Chapter 4

 

Kiley did not sleep. She woke every few hours, the sheet tangled around her legs, waiting for the door to burst open and Ned to drag her out and beat her for trying to escape him. Her body was drenched in a cold sweat by the time the sun rose, and her heart felt ready to pound out of her chest. Holding her face, she wondered if she’d screamed in her sleep. Her throat was sore, and when she tried to speak, she sounded hoarse.

All she needed was that man hearing her scream in the middle of the night. Had he checked on her? She was thankful for what he tried to do, but she was a lost cause and needed him to see that before it was too late. She deserved everything happening to her. No amount of kindness from a stranger could change that.

The strong smell of coffee lured her from the guest room, and she traipsed to the kitchen. Considering this place belonged to some rich doctor, she was amazed at how little was actually in it. Only the necessities. No pictures of friends or family. A few books on a shelf, but not much else. Coffee gurgled from the single-cup brewer, and Charlie had his back to her as she leaned against the breakfast counter. She admired his lean form in his tight t-shirt as he moved one cup aside and brewed a second cup. If he saw her watching him, he gave no indication, so she continued her study. At any other time in her life, she might have jumped at the chance to be alone with such an attractive man. Now, she didn’t deserve to snatch him away from some other woman who had a chance at a normal relationship.

“Morning,” he said, finally turning around. “Coffee?”

She frowned at the bags beneath his eyes. “It looks like I’m not the only one who needs it,” she pointed out. “Black is fine.”

He set the mug down in front of her, and when the second mug was ready, poured creamer and two sugars into it. “It was a rough night.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not the only one in this penthouse who didn’t sleep well.” He watched her over his mug as he blew the steam away and took a long sip. His jaw clenched as he swallowed, and she couldn’t decide if he was holding back anger or had burnt his tongue. Probably both.

“It’s a new place. It takes getting used to, but don’t worry. I won’t be here long.”

“I said you could stay as long as you need to.”

“And ruin your vacation? I don’t need you resenting me any more than I’m sure you already do.”

“Like you don’t want me assuming things about you, don’t do the same with me,” he said sternly. “When you’re ready, we’ll get our running done.”

She glared into the depths of the black coffee, reminding her of the sweet bliss she’d felt the first day at the hospital. Floating in the midst of nothingness. No guilt, no fear. Nothing. Was that what she really wanted? To disappear permanently and not be a burden to anyone?

Unable to drink her coffee, she set it down and was ready to go whenever he was.

Their first stop was the cell phone store so she could get a new one. All her numbers were saved on the cloud so they could use her old number and get everything downloaded for her again. Her gut told her this might not be the best idea, but at some point, her friends would need to be contacted in case the worst happened. She tucked her cell away in her pocket and followed Charlie as he made his way to the Riverwalk and stepped into a boutique.

“Charlie, no, this is too expensive,” she argued quietly after looking at a price tag on a shirt.

“You’re not buying it, remember?” He picked out a pair of dark jeans and a black, loose-fitting shirt with three-quarter sleeves. “How about this to start?”

“Can I help you?” the saleswoman asked, walking over. Kiley cringed, but the woman smiled brightly.

“Yes, my friend lost her luggage and is need of a few outfits to get her through,” Charlie lied smoothly.

“I can certainly help with that.”

She took Kiley’s arm and guided her gently around the store. She shot Charlie a narrow-eyed look over her shoulder, and he beamed. The woman handed her four outfits to try on, including shoes, and he sat down in the plush chair to wait.

“I’m not showing you any of these,” she called through the curtain.

“I never said you had to. As long as you’re comfortable.”

She stared at the clothes hanging on the wall and with a sigh, tried the outfits on. Everything fit perfectly. After the first outfit, she stopped staring at the price tag. If Charlie wanted to waste his money on her, it wasn’t in her power to stop him. She decided on one of the outfits to wear out, but realized she still wore a borrowed bra and panties. She pulled the curtain aside and, ignoring, Charlie, waved to the saleswoman.

“How are the outfits working out?” the woman asked.

“Perfect, actually, but I was wondering… do you guys sell…uh, undergarments? I lost those, too, with the rest of my luggage.”

The woman nodded and asked her sizes. Charlie leaned closer, clearly trying to listen, but when he saw the woman returning with a few bras and lace panties draped over her arm, the muscles strained in his neck and he hid a smile behind the magazine he’d been reading.

“Will these work?”

“Those will be fine. Is it all right if I wear one of these outfits out?” Kiley asked, taking the items from her.

“Of course. Bring the tags up with the others and we’ll get you checked out.”

Kiley ducked behind the curtain, undressed, and pulled on the new panties and bra. She turned to pick up the jeans and froze when she caught her reflection in the mirror. She’d managed to avoid it but forgot to close her eyes this time. The bruises from the attack in the alley were darker than ever, and she could still see the ones from Ned’s hands, too. She traced her fingers along the ones on her arms, fingerprints left from him grabbing her. She turned and stared at her back.

“Kiley?” Charlie said, knocking on the doorframe outside the dressing room. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she said. How long had she been standing there? “Be right out.”

“Take your time. I’m in no hurry for the next month.”

She dressed quickly in the black set of panties and bra and picked a looser fitting pair of jeans. The bandage on her thigh wasn’t bulky, but the wound was sore and wearing tight pants would irritate it. As she stepped out, the clothes draped over her arm, she saw Charlie staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

“They’re just clothes,” she said, shifting on her feet.

“Yeah, but they look amazing on you. I’ll take those,” he said and reached for the clothes. She laid the tags for the other items on top and he carried it all to the counter. The flats the woman had left her also fit perfectly, and she slipped into them before joining Charlie at the counter.

The woman rang up the purchases happily, and when the total appeared on the screen, Kiley choked back a curse. “That’ll be twelve-hundred, ten dollars and twenty-three cents,” she said.

Charlie pulled out his card and swiped it without blinking.

“Wait, hold on,” Kiley argued, but he was already punching in his pin. “Seriously? I can’t pay you back for this.”

“I didn’t say you had to.”

The woman smiled softly as she bagged up the clothes. Kiley rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath as the transaction was completed and Charlie took his receipt. He handed her the clothing bag as they left the boutique.

“I’m hungry. How about lunch?”

“No, I’m don’t want you spending more money on me,” she argued, but he didn’t seem to hear her. “Charlie!”

“I know this great little café down this way. Tucked under one of the bridges.”

“You’re going to ignore me, aren’t you?”

“They’ve got amazing croissants. You’ll love them.”

Kiley’s lips twitched as an emotion she hadn’t felt in a long time tried to break through the despair. Charlie’s gaze slid sideways, waiting for the smile to appear, but she forced it to stay hidden. She didn’t deserve to be happy. Charlie deflated, but he whistled as they walked and pretended as if he didn’t almost see her smile.

They sat down at a small table outside so they could watch the small boats on the river, and she started as her cell dinged.

“Someone looking for you?”

She didn’t miss the strain in his words. She pulled out her cell and immediately tucked it away again. “No, a weather alert.”

“Weather alert, okay.”

“What? It was.”

“No, I believe you,” he said, suddenly very interested in his menu.

Kiley twisted and shredded the paper napkin as the waitress came over and took their order. Silence fell over their table. The waitress dropped off a few more napkins helpfully with a curious look at Charlie, who smiled with those damn dimples of his and the waitress left. Kiley focused on the water, watching it flow lazily along without a care for the world around it. Watching it was calming, and she wondered what it would be like to simply float away and never come back. Her cell dinged again, and she pulled it out, silenced it, and put it away again.

“Who is that?” he asked. “Texting you?”

“I told you, weather alerts.”

“Sure, for a perfectly sunny day in San Antonio, you’re getting weather alerts.” He pointed to the shredded napkin. “You can talk to me, Kiley. You can trust me.”

“Says you.” She wanted to trust him. He was reaching out to her, but Ned’s voice echoed in her mind, so sweet and loving at first. Then he’d turned on her and took her down a dark path where she learned who she truly was. “Just drop it, all right? It’s nothing.”

He didn’t push her for answers for the rest of their lunch, nor did he say much of anything as they returned to his bike and he drove them back to his penthouse. She went straight to the guest room and closed the door. She heard him moving around, pass her door, and disappear into his bedroom. Kiley sank onto the bed and, holding her breath, pulled out her cell.

Six messages waited for her from Ned. There was a voicemail, too. She read the messages first, each one worse than the last. By the time she reached the last one, her hands shook and she couldn’t breathe right. He’d heard about the attack and blamed her for it. He wanted to know where she was, thinking she could run from him and steal from him. He would find her if she hadn’t left the city. Panic swelled, and she could barely get herself to hit play on the voicemail and lift it to her ear to listen.

“Kiley, where the fuck are you? You’re never going to get away from me, you hear me, you useless fucking bitch? Never. I’ll track you down and make you repay every dollar you stole, and trust me, honey, you won’t like my methods. No one leaves me, understand? No one. I wanted you by my side, but now I see you’re no better than the rest of those fucking pieces of trash. All those times you stood by and watched them scream as I tore them apart, just like I’m going to do to you. I thought you had learned. It’s your turn, sweetheart. I’m coming for you.”

She threw her phone across the room and hugged her knees to her chest. She muffled her cries the best she could. The last thing she wanted was Charlie to come in and see her a mess like this. He couldn’t help her. No one could.

The rest of the day, she remained locked in her room. Charlie knocked sometime in the evening, telling her there was dinner if she wanted any, but she stayed where she was, her back to the headboard and eyes glued to the door. Ned would find her. He would find her and drag her back into that horrible world. Only this time, she would be the one screaming for him to stop as someone else watched.

Exhaustion finally took hold and she fell asleep fully dressed, curled up in the smallest ball she could put her body in. Her dreams were far from pleasant. Ned was stalking her. She tried to get away, but he caught her and tied her to a chair. She was forced to watch as those people she saw him hurt were paraded in front of her, every last one. The men in the alley appeared and attacked her again as Ned cackled behind them. She screamed, thrashing as she tried to get away. Hands held her shoulders and another voice broke through, a familiar voice.

“Kiley! It’s a dream, wake up,” he said firmly, holding her shoulders. “Kiley, look at me.” She tried to open her eyes, but the nightmares held her and she swung wildly. Her fist connected with flesh and Charlie cursed. “Damn it, woman, open your eyes. Kiley!”

She shot up in the bed and knocked heads with Charlie. He staggered back a step, holding his forehead as she struggled to breathe. “Charlie?” she gasped. “I’m sorry… God, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” he mumbled, rubbing his forehead. “You have one hell of a right hook and a very hard head.” He smiled but she didn’t return it and turned her back on him. “No, don’t do that. Don’t block me out. What’s going on?”

The room was dark except for the shimmering moonlight streaming in through the window. Stars filled the sky, or what she could see of them due to the city lights. “It was only a bad dream,” she whispered.

“Bad dream, my ass. That’s the second night in a row you’ve screamed like that.”

“I’m sorry if I woke you up. I can leave, go find somewhere else to stay.”

“The hell you will,” he said and blocked her when she tried to stand. “You have no money and no friends in this city. I’m not letting you walk out that door and get yourself into more trouble.”

“Who said I was in trouble?” she uttered, avoiding his piercing gaze.

“You do every time you flinch or scream yourself awake. Talk to me.”

“No,” she snapped. “No, it was only a nightmare.”

“You’re a shitty ass liar.”

She crossed her arms. “It’s none of your business.”

“You’re living under my roof. That makes it my business,” he challenged.

“Then I’ll leave,” she said, standing, but he blocked her way again. “Please, let me go.”

“I cannot in good conscience let you walk out that door.” He hung his head and she heard him whisper under his breath but missed the words. “Stay, Kiley. Please. If not for your sake then for mine. I won’t be able to live with myself if I let you go.”

You don’t deserve this man. Leave.

But her feet remained planted and her heart pounded in her chest for an entirely different reason. “I don’t want you dragged into this mess,” she whispered so quietly she wasn’t even sure he heard her. “I can’t have anyone else’s pain on my hands.”

“It won’t be,” he promised, confused. His hands found her arms, and though she flinched, she didn’t pull away and neither did he. Her eyes closed, soaking in the warmth from his palms as they glided up to her shoulders and one hand cupped her cheek. “Beneath all this pain, I bet there’s a beautiful soul trying to get out.”

“Trust me, there’s not.”

But he shook his head and his brown eyes sucked her in. “Yes, there is, if you would let her out. If you would talk to me. Whatever happened, we can work through it.”

“You’re a stranger.” She licked her lips as his body moved closer. Unlike with Ned, him being so close made her stomach flutter and her adrenaline rush for an entirely different reason.

“Sometimes talking to a stranger is easier than talking to someone you know.”

His words were soft, but they rushed over her in a wave of wanting to understand, of sympathy, and a hint of desire that confused her. How could he want someone like her? She was nothing but a beaten down waste of space. Kiley was ready to tell him so, but his lips brushed across hers and her mind went blank. The caress was warm and her arms fell to her sides as he did it again. She kissed him back, unsure what was happening but unable to stop it. When was the last time she was touched so delicately, so intimately? His hand continued to cup her cheek and hers held his hips, moving closer as the kiss deepened into something more. His other hand moved down her arm and squeezed. She winced and jumped back.

How could she have forgotten?

“Sorry, the bruises,” he muttered. “I wasn’t thinking. Kiley?”

She backed away from him further. “It’s all right. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not and it’s not. Who did that to you? And I’m not talking about the alley.”

She stiffened. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“You’re going to push me away again, just like that?”

“Yes, it’s safer.”

“Safer for who? Me or you?” he argued. With an aggravated sigh, he stormed out of her room. The door closed gently behind him and she sagged against the window.

What the hell just happened?

He kissed her and she…she’d enjoyed it, hadn’t she? Her lips tingled remembering his sweet touch, and she craved more of that, more of Charlie. It would be easier to tell a stranger about her life, but at the same time, she feared his reaction. What if he hated her? What if he looked at her in disgust and kicked her out? No, there were no ifs. He would kick her out and he would look at her as everyone else had. She was nothing to no one. Nothing worthwhile. Kiley would keep her life to herself.

Her cell vibrated on the floor where she’d tossed it earlier. She picked it up, cursing when she spied a new message from Ned. She thought she’d escaped him, but he was still trying to ruin her life. Charlie’s kiss was a brief light, but the darkness closed in around her again and she let it convince her there was no hope for a better future. This was her bed and she had to lie in it.

No matter what the outcome.