Her Only Salvation

by J.C. Valentine

  Dropping his hand, Randy ran around the side of the house. Luke was just closing the door to his flashy car when Randy spotted him. A brief vision of his hands wrapping around the guy’s neck, his eyes bulging as he gasped for breath, flitted across his mind, but he held himself in check until the guy was back inside, the door closed and locked behind him, before jogging across the street and into the shadows where his truck sat waiting.

  Taking once last glance back at the house, Randy fired up the engine and tore off down the street. Soon, he promised himself. Soon they would be together again, and he would show Terri what happened to women who cheated on their husbands.

  ***

  She could have sworn she heard something. Shutting off the water, Terri stood bent over the edge of the sink, beads of water dripping off her chin and nose while she listened once again to nothing but the steady drip drip drip on porcelain. Shaking her head, she reached for the towel she kept hanging next to the sink and blotted her face dry. After smoothing on a little moisturizer, she swung open the bathroom door and froze. The distinct smell of smoke tickled her nose and called up memories she would rather not acknowledge, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come, like a phantom called up from her subconscious, designed to torture her.

  Suddenly, she didn’t feel so safe, despite Luke’s close proximity. Hugging herself, she just stood there staring out from the doorway into the room. The only light came from the globes over the sink behind her, casting a towering shadow of herself across the center of the bedroom. All of her senses told her she was alone, her ears picking up the sound of Luke moving around in the front room, but she shivered anyway, a feeling deep in her core telling her that something wasn’t right.

  Outside, the sound of a powerful engine roared, tires squealing in protest. She had lived in the neighborhood long enough to know that it was a quiet area, and so the noise was out of place. Crossing to the window, she parted the curtains and pried one of the slats in the blind down so she could peek out the window.

  Already halfway down the block, she caught the tail end of a dark pick-up truck speeding around the corner, disappearing into the night. She didn’t recognize it, but uneasiness crept down her spine and she backed away, letting the window dressings spring back into place. Needing to be surrounded by light and warmth, Terri strode quickly from the room.

  Luke was relaxing on the overstuffed couch, his dark eyes surveying the photos hanging on the walls. All were of landscape or some such scenery, nothing of Terri or anything that hinted at her past, except for the picture of her parents sitting on the corner of the end table next to the colorful lamp.

  The design was purposeful.

  She had heard once that you had to surround yourself with positive things if you wanted positive things to come to you. Her parents hadn’t had a perfect marriage, but they had always been her champions, and whenever she looked at their smiling faces she felt a sense of peace envelope her.

  Her life with Randy had been a sham. A total lie. People thought they were happy, but behind the scenes it was a nightmare. They didn’t know the abuse, both mental and emotional. They didn’t have to live with the betrayals, and they certainly didn’t have to live with the constant fear of never knowing what the day might bring looming over their head.

  Yes, the design of her home was intentional. She kept all pictures of her and Randy from before, during and after their marriage in a box on a shelf in her closet. If she put them out she would have to pass by them each day, always seeing and being reminded of the life she so desperately wished to leave behind. One day she would be brave enough to destroy them.

  She may be hiding from her husband, but some might say she was also hiding from herself. So be it. You had to do what you had to do to survive.

  Gaze landing on her, Luke sat up, smiling in a way that called an instant blush to Terri’s cheeks. He really was a good-looking guy, she thought as she crossed the room and dropped down into the chair opposite him.

  “Feeling better?” he asked, looking her over.

  “Much. Are these the plans?” Scooting to the edge of her seat, Terri took a closer look at the papers spread out on the table. Luke had asked her for assistance in planning a St. Patty’s Day themed party at Sunset Black for the upcoming holiday, and she found that she couldn’t say no. Besides, she didn’t have much to keep her busy these days and it sounded like the perfect opportunity to immerse herself in something fun that would keep both her hands and her mind busy. Lord knew she needed the distraction, especially since she hadn’t been getting much sleep or peace of mind since that night Randy had contacted her at work.

  “One and the same,” Luke confirmed, then leaned in closer so he could fill her in on what his ideas were and how they should go about making them happen.

  Chapter Seven

  I’m going to go pick out a snack and something to drink,” Terri announced, lifting herself from the floor where she had curled up nearly an hour ago to start drawing out ideas for the club. Stretching her aching limbs she looked down at Luke who sat in a similar position at her feet. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

  Running a finger over his chin, Luke thought carefully before nodding slowly. “I could go for some coffee, if you have it.”

  Smiling, Terri nodded and started off for the kitchen. “Coffee is the breakfast of champions, as my father always said.”

  “Wise man.”

  Not more than two steps inside the kitchen doorway, Terri stopped in her tracks. Her brows knitted together as she stared at the glass patio door standing wide open to the night. The chill of early spring air drifted in at a steady pace, cooling the small space by degrees. She half wondered why she hadn’t noticed the difference from the next room, but that was a moot point. What was it doing open in the first place?

  As she stood there staring, she tried hard to recall when she had last opened it. Never, if her memory served. She hadn’t been in the home for long and had no real purpose for hanging around outside. Unlike her last house, garbage was taken out through the garage to the front curb, not the alley she had grown used to. Likewise, she hadn’t had a chance to get into gardening with everything that had been going on in her life over the last year. As for yard maintenance, she had hired a boy in the neighborhood to keep up with the basics, and since it was barely spring, there was nothing yet to do out there.

  So, yeah, she had no reason to use the patio or the doors leading to it in months, which begged the question, how had they gotten that way?

  “Luke,” she called over her shoulder, “Did you go out back when you went outside earlier?”

  Luke’s answer came back loud and clear. “No. Why? Is there a problem?” he asked as he approached her.

  Terri tipped her head at the open door. “I don’t recall opening it,” she said by way of explanation. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked up into Luke’s puzzled eyes.

  He frowned down at her. “Do you usually keep it locked?” he asked her as he gently but firmly moved her aside so he could get by.

  Terri watched as he inspected the opening, sliding the door back and forth on its track, then kneeling down to take a closer look at the lock. “Of course. I don’t even remember opening it since I’ve lived here.”

  Luke grunted a response, and Terri noticed that his expression was now pinched.

  “What? What is it? Did you find something?” Her heart beat a frantic tempo as she crossed the kitchen to stand beside him. “What,” she whispered, worry consuming her now.

  Luke pointed to the lock. “It’s broken,” he stated. Standing, he pushed the door open wider and stepped out onto the deck.

  “Broken?” Terri’s hand fluttered to her throat. If what he said was true, and judging by the way the lock hung from its housing, it was, then she might be in some real trouble.

  Bending at the waist, Luke picked up something small and dark. Holding it in the air between them, the light from inside reflected off its surface revealing its true
nature.

  “What is that?” Terri asked, too afraid to get any closer.

  Luke did the work for her, however, and brought the tiny metallic object over. “It looks like a knife blade,” he stated simply, as if he just stumbled across knife blades every day.

  Terri gasped and took a step back. “What in the world is a knife blade doing on my deck?”

  Pursing his lips, Luke regarded her as if weighing his next words carefully. “If I had to take a guess, I would say someone used it to try and break into your house tonight.”

  Terri shook her head vigorously, refusing to entertain the idea that someone might have been in her home, invading her personal space. Backing further into the kitchen, she allowed her eyes to roam over the space, feeling strangely violated, though she saw no evidence of any intrusion.

  Strong hands came down on her shoulders and Terri nearly jumped out of her skin. “Easy,” Luke’s calm, reassuring voice said next to her ear. “Before we get ahead of ourselves, why don’t we take a look around and see if anything has been taken first.”

  Slowly, Terri nodded. “Okay. Yeah, you’re right.” But her feet refused to move. Taking hold of her hand, Luke led the way.

  They started with the kitchen, but Terri knew from just a glance that nothing had been moved, so they tackled the living room next. Again, there was nothing that she could see missing. The bathroom was the same story. When Luke opened the door to the guest room and Terri stepped inside, she heard Luke chuckle.

  “What?” Pivoting, she looked back at him curiously.

  Schooling his features, Luke tried to play it cool. “Nothing. Go ahead.” He waved a hand through the air, but Terri wasn’t about to let her question go unanswered.

  Turning to face him fully, she crossed her arms over her chest. “No, you were laughing about something. I want to know what that was.”

  Luke’s brow arched in a silent question. Was she sure she wanted to hear what he had to say? Oh, yes, absolutely.

  “I was just wondering how you would know if anything was missing in the first place considering…” His words trailed off, leaving the obvious left unsaid.

  The room was an organized mess to be sure. It housed a queen sized bed, two dressers, an armoire, big screen television, lamps, a towel warmer she hadn’t been able to fit into her new bathroom and a ton of other stuff she hoped to one day rediscover once she found the money to move into someplace bigger.

  “I think I would know if someone tried to take anything out of here,” Terri said confidently. Then, with a firm hand to the center of his chest, she pushed Luke back into the hall so she could close the door again.

  “How do you figure?” he asked, the doubt in his voice evident.

  Terri shrugged as they entered her bedroom. “The body buried under the rubble would be a pretty good indicator.”

  Luke laughed heartily and Terri smiled, and then laughed too. It had been a long time since she had heard the sound of true laughter and been the cause of it. Normally she seemed to effect the opposite reaction: screaming, yelling, fists through walls. It was a nice change of pace that left her longing for more.

  After sobering up a little, Luke asked, “Do you see anything out of place?”

  Terri looked around the room seeing her bed, dresser, closet and open bathroom door. Nothing seemed out of place at first, until her eyes landed on the pad of paper resting on the nightstand.

  “I don’t remember that being there,” she said, and pointed to the paper.

  Like a fearless adventurer, Luke crossed the room in three long strides and scooped up the tablet. After reading it, he looked up at her, his expression unreadable, and motioned her to him.

  “I think you should read this.”

  Terri shook her head adamantly. “I don’t think I should.”

  Luke let his arms drop to his sides and looked at her. “Terri,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

  She shivered under his hard stare and could just imagine the fear he could instill in a small child if she, an adult, was moved to follow his orders. Her feet carried her reluctantly across the carpet, her eyes locked on Luke’s in an effort to garner some of his strength for her own, her heart hammering away as she accepted the pad of paper he held out.

  Biting her lip, she dropped her gaze to what would normally be a harmless scrap of paper, but now seemed capable of destroying her entire life.

  What she found was a note, barely legible, but she recognized the writing almost immediately.

  “Oh, God.” Dropping down onto the mattress, Terri read the words through blurry eyes.

  You didn’t think I would just let you go did you, love bug? It will never be over between us. Enjoy your lover, love bug, because when I come to collect what’s mine, there’s going to be hell to pay.

  “I assume that note is from your loving husband?” Luke asked wryly.

  “He’s not my husband,” Terri murmured, her eyes fixated on the note.

  “He is until the divorce is final,” Luke reminded her. “Terri.” Tugging the paper free of her grip, Luke seated himself beside her and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Don’t let him get to you. We’ll call the police, tell them he broke in and they’ll arrest him.”

  Tears streamed down Terri’s face as her past came back to haunt her. “No, they won’t. Don’t you see?” she cried, tipping her face up so she could look at him directly. “The police do nothing. They’ll just say there isn’t enough evidence to prove it was him. At most, they’ll track him down and ask him if he knows anything, and when he says no, they’ll leave him alone. Randy never pays for his crimes.”

  Grabbing her by the chin, Luke forced Terri to maintain eye contact. “Not this time, Terri. The guy just got out of jail, proof that he isn’t immune to the legal system. They’ll take this seriously and he will go back to jail, I promise you that.”

  Terri just shook her head. Luke didn’t understand. Randy was good at getting off with a slap on the wrist. If he hadn’t almost killed her the last time, he never would have seen the inside of a cell in the first place.

  “Let’s call the police,” Luke urged.

  With no strength left inside her to care one way or the other, Terri just nodded. Let Luke see for himself what it was like to be the victim. The criminals always got off, at least in her world, and now that Luke was a part of her world, it shouldn’t take him long to come to the same conclusion.

  She listened as Luke spoke to the 911 operator. He was calm, like she had been that night when Randy beat her to within an inch of her life. He relayed all the necessary information, and when the police arrived an hour later, he took charge of the situation then too, showing the officers the door and the broken knife blade he had found, and the letter.

  The officer reading the note looked from Terri to Luke questioningly. “Are you the lover?” he asked Luke.

  Luke spluttered in response. It was the first time Terri had ever seen him caught off guard or seemingly nervous. He was usually so composed, it surprised her.

  “No. I’m her boss,” he explained.

  The officer arched a brow that said he didn’t believe his story, but wasn’t going to press him about it. “Well, whoever wrote this note seems to think otherwise.”

  “It was my husband,” Terri said tonelessly. She had been telling them that since they arrived, but they kept telling her the same thing, that it was all circumstantial.

  The officer shot her a withering glance, as if she were a child he had run out of patience for. She shrank under those gray eyes. “As I said before, Mrs. Cunningham, the evidence is circumstantial. I can’t make an arrest on someone for writing a note. In the eyes of the law, no crime was committed here tonight.”

  Stiffening, Luke stepped closer to the officer. “The guy didn’t just write a note,” he said scathingly. “He broke into her home with a knife and threatened her, and me, if that note is indeed referring to me.”

  “Sir, please step back.” The off
icer’s hand twitched toward his gun seated in the holster that hung from his hip.

  Luke narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, but eventually did as he was told.

  When the officer was satisfied, he continued. “As I was saying, there is also the problem with the fact that you two are still legally married,” he said, addressing Terri directly. “Technically, this is his home too, and I can’t arrest a guy for breaking into his own house.”

  Terri gaped, though she couldn’t say she was exactly surprised. “But I bought this place myself. With my own money. How can he have a claim on any of it?”

  “It’s all a matter of paperwork,” the officer said simply. Clicking his pen closed, he tucked it and the small tablet of paper he had used to take notes, into his breast pocket and moved toward the door. “When you get that divorce, Mrs. Cunningham, we’ll be able to do more. Until then, you might want to think about finding someplace else to stay.” He tipped his head at them both. “You two have a good evening.”

  “Oh, yeah, sure,” Luke snarled, closing the door behind him. He stood rooted in that spot for a long time, watching Terri, until she had to look away from the discomfort his steady gaze wrought. When he finally broke the silence all he said was, “Pack your bags.”

  Terri’s eyes snapped up in confusion. “What?”

  “I said go pack your things. You’re not staying here.”

  “What are you talking about? This is my home,” she protested.

  Luke stomped across the living room and stood in front of her. Looking down at her, he narrowed his eyes. “You heard the jackass,” he said, pointing at the front door where the officer had just left. “This might be your home, but until you get the divorce finalized, it’s his home too. Now go pack your things. You’re not staying here another minute.”

  Again he used that tone that said any argument on her end would not be tolerated. Terri found herself rising slowly from the couch to do as she was told. Would she ever break this habit of following orders like some helpless child, she wondered as she pulled a duffle down from the shelf in her bedroom closet and started placing her life inside one piece at a time.