Darkfall (7 page)

Worry. Desire. Confusion. Regret for wasted time.

Her heart beat a hundred times a minute. Or at least it seemed that way as her imagination became her worst enemy. She thought of all the things that could happen to him. She stalked across the room. Time crawled. And crawled.

She tried her cell phone and the ham radio again. No change. No signal, nothing but static. It made sense with the cell phone since cell phone service had been spotty for three months. The ham radio should be working, though.

Finally thirty minutes went by. An urge to leave the bunker rose so powerfully she couldn’t contain it. She knew what she had to do. She wouldn’t sit here anymore and wait. He could need her help. She stuffed her cell phone in her pocket and grabbed her weapon. Even after determining she’d leave the bunker, Penny had to take several deep breaths before she gathered her courage. Her nerves pinged, her breath coming fast, and for a few seconds she’d never experienced more fear in her life than she did right then.

Ian could need you. You have to go out there.

She glanced at her watch. Forty-five minutes had gone by. He must be in trouble.

After checking the monitor and seeing no one in the basement, she opened the door slowly. She waited, listening for any sign of noise. Nothing. She left the room. She eased up the stairs, cognizant with every breath she took that bad guys might be waiting for her upstairs. Fear tightened the muscles in her body. Her heart beat a tattoo in her chest, a relentless echo in her ears that seemed way too loud when combined with the rasp of her breath. Inch by inch she took each step until she reached the top.

No one waited for her there.

Still, she kept on alert. She crept down the hall in tactical mode and looked in each room as she went by to make certain no one lurked inside. She grimaced when she saw the first room, her library with bookshelves. Destroyed. Things tossed around, furniture broken. Moving on, she had to be grateful they hadn’t ravaged every room. She glanced in the kitchen and took in the mess. Paper napkins, plastic plates on the floor, the refrigerator door wide open. That pissed her off. She peeked around the door. All clear. She stepped inside and closed the fridge door.
Bastards.

God, Penny. What are you doing? Ian’s life could be in danger and you’re screwing around in the kitchen?

She hurried out into the hallway. When she reached the front door she peeked through the peephole. No sign of anyone on the front steps. She cautiously edged aside the curtain next to the window and scanned the area. She took her time, looking for any sign of Ian. She saw a big SUV out front which had to be his, but she didn’t see him anywhere. Taking a deep breath she opened the front door.

A man stepped in front of her.

With a gasp she came to a halt.

Penny recognized the man in front of her.

Frank Gonzalez.

Not quite as tall as Ian, he was still fit, with a rangy form. His sharp nose and angular features had attracted her at one time, and his dusky tan skin showed wrinkles that made him look older than his thirty-five years. Life had roughened him around the edges since she’d last seen him. In seconds she took in his appearance. He wore a dark denim shirt torn slightly at the right shoulder, baggy jeans, and boots. His gaze was icy blue and cold. He clutched a pistol of some kind in his right hand.

Shock and surprise wore off.

She shoved the door closed, but he stuffed his foot in the way. Before she could move, he rammed full force against the door, hitting her in the side of the face. Pain radiated from her jaw into her neck. Her weapon went flying as she sailed backwards, tripping over a rug and landing on her back. Her head cracked against the hardwood floor. A lightning bolt of pain zipped through her skull. She wavered, weakness stilling her motions.
Get up. Get up.
She couldn’t, thoughts wavering like heat on tarmac, sluggish and fuzzy.
Gun. Where’s my gun?

“Shhh.” She heard Frank’s soft, distinctive baritone near her ear, and felt his body heat close.

She wavered, her senses scattered before the darkness lingering on the edge of her vision threatened to obliterate consciousness. He hovered over her, a sick smile parting his lips. Before she could twitch he held his pistol to the center of her chest. Stark terror punctured like a dagger as she held her breath.
No. No. Not now. Not before I can tell Ian what he means to me.

“Wait,” she whispered in a choked voice. “Don’t.”

His smile grew wider. “Why should I wait? You betrayed me with that man. You deserve punishment.”

Though her head still throbbed, her senses started to clear. “What man?”

“All the men. You’ve fucked dozens since I’ve been in prison. I know you have.”

Fear tightened around her throat. “I don’t…there aren’t any men. I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

As it was, she’d
never
been with him, either. Whenever he’d tried to get intimate, she’d backed off. Truth be told, his kiss had felt lukewarm, lacking real feeling. Filled only with a ravenous animal taste that turned her stomach. God, why hadn’t she recognized that as a good reason to kick him the curb earlier?

Because you hoped he’d replace the heat you experience with only one man. Ian.

Such a revelation at such a time stunned her and made her slow.

“You’re a lying cunt,” he said without a hint of malice, as if he was talking about lovely weather.

His epithet didn’t surprise her. Frank had turned to name calling before. She went to her default mode of negotiation and away from the fear that wanted to slice her to ribbons. Better to redirect him. She kept still, wanting him to think she couldn’t escape or wouldn’t consider it.

She kept her voice calm. “Frank, why are you here?”

“That’s a rich question. You know why.” The gun pressed harder into her chest. “Because you belong to me. Not to whatever asswipe you’re sleeping with at the moment.”

“If I’m yours, then let me up. You didn’t mean to hurt me, right?”

He grunted and lifted off of her. She didn’t have time to feel relief as he reached down and yanked her to her feet. Pain throbbed in her temple as she clasped her head between both her palms and swayed. Dizziness threatened.

He grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her toward the staircase to the second floor. “I saw you looking out the window for your lover.”

She stumbled. “What are you doing?”

His eyes glittered. Anger and determination to make her pay carved hate into his face. She didn’t see a chink in his armor. No, this guy knew her bag of tricks. At least he thought he did.

He yanked again, his clasp on her upper arm tight enough to send a bite of pain through her flesh. “Upstairs to talk. You’re going to explain to me why you did what you did and how you’ll make it up to me.”

New apprehension struck a blow, and her mind raced. Make it up to him? God only knew what he had in mind. “I’ve got money in a safe. It’s yours if you let me go.”

“Money?” He laughed as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “What a load of bullshit.”

“It’s not. I swear. I’ve got three thousand in emergency money and a gun and ammo stashed in my bedroom. The safe is in the closet.”

He snorted. “Come on. Prove it.”

He dragged her upstairs, shoving her in front of him. When they reached her bedroom she strode to the walk-in closet. She went to the shelf where a small safe was located. Fear spilled hot through her blood and threatened to choke her. If something bad had happened to Ian, she had to rely on herself. Tears spilled over her eyelids at the thought.

“Hurry up.” Frank snapped behind her.

She rushed to accommodate him. As she fumbled with the dial on the safe, it took her longer than she wanted it to take. She removed the folder with the cash, the weapon, and ammo clip.

He snatched them from her hands and gestured with his weapon. “Get out.”

She walked ahead of him out of the closet. “You’ve got the money. Just leave. That money will take you a long way.”

He grunted. “You have to be kidding me. You think that’s what I care about?”

She faced him. He still held the gun on her. “I don’t know. What do you want?”

“I told you. We’re going to discuss what you did.”

Nausea rose in her stomach, but she didn’t know if it was the blow to the head or fear. Whatever it was, she had to keep her wits. “All right. Let’s talk.”

“Sit down on the bed.”

Grateful for that, she did as told. The glittering in his eyes, the edge in his voice said he wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if she tried anything remotely brave. Or stupid, in this case.

“Lie down,” he said with a smile.

“What?” Penny asked.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to rape you.”

Frank might be lying, but she didn’t have a way of knowing that. “I’d rather stay sitting.”

He raised the weapon and pointed it directly at her. Her heart rose into her throat.

He smiled. “Whatever you think of me, Penny, I’m not a rapist. Do it.”

Swallowing around the tension choking her airway, she did as he said.

He sat on the edge of the bed and kept his weapon in hand. “Very good. Maybe you could be trained to follow my orders.”

Everything inside her rebelled against the idea, but she resolved she could do it to appease the bastard short term.

“Tell me what you think happened in our relationship,” he said.

“Where do you want me to start?”

“The beginning.”

Her mouth was paper dry, and she licked her lips.
Come on. Time to lie your ass off.
“I thought you were funny and smart.”

“You thought?”

“You are. Smart at least.”

He laughed. “You’re lucky I have a sense of humor.”

Lucky? She didn’t feel like it.

He shifted on the bed. “What else?”

“I think I misunderstood you.”

A small smile touched his mouth. “How is that?”

“You were very kind to me at first.”

His expression turned cold, and she knew she’d made a mistake.

“At first?” His frown deepened as he leaned forward. “I was always good to you.”

Right. Play this up, Penny. Play him.
“You always were. I think we just didn’t know how to argue. How to discuss things.”

“There was no we in it. You were obstructive. Always acting as if you knew better than I did.”

Had she? For a moment she second guessed what she’d said and done in their relationship and it silenced her. He touched her shoulder with the weapon and slid it down her arm slowly. She shivered.

“What else did you do wrong?” The weapon glided back up her arm.

She thought fast. “I ignored you. I didn’t talk to you as much as I should have.”

He shrugged. “I don’t remember you ignoring me.”

Okay.

He laid the weapon in the middle of her chest and drew it down to her belly button. “Think harder.”

Another hard shiver wracked her body. She wished he’d stop that. “I’m sorry for whatever I did wrong.”

He snorted softly. “You aren’t getting off that easily.” He leaned down again and gazed into her eyes. “I traveled days and days to get here. I’m not leaving you alone after all that. We’ll stay here as long as it takes for me to get the right answers.”

What could she say? The man lived in crazy-land and always had. She’d play along until she could think of a way out of the situation.

“Now…” He drew the gun up and placed it in the middle of her forehead. The metal was cold, hard, and made her head ache under its weight. “Why did you lie to me?”

“When?”

“When we were together in California. Why did you pretend to like me when you didn’t?”

“I did like you at first.”

“Then what changed in you? Why did you become crazy and stupid and fat?”

Fat? Yeah, he’d said that before. She was now actually a little underweight. Living under the shadow of apocalypse, she’d eaten less and lost ten pounds in three months. Prior to that she was well within normal weight for her height and build. For a second, just a second, old tapes played in her head. She was inadequate. Faulty. Anger at herself returned.
Don’t give into his pathological manipulation. Don’t give in.

Before she could reply he said, “If you’d just go on a diet, you’d look so much better. You know why I liked to stare at other women, right?”

She remembered all too well when he’d drooled over other women. Even right from the beginning of their relationship he’d done that. She shouldn’t have been so stupid; she should’ve dropped his ass right away when his interest started drifting away from her.

“No,” she said.

“Because you didn’t take care of your body. You shouldn’t have overeaten in the first place. And you shouldn’t have gained weight.” He left the gun lying on her belly and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “If I take you back…and that’s a big if…you’ll have to lose the weight. Understand? We can start today. No more food for tonight or all tomorrow morning. Maybe not even tomorrow. We’ll get that fat off you.”

His hot breath on her neck sent another wild shiver of revulsion arching over her skin. “All right.” Immediately she went for a bargaining chip. “Okay. I’ll need water, though. You wouldn’t want me to get sick, right? If I’m your girlfriend you’ll want me to look good.”

He sat up straight. “Water it is. I think we can get the excess weight off of you quickly.” He curled his lips as he looked at her flat belly. He palmed her rounded hip, and her muscles twitched at the intimate touch. “What the hell have you been eating anyway? Hot dogs? Hamburgers? I told you not to eat meat. I told you to go even farther. Being a vegan is the only right way to eat.”

She remembered the lecture he’d given her not long before she told him she didn’t want to see him anymore. He’d obsessed about weight then, and apparently his one-track mind hadn’t shifted, even in the midst of calamity. He’d lectured her endlessly on how meat would kill her and that every ache and pain she’d ever had, no matter how minor, was because she’d consumed meat or anything else he deemed unhealthy. Playing along now was the only way to survive this situation.