Chapter Eleven Her

Chapter Eleven Her

Married, Day Twenty

Changing the alarm passcodes bought me some breathing room from the unnecessary household hijinks. Richmond thrived on nasty

games. I’d been on a constant state of alert and barely sleeping, trying to anticipate what new form of torture his tiny mind

would dream up.

My blackmail threat slowed him down, but it wouldn’t stop him. He wasn’t the type to back down. His ego wouldn’t allow for

the possibility of defeat. He’d keep pushing, convinced he could beat me, and at some point I’d have to follow through on

my ultimatum. But I wasn’t ready yet. To avoid suspicion and gather all the intel I could, I needed to play along with this

fake marriage thing for a little while and be on guard the whole time.

My usual late-night routine consisted of grabbing a drink of water and hunkering down in my room to ride it out until morning.

Not the best marital honeymoon period a woman ever had but probably not the worst.

Even something as simple as hydration came with potential pitfalls with Richmond roaming around. I picked my glass. After thoroughly cleaning it, I poured the water. I locked my bedroom door. Richmond never got near anything that went on or in my body. The guy had access to drugs and no boundaries. A dangerous combination.

Tonight I forgot to bring the drink with me, which meant a trip downstairs to the kitchen. Flashlight in hand, I stepped into

the hall and let the silence envelope me. I’d become an expert at using denial as a bandage for a lifetime of inflicted wounds.

Pulling back from the edge, punching down, confining my fear to the waiting darkness and out of my head, was my specialty.

None of those shields worked tonight. I employed every trick and learned behavior to force my legs to move.

Calm down.

Time for common sense. My stuttered breathing was a reaction to the house... and Richmond’s nonsense... and the ridiculous

marriage that threw us together. Anyone would be twitchy. I was fine.

Thanks to the placement of the window and security lights outside, the upstairs was suspended in a sort of twilight. I could

see around me and make out the top of the staircase without trouble. Being quick and quiet was the goal here.

Darkness welled up around me as I started to descend. The small lamp on the entry table was supposed to turn on automatically

once the sun went down. I’d programmed several lamps around the house to stay lit... just in case. Tonight, only bleak

nothingness greeted me.

Could silence grow louder? Because it thundered in my ears.

I slowed my steps and hit the light switch, expecting the chandelier to light up the entryway like a Christmas parade. I flipped

it up and down and nothing happened.

I balanced my back against the wall and stood there, restless but still. Nervous to go up and terrified to finish going down. The night closed in as I fumbled with the flashlight.

Click. Click.

More nothing.

I shook it. Turned it around. Weighed it in my palm. It was lighter than it should be.

Where the hell were the batteries?

My knees buckled and my body started to slide. No. I could not fall. I could not sit on the step in a stagnant puddle of dread.

I needed to race back up the stairs and lock myself in my bedroom, where I’d be safe with my bat.

But my bare feet stayed where they were. My heartbeat bonged like an old-fashioned grandfather clock and vibrated through

every part of my body—head, ears, thighs. The blood pounded through me, rushing faster as the screaming ramped up in my head.

My nerves tingled on the edge of pain. A full-body crash waited in the shadows, and I fought it with what little energy I

had left.

Plastered against the wall, unmoving, I tried to slow my breathing. Willed my body to regain control from the strangling panic.

I could handle this. I thought the words as I slammed my body harder against the protective barrier behind me.

No one could sneak up on me. No one could touch me.

The lights blinked on. All of them. The entire first floor burst to life. My eyes clamped shut to avoid the sudden brightness.

That’s when I felt it. That creeping sensation that said I wasn’t alone.

I opened my eyes again and there he was. Richmond, standing at the bottom of the steps in lounge pants and a sweater. Only a few feet away. Watching me.

His mouth broke into a smile. “You’re afraid of the dark.”

Shit.

He laughed. “Isn’t that interesting.”