Paranormal Anthology With a TWIST (18 page)

Back to the bathroom, she took a rat-tail comb and teased her hair
into a snarled mess. For the finishing touch, she ripped off the fake nails,
leaving her hands looking bland and damaged. She looked into the mirror, smiled
once, and then dropped into character. She looked the part of a wounded animal.
Now it was time to play the role to the best of her natural abilities. She’d
been acting since she was able to talk—today should be no different.

At just two minutes after ten, she heard a knock on the door. Dom
was known for his prompt arrivals. She shuffled to the door, embracing the
character, and slowly opened it a smidgen to peek out at him.

Dominic saw a dark, haunted eye peering from a slit in the
doorway. The anger flared through his body like a fire eating kindling for
lunch. Her perfect hazel eyes were not twinkling and he wanted to kill the
bastard who had done this to her.

Softly, with tenderness, he spoke, “Baby, let me in. I would never
hurt you. Let me in so I can hold you.” He waited for her to open the door,
fists clenched with rage. He breathed deeply holding the beast within. His
anger is better left unseen if there was any hope of her allowing him in to
comfort her. He waited, trying to be as patient as possible, but fighting to
maintain the ruse.

Slowly, Rose finally opened the door enough for him to slip in. He
kicked the door behind him, slamming it shut as he gently brought her into his
arms, holding her against his chest. He gradually brought one hand up and
brushed the hair back from her face to look into her eyes. How he wished to see
them twinkle, but they just looked like lost, sunken in, bruised pools of pain.
Rose shifted in his arms, and that was when he saw them. Bruises and scratches
marring her arms, neck, and who knew where else. The beast howled, fighting to
be released, causing him to squeeze her a little too hard. She pushed him back,
looking frightened by him—a look he wanted to erase from her face as
quickly as he had put it there.

“Rose, honey, I’m so sorry. I just am so angry,” he said. “Not at
you, of course, but at the bastard who did this to you.” He reached out to her,
but she turned and walked away. He followed her into the living room where she
slumped on the couch. She looked so miserable—so fragile—in need of
tender, loving care. He could do that for her. His mind wandered to the velvet
box he now had in his pocket. He could provide more security and love than she
ever dreamed of. But now was not the time for talk of marriage. She was too
emotional, too fragile. Now, he just needed to be there for her—and find
the asshole that hurt his lovely Rose.

In a parking lot across the city, a loud growling noise shattered
the peaceful afternoon, and a green glow spread across a concrete jungle.

Rose looked at Dom from hooded eyes. She couldn’t believe how well
he had reacted to her “supposed” condition. This performance would be easier
than taking candy from a baby. The time had come to see how the game played
out. Would he take the bait or sink to the bottom? She patted the couch next to
her, hoping he would get the hint and sit down. Naturally, he did. He reached
for her and she leaned over and laid her head against his chest. She could hear
his heart beating—so strong.

She hitched her breath and body a few times to give the appearance
that she was crying, breaking down in his manly embrace. Just as she expected,
he started to rub her hair. With each stroke of his hand, she could feel the
tension continue to build in his body. He was a strong one—that was
certain. She had fed on that strength for two years—now the time had come
to feast upon it.

 
“Seriously,
Rose—what happened? Who did this? When did it happen? Why didn’t you call
me?” he asked in rapid-fire order. His mind formulated an extreme picture of
vengeance, but he needed her cooperation for that to come to fruition. She
shifted in his arms and looked up at him, a tiny smile on her face that seemed
more like a look of discomfort than glee. As always, he was drawn into her
eyes, sinking deeply into the swirling color.

“I was walking home from class the other night and this guy came
up to me,” she said softly. “He seemed like a good guy—a normal
person—you know, a safe person. I found myself talking and walking with
him. Everything seemed okay until I realized I didn’t recognize where I was. I
started to panic. I wanted to scream, but he must have sensed my fear. He
grabbed me and stuffed a wet rag in my mouth,” she said, fear causing her voice
to tremble. “I think I passed out. I woke up with a screaming headache. Looking
around, I realized I was trapped.”

Dominic fought the burning rage building in his body. His eyes
glinted with fury. A vein in his neck throbbed in rhythm to his anger. His
pulse skyrocketed. He might be a guy who drove a truck day and night, but that
didn’t mean he couldn’t take someone on in a fight and finish it swiftly. He
took a couple of deep breaths and prayed that Rose would stay on track. Fear
had a funny way of making people babble, and he needed her to stay focused so
he could get enough details from her to vindicate her honor—so that
justice could be served.

Rose flinched from the grasp Dom had on her. Anger radiated from
him. Of course, this was her intention, but she didn’t want to end up really
hurt. Her eyes were set on Kevin and all that he could offer her. Looking at
Dom, she knew she would miss him, but she also knew she didn’t love him. She
knew he loved her though. Hopefully, this would nip it all in the bud and life
could go on as she planned. Her plans were everything to her, and she rarely
failed. She snuggled into him closer, hoping to calm his tension. She needed
his emotions to function, but not for him to become out of control.

“It was dark, but I knew I wasn’t alone. He was there. He raped
me, beat me, and kept me locked up. I thought I was a goner for sure. I almost
wished it would just end. Day and night meant nothing. Time was irrelevant.”
She sighed, stopping to let what she said sink in. She felt Dom’s tension
increase even more. Before he could respond, she continued her tale. “Sleep
came on and off. When I thought I wouldn’t last another minute, it came to an
end. Oddly, he returned me to the same spot on the campus where I first met
him. I woke up groggily to find people staring at me. Voices talked at me,
others screamed around me. Chaos followed. Campus security came running. 911
was called and they rushed me to the hospital.” She paused, and he hugged her.
“The police came and a report was filed. The doctors fixed the physical wounds.
A psychiatrist came to talk to me. I had no answers for anyone. I just wanted
to run away. Finally, they released me. Janice brought me home and I just
stayed in bed after that,” she said, curling further into his lap.

He held her closely, picturing her lying broken on the campus grounds.
There were no words for the emotions that were building within
him—nothing that could describe the fury. He would get
vengeance—that much he knew. As his anger seethed, it fueled the beast,
giving it more power, more control, and the strength to act if action was
needed.

“I’m so sorry that this happened and even sorrier that I wasn’t
here when you needed me.” He hugged her closely. “I love you more than anything
and can’t handle that I wasn’t here to protect you. That’s my job, damn it! I
failed you and that is not acceptable. I need to fix this. Do you have any
clues as to where you may have been held?” he asked her.

She looked confused for a second and he thought he had scared her
again. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her more, but he needed an idea
of where to look for the bastard who’d hurt his hazel-eyed girl. He watched her
closely as the minutes passed—worried he had tripped her memories in the
wrong direction. Just as he was going to tell her to forget it, she spoke.