Mason growled.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to take her statement and get any other information from you.” Satisfied, Brad turned and made his way back towards the chaos halfway down the block.
Mason wrapped his arm gingerly around Olivia’s shoulders to steady her as she lowered herself down from the ambulance bay.
Liz rushed up and took her other arm. “How could it have come to this?” she asked Mason.
“Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for these kinds of cases to escalate to the point of violence.”
The three of them stood, but before they could head towards his truck, Olivia stopped. “Please. I need to get closer. I need to see…”
His first instinct was to protest. He didn’t want her to have the images of her café looking like that in her head. Especially not after what she’d just been through. However, when he went to open his mouth, she just squeezed his hand and gave him a tired, understanding smile.
Resigned, the three of them rounded the corner of the building and turned towards the crowd watching the fire from across the street. They watched as the firefighters valiantly fought back the flames and tried to save the surrounding buildings.
Day had already begun to darken into the steely gray and blue winter hours of twilight. The large, plate glass windows in the front had been smashed, either by the heat of the fire itself or in order to grant easier access for the large hose the men had carried in.
At Olivia’s shudder, he wrapped his arm more firmly around her shoulders. Liz snaked her arm around her waist from the other side, each doing their part to make sure she was supported. They both looked over her head and met each other’s determined gaze, a silent understanding shared between the two of them.
Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters) Page 22
