BooksBarbecue
Back The Lying House
Chapters (103)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. Epilogue
  102. Acknowledgments and a Personal Note
  103. Excerpt

“But how—what happened? Wait, go sit down. I’ll get some things to clean you up.”

They went to the living room. Jeff eased onto the sofa. Lisa got a washcloth, a towel, their first-aid kit and a glass of water for him. As she tended to him, he related how the night had unfolded.

Listening and nodding, she delicately removed some of the now-damp bandages police had applied to Jeff’s head and knuckles, cleaned his wounds with antiseptic wipes, put on fresh bandages. Pieces of skin had been scraped from his knuckles, and she washed and blotted them dry. She could feel him shaking, adrenaline still driving through him.

“I swear to God he would’ve killed me, Lisa.” A vein stood out throbbing on his forehead. “I blanked out. I can’t remember everything except that all I could think of is what that animal did to you, what he wanted to do to you, what he took from us. Something detonated inside me, and I wanted him dead. It was like an out-of-body thing. The intensity of it just took control.”

Lisa stared at him, searching his eyes as if the man she knew was gone. He cupped his battered hands to his scraped face, still shaking, chest heaving.

“This anger, this rage, just grew in me,” Jeff said. “A dark need to hurt someone because I was hurt. I knew it was wrong, but that’s how life has wired me. For the most part, I always controlled it, but not tonight. Tonight it got loose again, and I swear to God, Lisa, if Dillard and Tripp weren’t there, I would’ve beat that asshole into little slimy pieces and fed them to the dogs.”

Lisa swallowed hard at Jeff’s revelation.

My God, she thought, this is not the Jeff I know. I’m seeing a part of him I’ve never seen before.

When they were finished, he went to their bathroom to take a hot shower, leaving her to consider what he’d told her. She knew nothing of this dark, violent side that he’d kept locked away.

It frightened her.

But it also excited her.

For tonight he’d risen to her ultimate defense, defeating the dragon who’d threatened her life.

Lisa stripped off her T-shirt and got into the shower with him.

25

The next day Lisa kept pace with Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” flowing through her headphones as she ran.

She loved that old song.

Breathing in the scent of the flowering trees lining the wide streets with their beautiful homes, she ran with purpose and a sense of freedom.

The creep who’d attacked her was in jail.