Page 9 of Wounded Hearts

Chapter 5

Turning,Mara tried to see what caused the commotion was behind her and what had caused Drew to leave so quickly. Her heart was still banging against her rib cage as she stood frozen next to Brayden. Drew was here! He looked so handsome in his tux, so strong and fit. Healthy in such a way she knew it wasn’t only physical. Her heart grew with pride as she realised he’d succeeded. He looked happy even though he’d frowned at her, she could tell down in his soul he was happy.

That man who’d lost so much had turned his life around and was making a beautiful future for himself. Longing burned in her belly. A feeling other than fear and despair sang through her veins—desire for a man. No not any man, the man. The one who’d used his body as a shield to keep her safe, had made her feel calm and loved with only a look or a touch. The man she’d thought about in her dreams, whose arms she’d imagined holding her as she cried herself to sleep. Whose face she imagined when her fiancé’s angry touch had marred her skin and her soul. She still wanted him, the feelings she’d had for him before were still alive and it gave her hope that maybe she’d make it out of this alive.

That he was here was worrying. This was no coincidence. Brayden never allowed anything to happen by accident in his life. If Drew was here, there was a plan and she felt sick at the thought of Drew being pulled into her nightmare. What Brayden could possibly want from Drew she didn’t know, but she wouldn’t let him be drowned by the same monster who’d pulled her under.

If she was honest with herself though, over-shadowing the noble thoughts of her fear for Drew were tiny flickers of hope. Hope that Drew could help her, hope that the universe had heard her helpless cries. She noticed Brayden’s glass was empty again and knew that she’d probably pay at the hands of his drinking. He was always so much more vicious when he’d had a drink.

With that thought came an inkling of a plan, not much of a plan, but a plan, nonetheless. If she could get a note to Drew, maybe she could meet him later and persuade him to help her. Brayden always passed out cold after a drink and she’d be able to sneak away.

Steadying her resolve, she turned a small smile on the man at her side, making sure not to overplay it. “Would you like me to get you another drink?”

He looked at his glass and then at her, his face impassive as if he was trying to read her every thought. Her throat felt tight as she realised her fragile plan could fall at this first hurdle if he said no. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he nodded and handed her his glass.

Relief rushed through her and she almost fell to her knees. Taking the glass, she moved towards the bar at the entrance to the room. She could see from the corner of her eye that the man with Drew was having some sort of episode. If she had to guess and going from experience with injured vets, she’d say it was some sort of PTSD.

She missed that part of her life, her work, helping others. Her job as a physio had been just that at first—a job. A way to pay the bills but soon it had become her passion as she helped people return to lives they’d loved and thought gone forever.

Sliding the glass onto a nearby side table now that she was out of sight of her keeper, she moved through the throngs of guests towards the servant’s entrance through the bar. Drew would want to get the man out of there, and the quickest way was via the service entrance.

She picked up the long hem of her skirt as she moved, rounding the corner at a quick pace her heart fell as she saw the woman standing in her way.

“Mara, my dear where are you going in such a rush?”

The blonde from earlier looked regal and cruel in a way Mara couldn’t explain. Apprehension made her scalp prickle and she dropped her dress to the floor. As the woman looked at her, she tried not to fidget as sweat ran down her spine. She had to think of some reason to explain her rush. This woman saw too much, she was a hunter and Mara felt like prey.

“I just needed to use the restroom and didn’t want to keep Brayden waiting for his drink.”

Cocking her head, the blonde let her eyes travel over Mara in an assessing move that made her shiver with repulsion. “My dear girl, men like Brayden are made to be kept waiting. If you allow him to dictate to you, he’ll consume you from the inside out.”

It was funny how this woman who didn’t know her could be so accurate in her assertion of the man. A woman like her would never allow a man to control her. No, she’d be the one always in control. But Mara didn’t know this woman and sure as hell didn’t trust her, so she stuck with her role of the dutiful fiancée.

“Brayden is a good man and would never treat me in such a way.”

For a second the woman regarded her with what looked like genuine pity in her eyes before she nodded. “As you wish. I’ll keep him company while you use the facilities.”

The woman left in a cloud of perfume and instantly, Mara felt lighter. Her cloying oppressive darkness sucked the air from the surroundings. Knowing she’d lost precious time, Mara ran to the back exit and saw Drew and another man helping the agitated man from before into the back of the car.

Her window of time was closing, Mara was losing her only chance. She didn’t have time to write a note and couldn’t risk that the man who worked for Brayden wouldn’t tell on her if she asked to speak to Drew. She panicked, chewing her cuticle as she paced the tiny space just out of sight inside the door.

Then she saw it, her chance, perhaps the only chance she might ever have for freedom. If it failed, she risked the beating of her life, but if it worked, she’d be free. Free to work, to grieve, to love. It was a risk worth taking because if she didn’t, she knew she’d die. Already her mind was becoming tired of the constant fear, ready to accept death next time he hurt her because she had no fight left inside to give.

Making up her mind, she peeked around the door again and saw Drew and the man looking away from the car, their backs to her. Taking off her heeled sandals, she ran across the gravel on bare feet, the stones cut into her skin, but she barely registered the pain such was her focus on the end goal. Now on the opposite side of the vehicle from Drew, she looked over and saw the man inside curled into himself muttering, his body tense with fear but his eyes seemed a little clearer than they’d been inside the house.

Praying that he didn’t react, Mara slipped open the door and when his frightened gaze met hers, she put her fingers to her lips. “Please, I need help.”

Every emotion she felt was in that whispered sentence including the shame she felt. Frozen, she waited for him to yell out, but he merely nodded and looked away.

Taking that as a good sign, Mara climbed into the vehicle and curled herself into a ball in the footwell behind the driver’s seat. She stayed motionless, barely daring to breathe as she waited. Less than a minute later, she felt the driver’s door open and the seat in front of her depress. Drew’s scent filled the car, and relief swamped her so fast she felt lightheaded.

The car purred to life and in no time at all they were moving. The trees along the drive disappeared and the winding of the country roads began to calm the fear and exhaustion from her knotted belly. She was safe, finally she was free. The adrenaline running through her system must have crashed and she closed her eyes for just a brief moment as she relished the feeling of not being afraid. A moment was all it took for her body to shut down into an exhausted sleep.