Down Came the Rain (NOW FREE!)

8

Chapter 8

Annie's fingers flew over the keyboard. What was it the attacker had said? 'Let a woman learn with all submissiveness ..?' 

She typed the words into Google and hit 'Enter'. To her surprise, several Biblical sites popped up. She clicked on the first link: "Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." 1 Timothy 2:11-12.

Annie leaned back in the office chair and stared at the computer screen. What the fuck was that all about? Had that psycho actually quoted the Bible? There weren't many things in life that surprised her anymore, but this certainly did. Not only did it surprise her, it sickened her to her core. No one would believe her if she told them, not with the life she'd chosen to lead, but religion had been a large part of her youth. Every Sunday her family sat front and center at church, devouring every word the preacher had to say. People were supposed to find comfort in the words of the Lord, not ... not this. To use the passages of the Bible to dehumanize women was beyond deplorable. And somehow, terrifyingly familiar.

And this psychopath was still on the loose. What did he want from Hudson? Annie shuddered, fearing the answer. She knew what he wanted. What all men wanted. Perhaps it was someone Hudson knew from the art gallery. She'd spent a great deal of time there over the past year. And now with the art show coming up, she'd been hanging out there even more. Other than that, she didn't have much of a social life. Hudson preferred to stay home as opposed to going out, and enjoyed having a couple of close friends to an entire group. She was quiet and gentle. Fragile. Maybe some pervert found that attractive? Maybe he'd mistaken that for submission?

Shit. It didn't matter how the situation had gotten to this point. The most important fact was that it had. And now that the monster had struck once, Annie was afraid he'd do it again. What if Hudson wasn't as lucky the next time? She'd used the gun to scare him off, but now she didn't even have a weapon to protect herself.

Annie stood from the desk and pushed her hands through waves of dark hair. If she could convince Hudson to stay in her apartment, even while she were at work, it might be enough to keep her safe. But Hudson had a stubborn streak. She'd already refused once when she'd brought the topic up, chances are she'd refuse again. And getting another gun was out of the question. Annie paced back and forth, wondering what she should do next.

"What are you doin' here, Anastasia? I didn't think you worked today." She turned around to find the owner of the club staring at her from the doorway. Ash from the Marlboro Red she sucked on dropped to the floor and scattered around her open-toed sandals.

"Hey, Stella." Annie gave her boss a half-hearted smile. "I'm not working. I just needed to use your computer. Is that all right? You said we could use it anytime we needed to."

"Of course you can, sweetie. My office is always open to my girls. 'Specially my favorite ones." Stella gave her a wink, her collagen-injected lips glossy underneath the harsh fluorescent light.

Tall, with a lean body and curves that still attracted their fair amount of attention, it was obvious Stella Carmichael had, at one time, been a great beauty. Now, her skin appeared weathered from one too many trips to the tanning salon. Her hair hung in long, over-processed, white strands along a skeletal face. The cigarette, a permanent fixture, drooped from her red-painted lips.

"Is everything all right? You look tense."

Annie let out a long exhale and sunk back into the chair. "My friend's having problems. Some sick fuck broke into her apartment last night reciting creepy passages from the Bible." She turned back to the computer and grimaced. "Some shit about being submissive."