Page 1 of Banshee
Prologue
March 2023, Flagstaff, Arizona.
“YOU STUPID WHORE!”
“I’m sorry, Pepper. I won’t say a word, I swear!”
Lying on the floor curled up in a ball, I covered my head with my hands while my husband kicked me again and again. The coppery smell of blood was heavy in the air. My blood. This was not how I expected to celebrate my anniversary.
An anniversary I never asked for.
“GET UP!” he screamed as spit gathered in the corners of his mouth. He reminded me of a rabid dog. This wasn’t the first time he’d hit me, but I feared it would be the last.
As I pushed to my knees, Pepper grabbed my hair and dragged me to my feet. He shoved me against the wall, with his hands on my throat. I clawed desperately at his hands.
“You’re fucking worthless, you know that? Your own goddamn family didn’t want you. Your sister was the prize. She’s the one your father cares about. Why do you think he sold you off to the Death Dogs? For information about her. Too bad she’s fucking dead.”
The back of his hand slapped across my chin. My eye was already so swollen I could barely see. There wasn’t an inch of my body that didn’t hurt. When he let go of me, I dropped to the floor in a heap. Breathing was hard. I was convinced my ribs were broken. I knew my arm was.
It wasn’t the first time.
But as the darkness closed in, I knew it was the last.
The sound of beeping thrummed in my head. My brain pulsed with every high-pitched chirp that echoed in the room. The smell of antiseptic and iodine assaulted me as I squeezed my eyes shut.
I was still alive.
Tears welled up as anger surged inside me. The bastard couldn’t do anything right. He should have killed me. He was so fucking incompetent.
“Irene.” My body tightened in pain as I heard his voice. “I know you can fucking hear me, bitch. When the doctor asks you what happened, tell them you were fucking mugged.”
His fingers dug into my hand, but I didn’t cry out. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. I’d learned to be silent. Silence was safety.
“Open your goddamn eyes so I know you’re fucking listening to me. You stupid cunt.”
Only one eye would open; the other was so swollen it didn’t move. I turned my head to look at my husband, and nausea roiled through me. He held my hand in place as he leaned in.
“Do something right for once in your pathetic life.” The door to my room opened, and in an instant he changed. “Baby, are you okay? Can you hear me?”
Pepper stood, still holding my hand in his, and turned to the doctor with a fake smile. “She’s awake, Doc.”
“Mrs. Davids, do you know where you are?”
I nodded.
“Can you tell me your first name?”
I tried to open my mouth, but my jaw wouldn’t budge. I lifted the hand in the cast and touched my cheek gently. The brushof my fingertips caused me to wince, and I made the mistake of looking at Pepper.
His eyes portrayed a malice so evil. I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat, threatening to choke me. I started panting, and the doctor rushed forward.
“Take it easy, Mrs. Davids.” He inserted a needle into my IV, and I faded back into the darkness, Pepper’s threat running through my head.
The next time I woke, there was a different doctor reading my chart. A woman.
“Hello, Irene.” Her smile was kind. “My name is Dr. Robinette. I am going to take you for a few tests if that’s alright?”
I nodded. Still unable to speak with my jaw wired shut.
