Page 9 of River Wild

Detective Neil Coombs. Highly respected and admired by his peers. Expected to make Chief of Police one day. He got a Medal of Valor last year.

Yet he regularly beats his wife.

I did try calling the cops once, a long time ago, in the beginning. And they didn’t help me.

Because they’re all as dirty and corrupt as he is.

So, I’m doing this the only way I can. I’m changing my name, and I’m going to disappear.

The only good thing about having an abusive bastard of a husband, who is a cop, is when he’s a dirty cop who gets paid by criminals to turn a blind eye to what they do.

Neil thinks I have no clue what he does on the side. But I know more than he realizes.

And that dirty money that he gets paid, which he can’t put in the bank, as it would raise questions, he keeps in the safe that he has hidden in the desk in his office.

The safe he thinks that I don’t know about.

But I do know.

And that’s going to be my way out of here.

I don’t want to take his money. I wish I didn’t have to.

I wish I could be ethical and moral, but I don’t have any other choice.

I don’t have my own money.

Neil has never let me work. At first, I thought it was because he loved me and wanted to take care of me.

I quickly realized that it was just another way for him to control me.

If I didn’t have money, then I couldn’t leave.

So, I’m taking his money, and I’m leaving.

Neil gets up from the table. I see the gun on his belt, like I do every day, and it still makes my stomach tighten.

Neil gets his suit jacket from the back of his chair and puts it on.

I stand and follow him to the front door, as I do every morning. Because I’ve been conditioned to do so.

But not after today.

Never again.

He stops at the door and turns to face me.

I brace myself.

His hand lifts to my face.

I flinch.

The satisfaction in his eyes slithers through me, and I hate him more in this moment than I’ve ever hated him.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Annie.” He grips my chin with his thumb and forefinger.

I tense up as I watch his eyes trail over the bruise on my cheekbone. My split lip.