Out Of The Smoke (9 page)

Liz started to sweat, even though the temperature in the room was quite cool. She looked around at the stainless steel appliances and wondered what her life could have been like if only she’d married a man like Alan instead of Matthew.

Would she have had children by now? Be a working mom or a stay-at-home mom? A weary smile touched her lips at the vision in her mind. Then she returned her gaze to the man sitting across from her as still as a statue, waiting.

She could fall for a man like him. If only she had met him before Matthew. If only…

She drew in a deep breath and continued. “It wasn’t always like that. In the beginning, he was kind and considerate. I thought he loved me.” She glanced down at her lap and then back up into Alan’s eyes. Why did she feel compelled to tell him the whole, sordid truth?

“I was in college when my mother died, my last semester. I happened to meet Matthew while I was out with some friends. He swept me away with his wit and charm. Within months, we were engaged. I guess I was so enamored with him. Thought I was in love with him.”
And he was rescuing me from a difficult financial situation
. She left those words unspoken. “I didn’t stop to think his actions were anything less than honest.”

Alan leaned against the counter on his elbows, but didn’t utter a word. His attention focused fully on Liz.

“I wasn’t raised around nice men. My mom… She jumped from one man to the next. I never knew who my father was. So when Matthew came along, I thought he was my knight in shining armor.” Liz laughed, and then winced as the pain in her back increased. Why did a bump from such a small object hurt so bad? “A quick trip to the justice of the peace,” she shrugged, “and we were married.”

At his quizzical expression, Liz explained. “I never had another unique opinion again. Not one that mattered to Matthew anyway. The bastard had me wrapped around his pinky and as soon as the ink dried, he had himself his own personal slave to torture any way he pleased. Nothing I did was ever good enough. His food was never hot enough. His clothes never starched enough. His house was never clean enough.”

She took another moment to swallow back the tears threatening a waterfall down her face. “I thought…I thought if I could just do everything he wanted the way he wanted it…” Her voice lowered to a near mumble. She had to struggle to get her lips to keep moving and follow the instructions shooting at them from her brain. “I thought he would love me, that I could make him love me.

“On my wedding night he raped me. I was a virgin and he…” She tried not to choke and just get the words out. “He took what he wanted and left the room, left me lying there in my own pile of tears. I knew I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.”

Alan reached tentatively toward her, but he didn’t touch her. She was grateful for his silence and thoughtfulness at this moment.

“Could we move to the living room? I think I need to lean against the couch to keep this ice in place. I’m not usually such a baby, but this really hurts.” Liz tried not to recoil at the pain in her back, but it wouldn’t go away.

“Of course. Let me help you.” Alan scrambled around the counter and took Liz by the arm to assist her.

When she was relatively comfortable on the sofa, he sat next to her and took her hand gently in his own. “Go on,” he coaxed.

“I’ve never told anyone any of this.” The raw emotions started to scare Liz. What if he couldn’t stand her after he heard it all? She wouldn’t be one bit worse off than she already was, that’s what. After more than two years of living in silence, she needed a friend. She needed
this
man to be the one she confided in.

“I know,” he stated simply. He started to gently rub the back of her hand with one finger and smiled at her with more warmth than she’d ever seen before.

“I won’t burden you with the gory details, but suffice to say, when the opportunity presented itself, I ran. I’m not proud of the way I did it, but it’s done now.” A mountain lifted off her shoulders. It was only a start, but it was more than she’d ever been willing to share with anyone before now.

“Do you think he’s looking for you?”

“Well, not exactly. Let’s just say I’m cautious. He thinks I’m dead.”

“I see.” He couldn’t, not really, but she was glad he left it at that. For now.

Their gazes locked and Liz held her breath. What she wanted more than anything in the world right now was for Alan to hold her. She needed the reassurance that his opinion of her hadn’t been destroyed by her tale of woes.

Liz concentrated on the warmth of his smooth grip on her fingers. It spread through her body and made her want to lean into him.

Matthew was the only man she’d ever really kissed. At first, he’d been gentle and sweet. But his kisses had always been rather chaste before they were married. Later, when he’d begun to rape her, he’d kissed her more thoroughly and was a horrible kisser. He was rough and sloppy, and his breath usually reeking of alcohol and smoke, made her gag. Why, then, would she find the need to kiss another man? Why was her gut clenching at the prospect?

Alan began to lean toward her slowly. Almost imperceptibly. Allowed her all the time in the world to detain him in his mission.

Liz did not.

When their lips met, she was ready. He was so incredibly gentle and soft. He lingered for several moments, barely grazing her flesh until he finally painstakingly angled his head to the side and deepened the kiss into something more extreme. The kiss was more wonderful than she could have dreamed. His tongue wandered around the inside of her mouth, to tease, taste, savor, and explore all at once. His lips were warm and tender.

Liz pulled her hands from his light grip and grasped his forearms. She didn’t know whether she wanted to pull him in closer or push him away to lessen the intense feelings. She simply held him there, inches away from allowing him contact with her entire body.

For the first time in her life, someone let her call the shots. Let her decide when, how and where, with no pressure to perform in any particular manner. The sensation was overwhelming and Liz felt lightheaded.

*

Alan used every ounce of strength he possessed to maintain his position poised over Liz without touching anything but her lips. Her eyes closed on a soft moan she probably was unaware of, but he still gazed at her content expression and couldn’t believe his good fortune at having captured, at least the lips, if not the heart, of such a perfect woman.

He wasn’t about to break the pace she set. If she needed to be in control, then by God he wasn’t going to stop her. He had all the time in the world. Contrary to the messages he was receiving from his rock hard cock that pulsed against his jeans. The space was too tight.

The kiss was heavenly. She tasted of Coke, sweet and spicy at the same time. Her lips were as soft as clouds and he never wanted to stop kissing her for as long as he lived. If that was all she ever gave him, he’d be a content man. Sort of.

His arms ached and he shifted to relieve the pressure on his growing erection.

The slight movement broke the spell, however, because her lazy eyes slowly opened to stare into his. Alan nibbled a line across her lips and finally lay his forehead against hers, keeping her as close as he could without forcing the issue. Heavy deep breaths heated the air between them.

Liz bit her lower lip, the first sign of uncertainty she’d displayed, and Alan smiled at her. “You’re amazing.” He reached out tentatively to stroke her cheek and gasped at how warm she was. Flooded with concern, he quickly sat back a few inches and looked into her eyes. “Liz? You’re burning up.” Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes glassy. How had he not noticed?

Alan moved his hand over her face to confirm his suspicion.

“What?” A confused look met his gaze. “I’m fine.” Liz attempted to sit up, only to fall back against the couch from the effort. “Well, maybe not. But give me a minute.” She smiled unconvincingly and continued, “You probably just scrambled my brain with all that kissing.”

He was dubious about her assessment. He’d love to think he had that effect on women, but realistically he just wasn’t quite that macho.

When her head lolled back against the armrest, Alan grew incrementally concerned. “We have to get you to a doctor, honey. Something’s wrong. You have a fever.”

Maybe she had the flu or a virus of some sort, but he wasn’t taking any chances. She looked worse by the minute. In fact, she didn’t even argue with that last statement, which spoke volumes and sent Alan into a frenzy.

With a gentleness he didn’t know he was capable of, he lifted Liz off the couch and carried her through the house. He stopped only to bend his knees enough to grab his keys from their spot by the door and blindly slipped on his flip-flops. He was equally glad were coincidentally located in the front hall.

He drove straight to the nearest hospital. Liz lay back reclined in the seat next to him and moaned in her state of semi consciousness.

Alan frowned all the way there and prayed that whatever God brought her into his life would watch over her now. What the hell was the matter with her?

When he carried her limp body burning up with fever into the emergency room, several attendants rushed to help him get her on a gurney and wheeled her down the hall while asking a series of endless questions.

They skidded to a halt in a small examining room as a nurse asked if she’d complained about any pain.

Alan froze and glanced up from his perch by her side. “Yes, as a matter of fact. A few hours ago, she accidentally knocked a trophy off the top shelf in my office and it hit her in the back on the way down.” He pointed to the side where the injury was located. “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now that you mention it, it did seem to really bother her.”

God, had the tiny little accident in his office caused all this? What if she was truly injured, bleeding internally or something serious, while he’d forced her to bare her sole and then seduced her on his sofa? He’d never forgive himself for not paying more attention to her when she’d been struck by the stupid hunk of sentiment in the first place. She’d darted away from him so quickly, he hadn’t even had much of a chance to see the injury. In fact, he hadn’t seen it at all really, his vision riveted on the long scar that could only have been caused by a welt, undoubtedly from a beating.

Alan stood back in horror while two medics rolled a nearly unconscious Liz to her side to examine the injury better. And his horror increased to unimaginable proportions when the doctor across from him glanced up at him with questioning eyes. “How did you say this happened?”

Alan immediately realized what the situation must seem like to these men leaning over her battered body. God. They thought he’d done this to her—a woman he was falling for.

“A trophy fell from a shelf, striking her low in the back.”

“It hit her? Or did it have help?” Dr. Clancy, his nametag read, received a warning look from the other medic. Obviously, it wasn’t their practice to accuse someone of abuse in such a blatant manner.

“I would never lay a hand on a woman,” he growled defensively. “As you can see for yourself, her other wounds are old. I only met her two weeks ago. As to how she obtained her injuries or who is to blame for them, that is her story to tell, not mine.”

The weary expression on the primary doctor’s face barely waned. He returned his attention back to examining Liz without commenting further.

“We are going to have to do an X-ray first and a few more tests to determine the severity of the injury.” He began to wheel Liz out of the room.

When Alan moved to follow them, the other medic stepped into his path and blocked the door. “We don’t allow other people in the X-ray lab. You’ll have to wait here.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Liz was long gone and Alan resigned himself to sitting in the lone chair situated at an angle in the tiny cubicle in the emergency department.

Thank God his cell phone was in his pocket. With a sigh, he pulled it out and dialed the number at the top of the list, praying she would pick up.

“Hello?” No voice had ever sounded sweeter to his ears.

“I need help.”

“What’s wrong?” Concern edged Renae’s question.

“Can you get away?”

“Of course. But Alan—”

“Come to the hospital.”

“Hospital,” she gasped. “Are you sick? Hurt?”

“I’m fine. I’m in the emergency room with Liz.” He heard his sister’s exhale of relief, before he continued. “And, Renae?”

“Yes?”

“Bring Jake with you. Try not to alarm him or Meredith. You won’t have any trouble finding me. I’ll be in the cubicle with the police stationed outside.”

He needed his sister for her unfailing moral support, and Jake for his legal help.

Chapter Seven

True to his thinking, only about sixty seconds went by before an officer stepped into the room. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you some questions.”

Alan glanced up at him, resigned to the facts. “Of course you do.”

Officer Brown whipped a pad and pencil from his back pocket and leaned casually against the only actual wall in the room. He was stoic.

“Tell me precisely what happened in your words.”

Alan repeated the same story he’d shared with Dr. Clancy less than ten minutes ago with all the calm he most certainly did not feel in his bones. He could have waited on Jake, insisted that he have a lawyer present, but what for? It wasn’t like Liz couldn’t collaborate. Might as well get it over with.

Please God let her be okay
. He didn’t care what sort of hell he went through to prove his innocence as long as she came out of it unscathed.

“Okay. Do you have anything else to add?”

“No. As I said, we only met two weeks ago. I don’t know enough about her previous relationships to give you any more details.” Now he knew how his clients felt when they were accused of something they didn’t do. Even though the officer didn’t add much to the conversation, Alan had the feeling he was considered guilty until proven innocent.

Fifteen minutes later, Alan was still sitting in the same chair with his arms folded across his chest and a headache that was growing by the minute. What was taking the doctors so long? What was taking his sister so long?

“Alan?” He opened his resting eyes to see his best friend and sister standing over him, concern etched into their expressions. “What happened?” Renae reached out to touch Alan’s arm.

He rattled off the details of the day’s events, omitting some of the personal details Liz had shared with him. They didn’t need to know all her business, but there was no way to avoid telling them about her prior abuse.

He reached to pinch the bridge of his nose and hopefully alleviate the increasing pain in his frontal lobe.

Jake took a deep concerned breath. “Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be okay.”

“I’m worried about her. What could possibly cause so much pain?”

“I don’t know. All we can do is wait and see.” He smiled and patted Alan firmly on the back. “Did you already speak to the officer?”

“Yeah, I didn’t figure it could hurt, but I appreciate you being here…just in case.” Hell, if she didn’t wake up quickly, or ever, for some reason, Alan would have some serious questioning to undergo. He gripped the arms of his chair until his knuckles hurt.

“I’m right here, man. Won’t go anywhere.” For all the jokes and comedic relief Jake was capable of, when push came to shove, he was the best friend in the world.

“How about if we go get some coffee?” Renae’s brow furrowed with concern. “Have you eaten?”

“We had lunch just before…yeah, coffee would be great. And Renae…” she turned back to face him from the door frame, “…thanks.”

While they were gone, Alan paced the width of the cubicle until he was sure he’d worn a hole in the linoleum.

A nurse finally entered the room with a clipboard and quietly asked Alan to fill out some forms. “Are you her husband?”

“No. I’m her employer. She…she isn’t married,” he lied.

“Can you get in touch with her next of kin?”

Next of kin?
The woman spoke as though Liz had died. Alan gasped and stared at the woman wearing light-blue scrubs and a smile.

“Oh, I didn’t mean… She’s fine. She’ll be back here in a few minutes. It’s just that someone who knows her needs to fill out all these forms.” She held up the clipboard.

“Well, no one who knows her lives around here, so you’ll have to wait until she’s capable,” Alan stated as gently as possible. He was more concerned with Liz than some damn paperwork.

The nurse handed Alan the stack of papers with pursed lips and left. He felt like a dolt.
There’s no reason to be rude, you asshole
.

When Alan glanced down, he realized he could no more fill out the forms in front of him than the officer in the hall. What did he know about her? Her name was Liz. He didn’t even know her last name. Not even her age. Was her name even Liz?
Shit
.

He set the forms down on the edge of the bed, resumed his fidgeting and stepped out into the hall. Jake and Renae were sitting in chairs across from the little room, next to the cop.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stay nearby,” Brown said. He stood guard outside the door and drew the attention of everyone who passed by.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Alan pointed at his friend and sister and took the two steps to their side of the hall, eternally grateful that one of them had gone for coffee and handed him a cup.

They smiled warmly at him but didn’t say a word.

“Is it possible to fall totally and completely in love with someone in just three days?” he whispered, running his free hand through his hair.

Jake laughed. “Yes. I did it in about thirteen minutes. I knew Meredith was mine before she even approached me to speak.”

Alan leaned against the wall next to Jake and dipped his head into his hands.

“Sir?” Another female voice interrupted his thoughts when she came through the cubicle door. “We put your girlfriend in room eight so she can get some rest.” She pointed a few doors down.

“Is she okay?” The word
girlfriend
rolled through his mind. How he wanted that to be the reality.

“Someone will be back to talk to you in a few minutes. I really don’t know the details.” She walked away with an apologetic smile.

Alan approached the indicated room and pushed his way through the swinging door. A nurse was arranging a sheet over Liz who was still dressed in the same clothes she’d come in wearing with her shoes tied in a bag to the foot of the bed. She looked pale. Alan angled over to her side and took her limp hand in his own.

“We gave her an antibiotic for the infection. She just needs rest now.” The voice behind him belonged to Dr. Clancy. When had he snuck in?

“What infection?” Alan didn’t take his gaze off Liz’s peaceful face.

“The object must have struck her kidney just right. It’s badly bruised. That’s what’s caused the fever.”

“Will she be okay?” Alan turned his head to look at Clancy’s face for any sign the doctor wasn’t being completely forthcoming. He couldn’t read his expression.

“She’ll be fine in a few hours. Bruised kidneys aren’t that uncommon and they usually heal in time on their own. I’m sure she’ll wake up feeling much better, although a little sore.”

Alan noticed for the first time the IV reaching from a pole to Liz’s other arm across from him. “Will she need to stay overnight?”

“Oh, no. That won’t be necessary. Let’s just give her a few hours and then see what happens. We’ll watch and wait for signs of improvement.” Dr. Clancy turned to leave. “Oh, Mr… I didn’t catch your name actually…”

“McCarthy,” he stated bluntly.

“McCarthy,” the doc repeated. “You can stay here with her, but the officer will want to speak to her when she rouses. And she’ll need to fill out the forms the nurse brought in.” He pointed to the clipboard that had mysteriously appeared in the newly assigned room.

“I’ll pay for everything. Can you have them bill me?”

The doctor raised his eyebrow. The extensive tests would undoubtedly be expensive. Alan didn’t give a rat’s ass.

“I’m sure she doesn’t have any insurance,” he explained, hoping that would put a period on the issue.

“I’ll let someone know.” With that, he left.

Alan turned back to Liz, laid his head on the sheet beside her and loosely held her hand while his eyes drifted shut.

* * * *

“Excuse me, ma’am, have you seen this woman?” Matthew had resorted to asking anyone he saw at each stop. He’d stand a better chance of finding Beth door to door than in the offices. This was his fifth apartment complex today and he was growing surly.

“Who’s asking?”
Bingo
. The tall slender gum-chomping woman was probably much younger than she appeared. She glared at him with furrowed eyebrows and fidgeted with her purse slung over her shoulder.

“I’m her brother, ma’am. Look, it’s really important that I find her.” He’d thought this through, just what he might say in the event someone seemed to know her. He had several stories in mind ranging from abduction to amnesia to a family squabble. This particular woman looked like she’d appeal to an estranged family situation. “We’ve been apart for some time, but our mother is very ill and asking for her. I told her I’d try my best to look for her.” He pasted on his woeful expression, lowering his eyelids and drooping the corners of his mouth. He thought about adding a few tears, but that seemed overboard.

“Listen, I’m not comfortable giving out Liz’s personal information, but if you want to leave your name and cell with me, I’ll see that she gets it.”

“Of course. That’d be great. I really appreciate it.”
Liz
. He should have known she’d change her name. “Do you happen to have a paper and pen?” It didn’t matter what he wrote down, any name, any phone number, would do. He wasn’t going to leave this spot until he had that bitch in his clutches anyway. If she got the note first, it would just instill the fear of God in her. If not, well then the surprise would be all his to witness.

The gangly stick woman stuffed the written note into her purse, climbed into her dilapidated car, and sped away making enough noise with the muffler to wake the dead.

Matthew, on the other hand, eased into his own rental and leaned the seat back to keep passersby from noticing him as he sat there watching every person who came and went from the apartment complex. Eventually one of them had to be Beth.
Liz
. She most likely worked and would be home this afternoon.

He smiled at his good fortune. It wouldn’t be long before he had her in his grasp. As soon as he saw her, he’d follow her to whichever door was hers and then press his way in behind her. A flutter formed in his stomach just picturing the look on her face when he slammed her against the wall, holding her by the chin, just high enough off the floor that she could barely breathe.

* * * *

“Stop! Please! I promise I’ll do better. I promise I won’t forget again.” Beth huddled in the corner, covering her face from the blows landing on her back.

This time he’d whipped off his belt and beat her in the living room as soon as she got home. She hadn’t remembered the dry cleaning after working late. She hated working late. It always threw her day off. She still had so much to accomplish when she left and Matthew didn’t care if she worked late or not. He still expected his hot meal at six-thirty sharp, his house spick and span, and his clothes ready for tomorrow.

“You careless bitch! What’s the matter with you? Can’t you do anything right the first time? It’s Tuesday. You know the dry cleaning has to be picked up on Tuesday. Same as every other Tuesday. What the hell am I supposed to wear tomorrow?” The blows continued to fall across her shoulders and back. Some of the welts would need ointment this time. She could feel the wet oozing sensation caused by blood.

Begging never helped. She didn’t know why she even bothered. It was probably best to just keep quiet and let him blow off his steam.

“What? You don’t have anything to say? You’re just going to lie there like the whore you know you are?”

Sometimes his words stung worse than his hand. He knew good and well her mother had been a floozy. It was the best way to get at her.

Tears stung the corners of her eyes. She didn’t dare reach for them and let him know he’d gotten to her.

“Fine. If you want to play that way.” Matthew grabbed her by the hair and pulled her across the room.

“No. Please!” She knew what was coming. The cold dark basement. His favorite form of punishment when he deemed her especially bad.

She tried to kick her way free, but only succeeded in making him laugh.

“Not so strong are ya?”

Her head ached where he tugged. Her back hurt everywhere her shirt touched her skin. If she didn’t stand up and follow him nicely, she’d have bruises all over her body from being dragged down the stairs. But she couldn’t get her footing in time before he whipped open the door and pulled her through.

Horror filled her as she approached the small closet. It wasn’t big enough for a person even her size. She could barely sit down inside and she screamed in extreme discomfort when he laid both hands across her back to shove her inside.

Moments later the lock slid into place and Beth was left alone in the pitch-dark basement with her tears and her thoughts. She knew from experience he wouldn’t come back until early morning. By then she would have wet herself and he’d make her clean that up before he’d let her get to work on the rest of the house. She’d have to do all the chores assigned for last night at about four in the morning before work.

Lastly, she’d be allowed to shower and change under his supervision. As usual, she knew he’d have her clothes laid out for her—huge cotton briefs that itched, a plain white bra, panty hose, skirt and modest blouse.

The worst part was that even though he clearly sent her out into the day with the ugliest attire imaginable, he’d still demand to see her panties as soon as she walked through the door to “make sure she’d behaved all day”. If there was even the slightest wet spot inside them, he’d accuse her of everything imaginable from sleeping with the mail boy to fondling herself in public like the whore he knew she was.

“Please…” Her voice was futile. No one would hear her. Even if they did, she’d just get into even more trouble than she already was.

“Please…” she whimpered, pushing against the door as though she could possibly break her way out.

* * * *

“Liz! Wake up. Liz.” Someone called her name. She thrashed out and screamed in fear. How had she fallen asleep so soundly in the cold basement? Her back ached fiercely where she’d been whipped.