Authors: Renee Miller
The following night, a busy Saturday, Kristina’s heart did a little dance in her chest when she walked through the door of Dirty Truths and saw Wade behind the bar. Foolish as it was, Kristina couldn’t help feeling giddy just seeing him.
He glanced up and winked.
She smiled, lowered her head and hurried into the office to grab her new shirt.
After searching the boxes that littered the floor, Kristina found the shirts, black fitted tees with a red maple leaf on the front and the bar’s logo across the back. She rifled through them until she found a large one. Just looking at it, Kristina knew it would be too snug for her comfort.
“Hey, you got my message?” Wade peeked around the door.
Kristina nodded and held up the shirt. “Um, I don’t think these are bigger than the old ones. This is a large?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
He didn’t look very sorry. Wade glanced behind him, came into the room and took the shirt from her, holding it up against her chest. “It’s not too bad. Covers all the important bits.”
Kristina took the shirt back. Her hand brushed his and she jerked away at the contact, as though burned.
Wade chuckled and draped one arm over her shoulder to give her a playful hug.
She smiled and slipped away from him, needing some distance between them.
“I’ll go change,” she mumbled and left the office.
Once inside the bathroom Kristina slid the lock in place. Wade was always touching her. He played with her hair, ran a hand over her back, or leaned in close when they talked. She didn’t know what to make of it, but she had to admit she liked it, even if she shouldn’t.
Pulling the old T-shirt over her head, Kristina grimaced at her desperate need to feel wanted. She had to get a grip. It wasn’t as though Wade loved her. He didn’t even want her. He did that with everyone. It was part of his nature, but she soaked it up like a dry old sponge. She slipped the new shirt on and tugged it over her front. It fit a little better than the old shirt, but she’d have to be careful not to shrink it.
Back in the barroom, she caught Wade’s eye.
His mouth turned up slightly as his gaze traveled over the V-neck of the shirt and down to her legs.
Shivering, she walked around the bar to grab her bottle opener and her cash key from the hook above the little sink.
She managed to make it through the night, steering clear of Wade when possible and embarrassed at her stumbling efforts to remain cool when she couldn’t.
***
Hoping to maintain what little dignity she had left, Kristina put as much distance between herself and Wade as possible, but each night she came in to work he found reasons to be close and touch her. He’d pick lint of her shirt, brush her back as he passed by, his hand lingering a moment longer than necessary; little things that shouldn’t meant anything, but they rattled her nerves.
At night, his voice and the way his damn mouth tilted up on the right side when he smiled tormented her dreams. She woke each morning in a tangle of sheets, her hair hopelessly knotted from tossing about on the pillow. Sometimes she’d wake so aroused thinking about Wade and what she wanted to do to him she wanted to scream.
The following Saturday, Kristina arrived at the bar dragging her feet. She figured it would be nuts. A local band that always drew a big crowd played, and their fans had gathered once more to support them. The front of the room was a writhing mass of bodies, dancing and waving their arms to the twangy southern rock.
Exhausted, and not eager to run around the floor all night, she agreed to work the bar. Sheila bustled around the pool tables and past the packed dance floor.
Wade came in late, rare for him on a Saturday night, looking frazzled.
Kristina smiled as he passed and gave a yelp of surprise when he patted her ass before slipping by her to the office. He shut the door after turning to give her a wink.
When he emerged more than an hour later, the night was in full swing and she had too much to do to pay him any attention. Sheila had some trouble with a group at the farthest pool table and Wade left the bar to deal with them. He rounded the revelers up and escorted them out the door. The easy way he handled himself no matter what the situation impressed her. She longed to be confident enough to take control. It seemed she had little power in anything anymore, not even herself.
Pushing her self-pity aside, she smiled at the crowd lounging around the bar and grabbed bottles, shook cocktails, and took their money until Wade flashed the lights for last call. Breathing a sigh of relief—she didn’t think her legs could take another moment—Kristina took the last orders, made a note to change the keg in the cooler when the tap sputtered out the last foamy beer, and worked at cleaning up the mess she’d made behind the bar.
As the band packed their gear at the front, Sheila’s voice rang out over the crowd “I don’t care where y’all go, but you can’t stay here. Drink up or it’s mine.”
Kristina laughed. Sheila had nerve. In her place, Kristina would quietly slip around the bar, taking bottles and glasses with barely a word to anyone. But not Sheila. When she worked, everyone filed out within an hour of last call or she pushed them out.
She caught Sheila’s eye with a wave and pointed to the cooler. Sheila nodded, coming around to watch the bar while Kristina went to change the keg. They never left an empty one overnight. Wade said empty kegs allowed air in the lines making it a bitch to pour the first few beers from the new one.
Blinking to adjust her eyes to the dim glow, she walked to the kegs lined up on the opposite wall. A single bulb hung from the ceiling in the center of the cramped cooler, illuminating the kegs and little else. Kristina hated changing them. Heavy and awkward, she always managed to drop one on her toe, or slip on the stainless steel floor, always slick with condensation. She slid the empty keg from its position and turned to pull the full one forward. Grunting with the effort, Kristina skidded, righted herself and heaved the container up on the little ledge they sat on. She then had to push it back against the wall or the whole thing would topple over. Her fingers, slick from the wet aluminum, stung in the cold air. She hit her thumb against the valve and cursed. Unless she started bribing someone else to do this, she’d have no nails or undamaged toes left.
When the keg hit the wall with a metallic ting, Kristina straightened. She brought her hands to her mouth and blew on them to warm up her fingers so she could attach the valve to the hose leading to the tap. Numb fingers made this difficult, but she managed to snap it into place. Rubbing her frozen hands she turned to the door and touched the handle only to have it swing back in her face.
“Uh,” the wind went out of her lungs as the large handle caught her stomach. She stumbled back when it swung open again.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Wade reached in and pulled her out of the cooler.
The hallway was narrow, too narrow for more than one body. Kristina found herself pressed against him.
“I’m okay,” she murmured.
“I wanted to tell you not to worry, but I guess you’ve already changed the keg.” Wade didn’t move, trapping her between his body and the wall. He rubbed her arms with his hands.
Kristina breathed in his scent, cigarettes and something spicy. Her head spun. She looked over his shoulder where Sheila stood at the edge of the bar, watching them while placing empty bottles along the top. “I should finish up.”
“Okay, but yo
u’re all right?”
Kristina avoided his eyes, staring instead at his shoulder. “Fine, I’m fine. Sheila’s waiting.”
Wade turned and let her step away. He followed her to the bar and brushed her back with one hand as he slipped past her to the office to disappear inside once more.
Kristina stood, staring at the door. She jumped when a hand touched her arm.
“I’d watch it honey,” Sheila muttered and bent to pick up an empty beer case behind the bar. “Wifey ain’t gonna like that much, no matter how much she runs around. She don’t let him too far off his leash.”
“It’s nothing like—he’s too old for me, and I’ve known them since I was a kid. He’s just looking out for me. Jesus, Sheila, I’d never be with a married man.”
Sheila raised an eyebrow, grabbed the bottles she’d lined up along the bar and put them in the case. She sniffed and shook her head. “That’s a fine looking man there, you don’t know what you’d do if he turned on his charm. I can guarantee he’s got the skills to go with it. Mad skills, if you know what I mean. I’ve been there. Just a warning because I like you and I can tell he likes you, which is dangerous… for you. I’m taking these out back; you behave while I’m gone, hmm?” She picked up the case of empties and walked to the door.
Kristina stared at her back. Had Sheila and Wade? No, he wouldn’t. She walked to the bar and picked up the rag to wipe the surface, her mind reeling. What if they had? Did it change how she felt about him? She didn’t know why, but it bothered her to think he would sleep around, although she didn’t want to consider why it should. A lump formed in her stomach. She breathed deep and set the rag over the little sink under the bar. How could she lie to herself? She didn’t like the thought of Wade sleeping with anyone, not even his wife. Kristina shook her head at her crazy feelings. She had no right to be jealous.
“Hey, dopey. You want a ride?” Sheila said, startling Kristina out of her thoughts.
“Yeah, let me get my stuff from the office. I’ll tell Wade we’re off.”
“I’ll come with you,” Sheila walked across the floor, a smug grin on her face. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and nodded at the door. “Well?”
Kristina opened it.
Wade looked up from the cluttered desk and frowned.
Kristina felt as though she interrupted something important. “We’re just going. I need to grab my purse.”
Wade switched off the computer. “Wait a minute. I need to ask you about something.”
“I’ll wait in the car,” Sheila touched her shoulder and Kristina turned.
She winked and looked pointedly at Wade.
Kristina blushed and turned her gaze to her hands.
“I just have a call to make. I’ll meet you out there.” Wade turned back to the papers on his desk and picked up the phone.
Dismissed, Kristina and Sheila left the office. Sheila said no more, pushing through the door and outside while Kristina sat on the closest stool toying with a coaster. At a soft click from the door she looked up.
Wade smiled, glancing around the bar before coming to sit next to her. His leg brushed hers. She inched away.
He shifted, pushing his knee against the outside of her thigh. ”I was hoping you can take on a few more hours.”
“Of course I can, just let me check with my mom to make sure she can handle taking Cadence more often. I think I can manage at least two more shifts.” Kristina didn’t know why he couldn’t have asked her in front of Sheila. She stared at his hands as he took the coaster from her hands and fidgeted with the edges.
“I need you to work the closing shifts. Sheila can’t do them; she’s got something else going on. So you’d still have the same number of days, but you’d be here for the whole night, no leaving early.”
Kristina digested this information and her heart pounded. Alone with Wade. She shivered, thinking of what could happen. If she let it. After all, he’d already been with women other than his wife, if Kristina gave him the right signs then maybe—she shook her head, silently chastising herself.
“No?” Wade frowned.
“Oh, no I was just thinking about something silly. I can do it.” Blush warmed her cheeks.
“Good.”
Wade reached out and picked something off her shoulder and then smoothed her shirt. He rose and walked away from her toward his office once more.
Kristina remained on the stool for a moment, collecting herself before meeting Sheila outside. She had to stop this. It would end in tears. She’d cried enough for a lifetime.
As she walked down the darkened streets, Kristina mulled over the night’s events. She always did this when she had to walk home. It took her mind away from the fact that she was alone, in the dark. The damp sidewalk squished under her shoes and a light mist still fell from the sky. The rain hadn’t killed the humidity at all. She pulled her shirt from her sweat-soaked body.
Since she agreed to the closing shifts, Kristina no longer had Sheila to drive her home. Wade never offered, and she couldn’t afford to call a cab every night, so she lied bout arranging a cab. Some nights she could barely force her aching feet to shuffle the short distance to her house. Two blocks didn’t seem such a long way to walk, but when you’d raced ten miles of floor in one night, it might as well have been twenty blocks. Fatigue always plagued her, no matter how much rest she got.
Wade closed an hour early because they hadn’t had a customer from ten onward. While he tallied the receipts Kristina had left. She tried not to stick around too long, afraid the temptation to give in to his subtle advances would be too strong to resist.
Turning at the stoplights, she walked out of the glow of the streetlamps toward the bridge that crossed the river in front of her house. She hated this part, and tried to keep her mind off the back streets in darkness, illuminated only by widely spaced streetlights and the moon. Wade’s face floated into her mind, his smile when she peeked in and the sparkle in his dark eyes. Tonight he’d actually asked her to stay.
“You want a drink?” He’d gestured to a bottle of whiskey at his elbow.
She grimaced and shook her head.
He chuckled.
Kristina didn’t care for booze. If she indulged, it was only wine and girly coolers. She’d tried whiskey during her first week at the bar and thought she would die. The fiery liquid burned a path down her throat, through her chest and into her belly. She gasped and sputtered, even gagged once, before Wade handed her a glass of water to ‘chase’ it down. Though she guzzled the water, her stomach burned for a long time after.
“I should get home.”
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
She’d grabbed her purse and left the bar, pausing before letting the steel door close behind her. If she turned around, went back to the office and locked the door, what would he have done? Would he laugh at her? No, he’d never do that, but she didn’t think she could keep up to Wade; he scared her as much as he intrigued her. Nothing she’d learned about sex could meet his needs. She’d only ever been with Daniel, and he didn’t like to explore too much. When she suggested different things she’d read in her romance novels, he’d frowned and told her if he wanted a whore he’d have married one. She figured Wade would be different.
The questions she had when she left the bar plagued her still. Kristina shook her head as she came to the end of the sidewalk. There was little point in driving herself crazy over Wade, she’d never have the guts to offer him any sort of invitation. Hell, he probably wouldn’t accept it anyway. She’d probably misconstrued his actions.
Before stepping onto the road, Kristina paused. No one drove the streets at this time of night but she still looked both ways before crossing, a habit ingrained from childhood. As she moved her foot to cross, her neck tingled. Were those footsteps behind her? Almost at the bridge, she lengthened her strides. No one in Laighton would be lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on a lone woman at night. Hell, she’d walked alone in the dark for years and not once had she ever had a problem.
The footsteps were real, and quickened. Kristina turned around, her heart pounding in her chest. About ten feet away a man, tall, lanky and wearing a hooded gray sweatshirt, walked toward her. Something about him seemed familiar, but he’d pulled the hood over his head with a baseball cap on top so she couldn’t make out his features. She turned and broke into a trot, instinct forcing her to move faster.
“Hey, you dropped this,” he called.
She stopped, checking her shoulder to make sure her purse was still there. Kristina wondered what she’d lost and allowed him to catch up to her at the bridge. His face shadowed by the hood, he grinned as he held out his hand.
“Thanks,” she started.
He lunged.
Kristina stumbled back, but he grabbed her shoulders.
She struggled to free her arms from his viselike grip.
He laughed, and then raised his hand to slap her face. His knuckles caught her cheek.
Her ears rang and stars floated before her eyes.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?” he asked.
She tried to place his voice, but he spoke in a whisper. “Please, take my purse and I won’t say a word. Just let me go home.”
“Oh, we’re going home, but I’m not interested in your purse.”
He dragged her onto the bridge.
Kristina struggled.
He threw her down on the wooden planks.
She grunted as her knee struck the hard surface and sparks of pain shot through her legs. Kristina attempted to stand but crumpled as his foot knocked the air out of her lungs.
“I watch you in your slutty little clothes, making eyes at everyone. You think you can send the invitation and we’ll be happy to leave you a nice tip? Think you’re too fucking good for guys like me?” He grabbed her hair, forcing her to stand.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He yanked her forward.
Kristina stumbled again, tasting blood as she bit her tongue
. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“It doesn’t have to hurt, but I’m going to get what I paid for whether you cooperate or not.”
Fear froze any intelligent thoughts from her mind and she followed blindly behind him. Now and then he’d let go to push her forward. When she tried to run, he moved closer, kicking her, punching her, until Kristina couldn’t breathe much less fight him. At the end of the bridge, she glanced at her house, hoping she might make the short distance before him.
He smiled and nodded to her house. “Try it. I dare you to. You think you can get inside, call the cops, and keep me out until they haul their asses away from their donuts?”
Kristina’s lip trembled. She didn’t want to show her fear, but didn’t know how to get out of this. When Daniel attacked her, she knew how to react, how to calm him down. She also knew Daniel wouldn’t kill her. This guy was a stranger and she didn’t understand what he wanted. Dread settled into her belly. She pictured Cadence’s smiling face and her heart twisted at the thought of never seeing her daughter again. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t kill me.”
He shoved her.
Stumbling backward, she fell on her bottom. The moisture from the wet pavement seeped through her jeans.
“Why would I kill you? I’m going to fuck you, and then I’m going to watch you again for a while. You probably like knowing I’m out there, waiting for you. Maybe when I get the urge, I’ll come back and fuck you again and again. You tell anyone, or if you don’t do exactly what I tell you to, then I’ll kill you. Maybe I’ll do your kid first.”
Kristina blinked, pushing herself back.
He leaned over and grabbed the front of her shirt, ripping it as he pulled her to her feet and pressed his lips to hers. Hard and punishing, he ground his mouth against her teeth. She tasted more blood when her front teeth split the tender skin behind her upper lip. His breath reeked of booze and she gagged when he forced his tongue into her mouth. A noise to her left, near the water, made her open her eyes, but she saw nothing but a blur of grey and black. A sob lodged in her chest. Never in her worst nightmares did she think this could ever happen. Even when Daniel had raged and assaulted her, she hadn’t felt this terrified and violated.
At a throat-clearing noise, her knees weakened in relief.
The man straightened, but did not turn around. His eyes bored into hers, a silent warning. “You got a problem?” he asked.
“Well, I kinda do. When I see someone treating a lady like that, I get a bit ruffled. Know what I mean?”
Wade’s voice sounded like music to her ears.
The man laughed, but didn’t release her. “Just me and my old lady having a little fun. Mind your business, all right?”
Wade sighed. A shuffle before he continued speaking. “Only one thing I hate more than an asshole, and that’s a liar.”
The man spun around.
Kristina crumpled to the sidewalk.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Fuck off before you end up at the bottom of the river,” he pointed across the road.
Kristina risked a glance at Wade. Standing just a few feet away, the darkness shadowing his features, he chuckled as though the man were joking. “You think you got the parts to put me there? Bring it.”
The man charged.
Wade sidestepped.
Everything happened so fast. Kristina didn’t know who had the advantage. They fell to the ground, rolling around. Then Wade surfaced on top, punching the man repeatedly. She silently cheered him on as her attacker brought his arms up to ward off the blows. Wade continued undeterred. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked to Wade’s face. Calm, his eyes cold and determined; he pummeled the man on the ground. He’d kill him without a qualm, she was sure of it. Then he’d go to jail. No matter the reason, the law didn’t like murderers. If she allowed Wade to continue that’s what he’d be. Kristina yelled for him to stop.
Standing, Wade wiped bloodied hands on his jeans before straightening his rumpled shirt.
“He deserves to fucking die.” He muttered.
“You’ll go to jail if you kill him.” Kristina argued.
“I haven’t gone yet.” Wade bent and dragged the man to his feet. “Get out of here and don’t let me even smell you around this town again. You got me?”
“Fuck you.”
“Really? You really want to go there? You don’t want trouble with me. I’m warning you, I won’t be the one at the bottom of a river.” Wade shoved him.
Stumbling back, the man spat on the ground, moving away but he didn’t look away from Wade until he reached the other side of the bridge where he turned and jogged away.
Kristina pushed herself to her feet.
Wade rushed over to take her arm.
She looked up and frowned. “We should have called the cops. He’ll just attack someone else.”
“Let me worry about what he’ll do.” He held up his right hand.
She gasped. A brown leather wallet, held closed with a rubber band, nestled between his thumb and index finger.
“He won’t do anything.” Wade said.
“What are you going to do with that?”
Wade tucked the wallet into his back pocket and ran one thumb over her lip. “You’re bleeding.”
Kristina had no words, no thoughts, only the knowledge she was lost. No turning back or changing her mind, her heart no longer belonged to her. Even if Wade pushed her away now, she couldn’t stop what she felt.
“I think you should go inside. You’re shaking like a leaf and people are going to start taking their dogs out or getting up for their midnight snacks. They’ll wonder what’s going on,” he murmured.
“I guess I’m a little shocked. I don’t know what I would have done if—”
Wade shook his head.
She looked down at her feet.
“Don’t. I’m sure you would have done something. You’re a survivor.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
She didn’t feel like a survivor. People just kept taking advantage of her and she should be getting stronger, tougher. Instead Kristina felt like a bigger target, as though she weakened with every blow life threw at her.
Wade cleared his throat. “Look, from now on you aren’t walking home from work. Even if the guy never comes back—and I promise he won’t—there will be others. This might be a small town but there’s no invisible barrier warding off psychos. Shit, if you hadn’t forgotten your tips…”
“I know, but you don’t have to take me home. Dad can pick me up or I can get a cab.”
“It’s not open for discussion. Besides, I can’t trust you to actually call Joe, can I? You lied. I don’t even want to think about how many times you walked home when I thought you were safely tucked inside a cab. Now I won’t sleep at night unless I see you get home. He could have killed you, or worse. That would be terrible, you know? At my age, I need my sleep. Understood?”
A finger under her chin forced her to look at him. Kristina shivered at the anger still evident in his gaze despite his little joke. “Yes,” she whispered.
He lowered his hand.
“Would you like to come in for a drink? I mean, I won’t be able to sleep for a while, and it would be nice to have company. That is, if you don’t have to get home right away.”
“What about your mom?”
“Um, she’s probably not going to care. But I don’t know; I could call her if you want.”
Wade laughed and some of her tension slipped away. She’d just made an ass of herself and it bothered her more than her near death experience.
“I meant, what about Cadence? Isn’t your mom babysitting?”
“Oh, I’m just kind of shaken up. Fear makes me stupid. Mom watches her at their place so I can get some sleep.”