Retribution by K.A. Robinson Page A

Cooper had left an empty feeling inside of me when he walked away.
    I reached forward and grabbed his hand. I tugged gently until he would finally look at me. “Tell me what I need to do then.”
    He tensed for a moment. “You’re going to help me?”
    I nodded. “I’m going to do whatever I can to make Robert pay.”
    He squeezed my hand. “He has always done whatever it takes to get him to where he wants to be. He’s never feared anyone. It’s time to make him fear, Claire. I want retribution for his sins, and I know you do, too.”
    “I’m sorry for what I said before. I thought…” I trailed off.
    “I know what you thought, but you were wrong. It doesn’t matter now anyway.”
    I cleared my throat. “You’re going to have to help me, Cooper. I don’t know what you want or need to make him pay.”
    “We’ll start with getting you two back on a comfortable level. I want you to wait a couple of days before you go to him. I doubt if he’ll come home, so you’ll have to find him at work. I want you to come off as weak and needy. Tell him how sorry you are for making him angry. You have to make him believe that everything you say is the absolute truth.”
    “Weak and needy.” I gave a humorless laugh. “I seem to be a professional when it comes to portraying those two traits.”
    “Hey, look at me.” Cooper’s fingers settled under my chin, and he raised my face so that I was looking at him. “You’re not weak, Claire. You never have been. You were forced into his life, and he took control before you even had a chance to stop him. He might think you’re weak, but you’re not. It’s time to prove just how strong you really are.”
    “I’ll try,” I said as I looked into his eyes. “And you’ll be there with me every step of the way.”
    “I will. I promise. We’ll get through all of this, unscathed.”
    I hoped that was true.

I did as Cooper had said. I hadn’t tried to contact Robert for two days. I’d spent both days locked away in my room, willing my bruised and battered body to heal.
    The first time I’d looked in the mirror, I’d started crying. I had known that my eye was swollen shut, but to know and to see it were two totally different things. I looked horrible. My eye was black, and my cheek was swollen. My ribs were just as bruised. I’d lifted my shirt and started crying harder. Cooper had barged into my room at the sound of my cries. He’d stopped dead when he saw the purple-and-blue color of my skin. He’d crossed the room in a flash and pulled me into his arms.
    “I’m going to end this, Claire,” he’d whispered to me as I sobbed against his shirt.
    I’d watched several of my foster mothers deal with abuse over the years. A few of my foster families had hit me as well, but I always sworn to myself that I would never willingly be with someone who hurt me that way. I’d let Robert fool me into thinking he was my savior. I should have known better. There had been so many signs, and I’d ignored them all. He’d taken over my life, controlled everything about me, and I’d let him. That made me weak, no matter what Cooper had said.
    No more.
    I was done being Robert’s pawn. It was time that I took back my life. It was time for Robert to pay.

    On the third day after Robert’s attack, I decided it was time to go back to work. I spent so much time trying to cover the bruises on my face with makeup even though I knew it was a lost cause. Still, I tried. I managed to hide the worst of it, but anyone who looked at me would know I was sporting one hell of a black eye.
    After finishing my hair and makeup, I dressed quickly and pulled a pair of sunglasses out of my purse. They would hide my eye outside, but I would be screwed once I made it to work. Wearing them would be even more noticeable than showing my eye to the world.
    As I drove to work, I took several deep breaths to calm myself. I was on the verge of a panic attack from just the thought of seeing Robert again.