Page 28 of Hidden While In Sight

A crashing sound made her jerk away from the door.

Ashford began tearing apart his office. The computer monitor toppled with a crunch of breaking glass, a coffee mug got thrown, and the painting hiding the safe tore down the middle.

“I know you’re watching!” Ashford screamed. Then he toppled one of the bookcases.

Diego wasn’t worried that Ashford would find the camera. Let him. He would have been amused by the tantrum if he didn’t remember the results of the last one.

Would Diego be able to watch Ashford take his anger out on his wife and not go over there and kill him? He shouldn’t have tried to push Ashford. Regret churned in his stomach.

Hannah’s calm mask had fractured, and her lip trembled as she retreated down the hallway, closing herself up in the den. She fumbled as she withdrew her Bible, sat on the couch, and began to read.

There was no place for God in Diego’s life. He didn’t believe there was an overall plan. No, being alive was hard and bitter, and often it was the weak that were torn to bits for no goddamn reason.

Besides, he’d seen more than enough dead bodies in varying stages of decomposition. The idea of resurrection was disturbing.

But as usual, Hannah’s blank expression settled as she read, the hard edges relaxing as if the blankness sat more naturally with God’s help. Reading the Bible was almost like meditation for her. It brought her a sense of peace, if not happiness.

The door to the den slammed open, scattering that peace and Diego’s resolve.

Ashford deserved to die.

He was on his wife before she could even close the book, his fist connecting with the damaged side of her face, as if led there by habit. She fell over onto the book, her hand landing on the open pages.

Ashford fisted the material of her nightie, dragging it high enough up her back to expose the lace covering her ass.

She tried to brace herself as he went for his zipper, her hand slipping over the delicate pages of her Bible.

“Please, wait—” Hannah begged even as Ashford bore down on her, shoving his prick inside her with no prep at all. The crotchless underwear that had once turned Diego on took on a different meaning.

“You’re my wife, Hannah. I’ll fuck you whenever I want.” Ashford thrust into her harder, and her body jerked forward, ripping the delicate page beneath her hand.

“No!” Hannah’s face was nowhere near the controlled calm Diego was used to. “Stop!” She tried to buck him off of her.

Ashford gave her more of his weight to control her attempts to dislodge him. “Are you actually going to fight me this time, you ugly slut?” The idea seemed to excite him.

The page under her hand ripped out completely as she was forced flat, and tears began to slide down Hannah’s face while her husband rutted behind her, focused on his own release.

“Please, Colin,” she gasped, fumbling for the book.

He buried himself inside her, his hiccupping sound from coming mingling with the sound of more ripping pages.

Hannah let out a broken cry that shredded Diego’s chest.

Ashford caught his breath as he pulled out of his wife. “That fucking book.” He grabbed the Bible by a handful of pages, ripping them out as he threw the book across the room. He let the pages fall onto Hannah’s prone form as he zipped up.

Diego would watch that part on the monitors later. He’d already slammed out of the room to race to her side.

Hannah had cried. Her husband was done.

Chapter 15

Ashford had already left the den by the time Diego hovered in the hallway, the feeling of being unable to breathe fucking with his mind. He was drowning, and there wasn’t any water around.

Hannah clutched the now-closed Bible to her chest, her eyes shut and her cheeks damp. More tears leaked out and slid down her cheeks despite her efforts to control her breathing. Her eyes squeezed even more tightly shut. There were no audible sobs, no wet gasps, no words. She was silent except for the elevated breathing that couldn’t be slowed.

She was beautiful and one of the hardest things he’d ever looked at.

Diego wanted to cross the room and put his arms around her.

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