I realize that this starts a bit harsher than my other stories in the Romance category. Things calm down quite a bit after the opening vignette. The opening isn't indicative of the overall tone. Thank you for reading.
Shards of Crystal
Serenaded by the gentle sounds of the woodlands, Amanda sleepily made her way to the kitchen of their luxurious cabin. Pausing, she gazed through the skylight. The stars seemed so much brighter than she was used to. It had taken a week for her to finally start to relax.
Breathing seemed easier there. The air was clean and clear and not laden with the tension under which they had been living. There was a gradual lessening of that ever-present dread niggling at the back of her mind, wondering if this was the day he found out, or worse, if this was finally the day she received word that he had been killed. For the first time in years, the dull aching in her soul started to recede.
It was a beautiful night, clear with a slight chill. They'd use the huge fireplace the next morning, one of the employees having stacked up the wood. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of juice. Maybe it was something revealed by the ambient light from the fridge or maybe it was a barely audible sound of breathing, but Amanda suddenly tensed.
Hackles rising on the back of her neck, she realized she wasn't alone. Amanda slowly and deliberately put the orange juice down, all thoughts of sleep instantly banished. Smoothly grabbing the knife from the butcher block, she spun towards the darkened living room.
"Put the knife down, Amanda. I don't want to take it from you, and you wouldn't want me to."
She couldn't pull in a breath. The knife fell to the counter from her shaking hands. Thoughts racing through her mind, she tried to quell her panic. How did he find them? Is Crystal still in her room? Savagely suppressing tears as she thought of her daughter, she knew that she had to stall.
"Can I finish my juice, Manny?"
"Enjoy." Speaking from the darkness, his voice sent a shiver snaking down her spine.
"Can I get you something?"
This isn't a social call, Amanda."
"Let me just get a glass. How long have you been here?"
"Stalling's not going to work."
He knew.
"Were you thinking that Mr. McCord and Mr. Dennings were going to burst through that door? Were they going to rescue you after their sweep of the property? They won't be rescuing anyone. Not for a long time."
The shaking was back. She leaned against the counter, trying to project a semblance of stability. Her knees refused to support her on their own, but she couldn't appear weak.
"You made three mistakes, Amanda. The first was never coming to me and telling me that you were falling in love with someone else before you fucked him. The second was not understanding that although I was never the smartest man in the room, I had many friends who were. The third is thinking that I would ever, ever allow someone to take my daughter from me."
He snorted in disgust.
"How was this supposed to happen? Were you going to eventually send me a letter? Maybe tell me that this was for the best? That he could provide a better life for Crystal? That maybe you'd let me see her someday? Is that what you were imagining?"
"Manny, I..."
"This had better not be another one of your lies, Amanda. Instead of telling me whatever was about to come tripping out of your whore mouth, why don't you say something that would convince me not to kill you and your lover?"
"That's... Manny, that's not you. You could never, I... please, please don't hurt him."
"You can stop worrying. Unless he's harmed my daughter, I'm not going to touch him. I don't give a fuck what he's done to my worthless slut of a wife, but if there is so much as a mark on Crystal, I will kill you both."
"He's never," she felt nauseous. "she's fine, Manny. She's perfectly fine. She thinks we're on a vacation."
"When you and I are done, tell Jeremy what you know about me, Amanda. Tell him that if he's hurt my daughter in any way, I'll kill him. Tell him that if he tries to find us, I'll kill him. And you can tell him that I don't give a crap about you. He can stay with you until you're old and grey, he could pass you around to the other titans of industry, he can leave you tomorrow. I don't care."
Fear gripped her, and her heart pounded. "Us. You said tries to find us. Who's us, Manny? You can't take her. You can't take my daughter!"