Chapter 10 #2
She releases a shuddery breath, obviously arguing with herself. It’s either that or the habit of concealing him is so deeply ingrained that she has to fight against the knee-jerk impulse to cover for him. Regardless of why, it takes a moment for her to answer. “My ex-boyfriend. Eric.”
Shitty name. “Does this Eric have a last name?”
“Walters.” Then she looks at me. “Why?”
“I like to know the full names of the people I want to hurt.”
“No, no, you can’t do anything.” Her eyes well up again. “Not because I’m afraid he’ll get hurt. I wish he would. But that’ll only make things worse for me in the end.”
“Do you believe I have anything to fear from him? Seriously.” I glance toward Rick, and she seems to get the hint since her head bobs up and down. “Tell me about Eric. And you. What’s the story here?” I want to hear every word, unvarnished. I want her to tell me everything, every last detail.
I want to play it over in my head as I watch him die.
Her hands twist in her lap. She stares down at them while speaking. “He’s the reason you couldn’t find anything about me online. Remember? When I first came to the club?”
That explains it. I’d almost forgotten. “So your name isn’t Rowan?”
“No, it is, but I closed out all of my online accounts before I left him. I saved up every penny I could for months and finally ran when I couldn’t take it anymore.
He was out with his friends that night—I knew when he’d come home since he always showed up an hour or so after the bars closed.
I can’t tell you how many times I sat up in bed, dreading the sound of him coming in.
I got a fake driver’s license with a fake address, so there’s no true record of me in the DMV database anymore.
I didn’t tell anybody—not like I have any friends to tell, anyway.
He made sure of that. He made sure of a lot of things. ”
“But he found you.”
She nods slowly. “I don’t know how. He didn’t say. He followed me to the mall and did this to me when I was in a dressing room.” Her voice cracks, and she wipes away a tear. “He’s crazy. He’s never gone that far before. Hitting me in public? He would never have done that.”
Because she’s no longer his. She ventured out on her own, away from him, and it enraged him worse than ever. I can almost imagine the level of rage that would drive a man to do something like what he did to her.
But that’s as far as it goes. Only the lowest man beats a woman, especially one as small and defenseless as Rowan. I’ve witnessed enough harm done in the name of satisfying a kink to know there are situations in which one or both parties might emerge wounded, hurt.
This isn’t one of those situations. Nobody paid her to let them beat her. There was no consent here—only pain and fear. And a cowardly little piece of shit who probably considers himself a man.
“He wanted me to go with him. He actually thought I would leave the store with him.” She laughs humorlessly.
“I couldn’t. I knew he’d kill me if I went—maybe not right away, but eventually.
It’s why I left in the first place. I knew it would never get better because he’ll never get better.
Can you believe I used to think he would? ” She says in disbelief.
Yes, she would’ve done better to wait for Santa Claus to slide down the chimney.
People like him never change. “Thank you for telling me about him. I’m sure that couldn’t have been easy.
” Considering the blinding rage now consuming me, I think I sound downright gentle.
It’s enough for her shoulders to fall slightly as if the tension is finally draining away.
She looks out the window. “Are we going to your house now?”
“Yes. You’ll be safe there. If he found you at the mall, no telling how long he’s been following you. There’s no way he’ll know to look for you anywhere near me.” But I know him, or I will once my guys finish looking for him. Eric Walters. He doesn’t know it, but his days are numbered.
Once we’re at the house, I hand her bag over to Rick and lead her upstairs and down the hall. “There’s plenty of room here, as you know.”
“Your bedroom?” She steps into the suite in which her examination took place, her head on a swivel as she looks around.
“This isn’t my bedroom. Mine is at the other end of the hall.” I extend an arm in that direction. “You have full use of the suite, along with anything else in the house, except for my suite of rooms. They’re off-limits. Understood?”
She nods, swallowing—and wincing when she does.
I make a note to request a pot of tea for her, something to ease the pain.
“Come on. I’ll run you a bath. Soaking for a while will help relax you.
” I don’t wait for her to accept, going straight to the bathroom and turning on the faucet.
Soon steam rises up in a cloud. Rowan lingers in the doorway, watching me with obvious anxiety.
“What?” I straighten up, looking around the room. “Is there something wrong here? Is there anything missing?”
She shakes her head. “No. It’s beautiful here. But I know you’re a busy man. You must have a million more important things to think about.”
The girl isn’t wrong. There are a million things in need of my attention.
Damned if I can think of a single one that doesn’t directly involve her.
“Don’t worry about that. Just do as I say, and you’ll be fine.
Enjoy your bath.” I leave her alone then, and not a moment too soon.
I don’t know how much longer I could’ve maintained a neutral expression, something that wouldn’t scare her worse than she’s already been scared.
Rick’s waiting for me in the hall, and the look we exchange tells me he knows what’s coming. “Eric Walters,” I snarl. “Find that bastard for me.”
He nods, his lip curling in disgust. “Gladly.”