Authors: Angela Verdenius
Her mind buzzed. Here was this gorgeous
man, this wonderful being, offering her so much more, and here she was, scared,
uncertain, and so afraid to take a leap into a future together.
“Carly.” He smoothed down the
back of her hair. “It’s all right.” When she could only look mutely at him, he
smiled gently, his eyes so full of tenderness and understanding. “It’s really
all right, honey. We’ll go at your pace. Your pace is okay. I want you
happy, sure, and if that means waiting, I’ll wait.” Pressing a soft kiss to
her brow, he whispered, “I’ll wait forever if I have to.” A quick kiss to the
tip of her nose, another to her lips, equally quick, equally tender. “You have
no idea how you seduce me just by being you. No pretence, no greed, no
grasping. I love you, Carly, and I’m not afraid to admit it.” He kissed her again,
a little longer. “I’ll wait forever, but know this, I’ll never let you go.”
Drawing back, he gazed into her eyes. “I mean it. You’re mine.”
And just like that he pulled back,
turning and opening his door to get out.
Mind whirling, senses playing
havoc inside her at his declaration and her own churning emotions and fears, Carly
got out as well, meeting him at the front of his car.
Taking her hand, Sam led her up
the steps to her door.
She managed to unlock the doors
before turning to look up at him. “I’m sorry, Sam.”
He knew exactly what she meant,
his smile tender. “I know.”
This time his kiss was deep, long,
still tender even though there was something definitely masterful about it. It
was that of a man unmistakeably staking his claim. It made her heart pound,
her knees weak, and her hands cling to him.
Breaking the kiss, he said softly,
“Goodnight, honey.”
She watched him walk back to the
car, his stride long and sure, every step confident. Tall, muscular, graceful,
handsome, patient and kind.
And wanting her. It still amazed
her, made her breathless, to think a man like Sam Willow could want her so
much, yet it was so plain to see, to feel.
She was a fool for wanting to
wait. Tipping her face up, she took a deep breath. When Sam was around her,
she couldn’t think properly, his very presence seeming to mesh with her,
bringing them together. Time alone to sort out her feelings, her intentions,
her thoughts, was what she needed.
She watched as Sam pulled the car
into his garage, walked up onto his veranda and opened the house door, the hall
light spilling out welcomingly. He gave her a wave which she returned before
entering her own home, closing and locking the door behind her.
Crusher bounced around her feet
and she smiled down at him. “What, Ed isn’t home yet? Are you starving to
death?” Wondering where he was, she walked into the kitchen and fed Crusher.
When she stood up, she saw the answering machine light flashing.
Ed’s message was first. “Hey, Carly.
I’m going to be home really late. Got some paperwork to catch up on at the
bike shop, then I’m meeting Charlie for dinner and a movie. Can you feed Crusher
for me? Ta muchly.”
Well, that answered that question.
The second message wasn’t so
welcoming. Jonathon’s voice was thick, as though having difficulty speaking.
“You dumb bitch! Where’s my bloody envelope? You should have Goddamn given it
to me by now! I’m out of time. Call me
now
.”
That was enough to spoil the pleasant
haze she’d been in, and not wanting to get woken up in the middle of the night
by an irate phone call, she dialled Jonathon’s number.
“I can’t find your envelope,” she
said when he answered. “And I don’t want to hear anymore about it.”
“Well, you don’t have a choice,”
he snarled. “Find it.”
“I’ve looked. I
can’t
find
any padded envelope.” She sighed. “What’s so important about it anyway?”
“None of your Goddamn business.
You find the envelope, you don’t look in it, and you give it to me.”
“I don’t know what shit you’re into,
but I want nothing to do with it,” she said sharply.
“Just find it!”
“I don’t have it. I just don’t.
There’s nothing I can do about it, you’ll just have to accept that it’s
somewhere else.”
“This is your final warning. Have
it for me by tomorrow night or else.” His phone slammed down in her ear.
“Bastard.” Hanging up the phone,
she looked at Crusher who was licking the last of the food from his bowl.
“You’ve got the life, Crusher. Food, love, and no worries.”
She could worry all she liked, it
made no difference. No amount of searching had unearthed Jonathon’s envelope.
It was time she took the matter further; there was no telling just how far
Jonathon would go now. Tomorrow she’d go to the police station, perhaps get a
restraining order. She couldn’t believe she was actually contemplating it.
With that decision made, she
grimaced. Now that she was away from the beach, she didn’t like the feel of
salt and sand on her skin. A long, luxurious shower and hair wash, and she
felt a lot better. Damp hair hanging loose, she slipped on a summer nightie
and dressing gown and went into the lounge room to sit and watch TV.
Actually, TV was to occupy her
eyes while her brain mulled over the afternoon at the beach, which had been
fun, and the conversation with Sam in the driveway, which had been confusing,
heart-warming, tingling, and nerve-wracking all at once.
Sam loved her. That had her
tingling and warm, and even just the thought made her heart pick up pace.
It was her own fears that made her
hesitate. Did she love him in return? Love was a strong word, one she didn’t
use lightly. She knew if he walked away now that her heart would break, so she
definitely had a lot of feeling for him. But love?
God, who was she fooling? If he
had the power to destroy her, then yes, she loved him. Loved him enough that
destroying her was exactly what would happen if he left. He made her feel
beautiful, loved, cherished. With him she was at ease, happy, so comfortable
even while her blood sizzled and her heart sang.
Being with Sam just felt so right,
was
right. So why let her fears make her hesitate? Why not take the
heaven-sent opportunity with both hands? Why, she thought in despair, did she
allow her fears to hold her back?
Crusher whimpering at the door caught
her attention, and she got up to see what was wrong.
At the door, he barked and
whimpered, putting his head down to sniff floor.
“Whoa. If you want a pee, you go
outside.” Unlocking the door, she snapped on the veranda light. “Good boy.
Outside. I’ll wait here.” Opening the door, she watched as he raced out.
Only he didn’t go out to the
garden, he veered to the side and started barking loudly.
“What’s wrong, Crusher? Don’t be
silly.” Carly took a step out. “Is SJ here? Don’t worry, he’ll only lick you
to death. He-”
“Hello, Carly.”
Shocked, Carly stared at Jonathon
as he stepped in front of her. One side of his face was swollen, one eye half
shut and blackened. “What happened to you?”
“You.” He bared his teeth. “You
happened to me.” Reaching out, he shoved her hard in the chest, sending her
staggering back into the hallway. “And now I’m going to happen to you.”
The door slammed behind him before
she could stop him. “Jonathon, what the hell are you doing?”
“You bitch!” His hand cracked
across her face, sending her stumbling against the wall. “Where is that bloody
envelope?”
Shocked, her hand cupped to her
burning cheek, she could only stare at him.
Grabbing her dressing gown, he
yanked her close and yelled, “The envelope! Where is the bloody
envelope
?”
“I don’t know!” She shoved him
away angrily. “How dare you come in here and hit me?”
“Hit you? I’ll do a hell of a lot
more than that!” Grabbing a handful of her hair, he yanked her forward against
him. “Listen here, you fat bitch. You’re going to search this house from top
to bottom, and you’re going to find that envelope. You hear me? You find it
or I’ll kill you!”
Fear shot through her. Looking up
through a haze of tears, hanging onto his wrist to try and stop the painful
drag on her scalp, she saw the murderous fury in his eyes. Right then she knew
that he was possibly capable of carrying out his threat.
“I’ll look. Jonathon, I’ll look
again.” She sought to sooth him. Voice shaking, hands trembling, she
repeated, “I’ll look again.”
Hauling her upright, Jonathon
shoved her down the hallway and into the kitchen, using his grip on her hair to
steer her. Releasing her hair, he threw her into the kitchen, where she fell
heavily to the floor.
“Get up.” He looked around. “Get
up and search every draw and cupboard in this Goddamn room.”
Shaking, tears slipping down her
cheeks, Carly got up and approached the kitchen pantry. “It’s not in this
room. I swear, Jonathon, it’s not here.”
Furious, he kicked Crusher’s
basket across the floor. “If you don’t find it, I’ll drag that stupid mutt in
here and kill him! I- well, hello.”
Flinching from his rage, Carly
followed his gaze to see a corner of something white sticking out from under Crusher’s
cushion in the basket.
Crossing to the basket, Jonathon
bent down and grabbed the envelope, lifting it carefully out from under the
cushion. The fury left his face to be replaced with relief. Checking it, he
laughed. “Goddamn! Well, Goddamn, you had it the whole time!”
“I don’t – I didn’t know.” She held
onto the kitchen bench. “It must have somehow gotten in there during the
packing and unpacking.”
“Bloody dog probably found it and
brought it in here.” Jonathon turned the envelope over. “Has tooth marks in
it, but he hasn’t broken through the padding.”
It didn’t surprise Carly. Crusher
was known for pinching things that interested him and hiding it in his basket,
she’d just never thought to look there for it.
Jonathon looked up at her. “Lucky
for you this is in one piece.”
“What is it?” she queried before
she could think of what she was doing. “Why is it so important?”
He smirked. “The contents are
worth a tidy fifty thousand dollars on the street.”
“Is it jewellery?”
“Might as well be. White gold.”
He laughed. When she continued to look puzzled, Jonathon tapped the envelope.
“Cocaine.”
All colour left her face. Incredulously,
she stared at him. “Drugs? You’ve got drugs in there?”
“Yep.”
“You’re dealing
drugs
?”
“Makes money, baby. Lots of
money.”
“But Jonathon, it destroys lives!
How could you do this?” Horrified, she gripped the bench. “How long have you
been dealing?”
He shrugged. “A year. What do
you care?”
Running one hand through her hair,
she winced at the soreness of her scalp. “I don’t do drugs, Jonathon, you know
that.”
“As if I didn’t bloody know that.
You’re so straight and righteous, Carly. If you’d gotten wind that I’d hidden
the envelope amongst your photo albums, you’d have turned me into the cops in a
flash. I’m lucky you didn’t spot it when you were unpacking. Obviously the
dog is smarter than you. It probably slipped out when you were unpacking and
he grabbed it.”
“My photo albums? Why’d you hide
them with my stuff?”
“Because the cops had gotten wind
of my side-line. I needed a safe place to stash them, and your place is the
safest around.”
“You bastard!” Fury flashed
through her. “How could you?”
“Come on, Carly. You are such a
patsy.” He laughed unpleasantly. “It was a win-win for me. I got to screw
you, have a little fun, and keep my stash safe at your place. Thanks for that,
by the way.”
Angrily, she stormed up to him.
“You jerk! What if I’d been caught with that? If Ed had? We’d have gone to
prison!”
“Like I give a shit.” He pointed
to his beaten face. “Because of your slack-arse ways, Carly, my boss gave me a
reminder of what happens when I don’t deliver to the customers on time. So
saying, I’ve got something for you, too.” His hand went to his pocket,
something clicking as he withdrew it.
Cold dread trickled down her
spine. Looking down, she saw him holding a switch blade. The only thought
that flashed through her mind was,
Oh Sam, how could I have been so stupid?
How could I have not taken what you offered straight away?
Because life was so fleeting and precious.
She knew it now, knew it in the
split second when it was possibly going to be too late.
But she wasn’t going to go down
without a fight.
Lunging backwards, her hand flew
up defensively as he sprung forward, reaching for her with one hand, whipping
the blade up with the other.
The glass door exploded inwards, a
deep, guttural roar of primal fury filling the kitchen. Glass shattered, a
big, tall figure coming through it as though it were made of paper.
Before Carly had a chance to register
who it was, Sam had Jonathon pinned high up against the wall, one hand around
his neck, the other ripping the switch blade from his tightly clenched hand.
Not one word did Sam speak, but he
tore into Jonathon as though he were a rag doll, yanking him away from the wall
to throw him across the room, bouncing him off the kitchen bench and dragging
him up again by the scruff, cocking his fist back and lifting him right off his
feet with one blow of his big fist.
“Sam!” Alan yelled. “Sam, stop!”
Sam wasn’t finished, not by a long
shot. There was pure murder in his eyes, the boiling rage in them shocking
Carly.
Grabbing the semi-conscious
Jonathon by his shirt front, he picked him up and slammed him against the wall,
drawing back his fist once more.
Knowing he wouldn’t stop until
he’d pounded Jonathon into the ground, Carly grabbed his arm. “Sam! Sam,
stop! Please stop!”
Then Mike was there, the hulking
cop grabbing Sam’s fist before it could make contact with Jonathon. Dragging
Sam away, Mike pushed himself between Jonathon and Sam, forcing him back.
“Sam!” His voice rumbled like thunder, underlying the roar of pure fury that
Sam directed at him.
Oh God, Sam was so furious, so
almost senseless with rage that Carly feared he’d tackle Mike as well in his
quest to get to Jonathon.
Grabbing his leg, Alan dragged
Jonathon away from behind Mike, flipping him over roughly to handcuff him. “Damn
it, Sam, snap out of it!” His gaze shot to Carly. “She’s fine. You’re fine,
right, Carly? Tell him you’re fine before we have to cuff him as well!”
Without thought, Carly ducked
under Sam’s arm, sliding between him and Mike. “Sam! Sam, stop!”
Mike swore. “Carly, be careful!”
Ignoring him, she acted on
instinct. Throwing her arms around Sam’s neck, she pressed herself against
him. “Sam, please.
Please
. For me, stop
for me
.”
His gaze dropped down to sweep
across her face. Almost instantly two big arms came around her, hugging her
hard against him, actually lifting her off her feet to hold her so close it almost
hurt to breath. Sam swung away from Mike, his body shaking with rage, the fury
in his voice mixed with fear and relief. “Oh God, Carly. Oh God.” Sam held
her close, burying his face in her hair, sucking in deep lungfuls of air.
“Shhh. Shhh, Sam, it’s all
right.” She smoothed a shaking hand down the back of his head, turning her
head to kiss his cheek. “I’m okay. Sam, please, you need to calm down.”
For a long minute he just held
her, the shaking of his body easing. She could almost feel the rage seeping
away.
When he lifted his head, his gaze
scanned her, falling on her reddened cheek which she suspected bore Jonathon’s
handprint. Rage flared again in his eyes. “Jesus, I’ll
kill
him.”
“No. No, Sam.” Placing her hands
each side of his face, she spoke softly, forcing him to quieten to hear her.
“It’s over. Mike and Alan have him. I’m okay. You’re okay.” She pressed her
lips to his. “I need
you
to be okay. Please, Sam. Please.” Tears
filled her eyes. “Please.”
“Don’t.” With a shudder, he
tucked her head beneath his chin. “Don’t cry, honey. Don’t cry.”
Of everything, it was her tears
that calmed him. Within seconds he was soothing her, rocking her gently.
Gradually her shaking stopped and she held onto him tightly.
The sound of sirens suddenly registered
and she realised that while trying to calm down Sam, the police had arrived.
“Are you hurt?” Mike asked.
“No.” She curled in closer to
Sam. “I’m fine.”
“Carly,” Alan said quietly from
behind her, “we’ll need a statement.”
“When she’s ready, Alan,” Sam
snapped, squeezing her tighter.
“Sam,” Carly wheezed.
“Yes, honey?”
“I can’t breathe properly.”
“Shit.” He loosened his hold.
Immediately she slid down his
body. It shocked her to think that Sam had actually been holding her against him
with her feet off the ground. Really? Did that actually happen to women like
her outside of fairy tales?
It was a heady thought, but one
glance at Jonathon being led, silent and bleeding, through the broken glass
door dashed it from her mind.
She looked from Mike who was
talking to a uniformed officer, to Alan who was leading a man in plain clothes
over to her.
“Alan,” Sam said warningly.
Carly squeezed his arm where it
still rested around her waist. “Its okay, Sam.” Turning in his arms to face
the cops, trepidation filled her when she saw that the man carried the envelope
in a plastic evidence bag. “It’s not mine. I swear, I didn’t know about it.”
The man smiled. “I know. Your
friends here heard everything. And as cops, they make good witnesses,
especially when Mike decided to start recording the conversation on his mobile
as soon as he saw what was happening.”
Carly looked at Mike and back at
Alan. “You saw and heard everything?”
Alan nodded. “We came to drop
Sam’s beach towel off, the drongo forgot it again. While we were on his front
veranda, we heard that ridiculous dinky dog barking up a storm and Sam
reckoned something was wrong.”
“I knew you wouldn’t leave him
outside alone.” Sam nuzzled the top of her head from where he stood behind her,
a warm and solid presence with his arms tight around her waist as though he
feared letting her go.
Alarmed, Carly glanced around.
“Where is Crusher?”
“Don’t worry, we came over the
gate, not through it, so he’s safe in the yard.”
“One of the other cops has him in
the car right now to keep him safely out of the way,” Alan said. “So anyway, Sam
came running over. We managed to persuade him to let us check things out
quietly when we heard swearing coming from your kitchen window at the side. We
knew something was up as soon as we saw Jonathon, he’s been one of the suspects
in an on-going investigation involving drugs.”
Sam glared at him. “You knew
about him and Carly?”
“I had no idea that Carly knew
him. Look, Sam, we’re not working with the detectives running it, we didn’t
know everything or sure as shit we’d have been watching her. Don’t look like
that, moron. I meant for
her
protection.”
The plain clothes cop spoke up.
“We were in the vicinity when we heard about this, so we came along with the
uniforms.”
“Mike had the bright idea of
recording the conversation.” Alan returned his attention to Carly. “Took all
we had to make Sam shut up and just watch, but once he saw Jonathon draw out
that switch blade he was through that glass door before we could make a move.
Man, I’ve never seen a bloke move so fast.”
“Understandable,” Mike rumbled.
“His lady was in danger. You’d have done the same if it was Sophie.”
“He’d have been dead meat,” Alan
replied.
Mike grunted.
Alan gestured to the plain clothes
cop. “This is Detective John Barclay. He’s the one heading this
investigation.”
Detective Barclay smiled
reassuringly at Carly. “There’s a lot of paperwork to be done, a statement
from you, a few other things. But you’re basically in the clear with your ex’s
confession which we now have recorded. Plus, to be honest, we had you
investigated when you started going out with Jonathon and you came up clean, so
there’re no problems there.”
Relieved, Carly leaned back
against Sam.
His arms tightened reassuringly
around her.
“Now, let’s get you checked by the
paramedics.” Detective Barclay stepped back.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Really.”
“He hurt you,” Sam objected.
“A slap, but that was all.”
“I must ask that you get checked
anyway,” the detective insisted. “If all is well and they’re happy with you,
you won’t need to go to the hospital.”
Alarmed, Carly looked back up at
Sam.
“It’s all right.” He dropped a
kiss on top of her head. “I’m here, honey. You know that.”