As soon as the eHarmony spokesman reaffirmed that he had the perfect match for her, she decided to call it a night. Dumping the remains of her gluttony in the sink, she made her way to the bathroom, then wandered back toward the kitchen to make sure her freezer door was closed tightly. Damn door had a tendency to pop open.
It was then she noticed the open living room window. But the A/C was on, and she wouldn’t have left the window open. As the sinking feeling hit her soul, she turned and saw a figure in the room.
He was no more than a dark shadow. But he was real, and he was big, and he was in her living room.
He moved in front of her, his body a wall of black clothing. Before she could scream, he pinned her to the kitchen wall and grabbed her jaw.
“Well, well.” His voice was like gravel and cigarettes. “Louis Callender’s kid. I can see the resemblance.”
“Who the hell are you?” Kate managed to say.
“Sorry, Red. I ask the questions here and you’d better answer. ” He looked her up and down, his iron grip locked on her face. “Now, be a good girl and hand over the money.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You are Louis’s kid?”
“His name is on my birth certificate, if that’s what you mean.”
The man eased his grip and caressed her cheek, making her want to vomit. “Well, Red, your daddy borrowed a lot of money from me. And it’s time to pay it back. With interest.”
She would not cry. She would not cry, as terrified as this shit made her. “So talk to my father. It’s his problem, not mine.”
The man angled his head. “Oh, I did talk to him, sweet cheeks. And he pointed me in your direction. I know old Louis doesn’t have a pot to piss in, but he said you’ve helped him before. So it’s your problem now, darlin’.”
“What makes you think I have that kind of money just lying around?”
The man’s measured movements made her think of a komodo dragon in a nature show. His beady eyes and thick limbs even resembled the predatory reptile. He slithered his hand from her cheek down to her neck, his touch light but ready to strike. “Well, you’ll just need to find it somewhere. Five grand. If you don’t come up with it, I might be forced to cash in another way.”
She wanted to scream but the sound stuck in her throat. “Please…”
He leaned in and breathed on her. “You know, you are very pretty.” He moved one large hand down her torso and loosened the tie on her robe, pulling until the two flaps opened. He gawked at her chest. “Verypretty. That’s why I won’t break anything tonight, but you might have a few bruises when I’m done. Something to remember me by.”
She tried again to scream, but only succeeded in squeaking. She threw up her hands to protect herself. It was no good. Within seconds, his hands were on her shoulders and he’d shoved her against the wall. Reeling from the impact, she barely had time to recover before he hauled back and let his fist fly toward her face. Hard bone cracked and shards of lightning flashed in front of her. She fell to the floor.
Somehow in her fall she’d finally managed a scream, but it sounded so far away.
Somewhere in the foggy distance she thought she heard a man’s shout and someone banging down her door. In the eternity it took for her to raise her head, she saw her assailant race to the open window, hauling his body through to the fire escape. And then, a loud noise from the front door.
“Kate!”
Cradling her already swollen eye, she managed to prop herself up on her elbow to see better, sure she’d drifted into unconsciousness and a new dream world. There in her living room again, fists clenched, was Liam. With his lips stretched thin and his jaw ticking, he looked ready to murder her attacker. He sprinted to the fire escape window and lunged out the window in an attempt to grab the man. However, she could already hear him pounding down the fire escape steps.
“Fuck!” Liam shouted. “Get back here, you fucked up piece of shit!” She flinched when she heard another bang, but realized it was just Liam slamming his hand against the wall.
Shock and pain made her arms give out and she fell back to the floor. As agony claimed her body yet again, she closed her eyes. Within seconds, Liam’s arms supported her, gently sliding under her and picking her up. He carried her to her bedroom and laid her on her bed, cursing the entire way. When he set her down, he brought the flaps of her robe together and tied it, preserving her modesty.
Even in her haze, that one small action made her heart skip a beat.
She didn’t know why Liam had come back, but she was glad he was there. Too stunned by events, she didn’t have the wherewithal to question his sudden reappearance. She just lay back and closed her eyes as the mattress rushed up to cushion her.
The bed dipped under his weight as he sat next to her. “Who the hell was that nasty fuck?” He touched a hand to her hair.
Kate didn’t say a word and just enjoyed his gentle touch. Way better than a bath in chocolate sauce, so she imagined.
“Don’t faint now.”
His clear, forceful tone brought her back to reality. “I won’t. I just had no idea getting popped in the eye would hurt so much.” She cracked open her good eye. “I guess this’ll be my first shiner.”
