Dream Under the Hill (Oberon Book 8)

by P. G. Forte

  “No! No, please. He’ll be so mad. I- I- Oh, please!”

  He’d taken hold of her shoulders to keep her at bay, and was startled at the way she was trembling, but now, the look in her eyes, the quake in her voice brought it all into focus. She wasn’t angry, or hurt. She was scared. No. He shook his head, denying the knowledge, the truth. A pain began in his belly. A twisting, torquing knot of a pain that ached and burned.

  “Please, Liam. Please,” she continued to beg, continued to cry, continued to shiver. She smiled through her tears. “I promise I’ll drive better. I will. Really, I will. I’ll be good, I promise. Just let me try. Okay? Please? Please, Liam?” Her hands fluttered around his face, stroking appeasingly. But her smile was a lie. A ghastly, shaky pretense that couldn’t begin to convince him.

  He shrugged off his seat belt and pulled her to him. Seeking only to offer comfort, trying hard to ignore how good it felt to hold her. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “Don’t cry. I won’t let him hurt you. You hear me? I won’t let him touch you, ever again. You’re safe, now. You’re safe.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cara had shuddered in fright when Liam grabbed her and pulled her close. Her first instinct was to scream at him to stop, to twist out of his arms, to push him away, but five months with Gregg had taught her that resistance often carried a heavy price, so she quelled the impulse. But she couldn’t stop her tears, nor the tremors that wracked her.

  “Don’t hurt me,” she murmured, “please.” She didn’t know why he was suddenly acting like this – so angry, rough and mean. And, she didn’t know what he wanted from her, either. Although, she supposed... oh, sure, the stuff in her bags must have given him some ideas about that, huh? She shuddered again as his arms tightened around her. She knew she could never fight him off for very long. She would never get away unless he let her go. And she would never, ever win.

  But, what else was new?

  She sagged against him feeling defeated and lost. So, okay, if that’s what this was all about, then fine; see if she’d care. It was disappointing as hell, considering he was the first guy in a while she’d made the mistake of liking, but, it wasn’t the first time this kind of thing had happened to her, and she wouldn’t let it bother her. She wouldn’t let it matter. She wouldn’t let him matter. She’d let him do whatever he wanted as long as he didn’t hurt her. As long as he let her go, when it was over...

  She hadn’t been too concerned when she got back to the car after shopping, and found he wasn’t there; she’d built in enough time for them to get back to the house plenty early. It was a beautiful spring day, and she wasn’t going to spoil it by getting upset over a few minutes. Besides, it was nice to be away from the house for even a little while. She could understand if he didn’t exactly feel like rushing back. And she didn’t mind sitting in the park for a few minutes longer while she waited, sipping her tapioca pearl tea, daydreaming the most impossible things, while the sun warmed her face and the birds twittered happily in the branches overhead.

  It was after the tea had all been drunk, and Liam still wasn’t back, that she’d started to worry. And, then – as the sun began to slant through the trees, and she realized how late it had gotten – to sweat as the pearls turned to stones, and then to heavy lead balls, chill and hard, in her stomach. God, Gregg would kill her for this.

  Even the sunshine felt cold, as she thought about what he might do to her. Whatever he did, it would hurt. That was certain. Pain, as he insisted on reminding her over and over again, was the whole point of punishment. “Negative reinforcement, pet. No pain, no gain. Until you learn to do as you’re told, you’ll have to suffer the consequences.”

  Not that it was always easy to guess what he wanted her to do. There were too many times when his anger had caught her by surprise, when she’d run afoul of rules she hadn’t even known about. There were some rules she’d suspected he’d made up on a whim, for no other reason than to see if she’d break them.

  But this time wasn’t like that. This time there would be no surprise, no confusion. And no reprieves. It was a simple matter, really; the first rule she’d ever learned, the one rule she’d never broken. Until now.

  He always let her go when she wanted, because she always came back when he said. It was that simple. That easy. And, now? Would he ever let her out again? The real punishment wouldn’t be the pain, it would be imprisonment. And, damn it, Liam knew what that was like!

  Isn’t that what he’d been complaining about the other night? Isn’t that why she bent the rules and let him go with the others on their stupid mission? And this is how he repaid her?

  Right. Of course. She ought to have known better. She shouldn’t even have tried. When had being nice ever gotten her anything but totally screwed?

  The sun sank lower as she stood on the sidewalk beside her car, debating what to do; almost crying in relief when, at long last, Liam finally appeared.

  It hadn’t helped that he wasn’t one bit sorry to have kept her waiting, though. It hadn’t helped that he’d laughed at her distress. And, it really hadn’t helped that – angry and frustrated and frightened though she was – still her heart went crazy at the sight of him, thumping like a bass drum in her chest just because he smiled...

  Now, as his hands smoothed down her back, as he murmured softly – words she couldn’t even hear over the sound of her own sobbing – it didn’t help to realize that he was just like everybody else.

  “Don’t hurt me,” she whispered again. “Please don’t hurt me.” And, she felt him go still.

  “What did you say” he asked, taking hold of her shoulders once again, pulling away enough to see her face. “Don’t hurt you? Cara–?”

  She looked up through her tears, into troubled blue eyes. Eyes that had been the subject of too many of this afternoon’s daydreams. It hurt too much to see them now, to see the way they looked at her. Hard. Angry. Intense.

  “Please,” she said as she ducked her head and looked away. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just... let me go, please.”

  Suddenly, surprisingly, he did just that. He thrust her away from him, leaning back against his door – as if he were trying to put as much space between them as possible. She huddled in her seat and eyed him warily, watching as he ran his hands over his face and through his spiky hair, leaving it standing all on end, and more in need of being patted into place than ever.

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. I just want to help you, that’s all. To keep you safe.”

  A shudder ran through her. Keep her safe? Oh, God. They were the very words she’d longed to hear. The very words she couldn’t let herself believe. They were a lie. A crutch. A trap.

  She shook her head. “Then just give me the keys, Liam, please. Let’s get back to the house. When Gregg gets mad, it’s so awful—you don’t know.” Just thinking about it started her sniffling again. She wrapped her arms around herself and blinked back her tears.

  Liam shook his head again, as though to clear it. “I don’t get you at all. Are you scared of him? Or, or not?”

  “Well, of course I’m scared!”

  “Then why are we going back there? You don’t have to stay with him, you know, if he, if he hurts you. You could leave. I’ll help you.”

  “Help me? Leave? What are you talking about? I can’t leave.” She could dream of leaving, she could fantasize about it all day long, but she wasn’t stupid enough to think that she could actually do it. Where would she go? Would she live on the street? Is that what he thought she wanted to do? Or did he think she could go home? She shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

  “I’m trying to,” he sighed, straightening away from the car door and reaching for her, tentatively. She hesitated a little as his hands closed on her arms once more, and then gave up; leaning into him, as well; resting her head against his chest as his arms slid around her; trying not to think too much about how nice it felt. It wasn’t a feeling she wanted to get to
o used to.

  “I really am trying,” he said. “Help me out here. Explain it to me.”

  Cara sighed. Where to begin? “It’s not so bad, you know. It’s just that he gets so amped up... on Saturdays, especially. Or after any of the meetings, really. And sometimes he gets a little carried away, that’s all. But it’s my fault, mostly. It pisses him off when I mess up, and, and I know that. But this... this is a really big mess.” She started to cry again, thinking about that. What if she couldn’t make it up to him, this time? What if he made her stay in the house... forever? Not even let her out to go to school. How would she ever get away then?

  Liam sighed. “Crap. I’m sorry. It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. Of course it was his fault, but they’d already covered that, hadn’t they? What good did he think talking about it was going to do her? It was getting later by the minute, and– “Let’s just go, okay? Please, Liam?” Late was bad enough, but, really late... that had to be even worse, didn’t it?

  “Would it help if I talked to him?” Liam asked, ignoring her request, just as she should have known he’d do, and making absolutely no effort to do as she’d asked. “I don’t want to get kicked out, either, though. But– Well, you know him better than I do. So, tell me. What should I do? How do I fix this?”

  Cara shrugged. “I don’t know. I can usually get him to come around, you know. He likes getting presents.” Not like that was gonna help Liam any, since Gregg really didn’t swing that way. No, if anyone was gonna fix this mess and save Liam’s ass, along with her own, it would be her. And, didn’t that just figure?

  “Presents?” Liam’s voice sounded grim. “You mean those sex toys you stole.”

  She shrugged again. “He likes them. They make him happy.”

  “Yeah.” Liam snorted. “I’ll bet. But, you shouldn’t have to do that. You shouldn’t have to make him happy, or... or... ”

  “Or act like a hooker?” That’s what he’d said before, wasn’t it? She shook her head. What did he know? It worked, didn’t it? Besides, she didn’t care. Except... what if it didn’t work anymore? What would she do then?

  Liam’s next words were spoken so low she nearly missed them. “I’m a bastard.”

  She shook her head, gulping back her tears. “But what if you’re right? What if I’m not good enough?”

  It was what Gregg thought, too, wasn’t it? What he’d told her when she first complained about Lauren, a week ago...

  “Maybe you’re just not enough for me, anymore,” Gregg said. He’d been lying in bed beside her, head propped on one hand. “Ever think of that?” He reached out with his other hand to tweak one of her nipples, bringing it to point; and then leaning in to swipe at it with his tongue. “Or... maybe she has something else I want. Something you can’t give me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Like big tits.” And hadn’t she already heard enough about those?

  “Listen to me,” Liam said now. “Forget what I said. I didn’t mean it. I was just... I was being a jerk, that’s all. The truth is, you’re too good for him. It makes me angry. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you like that. I’m sorry.”

  Too good? Cara stared at him. It was the first time she’d ever been told that, and she didn’t even care if he didn’t mean it. It was enough that he’d thought to say it. But... he looked like he meant it, too; and that was even better.

  She looked at him and smiled, then watched as his eyes went dark. His lips parted as he leaned in toward he. Her breath caught. She shouldn’t be kissing him, it would only lead to trouble, but, if it kept him saying nice things to her, she didn’t care. She was already in trouble, how much could a little more hurt?

  But apparently, Liam was having second thoughts of his own. “No,” he murmured. “I can’t.” His breath sounded shaky as he eased away from her, pulling back, letting her go.

  And even though it was just a tiny rejection, it was more than she could bear. She scrambled after him, following his retreat; ignoring the surprise that widened his eyes when she straddled him; paying no attention to the thud of his head on the door frame as she pressed her lips to his. Almost smiling when he kissed her back, his hands sliding up to clutch at her shoulder and tangle in her hair.

  Almost, but not quite. It was too good for that. There was nothing at all funny about the way he kissed her. Nothing funny about the way his lips played over hers, or the way his tongue seemed to want to claim her whole mouth. And, oh, God, she wanted it to. She wanted him to touch every part of her. If the bulge in his pants was anything to go by, he wanted the same thing. She snuggled closer, rubbing against him, enjoying the heat her movements generated.

  His grasp on her tightened and she shivered. There was nothing funny about the way he was holding her, either. She was all too aware of his arms around her, of the power and strength in his fingers and hands as he pressed her closer still, keeping her right where he wanted her, right where she wanted to be.

  But least amusing of all was how quickly it was over.

  Long before she was ready he was ending it; gently pushing her away; shaking his head as he quietly murmured, “Bad idea. Very bad idea. Really not smart.”

  No, it wasn’t smart. But it sure felt good. She tilted her head to the side as she watched him, still straddling his lap. She wondered how hard it would be to change his mind, what it would take?

  He met her eyes, and shook his head again, just as if he’d read her thoughts. He nodded toward her seat. “Come on. We better get back, before it gets any later.” He dug his hand in his pocket for a moment, and then handed her the car keys.

  “Right,” she sighed, as she took them; shivering a little as she came back to reality. Nothing had changed, she was in just as much trouble as before. But, for a few lucky minutes, she’d managed to forget that.

  She crawled back into her seat, and then, just as she was about to put the key in the ignition, he stopped her.

  “Hold on a second,” he said, putting a hand on her arm. He was frowning just a little. “I just thought of something. You got a spare in the back?”

  She nodded. “A spare tire? Sure, I do. Why?”

  He unbuckled his seatbelt. “Give me five minutes.”

  “Liam? What’s going on? Where are you going now?”

  He opened the car door and flashed her a smile over his shoulder. “You’ll see. I think I got an idea. Just wait here.”

  He was back in less than five minutes, chuckling softly. Looking awfully pleased with himself.

  She looked at him in surprise. His hands and the front of his shirt were smeared black. There were even smudges on his face. “What have you been doing?” she asked him, mystified by his appearance.

  “Why, changing your flat tire, little lady,” he said, smiling widely. “What else?” He gave her a wink and added, “Now, it’s no one’s fault we’re late.”

  She felt herself frowning. “Liam, it’s not going to work. A few smears of grease aren’t going to be enough to convince anyone that you changed a tire, you know.”

  He grinned. “No, but the flat in your trunk ought to do it. Don’t you think?”

  “It would, but we don’t have a flat tire in the trunk.”

  “Oh, yes, you do,” he replied as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a pocket knife. “Amazing what you can accomplish with the right tools, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Cara’s chest felt tight. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the knife. Her heart began to pound, and she had to force herself to focus on the here and now. “Wait– You’re telling me you changed a tire in three minutes?” she demanded, knowing damn well he hadn’t. She just needed him to keep talking. She needed him to put the knife away, too, but she couldn’t bring herself to mention it, any more than she could bring herself to look away.

  “Well, no, but, no one else needs to know that, do they? Lucky for me, your spare is an actual tire, or I would have had to, though. And, I’m fast, but not that fast. Now, come on,
” he said as he gestured toward the ignition, finally sliding the knife back into his pocket where it couldn’t trouble her anymore. “What are you waiting for? We’re all right, you know. I took care of it. No one’s in trouble. Okay?”

  No one’s in trouble. We’re all right.. I took care of it. The words echoed in her mind for the space of a second, before they actually sank in. When they did, they ignited a bright blast of hope and relief. Maybe he really meant what he’d said before. Maybe he really could keep her safe. Maybe... maybe...

  She scrabbled frantically with her seatbelt, finally releasing it, and then launching herself into his arms, once more. “Omigod, I LOVE you,” she screamed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and plastered his face with kisses. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  “It’s all right. Okay. You’re welcome,” he mumbled between kisses. “Now, come on, I didn’t buy us all night, you know. We still need to get going.”

  “All right,” she sighed, as she returned to her seat and buckled herself back in. “But, it’s really going to be okay now, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” he said smiling softly. “It will. It’ll all be okay.”

  * * *

  Deirdre fast forwarded through the videotape her mother’s lawyer had sent her, watching as the images flashed across her TV screen. Paige smiled and chattered silently, animatedly, while clouds hurried by in the sky above her head, casting their shadows on the mountains behind her. Mountains Deirdre had come to know well during her brief stay in Oberon three years earlier.

  The Totawka foothills marked the township’s eastern boundary, and so mesmerized was she by the sight of them, she nearly skipped the part of the tape she wanted; the part about her father. She quickly pressed ‘play’ and the images slowed.

  Paige smiled apologetically from the TV screen, her voice audible once again. “Now, I need to talk to you about your father,” she said, speaking a little too quickly. Deirdre watched the way her mother’s eyes slid away from the camera, listened again as she coughed softly – something she’d only recently come to recognize as a sure sign that Paige was nervous about something. If only she’d realized it sooner. Only three years sooner, would have been enough to save her a lot of heartache.