Banished (A Retribution Novel) Read online

  Kenneth blanched as he cursed under his breath. “A year? I can’t wait a fucking year.”

  “Did you not hear me? Even after a year, I won’t want to give it up.” A shiver raced over her. Her dad had made her promise to be strong, and she wouldn’t let him down. “There’s nothing you can do.”

  He stared at her for several hard moments, heated anger blazing in his eyes while his pulse pounded furiously against his neck. “We’ll see about that.”

  He strode from the room, leaving her standing alone with her dead father and a huge battle looming on her horizon. She glanced at her dad’s lifeless shell, so fragile, so still without the energetic and powerful soul thriving inside. He’d placed her in a hell of a predicament.

  Her father had known Kenneth would lash out at the restraints, but maybe he’d underestimated her brother’s level of determination. Her father had said he’d hoped it would give the company stability as well as bring her and her brother closer together, which she should have argued. They’d never been close, and her dad’s last decisions destroyed any chance they would be in the future.

  She was certain Kenneth would go to their attorney and most likely take her to court to fight for the right to control the company, but it was pointless. The deed was done, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

  * * *

  Violet parked on the quiet street in front of the townhouse apartment she’d rented on the west side of town. By the time she arrived home after her father’s viewing, the sun had taken its last breath for the day, leaving the shadows to play.

  She’d replayed her conversation with Kenneth repeatedly on the drive home. Each time she did, her apprehension grew until it formed a hard ball of anxiety that occupied her stomach. Maybe the emotional events of the day had overwhelmed them both. Maybe he’d be more reasonable tomorrow. For her father’s sake, she’d try talking to him again after the funeral. There had to be a way they could work together if her brother could lighten up and relinquish complete control. It wasn’t as if she’d say no to anything reasonable and legal. As for his questionable activities, he’d better think twice before putting himself and the company at risk.

  Violet stepped from her car into the crisp September air, loving the way it sharpened the night. The summer heat had been unusually hot that year, and she welcomed the cooler temps.

  Her footsteps echoed on the pavement as she made her way toward the front door. She lived in an older area of town, and most of her neighbors had turned in early, which suited her just fine. She enjoyed the solitude if she stepped out for an evening walk.

  She stopped to pull her keys from her purse. Before she could find them, a gloved hand covered her mouth.

  Chapter Three

  Stark terror ripped through Violet as she struggled against whoever held her. She stumbled as he dragged her away from her front door toward the bushes along the side of the townhouse.

  Help! She screamed inside her head, but his hand kept the words in her throat. She clawed at him, at the gloved hand covering her mouth. Her head swam from panic and lack of oxygen.

  Under cover of the shadows, he threw her to the ground, the impact forcing the remaining air from her lungs. A black ski mask covered his face, and he wore a long-sleeved, black t-shirt to help him blend into the shadows.

  He straddled her, grinding his groin against her. She sucked in a breath and screamed. He clamped a rough hand against her mouth, the pressure cutting her lips on her teeth, smothering any further sounds. “Shut up, bitch.”

  The sickening, cloying scent of his aftershave assaulted her, and she recognized the same scent she’d smelled earlier on Detective Haskell.

  No. She tried to rearrange her thoughts in a new direction. No one she knew would do this to her.

  “You deserve this, for all those times.”

  Oh, God. It was Haskell.

  She bucked beneath him until he produced a knife. Her pulse raced and she tried to breathe through the thick fog of fear that choked her. He laughed and twisted the blade in front of her face, the sharp surface catching light from across the street, glinting with menace.

  She stilled as he lowered the knife, flinched when it touched a spot beneath her collarbone. “I bet you’re sorry now for being such a cold-hearted bitch. I bet you’d open your legs right now if you thought it would save your life.” He drew the knife down the valley between her breasts, the sharp edge slicing into her skin, until he bumped into her purse strap.

  Her skin burned where he’d cut her. Incredulity blasted through her brain. She widened her eyes as he held the knife in front of her again. He couldn’t.

  He wouldn’t.

  “Tomorrow when they find you dead after bleeding out on your own front lawn, the whole town will raise hell. Complete and utter shock, I’m sure. Might mean overtime hours for me as we search for the perpetrator, but it will be worth it.”

  Adrenaline raced through her and fueled her will to live. She squealed against his hand and shoved against him. He didn’t budge.

  “I like it when you fight,” he whispered, rubbing his crotch against her again. “But it won’t do you any good. If I had time, I’d fuck you first. Unfortunately, the longer I stay, the more likely someone will see something.”

  No! She couldn’t die like this.

  Each breath might be her last, and that realization shot an enormous amount of adrenaline into her body. She let go of his hand and slammed her fist into his crotch as hard as she could. The sound of his grunt echoed in the night, and his knife slice into her shoulder.

  She ignored the pain as she used all of her strength to heave against him, knocking him off balance. He groaned as he sliced at her again, catching her below her ear. She retaliated and punched him in the face.

  Her attacks were enough to unbalance him.

  She shoved hard again and escaped his grasp, crawling from him as fast as she could.

  He grabbed a foot, bringing her down again. She kicked with all her might, dislodging her pump.

  With her heart thundering, she scrambled to her feet and ran lopsided for her car, grateful that she’d worn her purse over one shoulder and across her chest so that she hadn’t lost it or her car keys in the scuffle.

  Her loyal car unlocked with a touch of her hand, and she quickly pushed the ignition button. Her Charger roared to life. She jammed it into gear, tires screeching as she raced down the street.

  Her heart thumped in sickeningly loud beats, and she swore blood pulsed from her cuts. She swiped a hand between her breasts, pulling it away to find wet crimson covering her fingertips. Some blood, but not as much as she feared. Her skin stung where she’d touched, angry from the damage inflicted upon it.

  The cut near her ear didn’t seem to be any worse.

  She forced a shaky breath in. Dear God. Had Haskell seriously attempted to kill her? What the hell was wrong with him? Why would he do that after all these years?

  She should call the cops, but could she trust them? Haskell worked for the police. Would calling them lead him right to her?

  Tears coursed down her face, and she wiped at them to keep her vision clear. Ellen would help her. She glanced in the rearview mirror, but no one followed her. Still, she turned several corners, taking her away from the main street.

  She pulled to the side of the road and pushed the speed dial for Ellen on her car’s center console, trying to control her sobs as the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Ellen.” She couldn’t get anything else out before her throat closed.

  “Violet? What’s wrong?”

  “God. Brian Haskell tried to kill me. Outside my house.” She took a breath. “I escaped, but he knifed me first.”

  “Good Lord, Violet. Are you okay? Where are you?”

  “Driving. I don’t know what to do.”

  “You need to call the police. I can call for you.”

  “He’s an officer. What if…” She held her teeth together to keep from chattering.

&
nbsp; “No. You’re right. We need to think this thing through.” Several seconds of silence came across the line.

  “Why would he do that, Violet?” she whispered, sounding as shocked as she felt.

  “I don’t know. He hit on me again at Dad’s viewing, and I shot him down like all the other times.” She sucked in a ragged breath. “I don’t know what made him flip this time. He talked to Kenneth and another guy afterward, and then he left. Next thing I knew, he tackled me on my front lawn wearing a ski mask.”

  She leaned forward, resting her forehead on her steering wheel. “He would have killed me, Ellen.”

  More silence. “I think he might be involved in Kenneth’s activities,” she said quietly.

  A shiver raced over her from Ellen’s ominous words. “Like what?”

  “I’m not sure. Brian has visited your brother at work a lot during the past few weeks. I knew they were friends, but he’s never come around as often as this.”

  “You mean since Dad went into the hospital?”

  “Shortly after that.”

  Crazy scenarios rushed through her head, and a sob escaped her lips as one solidified in her mind. “What could they be doing?”

  “Damn it, I don’t know, Violet. I don’t know. But we’re talking about your life here. I just…I don’t know what to think.”

  “I don’t either.” Her entire world had crashed.

  “Why don’t you drive over here? I can take a look at your cuts, and we’ll decide what to do from there.”

  The thought of running into Ellen’s comforting arms unhinged her. “I can’t drag you into this, Ellen. I love you too much.”

  “Of course you can. No one has a reason to look for you here.”

  Violet exhaled a shaky breath, not entirely convinced. “Okay, but only until we figure out what to do. I’m not too far. Maybe ten minutes.”

  She hung up and wiped her eyes again. God. This couldn’t be happening.

  She left the subdivision, driving back on the main road as she headed for the entrance to the interstate as more tears threatened to fall. She had to hold it together. At least until she reached Ellen’s house. Ten more minutes. She could do that much.

  She’d barely driven five minutes when her phone rang. Ellen’s name appeared on her console. “Hello?”

  “Your brother just called here looking for you.”

  Fear drove deep into her heart. “What did you say?”

  “I told him I hadn’t heard from or seen you since the viewing. Then I asked him why he was looking for you. He said you were upset when you’d left and he was worried. I told him I’d call him if I heard from you.”

  Another sob escaped her.

  “I’m afraid they’ll watch my house, Violet. You need to hide out somewhere they won’t suspect. Maybe in Beaverton? Pay in cash to be on the safe side?”

  “Okay,” she said on another sob.

  “Oh, honey. I could come and meet you.”

  “No.” She pounded a fist against her steering wheel. “They might follow you. You can’t do anything that would put you in danger.”

  “My brother-in-law is an attorney. I’m going to call him. I don’t know how he can help, but maybe he’ll have an idea. Maybe he can think straight ‘cause I sure as hell can’t.”

  “I’m going to hang up so I can focus on driving.” She gathered her scattered strength. “I’ll find somewhere to stay and call when I can.”

  After she hung up, she struggled to pull the battery from her phone, and then she tossed both pieces onto the passenger seat. She couldn’t leave a way for the cops to trace her. She drove another minute before she lowered her window and threw the phone out onto the pavement.

  She couldn’t take any chances.

  The needle on her speedometer inched higher as she accelerated until she pushed the edges of the speed limit. Just as quickly, she eased off. She wanted to leave town as soon as possible, put as much space between her and the detective who’d wanted to kill her, but she couldn’t draw attention to herself or her car. The last thing she needed was for an officer to stop her for speeding.

  She drove until she reached the next town and exited the interstate. A chain gas station sat not far off the freeway and she pulled into its brightly lit parking lot, stopping next to a gas pump. Blood from the cut between her breasts had mostly dried, and she tugged the edges of her shirt closer together to hide it.

  She pulled the pins from her disheveled French twist and let her hair fall about her shoulders, tugging the strands down so they completely covered the cut near her ear. Another car stopped on the opposite side of the pump, and a black guy exited his car.

  With shaky hands, she pulled her credit card from her wallet and got out. She kept her head low, not making eye contact with the guy across the way, nor looking toward the security cameras. She doubted Haskell could access all the cameras in town, but she didn’t want to take any chances. She needed to escape and get as far away as she could, as fast as she could.

  After she filled the gas tank, she entered the building and approached the ATM machine near the front doors. She withdrew the maximum amount of cash from her account and quickly tucked it into her purse.

  She wished she could leave the convenience store without speaking to anyone, but she needed water and maybe something to eat for later. If Haskell could access her credit card records, she’d rather have all her purchases in one spot and as close to her hometown as possible.

  Once she got out on the road, she didn’t want to leave any trace of her direction. She grabbed three bottles of water and a bottle of caffeinated soda before approaching the counter where she added a couple bags of peanuts and a candy bar. She kept her gaze down as the female cashier rang up her purchases.

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes,” she said as she handed her credit card to the cashier.

  The cashier swiped it before giving it back to her. “Are you okay, miss?”

  Violet glanced at her then. The gray-haired woman had narrowed her eyes in concern.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You have blood on your sleeve.”

  She glanced to the left to see a gaping hole in her white silk shirt with blood surrounding the edges. She’d forgotten about that injury. “I’m fine.” She grabbed her items and hurried toward the door.

  Panic nipped her again as she jumped into her vehicle. She’d done nothing wrong, but she worried she’d elevated the woman’s suspicions enough that she might call the police. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she looked in her rearview mirror to find the cashier watching her out the door.

  Shit.

  Back on the interstate, she headed north until she hit Wyoming and then headed west. More than eight hours later, she woke to find her car drifting off the road. She jerked back into her lane, gripping the wheel, as terror flooded her veins.

  She had to stop. Had to rest somewhere. She pulled off the next exit and into a mostly-empty superstore parking lot. Her head ached, and her eyes burned.

  She wasn’t far enough away to feel safe yet, but she needed sleep before she continued driving.

  * * *

  The sound of male voices jerked her from her haunted sleep. She woke with a gasp and glanced around her to see two men heading for their pickup truck. The sun hadn’t yet crested the horizon. She blinked her bleary eyes and sat up. Only two hours of sleep. Not nearly enough, but it would have to do. She couldn’t stay where she was any longer.

  She started the engine and rolled down the windows, letting in fresh autumn air. Her father’s funeral would begin in a little over five hours.

  Would they hold it without her? How could they not? It would appear as though she’d run off, most would think she couldn’t handle the pressure. Only Ellen, Haskell and possibly Kenneth knew for sure.

  Her stomach rumbled, and she needed gas. She headed for a nearby convenience store and drew her hair over her shoulder to cover the blood as much as possible before she went inside. Sunglasses
hid her mascara-washed, puffy eyes, but she couldn’t hide her missing shoes and ruffled appearance if someone really looked at her.

  A rack of t-shirts stood near the counter, and she quickly rifled through them, finding one in her size. A bin of flip-flops sat beneath, and she snagged a pair of sparkling turquoise ones that matched the t-shirt. She grabbed another drink and piled all the stuff on the counter, not looking at the other patrons or the cashier to see if they stared.

  She pulled sixty dollars from her wallet when the cashier gave her the total, and then she stuffed the change in her purse and walked out as fast as she could without drawing extra attention. Her money wouldn’t last long at this rate. She’d have to figure out something soon.

  Back in her car, she headed northwest. She didn’t know how many miles she’d have to put between her and Denver before she felt safe. All she knew was she wasn’t there yet.

  Chapter Four

  The vibrant sun fought valiantly to sizzle its way through the wispy clouds hovering over Cannon Beach before it dropped low enough to dip into the Pacific Ocean. Ryan Atwood wanted to tell it to give up and surrender. It wouldn’t win. It never held out for long before it succumbed to the overcast, mostly cloudy atmosphere that was a mainstay of life along the Oregon Coast.

  A cool breeze swept through his open Jeep as he sat high on a hill that overlooked the secluded beach house below him. As far as he could tell, Harvey Smith was the only one, with the exception of a constant round of prostitutes, who’d occupied the house for the past three months. Ryan had grown antsy waiting for the owner to show.

  It had taken him forever to find a direct contact to the prick who’d robbed him of the life he’d built. Guy Contreras was out there in the world living large, while he should have been the one behind bars. Not Ryan.

  Unlimited patience should accompany the need for vengeance. Unfortunately, the longer Ryan waited, the more women Harvey abused, and that ate at him like nothing else. Ryan ached to clear his name so he could be proud of his ten years of service in the Army. Guy’s confession was the only thing that would give him that, and Harvey’s connection was a direct line to the asshole.