Salvage Her Heart

by Shelly Pratt

  ‘Is that all?’

  ‘It certainly should be. You pull this off, Stratford, and you can take your pick of the women I’ll have waiting on board.’

  A little thrill of excitement runs through me as Stavros ends the call. I’m sitting here in the dark, suddenly roused from my funk by the thought of a new girl to govern. Every scandalous, spicy thought I’ve ever had flashes through my mind. Calm comes over me. I’m doing the right thing; letting Evie go is the right thing. Fuck, it almost seems like I’m trying to convince myself, despite the excitement I feel over getting a new woman.

  My phone rings loudly in my lap, startling the shit out of me.

  ‘Yes,’ I hiss.

  ‘Two minutes.’ Harry ends the call without another word.

  I leave the scotch and the photographs where they are on the coffee table. The lights are already off, so I move into the corner of the apartment—right behind where the front door will open. Adrenalin spikes my heart into a frantic pace, almost choking me from the blood pressure spike in my body. I take several deep breaths to try to control myself. Not long now and this will all be over.

  Two minutes feels like two hours, but finally I hear the elevator sound as its doors open followed by the shuffle of feet towards our apartment door. She’s here, and man is she going to pay.

  The key goes into the lock. It turns. She doesn’t turn on the lights; she just fumbles around in the dark, dropping her bag on the floor where she stands. I’m affronted by the smell of her. There is none of her usual scent about her. Everything from her shampoo down to the smell of sunscreen on her skin makes the imagery on the coffee table viable. She has been away with another man. I can smell him on her. His scent permeates her skin. She smells like… sex.

  Forget anger, my heart holds fury.

  I let her shut the door, the light from the landing fading away to the darkness that obscures me in my hiding spot. Just as I can sense her, something gives me away, too. She stills, breathing heavy and straining her senses to pick out what’s different in the apartment. What’s different is that I’m here and she’s suddenly very aware of that fact.

  ‘Alex.’ Resignation tinges her voice. She knows she’s in trouble.

  ‘Hello, dear, miss me?’

  My hand reaches out to grab the back of her neck, every little bit of wrath transferring from my body through to her. Her shoulders bunch in an attempt to shrug me off. There’s no use. I’m much more forceful than she’ll ever be.

  I force her forward towards the coffee table, half-running with her, her body mine to control once more. She stumbles in the dark, yet I have a firm grip. When we reach the spot where I have the photographs sprawled out, I kick her legs out from underneath her, making her fall like a sack of potatoes in an instant. Reflexively her hands reach out to stop her downwards momentum and smash against the table, bonding to the sticky photographic paper that holds the tell-all images of her affair.

  Even in the dark she gasps, fully aware of the extent of the situation. In an act of pure rage I slam her head against the table, releasing her neck as I do.

  ‘What’s the matter, baby, you can’t see in the dark? Here, let me help you out there.’ I stride to the nearest light switch and flick it on. Evie’s eyes blink rapidly in my direction, trying to adjust quickly to the brightness of our downlights. Blood pours from her nose, dripping unceremoniously onto the pictures beneath her. Her eyes flick from picture to picture, her fate realised in that instant.

  A single tear spills over and she hangs her head, the fight gone out of her.

  ‘What’s the matter, princess? Did you think you were special? That you deserve what he’s offering you? Don’t you realise you were nothing more than a business transaction to me? Fuck, you still are. I’ve got plans for you, baby, just wait and see.’

  ‘I know about the contract,’ she murmurs. That stops me in my tracks.

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘The contract with my parents. I know.’

  ‘Well, aren’t you a smart little fox. It makes no difference now though, does it? You just made sure that mummy and daddy are going to end up on the bones of their arses. Not only that, but they’ll never see their darling daughter again. Not that it should make too much difference, dear, I mean really, they can’t have cared too much about you if they were so willing to let you go to the likes of me.’

  Panic fills her. She stumbles to her feet, the realisation of what I’m saying sinking in. With fight not being an option, flight mode kicks in. She’s a lot quicker than I was expecting, making a dash for the front door. I lunge for her and the back of my forearm connects with her larynx, dropping her as she gasps for breath. My hands find the comfort of the flesh of her neck and I squeeze tightly. I have never felt so exhilarated or so alive. Holding her heart in my hands, I feel like God.

  ‘Who’s going to save you now, baby? Where’s your knight in shining armour when you need him?’ I growl, spit frothing at the side of my mouth as I yell at her. Her eyes bulge beneath the pressure of my fingers. Tears struggle to leak out the corners of her eyes. I’m not going to kill her. That would be too easy. I’m going to let Stavros have his fun and film it while he does.

  ‘Don’t worry, baby, I’ve got much more in store for you. It’s really going to be quite unpleasant,’ I hiss. ‘Lost for words, Evie?’ I mock her as she chokes beneath my grip. ‘Answer me you bitch, where the hell is your fucking knight in shining armour now?’ I yell with such ferocity my throat burns.

  The front door bursts open.

  ‘I’m right here, arsehole.’

  Twelve inches of black leather boot is the last thing I see before I black out.

  Twenty-Seven

  GRAYSON

  It’s dark, and still—too still. In the distance an owl hoots. It sounds like it’s pissed off it just missed a meal, but that’s not what bothers me. You know when you instinctively know something is wrong? I have that feeling now and I’m not even awake. Something just isn’t… right. Intuition kicks in and I impulsively reach out in the dark. I don’t find what I’m looking for.

  Suddenly I’m wide awake and panicked.

  ‘Evie?’ No answer. ‘Evie?’

  I scramble out of bed and trip over my boots in the dark. ‘Shit,’ I cuss, banging against the table. I take a second for my eyes to adjust before making my way to the bathroom and turn on the light. The bathroom is empty. There is no Evie. I hurry to the front door and take a quick look outside. All is quiet. Even the owl has shut up from its earlier disgruntled hoots.

  Retreating back into the room, I wonder just where she’s gone. A walk? A swim? I decide to put some clothes on and take a torch down to the lake to look for her. I’m just stepping into the boots I tripped over earlier when I see it—a crumpled piece of paper on her pillow.

  I snatch it up, hurriedly devouring its contents.

  ‘No, no, no, no!’ I bang my fist against the headboard in frustration. ‘Fuck, Evie, what have you gone and done?’

  Without waiting another second, I give the cabin a quick search for my truck keys. They’re gone. Well I guess I’m up fucking shit creek without a paddle. ‘Damn!’ Without bothering to lock up, I slam the door to the cabin shut and head off at a sprint up the main path towards Callum’s cabin.

  Despite the late hour, I bang like a madman on his door until he opens up. He flings it open while my fist is in mid-air, ready to keep on pounding.

  ‘Steady on, I’m here, I’m here. What’s up, man?’

  ‘I don’t have time to explain. Can I borrow your car? It’s really urgent.’

  ‘Sure,’ he says, yawning as he pads back inside to find the keys. He returns just seconds later with them swung around his finger. He hands them to me without hesitation.

  ‘Thanks, man. Will you be alright without it for a few days?’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll think we will survive. You want me to come with you?’

  ‘Best if you don’t. I get the feeling I’m going to need to do
something illegal.’

  ‘Fuck, Grayson! Is this to do with Evie?’

  ‘Yep, she needs me, although she doesn’t know it yet.’

  ‘Give me two seconds; there is no way I’m letting you go alone.’

  ‘It’s really important I leave right now.’

  ‘I hear you. I promise, just two seconds to get my pants on and tell Kirima where I’m going.’

  ‘Okay, but I’m getting the engine started.’

  ‘Deal.’

  I run for his car while he scurries back inside. It’s parked around the side of the cabin under a small carport. The engine kicks over first go and I’m relatively pleased that it’s a modern V6 that should have a bit of grunt behind it, which under the circumstances should be a good thing. There’s no telling how much of a head start Evie has on us.

  Just as I’m pulling the car around the front, Callum is hurrying out the front door double time. In his hand is a revolver which he tucks into the back of his jeans. I screech to a halt and he hops into the passenger seat. I take off without a word, all my concentration on the road. While I’m driving I take out my mobile phone and repeatedly try to call her. Every time it goes straight to message bank. After half an hour, Callum breaks the silent tension between us.

  ‘So, are you going to tell me what’s going on? I mean, it’s not like I’m not with you all the way—just curious, ya know.’

  ‘Evie has an abusive husband.’

  ‘You don’t say. So, she’s just got a guilty conscience and decided to go back to him?’

  ‘No. He’s been out of town. I wasn’t about to let her go back to him, but she can’t let go of the idea that she needs to save everyone. She’s too worried about the people she loves to leave the bastard.’

  ‘Why? Because she’s worried that he’ll kick our arse?’

  ‘Something like that.’

  ‘Well, I don’t think you or I are the type to accept that kind of behaviour, are we?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Well, let’s go rescue your princess.’

  We drive on in silence, the endless stretch of highway north uncongested at this time of night. All sorts of things are running through my mind. Why did she feel so trapped by him that she felt she couldn’t leave? Was she afraid that I wouldn’t support her? Does she think I’m not man enough to be able to keep her safe?

  It’s not natural for me to be in a state of anger but, right now, I’m working hard to keep myself in check. I’m having a hard time working out why any man would want to damage someone as beautiful as her. For anyone to treat another human being like that is unforgivable in my book. I get the feeling that if I get the chance to kick his arse, I’m damn well gonna do it.

  When the highway runs out and we hit the Riverside Expressway into Brisbane city, I heave a sigh of relief. We’re almost there. I’m coming, beautiful, I’m coming.

  There’s no way I’m going to waste time going back to my place. After all, I didn’t come back for my truck—I came back for the girl. I’m going to go with my gut instinct and head straight to her apartment. All reason and rationality have gone out the window for me right now. I don’t care what time of the night it is, I don’t care if he’s there, and I don’t give a shit if I need to use force to convince him that there is no way in hell I am leaving without her. I’m normally a lover, not a fighter, but don’t think for one second that I would hesitate to do absolutely anything to stop him from laying a finger on her.

  We take the last exit into the city and I follow the inner city streets towards her apartment. Right now I’m just thanking my lucky stars that I’ve already been to her place and know where to find her without waiting for her to return my calls. Half a block away my heart rate starts to pick up. I’m getting ready for a fight. There is no turning back now—not that I’d want to, even for a second.

  ‘We’re just about there,’ I say quietly, as though if I speak too loud I might announce ourselves prematurely.

  ‘I’m ready, don’t you worry about that.’

  ‘Thanks, man, for all of this. I may forget to tell you later, but I want you to know I’m grateful.’

  ‘Shit, don’t go getting all mushy on me now. That’s what mates are for, right?’

  ‘Right, but I’m sure this is going above and beyond the realms of our friendship.’

  ‘Eh, forget about it.’

  I do, because shit just got real. We’ve arrived and there is no denying that we are both entering a situation that could get us killed or, at the very least, a night in lock-up. I park Callum’s car in the only free on-street parking space, and then we hustle.

  The main lobby requires key entry, which we don’t have, so I start randomly pressing people’s intercom buzzers desperate for just one of them to let us in. Most go ignored at this time of night, but we get lucky when someone presses the door release without any questions.

  Callum and I head straight past the empty reception area and head for the bank of elevators in the back of the building. We get in and I press the button for Evie’s floor. Nervous apprehension starts to flood me and for the first time in my life I know that love doesn’t cover what I feel for her.

  If I ever thought I’d be willing to give everything up to be with her just one time then, man, I was delusional. One time, one moment, one instant—it would never be enough. Maybe I have an addictive personality but, hell, there isn’t anything or anyone I’d rather be addicted to than her. I’m sure I’d be a great candidate for rehab, but I’m not sure they’ve got a cure for being unequivocally in love. All I know is there’s no going back.

  The elevator seems to be taking forever. Callum is hopping restlessly from one foot to the other, his way of burning off the excess energy that would consume him otherwise. Floor by floor we watch the outside world disappear below us as we climb to the top of the building in the glass elevator. What we weren’t expecting was company on her floor.

  As we step out of the lift, a man turns in our direction. He’s just as surprised as we are by our sudden intrusion. It’s not Alex; I’ve seen him in the photograph inside their apartment when I first came with Evie. He looks like a sentry of some sort. Great. What happens next sends alarm bells ringing big time. His eyebrows raise, his expression reverting from surprise, to recognition, to smug satisfaction. He looks like he knows me, yet I can’t place his face.

  ‘Evening, fellas, can I help you?’ While his eyes maintain contact with ours, his hands are getting too busy for my liking. He’s reaching inside his jacket, which I don’t like one bit. Callum and I quickly glance at each other.

  ‘Gun,’ Callum confirms. We don’t wait a second longer. It feel like it’s in slow motion as we lunge for the guy with the busy hands. He looks dumbfounded as we close in on him. As Callum and I both tackle him to the ground I hear shouts coming from inside the apartment. Evie. She needs me.

  The guy is struggling with his holster, desperately fighting us for the upper hand. He’s strong, but we’re no flyweights. He’s squirming for all he’s worth, knowing that two against one put him at odds straight away. When I see Callum has wrestled his hands away from the gun, I struggle to sit up. The guy’s about to get shouty, so I knee him in the face with as much force as I can muster. His head snaps back and he’s out cold.

  Callum’s breathing hard, the excitement too much for a country boy. Heck, even I’m struggling for composure, but one thing is keeping me motivated and focused—Evie. I can’t hear her voice at all, which concerns me when all I can hear is the shouts of one very pissed off individual. I need to act now.

  ‘Callum, get his wrists and ankles bound with his shoelaces and shove him in the fire well,’ I say as I charge towards the apartment door. Locked, unlocked—it makes no difference. There is nothing on this planet that will stop me from kicking that door in. I’m ready to pick a fight.

  Twenty-Eight

  EVIE

  I want to weep with relief, but it seems that tears of joy are taking over instead. Deep down
I knew; I knew that he’d come for me if it was right—if it was meant to be. The anguish on his face makes me swell with love for him. To see him so concerned about me makes me feel so adored, loved and cared for that I can’t even begin to tell him how much it means to me that he’s come to save me from the monster that has controlled me for too long.

  All I can do is cry. Sob, rather. He reaches for me, cupping my cheeks in his manner, loving me tenderly, despite Alex being unconscious right next to us.

  ‘What did you do? What did you do?’ he implores of me.

  ‘I had to leave… to save you from all of this.’ My voice cracks, too much emotion running through me and hoarse from the near strangling I just received.

  ‘No, Evie, no you didn’t, because there isn’t a single person who is going to stop me from being with you. I’m going to keep you safe—forever. You don’t need to deal with this on your own. I’m here for you, I always will be. He can’t hurt you anymore, I won’t let him.’

  ‘How can you make that promise, Grayson, when you don’t know the devil nearly as well as I do?’

  He kisses me fiercely, trying to show me with a single action how much conviction he feels.

  ‘I can say that, because there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe. Don’t you know that? Nothing, beautiful.’

  ‘I love you, Grayson, so much, but I can’t let you ruin your life for me.’

  ‘Don’t you get it? You are my life. I don’t just want the white picket fence with you Evie—I want the whole fucking castle.

  ‘God knew what he was doing when he put you in my path, you know that?’

  ‘He must have, ‘cause I never would have found you on my own.’

  ‘Thank you… for caring about me the way you do. Nobody has ever made me feel as wanted as you make me feel.’

  ‘Well get used to it, beautiful, because I plan on being with you until my hair greys and I can’t see straight anymore.’

  ‘I’d like that…’ I say softly.