“Jesus. Is he really dead?”
“I think so.” He glanced over at Crystal. She wasn’t going to be much help. “Listen, I’m going to call the police. Will you keep an eye on Crystal?”
Her eyes locked onto his. “Okay.”
He picked up the gun with his right hand and placed it on the counter by the phone. He lifted the receiver.
“Is it really over?”
He turned to see DeeDee staring at him, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just done. “Yes. It’s over.”
Chapter Twenty-One
For the second time in two days, Carl and DeeDee found themselves surrounded by police, answering questions. At first, they didn’t know what to make of the scene: A large, muscular man dead on the floor, shot three times, and two young women and a man with an impossible story to relate.
Once the Santa Barbara detectives talked to their counterparts in San Francisco, they came around. They were excited to be part of a high-profile bust. And all they had to do was show up.
While paramedics splinted Carl’s arm in preparation for taking him to the hospital, a detective came over with a cell phone. “Detective Reilly wants to talk to you.”
Carl took the phone in his good hand. “Yeah?”
“Sorry about the mess you got into down there,” Reilly said. “We should’ve thought to have someone check out your house. Dammit, we knew he had your wallet.”
“It never occurred to me, either. I figured he’d be long gone.”
“We should’ve guessed he might be so angry at you to make you pay for the loss of his business.”
“Yeah, that’s the way it looks.”
“Well, I know you gotta go to the hospital. But I wanted to tell you—you got a lot of guts.”
“I was lucky. If DeeDee hadn’t shot him, I’d be dead now.”
“Yeah. You’ve got yourself a great gal there. This Crystal woman bothers me. I doubt that’s her real name. We’re trying to track down her family now. Did she ever say anything to you about where she came from?”
“No. I just assumed she was part of Turk’s world from the beginning. How else could she stay with him so long?” Even as he said it, Carl thought of DeeDee’s blank expression and obedient behavior. Given enough time, she could’ve ended up just like Crystal—or whatever her name really was.
“Well, I’ve got the police down there helping us, so we’ll figure it out. Is DeeDee all right?”
“She seems to be, although she’s in shock, I think. They’re taking her to the hospital too, just for a checkup.”
“Good. Well, you guys take care. I’m glad you’re okay.”
At the hospital, an orthopedic surgeon was called in to set Carl’s arm. When he was finally released, a bulky cast bouncing in a sling, he went straight to DeeDee’s room.
She was lying back, the bed tilted up. When she saw his face, she smiled and held out a hand.
“Wow, you look much better,” he said immediately, taking her hand in his.
“I feel better. They gave me something. Valium, I think. I’ll be released in a bit. Ohh, look at your arm. Does it hurt?”
“Only when I bowl,” he said, trying to make her laugh.
“Sit here.” He obliged and sat on the edge of her bed. She put her hand on his thigh. “You are an amazing man, Carl Harman. I hope you know that.”
“Aw, shucks,” he joked, then turned serious. “I wasn’t going to leave you there.”
“And I thank you.”
“I thank you, too. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He sat beside her on the bed, holding her hand, thinking how lucky he was to have met her.
“DeeDee—” He stopped.
“Yeah?”
“This lifestyle. It really sucks you in, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s kind of dangerous, and yet, kind of exciting too.”
She nodded. “Yes, it is. I hadn’t realized how much a part of my life it had become until I spent time in Turk’s dungeon. I don’t think I ever want to experience that level of intensity again.” She rubbed his arm. “It’s better as a game.”
He nodded. “Yeah. But it’s a game I don’t want to play for a while.”
“Well, no. At least, not until your arm heals.”
That surprised him. “Really? You aren’t mad at me?”
Her puzzled look seemed genuine. “What would I be mad about?”
“Well, you know. The trip to the mall and all…” He felt his face grow red.
She shook her head. “You kidding me? I never had such orgasms in my life! It was like taking a drug or something. You know, if we could bottle that somehow, we’d make a fortune.”
“Yeah, but … Didn’t you feel exploited? Used?”
“Yes and no. Yes, of course I did—and that was the point, wasn’t it? To be, um, subservient, is a big part of my life for a reason. I like it—with the right man. That’s why I didn’t feel used, because I was with you. I did feel used with Turk. He didn’t take any of my feelings into account. With you, I felt like you were watching out for me all the time. I could just let myself go and enjoy it. I’m sure if you went too far, I’d lose that feeling, but you never did. You took me right to the edge.”
“So you’re telling me that you think it’s okay for a woman to be treated that way?”
She shook her head. “Not any woman. Just me.” She dipped her head. “I guess I should’ve told you that first night that I was kinda crazy.”
“No, you aren’t—”
“Hush, it’s okay. I don’t mean crazy like I should be locked up. I just mean odd. Strange. Twisted—but in a good way. Does that make sense?”
“Well, yes, but after getting tangled up with Turk, I figured you’d hate that whole scene. And because I was part of it, you might be angry with me too.”
“How could I, after you saved me? Do you know what it was like for me there? Waiting for orders from Turk, being made to do whatever I was told, regardless of how I felt?” She wiped away a tear. “I’m telling you, Carl, I was on my way to becoming a zombie. That’s the way men like Turk like women. Not you. You liked me for what I was inside as well as outside.”
Carl could feel his own tears coming now and he didn’t care. He’d never met someone like DeeDee and he wasn’t sure if he deserved her.
“Listen, I’m going to take you home to my place and take care of you. I want you to feel secure again. Then we can talk about what we want to do about…lifestyle choices.” He waved his hand vaguely in the air.
DeeDee smiled then shook her head. “No, Carl. You’re not going to take care of me. I’m fine, really. You’re the one with the broken arm. I intend to take care of you. Feed you, wash you, even do some of the heavy lifting if I have to.”
His eyes were blurred by tears and he found himself grinning like a fool. “What about your place?”
She shuddered. “I don’t want to go back there right now. The way Turk burst in that day—” She shook her head. “You don’t mind if I stay with you?”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He looked around. “Now where’s that doctor? I want to take you home.”
Epilogue
Carl flexed his left arm, which appeared shrunken and white compared to the other one. He was glad to finally have the damn cast off after two months, but now he’d have to do some serious physical therapy to bring it back to normal.
“Whaddya think?” He held his arms out, side by side for inspection.
DeeDee, sitting next to him on the couch, leaned down, her mouth pursed in a comic exaggeration of distaste. “Eww. I hope you’re not going to touch me with that thing.”
“Hey!” He took his arms back in mock offense.
“Oh, stop. You know I love you, even if you had a wooden leg.”
Carl took her hand, noting the sharp contrast in tone between their arms. “I just need a little tan. Besides, I figured you’d prefer tender flesh to that hard cast.”
“Yeah, that was getting old. I’m tired of always being on top.”
“Some women really like that. They say it gives them power over a man.”