Authors: Karen Rose
Chicago
Sunday, March 18
1:45p.M.
He was strolling back and forth, king of his castle. Caroline had seen him do it before, many times, usually from behind swollen eyelids. Today was no different. A dull throb pounded at her temples, at the base of her skull, making concentration difficult. She tested her upper right eyetooth with her tongue. It was the slightest bit loose. She rocked her jaw back and forth, as surreptitiously as possible. It wasn’t broken. Yet Rob walked the length of her tiny living room, a gun in one hand. He would do this with some regularity way back then. He’d take his revolver, the one his father had left him, put it to her head and click, pull the trigger. It was never loaded, he’d laugh later. But she was never sure.
Today was a little different, however. Today his gun had a long silencer, as if he was prepared to fire it in an enclosed place. Like her apartment.
Rob stopped pacing and smiled at her.
From her seat on the old sofa, her blood ran cold. She briefly considered running, but her eyes focused on the gun in his hand. He might not shoot her, but she’d never make it to the door. She knew that much for a given fact.
„I’m surprised at you, Mary Grace,“ he said, the smile easing into his voice. „You’ve managed to lead me on a long chase. Someday you’ll have to tell me how you managed it all.“ His eyes went brittle. „I’d like to personally thank all those people who’ve helped you along the way. All those people who lied for you.“ His smile changed from brittle to mere baring of yellow teeth. „All those doctors who said you were crippled, that you would never walk again.“ He looked her up and down. „You had me on that one. How many of them did you have to sleep with to get them to lie for you?“ He lifted his brows. „We’ll cover that one later. I promise. For now let’s get back to the main question at hand.“ He took a step forward. „Where is Robbie?“
She stared up at him, willing her eyelids to blink, her throat to swallow. And said nothing.
He took another step, until his feet were inches from hers. „You look different,“ he commented. „Your hair’s too dark.“ He reached out and grabbed a handful and yanked her to her feet. „I’d wager it’s still that same blond at the roots. Maybe we’ll find out.“ He wound the handful of hair around his wrist until she stood on her toes, her eyes tearing. „Where is my son?“
He’d asked it before. How many times? A dozen? More? She’d withdrawn so deep she’d lost track. Each time he demanded to know where she’d hidden Robbie she’d said nothing, earning the brunt of his fury, feeling the blinding pain as he pummeled and pounded. She’d survived it before. She could do it again.
Caroline closed her eyes, forcing her mind to calm, forcing herself to think of something else. Anything else. Anything to keep the truth from her mind so that she didn’t mindlessly blurt it out. The cold barrel of the silencer ground into her temple and she flinched.
„Tell me, Mary Grace,“ he crooned silkily. „I know you’ve poisoned him against me. I know you’ve made him hate me. You’ve made him hate his own father. Now, Mary Grace, that’s just plain wrong. You’ll tell me where he is.“ He yanked her hair and she swallowed the yelp. „I know he’s camping. I just want to know where.“ He pushed the silencer harder. „Tell me where.“
Caroline kept her eyes closed, her lips closed. Her mind closed. He would have to kill her first. She inwardly blanched, unable to dismiss the mental picture of Tom finding her body here on the sofa. He’d find her, dead. He’d remember her that way forever.
„No,“ she murmured, more to herself than to Rob. Tom would remember her as she’d been. Dana would help him through the rest. Whatever else happened, Rob would never get his hands on her son. She drew in a sharp breath as Rob yanked her hair harder.
„You will. You’ll tell me soon enough.“ He brought her hard against him and ran his lips along the curve of her jaw. She shuddered. She couldn’t help it. The cold barrel of the gun followed the wet trail his lips had left behind. „I have ways of making you tell me what I want to know, Mary Grace. You may think you know them all, but you’re wrong. I’ve spent the last seven years… honing my craft.“
The phone rang at that moment and Rob paused, his hand still tangled in her hair, her head still bent back. Her throat still exposed. Keep your eyes closed, she told herself. The phone continued ringing. As long as you don’t see him, you can pretend you ‘re anywhere else in the world but here. It had been her only salvation seven years ago. She prayed she still had the mental will to block him out. She was so tired already. Finally the machine picked up. „Please leave a message.“ It was Eli’s voice. He’d recorded it for her years before, simple and sweet, so that no one would guess she was a woman living alone. The tone beeped.
„It’s probably your sugar daddy again,“ Rob commented, sliding the barrel of the silencer down her throat. Max. He knew about Max. Caroline stiffened and Rob laughed. „He called twice already while I was waiting for you. ‘Please call me, Caroline. I’m so sorry, Caroline,’“ he mimicked cruelly. „I hear y’all had a pretty big fight there this morning.“
Caroline’s mind went to Max, remembering the anguish in his eyes, knowing this might be the last time she ever heard his voice.
„Caroline, pick up the damn phone.“
Caroline’s eyes flew open. It was Dana’s voice and she was crying.
„Oh for God’s sake, Caroline, grow up and pick up the phone. I need you here. Evie’s hurt. The paramedics just took her to Rush. Somebody attacked her, here in my apartment. Dammit, Caroline, just meet me at the emergency room. She’s unconscious and they don’t know if she’ll make it.“ Click.
Caroline turned her gaze on Rob’s face, watching as his eyes flickered, as all trace of his mocking disappeared. He became angry and Caroline felt her gut go liquid. Then quickly Rob smiled, tightening his grip on her hair, yanking her still higher on her toes.
„Dammit,“ he said, almost conversationally. „I thought I’d finished that job. That girl’s just too damn tenacious for her own good.“
„You,“ Caroline heard herself whisper.
He nodded, his expression growing dark. „Yes, me.“ He looked at her, and Caroline’s skin crawled. „I put my hands around her neck and squeezed until she begged me to stop. So I did. I tied her hands and feet with sharp twine. Tight.“ He yanked her hair. „It cut her and she bled.“ His lips curved and he ran the tip of his silencer down her throat, between her breasts, caressing the underside of one breast with the cold metal. „Do you want to know if I raped her? I didn’t need to. She’d given it away for free all weekend.“ He grinned, wolfish and smug. „But I did anyway. Did it hurt her? Oh, yes, Mary Grace. It hurt her a lot. Did she scream? She would have, if I hadn’t covered her mouth with duct tape. Stupid bitch. Then I took some of that sharp twine and twisted it around that pretty neck of hers until she stopped breathing. Too bad I was in such a hurry to get over here to you. I got sloppy.“
Oh, God. Evie. Grief rose up and with it the need to cry aloud.
But Rob was shaking his head. „Don’t you worry, Mary Grace. If she ever comes to, she’ll say it was a man with curly brown hair, a mustache and blue eyes.“ He lifted his dark brows, blinked his brown eyes. „Which I clearly am not. She’ll say it was a man named Mike Flanders.“ He pushed his lips together in a pout. „Shame that. I guess I won’t be using that name again. Damn but if that wasn’t my easiest getup.“
Caroline let her eyes slide closed. He’d dabbled in it, years ago. The art of disguise. He’d obviously… honed his craft. Dear God, poor Evie.
Rob backed up a step and she followed, still on her toes. She heard the soft thud of his gun on her little dinette table, the rustle of fabric as he dug in his pocket. „Open your eyes, Mary Grace. Let me see those pretty baby blues of yours.“ His fingers grabbed her neck and she gasped. „I said open your eyes. Now. Or I’ll forget you’re the mother of my boy and treat you like me goddamn whore you are.“
Resolutely she kept her eyes closed tight and barely managed to swallow the cry when his knuckles crashed against her cheek. „So you plan to make this difficult, huh? Not a problem, Grade. No problem at all. In fact, it just might – “
Caroline gasped again as she felt the bite of the twine against her own wrists.
„ – make it a little more fun,“ he grunted, pulling the twine tight, imprisoning her wrist behind her back. He shoved her into the chair and she took a breath, mentally preparing for the very worst, but all she could think of was Tom or Max finding her, tied. Dead. He’d kill her. He had very little to lose. „Where is my son?“ he demanded from behind her. He pulled her wrists behind the chair and tied them to the chair’s frame, tugging as he finished.
She was silent until he hit her again, knocking her to the floor, chair and all. This time she couldn’t contain the small cry of pain. She spat out the blood that filled her mouth. She lay there, unable to right herself, as helpless as she’d been all those years before.
No, not helpless. She’d never really been helpless. She’d survived then. She’d survive this time, too. Someone would find her. Max would come. All she had to do was hang on. And block out the sound of him breathing over her.
The phone rang again. She braced herself for Max’s voice, knowing it would hurt as much as give her something to hold onto. Again Eli’s voice. Again the beep. But this time it was a woman’s voice she’d never heard before.
„This message is for Caroline Stewart. My name is Lieutenant Antoinette Ross with the Asheville, North Carolina Police Department.“
„Goddamn it,“ Rob hissed and Caroline opened her eyes to find him staring at the phone, rage in every line of his body.
„I’m looking for a woman named Mary Grace Winters and have reason to believe she may be with you,“ Lieutenant Ross’s voice went on. „The Chicago PD has also been trying to reach you since yesterday. We believe you’re in a great deal of danger from Rob Winters, Mary Grace’s husband. He’s armed and very dangerous, Ms. Stewart. Please contact Lieutenant Spinnelli in Chicago immediately, even if you don’t know the woman we’re looking for. Your life is in danger. The Chicago police will help you. Please don’t be afraid of them.“ She rattled off a few phone numbers and hung up.
Rob continued to stand and stare at the phone for a long minute, his chest rising and falling with the great breaths he drew. „Sonofabitch,“ he growled and yanked her chair upwards. „I can’t believe this. Get up,“ he commanded harshly. „I said, get up!“
Caroline just looked at him. Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. He’d made a mistake somewhere. They were on to him. It was just a matter of time before someone came for her.
Rob grabbed the front of her sweater and dragged her to her feet.
„We can’t stay here.“ He cut the twine binding her wrists and roughly shoved her toward the door. „Get your coat.“
Chicago
Sunday, March 18
6 p.m.
„Bid or fold, Max,“ Peter said mildly.
Max looked up from the cards he held, searching the worried expressions around the table. „I’m sorry, Peter. I’m lousy company tonight.“ He dug deep and found a tired smile. David had made a few calls and immediately his family had dropped all their plans to come to support him. „You guys just play this hand without me.“ With an effort, he pulled himself to his feet, accepted his cane from a sober Ma and made his way into the darkened living room where he and Caroline had made love for the first time less than forty-eight hours before. It simply didn’t seem possible.
He stared at the fireplace, smelling the stale ashes, hearing the muted murmurs coming from the kitchen. His family had come without hesitation, without question. Without any explanation from him. He knew they wondered. He knew David would say nothing. What was divulged to his family was up to him.
What he’d divulged was only that he and Caroline had fought and that he’d been far too hasty.
He’d realized he’d been too hasty a scant fifteen minutes after Dana had pulled out of his driveway, throwing a look of regret over her shoulder. Apparently Caroline hadn’t yet reached the same conclusion. He hadn’t changed his mind, not by a long shot. He would still accept nothing less than marriage. He loved the woman for God’s sake. She said she loved him. They should lawfully be together, husband and wife. He should lawfully be able to smile at her across the dinner table. In his bed. Any babies they had together should lawfully bear his name. His name, dammit, not the name of some stranger she happened to find on a St. Louis gravestone.
He hadn’t been wrong. Just hasty. Caroline didn’t want to not marry him. She just didn’t see an answer to a problem she’d been living with for seven long years. Fifteen minutes after she’d driven away his mind began to clear, the hurt dissipating as logic began to set in. Logic in the form of David, of course. His brother had waited until Dana’s clunker had disappeared before turning to him, sadness in his gray eyes. And within fifteen minutes his brother had cut through his hurt. Max had seen past his own selfishness, his own self-pity and seen the courage Caroline had mustered every day of her life. But not only the courage. He’d seen the fear and the terror that made her afraid seven years later. She thought there was no way out. She thought there was no way to legally escape the bastard that had brutalized her during her entire adult life.
He knew they needed to find a way to finally free her from her husband, together. Anything less would not allow her to marry him. And anything less than marriage would be untenable. He sighed. Because in his heart he’d discerned the real reason behind his hurt. If Caroline considered her marriage to the bastard legally binding, it meant in her heart she was still married. Still bound. Still a part of him. Not me, he thought, feeling the same pang he’d endured all day. If she held her marriage vows sacrosanct, it meant anything between the two of them would be sullied. Dirty. He’d be living with a married woman, and Max found that realization most shattering of all. He’d never slept with a married woman, not even in his wilder days in pro ball.
He had now. His shoulders sagged.