Read Online Banished (A Retribution Novel) by Cindy Stark - Free Book Online Page A

her heart with a smile. If
nothing else, her firsthand experience with the ocean had taught her that although
she wanted to be near something beautiful, that didn’t mean she was safe to do
so.
    Back on the highway, she kept to the side of the
road. The pavement made a ribbon through the mass of otherwise tangled
greenery. Her skin tingled with goose bumps as uncertainty filtered through
her, leaving her anxious.
    Noises came from beyond the trees, but she couldn’t
see anything. She prayed there were no dangerous animals looking for a midnight
snack.
    She kept her pace fast for as long as she could,
but slowed when the jog finally winded her. Funny how it took such a short time
to drive a couple of miles, but seemed like hours when she walked it.
    In all actuality, it took her over an hour to
reach her car. When she spotted her vehicle in the deserted parking lot, she
began to run again, as though she had only moments to reach safety. Once
inside, she locked her doors and then took a deep breath.
    She’d made it.
    She’d be eternally grateful to Ryan for what he’d
done for her, but she’d also leave him in the past. She started her car and
glanced both ways before turning onto the highway, heading toward the towns
she’d passed earlier.
    “Cannon Beach,” she whispered as she passed the
first turnoff. She didn’t stop though. She needed more distance between her and
the man who could charm her out of her common sense.
    She drove a while longer and then came to the next
town. Seaside. She slowed at the stoplight and then turned left toward what
looked to be hotels. When she’d driven as far west as she could, she pulled
into a parking lot and gathered her purse.
    The night clerk didn’t seem too happy to be
bothered in the middle of the night, but Violet didn’t care. She had a room, a
place to be safe. She unlocked the door of a room on the fourth floor and
bolted it behind her.
    His large hoodie slipped over her head with ease, but
couldn’t bring herself to remove Ryan’s shirt and boxers before she climbed
between the sheets.
    *        *        *
    Ryan woke in the morning, surprised to find a
smile on his face. Violet. He knew they’d agreed to live their lives as though
no past existed for the one night, but maybe he could convince her to spread it
over two days.
    It had been a damn long time since he’d enjoyed
the company of a woman who wanted nothing from him. She was a vacation from his
life, and he wanted more.
    He slipped a shirt over his head and pulled on
flannel pants before he stepped into the hall. He made his way toward the
kitchen to start a pot of coffee, but stopped dead in his tracks when he found
her door open. He peeked inside to find a rumpled, empty bed.
    Ah, hell. No .
    He strode down the hall and found the bathroom
empty with the exception of her clothes that still hung from the shower rod.
    “Violet?” He called into the house. No response.
    He moved toward the back door, hoping she’d gone
outside to see the ocean again, but the lock was still engaged. The front door,
however, was unlocked and not closed as tight as it should be.
    He flung it open and stepped outside. “Violet?” He
waited a moment, and then yelled her name.
    Nothing.
    He momentarily considered someone might have come
for her in the night, especially with the cuts on her face and chest, but he
would have heard the commotion, would have found signs of forced entry.
    No, she’d left of her own free will. And damn it,
she’d taken his favorite shirt with her, leaving an ache of loneliness in its
place.
    *        *        *
    Violet woke the following afternoon. She washed
her face and fixed her hair as best she could before heading downstairs. Only a
few people glanced at her funny when she strode through the lobby looking like
she still wore her pajamas.
    Couldn’t be helped. At that moment in time, she
only owned an oversized t-shirt and a pair of flannel boxers. Her choices