The Sacrificial Lamb (21 page)

Domenic got up off the couch in a quick movement and headed toward the kitchen. “It’s time for lunch,” he called over his shoulder.

Bewildered at the sudden change in his demeanor, Alex placed her book on the coffee table and followed him. He was stony faced and banging around in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, in confusion. “Why won’t you ever talk about Bianca?”

“I’d prefer not to discuss it,” he said in a low voice.

“Why not?”

All of the sudden he rounded on her, and she could read the fury on his face. “Why are you pushing me over this?” he demanded angrily. “When you wanted to stop talking about that farce you call a
relationship
, I did. Can’t you show me the same amount of respect?”

Alex stiffened as if he had slapped her, and out of nowhere, her own rage blazed red-hot. “Where the hell did that come from?”

“Are you going to deny what you told me yesterday?”

“I didn’t tell you anything really!”

“You didn’t have to. I can read it all over your face. You don’t love that kid. You’re just stringing him along because you’re too scared to let go.”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” she hissed.

“Don’t I?” Domenic took a step closer to her, his eyes glinting maliciously. “When was the last time you saw Shane?”

Alex didn’t answer. He didn’t need to know the details of her relationship.

He stepped closer still, until there was barely any space left between them. Grasping her arm above the elbow, he leaned in closer. “When was the last time you
fucked
him?” he asked against her ear.

Domenic’s breath caressed her skin, and her stomach jumped crazily. Alex pulled together the remnants of her anger and pushed him away. “That’s none of your fucking business! Why are you being such an asshole?”

“Because that’s who I am!” Domenic said hotly. “An asshole. A killer! And it would be in your best interest to remember that.” He turned on his heel and started toward his room.

“Why didn’t you do it then?” Alex yelled at his retreating figure. He stopped walking and turned his head.

“Do what?”

“Rape me! Keep me captive! Let them kill me! Take your pick! If you’re as horrible as you say, you wouldn’t have stopped any of it.”

They remained frozen in this tableau. Alex stood, straddle-legged, hands balled into fists at her side. Domenic had his back to her, also with clenched hands. She watched as his fingers uncurled, and he brought them up to run through his hair. Alex went to face him.

“You’re not a monster,” she said with as much conviction as she could muster. “If you were, I wouldn’t be here with you right now. I wouldn’t even be
alive
, if it weren’t for you.”

Domenic still looked formidable. His brow was lowered over his eyes, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He simply stared at Alex, but his face began to relax into a more familiar look. “I’m sorry for being an asshole.”

“I’m sorry I pushed you. When you’re ready to tell me about Bianca, you will. Or maybe you won’t,” she amended, “but I won’t ask again.”

“Thank you. And I’m sorry I said that about your relationship.”

“No, you’re not,” Alex said matter-of-factly. “You were right.” Domenic remained silent, but his eyebrows rose in disbelief. “I am scared to be alone, even though for the better part of the last two years, that’s pretty much what I’ve been.” Alex sighed and rubbed her hands over her eyes.

“You’re not alone right now.”

“For two weeks, anyway,” she said, smiling tentatively.

“Right.” Domenic gave her a slight smile in return.

“Lunch?” she said as a small peace offering.

“Sure.”

They walked back to the kitchen together, and some semblance of normalcy returned.

Later on that evening a sudden thought occurred to her, and she sat up looking at Domenic. “Do you think my father believed Russell that I’m still alive?”

“I hope so,” Domenic said, a small frown puckering his brow. “When I go to pick up more supplies, I have to check in with Russ to let him know we’re still safe and then again a couple of days before the trial.”

“So you’re leaving me twice?” Alex asked, her voice shaking. For some reason, the thought of not having Domenic around for any length of time sent her into a panic. After everything she had been through, nothing should faze her, but it seemed like the opposite was happening. The longer she was with Domenic, the more dependent she became on him.

“Yes, but for a short while. I wouldn’t leave you at all, if it wasn’t necessary.”

“I know.” She plucked at her lip with nervous fingers.

“Do you?” Domenic leaned forward, and he had that intense look that always left her a little bit overcome—the look that erased everything from her mind and had her breathless. She nodded her head, not trusting her voice at that moment. “Good,” Domenic said, lounging back once again.

“You worry about your father a lot, don’t you?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah, I do,” she replied. “My mom left us when I was young. It’s just been my dad and me all these years.” Alex glanced up, and Domenic inclined his head to show he understood.

“When I was old enough, I always took care of everything around the house. He needed me, you know? I never understood how lonely he was until I got older. He never did get over my mom. That was one of the reasons I did my undergrad in Billings. I didn’t want to leave my father all alone again. I mean, he said he was fine, and he probably was, but I think he was happy that I was just a few hours away.”

“I think so too.”

“He’s likely not happy I ran off with you.”

“No doubt,” Domenic replied and smiled to himself. Before she could wonder what that look was all about, he asked her another question. “What about your mother? You haven’t said much about her at all. Do you remember her?”

“Not really. I remember weird things…like how her hair smelled. And a favorite dress she used to wear. But then she was gone. Just went about her life as if I never existed. It was almost as if she had finally gotten rid of a burden she’d had to carry for years.”

“Alexis…”

“No, it’s true,” she said, interrupting him. “What kind of mother runs off and never comes back? I don’t think she even loved me.”

“It’s her loss,” Domenic replied gently.

“Yeah, maybe.” Alex could feel her eyes prickling as she thought about her parents. If she couldn’t get her emotions under control, she would have to go hide in her bedroom again.

“Hey, I have an idea.” Alex looked up as Domenic got out of the armchair and headed into his bedroom. She heard something banging shut, and then he came back out holding a blanket under his arm. “Come on,” he said to her, smiling as he walked to the door leading outside.

Getting up off the couch, she went to follow him, full of curiosity. He walked out onto the small porch and around to the back of the house with her trailing him. Alex watched as Domenic unfolded the blanket and laid it on the long grass.

“What are we doing?” she whispered, afraid to make a lot of noise.

“Stargazing,” he replied, whispering as well. He threw himself down on the blanket lazily and patted the area beside him. Getting on her knees, she crawled over to him. Alex rolled onto her back to see the glittering constellations overhead.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” she said reverently.

“Mmhm,” Domenic murmured. “Do you know which are which?”

“Well, there’s the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper,” she offered, pointing them out in the sky. “And I think that’s Orion?”

“Yes. It is.”

“That’s all I know,” she said, smiling with satisfaction at being able to pick out anything at all.

Domenic moved closer to her and pointed up into the sky. “There is Callisto. Ursa Major. Do you see her? That leading star forms her head, and the two following form her neck. Those six stars form her body, and these stars make her legs and tail.”

Alex watched in fascination as his hand floated in the air above her head, pointing out the shape of the bear and watching it come to life in the black expanse overhead.

“Hers is a sad story,” he whispered near her ear.

“Tell me.”

“Callisto was a beautiful wood nymph. She caught the attention of Jupiter, who came down from the heavens and took her by force. She bore him a son and incurred the wrath of Jupiter’s wife, Juno, who then turned Callisto into a bear. Years later, her son found her in the forest and tried to kill her. Jupiter took pity on her and turned him into Little Bear—” he paused to point out a smaller cluster of stars “—and then put them both in the sky.”

“You’re right, that is sad.”

Domenic pointed out several other major constellations, including her birth sign, Cancer. When she asked which constellation belonged to him, she wasn’t very surprised to find out he was a Taurus. His domineering presence and obstinate nature practically screamed it. He also oozed sensuality, another marker of the sign of the bull.

“And there is Andromeda.” His finger swept down in a graceful curve and then sketched a few faint lines outward. “See her long flowing hair?”

“Who’s Andromeda?” she asked, captivated. Alex was entranced by Domenic’s hand moving over the heavens and the deep timbre of his voice.

“She was a trouble maker—kind of like you,” he said, grinning at her.

“What do you mean like me?” Alex asked indignantly.

“Andromeda was Cassiopeia’s beautiful daughter,” Domenic began.

So far so good
.

“She was more beautiful than any of Poseidon’s nymphs and was flaunted in front of him daily.”

“
Hey
…” Alex said, scowling at Domenic.

“So anyway,” he continued, chuckling, “the poor god of the sea couldn’t take it anymore, and as punishment he chained up Andromeda to some rocks and left her there as a sacrifice to a horrible sea monster.”

“I don’t know if I like this story anymore,” she grumbled.

“No, this is the good part,” Domenic promised and propped himself up on one elbow so he was staring down at her. “Along comes Perseus, and he is so enchanted by Andromeda that he promises to slay the sea monster if she agrees to marry him.”

“Oh,” Alex said, wondering why Domenic chose this particular story to tell her. “And did she agree?”

“Of course she did. Perseus beheaded the beast and they ran off together.”

“That Perseus was a smooth operator.”

“I suppose he was,” Domenic said in a husky voice.

They stared into each other’s eyes, and Alex swallowed heavily. Her heart ratcheted up a few notches, and she was positive he would notice. Domenic took a slow inventory of her face, as if he were trying to memorize it. Once again she found herself in a precarious position. It was getting more and more difficult to quell the urges that were welling inside of her whenever she was in close proximity to Domenic.

Dangerous
, her mind whispered.
Kiss me
, her body screamed. And caught in the middle was her heart, which was still pounding hard in her chest.

Out of nowhere, a bird launched into the sky, and both their heads whipped around toward the noise. The moment completely broken, Alex sighed in relief and sat up. Domenic did the same and then got to his feet. He looked toward the departing bird and ran a hand through his hair.

“Maybe we should go back inside,” he said with an attempt at a smile.

“Right. It’s getting kind of late.” Alex took the hand he extended to her and stood up.

In a less than graceful moment, her foot tangled in the blanket, and she stumbled. Of course Domenic was there to catch her. His arms went around her, and her hands splayed against his chest. Alex kept her eyes forward, deathly afraid of looking up into his. The last time he had caught her like this, she had been sweaty and grimy from being held prisoner and had been embarrassed to be so close to him. This time she didn’t have that excuse.

Don’t look up
, she thought fiercely.