Obsidian Beauty (The Obsidian Series Book 1) (2 page)

“Wake up, dum-dum.” Billy thumped her lightly on the nose. Abigail sat straight up, ready to cut a bitch. It took her a minute to realize she wasn’t in prison any longer.

“Don’t do that, Billy. Jesus. I almost punched you or tried to claw your eyes out.” She rubbed her eyes.

“You’ve always been scary in the morning, but prison made you a lot worse.”

She ignored his insult and looked over at the papers spread around him. He had been busy. When he was on a roll, he used to move the printer in the room with him, and sure enough, it was on the floor beside his chair. Her heart rate sped up, and she leaned forward on the couch.

“What is it? Did you find him? Where’s Lila? What time is it? What’s happening?”

“Calm down. It’s after one and you just woke up. Lila went shopping. I found him, but you aren’t going to like it.”

“What? Why? Is he in jail?”

Billy was shifting his weight from foot to foot and avoiding eye contact with her. She’d always thought Benton might end up going to prison anyway.

Bracing herself, she grabbed Billy’s arm. “Just tell me!”

“He’s the mayor of Alkapine, South Carolina, and he’s married.” Billy moved away from her after he said the last part.

“He’s what? Are you sure?” Several things popped into Abigail’s head. The first was he had never wanted to get married. He always told her they would grow old together with no papers needed. As many times as he cheated on her with his favorite strippers, she had always forgiven him. He never committed to any of them except for her. They were his outlet. He told them all his secrets and paid them to stay silent. Things he had done that he wouldn’t even tell her, he told his strippers. His reasoning for cheating was always because he wasn’t able to be a monogamous creature.

Most women would say she was insane for staying, but she loved him. It was always something she could pretend wasn’t happening. Now he was married? What could this woman have to offer that was so much better than her? She realized Billy had been trying to get her attention for a while as she flashed back to memories of Benton.

Billy handed her a picture of Benton with his wife.  It was a picture of him after he won the mayoral race, with his wife by his side, so it would have been around three years ago. This version of Benton was clean-cut and put together. He looked like a mayor, and it was a strange thing to see. He always used to keep a beard and longer hair.

The woman beside him was a petite brunette lady in an expensive looking dress. She was pretty and obviously a lot younger than him. This woman had to be the target. She must have money. The only way Abigail could see Benton marrying a woman with mousey hair and a sour expression was if she had money. This was not a good situation. Any plan she had for her life after prison had always included them being together and starting some type of legitimate business. The fact Benton had a wife was kind of throwing a wrench in her plan.

She was wide-awake now, pacing back and forth across the floor in front of Billy’s pile of papers.

“I have to go and see him.” She stopped pacing suddenly.

“Why would you do that? He has moved on, Abigail. I think it’s best if you restart your life here, or move back home.” Billy nodded encouragingly.

“No, he doesn’t love this woman. When he sent me the last few letters, he was working on a heist, something that would take him away for a while. He wasn’t expecting me to be out for another five years. Benton probably planned on being divorced by then.” She was nodding now, clasping and unclasping her hands.

“You look like a mad scientist right now. Think about how crazy that sounds, Abigail. The man who supposedly loves you, whom you went to jail for, is married, and he was just planning on it being over. You would’ve never found out. How is that a healthy relationship?” She knew Billy knew how stubborn she could be when her heart was set on getting something. When they were younger, she wanted a doll from the toy store, but they didn’t have the money. She spent the whole summer looking for loose change until she had enough. This was kind of like that, only her goal was unattainable.

“No, I have to see him. I have to know what this sham marriage is all about.” She wouldn’t believe otherwise until she got to the bottom of it. Deep down she knew he could have moved on, but when you hold onto something for years it can be hard to let it go, at least that was what she thought to herself.

“It seems to me, if he wanted to be with you he would be with you, not married. I think you are going to get hurt, but you’ve never listened to me before, so I know you are going to go anyway.” He sat down in the chair as a show of defeat.

“I’m going to need a fake ID and all the necessary paperwork to become someone else. I probably should dye my hair.” Abigail had started pacing again.

“No, I am done with all that. I told you. You don’t have to change your identity anymore. It’s great. You can be Abigail Rivers, living a good life after doing hard time. It has a nice ring to it, right?” Billy asked. “But, you are going to need some money and some clothes,” he said when Abigail didn’t answer.

“Our joint account will have to work. I will have to take all of it with me and go find out why my boyfriend married that tramp.” She had put some money in an account with her brother for emergencies. Starting over and chasing a man to South Carolina seemed like an emergency.

“Doesn’t look like a tramp to me.” Billy was checking out her picture online. She was pictured at several charity events and fancy parties. Abigail slapped him so he would focus on more than the pretty face of her now sworn enemy.         

Billy was able to get her a cell phone and a ride. Someone owed him a favor, so he was able to find a car on short notice.

“It’s not the Mercedes you had, but it will work for now. I give you your new 2008 Toyota Corolla. You’re welcome.”

Abigail hugged her brother. “Thanks for everything. I will get in touch with you soon. I have a little bit of a drive. Please tell Lila thank you.”

It felt good to finally head toward her destination and begin figuring out her life. Being in the car by herself was something she could enjoy. She had gotten used to being by herself in quiet contemplation, like she had experienced in prison. The day after she helped Ruby in a fight, she was in solitary for three days. It had been a maddening experience but also a time for quiet reflection. Of course, a lot of that time was spent thinking of a non-married Benton.

As she drove, she thought of all the people she had deceived over the years. There were a lot of people she’d left behind, who probably thought they were friends. She knew when she was arrested, and her real name was used, people felt betrayed and shocked. Lying was something she had been particularly good at, and she would have to use some of her skills in the deceit department to figure out what Benton was up to.

The last couple of hours of her drive, she started to become angry because Benton had moved on without her. She thought of all the things she thought he needed to hear, and before she knew it, the sign for Alkapine was right in front of her. Now she just had to find out where Benton was and come up with some type of living arrangement.

Once she was off the exit, she pulled into the first gas station so she could fill up the tank and get her bearings.

“Is there any way you could tell me where the mayor will be this evening? I’m an old friend visiting from out of town,” she asked the clerk as she put a couple of snacks and some water on the counter.

“There’s a production of Peter Pan being put on in the center of town by the Alkapine Players. The mayor and his wife always go when they perform. It will start in twenty minutes. I can draw you a map.” The older clerk smiled as he drew a simple map on receipt paper. It showed just how small the town really was. There was a theater, church, one grocery store, and a small park. It would be difficult for Benton to be in such a small place.  He loved the rush of the big city.

“Thank you so much. I need to know one more thing. Is there somewhere I can buy something to wear to the play? I don’t think sweats are appropriate.”

“There’s one clothing store here,” he said and pointed beside the church and wrote Sassy Girls on the map.

Abigail didn’t know what to expect from a store called Sassy Girls. She thanked the clerk for his help and walked back to her car.

As she walked into Sassy Girls, a larger lady with pink cheeks and curly red hair greeted her.

“Oh, goodie”—she clapped her hands together—“a new customer. What can I do for you, sweetie?”

“I need a dress in a hurry. It needs to be simple. And maybe some heels.”

The woman wasn’t listening to her anymore. After she heard the word dress, she had taken off to the back of the store.

There was an assortment of dresses in her arms when she returned. Abigail had never seen so many ruffles and flowers. Finally, after trying on some hideous dresses to appease the eager storeowner, she settled on a sleek black dress, which was fitted in the hips and had cap sleeves. She felt pretty good about it and allowed the woman to find her a pair of red heels and a clutch to match. For the only store in town that sold clothes, Sassy Girls was not a cheap place by any means. She had spent two hundred and twelve dollars by the time she selected a gold chunky bracelet, dangly gold earrings, and necklace.

Now she was ready to go and find him. She had to admit she was a little nervous about it. The fact that there would be a lot of people there gave her a small amount of solace. It would keep her from making a huge scene. She pulled up in front of the theater, parked on the street, and left her car while taking in the scene.

When she walked inside, she realized it wasn’t as big as it looked from the outside, and there were two rows of seats on this level and several more rows down below. The play was underway and the actor playing Peter was flying around on the stage yelling his lines down at a much older lady, who was supposed to be Wendy.

Abigail found if she stood in the center next to the balcony, she could watch without being in anyone’s way. She spotted Benton, up in the box seats. He was whispering something into his wife’s ear, and she giggled. The tight vines of jealousy wrapped around her for a minute as she watched. Tearing her attention away from them, she watched the play and found she enjoyed it. There was no form of entertainment in prison, and she enjoyed watching the play to escape for a little while. When it was over, all the actors were announced and came back to the stage. Everyone stood up, including Benton and his wife, drawing her eyes back up to them. She was thinner in person than in her picture. From where Abigail stood, she looked flawless.

Her arm went around his waist as they watched the end of the play. Looking over at Benton, Abigail could see he wasn’t the same man who had left her at that bank to get caught, and not the same man who had loved her night after night. His face was shaven clean and he wore a suit, a full suit with a tie. The picture didn’t do the transformation justice. It was hard to look at. The short style of his hair had thrown her off at first, but she could see it was him. He was sitting in the best seat with the prettiest girl and looked nothing like she remembered him. His eyes still flashed with a dangerous fire as he looked over the audience. Benton loved the spotlight, but this was a little ridiculous. As the actors took their bows, a man came out with a microphone.

“We at the Alkapine Playhouse, would like to thank our amazing mayor, Thomas Sizemore, and his lovely wife, Carla, for supporting this play. Without you two, this would have never happened.”

A big spotlight was put on Benton and the pretty thing beside him. Abigail leaned forward in disbelief. Her Benton, the mayor? Where the hell had he come up with the name Sizemore? Not realizing she was leaning too far forward, she started to topple over the balcony and kicked her feet out helplessly to cling onto something. Her dress started to ride up and threatened to show off her panties to the world. What a horrible way to go, the most embarrassing way. Hitting the floor was going to hurt, and Benton would see her if she ate it. Luckily, some good Samaritan had the common decency to grab her foot.

Now the spotlight was on her, and Benton Sellers stared at her with a mix of shock and concern on his face. She was caught. His eyes widened, and he leaned forward a little, probably to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. She could tell he wasn’t happy to see her, or he wasn’t happy with her seeing him like this.

As her face flushed, Abigail thanked her savior and realized getting out of there before the mayor and his wife came to check on her was the most important thing at the moment. She quickly headed to the back of the theater to try to beat the crowd. Benton was hot on her heels, though, and she didn’t even make it to the pavement before he grabbed her arm and turned her around. Instantly, she was full of the pain of seeing him with someone else after ten years of hell and tried to pull away.

“Let me go, Mayor Sizemore,” she said, hoping he could feel the venom dripping off his false identity as he grabbed her arm tighter.

“How did you find me, Abigail? What are you doing out? Did you escape?” Benton looked around, making sure no one was watching. He dragged her behind the building.

She finally pulled away and rubbed the spot he had been gripping. “No, you dumbass. I’m out on good behavior. I thought you would be happy, but all you have to say is, ‘how did you find me?’” Fighting back tears, she moved away, wanting to put some distance between them and gather her thoughts.

“I’m sorry. Of course you didn’t break out.” He put his hands in front of him and turned on the charm she used to crumble for.

Shaking her head, she turned away from him and held onto the anger. “Is this your big heist, the one you couldn’t talk to me for five years because of?” Abigail found the strength to turn around and look into his eyes.

“It started that way, yes. When I realized I couldn’t really get anywhere as the mayor, I set my sights on a crime ring in this town. It has taken a lot of time.” He was walking toward her.

“Time and a marriage?” she spat out, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

“Yes, she is important to the cause. Her influence in this town is great, and her father’s is even greater,” Benton said.

Abigail was nodding, not believing a word of it. “A means to an end?” She was still nodding a little harder than necessary and backing away from him as he advanced. He was going to be ruined. She would make sure of that. It was going to be all about timing. If he still knew her like he used to, he was well aware it was coming.

“Exactly, baby, a means to an end.” Standing right in front of her, he put both hands on her arms and pulled her to him so he could whisper in her ear, “Then we can get out of here.”

For a moment, she allowed herself to feel the attraction, his breath at her ear warming her whole body. She would play along with his little game, and she would have fun at his expense. Right now, he was buying himself time by spinning a web of lies to keep her at a distance.

“You promise?” she cooed in his ear, knowing it was all about how you played the game. She was going to have to harden herself to exact her revenge.

“Cross my heart. Come by the office when you are ready to see me in a more private interlude.” As if to seal the deal and prove to her he was serious, Benton pulled her to him, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and meeting her lips. It had been so long since she had felt his touch. It was breathtaking and exciting. Parting her lips a bit, she allowed him to explore her mouth as her fingernails dug into his shoulders, and then it was over. He left her standing behind the theater a quivering mess, and she hated him for it. Benton Sellers was going down.