by Geri Foster
“What?” she stuttered. “How can I hide something I know nothing about? I don’t even know what it looks like.”
His fist came down like a sludge hammer on the right side of her face. The power of the punch dazed her, knocking her unconscious for a few moments. When he hit her again, she tasted blood.
There would be no coming back from this beating.
Suddenly, almost as soon as it started, it stopped. She slumped against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. Marcus had Bobby Joe in a choke hold and he didn’t look like he planned to let go.
“Call Lucas again, his shouted. “Get him over here.”
Crawling on her hands and knees, Kendall found her phone and made the call. Several seconds later, she looked at Marcus, a dark bruise forming along his left cheek. “Whatever you do, don’t let him go. He’ll kill both of us.”
“He’s done for the night,” Marcus said. “He’s lucky I don’t choke him to death.”
As a small amount of relief set in, she shoved her hair out of her face and sucked in a deep breath, waiting. Soon the sound of a siren rung out in the distance. Thankfully, Lucas would be there soon.
Bobby Joe didn’t look too concerned. He probably figured he’d plead his case to the Sheriff since they were once close friends. He didn’t know it, but he’d lost all credibility and Lucas wouldn’t fall for anything he said. Hopefully, at the very least, he’d spend the night in jail. Monday she planned to press charges.
Marcus looked like a knight in shining armor, only mad enough to kill. Their first date and she hated to think what she looked like after Bobby Joe had finished with her.
She pushed herself up and stumbled over to the couch. Wiping her nose with her blood-stained fingers, she said, “I guess I should get cleaned up.”
“No,” Marcus said. “Let Lucas see what he’s done to you. I want to make sure he’s locked up. The longer the better.”
“This is none of your business, Marcus.” Bobby Joe fought to free himself. “You got no right coming between a man and his wife.”
She jumped to her feet, her fists balled. “I’m not your wife!” Kendall shouted. “We’re divorced and it’s over. I don’t want to ever see you again.” Against her will, tears gathered in her eyes. She didn’t want either man to think she cared enough to cry.
About that time, Lucas came through the door, madder than a Braemar bull seeing red. He grabbed Bobby Joe by the arm and slung him across the room, then he picked him up and knocked him into the kitchen. He grabbed him and dragged him back into the living room where Kendall now stood in Marcus’s strong embrace.
“He was here when we came back from drinks,” she blurted out. “He kept saying he wanted a thumb drive that he’d hidden in a shoebox. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
“She has it,” Bobby Joe gasped, his words coming in short pants. “She just won’t give it to me.”
“Liar!” Kendall screamed. “I told you I don’t have it, why do you think I do?”
“No matter what she has or doesn’t have, I warned you Bobby Joe, if you ever touched her again, I’d make sure it was the last time.”
“I need that thumb drive or I’m a dead man.”
“You might be a dead man, anyway,” Marcus said, squeezing her tighter. He glanced over at Lucas. “If I hadn’t been with Kendall when she opened the door, he would’ve killed her.”
Lucas looked at Marcus. “Thanks for your help. You might have saved her life. There’s no telling what he’ll do when he’s been drinking.”
Bobby Joe struggled to get away. “I ain’t drunk. I’m desperate. I have to have that thumb drive.”
“What are you talking about?” Lucas asked. “And what does it have to do with Kendall? I was there the night you two split. You took your stuff and left her with the rest. Now you’re back wanting more?”
“No, I forgot about the thumb drive. I didn’t think I’d need it, but it’s my insurance policy. I need it real bad.”
“Why?” Marcus asked. “Bad enough to beat Kendall half to death to get it?”
“You don’t understand. No one does. I have to deliver that within the next twenty-four hours or I’m dead.”
“What’s on it?” Lucas asked. “What’s so damn important your life depends on you getting it back now?”
Bobby Joe hung his head. “I can’t say. It’s business.”
“Yeah.” Lucas curled his lips. “I know your kind of business. What have you gotten yourself into, Bobby Joe?”
“Nothing, nothing. I can handle this.”
“Well, good luck. You’re going to be sitting in jail for the next forty-eight hours, then I’ll have you in front of a judge first thing Monday morning. Kendall has a restraining order against you and you broke that. You’ll probably spend time in prison for assault with intent to kill.”
Bobby Joe jerked and kicked, trying to get away. “I can’t. I can’t.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Lucas said. “If you suspected she had something you wanted, you should’ve come to my office and asked me to check with her. You aren’t allowed over here or anywhere near her.” Lucas shook Bobby Joe hard. “You can’t beat a woman. Not in my town.”
Chapter 2
After Lucas left with Bobby Joe in cuffs, Marcus stayed and helped Kendall straighten her apartment. Several things were broken and would need to be tossed, but some things were salvageable.
Bobby Joe must’ve been crazy to come into Kendall’s home and start tearing up the place. Marcus couldn’t understand how someone as smart and beautiful as Kendall put up with that kind of nonsense from someone like Bobby Joe Cochran.
During high school, Bobby Joe had been a looker and a bad boy. All the girls thought him the coolest guy, in his tight jeans, but danger lurked underneath. He drank too much and drove his souped-up Camaro like a wild man.
It saddened Marcus when, in college, he’d learned they’d married. Kendall deserved so much better. Better like him. In high school, he’d secretly hoped she and Bobby Joe would break up and she might notice him as more than a friend. He’d been attracted to her since they were in grade school, and that feeling had only grown as they’d gotten older and more mature. What was once young, innocent love became so much deeper. But it never happened. When he came back from law school, Bobby Joe and Kendall were still married and, as far as he knew, happy. It nearly broke his heart seeing them together, but he took comfort in the fact that she was happy. Then, like all ill-conceived plans, her marriage started on a downhill slide and it didn’t end until divorce court.
He didn’t want to rush Kendall, but he didn’t want to wait half their lives for her to get over a man who beat her, dabbled in illegal things, and drank to the point he needed rehab. And now this. If he had to guess, he bet Bobby Joe got in with the wrong guys and tried to score some money. No doubt there’s probably something on that drive incriminating someone. Someone important.
Marcus dabbed his cheek with a wad of toilet paper until it stopped bleeding. “I’m up for a drink. How ‘bout you?”
Kendall looked at him in horror then pointed to her face. “You want me to go out like this?”
He had to get out of the apartment and away from the memory of what Bobby Joe did tonight. Forcing a smile with all the charm he could muster, he said. “You can cover it with a little makeup.” To sound more convincing, he added, “We’ll go someplace dark.”
She shook her head and leaned against the kitchen counter. “I’d rather just stay here and rest.” She touched her cheek and flinched. “Well, more bruises I’ll have to explain away tomorrow to my clients. Thankfully they’re used to it by now.”
“It’s not that bad.” He lied. She looked pretty banged up, but he didn’t want her to feel ugly. Especially not because of Bobby Joe. “Let’s get out of here.”
She nibbled her bottom lip, debating, then turned and disappeared into the bathroom. He picked up a cushion from the couch and tossed it where it belonged. Glancing aro
und, Marcus wished he’d seriously hurt Bobby Joe. He deserved to have someone rip him apart and Marcus would love to be that person.
After a few minutes, Kendall came out with most of the bruises covered. He smiled and held out his hand. “You look great.”
She cracked a smile and slapped him good-naturedly on the shoulder. “You’re a royal fibber. I look like I went ten rounds with Mike Tyson.”
He put his arm around her, enjoying the feel of her body next to his, and they strolled to his car. After he opened the door and she slid inside, he went around, got inside and headed downtown, trying to ignore the stifling heat.
Downtown Rainwater meant one bar and two restaurants. Everything else lay on the edge of town or in Denton. He debated going there because they stood less chance of them being recognized but, he decided, Kendall probably didn’t want to go that far.
They entered the High Time Bar and Grill and moved to a table in the back. Everyone in the darkened bar waved as they entered, but no one stared. They took a seat and waited for Jenny, the waitress, to take their order.
“This okay?” Marcus asked, pulling out a chair for her. “I thought about Denton, but I know you’re tired, and Frankie’s is too loud.”
“This is perfect.” She cleared her throat, took a quick look around, then gently eased into the seat. “Everyone will see me in the light of day tomorrow, anyway. It’s Saturday and I have a full schedule. There’s no hiding what happened.”
Jenny, a tall brunette with flashing blue eyes and a small figure, came to their table, a tray balanced on her hand. “What can I get you two?”
“I’ll have a glass of red wine,” Kendall said softly, turning her face aside.
“Get me a bourbon on the rocks,” Marcus said. When Jenny turned to leave, he called out, “We’ll also have a couple of orders of wings and some Margarita flatbread, please.”
“You got it.” Jenny headed for the kitchen and Kendall glanced over at him. “I didn’t know you drank the hard stuff.”
“Rarely, but I think tonight calls for such an occasion.”
“You can say that again.” Kendall shoved her golden hair from her face and let out a deep sigh. “This may come as a surprise to you since I have such a big mouth, but Bobby Joe scares me to death. I haven’t seen him that riled up in a long time.”
Marcus folded his arms on the table, worried about Kendall’s wellbeing should Bobby Joe not end up in jail. “You never saw the thumb drive?”
“No,” she said, sitting straighter. “I let him take what he wanted, then Lucas went with me to get my stuff. Everything that Bobby Joe left, Lucas, my mom and dad and I boxed up and took to my apartment.”
“You didn’t leave anything behind?”
“You know as well as I do that house belonged to Bobby Joe’s family. I didn’t feel entitled to take anything except my personal stuff.”
Marcus clutched her hand. “So, you have everything you took from his house in your apartment?”
She nodded, then nibbled her lip. “Actually, I stored a few boxes in my folks’ garage. My dad recently had a small yard sale to get rid of some stuff, including what I left, since I haven’t even looked at it in the last five years. It was just junk that I hadn’t gotten around to throwing away.”
“Has Bobby Joe asked for anything else in the past?”
“No. And certainly not a thumb drive. Like I said, he took his stuff first and stored it at his grandmama’s until I cleared out. A week later, he moved back in.”
“Hmm, what about shoeboxes? Have you looked in them? You know, just in case.”
“I don’t need to. None of my shoes are in boxes anymore. I don’t have the space, so I bought a shoe rack and use that. I’m not exactly sure what he’s talking about.” She propped her chin on her fist. “There were a few things in the shoeboxes I had when we lived together, but I dumped everything into one of the few boxes I used to throw junk into. I never paid much attention to what might be in them.”
“So, no thumb drive?”
“Not that I noticed. Living in a small apartment is tough. That’s why I put the boxes in my dad’s garage. Like I said, he had a yard sale and asked if I wanted the things I’d stored. I figured the boxes had been there so long, obviously I didn’t need anything in them.”
“That’s interesting.”
“What? Do you believe Bobby Joe put the thumb drive in one of those boxes and I just never noticed?”
“I don’t know.” Marcus said, his mind on Bobby Joe. “What I do know is, I think your ex will be lucky if Lucas doesn’t beat the crap out of him. He warned him before and you know the Sheriff as well as I do. He doesn’t mess around.”
“Knowing what I know makes me think Bobby Joe has to be desperate to come after me like this.”
“Why didn’t the fool do what Lucas suggested? Call him and ask? Why go over, break into your apartment, and tear everything apart?” Marcus shook his head and gazed at the crowd at the bar. “There was no call for that.”
Jenny brought their drinks. Kendall sipped her wine while he took a strong pull from his glass of bourbon. The liquor hit the spot and settled his nerves. Marcus didn’t try to fool himself. He knew damn well what Bobby Joe was capable of and he and Kendall had been lucky to escape with just a few bruises.
If her ex thought she had something belonging to him, he’d come after it. And not even Lucas would be able stop him. Marcus took another drink, allowing the warmth of the bourbon to settle in his stomach and spread throughout his body.
“We should pay Bobby Joe a visit in jail tonight and convince him to tell us what he wants while he’s behind bars and can’t hurt anyone.”
Jenny delivered their food and Kendall spread the linen napkin across her lap. The spicy scent of the chicken wings wafted up Marcus’ nose and made his mouth water.
“I can’t go there,” she said. “I have a restraining order out against him. To be at the jail, I’d be breaking the order.” Kendall picked up her glass and drained it. “Let’s eat while he’s locked up and we know he can’t get out. Later, we can talk to Lucas and see if he’s been able to make any sense of why Bobby Joe wants a thumb drive.”
He nodded.
She pulled a slice of the flatbread apart, took a bite then moaned out loud. “This is delicious. I love this stuff.”
He picked up a spicy wing and swallowed the saliva already in his mouth. “I could eat my weight in wings, but I hate the mess.”
“I know, but they’re so good.”
He finished his drink then asked for a glass of iced tea, while Kendall ordered another cabernet. He had no idea how hungry they were, until he remembered they both talked earlier about skipping lunch. In Denton, they only had a few hors d’oeuvres. Besides this, he’d had a slice of toast and a cup of coffee earlier in the morning.
“You must be as hungry as I am.” She slipped the last of the slice of flatbread in her mouth. “As a lawyer, why don’t you take nice, long lunch breaks? Especially on a Friday.”
He swallowed a groan and tossed down his napkin. “I’ve been preparing for a case all day. I have a client who’s fighting for custody of her children. The husband has outspent her. He brought in four divorce attorneys.”
Kendall allowed her gaze to slide to the TV. “I always wanted a family, but I’m glad Bobby Joe and I didn’t have children. It would’ve made our divorce a lot more complicated.”
“Yes, and it’s hard on the kids, too. I see the effects almost daily.”
She wiped her hands, finished off her wine, then shoved back her chair. “Let’s go see what Lucas has to say.”
Chapter 3
Marcus paid their tab, took Kendall’s arm and led her to his vehicle. She had no idea how much he had struggled with himself to keep from killing Bobby Joe Cochran.
Luckily, Lucas would keep him contained and, if Marcus had to guess, the Sheriff had been none too gentle with the drunk. He hoped anyway. Bobby Joe needed a good pounding and his mood made him an
xious to give the man what he deserved.
Marcus knew he had no business sticking his nose into Kendall and her ex’s business. He certainly had no claim or hold on her. She could do as she pleased. But he hoped, one day, she’d see how much he cared. But it seemed, no matter how patient he tried to be, it simply couldn’t happen fast enough.
He’d been waiting forever, and he didn’t like it. Sometimes it felt like it would never happen between them. Tonight, finally, they’d had a date, but Bobby Joe had to step in and ruin that too.
He had stood quietly by as she put up with Bobby Joe’s crap for five years, then watched her struggle to get past the horrible memories for another five after they divorced. He didn’t blame her for not wanting to get involved in another relationship. He probably wouldn’t either.
But Marcus had loved Kendall for so long, and it wasn’t like he was trying to hide it. She had to know how he felt. His family moved to Rainwater after his father received a job offer working between Denton and Rainwater with a marketing company. His mama was a teacher, so she was able to transfer and teach fourth grade at Rainwater Elementary. Given that his Grandma Faith also lived there, they’d jumped at the opportunity to move.
Marcus loved it here. After the big city of Dallas, Rainwater proved to be a breath of fresh air, literally. And once he graduated law school, he didn’t consider living anywhere else, even though he received several lucrative offers.
This is my home.
Now, he just wanted to take care of Kendall. It hurt him every time she had a problem to deal with. He wanted to help, but she’d set very clear boundaries and didn’t want to be pushed into anything. She stood her ground and proved to be a strong woman, determined to take care of herself. So, he bided his time and hoped some day she saw how deeply he felt for her.
It often felt like they took two steps forward and three steps back. For now, he would just be there when she needed him, and pray that she finally started seeing him for who he really was and who they could be for one another.