Page 49 of His Beautiful Revenge
Orlando got up reluctantly, pondering whether to call and get the sitter to go pick Ferma up from school. He had been in theAnthologyall day now, talking to Zulika and Norah, helping out, and laughing and joking with the customers. Zulika touched his arm. “You okay?”
“Yep. Just thinking about Ferma.”
Norah grinned. “Why don’t you two go pick her up?” She winked at Zulika and disappeared into the back.
Orlando nodded, looking at Zulika. “Walk with me?”
She smiled up at him. “Aren’t you tired? We have been working you hard all day.”
“It was fun.”
She laughed. “Try doing it all day, every day.”
“Don’t give me that. You love it.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I do.” She took the pumpkin cupcakes, untouched since that morning, and dumped them in the trash. “Funny we didn’t sell any more of these. It’s almost as if someone were telling the customers how bad they were.” She stuck her tongue out at Orlando, who grinned.
“What do you say to grabbing supper with Ferma and me?”
She looked away, hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, thank you. I would love that.”
He walked around the counter, hesitated, but then hugged her. She leaned against him for a second before pulling away. She smiled. He looked down at her.
“Wish I could say everything I want to you. Wish that very much.”
She nodded. “Me too. But best not. Makes it harder.”
“Yeah. I know. We both need time.”
“We do. Now, let’s go get Ferma.”
As they walked out of the store, Orlando’s stride was lighter. His heartache was easing. Friends. Still family. It helped a lot.
Six months. Six months in the planning and it all came down to a few minutes today. Lucian looked at Tara as they sat in the car and she smiled at him. “Don’t look so worried. It’s going to be fine.”
He hoped so.
After Orlando and Zulika had left, Norah watched them walk to the corner of the street and smiled to herself. Was this a good sign? She was just tidying the store when she heard the knock on the back door. Distracted, she forgot to check who it was. As she opened it and, to her dismay, saw it was Lucian, she tried to close it again, but he kicked it in, sending her flying back and crashing to the floor. He was on her then, pinning her hands down and sitting on her legs so she couldn’t move or run.
“I just want to talk, Norah. Talk. Just hear me out.”
“Motherfucker!”She struggled with him, half-crazed, “Let me go. Let me go.”
Lucian forced his mouth onto hers to quiet her and she started to sob.
“For fuck’s sake, just listen to me for a few minutes, then I’ll be gone,” he lied. Still growling, Norah stared up at him.
“Nothing you could say is of any interest to me, you psycho.”
He punched her in the stomach and she recoiled, the wind knocked out of her. “Now, I didn’t want to do that, Norah, but you won’t behave yourself.”
She was gasping for air as he got up and she curled herself into a ball for a second before scrambling to her feet and backing away from him.
Lucian held his hands up. “I just want to talk about your impending wedding. I can’t let you marry that man, Norah. I just can’t. You belong tome.”
“Idon’t belong toanyone!”She screamed at him, “I’m not a fucking possession. You don’t get to tell me how to run my life, you piece of shit.”
Lucian leaped at her, his anger exploding as he picked her up and threw her across the room, shattering the window to the back room. Covered in glass, Norah clambered to her feet, ready to fight back, but he was too quick and too brutal. He slammed his fist into her belly again and again.
