out a way to get back home. She’d survived one potentially awful encounter only to be faced with another, this time with someone even more frightening than a deranged stranger—her sister. Jamie pulled open the outer door, thinking, Are you ready for that?
He was standing just outside the door, his black rags blocking the sun, his face in shadows. His nose was long, his mouth hidden by a shapeless and unkempt beard, and his eyes were dark and unfocused. The eyes of a madman, Jamie thought, hearing a scream pierce the air.
Her
scream, she realized.
“Get away from me!” she yelled, tears blinding her eyes. “Get away from me.”
The man quickly recoiled.
“Jamie? It’s okay,” a voice assured her. “You’re all right. It’s okay.”
Jamie stopped crying, swiped at her eyes with the back of her left hand, and opened them wide in disbelief. “Brad?”
“Who did you think it was?”
Jamie spun around, her eyes shooting in several different directions at once. “There was a man. You didn’t see him?”
“I saw some beggar taking off into the bushes. Why? What happened? Did he hurt you?”
“No,” Jamie admitted, taking a moment to catch her breath. “He just scared me.” She described what had just taken place.
“Sounds like you scared him more.” Brad shook his head in seeming amazement. “You should never have come back here alone. Why didn’t you call me as soon as you saw him?”
“I looked for you. Where were you?”
“I noticed one of the tires was looking a little low, so I took it around the side to give it some air. Then I figured I might as well use the facilities myself. Which is when I heard this god-awful racket.…” His lips broke into a sly smile. “Feisty little thing, aren’t you?”
“Am I?” No one had ever called her feisty before. Foolhardy, yes. Stubborn, often. But never feisty.
“Feisty,” Brad repeated, backing her into the washroom and kicking the door closed behind them. “And very sexy.” He pushed the large, green garbage bin infront of the door, blocking both entry and escape. “Very, very sexy.”
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing?” He reached for her, one hand pinning her against the wall while the other one tugged at the side zipper of her shorts. In the next second, he was hoisting her into the air and pushing his way roughly inside her.
Jamie gasped, unable to believe the speed with which everything had turned around. One minute she was terrified, the next relieved, the next so excited she could barely breathe. She grabbed hold of Brad’s shoulders, hanging on for dear life as he spun her around the small room, pummeling into her repeatedly. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman she saw reflected in the glass, her mouth open, her head thrown back in wild abandon. Who are you? Jamie wondered. What are you doing?
“This is all your fault, you know,” Brad said later, taking a plastic flower from its container and tucking it behind her ear. “You’re just so damned delicious.”
Jamie followed him out of the bathroom, her head lowered, her legs wobbling and threatening to give way. Feisty and delicious, she repeated proudly to herself as she walked beside him to the car, happy to accept the blame.
SIX
H er rejected story peeking out from the top of her tote bag, Lily pushed through the thick double-glass door of Scully’s gym, located in a small and unassuming strip mall that was only a short bus ride from Mad River Road, at exactly one minute to ten that morning, greeting the deeply tanned woman behind the reception counter with a big smile and a large, skim-milk latte.
“You’re a godsend,” Jan Scully said, taking the coffee from Lily’s outstretched hand and tearing the lid off the top in one sweeping gesture, slurping eagerly at the hot foam. “How’d you know this is exactly what I’ve been pining for all morning?”
“Because it’s what you’re always
He was standing just outside the door, his black rags blocking the sun, his face in shadows. His nose was long, his mouth hidden by a shapeless and unkempt beard, and his eyes were dark and unfocused. The eyes of a madman, Jamie thought, hearing a scream pierce the air.
Her
scream, she realized.
“Get away from me!” she yelled, tears blinding her eyes. “Get away from me.”
The man quickly recoiled.
“Jamie? It’s okay,” a voice assured her. “You’re all right. It’s okay.”
Jamie stopped crying, swiped at her eyes with the back of her left hand, and opened them wide in disbelief. “Brad?”
“Who did you think it was?”
Jamie spun around, her eyes shooting in several different directions at once. “There was a man. You didn’t see him?”
“I saw some beggar taking off into the bushes. Why? What happened? Did he hurt you?”
“No,” Jamie admitted, taking a moment to catch her breath. “He just scared me.” She described what had just taken place.
“Sounds like you scared him more.” Brad shook his head in seeming amazement. “You should never have come back here alone. Why didn’t you call me as soon as you saw him?”
“I looked for you. Where were you?”
“I noticed one of the tires was looking a little low, so I took it around the side to give it some air. Then I figured I might as well use the facilities myself. Which is when I heard this god-awful racket.…” His lips broke into a sly smile. “Feisty little thing, aren’t you?”
“Am I?” No one had ever called her feisty before. Foolhardy, yes. Stubborn, often. But never feisty.
“Feisty,” Brad repeated, backing her into the washroom and kicking the door closed behind them. “And very sexy.” He pushed the large, green garbage bin infront of the door, blocking both entry and escape. “Very, very sexy.”
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing?” He reached for her, one hand pinning her against the wall while the other one tugged at the side zipper of her shorts. In the next second, he was hoisting her into the air and pushing his way roughly inside her.
Jamie gasped, unable to believe the speed with which everything had turned around. One minute she was terrified, the next relieved, the next so excited she could barely breathe. She grabbed hold of Brad’s shoulders, hanging on for dear life as he spun her around the small room, pummeling into her repeatedly. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman she saw reflected in the glass, her mouth open, her head thrown back in wild abandon. Who are you? Jamie wondered. What are you doing?
“This is all your fault, you know,” Brad said later, taking a plastic flower from its container and tucking it behind her ear. “You’re just so damned delicious.”
Jamie followed him out of the bathroom, her head lowered, her legs wobbling and threatening to give way. Feisty and delicious, she repeated proudly to herself as she walked beside him to the car, happy to accept the blame.
SIX
H er rejected story peeking out from the top of her tote bag, Lily pushed through the thick double-glass door of Scully’s gym, located in a small and unassuming strip mall that was only a short bus ride from Mad River Road, at exactly one minute to ten that morning, greeting the deeply tanned woman behind the reception counter with a big smile and a large, skim-milk latte.
“You’re a godsend,” Jan Scully said, taking the coffee from Lily’s outstretched hand and tearing the lid off the top in one sweeping gesture, slurping eagerly at the hot foam. “How’d you know this is exactly what I’ve been pining for all morning?”
“Because it’s what you’re always
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