Predator - A Stand Alone Suspense Romance (18 page)

Cara~

I fell asleep on Damian. When I wake up, I feel groggy and stiff.

Damian doesn’t say a word but gets up, pulling me up along with him. He throws the cover back and then waits for me to get into bed before he gets in behind me. His arms come around me and he curls his body around mine until my back is pressed tightly to his chest. I feel his breath on my hair and I try to focus on it.

I don’t know why I’m still alive. I don’t understand how my heart can still keep beating when it’s been torn to shreds.

I have seen all I’ve cared to see of this unforgiving world. I want to leave it. I wish I could turn time back to before I was conceived. All I can remember of the time before my first memory is nothing, and I want that so desperately – just nothingness.

This life has hollowed me out. There’s nothing left of me. I thought I found some happiness with Annie, but no, that was just life giving me the finger.

Neither of us fall back to sleep. My mind drifts to Damian and how comfortable I’ve become with him touching me. Maybe it’s because he’s saved my butt twice.

As soon as the sun starts to rise, Damian gets up. I glance over my shoulder and watch as he phones someone.

“Jeff,” Damian’s voice is harsh again. There’s no trace of the man who comforted me the night before. “We need to disappear. Don’t even pack your shit. Just go.”

I sit up and watch Damian. “We’ll be fine. We go with the retirement plan. I’ll check in with you once the dust has settled.”

When he tucks the phone back in his pocket I can’t help but ask, “Retirement plan?”

“Yeah.” He nods as he walks to the window. He peeks through the curtain before he turns back to me. “We have one stop to make before we head south.”

I might be a mess right now but I’m not so out of it that I don’t notice that he’s intentionally keeping me in the dark. I let it go for now and slowly get out of bed. I walk to the bathroom and cringe when I see the state of the shower. It’s filthy. No way in hell am I using it.

I turn to the basin and rinse my mouth a couple of times. It does nothing to remove the stale taste from my mouth.

“Here,” Damian says, holding a toothbrush and toothpaste out to me.

I take it and quickly brush my teeth. I make sure to rinse it properly before he takes it back.

I smooth my hair out and then my eyes widen as I watch Damian brush his teeth. I take a step back and just stare. He’s using the same toothbrush.

Last night he took it upon himself to dress me in one of his shirts.

He came to help me … again.

At the hospital he said I’m his wife. Not sister. Not cousin. He chose to make me his wife.

Shit!

I rush out of the bathroom. The small space of the motel room feels like it’s suffocating me.

My mind starts to race frantically. I care about him, sure, but I’m a wretched mess. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for a relationship.

I already have a ton of shit to deal with. I don’t need this.

I pull at my hair as panic flares through me. I need Damian. I know I won’t survive this without him, but … what if he wants more? I can’t give him more. Fuck my life.

The wound starts to ache, every pulse of pain in rhythm with my racing heart. I sit down so my body won’t take too much strain and then start to chew on my thumb nail.

Damian comes out of the bathroom and his eyes lock with mine.

“I … I …” I start to stutter like an idiot. I pull at the shirt, trying to make it longer. I’m hyper aware of my lack of clothing.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he grumbles, and then I watch him leave.

I sit frozen, not sure what’s happening. “It’s your imagination,” I start to talk some sense into my confused head. “You’re just friends.” I wipe my hands over my thighs, and then pull at the hem again. “You always wanted a friend and now you have one.” My heart squeezes tightly in my chest. “Be happy,” I snap. “You have a friend. You’re not alone …” My thoughts turn to Annie and the baby, and then I whisper, “… for now.”

Who knows for how long I’ll have Damian before I’m forced to give him up? This is why I left him in the first place - to avoid shit like this.

To avoid getting hurt.

One day he’ll be gone. Just like my parents. Just like Annie. Just like the baby.

I sit and stare at the floor, and it feels as if my soul is slipping into a bottomless pit of despair and emptiness.

It feels like I’m detached from life itself. The sun keeps shining. The wind keeps blowing.

My body keeps breathing, but I’m drained … just empty, and it’s the most lost feeling I’ve ever felt.

Damian~

I tuck my hands deep in my pockets as I stalk to the Walmart that we passed on the way to the motel.

My mind wanders to Cara and the way she reacted when I used the same toothbrush as her. I can’t wrap my head around what’s happening between us. It’s like a fucking car accident. No matter how you try to avoid crashing, it’s inevitable. We’re going to collide one of these days and I can only hope that we survive it.

I know she’s not ready for any kind of relationship, and me … fuck knows what I want.

I walk into the Walmart and head over to the clothes. I grab the first pair of jeans I see and hold them up. Yeah, they look about the right size. I grab a few shirts, another pair of jeans and two pairs of slacks. I come to a standstill in the underwear section.

Fuck.

I grab a box of panties and then sigh when my eyes fall on the bras.

Yeah, like I said, a collision is bound to happen. I stare at the bras until it’s well past the point of weird. I take the first one and then think back to the night before. I only got a glimpse, but the image of Cara’s breasts is crystal-fucking-clear.

I search through the row of bras until I find one that looks like it will fit. We can get her more later when she can pick them herself.

I walk over to the shoes. I grab a pair of comfy looking shoes that I think will fit. As I walk to the front of the store my eyes spot the aisle with deodorant and shit. I sniff at a few cans before I pick one that smells fresh.

I grab a pack of pads and tampons, hoping it’s the right shit. I spot some razors and take a pack for her. I get a beard trimmer for myself. I’ve let the beard grow too long. I also get her a toothbrush and brush, because I don’t want to freak her out again.

I stare at the hair dye, but I just can’t take one. She has gorgeous ginger hair. I sigh and glance to my left. There are hats and beanies, and I smile with relief. I get her two hats with flowers and shit on, and then head for the front of the store again, satisfied that I got the essentials.

I hand the cashier the cash, grab the bags, and stalk out of the store. I’ve taken too long.

Just as I walk across the parking area of the motel, four men come out of the room next to ours. They laugh and look casual, but every muscle in my body tenses. I keep my head down as I walk by them. I slow my pace and wait until they get into a car. I wait for the car to leave before I open the door to our room.

My eyes immediately search for her. She’s sitting on the bed, her hands limply on her lap.

“Got you some clothes,” I say and I put the bag down on the bed. “Get dressed so we can leave.”

She keeps staring at the floor, her face devoid of any emotion. She’s got that ‘the lights are on but no one’s home’ look on her face.

I crouch down in front of her and place my hand on her knee. Her skin is cold from just sitting like this in the morning cold. I catch her eyes and they seem to come back into focus.

“Time to get dressed,” I whisper and suddenly it feels like there’s a fucking rock stuck in my throat. I hate seeing her like this.

I take my stuff from the bag and the scissors from the first aid kit, and then I go to the bathroom so she’ll have some privacy to get dressed.

I first cut most of the beard off before I grab the beard trimmer. I trim it so it looks like I haven’t shaved in a few days. It’s most comfortable this way.

I pack everything away and wash the basin out before I go back to the room. I’m relieved to see that Cara changed into slacks and a t-shirt. She’s busy slipping her feet into the shoes.

“Does it fit?” I ask as I pack everything into my bag. I grab her other clothes and shove it into my bag, and then look up.

She’s staring at me with her lips slightly parted. She takes a breath and tilts her head. “You shaved,” she states the obvious.

I rise to my full length. “Yeah, time for a new look. Wear one of the hats to cover your hair.”

I leave the room to put the bag in the car and then rush back. I strip the bedding and start to wipe the place down. It’s a habit I’ll never be able to break. I have to always cover my tracks.

When I’m done I take Cara’s hand. “Let’s go.”

I open the door and scan the area first. It’s quiet outside. I pull her out the door and then lock it behind us.

She stays next to me as we walk to the reception area. I place the key on the counter and leave without a word.

When we reach the car, I open the passenger door first. Cara moves to get in but then stops and looks at me. It looks like she wants to say something but then she changes her mind and she gets in.

I close the door and walk around the car to the drivers’ side. As I get in, I hear her whisper, “Thank you.”

I glance at her and smile. Her eyes flutter over my face before she quickly looks outside. She curls into herself and rests her head against the window.

We have a long way to go, but first we have to stop at my storage unit. Then we disappear.

Cara~

I keep my eyes closed and try to get Damian’s smiling face out of my head. He shouldn’t have shaved. It was easier to ignore him when he looked like a grizzly bear. Now … shit, now there’s no beard hiding his face.

Those eyes.             

That smile.

The look that digs its way into the darkest corner of your soul.

He’s dangerously good looking and it’s messing with my head.

And then he goes and buys me stuff … like he cares.

A tear sneaks out of the corner of my eye and I turn my body more into the door so Damian won’t see.

My emotions are all over the place. One second I’m so thankful that Damian wants to stick around, and the next I’m swallowed whole by this black hole in my soul. It must be my hormones that are totally fucked up.

My mind doesn’t stop racing from my parents to Annie, to the baby – to the death sentence hanging over my head – to being at Damian’s mercy.

I swear, if I knew what was waiting on the other side of death I’d finish it in a heartbeat. I’d just end it.

But there’s no ending this. I’ll somehow have to face it.

My whole mid-section is aching and the pain is spreading into my hips and thighs. I wish I could get some painkillers and a bed. I just want to sleep forever.

I wrap my arms around myself. I feel nauseous with pain but I bite it back.

The car starts to slow down and I quickly use the shirt to dry my cheeks. When the car comes to a standstill I peek out the window. I see a building that looks like storage units. I frown, not sure why we’re stopping here.