Page 25 of Lord of Punishment

“Who hurt you?” I asked, trying to keep my tone calm.

“No one.”

“Why lie to me, Georgia? What happened? Who are you running from?” My direct questions surprised her to the point she tried to jerk away from me. When I refused to let go, she did something that shocked us both.

She cracked her hand across my face, immediately gasping. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

The force was surprisingly enough I turned my head from the blow, the ache immediate. I almost overreacted, although it felt right as being the man depicted in the vision from before. Instead, I pulled my hand away, curling my fist.

“What are you afraid of?”

She clenched her jaw and shook her head a couple of times. “Don’t ask things that won’t matter to you, Sabatino. This is my life. Mine alone. I’m no one but a girl who is trying to help you out. Nothing more. That’s the way it has to be. Once you regain your memory, you’ll be gone anyway, headed back to whatever life you led before.”

I wanted to disagree with her but of course I couldn’t. She was right.

“Are you in immediate danger?”

The look in her eyes allowed me to know she was debating her answer. “No. I’m fine. I need to get Dillon to preschool or people will question his absence.” She studied me as if waiting for a reply.

What the hell could I say?

“Just make yourself at home,” she said while backing further away, her face twisted in uncertainty. “I ordered you some clothes last night from Walmart. Some shoes too. They’ll have to do for now.”

“Thank you.”

She nodded, her lower lip still quivering. “The delivery will be later this morning. Nothing fancy, I’m afraid.”

“I can’t pay you back right now, but I will when my memory returns.”

“No need. I make enough money.” She started to turn away then stopped. “I didn’t mean to overreact. It’s just that Dillon doesn’t understand how dangerous the world is. He’s never gone outside without permission before. I was petrified something had happened to him.”

“It’s understandable.”

“Not to me any longer.” She tried to smile as she folded her arms across her chest, still studying me. “I’ll be back in about an hour. Okay?”

She took quick steps toward the hallway. “Georgia. You need to know that while I don’t have any idea yet who I am, that won’t stop me from protecting both you and your son. The truth is I’d like to find the man who hurt you and break his back.” My words seemed to catch her off guard.

“You can’t be my hero. No one can. It’s too late for that.”

Like hell it was.

Georgia

'“Wow. You’re early, sunshine. I’m shocked,” Karen said with a slight singsong to her tone. “Hi there, Dillon. Do you want to help me set up the chairs for our first activity?”

Dillon glanced up at me, waiting as I nodded before he pulled his hand free from mine. That was his normal behavior, not running around the backyard with a complete stranger. I’d been terrified at first when he hadn’t been in the room or house. Then I’d been infuriated that the stranger, the man I’d helped and I’d… fucked had dared be so brazen as to act as if he knew better for my son.

My hand still ached from issuing the hard slap. I had no idea what had possessed me other than I’d been so scared that I hadn’t been able to think clearly.

Pandora’s Box had been reopened, the realization of what I’d done weighing heavily on my mind. Yes, I’d been allowed to feel something other than fear or dread for the first time in over three years, but at what price?

Embarrassment for what we’d done the night before remained in the forefront of my mind. I’d spent over an hour on my laptop, searching for his name. It certainly wasn’t a popular one, but nothing jumped out as the reason he was in my house in my clothes, drinking my coffee.

“Sure!” Dillon stomped forward, eager to help. I hung back, trying to plaster a smile on my face. My best friend had an innate way of knowing when I was faking or hiding something. I couldn’t have her dropping by the house unexpectedly.

Karen was busy setting up the child-size chairs in the room, barely paying attention to me whatsoever. I was thankful for that. She’d likely notice the dark circles under my eyes, which were a result of only falling asleep around four-thirty that morning.

When I didn’t say anything, she finally stopped what she was doing, turning to face me. As expected, she narrowed her eyes and came barreling forward. “What’s wrong? You look terrible.”

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