Alex’s knee and held out a small, fine-boned hand. “Let me see.”
Alex didn’t move, her gaze riveted on AnnaCoreen’s waiting hand. What if . . .
“It’s okay, dear,” AnnaCoreen soothed. “Let me help you.”
Tension coiled in Alex’s belly, muscles tensed so hard they began to ache. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t just reach out and—
AnnaCoreen took the choice away from her and clasped Alex’s injured hand with cool fingers. And the world tilted . . .
I’m falling, uncontrolled and wild, grabbing for the railing, trying to stop my tumble, to slow it. Every stair step slams into my ribs, shoulders, head, knees. I hit bottom, and stars explode in my eyes, darkness encroaching at the edges and threatening to blot out the light.
It’s dark, the concrete cold and damp. Everything hurts. Oh, Lord, everything hurts so much. My head, my back.
He’s thumping around upstairs, stomping from one room to the next, dresser drawers thudding as he yanks them clear out of the furniture. He’s looking for evidence, but there’s nothing to find, nothing to prove his fears.
Except Richard is coming. Richard will be here any minute, coming to help me pack, and that’s all the evidence he’ll need. He’ll kill us both for what he thinks we’ve done.
I need to move, to get up. I need to find something to defend myself.
He’ll come down here and make me pay, make me hurt for doing nothing more than trying to find a way out.
The door at the top of the stairs jerks open, and the sudden piercing light hurts my eyes. Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no.
He thunders down the stairs. He’s so angry and, oh, Lord, he’s unbuckling his belt. When he looms over me, terror pins me to the cold concrete floor. If I could move, I’d try to scoot away.
“Don’t do this. Please don’t do this.”
He snarls and falls on me. He rips my blouse open, and a moan of despair escapes my throat. I know not to fight back, but it’s hard not to.
“Please, Frank, I won’t leave you. I made a mistake. I won’t go, I promise.”
He’s not listening. He’s breathing hard, his face red with fury. “You’re mine,” he grunts. “You’ll always be mine.”
He goes to work on his fly and zipper with one hand, the other holding me to the floor. My hands claw at his arm as he shreds my pantyhose and shoves my skirt up around my hips.
I can’t help it. I start screaming, a strangled, pathetic sound that carries no volume because his fingers are tightening on my windpipe—
Little.
Black.
Stars.
“Alex!”
Her head felt weightless and weird. Empty. Nobody home.
“Answer me! Alex!” Charlie sounded frantic.
“Calm down, child, she’s okay now.” Another voice, this one soothing and calm. “Look, she’s focusing.”
Alex realized her eyes were open, and she blinked them several times, until her sister and AnnaCoreen Tesch appeared before her, both on their knees at her feet and peering up at her as if she’d just spontaneously combusted.
An odd throbbing burned through her left cheek, and Alex raised a hand to touch it.
Charlie raked both hands through her hair before stumbling to her feet and over to the railing for support. “Jesus.”
“Are you back with us?” AnnaCoreen searched Alex’s eyes, her countenance as soothing as a trauma nurse trained in calming hysterical patients.
Alex nodded, which was a mistake, because dizziness welled through her head as quickly as the bile rose in her throat.
“Easy,” AnnaCoreen murmured. “Breathe through it.”
Alex closed her eyes, swallowed hard. “I’m going to be sick.”
“No, you’re not,” the older woman said firmly. “You’re going to breathe.”
Alex tried to nudge the woman aside so she could get up, but AnnaCoreen refused to budge. “Listen to me, Alexandra Lee, and do what I tell you to do.”
Alex looked at the woman in surprise. How could she possibly know her middle name? And what did it matter? She was going to hurl all over her if she
Alex didn’t move, her gaze riveted on AnnaCoreen’s waiting hand. What if . . .
“It’s okay, dear,” AnnaCoreen soothed. “Let me help you.”
Tension coiled in Alex’s belly, muscles tensed so hard they began to ache. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t just reach out and—
AnnaCoreen took the choice away from her and clasped Alex’s injured hand with cool fingers. And the world tilted . . .
I’m falling, uncontrolled and wild, grabbing for the railing, trying to stop my tumble, to slow it. Every stair step slams into my ribs, shoulders, head, knees. I hit bottom, and stars explode in my eyes, darkness encroaching at the edges and threatening to blot out the light.
It’s dark, the concrete cold and damp. Everything hurts. Oh, Lord, everything hurts so much. My head, my back.
He’s thumping around upstairs, stomping from one room to the next, dresser drawers thudding as he yanks them clear out of the furniture. He’s looking for evidence, but there’s nothing to find, nothing to prove his fears.
Except Richard is coming. Richard will be here any minute, coming to help me pack, and that’s all the evidence he’ll need. He’ll kill us both for what he thinks we’ve done.
I need to move, to get up. I need to find something to defend myself.
He’ll come down here and make me pay, make me hurt for doing nothing more than trying to find a way out.
The door at the top of the stairs jerks open, and the sudden piercing light hurts my eyes. Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no.
He thunders down the stairs. He’s so angry and, oh, Lord, he’s unbuckling his belt. When he looms over me, terror pins me to the cold concrete floor. If I could move, I’d try to scoot away.
“Don’t do this. Please don’t do this.”
He snarls and falls on me. He rips my blouse open, and a moan of despair escapes my throat. I know not to fight back, but it’s hard not to.
“Please, Frank, I won’t leave you. I made a mistake. I won’t go, I promise.”
He’s not listening. He’s breathing hard, his face red with fury. “You’re mine,” he grunts. “You’ll always be mine.”
He goes to work on his fly and zipper with one hand, the other holding me to the floor. My hands claw at his arm as he shreds my pantyhose and shoves my skirt up around my hips.
I can’t help it. I start screaming, a strangled, pathetic sound that carries no volume because his fingers are tightening on my windpipe—
Little.
Black.
Stars.
“Alex!”
Her head felt weightless and weird. Empty. Nobody home.
“Answer me! Alex!” Charlie sounded frantic.
“Calm down, child, she’s okay now.” Another voice, this one soothing and calm. “Look, she’s focusing.”
Alex realized her eyes were open, and she blinked them several times, until her sister and AnnaCoreen Tesch appeared before her, both on their knees at her feet and peering up at her as if she’d just spontaneously combusted.
An odd throbbing burned through her left cheek, and Alex raised a hand to touch it.
Charlie raked both hands through her hair before stumbling to her feet and over to the railing for support. “Jesus.”
“Are you back with us?” AnnaCoreen searched Alex’s eyes, her countenance as soothing as a trauma nurse trained in calming hysterical patients.
Alex nodded, which was a mistake, because dizziness welled through her head as quickly as the bile rose in her throat.
“Easy,” AnnaCoreen murmured. “Breathe through it.”
Alex closed her eyes, swallowed hard. “I’m going to be sick.”
“No, you’re not,” the older woman said firmly. “You’re going to breathe.”
Alex tried to nudge the woman aside so she could get up, but AnnaCoreen refused to budge. “Listen to me, Alexandra Lee, and do what I tell you to do.”
Alex looked at the woman in surprise. How could she possibly know her middle name? And what did it matter? She was going to hurl all over her if she
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