Touching Scars (29 page)

“Do you feel okay?” her soft voice chimed.

I didn’t take my eyes from the crystal colored ones looking at me. Whether he realized it or not, he was the only thing holding me together. “I’m fine.” My voice had a slight edge to it, but Mel got the picture that something was going on, but it didn’t involve her. She picked up a tray of glasses and set about serving the customers. I knew she would be keeping an eye on me, though. Beaver was also watching me, probably deciding if he should help. He wisely kept his seat at the front door and let Timber deal with me.

“Hello, Katherine,” Adam spoke.

Everything I’d eaten that day was sitting in the back of my throat threatening to come out. I gritted my teeth to keep them from chattering. As much as it pained me to tear my eyes from Timber, I did. I leveled my gaze on Adam.

“Adam,” I said curtly. He raised an eyebrow at my tone.

“It’s been a long time. Too long, actually. You look… different.”

“Not long enough,” I said, no louder than a whisper. His eyes narrowed. He’d heard me. “I suppose I’ve changed.”

He leaned forward, his chin perched on his thumb and pointer finger over his lips. “Yes, you certainly have.”

My hackles rose. His inflection indicated something so much more than a change in my appearance. He was letting me know, in not so many words, that he
enjoyed
the way I looked. I had to break eye contact with him. If I didn’t get out of there soon, I was going to lose all mental ability to not go ballistic. The bile in my throat made another attempt to come out.

Looking anywhere but at Adam, I said, “Well, I have work to do.” Turning to Timber, who looked completely perplexed by the exchange he’d just seen, I spoke quickly. “I need to make sure everyone is still good down there.” I tipped my head to the opposite end of the bar where they were sitting.

He put his hand up to cup my cheek. My eyes shot over to Adam who was watching us. His jaw was working back and forth. Oh, God, please don’t say anything!

“Kat, eyes.” I looked back to Timber. “You okay with this? Whatever went on between the two of you is history, okay? I promise he won’t stay long, but I need to hear you say the words.”

I couldn’t tell him what I really wanted to say, which was to get that fucking piece of shit out of my bar. It was so close to the tip of my tongue, but instead I said, “It’s history. Go visit with your friend.”

He kissed my temple. Despite his clear reluctance, he walked back around to where Adam and Slim were. I turned to look at both men. It was like looking at an angel and a devil sitting side by side. One who brought peace into my life, and one that brought misery.

I began mindlessly wiping down the same glasses I’d already taken care of earlier, trying my hardest to keep myself distracted from the conversation behind me. Timber cleared his throat a few times to get my attention, but I couldn’t muster turning around. One look at Adam was one too many.

I lost track of time. I had no idea how long they had been sitting there and I’d moved aimlessly around behind the bar, keeping my distance. At one point, Slim stood up and walked down to where I was standing and said a cheerful goodnight. Did I reply?

In the short time that the monster had been here in my presence, a million questions had formed in my head. Did Timber know that Adam was the owner of the company? If he did, why didn’t he say something? In fact, why hadn’t his name ever been mentioned in past conversations between my Uncle Roger, Slim and me? It all just seemed so odd to me. And it didn’t go unnoticed to me that there was no coincidence that, out of all the oil fields Adam could own, he owned the one that I had family working on? Little pieces of the puzzle were slowly fitting together and I realized that this was how Adam had kept tabs on me. All this time, I thought I had run far enough away, when really, I hadn’t. He’d known right where I had been all along, and he’d made sure he’d kept me within reach.

A loud barking laugh came from behind me, and my shoulders rose. The glass I’d been wiping fell from my hands and clattered to the floor. Thankfully, it didn’t break, but it still got the attention of the two men I was trying to ignore.

“Shit!” I bent down to pick it up.

“Kat, are you alright?” Timber’s concerned voice reached my ears.

I turned to look at him, avoiding the other eyes that were staring at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. It just slipped, that’s all.” I needed an excuse to get away to collect myself again for the umpteenth time tonight. “I need to use the ladies room. Be right back.”

I didn’t give him time to respond before I shot past him and made my way into the dimly lit hall that housed the restrooms. Darting inside the single toilet room, I stood in front of the mirror to stare at my reflection.

I hardly recognized myself. My face was pale and there was a sheen of sweat across my upper lip. I swiped my fingers under my eyes to collect the dampness that had collected there and then leaned forward to get a better look. It was no wonder Timber was overly concerned. I didn’t look well. For the past hour, I’d been fighting the need to evacuate the contents of my stomach, and it just became a losing battle. The thought of Adam sitting next to Timber right now, and the possibility that he’d tell him, made me retch. Side stepping the sink, I fell to the floor with my hands braced on either side of the toilet and threw up. Each heave of my stomach shook my whole body. I had no idea how I was going to continue to play it up that I was okay, when I so wasn’t. Timber had learned to read me like a book, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide this from him.

He’d have to know the name.

I spewed again violently, coughing until every muscle hurt. My eyes were watering and I was barely holding myself up. When I felt like I had nothing left in me, I stood on shaky legs and went back to hang my head over the sink. I cupped my hands under the lukewarm water and splashed it on my face. I felt disgusting. Timber was no doubt going to come searching for me, but I decided right then that I needed to head up to my apartment and crawl into bed. There was no more pretending or functioning for me tonight. Timber would know everything before the night was through.

My mouth felt gross and I needed a good rinsing. After staring at myself, I bent forward again and swished water around, trying to remove any residual vomit or taste that stayed behind. When I lifted my head again, I was startled by another face looking at me in the mirror.
I was just about to scream when I was turned and shoved harshly into the tile wall behind me. Adam covered my mouth with his hand to prevent any sound from escaping me.

“Not one peep. Understand?”

His eyes were nearly black, and I’d never seen someone look so lethal. Nodding my head in understanding, he stepped into me, pressing himself against my body. I whimpered.

“Good girl.”

He looked so smug. “My, my, you’ve been a busy girl, Katherine. I should have known you’d fall for my old best friend. The knight in shining armor. The war hero.” He spat the last part.

My chest was frantically moving up and down. I was breathing through my nostrils while his hand still prevented me from speaking. He leaned forward and ran his nose across the length of my throat and into my hair. “Fuck, you smell good.” I felt his erection grind into my stomach and I heaved. His hostile face shot to mine and he growled at me. “What, don’t I do it for you? That motherfucker out there get inside your pretty little head and tell you everything you wanted to hear, so now you don’t want me anymore?”

Oh, God. Was he delusional?

“Do I need to remind you who you belong to?” Oh, Jesus, no. Not again! I’d never survive it if he forced himself on me again. I barely survived the last time. Flashbacks of his hands wrapping around my neck and choking the life from me slammed into the forefront of my brain.

Fight, Kat! Don’t let him win!

I wanted to live. I refused to let him destroy the last ounce of sanity I had left. I saw it dangling in front of me on a string and I needed to find a way to gain some control.

I squirmed a bit, trying to assess the hold he had on me. There was little to no wiggle room. His hand was still on my mouth and his other was firmly grasping my hip. It was going to leave a bruise, of that I was certain. I felt his hips shift forward as he dug himself into me. He moaned in my ear. He did it a few more times, each time his breath blowing across my face.

Oh my God, he was going to get off on me. I couldn’t let him do this. Using every ounce of strength in my body, I tried to shove at him. I bent my leg up, using my foot as leverage to push against the wall, but it was futile. He was stronger and bigger than I was, and he held me there with little effort.

His deep chuckle resonated in my chest. “Keep fighting, Katherine. I like it when you fight. It makes my dick even harder.” He thrust again. Tears pooled in my eyes at the realization that I was powerless.

“God, your mouth. I want your mouth on my cock. Except… I think you’d probably do something you’d regret if I let you suck me off. You wouldn’t be able to promise not use your teeth, would you?”

 I was crying. Tears were streaming down my face. Adam had a fantasy in his head that he was
letting
me touch him. When his hand released my hip, I felt it travel forward and cup my sex. That was all it took.

My mind snapped and I screamed through his hand as loud as I could. I was sure nobody heard me with the music in the bar being so loud, but I would not be a victim again. My hands came up and I slapped and clawed at his face. I gripped his wrist that was still holding my mouth shut and dug my nails into his skin. Blood trickled out of the scratches. He hissed in pain, but still leveled a threatening smile at me.

“You’re going to pay for that.”

His hand left my mouth so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to register it before I felt a sharp sting peeling across my cheek. The taste of metal oozed into my mouth and I knew he broke the skin on my lip.

“Why do you make me hurt you? You’re too beautiful for bruises, Katherine.” His hateful eyes softened as his fingertips grazed my split lip.

“You’re disgusting. Fuck you!” I shouted, spitting in his face.

It earned me another slap across the other cheek. I was seeing stars, and I could already feel my cheek swelling. “You might hate me, but you are going to learn to love me.” He crashed his mouth down on mine, forcing his tongue between my lips. I gagged, which only made my mouth open further and gave him more access. He groaned as though it was the most pleasurable thing he’d ever tasted.

I started to clamp my mouth shut so I could bite his tongue, but he reached up and wrapped his fingers around my chin. He was holding my jaw open and I couldn’t close my lips any further. He continued to plunder my mouth while he held both of my wrists in his other hand. I was trapped again. My crying was at a hysterical peak and my whole body was shaking with my sobs.

“I love you.” He spoke against my lips. I tried not to gag.

In this moment, I felt like all I’d done was waste my energy fighting something thing that was inevitable. He was going to take me however he wanted, and I was powerless to stop it. What made it worse was that Timber was sitting out in the bar, only a few yards away, while all of this was happening, and he was clueless.

I cursed myself for not telling him about Adam. Because I’d lived in fear of this man, I’d stupidly kept my mouth shut, and now I found myself in the same position I’d been in six years ago. I was utterly defeated. Sagging into the wall, my whole body went limp.

I had nothing left. My spirit was a tattered shell and I was at the mercy of the devil. When he moved one of my hands into the waistband of his pants to cup his groin, I did the only thing I could do. I searched for the safe place in my head. Blue eyes, a tattooed glorious body, and a smile that made me feel like everything was okay. Adam was using my body to jerk himself off, but I wasn’t there in the bathroom with him any longer.

He was getting closer to his release because his breathing had become more erratic and he’d stopped whispering ‘I love you’ in my ear. The pressure of his hand wrapped around my wrist was painfully tight and I knew I’d also be bruised there. I was being held up by his knees in between my legs while I stared straight ahead at the off-white tiles. There was a sudden crashing through the door, and I saw a flurry of fists flying.

I knew I had been up against the wall a second ago, but now I was down on the ground. Commotion was happening all around me. There was shouting that was causing my ears to ring.

“You son of a bitch, it was you!” I heard Timber shout.

Adam laughed. “Don’t fool yourself, man. She wanted it.”

There was another rustle around me. I glanced up and saw that Timber had placed himself between me and my monster. “She wanted it?” Timber’s voice was low and threatening. “She wanted you to steal her virginity and
RAPE
her? Who the fuck
are
you?”

“Your best friend, remember?” The casualness in Adam’s tone caught my attention. “And because you’re my best friend, I’ll forgive you for fucking my girl. In fact, I might even let you have a round with her while I take her from behind.”

Timber roared.

He lowered himself and charged, plowing his shoulder into Adam with full force. They slammed into the wall, causing both men to grunt. Adam straightened himself and swung, his fist connecting with Timber’s jaw. I winced as I watched his head slam to the side. He recovered quickly, though, and he didn’t allow any more hits in after that.

Timber’s large hands connected left and right with Adam’s face, causing blood to stream out of his nose and mouth. His body went down to the ground and Timber still didn’t ease up. He straddled him, bringing his hands down around Adam’s neck, and squeezed. From where I was lying, I watched in fascination as the life drained from his hideously bloodied face.

“I’m going to fucking kill you. You are dead. Do you hear me? DEAD!”

If it was even possible, his fingers clenched harder. He was going to kill him and I couldn’t take my eyes away from watching it.