Retribution

by K. A. Robinson

  “I’m going to grab you some pain meds. I’ll be right back,” Cooper said before disappearing out into the hallway.

  As I waited for him to return, I fought not to cry. Robert had attacked me. My own husband had attacked me. It didn’t matter that he was drunk. Thousands of people got intoxicated every single day, and most of them wouldn’t use their fists to prove a point. While my body was bruised, it was nothing compared to my pride. I had been blind when it came to Robert. I should’ve run the moment he slapped me. Instead, I’d stayed and pouted like a child. If I had left, he never would’ve had the chance to do what he had done to me tonight.

  “Here. Take these.”

  I looked up to see Cooper standing in front of me. I hadn’t even seen him come in. I took the pills and the glass of water from him. I tossed back the pills and chugged the water.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. They won’t make it go away, but they’ll help. Hopefully, you’ll be able to sleep some tonight. You’ll be even worse in the morning though.”

  “Wonderful,” I muttered. “I doubt I’ll sleep much tonight.”

  He stood awkwardly in front of me. Awkward didn’t suit him at all. Cooper always seemed to be calm and in control, no matter the situation. He certainly didn’t appear that way now. He ran his hands through his hair as he started pacing in front of me.

  “I want to kill him for this, Claire. I want him to hurt as much as he hurt you.”

  I stayed silent as he continued to pace around the room.

  “I knew he was a pathetic bastard, but I never thought he’d do this to you!”

  “You knew he would do something though, didn’t you? You tried to warn me over and over. I refused to listen. I thought you were just trying to use me to get to him.”

  He stopped pacing and turned to look at me. “I didn’t think he’d attack you. I thought he’d manipulate and control you but never this. If I had known…”

  “If you had known, you would have tried to warn me, and I would have ignored you. This isn’t your fault, Coop, so stop acting like it is. This is all on me.”

  He shook his head. “This isn’t your fault at all.”

  I looked away. “Can we please just let it go for tonight? I’m exhausted.”

  “Of course. Do you…need me to help you change into pajamas or anything?”

  Any other time, I would have assumed that Cooper was trying to be a pervert, but I knew that wasn’t the case tonight.

  “No, I’m fine. But, Cooper?”

  “What?”

  “Can I ask a favor?”

  He walked over to me. “Anything.”

  “Will you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone in case…well, in case he comes back.”

  His eyes clouded over with sympathy. “I’ll stay.”

  “Thank you.” My voice was so quiet that I wasn’t sure if he could even hear me.

  It didn’t matter though. He knew how much it meant to me that he’d agreed.

  Tonight was the turning point for us. I could feel it. All the anger I’d felt toward him had been unjustified. He’d really tried to protect me, and I’d turned my back on him.

  I stood slowly and pulled the covers back. I slid in between the sheets as Cooper walked to the other side of the bed. I watched as he pulled off his shirt, leaving him in only a pair of shorts. I looked away, suddenly embarrassed by the thoughts running through my head. Cooper was incredible to look at. I had admitted that to myself long ago, but to think it at this moment was just wrong.

  He climbed into bed next to me and pulled the covers over us. “Do you want me to turn the light out?”

  I shook my head. “No, leave it on. I don’t want to be in the dark tonight.”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he just scooted closer to me. I rolled on my side, away from him. I felt the heat radiating from his body, letting me know that he was close without touching me. Without thinking, I reached back and found his hand. He tensed for a moment as I lifted it and rested it against my hip.

  “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but I want to feel you so that I know you’re with me. Is that okay?”

  “It’s fine, Claire. Whatever you need from me, just tell me, and I’ll do it. Right now, I’d do just about anything for you.”

  “I know,” I said softly. “Thank you for that.”

  We lay in silence. I stared at the far wall for a few minutes before finally closing my eyes. All I could feel was Cooper’s hand on my hip. It comforted me more than he could ever realize. Before I knew it, I was out.

  I awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. I opened my eyes and rolled onto my back. I jumped, causing pain to shoot through my body, when I saw Cooper standing above me.

  I winced. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “Sorry. I made you breakfast.”

  I sat up carefully, testing my body. It hurt like a bitch. “Thanks. What time is it?”

  “Just after ten,” he said. He sat down next to me.

  My eyes widened. “I’m supposed to be at work!”

  “I took care of it. I called the office and said you wouldn’t be in today or tomorrow.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “That you have a stomach bug. When you go back and they see your face, they’ll know I lied. You’ll have to figure out what you’re going to tell them.” He paused thoughtfully. “If you go back.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked as I watched him place the tray across my lap. Suddenly starved, I picked up a piece of bacon and chomped away on it.

  “I don’t know what you plan to do now. You could press charges against my father if you wanted to.”

  “We both know they’ll never stick. He’s too connected in this town.”

  He sighed. “You’re right. So, what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” I told him truthfully. “I hate your father, but I have nowhere to go. I need to find a place to stay before I leave here. I’ll also need to find a new job as well. Something tells me I’ll be fired from the firm soon.”

  “So, you’re just going to run away and let him get away with what he did to you?” Cooper asked incredulously.

  “What do you expect me to do, Cooper? I can’t file charges against him!” I said, suddenly angry.

  He stayed silent for a moment. “I didn’t sleep much last night. Instead, I stayed up and tried to think of a way that you could get back at him.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “And what did you come up with?”

  “You’re not going to like it,” he said.

  “I’m sure I won’t, but tell me anyway.”

  He looked guilty for a moment, and my stomach dropped. I really wasn’t going to like this.

  “I want to use you.”

  “To do what?” I asked cautiously.

  “To finally get proof against my father. Think about it, Claire. You are closer to him than anyone else. He would never expect you to betray him, even after last night. He thinks you’re a timid little girl who is too dumb to go against him. You have access to him at work as well. I have never been able to get into his office before.” He took a deep breath. “I want you to go to him and tell him you forgive him for what happened last night. Then, I want you to snoop every chance you can, so we can finally pin my mother’s death on him.”

  I gaped at him with my mouth hanging open. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’ve never been so serious about anything in my life. I think you’re my one and only chance at finally bringing him down, Claire. I wouldn’t ask this of you if I wasn’t desperate.”

  “You want me to forgive him.” I sucked in a deep breath. “No, it’s more than just forgiving Robert. You want me to act like nothing happened.”

  “I know it’s asking a lot, Claire. I get that. But wouldn’t you rather make him pay for everything he’s done than just walk away and let him hurt someone else like he hurt you, like he hurt my mother? Your innocence is what got you here, an
d it’s what’ll get you out.”

  “He really killed her, didn’t he?” My voice was so soft that I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not.

  Finally, after a moment, he spoke, “Yeah, Claire, he did. And it’s up to me to make sure he pays for what he’s done.” His voice grew gruff as he said, “My mother is dead because she wanted out. I can’t let that happen to you, too. Please, help me, and I swear to God, I’ll protect you from him. I need you to do this though, Claire. Please.”

  I stared at him. I no longer saw a sarcastic man. Instead, I saw a broken one. Marie’s death had destroyed Cooper. He’d spent so much time trying to avenge her, and he had come up with next to nothing. If I walked away, I wasn’t sure that Cooper would ever stop trying. He would either get himself killed, or he’d murder Robert and destroy his own future. I couldn’t let that happen.

  Despite what had happened between us, I still cared for Cooper. I probably always would. That was why I had waited and waited for him to finally make his appearance once we returned. It wasn’t because I was afraid of him. It was because I’d wanted to see him. Cooper had left an empty feeling inside of me when he walked away.

  I reached forward and grabbed his hand. I tugged gently until he would finally look at me. “Tell me what I need to do then.”

  He tensed for a moment. “You’re going to help me?”

  I nodded. “I’m going to do whatever I can to make Robert pay.”

  He squeezed my hand. “He has always done whatever it takes to get him to where he wants to be. He’s never feared anyone. It’s time to make him fear, Claire. I want retribution for his sins, and I know you do, too.”

  “I’m sorry for what I said before. I thought…” I trailed off.

  “I know what you thought, but you were wrong. It doesn’t matter now anyway.”

  I cleared my throat. “You’re going to have to help me, Cooper. I don’t know what you want or need to make him pay.”

  “We’ll start with getting you two back on a comfortable level. I want you to wait a couple of days before you go to him. I doubt if he’ll come home, so you’ll have to find him at work. I want you to come off as weak and needy. Tell him how sorry you are for making him angry. You have to make him believe that everything you say is the absolute truth.”

  “Weak and needy.” I gave a humorless laugh. “I seem to be a professional when it comes to portraying those two traits.”

  “Hey, look at me.” Cooper’s fingers settled under my chin, and he raised my face so that I was looking at him. “You’re not weak, Claire. You never have been. You were forced into his life, and he took control before you even had a chance to stop him. He might think you’re weak, but you’re not. It’s time to prove just how strong you really are.”

  “I’ll try,” I said as I looked into his eyes. “And you’ll be there with me every step of the way.”

  “I will. I promise. We’ll get through all of this, unscathed.”

  I hoped that was true.

  I did as Cooper had said. I hadn’t tried to contact Robert for two days. I’d spent both days locked away in my room, willing my bruised and battered body to heal.

  The first time I’d looked in the mirror, I’d started crying. I had known that my eye was swollen shut, but to know and to see it were two totally different things. I looked horrible. My eye was black, and my cheek was swollen. My ribs were just as bruised. I’d lifted my shirt and started crying harder. Cooper had barged into my room at the sound of my cries. He’d stopped dead when he saw the purple-and-blue color of my skin. He’d crossed the room in a flash and pulled me into his arms.

  “I’m going to end this, Claire,” he’d whispered to me as I sobbed against his shirt.

  I’d watched several of my foster mothers deal with abuse over the years. A few of my foster families had hit me as well, but I always sworn to myself that I would never willingly be with someone who hurt me that way. I’d let Robert fool me into thinking he was my savior. I should have known better. There had been so many signs, and I’d ignored them all. He’d taken over my life, controlled everything about me, and I’d let him. That made me weak, no matter what Cooper had said.

  No more.

  I was done being Robert’s pawn. It was time that I took back my life. It was time for Robert to pay.

  On the third day after Robert’s attack, I decided it was time to go back to work. I spent so much time trying to cover the bruises on my face with makeup even though I knew it was a lost cause. Still, I tried. I managed to hide the worst of it, but anyone who looked at me would know I was sporting one hell of a black eye.

  After finishing my hair and makeup, I dressed quickly and pulled a pair of sunglasses out of my purse. They would hide my eye outside, but I would be screwed once I made it to work. Wearing them would be even more noticeable than showing my eye to the world.

  As I drove to work, I took several deep breaths to calm myself. I was on the verge of a panic attack from just the thought of seeing Robert again. The fact that I’d have to make him believe that I still wanted him made me physically ill. I wanted to turn the car around and run back to Cooper, but I knew I couldn’t. He had promised to help me in any way he could, but there was no way he could help or even hide me from what I was about to do. I would have to do it on my own. There was no other option.

  I parked my car and walked into the firm with my head held high. I didn’t dare take off my sunglasses yet though. I knew I couldn’t face Robert if the whole office gawked at me as I walked toward his office.

  When I walked past Gina, she greeted me with a warm smile. I smiled back, but I didn’t trust myself to even say good morning to her. I passed the elevator that would take me up to Becky’s office. Instead, I kept going. I needed to speak to Robert now before I decided that Cooper’s plan was a bad idea.

  When I knocked on Robert’s door, I couldn’t help but hope that he wasn’t in. My heart sank when I heard him yell for me to come in. I took one last steadying breath before I swung his door open and walked inside. I closed the door behind me and turned to him.

  His mouth hung open in shock as he stared at me. Obviously, he hadn’t expected me to show up here anytime soon. If it weren’t for Cooper’s plea, Robert’s assumption would have been right. I probably never would’ve set foot in this office again.

  “Claire,” he said, his voice full of surprise.

  “Robert,” I said as I crossed the room and sat down in one of the chairs directly across from him. The desk sat between us, serving as the only shield I had against him. It gave me comfort to know that something was there.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, his voice even. He’d obviously recovered from the shock of seeing me.

  “We need to talk,” I said, wanting to get to the point so that I could escape him.

  “We do. I’m just not sure where to begin.”

  I closed my eyes for a moment and sent up a silent prayer that my attempt to make him believe I had forgiven him would work. If he believed me, I would deserve an award for actress of the year.

  I’d spent the last two days planning on just what I would say and do. I willed my scripted tears to come to my eyes. It was surprisingly easy to make myself cry since I’d been crying on and off for the past two days.

  I opened my eyes and looked at him through my tears. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed at the sight of my tears streaming down my face.

  “What did I do to deserve this?” My voice broke, and I realized it wouldn’t be as hard as I’d thought it would be to show the emotions I needed. I was hurt. I was broken. “All I’ve ever done is love you, Robert. Why did you have to hurt me?”

  He stood abruptly and walked around the desk. He knelt down next to me, and I forced myself not to move away.

  “What I did is inexcusable, Claire. Words cannot express just how very sorry I am.”

  “You hurt me, Robert. You hurt me so much.” I removed my sunglasses, and I was rewarded with a wince fro
m him when he saw my eye.

  “I never meant to, Claire. I was drunk and not thinking clearly. I was so enraged that I just lost control. You have to believe me when I say I would never do what I did under normal circumstances. I haven’t slept in days. I’ve just been thinking about what happened.”

  “Then, why didn’t you come to me?” I asked.

  His words had sounded so sincere that I wanted to believe him, just like I always had, but I knew better now. Robert hid his true self under a mask of sincerity and, at times, indifference. I wouldn’t let him fool me any longer.

  “I didn’t think you wanted to see me.”

  “I waited for you to come back! I needed you, Robert. I needed you to tell me how sorry you were. I wanted you there to take care of me. But you never came. You left me completely alone and broken.”

  He grabbed my hand and lifted it to his lips. “If I had known, I would’ve been there in an instant. I love you, Claire, but what I did was barbaric. I can understand if you hate me now. I hate myself.”

  “I don’t hate you, Robert. I love you. I just want to know what I did wrong to make you hate me,” I said, telling the biggest lie of my life.

  I despised this man. I absolutely hated him. Any tenderness I’d felt for him disappeared when his foot became one with my rib cage.

  “I love you, too. Please tell me what I can do to make this right,” Robert said as he gripped my hand tighter.

  “Come home to me,” I whispered. “Come home, and be my husband. Show me how much you love me.”

  He seemed startled by my words. “That’s what you really want?”

  It wasn’t, not at all. What I wanted was for him to lay on the floor while I walked all over him with my three-inch spiked heels.

  “It is. Please come back to me. We love each other, and I know we can make this work again. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Oh, Claire,” he said as he rose to his feet.

  He pulled me up until I was standing next to him. I flinched and let out a muffled cry when he hugged me.