Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

It hurt to move. Hurt to breathe. Hurt to do anything other than lie there curled up on the cool travertine tile of the kitchen floor.

The door clicked closed, and Ainsley flinched at the sound. Knowing he’d left wasn’t a relief. It just meant he would be back, expecting the mess to be cleaned up, a smile on her face as she welcomed him home.

She heard his car start, then pull out of the garage. The rumble of the engine grew fainter as he turned out of the driveway and headed down the street, until finally the sound faded altogether.

Grimacing against the pain, she unfolded from the protective position she’d curled into when he’d attacked her. Tears burned the backs of her eyes as she pressed her palms to the cold floor and attempted to sit up. Agony ripped through her torso, and a sob caught in her throat. It felt like a vise had closed around her lungs as she gasped for breath, pain lancing through her ribs.

She knelt there on the ground for what felt like forever, trying to calm her racing heart and gather the strength to stand. A flash of red caught her attention, and her gaze was drawn upward to the large, fragrant bouquet of red roses on the counter. They hadn’t yet begun to wilt, but they would undoubtedly be replaced by a large collection of fresh blooms tonight when he got home.

It was their routine; they would fight, Joel would lash out and hurt her. Later, once he realized what he’d done, he would bring home a huge bouquet of roses and apologize, professing his undying love for her.

The blooms swam in front of her as tears clouded her eyes. How many times could she do this? How long until she finally pushed him over the edge? One day, she knew, he would go too far. One day, she wouldn’t survive.

As she stared at the roses, a startling clarity settled over her. She had to leave. Today.

Gritting her molars together and shoving the pain away, she cautiously levered to her feet, then stood. Glass littered the floor around her from the mug she’d dropped when he’d lashed out at her, and she stepped carefully around it to avoid being cut. The broken cup was an added infraction, and today’s beating had been one of the worst yet.

Every cell of her body still aching, she retrieved the broom and dustpan from the closet, then began to clean. Once the kitchen sparkled, she headed to the bathroom to take care of herself. While she waited for the shower to heat up, she stripped off her shirt. Every muscle protested as she lifted her arms over her head, and tears burned over the bridge of her nose.

Dark bruises were already forming around her ribs where he’d landed several brutal kicks, and she winced as she gently touched a spot. More than likely they were broken, but there was nothing she could do about that right now.

The shower helped to relieve some of the ache, and afterward she bound them as tightly as she could. She hung the towel neatly on the rack, then made her way to the bedroom and dressed. Just that little effort had exhausted her, but she couldn’t afford to rest. She had too much to do.

Moving into the home office, Ainsley fired up the computer and logged into her email. Sending up a silent prayer, she typed out a quick message to her friend, Tess. They hadn’t spoken in years thanks to Joel, and she hoped her old college friend would respond. She briefly explained that she needed help and asked Tess to contact an Uber for her under Tess’s name.

While she waited for her friend’s reply, she retreated to the closet and searched for a bag. She didn’t want to take anything noticeable; she didn’t want him to know she’d left until long after she was gone. She finally found a drawstring backpack that had been gifted to Joel as some part of a promotional package. It wouldn’t hold much, but it would have to do.

Inside she stuffed several pairs of socks, then selected underwear she knew he wouldn’t miss. She carefully chose one pair of jeans and three shirts, then rolled them together and added them to the bag. She took none of her favorite items; he would look for those first.

She carried the bag to the bathroom and stared at the vanity. She couldn’t take her normal products. Rifling through the drawers, she managed to find travel-sized deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste. She added those to the bag, then pulled the strings closed.

Moving back to the bedroom she carefully made the bed, then tucked the bag underneath—just in case. She didn’t expect Joel to be home for several hours, but she couldn’t take any chances. Her life depended on it.

Retreating to the office, she mentally crossed her fingers as she opened her email. She felt faint at the sight of the unread message in her inbox, and her fingers trembled as she clicked the link to open it. The message was short and succinct. An Uber would arrive one block over at 11:00 to collect her and bring her to Tess’s house.

Relief poured through her and tears glazed her eyes. She managed to tap out a quick thank you, then told Tess not to respond. She carefully deleted the email, making sure it wouldn’t be found, then shut down the computer.

Ainsley made her way to the kitchen and pulled out the Crock Pot, then added ingredients for Joel’s favorite dish. She cleaned up the kitchen, making sure everything was in its proper place. She would have to leave her purse behind, so she selected a lesser used bag from her closet to use instead.

A glance at the clock told her she had less than half an hour before she had to leave to meet the Uber. Everything was almost ready. Now she just needed money.

Checking the driveway once more and finding it blessedly empty, she grabbed the step stool and climbed the stairs. She stepped into one of the spare bedrooms and placed the stool beneath the smoke detector. Her ribs ached as she lifted her hands high over her head to remove the cover, but she fought down the debilitating pain.

The cover popped off easily, and she retrieved the small pouch inside before replacing the cover. She tucked the pouch of bills in her back pocket, then folded the step-stool and used her foot to smooth out the indentations it had left in the carpet.

Back downstairs she put everything away, then retrieved the bag from under the bed. She glanced around to make sure everything was perfect. She didn’t want him to suspect anything was wrong until she was far, far away.

Leaving the lights on, she slipped out the back door and locked it behind her. Everyone was at work at this hour, so she wasn’t worried about slipping through the neighbors’ yards. She hit the cross street then started walking toward the meeting point.

Her heart accelerated when she saw the blue sedan pull to a stop at the side of the road. She lifted a hand in greeting, her pulse thrumming rapidly in her veins. She climbed inside, tossing a quick look around to make sure she hadn’t been spotted. Nothing seemed out of place, and she let out a heavy breath.

The driver glanced at her in the searcher mirror. “Ready, miss?”

For the first time in months, she smiled. “Let’s go.”