THE TAINTED TRUST: A DOUGLASS CRIME AND ROMANCE THRILLER SERIES (THE KING TRILOGY Book 2) (23 page)

Shocked that Brian knew she was alone, Kerri feared the worst. “I’m not going to open it,” she said defiantly.

“Give me the key!” Brian ordered.

Kerri removed the key from her coat pocket, placed it in Brian’s hand, then watched as he turned his body toward the door. The moment he turned to watch the insertion of the key, she bolted from the verandah, leaped down the seven stairs and ran across the the lawn. Her progress slowed as the soles of her leather loafers slipped on the dried grass.

Brian, dressed in jeans and sneakers, caught up with her and tackled her by grasping her shoulders and dragging her to the ground. He cupped his right hand over her mouth, pulled her to her feet and marched her back to the front door of the house. The more she struggled, the tighter he held her. He used his left hand to unlock and open the door, then he pulled her inside. He released her long enough to slam and lock the door. Kerri seized the opportunity to race to the den. She lifted the telephone receiver and began to dial nine-one-one. She heard a loud click before she could complete the dialing. Her heart sank when she looked up to see Brian dangling the telephone plug in front of her eyes.

“Don’t try that again,” he said with an evil smile. “Show me the kitchen. I could use a cold beer. All this exercise has made me thirsty.”

Kerri realized it would be foolish and dangerous to run. She decided to cooperate and wait for an opportunity to escape. She led Brian to the kitchen.

Brian hurried to the refrigerator and removed a can of beer. “Show me where you live,” he demanded, then snapped the aluminum lid and guzzled half of its contents. “Maybe there’s enough room for both of us.”

A loathing hatred gripped Kerri as she watched him wipe his lips with the sleeve of his brown leather jacket. She thought of how unattractive he had become. Gone were the tight physique and sharp features she once adored. The skin on his face had acquired a pale chalky hue, his cheeks and eyes puffy. He had gained a large amount of weight, most of it in the wrong places.

“What’s the problem, sweetheart? I hope you’re not too embarrassed to show me your little hole in the wall.”

Kerri led Brian down the stairs and into her living quarters. He closed and locked the door, then marched directly to the night table beside her bed and jerked the telephone plug from the wall jack. “Any more of these in the house?” he asked, holding the broken wire in his hand.

“Upstairs, in the master bedroom,” Kerri confessed, aware of the futility of lying.

Brian flashed a lecherous smirk. “Let’s go. The bed up there has to be better than this one.”

Kerri’s body trembled in fear. She fought to stave off tears. “You’re making a big mistake, Brian. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re going to be in when you get caught?”

Tears appeared in Brian’s eyes. His smile disappeared. He fell to his knees. “Then come home with me now. We can start over and you won’t have to live here any more.”

Kerri was astounded by the sudden shift in Brian’s tone and attitude. No longer a demanding bully, he appeared to have transformed into a whimpering child. Seconds earlier, he was animalistic, totally unconcerned by the implications of his actions. She had to think. “I’ll go home with you on one condition,” she said, her heart pounding, her eyes fixed on his.

“Anything,” Brian sobbed.

“You have to promise not to touch me until you’re completely sober.”

Relief and surprise lit up Brian’s face. “I’ll do anything for you, anything,” he said, then watched as Kerri removed a small bag from her closet and filled it with clothing and toiletries.

“Okay, let’s go,” she said as she zippered the bag and forced a smile.

Brian’s smile was replaced with a disappointed frown. “Why don’t you take everything? Then you won’t have to come back here.”

Again Kerri had to think fast. “We can get the rest tomorrow. You should get to bed as soon as possible, and I think you should let me drive.”

Brian obediently removed his keys from his jacket pocket and handed them to Kerri. He watched her as she unlocked her apartment door. She was about to open it when she felt the pain of a viselike grip on her left arm. Horrified, she turned to face Brian’s evil smile. His blood-shot eyes seemed to penetrate her skin. She trembled in fear.

He jerked her toward him, close enough for her to smell his vile breath. “Thought you had me conned, didn’t you? I guess you would’ve gone home with me. Hell, you might even have stayed until I was asleep. But then you and I both know what you would have done next. You just had to hang a string on it, didn’t you? You had to make sex conditional on my sobriety. I told you the way I live my life is my business.” He kissed her savagely, thrusting his foul tasting tongue deep into her mouth. When the kiss ended, he snapped his head back and glared at her. “Sex between a husband and wife should be completely unconditional. Now you and I are going upstairs for some unconditional sex.”

Kerri closed her eyes and spit at Brian’s face, relieving her mouth of the awful taste his tongue has deposited.

“That wasn’t very lady like,” Brian said, wiping the saliva from his face with his right hand, then using it to slap her face, hard. “We can get it on in the master bedroom or right here on your couch. Your choice.”

In an effort to postpone the inevitable, Kerri led Brian to the master bedroom, an immaculately decorated and richly broadloomed area. The sun, now low on the horizon, shone on the outer surface of the translucent pink drapes, causing an erie glow in the room. The decoration focus was the king sized bed, covered with a quilted pale pink spread, and a pile of deep pink silk covered pillows.

“Very nice,” Brian observed, then closed the door and approached the bed. He reached for the telephone cord behind the night table and removed the plug, then chuckled as he threw the phone to the floor. “Three phones and you’re out! Time to recapture the rapture, sweetheart. Bring your sweet ass over here and let’s get it on.”

Kerri’s time was up. She could think of no more options. Brian’s relentless stare sent chills rippling down her spine. She froze, unable to speak or move in any direction. She closed her eyes in terror when she saw him approach her. He grasped her right arm and jerked her toward the bed.

“What you’re doing is rape!” she screamed.

“Wrong, darling. It’s consensual sex between husband and wife. There isn’t a court in the land that would convict me. Now relax and enjoy it.”

An explosion of anger and indignation erupted in Kerri when he threw her to the bed. “You bastard! The great Brian Pyper doesn’t want anyone to interfere with his life, but he doesn’t give a shit how much he interferes with mine. I let you go. You were free to drink yourself into oblivion and screw that stripper silly, but that wasn’t enough. You had to have more.”

“Sentimental crap!” Brian scoffed.

“It is like hell. Ever since you injured your knee, I’ve had to put up with a schizophrenic drunk who put his own needs ahead of mine. Then I tried to save his health and his career and he thanked me by wallowing in self pity, hitting me, lying to me, running away and cheating on the marriage.”

Brian descended to the bed beside Kerri. He squinted and showed his teeth. The look reminding her of the one he had displayed each time he hit her. He reached behind her head and clutched her hair with his left hand. “I’m going to be in tears if I listen to any more of this bullshit,” he said as he started to undo the buttons of her blouse with the fingers of his right hand. Next, he reached beneath her, unzipped her skirt, pulled it down and threw it to the floor.

Kerri struggled to free herself, but Brian restrained her with the strength of his arms and legs. “Damn you!” she shouted when he reached beneath her panties.

CHAPTER 60

Both were startled by the loud thump caused by the bedroom door striking the inside wall. “Don’t do it Pyper!” Visconti ordered.

Brian bolted upright and glared at Visconti. “Who the hell are you?” he asked.

“A friend of Kerri’s. I think it’s time you got the hell out of here.”

Brian, four inches taller and forty pounds heavier than Visconti, smirked. “What are you going to do if I don’t, hurt me?”

“I’m not going to do anything, but the courts will. I heard enough of what’s going on here to qualify as a witness. The choice is yours. You can stay and dig yourself into a deeper hole, or leave now. You don’t have much time. The police are on their way as I speak.”

Brian stood and approached Visconti with stiffened lips, teeth clenched. Visconti’s muscles tightened in anticipation as Brian passed within an inch of his body, avoiding contact, but close enough for Visconti to smell him.

“I won’t forget this, asshole!” Brian hissed, then left the room and hurried down the stairs.

Relieved and overjoyed, Kerri leapt from the bed and headed for Visconti. With total disregard for her state of undress, she wept as she threw her arms around him and held him with all of her strength.

Visconti returned the hug, silently wishing the circumstances were different.

“How did you know?” she asked, still clinging tightly to her savior.

“I got lonely, so I decided to drive over here and knock on your door. I saw the black Jaguar in the driveway and assumed you and Brian were making a fast reconciliation, or he was here against your will. “

“How did you know it was him?”

“Easy. He has ‘JETS QB’ on his plate. I found the front door unlocked, so I just walked in and followed the noise. I can’t tell you how happy I was not to hear the sounds of reconciliation.”

Kerri lifted her head and looked into Visconti’s eyes. “Are the police really coming?”

Visconti shook his head and and placed his index finger against his lips. “Don’t tell Brian,” he whispered.

“Thank you, Louis. Thank you so very much,” Kerri said, strengthening her hold.

“My pleasure… My fondest hope was to find you here alone, bored and receptive to spending a few quality hours with me. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to have you half naked and in my arms… You should get dressed. Then I want to talk to you about an idea that I have.”

“Talk to me now,” Kerri demanded. “I’m still not ready to let you go.”

Visconti lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “Your husband might not give up, so I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to stay here tonight.”

“Where can I go?”

“I own an apartment in Manhattan. There was a time when the company used it a lot for business entertaining, but now that we’ve established our client base, it’s empty most of the time. My partners and I use it only when the weather makes it tough to go home… I’d like you to stay there, at least until Miles and Andrea come home. If you like it, however, you’re welcome to stay there as long as you want.”

Kerri blushed. “That’s an extremely kind offer, but I couldn’t.”

“You can, and you will, starting right now. You’ll be safe there and extremely comfortable. I promise. I also promise to stay there with you until it’s safe for you to come back here, if you’ll have me.”

“Have you! I won’t let you out of my sight!” As Kerri spoke she realized that within minutes of being in a terrifying position, she was happy, protected, actually able to smile. “You’re very good for me,” she said, then kissed his cheek.

“The feeling is mutual, Misses Pyper.”

Kerri frowned. “I wish you hadn’t mentioned that name. I was just beginning to forget it.”

“You should think about getting rid of it forever, but we can talk about that later. Now, we should get out of here. Get yourself dressed, pack a bag, and don’t forget to include a track suit. We’re going jogging in Central Park tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 61

Visconti turned his gray Mercedes onto the Long Island Expressway, then turned to Kerri. “You okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” she replied, still trembling. “The further we get from Brian the better I’ll be.”

“I mentioned earlier that you should seriously consider changing your name forever… Aside from considering it, could you actually divorce him?”

“In a heart-beat. I don’t want another thing to do with that man for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to do anything about it.”

“Wrong. You can’t afford not to do anything about it. It’s probably not possible to forget it completely, but you should get rid of it so you’re not constantly reminded of it.”

“Louis, I can’t just wave a magic wand. Divorcing Brian will cost money I don’t have.”

Visconti reached for Kerri’s hand. “I’ll make a bet with you.”

“On what?”

“I know a lawyer in the city. She’s a very good friend. I’m willing to bet you that she can have a comprehensive restraining order slapped on Brian, get you a divorce plus alimony, and have Brian pay for the whole thing. If I lose, I’ll pay her fees. If I win, Brian pays. Win or lose, you win. You interested?”

“Sure I’m interested, but I told you I don’t want any money from Brian.”

Visconti rolled his eyes. “Okay, we’ll tell her to forget the alimony. Now, do we have a bet?”

“We have a bet,” Kerri agreed, showing a hint of a smile as she shook Visconti’s hand.

“Good. Then I’ll call her on Monday and set up an appointment. You can walk to her office. She’s less than a block away from yours.” Visconti glanced at Kerri again and shook his head.