Wicked Love - Michelle Dare Page 0,145

heart stopped.

“Mitch?” I squeaked.

Nothing.

I kicked at the trunk. “Hello? What’s going on?”

I heard the car door slam shut and then the vehicle began to move. Closing my eyes, I began to sob as I imagined Mitch lying on the road, dead. All I could think about was being in his arms and staring up at his tender smile. I loved him so much and the thought of never seeing him again broke something inside of me. I vowed that whatever it took, I wouldn’t just get away from Patrick, but I’d make him suffer for what he’d done.

14

Patrick

Five Weeks Later

My alarm went off but I was already awake and anxious for what the day would bring. It was my thirty-sixth birthday and Sophia had mentioned a special surprise for me.

I hit the snooze button and closed my eyes, thinking back to the last few weeks. She was finally coming around, which I knew would happen. Still, it was such a relief. I had almost thought that her stubbornness would ruin everything. But it looked like the psychic had been right all along. This woman was definitely the one.

I got out of bed, took a quick shower, and then made breakfast. Sophia loved her eggs over easy and her toast almost burnt. She preferred bacon over sausage and hated cow’s milk but loved almond. She did have a sweet-tooth, which was why I poured her a large glass of orange juice and dropped a couple of chocolate kisses onto the TV tray. I then headed down the hallway to the cellar door, and flipped on the light.

“Rise and shine, beautiful,” I called down as I descended the staircase. We were staying at an old house I’d been renting for the past year, about two hours north of Summit Lake. It was in desperate need of repairs, which was why my rent was so low. Plus, the old broad who owned it never paid any visits. She was in a wheelchair and didn’t get out much.

Before bringing Sophia to the house, I’d installed a giant, makeshift metal holding cell in the basement, which also enclosed a small three-quarter bathroom. I wanted her to be comfortable, so I’d also purchased a nice full-sized pillowtop bed, a thirty-two-inch television, a comfy reading chair, and a bookcase. I remembered how much she loved reading and had filled it with several new releases before she’d arrived. Fortunately, I’d inherited money from a great aunt several years ago, and was able to afford a few luxuries for my girl.

Sophia stood up, yawned, and stretched her arms. She had on an old red T-shirt of mine and a pair of gray boxer shorts. Even with bed-head and no makeup, she was radiantly beautiful. She’d actually lost a few pounds after refusing to eat the first week, but had since gotten back on track. Not only had her appetite returned, but she was making a conscious effort to get herself into better shape—not that I thought she needed to. She’d even started doing pushups and burpees, so her arms and shoulders were toned and lovelier than ever.

“How did you sleep?” I asked, unlocking the cell door.

“Wonderful, thank you. I still can’t believe you bought this bed for little ol’ me.” She sat on the edge and leaned back on her elbows. “You’re so good to me, Patrick.”

I set the tray down on the nightstand, next to her bed. “You’re the love of my life, beautiful. Everything I do, I do it for you.”

She smiled. “Whitney Houston.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Who?”

Sophia gave me a strange look. “Uh, she was a singer. Those were lyrics from one of her most popular songs.”

“Oh.” Had I heard the song? Sometimes my memories became a bit cloudy. Ever since that bitch friend of Sophia’s, Marcy, had hit me in the head with a damn rifle. It had taken all I had not to shoot the woman. But I knew Sophia would have held it against me and decided not to. Even though the cow had deserved to die.

Sophia scratched her arm. “So, when are you coming home from work so we can celebrate your birthday?”

I looked at my watch. I had recently taken a job at a steel plant using fake ID It was grueling work, but the pay was good and Auntie’s money wasn’t going to last forever. I wanted to save as much as I could for our future. In fact, I was planning on surprising Sophia with a trip to Amsterdam