Shira Read online

  Shira

  Copyright © July 2012, Tressie Lockwood

  Cover art designed by Mina Carter © July 2012

  ISBN 978-1-937394-53-0

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  Amira Press

  Charlotte, NC

  www.amirapress.com

  Chapter One

  Shira huddled beneath the overhang to the side of the door. She couldn’t imagine anyone would be coming or going in this downpour, but she’d rung every bell, and no one answered. The longer she stood in the rain, the more soaked she got. At least with the narrow ledge overhead, she could lessen the pelts to her face.

  A chill raced down her spine, and she shifted her shoulders. Already, she could feel the ache in her muscles. Tomorrow, she would be stiff and sore. Yet, that was better than pain in the usual way she got it.

  A sound to her right caught her attention, and she perked up. Someone was coming out. She straightened her shoulders and reached into her pocket for her keys. After tugging the useless hat lower on her head, she jangled the keys in her hand as she approached the door. A man stepped out.

  “Really coming down, isn’t it?” she muttered and zipped past him into the dry hall. The man might have said something in response, but she didn’t wait around to hear. She only hoped her little act worked, as if she was a tenant just getting home and glad she didn’t have to use her keys to get into the building.

  Before she’d run away, she never would have had the guts to pull that stunt. Maybe her life was taking a turn for the better with the decision to leave Sam. Virginia was home, and he’d acted like he was doing her a favor moving back here after five years in Maryland. In reality, he was just running after a bigger, better position in Emergency Room medicine. The hospital where he worked now had stroked his ego, like everyone did, including her own mother, and Sam had made the decision to come. He hadn’t even told her until a week before they needed to have everything packed and move down to his new house.

  Shira took the elevator. While she had rung every bell to be let into the building, there was still the hope that Whisper was just asleep and hadn’t heard the buzzer. Of course she could be out for the night. If that was the case, Shira would wait at her door.

  The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. She stepped out and walked down the hall. As she approached a turn in the passage, she checked the numbers on each apartment’s entrance. Her stomach muscles tightened. What if Whisper didn’t want to help? No, she couldn’t think like that. Everything would be fine, and she would have a warm bed to sleep in tonight. Whisper would understand.

  Then again, will she remember me?

  She peered down at her figure. Slimmer than she was in high school, she didn’t think she’d changed that much over the years. Thirty-four wasn’t so far away from eighteen. Thinking that, she almost laughed, but wasn’t in the mood.

  At Whisper’s door, she pressed the bell and waited. The chimes echoed in the apartment beyond, so she knew it was working. When no one answered, she pressed the bell again. The hope she’d bolstered herself with was fading fast. Maybe she shouldn’t have come. To go begging for help from a woman who hadn’t exactly been a friend in school was lame. Whisper might think she was crazy, or a bum.

  She twisted her cold fingers together in front of her and hesitated another few seconds. No, this was a bad move. She swung away from the door just as the locks were being undone. New hope rose in her, and she turned back.

  The door opened to the handsome, if scruffy, face of a man. His blond hair, in need of a cut, hung all about his head, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in days. What she could see of his clothes was rumpled as if he’d slept in them. Despite that, he gave off a sexy, dangerous air. His broad shoulders and big chest, paired with the size of the hand curved around the door made her take a step back.

  “What,” he snapped.

  “I think I might…” she began. This could be Whisper’s boyfriend or husband. She hesitated. “Is Whisper home?”

  His eyebrows shifted higher. “You know her?”

  Was she too low class to know Whisper? Maybe he hadn’t put the emphasis on the word you like she thought. His presence scrambled her senses, and she was tired, so she couldn’t be sure.

  “Yes, we went to school together. I thought I would look her up,” Shira explained. She tried to sound cheerful like this was a friendly visit but was sure she’d failed. “Is she in?”

  “No.”

  He gave no explanation other than that, and Shira waited.

  The man sighed. He swung the door wider and stood up straighter. For some reason, he must have been almost bent in half, because when he did, he towered almost a foot above her. Shira didn’t mean to allow the squeak of fear to escape. The man was unnecessarily big. She took another step in retreat.

  “She’s out of town with her boyfriend visiting family,” he told her. “I don’t expect them back for a while.”

  “Oh.”

  All her hopes came crashing down. There was nothing else to say. Whisper had been her last resort. She didn’t have an extensive family to go to. There was only her mother and an uncle she would never risk asking for help.

  “Thank you.” She turned and walked down the hall. In the lobby, she stopped at the door, and the tears gathered. She would have to go back.

  The skies had no mercy as she moved out into the storm. Water dripped down her back, freezing her to her core. Her shoes sloshed on her feet, and she huddled behind the thin jacket. While it was mid-summer, the evening had turned chilly. The trek here had taken the last of her money, so she would have to walk to Sam’s house. Not that it would matter since she was already late.

  Hours later, her feet hurt, and her thighs burned. She sneezed incessantly and couldn’t stop shivering. On the side of a busy street, she tried extra hard to keep from being run down. Dizziness and exhaustion made that difficult. A car drew up beside her, and Shira’s blood ran as cold as her body seeing it.

  The passenger side door swung open, and the sharp command, “Get in,” rang out from within. Shira didn’t dare disobey. She climbed into Sam’s car and buckled the seatbelt. He drove in silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel as if it was the only thing keeping him from strangling her. She didn’t think that was the reason because as far as she knew nothing had ever kept him from hitting her.

  Every now and then, she peered at him out of the corner of her eye. He was handsome in his way, clean-shaven, hair perfectly ordered. He wore an expensive suit that had not one wrinkle. Despite all of that, he didn’t look as good as the man she’d met earlier at Whisper’s apartment.

  That’s probably because I hate him.

  “Weren’t we supposed to have dinner tonight to celebrate my new position and the new house?” Sam asked.

  “Yes.” She had learned long ago to keep her words simple and to the point.

  “Yet, you’re not dressed.”

  He eyed the jeans she’d worn and the old sneakers. She had dressed for comfort for the trip to Whisper’s place. Three weeks ago, she had looked Whisper up to find out where she lived and had plotted the bus route.

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice trembled, and she bit down to try to gain control. In a minute, he would notice the bag on her lap. Who was she kidding? He never would have been out here on this road if he didn’t know she had run away. The fact that she’d made him late for his reservation was bad enough. Sam didn’t like his plans to be interfered with.

  “Oh we’ll go to the restaurant. I’m hungry. Maybe you’ve eaten wherever you were.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but cl
amped it shut before uttering a word. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t had a bite since morning. Nerves had taken her appetite.

  A short while later, they pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. Sam reached across to nab her bag from her cold fingers. She didn’t try to hold on, and he tossed it in the back seat of his jag. Sam got out of the car and came around to open her door. She gritted her teeth against sore muscles and followed him to the entrance.

  They were seated quicker than Shira had expected, but then she shouldn’t have questioned Sam’s willingness to cover anyone’s palm with money as long as he got what he wanted.

  She sat across from him in silence and picked up the menu the waiter had offered to her. When the man returned, Shira was about to tell him her order when Sam cut her off.

  “She’s not that hungry tonight. Why don’t you bring me the prime rib with two helpings of mixed vegetables on the side.”

  “Of course, sir. Anything to drink before that?”

  “If you could bring a bottle of your best chardonnay, that would be great,” he ordered. Shira sat stark still. Her stomach again made its protest, but she didn’t say a word. Anger and humiliation vied for dominance inside her. He knew she was hungry, but he punished her. What could she say anyway? She had no money of her own. He’d made sure of that, pushing her to quit her job six months ago and threatening to get her fired if she didn’t. Sam wanted her dependent on him, and he had succeeded in getting her to that place. She was beginning to think she would never get free of him.

  Sam sat in front of her, discussing his job and prospects between bites. Shira kept a pleasant expression on her face the entire time, hands clutched in her lap. She knew when they got back to his house, she would be in trouble. He was always civil when they were out, even funny and entertaining sometimes. Yet, when they were alone and she’d pissed him off, that’s when the hammer would fall. He smiled at her and winked at a joke he’d made. His teeth were even and white. She knew they got that way by his meticulous care and time in the mirror. The man took way longer than her in the bathroom each morning or whatever shift he had to work at the hospital. Up until now, the only consolation Shira was able to enjoy was that he’d often take double shifts. That allowed her to heal until the next punishment.

  How had she ended up in this position? She’d been a strong woman with prospects of her own. She’d intended to go to school and major in child development. Her dream was to own a daycare center, but stuck with Sam it would never happen. Her world had to revolve around him. He’d said so the day he insisted she move in with him. By then, it was too late for her. Sam had his claws in her emotionally and physically.

  “Where did you intend to go?” he asked without warning.

  She jumped and twisted her hands together in her lap. “I don’t know. I didn’t have a plan.”

  “To your mother?” He chuckled. “She loves me. I suspect more than she loves you. I can do no wrong in her opinion.” He waved his glass of wine, amusement lighting his cruel gaze. “Might have to do with the fact that I pay her rent and bought her the car she and her deadbeat boyfriend drive. What lengths would she go to if I actually bought her a house outright?”

  Shira dug her nails into her pants legs. “I wouldn’t know. Maybe you should ask her.”

  He narrowed his eyes, nostrils flaring. “Careful, Shira, you don’t want to piss me off worse than you already have with your stunt tonight.”

  A sob rose in her throat, but she forced it down. “I think it can’t get any worse.”

  He dragged his napkin across his mouth and tossed it aside. Then he pushed his chair back, raising a hand to signal the waiter. “Let’s find out, shall we? Time to go.”

  With a sense of doom, Shira watched him settle the check and come around to help her from her chair as if she was someone precious to him. He laid her hand on his arm with deceptive gentleness, and they headed out to the street.

  Chapter Two

  At the first light, with the rain coming down in sheets, he pulled the car to a stop and drove his hand into her mouth. Shira’s head snapped back, and she cried out. He almost never hit her in the car. That meant she had pushed him beyond his limit.

  Tears drenched her face, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She pressed against the car door, feeling in the darkness for the door handle. Sam took off before she could find it and tooled the vehicle too fast for her to risk jumping out. She prayed he would slow down. Otherwise, they risked hydroplaning. He didn’t care. He shook his hand and growled in annoyance.

  “You made me hurt myself,” he complained. “These are my money-makers, and a lowly bitch like you can’t be allowed to risk them.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, you better be.” He grinned, staring at the road ahead. “No, you’re going to be.”

  Panic set in. She directed her gaze from one side of the road to the other. She didn’t look forward to going back out in that mess, but she had no choice. She didn’t think she could stand it one more time, the cruelty, the beatings. Tears flooded her eyes, and she sniffed. Long ago, she’d learned to hide how terrified he made her, because that gave him satisfaction. Tonight, she had no control. Sobs rose no matter how hard she tried to quell them, and Sam laughed.

  They were on a quiet back road. She had no idea how close they were to his house as it was too dark, and she wasn’t familiar with this area. Now was her chance—do or die. She flipped the lock and threw the door open. The ground came up hard and fast when she unbelted herself and jumped out. The fact that the side of the road was mud and grass helped break her fall, but the impact still hurt.

  Behind her, tires squealed. Get up and run, Shira. Come on. Do it!

  She staggered to her feet and started off in the opposite direction from him, but her movements were sluggish at best. He grabbed her arm, and she swung at him. He backhanded her, and she landed in the mud once again. Shira cried out. Above her, Sam raised his fist. She stared at him in terror. He looked like a demon with his dark hair plastered to his forehead and water running off his angry face.

  “Please,” she begged.

  He raised his arm higher. The growl seemed to come from all sides, and the cat that followed from nowhere. The beast was huge, and Shira thought it might be a leopard. If it was, it was the biggest one she’d ever seen. The thing was all muscle, highlighted by the flashing lightning and rain slicking off its smooth physique. She scrambled backward on her hands and feet, but the cat wasn’t coming at her. Sam screamed at a high pitch she’d never heard before when the leopard leaped at him. He hit the ground, letting out a cry of pain. She watched unable to move when he flipped over and scrambled back to his car. The cat gave chase, but Sam was able to jump into his jag and slam the door. Shira couldn’t believe he actually threw the car in reverse, did a one eighty, and sped off down the dark road. He’d left her there.

  The rain continued to come down with lightning flashing at intervals. Shira sat stark still, peering into the darkness. She had no idea where the leopard went, but she couldn’t see or hear it. After some time, her fear eased, and she struggled to her feet. She swayed but managed to stay up.

  Were you a figment of my imagination? You saved me either way, and Sam believed you were real.

  Sam had taken her bag with him and her ID, but it didn’t matter. He was gone. I’m free. She took a step in the direction he hadn’t been heading when he left. As if on cue, the rain let up and then stopped. No matter how bad she ached or how far she had come already, she wouldn’t die out here. A better life was coming somehow. She was determined to make it true.

  Not twenty minutes later, a car came along the road. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she stopped. Whoever it was, was moving fast. Shira whimpered. She took a step toward the ditch. Goodness if she fell down there, she wasn’t climbing out.

  The car slowed and rolled to a stop. She had to be thankful at least it wasn’t Sam. When the man stepped out, she didn’t know if she should be reli
eved or scared all over again. “It’s you,” she said.

  The light from the interior of the car illuminated his face. He was breathing hard as if he’d been running. She frowned at him.

  “Max,” he said. “My name is Max. Would you like a ride?”

  “I…” All of a sudden the weariness of what she’d been through came over her, and she couldn’t have said no if she wanted to. She nodded, and he guided her to the passenger side. Shira dropped into the seat. Her arms wouldn’t obey her to buckle herself in, so when Max got in on the other side, he reached across to do it for her. “Th-Thank you.”

  He grunted in response and started the car. They were off down the road, but Shira saw no more than that. Exhaustion would not be denied any longer, and she fell into a deep sleep.

  * * * *

  Max propped his feet up on the railing and leaned back in his chair. He pondered the day. The rain had stopped, and the air was clean and fresh. That only served to annoy him. The day didn’t need to be this nice, especially with his mood.

  He caught the sound of her movement as soon as she woke. Her scent had been disturbing the entire night before. She smelled sweet like candy, and she stirred his hunger—but not for food. That pissed him off, too, so he decided to keep his distance from her. She could get going now that the storm was over and she’d gotten some rest. He didn’t know why he’d brought her here of all places anyway.

  “You were the man at Whisper’s apartment,” she said from the doorway behind him. Max didn’t turn around.

  “So? I was checking on her things like she asked me to.”

  “It was such a big coincidence that I ran into you on the road.” Now she was making conversation. Why couldn’t she just go? He closed his eyes, because what he really wanted to do was turn around and stare at her.

  There was no coincidence of their meeting the second time. He’d seen the devastation in her eyes when he told her about Whisper being out of town. That expression had hounded him until he tracked her. Not a big deal for his kind, even in the rain.