Infidelity, page 13
When she returned his gaze, the look of sorrow and defeat in her eyes would have brought him to his knees, if he hadn't been sitting.
He brought his other hand up to cup her face. Damn this table separating them.
“Aw, honey. Soon, it will all be over. Then we can get on with our lives. When this is over, we have lots to talk about. Please try not to worry.”
Melanie opened her mouth to say something, but the waitress brought their drinks to the table. They both ordered the house cheeseburger with fries and chocolate shakes. Everything was just as Luke had remembered from ten years ago; juicy burger with cheese, lettuce, onion, and coleslaw. The damn thing was so big, he couldn't open his
mouth wide enough. Damn messy, but well worth it. Melanie more or less played with her food, drawing the same French fry through the puddle of ketchup on her plate. At least, he noticed, she was drinking her shake.
By the time he finished his meal, she'd eaten a quarter of her burger and done a good job on the shake. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah, sorry I've been lousy company. I've had a lot thrown at me today. It's going to take a little while to take it all in.”
“I know you have. I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for you.”
Luke threw some money on the table and they walked out to the car. He stopped her before she got in and drew her close to him. With her wrapped in his arms, he had all he needed. He tried to convey what he felt for her without words. Her arms tightened around him and she buried her face in his chest.
Damn, this woman meant the world to him. He'd do everything in his power to see her through this. He held her for a moment more, and then held the door open as she slid into the passenger seat. He still worried about how quiet she was. Somehow he'd convince her to have faith in him.
As they neared Wells, her silence got the better of him.
“Try not to let Detective Fuller get to you. Tony wasn't stupid. He made things look really bad for you, but they know the truth. The reports Tony filed were all lies and the cops know that. Fuller's an ass, but at least he knows the truth.”
“And just what is the truth, Luke? Can you tell me that?”
The venom in her voice surprised him. She'd been silent the whole trip home, now she was angry and sarcastic.
“The truth is, he set you up. He abused you for years and set you up so when he...” Shit! He couldn't finish that sentence. Although from the tone of her voice, she knew where he was headed.
“Go ahead, Luke, finish. When he finally killed me, he could make it look like I'd attacked him. Like he'd been left with no choice but to defend himself against his crazy, abusive wife. Is that right?”
“Look, I'm sorry you had to learn everything you did today, but at least you know what he did didn't work.”
“That's pretty weak, Luke. ‘Sorry, Lainie. The guy put you through hell, but at least you're not sitting in jail for his murder.’ Sweet.”
This wasn't like her at all. She was being deliberately confrontational. For whatever reason, picking a fight with him was better than facing the reality of the day. Fine. If she wanted to take it out on him, he'd let her go for it. There was a lot she needed to get off her chest.
“That's not what I said. I just wish you shouldn't worry so much. I'm here with you and I won't let him hurt you.”
“Don't worry! How can you say that? This guy has been close enough to be in our backyard, taking pictures, with no one knowing about it. He's got pictures of both of us. It's obvious he wants to hurt us both. How can I not be worried about that, Luke?”
Luke pulled in the driveway, shut the car off, and turned in his seat to face her.
“I know you think I've let you down and you're worried I won't be able to protect you, but I swear to you, Lainie, I will find him and end this. I will.”
“Jesus, Luke. I don't think that. Not at all. If you really need to know what upsets me, it's that I brought all this danger to you. He wants to kill you. The only reason for that is me. You haven't let me down, just the opposite. Just when I start to think I can turn my life around, that I might actually deserve some happiness for myself, that same life turns around and smacks me down. It reminds me who I am. Reminds me not to get carried away and want too much because it's just not going to happen.”
She opened the car door, but turned back to him before getting out.
“I'm such a fool. I'd begun to hope for things I'd had no right hoping for. The punishment for that was not only the danger to myself, but the danger I've brought to you. I think you should move out of the house. The farther away from me you are, the safer you'll be.”
Melanie got out of the car and shut the door. She made it to the door of the barn before Luke caught up to her. None too gently, he grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him.
“Let me just get this straight.” His dark eyes burrowed into hers. He didn't know if it was physically possible, but he could have sworn he'd just felt steam coming out of his pores. What the hell was she thinking?
“That was a nice speech and all, but basically what you're saying is you don't think I can handle the bastard. What sounded like a nice little pity party was just a big fucking excuse for you to cut your ties with the emotionally and physically damaged man you found yourself in bed with. Is that it? Because frankly, Lainie, if I didn't measure up to your past experiences, all ya had to do was say so. I may be this pathetic used up ex-warrior in your eyes, but I'm not fucking stupid. You want me out, all you had to do was say so.” He roughly dropped her arm and stormed toward the house.
“Luke, wait! That wasn't what I meant at all.”
He threw his hand up in the air and kept walking away from her. What the hell happened? She was trying to tell him how she felt, that she was worried, and didn't want him in any more danger. Why was he being so hateful?
Rubbing her arm where he'd grabbed her, she went into the barn. After saddling Coco, she led the horse outside and mounted. A ride in the woods was what she needed to clear her head before she spoke to Luke again.
As she and Coco made their way across the river and up the hill, she thought back over her conversation with Luke. Maybe his misunderstanding was for the best. She was right in telling him to leave. She knew she was. If that maniac killed him, there was no way she could live with it. Bringing this kind of danger to him was unforgivable.
He'd spent almost two weeks being tortured and humiliated in Iraq. Nightmares still plagued him at night. How could she ask him to stay and face more horror? But this was his home now. Maybe she should be the one to leave, at least until Joseph was found. Maybe once the danger was over, they could see where their feelings took
them.
But wasn't that just it? She'd gotten carried away with her feelings. Let herself fall in love with Luke again. And now, wasn't she being punished for trying to find happiness? Wasn't Luke's life being threatened because of her? Better to be alone than keep facing the loss of someone she loved.
There wasn’t an end in sight. Sure, maybe Joseph would be stopped. She might even be allowed to be happy with Luke for a while, but somewhere, somehow, it would all blow up in her face. If she was meant to be happy...well...it would have happened before now.
Melanie let Coco meander along the trail at a slow pace. Barely aware of the trees and sounds surrounding her, she kept thinking about Luke. It was so unfair that she’d found him again and now had to let him go. Unfair or not, she understood it was what was best. Going back and forth about it wouldn't change a thing. But dammit, whether it was in the cards for her or not, when this mess was over, she was going after him. No more playing head games with herself.
Deep down, beyond the scars of abuse that no one could see, existed the truth. She didn't deserve what life had brought her. She had every right to be happy, to be in love and be loved. Maybe, sometimes on the surface, she forgot this, but that didn't make it so. Yes, when this was over she'd make Luke understand why she pushed him away. They could be happy together—no scratch that—they would be happy together.
Ready to face him with her decision, she turned Coco around and headed home. Not wanting to hurry the confrontation ahead of her, she slowed the horse’s pace and they lumbered along the path.
One moment she was on Coco's back sitting in the saddle and the next, the ground was rushing up to greet her. Pain burst through her skull. She was sure her hair was being ripped out of her scalp.
Melanie hit the ground with a thud. The air whooshed from her lungs, refusing to go back in. All she could process was the need for oxygen, but catching that elusive breath just wasn't happening.
A slap across the face had her gasping, filling her lungs back up with air. When her eyes finally focused, she saw Joseph Giordano standing above her.
Chapter Twenty
Luke could have kicked himself in the ass. Why the hell was he letting Melanie bait him like that? Obviously, he didn’t have his temper under any kind of control.
After walking away from her in the driveway, he’d stormed up to the office and slammed the door behind him. Taking several deep breaths, he’d sat in front of the computer and performed several searches on the Giordano family and their various business ventures.
The family resided just outside of Atlantic City, and in fact, owned one of the hotel/casinos. They also had their hands in the import-export business, importing coffee, of all things, from Columbia.
The Giordano’s had been investigated by the DEA and FBI, as well as several other alphabet agencies for racketeering, extortion, and drug trafficking. None of the agencies could make anything stick.
These people walked above the law. Well, little Joey was going down, and it would be Luke’s boot that tripped him.
Luke heard scratching on the door and found Sarge waiting anxiously on the other side. As soon as the door opened, Sarge ran down the stairs. “I get it, nature calls. Hold your horses.”
When Luke opened the kitchen door, Sarge sat in the doorway but refused to budge, giving a couple sharp barks.
“What is it, Sarge?”
But Sarge continued to bark at him, unmoving. Unable to understand dog language, Luke went over to Melanie’s stairway and yelled up.
“Lainie! Do you know what the hell is wrong with this dog?”
Silence greeted him.
“Lainie!”
Nothing. Shit. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his chest tightened.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he found her room empty, and tried to think if he heard her coming in earlier. He’d been so pissed at himself, and then engrossed in his search, he hadn’t paid attention to whether or not she followed him into the house.
Shit! He ran back down the stairs and out the door to find Sarge barking in front of the horse barn. When he arrived at the barn, he saw Melanie’s horse gone.
God dammit!!
Why would she go for a ride alone? She knew Giordano was out there somewhere. Maybe because you just walked away from her. Outside the barn, he could hear Sarge, trying to get his attention. Luke ran outside, and Sarge darted off across the river. Thanks to Sarge, he knew now which path Melanie had taken, and needed to get to the four-wheeler.
First, he let Sarge go. “Go on, Sarge, go keep her safe.”
The Sheppard took off into the woods, while Luke jumped on the ATV and sped in the same direction. His heart pounded out an irregular rhythm. Sarge was frantic, which meant something was wrong.
What a goddamned, stupid, stubborn, sonofabitch he’d been. If he’d listened to his heart and not his damn ego, Lainie would be safe inside, not in the sights of a psychotic predator. Luke prayed to God he could get to her in time.
Melanie inhaled deeply, bringing much needed air into her lungs. Joseph Giordano stood over her with a sadistic grin on his face.
“My, my, Melanie. Looks like you had a bit of a fall.” He laughed.
The sound of his laughter had Melanie’s throat closing again. Dear God, the man was certifiable. Memories of his brother standing over her, beating and abusing her, assaulted her like a flash flood. These were the same evil eyes boring into her as they were then, the same maniacal smile. Why the hell did she have to go through this again?
“You’re a sick man. You need help, Joey.”
She tried inching backward on her elbows, but he pounced on her the moment she moved
“You’re not going anywhere, sugar.” He straddled her legs and grabbed both wrists when she went to hit him, pinning them both to the ground on both sides of her head.
Fear exploded. Her chest tightened and stomach heaved from the force of his weight on her. The grip he held on her wrists caused pain to shoot up her forearms and down to the tips of her fingers. His hold on her was as strong as a vice.
“I never could understand what the hell my brother saw in you, but maybe it wasn’t the outside of the package that had him so bewitched. Maybe it was what’s on the inside.”
Melanie struggled to break free of his grasp, but he was to strong for her to budge. He leaned over her and drew his tongue up the side of her face. Melanie recoiled and spit in his face. The smell of his breath had her retching.
Using one hand to hold both of hers, Joey landed a vicious punch to the side of her head. Stars burst behind her eyes and extreme pain exploded throughout her skull. Tears welled and then ran over and down her cheeks. This couldn’t be happening again.
Another blow came flying at her face. She turned her head but couldn’t escape the painful connection of Joey’s fist to her cheekbone. She couldn’t move, couldn’t get away. He would beat her and rape her just as his brother had done for years.
Oh, God, Luke. What would he think of her? Would he think her weak for just giving up? He went through weeks of torture and had never given up. She couldn’t give up on their future. She wouldn’t!
Joey used his free had and went for his belt. He unbuckled it, unbuttoned his pants and pulled the zipper down, the whole time laughing at her. Calling her a whore and telling her she was getting what she really wanted.
But what Melanie saw was an opportunity. His grip on her wrists had loosened when she stopped fighting back. He was focusing on freeing himself from his pants, not on keeping her hands pinned down. This was her only chance.
Getting her right arm free was easier than she thought it would be. She brought her hand up and raked her nails down his face. Adrenaline surged through her veins. Using the elbow of her freed arm, she brought it down hard into the soft area between his neck and shoulder. When he fell forward, she brought her knees up and shoved him off of her with all her might.
She was scrambling away from him on her hands and knees when he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back.
“You fucking bitch!” Joey screamed.
Melanie kicked wildly, trying to connect anywhere on his body. If he pinned her again, she wouldn’t have another chance. She knew she was making contact, but needed to hurt him. Then once again, he was on top. So fast, she didn’t know how it happened. This time it wasn’t a grin on his face.
Joey pulled a knife with one hand while backhanding her with the other. He straddled her again, his knees painfully trapping her hands.
She was dead; she knew it. She prayed Luke would forgive her for being so weak, so stupid. If only she’d listened to him.
He waved the knife in front of her face. “This could have been nice for you. But, then again, Tony said you liked it rough.”
She screamed as he brought the knife down, but instead of plunging it in her, he sliced open her shirt.
He brought the knife up again, and without warning, Sarge growled and hit him with such force, he was knocked completely off Melanie.
She quickly scurried away from the fight. Watching as man and dog battled savagely, she heard the four-wheeler coming from a distance away, getting louder.
Luke.
Looking toward the sound of help coming, she heard Sarge yelp. She turned to see Joey in a half limp, half run, heading into the woods and Sarge lying motionless on the ground.
Melanie crawled over to Sarge. He was still breathing, but was losing a huge amount of blood from his chest. She took off her ripped shirt and covered the wound, as Luke came to a roaring stop in front of them.
“Where is he?” he asked, emotionless, searching the woods.
“Gone.”
“Which way, I’m going after him.”
He’s turned into the warrior he’d been trained to be, Melanie thought. He wasn’t really seeing her or Sarge. It was as if he’d gone on autopilot.
“No! Luke. Sarge needs help. I need help. Please don’t leave us here.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Luke snapped out of the fugue-like state. He gazed at Melanie, then Sarge, jumped off the ATV, and knelt at her side, examining the dog.
Sarge was bleeding from cuts across his chest and head. His pulse was strong though, and he was starting to rouse.
“Stay still, Sarge. We’ll take care of you.” He continued to look at the dog, but spoke to Melanie. “Are you okay?”
Oh, good. Christ, what kind of question is that? Of course she wasn’t okay. The angry welts on her face were already starting to turn an ugly shade of red. He needed to get a grip on his emotions. If he didn’t, he’d be tearing off into the woods after Giordano. Logic told him he needed to be here, but his heart told him to go kill the motherfucker. Logic won, but only by a thin margin.
“Yes, please. Let’s just go and get him to the vet.” She got up off the ground and sat on the four-wheeler with her arms out, gesturing for him to put Sarge in them.
Once she held the dog secure, Luke took off his flannel shirt and handed it to her without speaking. He seated himself in front of her and drove back to the barn. He couldn’t look at her, couldn’t meet her gaze.
For all his spouting off about how he would protect her, he’d let her down the first time she put him to the test. Yeah, she told him she didn’t want him in her life, but he still had a duty to protect her, whether she wanted him to or not.
