The One Who Walked Away (Romantic Suspense #34)

Prologue

Sarasota, Florida

Three and a half years ago

Elle Randolph gripped the sleeve of her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s tuxedo. It was what she’d been fearing since he’d guilted her into coming to the party. It was his mother’s birthday, and did Elle really want to spoil his mother’s big day by not showing up?

Of course I don’t. She liked her in-laws. Mostly. They were nice people—mostly—and she didn’t want to harm her relationship with them.

But Todd was an alcoholic. An abusive alcoholic whom his parents enabled.

As had Elle. For too many years.

She wanted to cry. She felt like a failure, once again. She’d folded.

She shouldn’t have, but she had. Her reasons might have been right. Some of them, anyway. She did care about her mother-in-law and didn’t want to ruin her evening. And maybe Elle had wanted just one night when she could pretend that everything was all right.

But now he was drunk again, making a scene. Berating a server. Threatening to punch the venue manager.

“Let’s go home,” she said quietly.

Todd yanked his sleeve free. “I say when we go home.”

People were starting to stare.

“You’re causing a scene, Todd.”

“You’re causing a scene,” he said loudly.

And now it appeared that they were at the mocking part of the conversation. It was always the same. He drank. He got belligerent. He’d bluster and threaten. And, when they were alone, he’d hit. Sometimes the wall. Sometimes he’d hit Elle.

Sometimes he left bruises, but never where anyone could see.

She’d tried everything. Therapy, rehab. Trial separations. Nothing had worked.

Everyone would make excuses for him. No one would hold him accountable.

I will. If accountability looked like divorce, that was. Because he was going to be served the next day. She’d consulted a fellow attorney, one she’d known since law school. He’d drawn up the papers.

Todd didn’t know. She’d warned him too many times that she’d leave him, but she’d always come back.

I’m done. She took a step back. Drew a breath. “I’m going home, then. You can call for an Uber when you’re ready to leave.”

His face turned thunderous. He grabbed her wrist. “You will stay,” he hissed under his breath.

She swallowed hard, trying to subtly twist out of his grip because it hurt. But she had a reputation to uphold. Many of the attendees were past—and hopefully future—clients. She would stay professional.

“People are watching you.” She pulled free, but only because he let go. She already had a red mark where he’d squeezed too tightly. “I’ll see you at home later.”

Except she wouldn’t. She had a bag packed with a few pieces of clothing, but mostly with her personal documents and the mementos she didn’t want to leave without. She could always buy more clothes later.

The bag was stashed in the trunk of her own car, which was parked in the parking garage at home, just in case she needed a quick escape.

Deep down, she’d known tonight would end this way.

I was so stupid to have come tonight. I’m an attorney, dammit. I should have known better.

She could be safely hiding in a hotel right now. She would be soon. She had a plan. She’d take her car to the parking lot of a supermarket and call an Uber to pick her up and take her to a hotel, leaving her car behind.

Todd was good at finding people. It was literally his job. He was a PI. She knew he’d put trackers on her car. She’d removed too many of them. She couldn’t be sure he hadn’t placed another in the two days since she’d found the last one.

She turned her back on Todd and walked away, feeling his venomous gaze burning into her back.

He’d been a good man once. But it had been a long time.

She’d been a smart woman once. Had possessed self-confidence and pride. She was still smart. She was getting out, and that was smart. And she would have confidence and pride again. That’s a promise.

She found her mother-in-law and kissed her cheek. “Happy birthday, Eva. Good night.” She stood on her toes and kissed her father-in-law’s cheek as well. “Good night, Ray. I’m not feeling great. I think I ate something that didn’t agree with me. I’m going home. Will you make sure Todd gets a ride?”

Ray looked over her shoulder, his jaw tightening, his eyes going cold.

Don’t look. Do not look. But Elle couldn’t seem to stop herself.

Todd was coming their way.

“He had a little too much again?” Ray murmured.

Elle only nodded. A lot too much. “I’ll see you all later.”

Having made her apologies, she found her valet ticket in her purse and handed it to the young man waiting at the country club’s entrance. He gave her a respectful nod. “I’ll be quick, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Donny.” Hurry, hurry, hurry.

She just wanted to get out of this place.

It was difficult to maintain her outer calm when her heart was beating so hard, though she’d had a lot of practice over the years. But she was painfully aware that other club members were watching her. Waiting for her to break down. For her to hang her head in shame.

Waiting for her to become their newest topic of gossip.

She pasted a serene smile on her face and waited, willing herself not to sag in relief when the valet brought Todd’s work vehicle, a two-year-old black Lexus sedan. She liked driving it much better than the Maserati.

Good thing the Maserati was in the shop. Todd had taken a turn too fast and scraped the side on a parked car. He’d paid off the owner of the other car and no charges had been filed. He always managed to wriggle free.

No more. Not with me, anyway.

She slid behind the wheel, giving the valet a generous tip. He was a good kid, putting himself through college. She’d pulled her door closed and put on her seat belt and was about to step on the gas when the passenger door opened.

Todd’s father poked his head in. “He’s going home now.”

Elle wanted to protest, but she didn’t want to make Todd any angrier than he was already. If his father was escorting him out, he must have said something or done something to upset his mother. Those were the only times when Ray intervened.

“Of course,” Elle said. She braced herself because things were about to get bad.

Todd landed in the passenger seat with a muttered curse.

“Seat belt, please,” Elle said quietly when he made no move to belt himself in.

“Shut the fuck up,” he snarled. “Just drive.”

She kept her voice even. “The car will beep at you. That makes you upset.”

“The only thing making me upset is you.” He folded his arms across his chest and smirked. “And the car won’t beep. I disconnected it.”

Gripping the steering wheel, she silently sighed. “Okay.”

She pulled away from the country club, conscious of the young valet staring after her, a worried expression on his face.

“Did you fuck him?” Todd asked, his words slurred.

Great. For him to start slurring meant he’d had a lot of booze. Todd had an incredible tolerance for alcohol.

“No.”

“Liar.”

She put on her signal and pulled onto the main road. It was late, so traffic was fairly light. She’d get him home, put him to bed, then sneak out once he’d fallen asleep.

I shouldn’t have come with him. I knew better.

Yet here she was.

“You think I’m drunk,” he stated baldly.

Elle said nothing. There was no good answer to any question or statement at this point. Nothing she’d say would satisfy him.

“You think you’re so superior,” he said. “Miss I-never-drink. You think you’re smarter than me.”

She thought no such thing. In fact, she thought the opposite.

I’m stupid. How did I let this go so far? How did I let myself become this meek person?

But she didn’t plan to confront him now. Not when she was so close to freedom. Not when they were in a confined space.

She had only a moment’s warning, a whiff of booze, before she gasped, her dress suddenly wet. She glanced over at Todd, who held a silver flask in one hand.

He lifted his eyebrows. “Not so smug now.”

The car reeked of whiskey.

Pull over. Call a ride share.

But that wouldn’t work.

Todd would just drive himself home and maybe kill someone in the process.

She could get out and throw the keys into the tall grass on the side of the road, but Todd would chase her. Drag her back to the car by her hair. Then use his own keys to drive himself home.

She should know. She’d tried that before. She’d had to find a lie her hairstylist would believe when she’d shown up for her appointment with a bald spot that hadn’t been there before.

She didn’t think the stylist had believed her, but the woman had fixed Elle’s hair so that no one would know.

Just get him home where he can’t hurt anyone.

She flinched when he splashed more whiskey on her dress. “Todd, please.”

“You want more?”

“I’d like you to stop.”

He laughed, a miserable sound. “I’d like a decent, obedient wife, but looks like neither of us are going to get what we want tonight.”

She focused on the road. On getting home. They were only ten minutes away. One more left turn and they were almost there.

He grabbed her arm and she cried out. The car swerved toward the concrete barricade and she jerked them back into their own lane.

Todd thought that was hilarious. He laughed and laughed, then lurched across the console again. But this time he grabbed the steering wheel.

“You’re never leaving me,” he shouted.

“No, I’m not,” she agreed only to calm him. She wondered how he’d found out, and then her thoughts gave way to panic when he jerked the wheel to the right. “Todd, stop!”

Shocked, she shoved him back over the console, but he backhanded her cheek and grabbed the wheel again.

Blinking to clear the lights dancing before her eyes, Elle yanked at the wheel, braking frantically, trying to get them to the shoulder, but cars were coming up behind her.

There was blood in her mouth. He’d hit her hard, this time where everyone would see.

The car fishtailed and she fought for control.

He struck her again, this time catching her eye with his knuckles. Unable to see, she shrank back, trying to get away from his fist.

She yanked at the wheel, moving the car into the right lane, narrowly missing three other cars as they sped by.

She saw the telephone pole too late.

She heard the crunching of metal and shattering of glass as the car slammed into the telephone pole. And then it was quiet. She hurt all over.

Her airbag had deployed, smacking her in the face.

“This is emergency services. Do you need assistance?”

Elle startled at the disembodied voice coming from the Lexus’s safety system. “Yes,” she managed to say. She opened her eyes, then screamed. “Todd!”

The passenger seat was empty and the windshield was mostly gone.

Just…gone.

“Send help! Please!” Elle fumbled with her seat belt, crying out when a pain shot up her arm.

She glanced down to see bone protruding from the skin of her forearm.

Bile rose up to burn her throat and she had to fight not to throw up.

She twisted in her seat to release the seat belt with her left hand. The deflated airbag was covered in blood and she realized her nose was broken, too.

But Todd was out there. As much as she hated what he’d become, she couldn’t let him die. She struggled to get out of the car, falling on her ass when her legs gave out. She kicked off her high heels and, using her good arm, pulled herself to her feet.

But she staggered. Everything was…wavy.

Hit my head. Concussion.

She turned slowly, looking for Todd.

But she saw another car instead. It was in the median strip, lying on its roof, its wheels still slowly turning. It had hit the concrete barricade and flipped.

Oh no. Oh no.

She started across the road, needing to check on the occupants.

Todd. She’d get to him. In a minute.

She had to stop when she nearly fell down. Dizziness overwhelmed her, throwing her off balance.

“Miss?” A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders and new pain shot through her body. “Are you hurt?” Then the person made a disgusted sound and shoved her away. “You’re drunk.”

“No. No, I’m not.” She pushed to her hands and knees, whimpering at the pain in her right knee. “Those people are hurt. Help them.”

“You stay put,” the man said harshly. “I hope they lock you up and throw away the key.”

Elle couldn’t stay put. The man, the bystander, was helping the people in the other car. She needed to find Todd.

She staggered back across the road, wiping blood from her face, from her eyes. She scanned the side of the road, desperate to find him.

Then she saw him. He was crumpled into a heap. She made her way to him, falling to her knees, barely feeling the pain now. Hand shaking, she reached out to touch Todd’s neck, finding it slippery with blood.

No pulse. He was dead. His face…

His face was unrecognizable. Covered with blood.

“Lady?”

Still on her knees, she looked up, flinching away from the bright light in her eyes. It was a cop. “Help. Please help.”

The cop crouched down, lowering the flashlight. “Are you drunk?”

“No.”

“You smell like a distillery.”

“He…he spilled his whiskey on me.”

The cop grunted. “We’ll see.” He stood and waved. “EMTs. Over here.”

“Wait,” Elle said when he started to walk away. “The people in the car. Are they okay?”

The cop hesitated, then shook his head. “No.”

No. Elle’s body gave way and she collapsed to her side. No, no, no. What had she done?

She closed her eyes and let the darkness take her.