“Well yes. I wasn’t about to hang around. Even if Malcolm wanted to date me, I could never date a murderer.”
He tenses again, but stays silent. He removes his hand from my leg and pushes the button on the radio, then returns his hand, nestling it between my thick thighs. I let him, my body warming his hands up.
Listening to the late night love songs on the radio has my eyelids fluttering closed. How did all this happen in a short space of time? What am I doing and how do I handle all of this?
I have no proof that I can trust Dom after everything, but I want to trust him more than anything.
* * *
Bumpsin the road cause my body to jerk awake. The night seems darker. I can’t see the moon from the trees. The only light beams from the headlights, brightening a dirt track weaving through the forest.
“Is this where you’re going to bury my body?” My palm covers my nose as a snort escapes.
Dom chuckles. The familiar sound of his laugh is something I’ve come to love. Oh fuck. I don’t actually love him, though. Do I?
“This is my place. It was my pa’s old hunting lodge. I just kind of took it on when he passed. Dan likes the city life, but this is my sanctuary.”
“It’s in the middle of nowhere.” The branches of the trees reach over the dirt track, creating a tunnel of woven foliage. The moonlight beyond creates a silhouette of eerie shapes, long and spindly, as if large shadow hands can reach out and snatch us into the darkness.
“You’ll be safe here, Red.” He squeezes my thigh again to reassure me, and I swallow the growing lump in my throat.
He slows the car as we approach an old stone lodge with a wooden porch. Shimmering through the trees in the distance is the reflection of the moon in a majestic lake. Suddenly, the woodland doesn’t seem as scary.
“Dom, it’s beautiful here.”
He opens the car door, getting my bag from the back seat. Well, the camouflage bag I nabbed from him. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
I step out of the car, my heels sink into the soil ground, but Dom steadies me, holding my hand until we reach the porch. A code disables the alarm and he unlocks the door. He pushes it open, gesturing for me to enter.
I step over the threshold, placing all my trust that this won’t be my new prison, but more of a home.
“You hungry?”
“Just tired.”
“The bedroom’s just through here.” Dom carries the holdall with ease as he leads me through the house. A stark contrast to Dan’s white marble. My fingers glide along the wood panelling lining the walls as I corner old furniture and step over the patterned rug. Lamps and picture frames and floral drapes decorate the place as if a woman furnished it thirty years ago.
Dom drops the bag on the bedroom floor. “I’ll let you have some privacy. The bathroom is just next door.”
“Thank you.”
He presses his lips to my nose, and I close my eyes, knowing this is something else I’ve grown to love. “I’ll be back soon. I just need to check the security cameras. If you need me, call me.” He hands me the burner phone he got me with his number on. “I won’t be long.”
I’m not sure where he goes, but I’m so tired, I ready myself for bed and crawl under the heavy bedspread. I’m not sure how much time has passed, but I wake to his naked body, sliding under the duvet and nestling behind me. His hair feels damp, like he’s showered.
“What time is it?”
“Shh. Go back to sleep.” He moves the hair from my neck and kisses me there before holding me close. My eyelids flicker shut, and I drift off safely in his arms. Not even thoughts of Malcolm could keep me awake tonight.
21
DOM
It takes every ounce of strength I have to peel myself away from the bed with Poppy wrapped up in my arms. She whimpers in her sleep as I pull the duvet and Mum’s patchwork bedspread over her shoulders. After tucking her in, I gently kiss her nose.
“Shhh.” The lines on her forehead disappear with my soothing voice. It’s not the first time she’s been in my bed, but having her at Dan’s place wasn’t the same as having her all to myself in the place I call home.
She settles back into a deep sleep, looking so beautiful at peace that I never want to hurt her ever again. If she ever found out what I’ve done, she’ll never forgive me. My only goal now is to sort this mess out.
