Sudden Devotion (24 page)

“Of course, I slept with him, he…we…” Claudia was stammering. For the first time since they knew her, she was losing control of her own game.

Peter’s brow quirked up. “She’s right, isn’t she? Mitch didn’t touch you. What did you give him?”

Theo came in the room then. He threw an empty trial-size package of sleeping pills on the table. “I got this from your purse. Tell me. How was Mitch able to fuck you when he was passed out?”

Claudia got up from the couch and started to stammer. Denying their accusations, she actually turned to Mitch for help. “Don’t you remember, Mitch? It was so good.”

Mitch just stared at her. An icy glaze formed in his stare.

“Pictures?” George asked. “Surely you took pictures. I mean, that’s your modus operandi isn’t it?”

Mitch couldn’t stand it anymore. “What in the hell are you all talking about? It’s like you’re all speaking in code.”

“We’ll explain it all in due time, Mitch.” Peter said.

“Peter, I realize I’m just an office manager. But isn’t there some sort of law out there about drugging people without their permission?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. George, call the police. Mitch, let’s get you to the hospital quickly and get a blood test,” Peter said as he ushered him toward the door.

Mitch struggled against his hold. “I can’t. I have to find Sara. She’s all that matters.”

“Don’t be a fool, Mitch. You know what she saw,” Theo said. “We lost the loves of our lives to Claudia’s debauchery. If you are going to get her back, you need proof.”

“But if I explain to her. No, you’re right. It’s too unbelievable. I need to be able to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.” Mitch finally saw his shirt and reached for it. “Come on, Peter. I need you to drive. My hands are shaking too bad.”

George hung up the phone and smiled at Claudia. “The police are on their way. Do you know what that means?” He waited while she said nothing. “No? Well I’ll tell you. It means that you are finally going to get what’s coming to you.”

The four of them watched Mitch. They all knew and felt that pain. The knowledge that you were capable of hurting the one person you loved the most. That you were responsible for the pain in their eyes was the worst kind of hell.

Chapter Eighteen

Sara woke up, it was dark outside, and she was lying in an unfamiliar room. She glanced down at her body and saw that except for her shoes, she was completely clothed. There was a thin blanket draped over her body. She started to move when she felt the pain in her head. It was excruciating. Gritting her teeth, she suffered through it and walked toward the door. She opened it and saw a light streaming down a hallway.

Was this Patrick’s house, she wondered? “Hello?” Her voice was scratchy, so she had barely made a sound. She walked farther down the hall and was about to say it again when she saw Patrick sitting at a desk, reading some papers. “Patrick?”

He looked up. His face looked sad. “Sara.” He got up from the desk and went to her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, thankful for his quiet words. “Do you have any aspirin?”

He gave her a halfhearted smile. “Sure, water?”

“Yes, please.” Sara looked around the small house and wondered how long she had been there. “How long was I asleep?”

He handed her two aspirin and a glass of water. He looked at a clock above his desk and squinted his eyes as he thought. “About ten hours.”

“Ten hours? Oh, gosh, Patrick, I’m sorry. Did you miss anything important today because of me?”

He snickered. “Sara. When I saw you today. Huddled on the floor of the elevator. Sobbing so hard you couldn’t breathe. God, don’t you know? There was nothing more important than taking care of you.”

She was touched by his sweet words. “Thank you, Patrick. I don’t think I could have gone home today.”

He nodded. “Mitch?”

“Yeah. We, um, broke up.”

“I gathered that. He hurt you, didn’t he?” He watched the pain in her face as she whispered the word yes.

“I shouldn’t tell you this, but you have a right to know. Your cell phone has been ringing all day. A few people from the office, but he called at least fifty times. I eventually turned the ringer off.”

He watched her mixed emotions wash across her face. “He left messages. Do you want to hear them?”

“No.” She shook her head adamantly.

“Okay. Listen, why don’t I make you something to eat? The room you were sleeping in has some of my sister’s extra clothes for when she comes to visit. There’s a bathroom attached to that spare room. Take a bath, and let the aspirin do its job. Do you have any preferences for food? I could make you some soup, or a sandwich. I have turkey and roast beef.”

She didn’t even want to think about food. But she knew it would help with her head. “Um, how about a turkey sandwich? That would be great. Are you sure it’s okay if I take a bath? I mean, I’ve put you out so much already and…”

Patrick touched her cheek. “Take a bath, Sara. Let me take care of you.”

She looked at the concern in his eyes and knew that he really did want to help her. She felt safe with him for now. She knew she couldn’t go home. She knew Mitch would be there. “Okay. Thank you.” She turned back and headed to the spare room.

Patrick watched her walk away and wondered what the son of a bitch could have done to hurt her so badly. The pain he saw in her today had torn his heart out.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since he ran into her in the elevator. If Mitch was too stupid to appreciate her, maybe Patrick would get a chance to some day. But not now. Now she needed a friend. She needed to cry until all that remained of the pain was a dull ache. He could be the friend to help her through that. He would be that friend.

* * * *

Mitch finished giving his statement to the officer. “Thank you, again.”

“Sure, Mr. Harding. Listen, if you need us to talk to your girlfriend, I will be happy to.” The officer had offered it twice already.

“No, I have the medical report. I just need to get to her and explain. But thanks.” Mitch shook the man’s hand and wandered back to Peter’s office.

Donna sat in a chair near the window when he walked in. She had been so strong when she had confronted Claudia earlier that day. But in the past couple of hours, she had retreated. Mitch still couldn’t believe the tale that was told to him as he waited for the test results at the hospital. When Peter laid out the whole sordid story, he had been shocked. He knew Claudia was a selfish person, but he had no idea that she would sink to such levels, like blackmail or drugging someone just to get her way.

“Is she okay?” he asked the three men as they sat in their chairs, giving her the space she needed.

“I don’t know.” Theo took a swig of his whiskey. “She’s had it harder than us. She was the one who always tried to stand up to Claudia. But her fear of exposure always won out.”

“It’s not just that,” Peter said. “She’s a woman. She did more than we did. She’s feeling, I hate to say it, I don’t want to give the word any more credence than I fear it already has, but, I think she feels dirty.” Peter shook his head in dismay.

“Why doesn’t she hate us? She hates Claudia. Why not us?” George wondered aloud.

Theo answered him. “Because we never forced her.” He slammed the rest of his drink back. “We used her, but we never forced her.”

“Stop it,” Donna’s quiet voice sounded from the far end of the room.

“Donna, we’re sorry. We just can’t stand to see you this way,” Theo apologized for all of them.

“You didn’t use me. None of you did. She did. She used all of us and I don’t…” Donna’s face had frozen. She was staring at the doorway.

All the men turned to see what had fascinated her. In the doorway stood Donna’s husband.

“Colby?” Donna got up from her chair and reluctantly walked toward him.

All men froze, even Mitch. He wasn’t sure why, but suddenly he felt guilty by association. He didn’t want to throw the other men under the bus, but he felt the overwhelming urge to let the man know that he hadn’t touched his wife. If nothing else, to save himself before the bloodshed began. Mitch quickly whispered a good bye to the men and slipped out.

“My cousin, Jolena, called me.” He looked at the other men. “She told me about your statement. I…I mean, I know she wasn’t supposed to. She could lose her job on the force for doing it, but I…” He walked closer to her. “Did you really feel dirty like you said in the report? It said you,” Colby’s voice was trembling as it appeared he was trying not to cry. “You wanted to be punished? Is that why…why you only let them...” He couldn’t continue.

“Colby. Please. I understand why Jolena told you what she did. But it wasn’t meant for your ears. I need to get some help for myself.” She turned to the other men. Her plea was evident. She waited as they all exited the room and closed the door.

“Donna, when I read that report. That night last winter when I found you in the bathroom crying, you said you had slipped with the razor. I believed you. I never knew.” Colby cried openly now.

“Shh. Colby, you couldn’t have known. I didn’t want you to. I was so afraid to lose you that I let it continue. That day, before that night in the bathroom, it was exceptionally bad. I begged her to let us stop. I told her how much I hated it.” She shook her head and let tears escape. “She didn’t care. All she cared about was her sick fantasies. I thought that as long as I had you, I could deal with the self-loathing I felt, but it...it doesn’t work that way.”

“And last month? The car accident? Jolena said something about that not being related to slick roads like you told me.” Colby stared at her intently.

“I shouldn’t have lied to you. But I couldn’t even tell you about that night in the hotel room. How was I going to tell you that from time to time I tried to kill myself?” She chuckled sarcastically. “I never even had the guts to do that, either. I always chickened out at the last minute.”

“Tell me about the drugs, honey.” Colby touched his hand to her arm.

His touch warmed her. She needed to feel the connection. His heart was breaking and she was the reason why. Could he still love her?

Donna shook her head. “There’s nothing to tell. It’s all speculation. All of us had a strange, hazy-like memory of that night. We thought it might have been the alcohol, but some things never added up.” She shrugged. “It’s a possibility I thought many times, but we have never been able to pinpoint what she gave us, how she gave it to us, or what it was for that matter. There’s just no way of ever knowing.”

“Donna, I need to know. Do you think you were drugged that first night?”

“I can’t promise you for certainty that I was or wasn’t. We’ll never know.”

“But what do you
think
?” Colby asked again.

“Yes. I can’t speak for the others, but I remember feeling like I was in a trance, almost like I was hypnotized.” She looked at Colby, ached for him. “Colby, it doesn’t matter, anyway. I still did the things I told you. I did them rather than be honest with you. I’ll never forgive myself for what I did to our marriage and to you.” Her tears flowed freely now as she struggled to finish telling him what she needed to. She had to do what George and Theo had said earlier. Because she loved him, she had to let him go.

“Colby. I will love you until the day I die. I want you to find someone who is worthy of the type of man that you are.” She struggled, her sobs wreaking havoc on her speech. “Have children and have a family. Be happy, Colby.” She raised a hand to his face and gently brushed her thumb across it. “I’m sorry.” She walked toward the door.

“We should wait, you know,” he said to her over his shoulder. Slowly turning toward her, he continued, “I want you to get that help you talked about. I don’t want you to want to die, honey.” He walked toward her. “When you feel better, when you want to live all the time, then maybe we can work on that family.”

“What are you saying?” She listened to the words, knowing there was no way he could be saying what she thought she was hearing.

“I hate what happened. And I don’t want you to work here anymore. I don’t want you to ever see those men again. If it wasn’t for the fact that I heard their statements, too, and know what they’ve lost, they wouldn’t even be standing right now. I love you, Donna. It broke me when I heard you hated yourself so much you wanted to end your life. I think of all the times you came close. All of the times I thought you were just having a run of bad luck. I could have lost you.” Not being able to contain himself, Colby grabbed her and held her tightly.

Donna’s tears stopped. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and whispered to him, “I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you, Colby. I’m sorry.”

“There’s only one thing you can do that will make it up to me,” he told her.

“What? I’ll do anything.” She would, too. If he told her to jump off the building for his forgiveness, she would.

He held her close and dropped his forehead down to lay against hers. “Live, honey. Don’t hate yourself anymore. Live for me. Live for the children we haven’t had yet.”

* * * *

“What do you make of that?” George had been blindsided to hear how Donna felt about herself.