The Obsidian Collection

by Rebel Adams

  “No, I am done with all that. I told you. You don’t have to change your identity anymore. It’s great; you can be Abigail Rivers, living a good life after doing hard time. It has a nice ring to it, right?” Billy asked.

  “But, you are going to need some money and some clothes,” he said when Abigail didn’t answer.

  “Our joint account will have to work. I will have to take all of it with me and go find out why my boyfriend married that tramp.” She had put some money in an account with her brother for emergencies. Starting over and chasing a man to South Carolina seemed like an emergency.

  “Doesn’t look like a tramp to me,” Billy was checking out her picture online. She was pictured at several charity events and fancy parties. Abigail slapped him so he would focus on more than the pretty face of her now sworn enemy.

  Billy was able to get her a cell phone she could use and took her downstairs to wait for a ride. Someone owed him a favor so he was able to find a car on short notice.

  “It’s not the Mercedes you had, but it will work for now. I give you your new 2008 Toyota Corolla. You’re welcome.” Abigail hugged her brother.

  “Thanks for everything. I will get in touch with you soon. I have a little bit of a drive, please tell Lila thank you.”

  It felt good to finally head towards her destination and begin figuring out her life. Being in the car by herself was something she could enjoy. She had gotten used to being by herself in quiet contemplation, like she had experienced in prison. The day after she helped Ruby in a fight she was in solitary for three days. It had been a maddening experience but also a time for quiet reflection. Of course, a lot of that time was spent thinking of a non-married Benton.

  As she drove, she thought of all the people she had deceived over the years. There were a lot of people she’d left behind who probably thought they were friends. She knew when she was arrested, and her real name was used, people felt betrayed and shocked. Lying was something she had been particularly good at, and she would have to use some of her skills in the deceit department to figure out what Benton was up to.

  The last couple of hours of her drive, she started to become angry because Benton had moved on without her. She thought of all the things she thought he needed to hear, and before she knew it, the sign for Alkapine was right in front of her. Now she just had to find out where Benton was, and come up with some type of living arrangement.

  Once she was off the exit, she pulled into the first gas station so she could fill up the tank and get her bearings.

  “Is there any way you could tell me where the mayor will be this evening. I’m an old friend visiting from out of town,” she asked the clerk as she put a couple of snacks and some water on the counter.

  “There’s a production of Peter Pan being put on in the center of town by the Alkapine Players. The mayor and his wife always go when they perform. It will start in twenty minutes. I can draw you a map.” The older clerk smiled as he drew a simple map on receipt paper. It showed just how small the town really was. There was a theater, church, one grocery store, and a small park. It would be difficult for Benton to be in such a small place. He loved the rush of the big city.

  “Thank you so much. I need to know one more thing. Is there somewhere I can buy something to wear to the play? I don’t think sweats are appropriate.”

  “There’s one clothing store here,” he said and pointed beside the church and wrote Sassy Girls on the map.

  Abigail didn’t know what to expect from a store called Sassy Girls. She thanked the clerk for his help and walked back to her car.

  As she walked in to Sassy Girls, a larger lady with pink cheeks and curly red hair greeted her.

  “Oh, goodie,” she clapped her hands together, “a new customer, what can I do for you, sweetie?”

  “I need dress in a hurry.; it needs to be simple. And maybe some heels.” The woman wasn’t listening to her anymore; after she heard the word dress, she had taken off to the back of the store.

  There was an assortment of dresses in her arms when she returned. Abigail had never seen so many ruffles and flowers. Finally, after trying on some hideous dresses to appease the eager storeowner, she settled on a sleek black dress, which was fitted in the hips and had cap sleeves. She felt pretty good about it and allowed the woman to find her a pair of red heels and a clutch to match. For the only store in town, which sold clothes, Sassy Girls was not a cheap place by any means. She had spent two hundred and twelve dollars by the time she selected a gold chunky bracelet, dangly gold earrings, and necklace.

  Now she was ready to go and find him. She had to admit she was a little nervous about it. The fact there would be a lot of people there gave her a small amount of solace. It would keep her from making a huge scene. She pulled up in front of the theater, parked on the street, and left her car while taking in the scene.

  When she walked inside, she realized it wasn’t as big as it looked from the outside, and there were two rows of seats on this level and several more rows down below. The play was underway and the actor playing Peter was flying around on the stage yelling his lines down at a much older lady who was supposed to be Wendy.

  Abigail found if she stood in the center next to the balcony, she could watch without being in anyone’s way. She spotted Benton, up in the box seats. He was whispering something into his wife’s ear and she giggled. The tight vines of jealousy wrapped around her for a minute as she watched. Tearing her attention away from them, she watched the play and found she enjoyed it. There was no form of entertainment in prison and she enjoyed watching the play to escape for a little while. When it was over, all the actors were announced and came back to the stage. Everyone stood up, including Benton and his wife, drawing her eyes back up to them. She was thinner in person than in her picture; from where Abigail stood, she looked flawless.

  Her arm went around his waist as they watched the end of the play. Looking over at Benton, Abigail could see he wasn’t the same man who had left her at that bank to get caught, and not the same man who had loved her night after night. His face was shaven clean and he wore a suit, a full suit with a tie. The picture didn’t do the transformation justice; it was hard to look at. The short style of his hair had thrown her off at first, but she could see it was him. He was sitting in the best seat with the prettiest girl and looked nothing like she remembered him. His eyes still flashed with a dangerous fire as he looked over the audience. Benton loved the spotlight, but this was a little ridiculous. As the actors took their bows, a man came out with a microphone.

  “We, at the Alkapine Playhouse, would like to think our amazing mayor, Thomas Sizemore, and his lovely wife Carla for supporting this play. Without you two, this never would have happened.” A big spotlight was put on Benton and the pretty thing besides him. Abigail leaned forward in disbelief. Her Benton, the mayor? Where the hell had he come up with the name Sizemore? Not realizing she was leaning too far forward, she started to topple over the balcony and kicked her feet out helplessly to cling onto something. Her dress started to ride up and threatened to show off her panties to the world. What a horrible way to go, the most embarrassing way. Hitting the floor was going to hurt, and Benton would see her if she ate it. Luckily, some good Samaritan had the common decency to grab her foot.

  Now the spotlight was on her and Benton Sellers stared at her with a mix of shock and concern on his face. She was caught. His eyes widened and he leaned forward a little, probably to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. She could tell he wasn’t happy to see her, or he wasn’t happy with her seeing him like this.

  As her face flushed, Abigail thanked her savior and realized getting out of there before the mayor and his wife came to check on her was the most important thing at the moment. She quickly headed to the back of the theater to try to beat the crowd. Benton was hot on her heels though and she didn’t even make it to the pavement before he grabbed her arm and turned her around. Instantly, she was full of the pain of seeing him with someone else after ten years o
f hell and tried to pull away.

  “Let me go, Mayor Sizemore,” she said, hoping he could feel the venom dripping off his false identity as he grabbed her arm tighter.

  “How did you find me, Abigail? What are you doing out, did you escape?” Benton looked around; making sure no one was watching, he dragged her behind the building. She finally pulled away and rubbed the spot he had been gripping.

  “No, you dumbass, I’m out on good behavior. I thought you would be happy, but all you have to say is how did you find me?” Fighting back tears, she moved away wanting to put some distance between them and to gather her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry; of course you didn’t break out.” He put his hands in front of him and turned on the charm she used to crumble for. Shaking her head, she turned away from him and held on to the anger.

  “Is this your big heist, the one you couldn’t talk to me for five years because of?” Abigail found the strength to turn around and look into his eyes.

  “It started that way, yes. When I realized I couldn’t really get anywhere as the mayor I set my sights on a crime ring in this town. It has taken a lot of time.” He was walking towards her.

  “Time and a marriage?” she spat out, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

  “Yes, she is important to the cause. Her influence in this town is great, and her father’s is even greater,” Benton said. Abigail was nodding, not believing a word of it.

  “A means to an end?” She was still nodding a little harder than necessary and backing away from him as he advanced. He was going to be ruined; she would make sure of that. It was going to be all about timing. If he still knew her like he used to, he was well aware it was coming.

  “Exactly, baby, a means to an end.” Standing right in front of her, he put both hands on her arms and pulled her to him so he could whisper in her ear. “Then we can get out of here.”

  For a moment, she allowed herself to feel the attraction, his breath at her ear warming her whole body. She would play along with his little game, and she would have fun at his expense. Right now, he was buying himself time by spinning a web of lies to keep her at a distance.

  “You promise?” she cooed in his ear, knowing it was all about how you played the game. She was going to have to harden herself to her feelings to exact her revenge.

  “Cross my heart. Come by the office when you are ready to see me in a more private interlude.” As if to seal the deal and prove to her he was serious, Benton pulled her to him, brushing her hair out of her eyes and meeting her lips. It had been so long since she had felt his touch; it was breath taking and exciting. Parting her lips a bit, she allowed him to explore her mouth as her finger nails dug into his shoulders, and then it was over. He left her standing behind the theater a quivering mess, and she hated him for it. Benton Sellers was going down.

  Abigail now needed to figure out a plan: where to live, what to do for work, and whom to talk to. She decided the best place to start was the bar. It was a local hotspot, according to the gas station attendant, called Moet’s. It was an older bar with feeling; that’s what the older lady said. She doubted the place would be anything but a countrified watering hole, although it was better than the alternative.

  The bar turned out to be pretty much what she’d imagined, but it had a warm feeling to it. The bartender was a middle-aged woman with an appealing smile; the kind of person you wanted to tell your troubles to and see if she could impart some wisdom on you. At least that was what Abigail was thinking as she took a seat on a bar stool.

  “Let me guess, you saw an ex today and he or she was looking good?” The bartender certainly didn’t beat around the bush. Wow, talk about intuition.

  “Something like that.” Abigail smiled and grabbed a menu to have something to look at instead of the woman who could read her so well.

  “Honey, the food here is shit; you don’t want any of that. You like whiskey?” Abigail was shocked someone would talk about their own restaurant’s food that way, but she nodded.

  “I’m Abigail. I just arrived into town today. You were right; he was looking good, and I want to kill him.” She watched the bartender pour her a shot and a second shot, which she assumed, was for herself. She was pretty, and Abigail could tell she had been a knockout when she was younger. Some lines were starting to form around her eyes, but her high blonde ponytail kept a youthful glow about her.

  “Stella Moet, my husband owns Moet’s, but the cook we have is pitiful. That’s why I wouldn’t eat here until we found a better one. Slim pickings in this town, you know.” Stella set both shots in front of Abigail and winked. “One for luck and one for drunk.”

  Abigail smiled as Stella went off to help some other patrons at the end of the bar. She liked how nice everyone seemed to be in South Carolina. In Florida, it was hit or miss, and up north, no one was friendly, especially when they were hustling in New York. New Yorkers could tell when someone wasn’t from New York, and they let you know it.

  She was totally lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice someone had settled onto the stool beside her. Finally, when her eyes met the man who’d appeared beside her, she couldn’t help but notice him. He was handsome and she actually thought she could feel herself being pulled into his kind, vibrant green eyes. She wanted to say something clever about staring at strangers, but when she opened her mouth, that wasn’t what came out.

  “Hi there,” she said, immediately hating herself. Who says that?

  “Hi yourself. I’ve not caught your eye in this place before. Are you new to town?” For a minute, she debated on telling him her real reason for being there. What the hell was wrong with her, two seconds of eye contact and she wanted to spill the beans?

  “Yes, I just got in today, actually. Do you know of any hotels nearby which aren’t too crappy and take a credit card?” He raised an eyebrow, causing his eyes to crinkle a bit and she felt a little pulse go through her as he bit his lip in thought. She really needed to get it together. It had been awhile, but she was pretty sure before prison a man couldn’t affect her like this at first glance. Well, that wasn’t true. Benton had. Handsome green eyes were talking, and as usual, her thoughts were causing her to miss out.

  “So, I can take you there if you want?” The stranger told her. Abigail nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to. Hoping it was an escort to a decent hotel, she signaled Stella for two more shots. The first two had gone down quite well; this time she had a drinking buddy.

  “Now, deputy, don’t be turning your charm on my new friend here.” The man turned to Stella and gave her a grin. Even his teeth were perfect. Staring at them, it dawned on her what Stella said. He was a cop! She needed to get away from him before he found out what she was planning.

  “I’m Scott,” he said, holding his hand out to her. She took it timidly, which wasn’t like her at all.

  “Abigail, Abigail Rivers, I just got out of prison.” Why the hell did she say that? There was no good reason to say something like that to a cop, and especially a good-looking cop she just met. “I mean it feels like I just got out of prison.”

  “Ah,” he nodded, “breakup happened today?” Sure, she could go with that, after all there was a breakup of sorts. Her mind flashed back to the kiss Benton had given her before he left.

  “You could say that.” She tossed a shot back and pushed the other towards him. “On me.”

  He took the shot while looking at her like some puzzle he was trying to find all the pieces to. For another minute, she almost told him the truth about Benton, prison, and everything else. Man, she was really vulnerable right now. Getting drunk around such an attractive man when she hadn’t been around any men in years might not be a great idea.

  “You're kind of a nervous girl, aren't you, Abigail?” She must have looked insane twitching and stuttering over her words.

  “I'm going to tell you the truth, Scott.” She took a deep breath. “It’s been awhile since I've been in a bar.”

  “Yeah, it can be hard to get
back out there after a breakup.” He nodded, and she didn't correct him.

  Before she had downed the next few shots, she probably should have left, because she all of a sudden became a fountain of truth. At some point, she just blurted it out.

  “Mayor Sizemore is my boyfriend, and he never broke up with me, but somehow he’s married.” She immediately regretted her admission because there was no way to explain where she had been for the length of his marriage.

  This seemed to strike a nerve with him for some reason. Scott became quiet and stared at the shot glass in front of him.

  “I hate that son of a bitch.”

  “Wow, you hate him, that’s a strong word. What did he do to you?”

  “I'd rather not talk about it and ruin the evening. Are you about ready to go?”

  She felt the effects of alcohol take hold of her and was a little dizzy. Suddenly she really had to pee. “Go where?”

  “I told you I was going to show you the house, and you could stay there while you looked for a place. You are also in luck because Stella just told me she was looking for a new waitress. See, you even have a job to get you a little startup cash.”

  Abigail had only had one job, and that was while in prison. She had never been a waitress. She had never had any experience as a waitress.

  Stella came out from the back having heard what they were saying.

  “That’s okay, honey. I’ll teach you what you need to know, and we don’t ever get that busy. Half the town is too religious to come in here, and a large percentage of those left are too high and mighty.”

  Abigail wondered why they were being so nice to her. She felt proud as she successfully stood up from the stool and steadied herself.

  “Okay, green eyes, show me your casa.” That came out sounding more like a proposition than Abigail had intended. They obviously weren’t going to drive. “You calling a cab?”

  “Of course not, we’re going to walk.” He put money down on the bar for Stella and led the way out the door.