The Sacrificial Lamb (35 page)

“Haven’t seen you ’round here before?” the woman asked, giving him a sidelong glance.

“Yeah, I’m just visiting friends,” he replied cordially.

“Oh? Who would that be? I know all the regulars.”

Fuck
. Nosy old bird. Domenic thought fast, trying to figure out how to answer. If he used a common name that may be recognizable, she’d be sure to ask more questions. If he gave a more obscure name, it was certain to draw attention to the fact there were no such people in this area. Luckily he had a moment’s inspiration.

“You wouldn’t know them. They just bought a tract of land. I’m picking up the supplies for everyone,” he said, making a gesture toward the mountain of food.

“Oh?” she replied suspiciously. “I haven’t heard of any
new
people moving in.”

Domenic shrugged and flashed her another smile. The woman blinked a few time and went back to adding up the bill.

“I’m just going to make a phone call,” he said, gesturing to the old phone booth outside. “I’ll be right back to pay for everything.” He backed toward the door and left the store.

Heading over to the phone, Domenic dug in his pocket, gathering up his change. He dialed Russell’s number and then started to feed the thing with quarters. He was thankful they hadn’t gotten rid of the pay phone, since using his cell was too risky and he hadn’t had time to buy a disposable phone. The line rang a couple of times before Russell answered, his voice thick with sleep.

“’Lo?”

“Russ, it’s Domenic.”

“Domenic! Fuck, finally. Are you okay?” His voice was sharp now, all vestige of sleep gone.

“Yeah, we’re fine. How is everyone?”

“Safe. We got them out of Chicago in time.”

“Good,” Domenic said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Did you get word to John Montgomery?”

“Yeah, he knows Alexis is safe. They’re waiting for my next call.”

“Excellent. Look, I can’t talk long. I’ll call you around the same time in four days so we can arrange a meeting place. Just tell Montgomery to be ready to testify.”

“All right.”

“I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Domenic?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful, man.”

“I always am,” he replied, smiling.

Domenic hung up the phone and stood staring at it for a while. Four days. That’s all the time he had left with Alex. The day after that they would be back on the road to wherever he decided to meet Russell. Four days didn’t sound very long at all.

When he got back to the cabin, things were exactly as he left them. It had been just over an hour, and he hoped Alex had been able to get a bit of sleep while he was away. Domenic entered the cabin cautiously, but there was no need, it would have been noticeable if something was amiss. Hurrying into the bedroom, he pulled up the hatch, and climbed down the ladder. He knocked on the panel softly.

“Alex, it’s me.” He hadn’t even had a chance to say the safe word before he heard the locks being pulled back.

Domenic would have been upset that she had been so careless, but then the door swung back, and he saw her face. It was pale and blotchy, drawn with panic. Alex threw herself into his arms, sobbing. The force with which she hit him caused him to smash back into the wall, almost knocking him breathless. He slid down the wall, bringing Alex down with him.

“Alex! What’s wrong?” he managed to get out as she scrabbled at him frantically. He managed to sit on the floor and get her into his lap. “What happened?” he asked, trying to check her for some problem.

“You left! You were gone!” she cried. “I was all alone in that
room
.”

“Okay, okay…calm down. I’m here now.” He held Alex to him tighter, wondering what had set this off.

“You left…” she continued as he if he hadn’t spoken at all. “I didn’t know if you were ever coming back! And then…
that room!”

It occurred to him that the panic room was very similar to where Alex had been held prisoner. Small, dark, windowless. It must have brought back a lot of unpleasant memories. The hour she had spent in there must have felt like an eternity. Add to that the fact she had no idea where he had gone, or how long he would be, and it must have made her frantic.

“Shh, shh…it’s okay, baby. I’m here.”

Domenic rocked Alex back and forth as her sobs subsided. She still had a strangle hold around his neck, her face pushed into the crook of his shoulder. He continued to hold her tightly, not making a move to get up. He ran his fingers along her hair and caressed her back, making soothing noises. They stayed like that for a long while.

Eventually, Alex loosened her hold around his neck. His shirt was wet and rumpled from her tears. Domenic looked down into her red-rimmed eyes, his heart breaking a little. He mourned for what Carlo had done to her. She was a strong-willed girl, and they had nearly broken her. Domenic had gotten her out in time, but she was carrying scars from when she had been held captive.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” he said, wiping away the tracks of her tears.

“Don’t leave me again,” she whispered in a small voice. “Please, Domenic. Don’t leave me, again. Okay?”

“Alex, I have to go back to call Russell in a few days…”

“No!” she cried out, shaking her head. “I’m coming with you next time!”

“But it’s not…”

“I don’t care! I don’t want to stay here by myself again! Don’t make me, Domenic. I’ll go crazy!”

“Okay, relax,” he said, holding her close to him once more. “We’ll figure something out.”

Alex sagged against his chest in relief. Perhaps he should have fought harder, but he wanted to do whatever it took to get her to calm down. Maybe over the next few days he could talk her into staying here while he called Russell to make plans for their meeting.

It took a while, but he was able to get Alex off his lap and back upstairs. Domenic deposited her on the couch and went to get the groceries from the car. He put everything away and made them a small breakfast, but Alex just picked at her food. After they ate, he led her back to the living room and sat them both down, tucking her securely in his arms. Her chest was against his, her head on his shoulder.

“What happened?” he asked in a gentle tone.

“I don’t know. At first it was okay. I was lying down on the cot and tried to get some sleep,” she said in a low voice. “I…I
think
I had a nightmare that I was back in the warehouse. It was dark in there, and I could smell it. I could smell the horrible stink of that room. The musty, wet concrete smell, mixed with the stench of my own piss and shit.” The disgust was plain in her voice, and he tightened his hold as she continued. “I thought it was all a dream. I thought the escape, me being with you, was all a dream. I thought you were just a dream.”

Alex began to tremble, and he rubbed his hands up and down her back.

“It’s not a dream. You’re here with me.”

“I was so scared,” she whispered. “I didn’t know how much time had passed, or how much longer you’d be. Then I started thinking maybe you would never come back. Maybe something bad happened to you, and then what would I do? Where would I go? Who would help me? I can’t trust anybody!”

“Alex, calm down. You don’t have to worry anymore.” Domenic kissed her forehead several times, rocking her back and forth. “You’re safe now.”

Her words resonated within him. She was right. If something had happened to him—even something accidental, like a car crash—what would have happened to her? Who would she have called for help? Alex was right—next time he would have to bring her with him.

The rest of the morning was spent doing nothing. Alex was exhausted from her ordeal, and Domenic wanted to make sure she felt secure. They talked little, content with holding one another. At one point Alex fell asleep in Domenic’s arms. He could feel her heart beating against his chest in time with his own.

He thought about what Alex had said—that she thought he was just a dream. Domenic wished he knew what that meant. He would have given anything to know how she felt about him. To maybe confirm this was something more to her than just physical attraction.

Maybe he would just show his hand and admit how he felt. But he lost courage and couldn’t bring himself to say the words. Give him a roomful of armed men shooting to kill, and he was steady as a rock. Yet the thought of telling Alex that he loved her made him more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Was it always like this? Did every man go through this kind of insecurity? It was all new to him, and while being in love for the first time was exhilarating, it was also the scariest fucking thing in the world. Of course it didn’t help that people were out to kill the woman he loved. He was pretty sure
that
was something most men didn’t experience.

Alex stirred in his arms, and he glanced down to see her lashes flutter against her cheek. She took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. Domenic bent his head to kiss the tip of her nose, and her lips quirked up in a smile.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s okay. You were tired.”

“What time is it?” Alex’s stomach emitted a fearsome gurgle, and her eyes flew open wide.

“Lunch time,” he replied, laughing as her cheeks pinked up prettily. “You didn’t eat much of your breakfast,” he said, scolding her.

“Yeah, well. Can you blame me?” she retorted, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

Alex got up off of the couch and meandered into the kitchen to prepare hotdogs for lunch. Domenic joined her after helping himself, sitting across from Alex and watching her scarf down three hotdogs. She ate with the mindless resolution of one who hadn’t eaten all day. He was glad to see her appetite had returned, which meant she must have been feeling better. She was resilient, and he knew she’d get over this small setback.

“Feel better now?” he asked, giving her a small smile.

“Yeah.”

“What do you want to do this afternoon?”

“Nothing,” Alex replied firmly. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Nothing at all?”

“I just want to take a break and relax.”

“Okay,” Domenic agreed, understanding how Alex was feeling. Yesterday they had kept busy all day, and this morning had been very emotional for them both. He didn’t blame her at all for not wanting to do anything else the rest of the day.

The afternoon passed lazily while they read and made small talk. At some point, Alex came to lie down beside him. Sighing in contentment, she snuggled against his chest. She lifted her face up, and they began to kiss. Her lips were soft and sweet on his. Domenic traced them with his tongue, and they parted, allowing him to taste her.

Rolling onto his back, he moved Alex so she was lying on top of him. They continued to kiss, still slow and languid. It was nice to pretend they had all the time in the world to revel in one another. His hands roamed over Alex’s body, making her sigh against him.

“Let’s go to bed,” she said, caressing his face, and brushing her lips against his.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

T
HE
S
UN
S
TREAMED
T
HROUGH
the curtains in Domenic’s bedroom, bathing him in light. Usually he woke up before Alex, but this morning a dream had snapped her awake. Sometimes Alex woke with her heart in her throat, feeling on the verge of a scream. When she tried to remember what had scared her so, she never could.

This had been one of those times.

Waking to find herself wrapped in Domenic’s arms dispelled her feeling of panic. She gazed at him as he slept soundly beside her, and she memorized his features. The muted sunbeams were caught in his black hair, which was in complete disarray. Long, thick lashes dusted his cheeks, giving him almost an air of innocence. Alex followed the line of his nose—it was slightly crooked, and she wondered who had broken it. Looking at his lips made her smile. He had a wicked, tantalizing mouth that he knew well how to use. Memories of their night together flashed though her mind.