by Lynda Aicher
Chapter Seventeen
Kendra stared out her kitchen window, watching the snow come down in big, heavy flakes at a staggering pace. Winter definitely wasn’t done with them. The weather didn’t care if it was the second week of April and everyone was waiting for the showers that promised flowers.
She leaned on the edge of the sink, the weight of the day settling in, a deep sigh gushing into the silence. There were times when the loneliness really got to her. Most days she was okay being by herself. It’d actually felt wonderful when she’d first gotten here. Now, it often just seemed empty.
She spun around and sprinted upstairs. The change into her running clothes was quick and efficient. If she made it a short run, she could be back before the storm got really bad. She needed to burn off some energy or the night was going to drag on forever. The itch to go to The Den was almost undeniable. The desire to see Deklan, to simply be with him, was growing too intense.
The man had wormed his way into her life as more than just a Dom fulfilling her needs. She’d really enjoyed their runs together, his quiet presence by her side. He calmed her when he should have made her nervous. A fact she didn’t understand but had stopped doubting.
Ready, she hustled back downstairs. She didn’t question herself when she picked up her phone and sent a quick text, letting him know she was heading out for a run. He probably wouldn’t join her with it being so late in the day, but it’d become habit to text him when she left for a run. Not because he ordered it, but because she liked it when he joined her. And it had become like another level of safety, having him know when she was out running. She smiled at the thought before bending to tie her shoes.
She did a few quick stretches then zipped up her running jacket, stuffed her phone in the zippered side pocket, and headed out. The cold hit her instantly and she inhaled the briskness into her lungs before turning to lock her door and stowing the key.
It felt good. She felt good.
The snow swirled around as she stepped off her porch and she couldn’t resist doing a quick spin, arms extended, stopping just short of sticking her tongue out in an attempt to catch the heavy flakes. She grinned, feeling lighter than she had in possibly years. This was going to be fun.
A fresh set of footprints in the snow running down her path brought her up short. Had Deklan decided to meet her for the jog? He hadn’t sent a message back, but then, he didn’t always. She looked around, trying to spot him through the veil of white. Her gaze landed on a black Mercedes parked in a guest spot and she froze. Her stomach clenched against the sickening dread that crawled over her skin, flushing her in heat despite the outside chill.
No. Not now. She wasn’t ready for him. Not yet. Not when her life was going so well.
She pressed her hand at the tightness in her chest and gasped for air. The door opened and when he stepped out of the car, her legs almost crumbled beneath her. Just the sight of him made her weak. She squeezed her eyes closed, blocking out his image, but it only brought the horrors of her past closer.
Damn him. She wasn’t going back. Never with him.
Corralling her determination, Kendra straightened her shoulders, fisted her hands at her sides and prepared to fight. Eric stood about twenty feet away and was somewhat obscured by the falling snow, but every detail of his image was already etched into her memory. From the dark brows to his deep brown hair, cut and styled to the side, not a strand out of place. His aristocratic nose and jutting chin that gave the impression of looking down on others combined with his designer clothing to provide an air of sophistication that turned many heads.
She had a sudden crushing desire to run inside and put on her highest heels just to pick at his most sensitive peeve. His height was his one shortcoming that he was incredibly touchy about. The thought gave her strength and made her smile on the inside, even if her lips couldn’t follow through on the action.
“Kendra,” he said, his voice low and flat. The snow had already blanketed the ground in white and added that strange sense of padded softness to the air.
“Eric,” she answered, keeping her voice just as void as his.
His hands were tucked in the pockets of his leather trench coat, but his face was as blank as his voice. “It’s time to come home.”
Her jaw dropped and she stared at him, searching for the punch line but finding none. “No.” She shook her head, her teeth grinding. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Eric’s brows lifted, a look of challenge falling over his features. He took a step forward. “Yes. You are.”
“No.” She retreated a step even though she hated the way it made her appear cowardly. Darting a quick glance back at her door, she judged the distance, gauging if she’d have time to get inside. Not with the door locked. “I’m never going back with you. We’re done, Eric.”
“Really?” Although it was a question, she knew he didn’t expect an answer. His lip curled in a mocking smile. “You aren’t the boss. Or have you forgotten your place so quickly?”
“Screw you,” she bit out, her anger rising at his overbearing attitude. Maybe it was the semi-public location or the relief that had come with telling her friends about her past. Or maybe she was finally strong enough to stand up to him. Kendra didn’t know for sure, but she wasn’t going to take his shit anymore. Not today. “You don’t own me, and I’m not your fucking slave. I never was. You’re an abuser. Plain and simple. And I’m done being your whipping post.”
“Ah, but Kendra, my little pain slut. You love being that.” He took another predatory step closer, his head tipping in an exaggerated scan of her body. “Remember how you used to beg for your Master to hit you more. Harder. ‘Please, Master. Please, hit me hard.’” His voice went higher in an insulting imitation of her. “I’m sure your parents would like to see that video.”
She blanched at the threat. It wasn’t a new one, but it still held all the weight that it’d had since he’d first shown her the video. The one he’d secretly made and was conveniently absent from because he’d forced her to submit to another Dom at the club she’d belonged to. Just another one of his asshole moves.
Bluffing it off, she tried to keep the fear from her voice. “How long are you going to use that empty threat, Eric? If you ever intended to show it to them, you would’ve done it by now.”
“Maybe.” The mocking smile returned. “Or it could be I’ve been saving it for just the right time. Like, say...next weekend.”
Kendra’s brain did a quick shuffle, cataloging what next weekend was and why it was supposed to mean something to her. She was so disconnected from her old life that it took her a moment to put it together.
“No!” She advanced on him before she realized what she was doing. “You wouldn’t do that.” Her hands were shaking, her world dropping out from beneath her at the thought of what Eric was implying.
He laughed, a sound that was laced with menace, showing his true character. “It would be such a shame if the video clip got mixed in with the nice little montage your brother put together for the event.”
“What? How?” She refused to believe him.
“Everyone can be bribed for the right price,” he said without care. “Finding someone at the production company your brother hired wasn’t that hard to do. The guy’s just waiting for my call to make the switch.”
She panted around the vise squeezing her lungs and pressing on her chest. He wouldn’t do that, would he? Was he truly that cruel? “Do you really want to hurt me that badly? Hurt my family like that? It’s my parents’ wedding anniversary, for God’s sake. Chris is your best friend. He’s been planning that party for a year. You would do that to him?”
Her older brother had decided to celebrate their parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary with a grand party at the country club. It was the event of the spring that would include all of their relations, friends and business associates. A video like that would mortify her entire family. She’d be shunned forever. Humiliated and shamed beyond her deepes
t imagination.
Eric didn’t even appear troubled by the thought. He lifted his shoulder in dismissal. “I’d be there to support him. Of course I’d be shattered too. You were almost my fiancée, Kendra. To think I didn’t know about that pathetic side of your life. The jilted lover shamed by your betrayal.” He faked a shocked expression, his hand pressing to his chest. “Everyone will survive with sympathy garnered after the shock wears off. Everyone but you.”
She stumbled back, too stunned to respond. He meant it this time. She could tell by his blank emotionless delivery and deadly seriousness in his eyes. “And who would want to hurt me that bad except you, my jilted lover?” she rallied back, scrambling for holes in his plan.
“You’ve made that so easy for me, Kendra.” He gave her a pitying look. “It’ll be simple to convince everyone that if the outcast of the family enjoys shit like that then you must have made enemies who’d want to hurt you.”
And her family would believe him. They all thought he was perfect. It didn’t help that she was partially to blame for that incorrect perception.
Her bitterness and anger came through in her voice. “You bastard. You’re nothing but a selfish, self-serving prick who gets off on beating woman. Why in the hell do you even want me back? I won’t submit to your abuse ever again.”
“You say that now, but I know you.” A cruel smile marred his face, the same one she’d come to recognize as the precursor to his anger. She’d come to think of it as the real him. All the charm and polish he showed the world only hid his demented, hateful core. “Under your fake resistance and objections, you love what I do to you. I watched you writhe and moan with the pain and I know you love it. I’ve seen you come from it. You can’t fool me, Kendra. I know exactly how perverted you are.”
The snow continued to fall around them, making the entire ugly situation seem almost surreal. Clouded in white, the flakes sticking to his hair and shoulders, Eric still looked like perfection. Right up until she looked in his eyes and saw that he truly believed what he’d said.
She shook her head, amazed that she’d once found him attractive. That she’d been as fooled as the rest of world. “You need help, Eric. You’re really sick.”
“Me?” His voice rose in volume and triggered the hairs on the back of her neck to rise in warning. “I’m not the one who likes to be hit.”
“No,” she challenged back, ignoring the pressing threat, her words grounding out the absolute hatred she had for him. “You’re the one who likes to hit the defenseless. You abused me under the guise of desire for years. You asshole.” She yelled the last at him, the anger expelling in the harsh curse.
“Bitch,” he snarled right before he pounced.
She turned, dashing for her condo, but Eric was on her before she could run. A scream tore from her lungs and she fought the hold he had on her arm before his other arm clamped around her chest.
“Shut up,” he growled into her ear as he yanked her tight to him. “You don’t get to call me that.”
“No!” she shouted, continuing to struggle. She wouldn’t go with him. Never. She clawed at his arm, twisted her hips to try and kick him. “Let me go.”
He released her arm and grabbed her ponytail, the vicious yank whipping her chin up to expose her neck and increase her vulnerability. Big snowflakes landed on her cheeks, leaving cold, wet kisses.
“Are you going to beg?” he growled into her ear, his breath hot against her neck.
“No,” she managed to grit out. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Kendra?” The soft voice of her elderly neighbor penetrated the surroundings with startling clarity.
“Hey!” another deeper voice yelled. “Let her go!”
Paul came out his door, Lacey right behind him. Panic, compounded by embarrassment, made Kendra whimper. The sound of her heart roared in her head, muffling everything else. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this. At Eric’s mercy.
“What the fuck!” Eric roared right before he was jerked away from her. She was pulled back with him before he let go and she stumbled forward, gasping for air.
The thud of a fist hitting skin had her spinning around to see what was happening. Deklan stood over Eric, who was sprawled in the snow-covered grass, a hand to his bleeding lip. Deklan’s face was contorted in pure rage; his lips peeled back, showing his teeth as he seethed. His fists were clenched at his sides, his chest heaving as he looked ready to kill.
“Who the fuck are you?” Eric shuffled back on the ground before he pushed himself up to stand, his attention on his attacker.
Deklan took a step forward, his fist raised, and Kendra jumped between the two men. “Stop.”
Behind Eric, Edith Jennings stood on her porch, a phone in her hand. Paul had taken up position a few feet away, ready to help if needed.
The support stunned and warmed her. Gave her strength. “You need to go, Eric.”
“Is everything okay, Kendra?” Edith called over. “Should I call the police?”
Undecided, Kendra didn’t answer right away. Eric dabbed at his lip, pulling his fingers back to see the blood on them before he licked at the small cut. His eyes cut to hers, flashing the warning she so clearly knew. His nostrils flared, the struggle to control his rage making him visibly shake.
“Kendra,” Deklan growled from behind her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she answered, taking an unconscious step closer to his voice. To the safety he offered. She spotted Deklan’s truck idling in the middle of the condo lot, the driver’s door wide open. She reached back for his hand, and he grabbed it immediately. “Let’s get out of here.”
The simple warmth of his hand around hers gave her the power to walk to his truck. She had to get away from Eric. She felt him watching as she retreated, but she didn’t care.
“Should I kick his ass?” Deklan rumbled at her side.
That got a smile out of her. As tempting as the offer was, she declined with a shake of her head. It wouldn’t solve anything and with Eric’s money, it would probably only land Deklan in jail.
“Remember what I said, Kendra.” Eric’s threat carried through the crisp air to wrap around her chest and squeeze it tight. Her step faltered against her will. Eric laughed, and she turned back to him. He flashed a cocky smile, a look of knowing in his eyes. “You have a week.”
The chill reached her then. She shuddered, but she didn’t know if it was from the temperature or the ice that had filled her blood. He would do it. She knew without a doubt that Eric intended to follow through on his threat this time.
Deklan turned back, his fist ready as if he was going to beat the shit out of Eric anyway. She grabbed his arm to stop him. A slight shake of her head was all it took to halt the large man. He could’ve easily ignored her wishes, but he listened to her despite his obvious desire to do the opposite. His jaw was clenched tight and his neck muscles bulged over the line of his leather coat. His eyes were almost black with his need to retaliate, only he didn’t.
He closed his eyes, inhaled and gave her a short, precise nod.
Letting both relief and defeat suck her under, she turned away. Deklan ushered her around his truck and helped her inside. The heater blasted the interior with warmth that did nothing to stop her hands from trembling. She took a deep breath, the new car smell hitting her senses as she vaguely registered the pristine, black cab complete with bucket leather seats and a dashboard full of gadgets.
She pulled on her seat belt out of pure habit then stared out the windshield to meet Eric’s hard glare. He stood in the same spot. His face was like stone, his hair wet and messed from the snow, his lip red and bleeding slightly. And still he was handsome. Only it didn’t affect her anymore. She knew the evil that lived within him.
The slam of Deklan’s door jerked her out of her trance. Her attention shot to Deklan’s hard profile as he shifted the truck into gear and drove away. He reached for her hand, shooting her a quick look as he weaved the truck out of the maze
of the condo complex.
His grip was strong, warm and provided more comfort than she’d expected. She bit her lip and stared at their clasped hands resting on her leg. In many ways she felt disconnected from it all, as if she was viewing the events from a distant lens. Yet her body was wired. Her leg bounced and her free hand shook where it rested on her thigh.
The low sound of an alternative rock song filled the cab under the hum of the heater fan, and she was grateful for Deklan’s silence. He didn’t pressure her for answers or ask inane questions, like he knew she wasn’t ready to talk. And she wasn’t. She didn’t know what to say.
She stared out her side window, not really seeing the businesses they passed. The snow was still falling heavily, covering everything in its pure coat of white. Already there was a good inch or more on the ground, enough to make the road slushy and encourage people to stay indoors. Twilight was close enough that the street lights had come on, providing beams of light for the snow to dance under as it fell.
It dawned on her slowly that she was alone with Deklan, trapped in his truck without escape. Just six weeks ago she’d have been deep in the throes of a panic attack at even the thought of the situation. She pondered that, searching for the fear that would send her heart racing and her chest constricting until she gasped for air, but found nothing.
Deklan rubbed small circles over her knuckle with his thumb, a soothing touch that reminded her of how gentle he could be. A cold drop of water slid down the side of her head and was followed by another to trail down her neck, making her shiver. The snow was melting off her hair and she used her free hand to knock the rest from her head, scattering wet droplets everywhere.
She studied the man beside her and waited for the shot of anxiety to set in. His short hair was damp like hers, making it appear glossy and jet black. His cheeks were cleanly shaven and in profile his nose displayed a slight bump, as if it’d been broken before. His lips were pulled thin in a grim line, his focus on the worsening roads. She knew he was older than her, but his hair showed no grey or his face any sign of age. There was a maturity there, one that came from experience, not time.
