Hindsight was always a lot clearer.
Clover’s stomach twisted. The car wouldn’t reach Houston. Not a chance in hell. She crept along the side streets until she spotted a large building that appeared to be a nightclub with a massive parking lot. That would have to do. She found a spot on the edge of the lot and turned off the engine, resting her head against the wheel.
What was she going to do now?
Her dog, Sylvester, whined from his towel in the front seat and she placed a reassuring hand on his back. He turned his face in her direction, his sightless eyes and salt and pepper fur giving her fur baby an appearance much older than his actual years.
“It’s okay, sweet boy.”
The blind Chihuahua shifted nervously against the back of the seat. Clover reached into a baggie in a compartment on the driver’s side door and pulled out a piece of kibble, passing it in front of his mouth. With all the commotion, he hadn’t had his pill today. She needed to get him settled and fed before he had any further complications from today’s stress.
Being in a car used to be one of Sylvester’s favorite things, but now it only served to terrify him.
So did Ellis.
But no more.
With trembling hands, she picked up her phone and tried to think of someone to call but, along with everything else, Ellis had managed to isolate her so most of the friends she’d had were long gone. All except Megan. She’d been a rock, but even still Clover hadn’t been able to tell her everything.
Her heart in her throat, Clover called her friend from the car. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself.”
“I’ve left him, Megan.”
The silent pause before her friend spoke said volumes.
“It’s about time. Fucking coyote. I had a feeling something wasn’t right.”
Megan didn’t know the half of it, though. Admitting that Ellis had hit her was something Clover could never do. It filled her with too much shame. Let Megan think he was just an asshole who took everything she had. That was enough.
Her boss had known. You couldn’t fool Gracie. The old woman had eyes like a hawk. In fact, she was indeed a hawk shifter and had scared the wits out of her when she first came on. But that was until she got to know the warm heart encased in a steel trap.
With a beehive hairdo and the energy of a woman half her age, the sixty-something dynamo had seen her share of comings and goings.
The first time Ellis ever hit her, Clover showed up for work at the diner the next day with a blackened eye and the self-esteem of a slug. She’d wanted to shift into her rabbit form, run and never look back, but she couldn’t leave her little, blind, sweetheart of a dog.
Gracie had taken one look at her and sent someone else to her section. “Come with me,” she'd ordered, expecting to be obeyed.
Clover followed, wiping her dampened hands on her pink uniform and apron as her boss led her into the office and shut the door.
“How long?”
She’d played with the edge of her apron, nervously wrapping it around her fingers. “What do you mean?”
“How long has Santa lived at the North Pole? Damn it, girl. What do you think I mean?” Gracie crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited.
“This was the first time.” Her voice had shaken and a tear slid down her cheek. She’d wiped away at it angrily and turned her face up, willing the urge to cry away.
“It won’t be the last.” Gracie went to her desk and pulled out some makeup. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
“I put on concealer…”
“Not like this, you didn’t.”
She hadn’t asked how Gracie knew, but as she sat down on the surface of the desk and let the older woman doctor her eye, she paid attention. When Gracie was done, she snapped the caps back on the different products and tucked them away in the desk once more.
“Leave him.”
“He said it would never happen again.” Clover had looked away at the pity in the older woman’s eyes. Her inner bunny hid and showed Clover her tail.
“Don’t count on it.”
Clover had left him, and now, a year and a half later, she wanted to crawl in a bed and sleep for a week after she downed a bottle of Ibuprofen. But, she’d done it.
Holy crap. She’d done it.
Her thoughts snapped back to her conversation with Megan as her friend called into the phone, asking if she was still there.
“Can I crash at your place? At least until the audition?”
Clover heard voices on the other end of the phone. “Oh man. I wasn’t expecting you to call till next week, hon. I’m out of town on a shoot.”
Shit.
“Oh…sure.”
A lump formed in her throat and she struggled not to cry.
“Hang on a minute.” The phone went quiet and she could hear the sound of heels clacking across a hard floor. An unlikely friendship had come about with the arctic fox but, heck, she wasn’t going to question it.
“Megan, are you still there?”
“I’m here. Look, if you want to head over to the apartment, I have a key under the potted plant in the green window box.”
“My car just went on the fritz. I don’t even know where I am.” Clover tried to keep the note of worry from her voice but her friend caught it, as usual.
“Pull over and get some help, girl. Then come on down. I have food in the fridge. Bring that dog of yours. Just don’t let him eat me out of house and home, okay?”
“You know I don’t eat much in the meat department.” Clover winced, thinking of the pot roast and other meaty bits her bestie was hording. She ate an occasional burger as a human, but her real love was salad, carrots, and her herb garden. It killed her to leave it behind.
She would have to stop at a grocery store or a garden center when she got where she was going to make sure she had enough staples to keep her in what she needed.
“Okay.” She nodded, feeling foolish at the prickle of tears that threatened.
“Talk to you later. The tripod set are getting their panties in a knot.”
“Bye.” She sighed. Maybe it was good that Megan wasn’t going to be home for a few days, but how the hell was she even supposed to get there? Hop? She snorted and rolled her eyes.
She could turn around and see if Gracie could help for a day or so. Maybe she could text her.
The phone flashed. The battery was almost empty now and, like an idiot, she’d left her charger sitting on the kitchen counter in her haste to leave.
“Oh no…”
She thought about trying a nearby store, but remembered when she stopped at a fast food place on the way and her debit transaction failed. Then she’d gone to an ATM to try and withdraw some money. Also declined. Ellis controlled their shared bank account and, she had all her money going into it, even what she’d put away from working overtime at the restaurant.
God.
She only had a little bit of cash secreted in the side panel of her purse and that wasn’t going to get her far.
Her only saving grace was a recent modeling gig hadn’t paid her yet and it was coming via PayPal, which Ellis couldn’t access.
A chill seeped through her bones. Shit. What was she going to do now?
She had to get a new account. Could she even do that on the phone?
But her phone was almost dead.
Oh God.
It was just too much all at once.
Her head throbbed and her stomach growled. She would get through this. There had to be a way to create a new account. Maybe with one of those online banks or something. Then she could transfer the PayPal money into there.
But how would they send her a debit card? She didn’t have an address.
Clover nibbled on her lip and tried to consider her options. She dug out another kibble and held it in front of her dog’s muzzle.
Sylvester whined again, his nose twitching in search of the morsel she held out to him.
“Shhh.” She ga
ve him a halfhearted smile as he gobbled down the tidbit of food, hopeful that when they got inside, there would be a phone.
She had a week until her next modeling audition despite the friction that had arisen with Ellis. Tonight was something that had been coming for a long time. That didn’t leave her much time to deal with her car, lack of money, and the ache that seemed to come from deep in her bones.
Or her face.
And damned if he didn’t know exactly where to hit so it hurt the most and didn’t show. Usually. The modeling agency would notice. And so would her friend. When she got to Megan’s place, she was going to crawl under a layer of cucumbers and see what other tricks her beauty school buddy had up her sleeve.
Then she wanted to find the nearest herb garden and graze for a freaking week.
It would work out somehow.
Maybe the car would be a quick fix. If she could talk to a local and get a hold of a mechanic.
Well…after she got paid. Which would be any day now. And that meant she needed to get to a charger so she could access her PayPal before Ellis figured out her login. Otherwise he would get that, too.
And that wasn’t going to happen. Ever.
This afternoon had been the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.
Ellis hadn’t liked that she’d gone to another modeling gig, this time at a local department store. Never mind that it would help to pay the rent and give them an upper hand on saving for next month.
His job at Afix Software had evaporated a few months before and since then his temper had been growing worse. She’d been picking up extra shifts at the restaurant, the overtime bringing in extra money, but at the same time it just made him angrier when he had nothing to show for his job search.
He’d taken a position at a local hardware store and resented every second of it. Especially now that she made more waitressing on a weekend than he did in an entire week.
“I told you not to go.” he'd growled at her.
The storm brewing in his steel blue eyes should have warned her but she was done trying to make excuses about what she knew was the right path for her career. It was stupid, really, but the small moments of rebellion served to remind her who she was—and who she was becoming with Ellis—and it wasn’t someone she was proud of.
She was good at modeling and it was the only time she really felt alive, other than when she was with Sylvester. When she was in front of the camera it was exhilarating.
“But we need the money. And besides, I have to get some experience under my belt.” She tried to explain but her words morphed into a shocked squeal as he swung his fist and caught her in the upper right cheek.
His lips drew back in a snarl and he hit her again, connecting with the same spot he’d nailed only moments before. His blue eyes had morphed into the beady, cold eyes of a coyote.
Clover had staggered against the wall with a cry, her hand going up to protect herself. He swung again and she shrank down, but his fist went through the wall instead.
She crouched there, blank and completely shaken, struggling to maintain her human form. If she shifted now, she wouldn’t be able to stop him if he went for her dog.
“You embarrass me and yourself,” he hissed and his face hardened. “You’re fat. You’re clumsy and I don’t want you taking your clothes off in public. End of story.”
Sylvester had whined from his pillow next to her side of the bed and tried to stumble in her direction. Clover met Ellis’s eyes and she stiffened in shock. His murderous expression had left no doubt in her mind what he would do to the dog if he caught him.
Determination pushed the fear from her and she thrust herself between them.
“No baby. You stay there.” She pushed Sylvester under the big bed, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She lifted her chin and stared Ellis down. “Leave him alone.”
“You love that damned dog more than you do me.” He kicked out at Sylvester’s retreating form and she once again moved in his path to intercept the blow. His steel-toed boot caught her in the shin and she yelped in pain. Then, he lashed out with his hand, connecting with the other side of her face.
Stars shot behind her eyes and they filled with angry tears.
Was this how it was going to be? She’d moved in with him because she’d fallen for his charms and what she thought were common goals. God, how wrong she’d been.
She saw Gracie in her mind’s eye and her resolve strengthened. He would never stop. Never. All she could do to survive this was leave. She had to protect Sylvester and herself.
He was right about one thing. She did love her dog more than him and she would protect him with her life if need be.
Fury hummed beneath her skin and she deliberately held her ground.
He was not going to harm her dog. Not ever. Again, she stepped in his path as he maneuvered around her, trying to reach the dog when he poked his head out after hearing her distress.
“Come here, you little bastard.”
“Sylvester get under the bed!”
“You bitch!” He swung at the dog and she intercepted him, the force jarring her back a step.
“Stop it.”
With a violent push, Ellis shoved her to the side and she fell against the mattress, but by now Sylvester had fled beneath the bed, the queen size mattress shielding him from harm.
The old Clover would have shifted and be under the bed with him, but today something was different and she was tired of taking his shit.
“Don’t interfere.” His lips had twisted into a hateful sneer.
She staggered to her feet, her heart hammering in her chest, fear making her lips numb. Her hands curled into fists and she stepped forward, blocking him.
Her nose wriggled, her whiskers threatening to pop. She dug her nails into her palms and tried to focus.
Don’t change. Not now. Sylvester needs you.
“Leave. Him. Alone.”
“Bitch…”
He lashed out and propelled her to the floor and then used his foot to force her ass down when she struggled to escape and climb to her knees.
Get out. Get out. Get out.
Gracie’s words had played in her head, over and over. If she didn’t, she’d be dead. Or worse, he’d finally catch Sylvester and she’d wish she was.
Her rabbit began to thump, her foot sounding out a panic that moved to the beat of Clover’s heart.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
No shit.
She had to get away and save them both.
There was no other option.
Clover groaned and tried to wriggle out from beneath Ellis’s booted foot but her body was tired.
“I don’t think so.” He released her only to step to the side, watching her with an ugly smirk on his face.
“No…” She crawled toward the bedroom door but he stopped her by stomping on her hair.
“You’re not leaving me. I’ll see you dead first. You and that stupid dog.” Then he kicked her in the gut, hard. She curled up in a fetal position as the pain radiated from her stomach outward. Nauseous and aching, she listened to him moving down the hall.
Clover had no doubt he meant what he said. She stayed on the floor where he left her until she heard the door to the apartment door slam shut. A glance at the digital clock showed three-thirty in the afternoon. He’d be going in for his shift at the hardware store.
Sylvester emerged from under the bed and sat next to her purse, shivering. She wasn’t taking any chances. Carefully, she maneuvered her sore body to her feet and grabbed him and whatever she could, and got the hell out before Ellis came home.
Her life was about to become not much more than the small suitcase and boxes of her clothes, but she couldn’t have done more. There was no telling how long he would have been gone and the thought of facing him again made her want to die.
No. She had to go. It was now or never, before he did her irreparable harm or killed her.
She got in her car and eyed the plastic pet stor
e bag on the front floorboard, and was glad she thought to grab a few cans of his digestive health dog food that morning before she went to work at the café. Her fur baby needed a special kibble for his weight control and metabolism, too, and the damned stuff wasn’t cheap. At thirty dollars for a small bag, it was expensive but she would do anything she had to get it for him, including working overtime.
Sylvester’s pills didn’t come cheap, either, but the medication kept the swelling in his brain down to a minimum. If anything happened to her boy, she didn’t know what she would do. He was the only constant in her life except Megan, and she was all the way in Houston. Well…and Gracie. She had to call her soon to let her know she wouldn’t be coming in to work tomorrow, or in the foreseeable future.
Sylvester scratched at his ear and snuggled down into the towel.
“Hey, boy.” She reached over to pat him on his little salt and pepper head. He’d been through so much. She had to make sure they found a safe place to live and that was most decidedly not in her car. Even if she wanted to, the Texas heat was unbearable.
She should have seen the signs better, but damned if she hadn’t trusted Ellis and his blond hair, and twinkling, blue eyed good looks. An asshole to the core, he’d taken everything from her and she’d been dumb enough to let him. Her bank account, her self-esteem, and today, almost her life.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
And now here she was, broke as hell and stranded in the middle of bum fuck who knows where. She moved to Texas to follow where her heart led her. So far, she wasn’t impressed with her choices.
“Shit.” Clover banged her palm against the steering wheel and felt the prickle of tears form behind her eyes. No. She wasn’t going to cry, damn it. There had to be some way to make it to Houston. Maybe someone inside this place knew a mechanic.
Yeah, right, she thought bitterly. With what money? She had next to nothing and had been counting on the audition in the hope she could start over. Her entire life was in this car and now it was crapping out on her, too. She reached for her phone and then remembered it was dead.
Now what was she going to do?
You shouldn’t have left.
“Shut up.”
Craving Her Mates (My Wicked Mates Book 1) Page 10