Read Online Better Left Buried by Belinda Frisch - Free Book Online
Authors: Belinda Frisch
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of focus.
She grabbed her cell phone. The indicator light told of a message.
“I mean it. I’m calling.”
She dialed 9 and the phone flew out of her hand, smashing against the cabinet before hitting the kitchen floor.
The dark figure exploded into fractals that reached for her and spun around her like a tornado. She collapsed to her knees, breathless.
Napkins rained down from the counters and a coffee cup shattered on the floor. A shard of ceramic nicked her cheek . She squeezed her eyes shut, fearful of more. The chill in the air magnified tenfold, plunging her into a painful cold like being submerged in an ice bath. She was frozen and unable to fight back.
“Help me ,” she whispered as her throat closed. Something was holding her down, choking her. Whatever had been standing in that corner wasn’t a man.
Ten men couldn’t have so fully restrained her.
Still, she wouldn’t stop fighting.
“Help me,” the man said, his voice a gravelly whisper. “ Help me .” Was he mocking her? Was she going crazy? “Help me .”
“I’ll help,” she said, gasping. “Just let me go, please. I’ll help you.”
The front door opened and the light turned on. Harmony’s eyes struggled to adjust, her mind unable to comprehend what just happened. Whatever had been holding her disappeared as quickly as it came, burning its pain into her soul.
“Harmony, stop!” Adam wrestled the knife from her hand. His panic-stricken tone and the hurt in his eyes said something had happened, something she hadn’t realized. He bordered on hysterical as he gathered up every towel in the kitchen. “Why … why would you do this to me again?”
She looked down at her arms and fainted.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Harmony, what happened?” Adam changed the towel on her forearm, adding the dirty one to the pile.
She shifted on the couch and the room resumed spinning. The moments up to Adam coming home were a blur. “I don’t know. I really don’t.” The rough cotton scratched at her skin . She pushed his hands away. “It’s not that bad.”
“Not that bad? What if I hadn’t come home?”
What if?
Part of her wished he hadn’t. The escalated attack had her terrified of what came next.
“I don’t know.” She sniffled. “The last thing I remember, I was trying to sleep but I was really stressed out and you weren’t here and I kept thinking someone was watching me. You can’t blame me after what happened. I mean, I was attacked. I kept hearing things and all I could think of was that guy in the alley. I took a couple of sleeping pills—”
“A couple? It’s supposed to be one .”
Truthfully, she hadn’t taken any, but the excuse seemed the only one that would make her behavior plausible. “I know. I just thought … I don’t know. I didn’t think one would work. I don’t know how I got cut. I must’ve been sleepwalking or something.”
“Sleep-induced suicide attempt? You really expect me to believe that?”
“You really think if I were trying to kill myself I wouldn’t do a better job?”
He shook his head, but she could see he got her point.
“We need to get this clean so I can take a better look at it.”
The towels mottled the blood on her arm, making a grim mosaic that was hard to see through.
“Help me to the sink.” She fe lt faint. The last thing she needed was to pass out.
Adam helped her up slowly, holding his arms out to catch her in case she fell. “ Can you walk?”
She blinked to clear the fog from her vision and waited until she felt steady enough to move. “I think so.”
Without pressure, blood welled up from the cuts.
Adam turned on the faucet and rolled her sleeve up as far as it would go past her elbow. The lumpy cuff held her arm at an unnatural angle.
She put her forearm under the slow trickle of water and rubbed gently to wash off the blood. The cuts were slightly deeper than superficial—enough to have bled, but not deep enough to need stitches. The worst of them
She grabbed her cell phone. The indicator light told of a message.
“I mean it. I’m calling.”
She dialed 9 and the phone flew out of her hand, smashing against the cabinet before hitting the kitchen floor.
The dark figure exploded into fractals that reached for her and spun around her like a tornado. She collapsed to her knees, breathless.
Napkins rained down from the counters and a coffee cup shattered on the floor. A shard of ceramic nicked her cheek . She squeezed her eyes shut, fearful of more. The chill in the air magnified tenfold, plunging her into a painful cold like being submerged in an ice bath. She was frozen and unable to fight back.
“Help me ,” she whispered as her throat closed. Something was holding her down, choking her. Whatever had been standing in that corner wasn’t a man.
Ten men couldn’t have so fully restrained her.
Still, she wouldn’t stop fighting.
“Help me,” the man said, his voice a gravelly whisper. “ Help me .” Was he mocking her? Was she going crazy? “Help me .”
“I’ll help,” she said, gasping. “Just let me go, please. I’ll help you.”
The front door opened and the light turned on. Harmony’s eyes struggled to adjust, her mind unable to comprehend what just happened. Whatever had been holding her disappeared as quickly as it came, burning its pain into her soul.
“Harmony, stop!” Adam wrestled the knife from her hand. His panic-stricken tone and the hurt in his eyes said something had happened, something she hadn’t realized. He bordered on hysterical as he gathered up every towel in the kitchen. “Why … why would you do this to me again?”
She looked down at her arms and fainted.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Harmony, what happened?” Adam changed the towel on her forearm, adding the dirty one to the pile.
She shifted on the couch and the room resumed spinning. The moments up to Adam coming home were a blur. “I don’t know. I really don’t.” The rough cotton scratched at her skin . She pushed his hands away. “It’s not that bad.”
“Not that bad? What if I hadn’t come home?”
What if?
Part of her wished he hadn’t. The escalated attack had her terrified of what came next.
“I don’t know.” She sniffled. “The last thing I remember, I was trying to sleep but I was really stressed out and you weren’t here and I kept thinking someone was watching me. You can’t blame me after what happened. I mean, I was attacked. I kept hearing things and all I could think of was that guy in the alley. I took a couple of sleeping pills—”
“A couple? It’s supposed to be one .”
Truthfully, she hadn’t taken any, but the excuse seemed the only one that would make her behavior plausible. “I know. I just thought … I don’t know. I didn’t think one would work. I don’t know how I got cut. I must’ve been sleepwalking or something.”
“Sleep-induced suicide attempt? You really expect me to believe that?”
“You really think if I were trying to kill myself I wouldn’t do a better job?”
He shook his head, but she could see he got her point.
“We need to get this clean so I can take a better look at it.”
The towels mottled the blood on her arm, making a grim mosaic that was hard to see through.
“Help me to the sink.” She fe lt faint. The last thing she needed was to pass out.
Adam helped her up slowly, holding his arms out to catch her in case she fell. “ Can you walk?”
She blinked to clear the fog from her vision and waited until she felt steady enough to move. “I think so.”
Without pressure, blood welled up from the cuts.
Adam turned on the faucet and rolled her sleeve up as far as it would go past her elbow. The lumpy cuff held her arm at an unnatural angle.
She put her forearm under the slow trickle of water and rubbed gently to wash off the blood. The cuts were slightly deeper than superficial—enough to have bled, but not deep enough to need stitches. The worst of them
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