Free Seducing Liselle by Marie E. Blossom

relaxed, smiling, so handsome you took my breath away.
    Fondly, Liselle
    John crumpled the paper and threw it at
the sofa. He clenched his fists for a moment, forcing himself to just breathe.
Then he walked over to the paper, picked it up and smoothed it out. He walked
over to his office area, took down the book his father had given him right
before he died, and stuffed the paper next to the messy, looping swirls of his
father’s signature.
    It took him two weeks to realize she’d
taken one of his dog tags with her, too.

 
    Chapter Six
     
    Liselle panted as she hurriedly tied the bandage over her leg. God damn
him , she thought, not for the first time. God damn him to hell . Her father was insane, and fixated, and for
some reason he felt he had the right to hunt her down no matter where she went.
She’d given up relying on the restraining orders she’d arranged. He ignored
them and she didn’t have the money to press charges that would stick anyway.
He’d been arrested so many times she couldn’t even keep track anymore, but he
was always free within a few months, the bastard. It made her sick to think
that she shared DNA with the fucker. She still hadn’t figured out how he always
found her again. Stupid modern life with its stupid paper trails…
    She spared a moment to give thanks that
her brother was finally dead and she didn’t have to worry about him, too. It’d
been worse when he was alive—the two of them took special delight in tormenting
her together and since Matt was older than her, the last few years before she’d
run away had been especially unpleasant. She supposed she should be grateful
none of the abuse had been sexual.
    “Fuck,” she hissed as pain shot through
her wrist. Tightening the bandage on her thigh stopped the bleeding, but it did
nothing for the bruising on her arm. Her father had thrown an iron fry pan at
her and she’d blocked it instinctively. She winced. She was lucky it wasn’t
broken. She looked around the cheap motel room and sighed. This time she’d only
managed to grab her emergency duffel. She’d have to start all over again and
she was stuck in the middle of nowhere USA. At least it was warm again outside.
It was always easier to pack up and go in the summer.
    The scent of ripe wheat and a hint of
diesel wafted in the window. She looked at her leg critically. Did it need
stitches this time? The bandage was still white, so maybe she could get away
with ignoring it now that she’d cleaned it and smothered antibiotic ointment on
it. If she went to a hospital, they’d enter her name in the system, even if she
paid with cash. She let herself slump against the wall, watching the parking
lot. She didn’t think he’d follow her here. She’d taken a bus this time, paying
with cash and using a fake name. Usually she rented a car.
    She winced, thinking about the rental that
had broken down in the middle of a blizzard just a few short months ago. Making
love with John felt like a dream, now. She closed her eyes and remembered
waking up in his loft, early morning sun just peeking into the cabin. He’d
looked so beautiful, lying there in bed. Relaxed and innocent, though she knew
he had his own demons. Even so, she couldn’t drag him into the mess that was
her life. Her father always tracked her down. This time, he’d managed to hook
up with her last boyfriend through some twisted fucking karma she couldn’t
understand. The boyfriend one who liked to throw pieces of
furniture at her. He’d given her father her latest cell phone number
because she’d been too tired and too stupid to get a new one.
    She sighed, and let the cheap curtain fall
shut. Ohio in July was incredibly dull, but she could use a little dull right
now. She wished she could’ve stayed in Pennsylvania, get to know her niece, Beth. Go out to dinner with John, like a normal person.
Spend a week not looking over her shoulder. She snorted. Yeah, like that was
ever going to happen. She’d spent most of her