by Joanna Blake
Carl wasn't going to find her. It had been a year. The trail must be cold by now. Maybe he'd given up. Maybe it would be safe to let Donnie come inside next time.
If he hadn’t gotten scared off yet. Not that she would blame him. But… well, she hoped he hadn’t.
She exhaled and closed her eyes.
Carl wasn’t outside in the bushes watching and waiting. He wasn’t going to ever hurt her again.
She sank back onto the couch, the image of Donnie's face just before he kissed her stuck in her mind's eye. He'd looked so sensual, so intent. She lay down on the couch and hugged one of the ratty old pillows to her chest.
Damn, but he could kiss.
Chapter 15
Devlin
Devlin barely looked up as Donnie slid a shot across the bar. Devlin was in his regular seat. He had been living at the club house for days, unwilling to even head home.
He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t sleep. All he could do was stare at his phone.
And drink. At this point, he was practically a professional.
Devlin had begged Kaylie to talk to him. To let him explain. But she had asked for time.
His sweet little angel had a temper. And she apparently wanted to cool down before she saw him. She needed to think.
Whatever that meant, he knew it wasn’t good.
For almost three days now, he’d been waiting. he’d sent her a note now and then. But she hadn’t responded.
A few days ago, Devlin had thought he was marrying the perfect woman. Instead, he was pretty sure she was thinking about ending things.
And that would be it. Game over. Kaylie was it for him. Devlin didn’t want anybody else. A thousand swimsuit models could throw themselves at him and he wouldn’t be tempted.
He only wanted her, dammit.
“Hey man, I’m going to send one of the prospects out for burgers.”
“Do whatever you want, man. Didn’t you just come from Mae’s?”
“The burgers aren’t for me.”
Donnie forced a smile.
“I will eat your fries though.”
Dev squinted at him as he got us each a fresh beer. He tipped his head back and downed his.
“What are you doing here, man. You look as bad as I do.”
“I was going home to take a cold shower but I figured I better check on your sorry ass.”
“Cold shower? You strike out with Sally again? Maybe she’s not into you man.”
Donnie glared at him, then shrugged.
“She is into me. But something is up with her. I need to talk to-“
He stopped abruptly and stared at Dev.
“You can say it.”
“Sorry man. Chicks stick together. I was just hoping Kaylie knows what is up with her. It’s almost like she’s afraid of something.”
“Neighborhood trouble?”
Donnie shook his head.
“No. It’s something worse. She’s not just nervous. She’s fucking terrified.”
“Somebody do something to mess with her?”
“I don’t know. It’s the only thing that makes sense. I really like her Dev.”
“I’m here for you man. And as soon as you figure it out, I’m cracking skulls right beside you.”
Donnie smiled and nodded. He gave one of the prospects a couple of twenties and sent him off to get us grub. When it came, I even took a few bites.
“Was she there? When you went to Mae’s?
“No man. Sorry.”
“Get the guys to drive by tonight. They can keep an eye on Sally and Kaylie both.”
“You got it.” Donnie nodded. “Good idea.”
“Too bad Jack is too busy to help out.”
“Lucky bastard.”
Chapter 16
Sally
No no no no!
Sally was curled into a ball, trying to protect her face. Huge fists were flying toward her, beating her, hurting her. She was so scared.
But for the first time, she was also mad.
Leave me alone!
As soon as that thought came into her head, he seemed to sense it and redouble his efforts.
She took a hit to the side of her head, up against her ear. A ringing sound filled her head. Not her ears! She needed her ears for her music!
She felt herself sliding into unconsciousness but the hits kept coming. Her arms slid away from her face and she felt a hit land on her cheekbone.
Then darkness.
Sally woke up with a scream on her lips. She looked around her living room stupidly. She was safe. She wasn’t injured.
She'd fallen asleep on the couch.
She got up slowly and did what she always did when she had the dream. She took the crowbar by her bed and walked through the house, checking every door and window. She looked under the bed, in the closets even in the basement.
And then she sat down with her guitar at the kitchen table and wrote a song. It was a pretty tune, full of heartbreak and hope. It wasn't ever going to be a number one hit. Girls wouldn’t sing it at the top of their lungs after a breakup.
No one would ever even hear it.
She couldn't risk performing it for anyone. If she did that he would find her for sure. But it still soothed her to put her feelings into words and melody.
Sally was up the rest of the night, as usual. She could never relax after the dreams came. She cleaned the house and played her guitar a few more times. She even did her martial arts drills. Finally she gave in and made a pot of coffee in the old drip pot the landlord had left behind.
She could never sleep after one of those nightmares. No matter how many times she told herself it was a dream.
Just a dream.
But it wasn't really.
It was a memory.
Chapter 17
Donahue
Donnie knew he looked ridiculous. A big guy on a bike with a huge bouquet of flowers tucked into the front of his jacket. He wiggled his nose as one of the flowers brushed his face.
God, he hoped nobody saw him.
Then again, he didn't really care.
As long as she liked them. He would so anything he could to get into Sally's house. Dear God, he wanted her to let him in. On more than one level.
He wanted to get her into bed obviously. Desperately. The woman had some sort of magic spell on him so that all he could think about was touching her, kissing her, holding her… and more.
But he also wanted to get to know her better. And even more than anything, he wanted to know what was making her so fearful. He had an overwhelming desire to protect her. To tell her everything was going to be okay. That he'd protect her, if she'd let him.
He was good at that. Protecting women.
He'd learned early, helping his mom look after his little sister, Marie. He'd had to protect them both. He hadn't always succeeded, but as he got older, it got easier.
Their dad had been fast to drink and even faster with his fists. But the old drunk hadn't stood a chance against an angry fifteen year old Donnie.
Mean old bastard.
Donnie pushed the thought of his father aside and readjusted the flowers. He hoped she wouldn't mind him just showing up like this but it couldn't be helped. It wasn’t like she’d given him any other options.
He didn't have her damn phone number!
But he'd get it today. Damn straight he would.
He pulled up in front of her house. He felt a bit nervous as he walked up to her front stoop and knocked. He heard pattering little footsteps and smiled. Then he heard a chain being unhooked. And another chain. And a couple of locks.
Damn, the place was like Fort Knox!
She peeked out from a sliver of the door. There was still some sort of chain on it. He smiled, even though the number of locks was throwing him. How had he not noticed that before?
"Hi Sally."
He grinned and held up the flowers.
"These are for you."
She just blinked at him like a tiny little owl.
Probably figuring out that she had to open the door to accept the flowers. He felt a bit like a heel, knowing he was being pushy. But she was so damn elusive that he didn't really have a choice. If he wanted her, he was going to have to use every trick in the book.
And God Damn did he want her.
"Oh. Thank you."
She closed the door to unhook the chain and opened it up again, wider this time. He almost swallowed his tongue when he saw her. She was wearing a pink tank top and a pair of tight jeans. Her feet were bare and her cute little toes were painted a sparkly peach color.
Jesus, the woman was trying to kill him.
He handed her the flowers while trying to send her a message telepathically.
Let me in let me in let me in let me in…
"Would you like to come in?"
He grinned so wide he felt like his face would split in two. Every inch he got closer to her felt like a triumph. It wasn’t like she was playing hard to get though.
Everything about Sally was real.
He stepped inside and watched as she locked the door again. He was staring at her door as her busy little hands clicked each lock into place.
She had eight locks.
He felt a cold weight settling in the pit of his stomach. That’s when he saw the baseball bat by the door. Fuck. He knew then.
He knew without a fucking doubt.
"I'll just put these in water…. is something wrong Donnie?"
He tried to keep his face devoid of emotion. He was shocked at how angry he was at the thought of someone threatening a sweet little thing like Sally. His sweet little thing.
"Has someone been bothering you, Sally?"
She blanched and took in a sharp little breath but didn't say anything. He was practically vibrating with the need to punch somebody's face in. Whoever it was that made her this afraid.
"Tell me and I'll take care of it."
"No- there's just been- a lot of break ins around here. I'm alone here so…"
She licked her lips nervously. She was lying. He knew it.
"I'll get a vase."
He followed her into the kitchen. It was faded yellow and white, run down but spotlessly clean. He saw a guitar leaning under the window by the table. The window had bars on it.
He looked back the way they had come. Bars on those windows too.
A can of pepper spray on the counter top.
Fuck.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?"
He nodded and she gestured to the kitchen table. He sat down. Five minutes ago he would have been negotiating to sit on the couch in the living room. Much easier to get horizontal on a couch.
But now… now he knew that something was very wrong here. Now he had other things on his mind.
"You play?"
She jerked her head around, staring at the guitar as if it was a ghost.
"Oh. Not really. I'm not very good."
He narrowed his eyes at her back. Now she was really lying to him.
"As good as you sing?"
She shrugged and went back to making the coffee. She turned around and smiled at him while it percolated.
"I've had five cups already. I should be bouncing off the walls."
"Late night?"
She shrugged again.
"I couldn't sleep."
He nodded. He hadn't slept much either. She looked pretty as a picture though.
A picture that was lying through her teeth.
He stood up and crossed the kitchen.
"Sally."
She looked alarmed as he took his jacket off and pulled his t shirt over his head.
"What are you doing, Donnie?"
"Relax darlin' I just want to show you something."
She looked ready to run as he turned side ways and showed her the tattoo on his shoulder. He could tell the moment she saw it. It was the face of a pretty young girl. Underneath it said 'Marie.'
"She's beautiful."
He nodded gruffly, turning the other way.
"That's my sister. And this-"
He showed her his other tattoo. This was another woman, older but still lovely. Underneath it said 'Mom.'
"Is my mother."
"They'r beautiful Donnie. But I don't understand why-"
"Because."
He leaned toward her and put his arms on the counter, boxing her in.
"They are the reason my arms exist. To protect them. I couldn't do it at first. He was too big. But by the time I was fifteen I started fighting back. He never laid a hand on either of them again."
Her mouth opened. He could see tears forming in her eyes.
"I won't let anyone hurt you again, Sally."
She drew in a ragged breath. When she lifted her eyes again, the pain in them nearly broke his heart.
"How did you know?"
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then pushed off and went back to the table.
"Let's just say you remind me of her. My sister. She was always jumping at shadows."
"Oh. What happened?"
"To my dad? I finally beat him so bad that he took off, never to be seen from again. Marie though, she was too little. She took too many knocks in the head. Now she's… not the same."
He glanced up at her.
"Tell me who did this to you. Who hurt you bad enough to make you hide yourself away like this?"
She took a shuddering breath and turned away to pour their coffee. For a minute he thought she wasn't going to answer. When she did, the words came out broken, like they hurt coming out.
"My road manager. Carl. He ran my crew at first and then he was my fiancé."
"He hit you?"
She nodded, not looking at him.
"He did lots of things. Hitting was one of them."
Donnie saw black. Then red. Then black again. He forced himself to stay calm. He didn't want to scare her.
"Where is he?”
"I don't know. Back in Nashville probably. He said he'd come after me, but maybe he didn't mean it. I don't know. I keep meaning to get a dog. A big one."
"I don't want you to worry anymore. You have a big dog. Right here."
He made a fist and thumped it against his bare chest.
"No, Donnie. If he does find me, he'll kill you. He said he was going to kill me too, if I ever ran off or if I ever…"
"If you ever found yourself a man?"
She nodded. Well, no fucking wonder she was so skittish. He felt like a giant ass for kissing her outside the other night. She'd been looking for this Carl bastard. He almost hoped he did come looking for her. He'd be in for a big fucking surprise.
"Do you want sugar?"
He was on his feet again before he knew what he was doing, his hands reaching for her, spinning her to face him and taking her mouth in a kiss that scalded both of them. He could not stop kissing her, could not stop his hands from molding the curves of her body to his, could not stop wanting more.
He wondered if he took her to bed a couple of times if this unquenchable thirst for her would be satisfied. He doubted it. It would take a thousand times and he'd still want her. But maybe he'd be able to think about something else for five minutes.
Donnie knew he was in danger of falling for this girl. Hard. But he didn't care anymore.
He had her leg around his waist with his huge palms cupping her round little cheeks when he finally came up for air. They were both breathing heavily.
He stared at her, wondering how he’d even mistaken her for pretty. With her flushed cheeks and tousled hair, she was fucking beautiful. The most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.
One of her tank top straps had slipped off, revealing a smooth golden shoulder. He kissed her there, lightly. Then moved up her neck with small deliberate kisses until he reached her ear.
"I want you, Sally."
She moaned a little bit as he pressed his erection forward, nudging her sex. She lifted her hands up and placed them on his chest.
And gently pushed him away.
"I can’t, Donnie. I'm sorry."
He stepped backwards, breathing heavily. He squeezed his hands into fists to keep himself from reaching for her.
"Don't you like me, Sally?"
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.
"I just- I just want to be left alone. It's easier that way."
He stared at her for a minute, hoping she would relent. But she wasn't even looking at him. She looked small, like she was trying to shrink into herself and become invisible.
"Please, Donnie."
He cursed under his breath and grabbed his shirt and jacket. He didn't wait for her to come and unlock the door. He clicked open lock after lock until the door opened. It was beautiful out- a perfect balmy afternoon in late spring. But he didn't care.
He didn't care about anything.
Chapter 18
Sally
Sally had finally cried herself to sleep a couple of hours before she had to be at the diner for the morning shift. She was working a double for the third time that week. She needed the money in case she had to run again.
Not if. When. She was getting that itch again. The need to run.
Besides, if she was at the diner, it was a little easier not to think about Donnie.
Or Carl.
She had hated him before, feared and despised him. But now she was even angrier than she'd been when he hurt her, when he stripped away her self esteem and stole her country music career out from under her boot heels.
Because now he'd robbed her of a chance at something real. Something good.
He’d stolen her chance with Donnie.
No, Donnie was just a nickname. His name was Donahue. She didn't even know his real first name. And she was unlikely to ever get a chance to. She's sent him away time and again.
There was no way he would want her now.
At the diner she was like a shark; in constant motion. If a shark stopped moving it would die. Sally felt the same way. If she stopped moving she'd have to face the mess she'd made of things. She'd have to face the prospect of being alone. Always running.
Forever.
She looked around Mae's after putting the mop away. The place was clean when she'd come in earlier that morning, but now it was cleaner. Spotless even. She sighed.