Page 127 of Cruel Dominion

“What do you mean, he tried?”

“I d-don’t want to think about it,” she said in a rush and I wished I could smash his fucking head in all over again.

He might not have raped her but the fucking bastard had still scared her, kidnapped her, put his filthy fucking hands on her body.

Anna let her head fall heavy against my arm and let out a shuddering sigh.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. You found me.”

I sucked in a trembling breath and dropped a long kiss on the top of her head. “I found you,” I echoed. “And I’m never letting you go again.”

28

CARTER

Anna and I must have looked like we survived the fucking apocalypse, me in nothing but my boots and boxers with my bloody fists and face. Her in the sweats and sweater Summer gave me. I carried her from the motel room to my car, setting her down in the passenger seat like she was made of glass and could shatter at any second.

“Can I take you back to my villa?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Once I pulled out of the motel, she grabbed my hand and didn’t let go. I hated getting Josh’s filthy blood on her pristine skin, but I’d wash it off her later. I’d wash as much of him away from her as I possibly could. I’d spend forever doing it if I needed to.

When we made it back to my place, we both stripped our clothes off and left them at the door. Anna said nothing as she went up to the shower and made the water scalding hot. She didn’t protest when I followed her into the oversized glass stall and used my body wash to scrub every part of her, until her skin was rubbed clean. Only then did I wash myself, cleaning away every last trace of her ex.

I couldn’t take the silence any longer after I got her dressed and into the bed, propping the pillows around her like a fortress or a throne.

“Talk to me, baby.”

She picked at the skin around her thumb and I placed my hand gently over hers, stopping her.

Her throat bobbed. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t—I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”

“Stop thinking about how you’re supposed to feel. Tell me how you do feel. It doesn’t have to be right, Anna. Not when everything is wrong.”

“How did you find me?”

“His father’s company bought that motel, but before that I searched every seedy fucking dump in this state looking for you. I’m just…I’m sorry it took me so long.”

There was an odd smile on her lips. It grew and she giggled madly, letting out the pent up feelings of it all, covering her mouth. Until the laughter started to turn back to crying and her throat thickened as she tried to hold it in.

“Shouldn’t we be calling the police?”

It was my turn to smile. Paulson’s guys were already cleaning up the mess. They’d make Josh vanish, but his corpse wouldn’t even touch the ocean. Knowing any part of him was somewhere under the water when I looked out over our beach would ruin the view.

No.

Better to burn him. I had a pal with a line to an incinerator at a mortuary. He’d take Josh off our hands. Fucker owed me a favor or two anyway.

“Come on,” I said, ignoring her question. She might not like the answer. “Let’s sit on the balcony, get some air, yeah?”

She nodded, letting me help her into the swinging macrame seat overlooking the beach.

“Carter?” she asked, her gaze never straying from the beach as she spoke.

“Hmm?”

A single tear fell onto her cheek and my insides twisted up.

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