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They talked about the town and some upcoming activities and also about heading to the beach next weekend.
“You mean after you see Cowb
oy Corruption perform next Saturday night?” Shelby teased.
Eliza Grace leaned closer to Caroline. “Oh, Caroline, you have to see them perform next Saturday. They are so awesome.”
“They’re a country music band?” Caroline asked.
Both Eliza and Missy smiled. “The best one around. Their music is a combination of country and rock. It gets ya moving,” Shelby added.
“And they’re not so bad on the eyes either,” Missy said, blushing as she kept her eyes on her drink of tea. She definitely was very shy.
“We’ll be there,” Shelby said and gave Caroline a wink.
“Fantastic. You’ll love Spencer’s. It’s an amazing place and so much fun. People are friendly and they keep the troublemakers out, so no one can ruin a good time.”
“Sounds like fun,” Caroline said but she wasn’t sure it was going to be fun. She really didn’t want to go anywhere or show her face. She thought it better to remain low-key. Even taking the job at Martha’s was taking somewhat of a chance, but she needed money. She couldn’t live off of Shelby’s income.
The ladies went on to talk about the town and about Ruth’s place. They added stories about some of the upcoming events and even gossiped a little about certain people in town who were troublemakers. Just little things. She especially enjoyed the story about the woman who chased down three young teenagers with a shotgun after they rode over her garden ruining her vegetables. Then they talked about the fair and the food contests and how that same woman competed for the best zucchini bread in town.
It sounded so nice, so peaceful and pleasant. That was hard to digest because she was used to the chaos of the city, the piss-poor attitudes of people on the streets who had their own agendas and didn’t even care about saying hello or smiling. Even when she got to her apartment at night, it wasn’t peaceful. There was always noise and even worse when Cameron came over.
She was glad she hadn’t accepted his invite to move into his apartment with him. She never would have gotten out of there. As she added a few comments and the women spoke about everyday things like it was so normal and great, she wondered if she would ever feel safe and comfortable, or she would always hold back, remain on guard, and be distrustful. It was pretty easy to like friendly, sweet women like Eliza and Missy, and to think that she could have a normal life once again, but then came the negative feelings and the concern and the fear that Cameron scarred her with.
She looked around the diner and watched the people coming and going. Could she really remain here, hidden, and recover from the fear? Maybe she was holding on to a hope that was possible and she could live a normal life. Maybe some man would come along and truly love her? She could wind up right back where she came from? In an abusive relationship. Controlled by a violent, powerful man who had the capability to kill her if he decided she was better off dead. She felt the fear grip her heart and squeeze. Shelby clutched her hand and gave her an expression of worry but also reassurance. Caroline forced a smile and then started paying attention to the conversation and avoiding the serious questions and fearful thoughts for now.
Later at night, when she was in bed all alone, she would ask the same questions and wonder if Cameron was coming for her. It was the same thing every night since she left him, she would cry herself to sleep until she was exhausted and passed out.
Please don’t let him find me. Please.
Chapter 3
Cameron Elliott stared at Caroline’s picture. His grip tightened on the bottle of beer as he took a slug and then clenched his teeth. He was practically snarling, his mind wandering and fuzzy from the alcohol.
She was beautiful. Gorgeous, petite, with her long platinum blonde hair that stood out in a crowd no matter what she was wearing. There was a sweetness, a purity about her. He owned that. He possessed it. He remembered the day they met. She was in the café and some woman brushed by her in a hurry to get to work and knocked her coffee from Caroline’s hand. She dropped the bag she was carrying and the woman didn’t even look back as she hurried from the store.
He immediately went to her to help her out. Their gazes locked, and her eyes took in his police uniform and that was it. Those gorgeous sage-green eyes drew him in and he immediately knew that she was his. Even as some other guy tried to assist, he got rid of him. Told him he could move along. When the guy walked away, appearing shocked, Cameron told her he did that so the guy wouldn’t bother her and he lied and said he noticed the man watching her earlier and it concerned him. A light blush formed on her cheeks as they stood and he knew she was interested. That she wanted a man who cared, who was protective, and looked out for her.
That was his job, his life. She was his everything.
He licked his lips and then guzzled down the remainder of beer. It was empty and he went to place it down onto the coffee table in front of him and it fell over and landed on the rug.
He leaned back, wiped the bit of drool off his mouth, and exhaled.
“I own you, Caroline. I invested time, patience in training you and making you the perfect woman for me. I’m the only man you’ve ever been with, baby.” He traced her cheek with his finger, pissed off that she wasn’t here and that he couldn’t feel her soft, silky skin against him.
“Where are you, baby? Who are you with? Why did you leave me? You know you can’t live without me,” he whispered, his anger getting the better of him. He thought about how he hurt her. How he broke her arm because she said she wanted to leave and he wouldn’t let her. He should have seen the defiance coming. He was getting too jealous all the time. He didn’t even want her to leave his side. He couldn’t concentrate at work and would call her, text her, stop by her job, or even sit outside as if he were doing surveillance. When he would see a male coworker talking with her, it enraged him. He made the mistake of questioning her and saying that he saw her talking to a man at work. When her eyes widened and she began to step away from him and ask him how he could do that and why he didn’t trust her but he asked her to trust him, he knew he pushed her too far.
“Fuck!” He ran his fingers through his hair and placed the picture down onto the table.
He missed her. He craved her body, her sweetness and that petite yet sexy figure of hers pressed against him at night. He missed her standing by his side at the bars and clubs where they met his friends. Friends who envied him. Friends who now said to give her some space and let her breathe a little. They saw his obsession with her. Curtis warned him, too. She could have pressed charges of assault against him, but she didn’t. He thought about why and he knew the answer. She still loved him. She wanted him back but he overwhelmed her. It would be different next time. He would give her a little more time to breathe, to process everything and realize that she belonged to him and no one else.
That thought nearly brought the beer back up from his belly. He swallowed the burning sensation down and clenched his face and teeth. She better not be with another man. She’s mine. All mine, and if I can’t have her, then no one will have her. I’ll find you, Caroline. When I do, there’ll be hell to pay. That I promise.
* * * *
Hunter Mantel drove his Harley into town. He was chopping wood all morning, knowing that he and his brothers along with some friends would be watching some football by the outdoor fireplace this Sunday. First they needed to get through tonight at Spencer’s. He really didn’t want to go but their friend’s band was playing and everyone was attending. Being social, hanging out in crowds, wasn’t his thing. He had a little anxiety and would get this sensation like something bad would happen. He knew it had to do with his final mission in the military and he was seeing someone for it, but it wasn’t helping him get rid of the sensation. At least he wasn’t compelled to take off like weeks ago.
