Dangerous Intentions (6 page)

Suddenly, the light of the world dimmed as the sky filled with a blanket of clouds and drops began to fall. I inhaled the refreshing smell of rain.

“We better head back to the house.” Dustin helped me to my feet. “It will start pouring soon.”

As soon as he said the words, thunder split the silence, and just like that, the sky opened. We ran into the barn.

“Well,” Dustin said, peering out the door at the downpour. “I take that back. Looks like we might be here for a while. We better make ourselves comfortable.”

I hugged my arms across my chest as the air cooled.

Dustin approached me and took my hand. “Come on.” He led me to a far corner of the barn that was packed with several crates and boxes. There were folded blankets on top of them. He reached for one of the blankets, shook it out, and draped it over my shoulders.

For the next thirty minutes, we both perched on a crate next to some containers filled with oil, and listened to the raindrops hitting the panes of the tiny windows.

“Have you thought yet about talking to Cole?” Dustin finally asked, shattering the peace I’d just been enjoying.

“I did.” It was all I’d thought about over the last few days. “I still haven’t decided. Can I tell you my decision by tonight?” For now, I wanted to wrap myself in a cocoon of the peace I’d found, to enjoy the moment a little longer before being forced to face reality. Once I made a decision, a lot of things would have to change. For better or for worse.

“Take your time.” Dustin laid his hands on his knees and gripped them. “But you have to do something, Haley. You can’t let him get away with what he did to you, what he did to your friend.”

Chapter Fourteen

Once the rain subsided, we returned to the ranch house. I still trembled, even with the blanket around my shoulders. The weather wasn’t entirely to blame. It had a lot to do with being in such close proximity to Dustin. The warmth of his closeness mixed with the chill that hovered over my life and made it almost impossible to turn back the clock to what we used to be.

It was both painful and flattering that Dustin still cared so much about me. I couldn’t help but make comparisons between Jude and Dustin—two men who had changed my life in different ways. Jude had once promised to protect me, to shield me from hurt. But from the moment I’d entered Jude’s life, he had managed mine. He’d ordered me, albeit with the illusion of gentleness at first, to do what he wanted. He’d molded me into the kind of woman that fit into his life. I had offered him my freedom in exchange for security, and then love. Freedom was a high price to pay, but I found that out too late.

Dustin, on the other hand, reminded me of how it felt to make my own decisions, how to be me. He reminded me how to breathe after holding my breath for so long.

Still, the question remained: After all this was over, would I be ready to let a man take a piece of my heart again? Either way, now was not the time to worry about past or future relationships. Starting a new relationship before another had ended, before the bruising had gone down, was the last of my priorities. I had to do what was right for me first. I had to learn to stand on my own two feet again and get my life back.

***

As we walked up to the house, Grace was just stepping out. It was Wednesday, and for the past twenty-five years of their marriage, she and Travis had made sure to go out for a date lunch or dinner together. She had prepared us a lunch of mashed potatoes, roast, and vegetables, which Dustin and I ate in silence.

After lunch, Dustin went to take a conference call in his office and I went to have a hot shower to get rid of the cold that had gotten under my skin. I pulled on leggings and one of the t-shirts Grace had brought me—white with Stony Creek in tiny red and pink rhinestones across the front.

Afterward, I perched on the edge of the bed, wondering what my next steps would be. I still hadn’t come to a conclusion when exhaustion swept over me.

I decided to take a short nap, but I was awakened by a nightmare I couldn’t recall, apart from the fact that Jude was in it—his angry eyes, the sneer on that face I had once found irresistible. Even while conscious, I felt his presence around me, so strong it was suffocating. On instinct, I frantically searched the bed for a white calla lily and sighed with relief when I didn’t find one.

Still breathing heavily, I stumbled into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. The very thought of him, the memory of his cologne, nauseated me. I washed out my mouth and splashed my face with tepid water.

When I went downstairs, I found Dustin on the couch reading The New York Times with one hand and drinking a beer with the other. He must have just showered. His hair looked darker from dampness and he wore a different pair of jeans and a crisp white t-shirt.

He looked up with a smile. “Did you have a nice nap?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Not really. I had a nightmare.”

“About him?” He placed the newspaper on the seat next to him and waved me over.

I nodded and went to sit close to him, but not close enough to touch. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and pull me to his body. I wanted to inhale his cologne, feel his heartbeat. But I couldn’t cross that line. I was too aware of both the physical and emotional danger that might be sparked by us getting too close.

I twisted my hands together and gazed out through the floor-to-ceiling window, watching a bird hop from one branch to the next. There was a herd of cattle in the distance, and the ranch hand Dustin had just hired yesterday was feeding a golden terrier that wagged its tail gratefully.

“I made a decision.” I turned to face him.

His face brightened with anticipation, his brown eyes glinting.

“That’s good. I’m here to help you in any way I can.” He twisted his body until he was facing me, our knees brushing. The simple touch sent my senses spinning out of control, but I forced myself to stay focused.

“I want to change my identity and move to a big city…maybe New York.”

Dustin stiffened and leaned back. He didn’t speak for a long time. The only sound was his breathing.

“I have to do this. It’s the only way for me to be rid of him without him hurting me again. As long as I stay myself, he’ll find me. I know he will.” I paused. “And he will kill me.”

He covered my hands with his. “You know I won’t let that happen. I will do everything to make sure—”

“You can’t protect me from Jude. He’s sick and dangerous. I can’t let him hurt you too. I just need… Please just help me get a new identity. You know people. Maybe somebody will know how…” My voice drifted off and died in midair.

“I don’t think that’s the right approach, Haley. You can’t just bury who you are.”

“Why not? I’m pretty much dead already.” Heat crawled up my neck. “What I’m doing… It’s right. It’s right for me.” I paused and inhaled. “For now.”

Dustin leaned forward again and looked me square in the eye. “What if he still manages to find you? What then? What if he doesn’t stop searching?”

I hadn’t thought of that. True, Jude had the resources to get the information he needed. “There’s a possibility he won’t. Searching for me under a different name would be harder.”

He reached for my hands. “Sweetheart, how long do you intend to run from Jude?”

“As long as it takes. I have no other choice. The risk of me going to prison if I expose him is too high. I’m not ready for that.”

“It’s almost impossible to fake an identity without landing yourself in hot water. You’re scared of prison, but if you take this route, you could still end up there.”

I slid my hands from his and dropped my head into them. I broke down as the bubble of pain inside my stomach exploded and agony wrenched through my body.

He ran a hand over my head and down my neck and back. His touch was warm and comforting, and after a few minutes, the sobs subsided.

“I don’t know what else to do.” I looked up at him, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I feel as if every decision is the wrong one.” My voice broke. “I’m so scared, Dustin. I’m scared for me. I’m scared for you if I stay here too long.”

He pulled me to him and rocked me back and forth. “You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself. I just want you to be safe.”

I pulled back and looked into his face, hope fluttering in my chest. “Or maybe… Do you think he could ever let me go? Do you think there’s any chance?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from someone else.

Dustin shook his head. “After what you told me about him, after what he did to you, I don’t think so, sweetheart.” He paused and blinked. “Some contacts of mine in Madison informed me that he didn’t even report you missing.”

“He wouldn’t do that. He wants to find me himself. And to kill me without anyone meddling.” I spoke so low I barely heard my own words.

“There’s something else you should know.” Dustin paused and patted the newspaper next to him. Since I arrived at the ranch, I had avoided reading any newspapers or magazines for fear of stumbling upon Jude’s face. “He sold all his businesses.”

I swallowed the rock inside my throat. What did that mean? A part of me wanted to hope that maybe he was afraid I would go to the cops and he planned to skip the country before they got to him, but I doubted that.

I sighed. “He has other unfinished business.” Me. He had nothing tying him now, no obligations. He was free to move around. He had enough time to invest in finding me. All the more reason for me to stop getting comfortable and start running.

Dustin made it clear he was against my plans to change my identity, but he did agree to help me no matter what, as long as I promised to keep in touch. We spent the rest of the afternoon discussing my options. I cried some more, and so did Dustin. Then he made a call to someone who might be able to get me a new life, but he was on honeymoon in China and wouldn’t be back for two weeks. Since he was the only person Dustin trusted for the job, I had no other option but to wait.

Before I called it a night, I did finally make the call to Cole. I told him everything. I gave him the go-ahead to dig into Jude’s life for no other reason than curiosity. I had a deep need to know who the man I had married really was—where he came from, what had really made him into such a monster.

Even though talking to Cole didn’t change my mind in the least about going to the police, I didn’t miss the relief on Dustin’s face when I told him I had reached out to his brother.

We cooked dinner together, and then he kissed me on the forehead and we said goodnight. I lay in bed for over an hour thinking about Dustin, enjoying the feel of his kiss on my skin.

I finally reached for Grace’s novel and managed to read a quarter of it. The love story had started to grow on me, and I’d probably have finished reading it if it hadn’t been for my upset stomach, which kept me in the toilet for a good portion of the night. Once I went back to bed, I felt so relieved I fell asleep quickly. I didn’t dream of Jude or Liz. This time, I dreamed of Dustin doing the things to me I’d read about in Grace’s romance novel.

Chapter Fifteen

Jude

Jude drew his right hand back and formed a fist, which he drove into the face of the woman beneath him. He heard a crunch.

She instantly stopped her fighting and whimpering and blacked out.

“Bitch. Why did you have to be so difficult?” Jude clenched his teeth with frustration and slammed another fist into her face, then another. The crunching sound turned to squelching. He stopped. Her face, which was now a mess of snot, tears, torn flesh, and blood, was no longer recognizable.

The bitch had messed with his plans. Everything had been running smoothly until now. This one decided to fight him, thinking she could win against his obvious strength. Now everything was ruined. She had greatly resembled Haley, but there was no way he could take a decent photo now. No point in embalming her and keeping her in the basement with the others. He had to find a way to get rid of her body and replace her with someone else. But he also knew he had to be careful.

The murders were all over the papers now. Cops were everywhere around Serendipity, ready to snatch up the prostitute killer. Jude wasn’t afraid of them. He could outsmart them any day. Just to prove he was untouchable, he had even had a chat with one of the cops on the street yesterday, telling him what a great job they were doing to protect the citizens of Serendipity. The fool had puffed out his chest and thanked him, and even said they had several suspects in custody.

Jude had made a mistake with Diana Maliano. She had been discovered in the lake by a school group on an excursion. Luckily, Jude had dug into her life enough and was able to pin the crime on her good-for-nothing boyfriend. He would probably spend the rest of his life in prison while Jude continued his mission undisturbed. He was actually starting to enjoy playing cat and mouse with the law.

He lifted his pulsing hand and studied the blood on his knuckles, then stretched out his bloody fingers to examine his ring finger. His stomach clenched with anger as he wiped away the blood to reveal the golden band. He had never taken it off. He still intended to keep his promise to Haley: “Till death do us part.”

Where the fuck was she, anyway? She must have gotten the message by now. Why the fuck wasn’t she reacting? She had his number, a private number only she knew. The only thing she needed to do was call and he’d take her back. And this time he would make sure she stayed forever.

He’d give her a few more days. If she didn’t return to him, he’d have no choice but to go out and find her. Shame, though. Part of the reason he hadn’t done that immediately was because he was so enjoying the feeling he got from killing. The raw power. He had never felt more alive.

Still naked, he climbed off the dead woman and went to the cellar. He found some bags and the tools he needed and went back upstairs to finish the job.

Just as he lifted the circular saw above him, one of his phones rang—the private one he kept for communicating with Nolan.