Chapter One
Phoenix, Arizona
Dear God, he was supposed to be gone! The sound of the front door opening and closing, familiar heavy footfalls in the entry sent shock waves through her body. It was almost midnight. Damon should have been in Los Angeles attending a three-day business conference with his father.
Tory glanced wildly around the bedroom. She had nearly finished packing, just a couple more boxes to fill, then first thing in the morning she was leaving. She had rented an apartment on the other side of Phoenix, a fresh start for her and Ivy, her four-year-old daughter.
A noise, Damon bumping into the coffee table in the living room, pushed her nerves up another notch. Her heart set up a murderous clatter as a chair tipped over and crashed to the floor. Damon swore foully.
He was drunk. Again. Her heart jerked, speeded. Lord, what was he doing here? Why was he still in Phoenix?
She swallowed, tried to focus, think what to do. He must have missed his flight, had probably gone out with his sycophant buddies, guys who enjoyed the free booze and the women, the expensive nightclubs and strip joints, all paid for by Damon Bridger from the trust fund his father provided.
Four months ago, when she had first met him, he had been different. They had crossed paths at a nightclub called the Peacock, a loud sort of place she rarely frequented, a place she had gone with her best friend, Lisa Shane, to celebrate Lisa’s birthday.
With his jet-black hair and golden brown eyes, Damon was amazingly handsome, like Johnny Depp, Lisa had said. The attraction had been instant and amazing, or at least so it seemed.
He’d called the next day and immediately begun his pursuit. Back then, his gifts had been simple but expensive presents for her and Ivy. Presents chosen especially for the two of them, a tiny hummingbird pendant because she loved birds. A small silver princess ring for Ivy with the little girl’s name engraved on it.
She’d thought he was special, that he would make the perfect father for her daughter, someone to end the last four lonely years since her husband had died.
She had lulled herself into believing the handsome man who was courting her would make her happy.
Tory glanced at the glowing red numbers on the clock on the nightstand: 12:01 A.M. Ivy was asleep in her room at the opposite end of the hall. Damon had changed so much that lately she had begun to worry he might hurt her little girl.
She swallowed. The tread of heavy, uneven footfalls coming down the hall sent a trickle of fear down her spine. Week after week, he’d grown more and more antagonistic, and more and more violent. He had pushed her, had slapped her once, but each time he had apologized and begged her forgiveness. Last week he had hit her with his fist.
It was the end, as far as Tory was concerned. She was moving out, the sooner the better. His trip to LA should have provided the perfect opportunity.
Tory closed her eyes as the door swung open and Damon staggered into the bedroom. A cold smile stretched over his handsome face. “Nice of you to wait up,” he said.
She forced herself not to run, to keep her spine straight and not flinch. “I thought you were in LA with your dad.”
Instead of answering, his gaze swept around the bedroom, taking in the open suitcases, the boxes she hadn’t yet loaded into the trunk of her car. “Where do you think you’re going?”
She took a deep breath. No way to avoid a confrontation now. “I’m leaving, Damon. I’m taking Ivy and moving out. I told you it wasn’t working. I’ve got a place of my own.” There was no waiting till morning now. She had to leave before something bad happened. “I’ll come back and pick up the rest of my things over the weekend.”
The beautiful diamond engagement ring he’d bought her glittered in its blue velvet box on the dresser. She had planned to leave a note with the ring when she moved out of his condo.
She started for the door, praying he wouldn’t try to stop her, but Damon stepped in front of her, blocking her way. His mouth thinned into a hard, unforgiving line.
“You aren’t going anywhere. You’re staying right here where you belong. You’re mine, Tory. I keep what belongs to me. Surely you know that by now.”
She kept her chin high, though she was trembling inside. “I’m going, Damon. I’m taking Ivy and leaving. Get out of my way.” She took a step forward, but he shoved her back, hard enough she stumbled.
“You’re my fiancée. You’re not leaving this house.” He gripped her wrist and dragged her over to the big king-size bed. “Take off your clothes. You’re gonna put out. I gave you that fancy diamond—now you’re gonna pay for it.”
Fury swamped her, making her reckless. With her red hair and fair complexion, there was no way to hide the angry color in her cheeks. “What, you didn’t get laid while you were out with your friends?”
Damon backhanded her across the face, splitting her lip, sending her sprawling onto the mattress. A spray of blood flew across the pillow and she bit back a moan.
“What I do or don’t do is none of your business. Not since you slept with that guy in your office—what was his name? Oh yeah,Clark.”
She wiped the blood from her mouth with a trembling hand. “I didn’t sleep with Clark. I told you, it was raining. My car wouldn’t start so he gave me a ride home. That’s all it was.” But his jealousy had grown along with his temper.
“You’re a slut, just like the rest of them. For a while you had me fooled, but not anymore.”
“Fine, if that’s what you think, just let me leave and you’ll be rid of me.” She came up from the bed and started for the door, but Damon shoved her back against the wall.
