Page 57 of His Beautiful Revenge
She picked up a chair and threw it through the window. It smashed into a thousand pieces and she crawled through the hole, ignoring the glass which cut into her skin. And then she was out.
“Hey!” She heard someone shout behind her, but ignored him. If it was the manager, Lucian’s buddy, she knew he wouldn’t help her.
She ran barefoot across the rain-soaked parking lot and into a clump of trees. She found herself in a small campground. An unattended tent sat nearby, and without thinking, she darted in, looked around for anything she could use—a cell phone or a weapon. Nothing. A small torch was all she could see and she swiped it and headed out again.
The motel had been halfway up a small mountain and now Norah pushed forward through the thick trees, ignoring the searing agony of her body and the harsh ground on her bare feet. The adrenaline carried her through as she ran—ran from her certain death. All she could think of was getting back to Giacomo.
She couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, the adrenalin coursing through her, or the fear, but the sounds of pursuit were all she could hear. The rush of the trees and the brush around her as she ran, stumbling in the near full dark. The tiny torch bobbed and weaved, barely helping her at all. She fell, her body slamming against the ground and her ribs against a tree stump, agonizing pain shooting through her. The torch flew from her grip. She lay still, listening. She hadn’t imagined it. She could hear his breathing close, so close. A twig snapped less than a foot from where she lay. Then she heard it—the whisper.
Norah, Norah, Norah …
The urge to scream was overwhelming, but she didn’t move, even closing her eyes in case what little light there was caught them. The world stopped turning.
Then he was gone. For a second, Norah couldn’t believe it, but then she scrambled to her feet, panting with terror. In a few minutes, she scrambled out onto the road and saw a Chevy truck. She ran toward it, but saw the cabin was empty. She tugged on the door and it opened. With a choked laugh of delight, she saw the keys were in the ignition.
Somehow she managed to put her foot down, screeching away from the mountain and away from Lucian. Her mind couldn’t process the fact she was still alive and her flight instinct took over, not caring if she was speeding or weaving all over the road. She prayed that a cop car would come along, that she would be stopped—even arrested. At least she would be safe. Now that the energy from the escape was leaving her, the pain returned and she moaned as she fought off the lightheadedness. She had no idea where she was, so she just kept driving until she began to see road signs.
Fresno. She almost burst into tears, so relieved she was still in her home state.I’m coming home, Giacomo …
But the pain was getting worse and she desperately tried to fight off the dark spots encroaching on her vision. She heard the sudden screech of a police cruiser’s sirens and then the tears did come.
Thank you, thank you.
She pulled the truck over and got out just as the deputy approached her. “Ma’am, are you okay? Ma’am?”
Finally knowing she was safe, Norah did the only thing she could and collapsed, unconscious, into the deputy’s arms.
Giacomo was out driving around, as was his normal night now. He knew it was pointless and that he’d never find her like this, but he had to do something. The rain was getting heavier, though, and visibility was poor. He drove around for an hour or two, then went home. The apartment rang with emptiness—with the ghost of her. Every room seemed to remind him of something about her, about them, and about the two of them being so in love. The kitchen where they would cook together after work, or try some new cordon bleu recipe on the weekend, to varying degrees of success. The living room—a place of comfort, of relaxation, and very often the place where their lovemaking would begin before moving to the bedroom.
He closed his eyes, imagining her here with him now, her gentle touch, her fingertips tracing down his cheek, and her soft lips against his. The feel of her slender body under his and her legs around his waist. That moment when his rock-hard cock would push into her velvety cunt and she would sigh with happiness.
Norah …Norah …
He was jolted out of his reverie by both his phone ringing and his head of security knocking furiously, then, not waiting for for permission to enter, bursting in. Giacomo stood, his phone to his ear as the man nodded at him. Adrenaline coursed through his body. His security man nodded, smiling broadly.
“They’ve found her.”
Zulika’s breath was coming in short gasps as she, Orlando, and Fred raced through the hospital corridors. As they turned into the relative’s room, she saw Giacomo, his head in his hands, and her heart nearly failed. But then he looked up and smiled, and she saw genuine relief and joy in his eyes. He hugged her.
“She’s going to be okay. She’s in surgery at the moment, but the doctor’s say she should be fine.”
Zulika could feel the tension in Giacomo’s body. “What aren’t you telling us, Jack?”
“Sit down, all of you, and I’ll tell you.”
Zulika kept a hold of his hand and Giacomo squeezed it. “He beat her. Badly. The docs say she has a splenic injury and she’s been bleeding internally for a couple of days. Luckily, it wasn’t a huge rupture, or she’d be gone. They’re doing a repair now. The rest of her injuries are still horrific, but they’ll heal.”
“Have you seen her?”
Giacomo shook his head. “Not yet. They had to take her straight into theater. She escaped …she got free herself. She had to steal a car, but a police cruiser stopped her. Once they realized who she was, they rushed her to hospital. She’s back, Zul. She came back to us.”
Zulika burst into tears and Giacomo laughed softly. “That was my reaction when my head of security told me. I think I might have freaked him out.”
Orlando hugged his best friend and grinned. “That’ll do it every time. God, brother, I’m so happy for you. For us all.”
Giacomo nodded. “The police don’t really know much yet. She wasn’t in the condition to tell them. Except for one name. Lucian.”
“Well, we kind of guessed.”
