her, panting slightly, staring down into her face. Tasha began to hope that it was finally over, that she had played him correctly and let him satisfy his rage and his need to assert domination before she had to endure a more serious form of violence.
“Are you okay?” he asked matter-of-factly, as if she had just fallen off a bicycle.
Tasha glared up at him as he pulled his hands from her throat. All her fear had already given way to indignant outrage. “I’ll live,” she answered as harshly as she could, voice still husky from the shock to her vocal cords.
She rubbed her throat and avoided looking into his eyes. She wasn’t afraid to meet his gaze but didn’t want to absorb any more of his energy than she had to.
Enraged thoughts flashed through her at lightning speed.This was it, she thought to herself. She was out of this dump, permanently. After all, she’d only remained living in her mother’s house because Robert had been separated from Claire for the last few years, supposedly giving Tasha a chance to grow up in some amount of peace. But if he was going to start showing up around the place again, acting this way whenever he wanted to, she was absolutely getting out. Now that she was eighteen nobody could force her to stay there anymore.
Meanwhile Robert kept staring down at her and regarding her curiously, as if wondering exactly what his next move should be. When he finally spoke all trace of his rage was gone.
“You have to understand, Natasha, I just can’t go on like this anymore.” He spoke softly, making an appeal for her to respect his deep need to strangle her. He shook his head sadly, full of pain. “Not the way my life is.”
He sat back, still straddling her. But he didn’t get up. He just shook his head again, deeply depressed about the way his life felt to him.
Natasha inhaled hard, pulling enough air into her chest to manage a reply. She forced the words out of her throbbing throat. “Well, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’m moving out. Patty and I are getting our own place. I was going to tell Mom anyway. I’m never coming back here. I won’t be a part of your life anymore.”
Maybe her reply caught him off-guard; his response threw her a curve.
“Do you need any money?”
He remained on top of her, holding her flat on her back with his weight.
She glared up at him. So, she thought with disgust, now he was offering her a bribe.
“I don’t want any money from you.” She was used to his abrupt changes of tone, but from now on all of that wouldonly exist in the past. Natasha knew in her heart that she would never willingly remain in this house now.
That turned out to be true. She would never live in that house again. But there was a much different reason for it, as she was only moments away from learning.
CHAPTER
3
R obert looked back down at Natasha for the last time before he rose. He seemed to have made his decision.
“I have something that will make you feel better,” he said. He walked away, leaving her sitting stunned on the floor while he stepped out the front door of the house.
Tasha fought to regain her wind and her self-control. The fear was growing sharper inside her now. Whatever her father had to make her “feel better,” she didn’t want any part of it. It was abundantly clear that she had made a mistake in remaining in the house while he was still in the backyard. She didn’t want to repeat it by waiting around to see what was coming next. But her thoughts ricocheted around without producing any answers while she labored to force a plan.
She couldn’t go out the front without running into him. She could head for the back door, but the backyard was bordered by a steep hill and a wire fence blocking off an open field.
Both routes at the sides of the house would only lead from the back to the front, returning her to where he already was.
The garage door opened only a few feet from the front door, leading her back to
“Are you okay?” he asked matter-of-factly, as if she had just fallen off a bicycle.
Tasha glared up at him as he pulled his hands from her throat. All her fear had already given way to indignant outrage. “I’ll live,” she answered as harshly as she could, voice still husky from the shock to her vocal cords.
She rubbed her throat and avoided looking into his eyes. She wasn’t afraid to meet his gaze but didn’t want to absorb any more of his energy than she had to.
Enraged thoughts flashed through her at lightning speed.This was it, she thought to herself. She was out of this dump, permanently. After all, she’d only remained living in her mother’s house because Robert had been separated from Claire for the last few years, supposedly giving Tasha a chance to grow up in some amount of peace. But if he was going to start showing up around the place again, acting this way whenever he wanted to, she was absolutely getting out. Now that she was eighteen nobody could force her to stay there anymore.
Meanwhile Robert kept staring down at her and regarding her curiously, as if wondering exactly what his next move should be. When he finally spoke all trace of his rage was gone.
“You have to understand, Natasha, I just can’t go on like this anymore.” He spoke softly, making an appeal for her to respect his deep need to strangle her. He shook his head sadly, full of pain. “Not the way my life is.”
He sat back, still straddling her. But he didn’t get up. He just shook his head again, deeply depressed about the way his life felt to him.
Natasha inhaled hard, pulling enough air into her chest to manage a reply. She forced the words out of her throbbing throat. “Well, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’m moving out. Patty and I are getting our own place. I was going to tell Mom anyway. I’m never coming back here. I won’t be a part of your life anymore.”
Maybe her reply caught him off-guard; his response threw her a curve.
“Do you need any money?”
He remained on top of her, holding her flat on her back with his weight.
She glared up at him. So, she thought with disgust, now he was offering her a bribe.
“I don’t want any money from you.” She was used to his abrupt changes of tone, but from now on all of that wouldonly exist in the past. Natasha knew in her heart that she would never willingly remain in this house now.
That turned out to be true. She would never live in that house again. But there was a much different reason for it, as she was only moments away from learning.
CHAPTER
3
R obert looked back down at Natasha for the last time before he rose. He seemed to have made his decision.
“I have something that will make you feel better,” he said. He walked away, leaving her sitting stunned on the floor while he stepped out the front door of the house.
Tasha fought to regain her wind and her self-control. The fear was growing sharper inside her now. Whatever her father had to make her “feel better,” she didn’t want any part of it. It was abundantly clear that she had made a mistake in remaining in the house while he was still in the backyard. She didn’t want to repeat it by waiting around to see what was coming next. But her thoughts ricocheted around without producing any answers while she labored to force a plan.
She couldn’t go out the front without running into him. She could head for the back door, but the backyard was bordered by a steep hill and a wire fence blocking off an open field.
Both routes at the sides of the house would only lead from the back to the front, returning her to where he already was.
The garage door opened only a few feet from the front door, leading her back to
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