Beaten (Broken Book 1)

by Rue, Rebekah

  Wait what’s he doing? Why is he taking my book bag? My brows scrunch up and his smile disappears. No.

  “Let me help you out,” Heath says in a smooth male voice, sliding two fingers under my shoulder strap, but I stop him with a hand. He acts so comfortable around me it’s confusing. Now Heath is eyeing me expectantly, waiting for me to accept or refuse his help. I should refuse—he did get me in trouble the first night—but then again he is my lab partner.

  Really all I want is to see his smile again. So I nod and remove my hand.

  Up the corners of his lips go. Up mine go.

  Looking down, he plucks my book bag from my shoulder and slides it over one of his. For the briefest moment, I stare and enjoy everything I see. Then we lock eyes one last time, and he opens the door for me. “Ladies first.”

  Over the weeks, I quickly become addicted to Heath and his little gestures. He’s a free soul, a wild card. Guys like him are the reason my parents keep a keen eye on me, I’m sure. Everything about him pulls me in. He’s dangerous, sexy.

  I know Daddy will never approve of him, so I skip a lot of class and sneak out.

  I glance back in the mirror for over the hundredth time. My jeans and tank top give the appearance that I’m going to class, except I’m not. No, I’m a wreck and don’t know if I can do this.

  The house phone rings once. That’s my cue; Heath is in place. I make a production on my way out, joyfully swinging my book bag over my shoulder in plain sight. “I’ll see you after class,” I call from the hall to my parents, blowing them a kiss as I tousle their car keys.

  “Drive carefully,” Dad calls out.

  Driving a mile down the street, I immediately notice Heath’s truck waiting in the shadows. Whipping the car behind a large dumpster, I jump out and escape into his truck. “Oh my gosh, it worked.” I giggle, clicking my seatbelt in. Heath fondly smiles, lacing our fingers together and pulling out onto the main road.

  “You know I could just text you when to sneak out if you had a phone,” Heath says.

  Later that evening, I go home and beg my parents for a cell phone.

  In two short months, the love bug has bitten me, and Heath has become my whole world. I think of nothing else.

  Tonight we’re driving down to our secret little lake. It’s a warm and dark night. The stars are shining so brightly, like tiny spotlights through the long rustling trees. Not a rippling blemish marks the lake’s glassy surface. Backing the truck up to the water’s edge, we leave the doors open and take off running hand in hand into the cool water, clothes and all. A smile stays glued to my face, and we laugh, swimming in a mess of tangled limbs without a care. It’s now, gazing into his passionate gray eyes and that smile I could die for, that I realize just how deep my feelings are for him. Heath shows me just how freeing life can be. I’ve grown to love Heath. I didn’t fall in love. Falling in love opens up the potential to fall out of love with him, and I never want that option.

  Making our way out of the lake, Heath stops me with the slightest tug to my hand. His face is serious; he pulls me to him from the back of my neck, barely touching me, and rests his forehead against mine. I close my eyes and slowly inhale his thick swirling scent of cinnamon into my nostrils. His smell does crazy things to my young hormones. “Oh, Heath,” I barely whisper, consumed with peaceful emotions.

  “Lo, be my girl?” he whispers on the edge of my lips.

  Frantic butterflies flutter up my core and bubble out in the form of a giddy giggle.

  Heath takes that as a confirmation and crashes his lips over mine. His tongue slips into my mouth and sensually twists mine up with his. His other hand runs along the side of my body, gently grazing my breast, triggering tingles and goose bumps down my skin, and ends with a solid grip to my hips. With his kiss, I fall even deeper under his spell; it’s all-consuming and passionate.

  Between needy pants, I place both hands on his chest and give a light push, breaking the kiss. Licking my lips and tasting him still on me, I look down, suddenly feeling shy. He’s way out of my league. I’m clumsy and inexperienced in every way, but Heath doesn’t seem to notice, taking control of the kiss.

  Without a word, Heath wraps a decorative arm around my shoulder and places a gentle kiss to the top of my head. He leads me to the back of his truck, reaches in his tool box, and pulls out a blanket and two towels. He unrolls the blanket and lays it in the bed of his truck as I partially dry myself with my towel. Gently taking my wrist, Heath helps me up, guiding me to lie down. He crosses his ankles and rests his hands behind his head, and I prop my head up on my rolled-up towel and use it as a pillow. The night air dries us as we stare at the enchanting twinkling holes in heaven. Hundreds of crickets and frogs are singing, when from the corner of my eye, I see Heath roll to his side and prop himself up on his elbow.

  “Do you like me, Lo?” he asks in a low warm tone.

  Lazily, my head falls to the side, and I look up at his handsome face. “Yes, you know I do.”

  A happy smile slides across his face as he moves closer to my side. Leaning over me, he reaches, placing one hand by the side of my head and holding himself up. His soft silver eyes scan my face, focusing onto my brilliant green ones as he skims his knuckles down my cheek. “You know you’re so damn beautiful, don’t you?”

  I don’t think he’s truly searching for an answer, so I keep quiet, trying to steady my breathing since my heart wants to beat out of my chest.

  “Mm, you smell fucking amazing too.” He growls as his lips caress the side of my neck, traveling up to my ear. I’m not sure how far I’m going to let him take this. My parents drummed in my head to wait until marriage for sex as they did, but I don’t always agree with them. His hands find the bottom of my wet shirt and bring it up, exposing my baby pink demi bra. “Shit, Lo, you drive me fucking wild.”

  Yeah, well, he’s doing the same to me; my insides are messy and my panties are soaked. Stroking the bare skin on my belly with his fingertips, Heath leans down and presses deep kisses to my lips. Kisses infused with love. With my shirt still up, I feel the top button of my jean shorts pop open and my shorts slide down to my knees. Oh my God!

  Heath must like what he sees because his hands are all over me, frantically kneading my breasts, stroking my belly, and softly kissing my clit through my wet panties. I know he can feel how turned on I am when he pushes the edge of my panties aside and slips a large finger deep inside me. The sensation is too much, causing me to arch my back and grip the blanket firmly between my fingers. Letting out a sexy moan, he slowly moves one of his hands up my leg, wrapping his fingers around my waist to steady me. His erection is rock hard and ready as it pushes into my thigh. Slowly, my body starts to relax, and I begin to enjoy the sensation, moving my hips to the dance of his finger. All the while Heath stares at my face, taking in the pleasure he’s eliciting and whispering gentle praises. When I hear the sound of a foil packet opening and feel his finger leave me, my eyes pop open to see his straining cock pulled out through his zipper and him rolling the rubber down his shaft.

  “I can’t wait, love. I need you so bad!”

  His words knock the wind out of me. Settling in between my legs, he uses his knees to spread me wide. Heath doesn’t know I’m a virgin, but he’s making me feel so good. I can’t find the voice to tell him.

  Heath’s latex tip whispers at my entrance when suddenly, to our left, an engine roars and bright headlights from an SUV burst through a row of trees, blinding us. Within seconds, my father steps out of his vehicle and stomps over, rifle in hand. The tight expression on his face makes him appear meaner than I’ve ever seen him. Pure full-on rage etches his features; I actually fear for Heath’s life. Swift as a skilled killer, Dad reaches up and grabs a hand full of Heath’s hair, ripping him off me and tossing him across the field like a rag doll.

  “Lo! Car! Now!” Dad barks.

  My whole body begins to tremble uncontrollably as I hop out of the bed of the truck. Keeping my head down, I right my
shirt and fumble to button my shorts back up. I know Daddy would never hurt me, but I’ve never disappointed him either. We don’t give Heath a second glance and quickly secure ourselves in the SUV, the noise of rushed breathing and silence painfully hanging in the air.

  “Why?” My dad seethes low and through his teeth.

  I swallow hard, feeling sick to my stomach. No words will make him understand, so I keep quiet.

  “ANSWER ME! WHY?” he shouts in my direction.

  I wince and keep my gaze down, hands clasped in my lap.

  “Do you realize what could have happened to you if I hadn’t shown up? Do you want to be known as a whore? Because that’s what you look like putting yourself in that position!”

  Looking up at him, I plead, “Daddy, it wasn’t like that!”

  CRACK.

  With certainty, I can tell you that my father has a large hand. Instinctively, mine shoots up to cover the stinging that radiates from under my small palm. I sit there for a long while, completely in shock, as tears blur my vision, filling my eyes and threatening to spill over at any minute. How could he?

  Feeling the SUV move, I softly cry, shielding my face with a curtain of blond hair. When we pull up to the house, he puts the vehicle in park and turns his body to look at me. “Lo, I’m sorry. When you didn’t come home after your class, I began to worry. I tried to talk myself down, telling myself that you probably just got a bite to eat with a friend, but then you never called. Something told me to track you through your cell phone. Thank God I gave you that phone. It showed your location to be in an empty field in the middle of nowhere. An empty field! A multitude of horrible images played out in my head. I tried to prepare myself for what I might find. Then I spotted the truck and saw movement in the back.”

  He doesn’t need to continue the story. We both know what happened after that. I can’t take being in the same car with him any longer. Unlocking the door, I jump out and run to my room, slamming and locking the door behind me. I throw myself on the bed, and when my head hits the pillow, the flood gates of tears swing wide open.

  I cry for allowing myself to be free for just a moment. I cry for the awkwardness I’m going to have to once again endure at school. But mainly, I cry because the one man who truly loved and protected me all these years broke my trust with a stroke of his hand.

  Chapter 2

  Lo

  Over the next several weeks, my relationship with my parents becomes strained beyond belief. Mom immediately takes me to the gynecologist for a full-screening blood test and an insertion of a birth-control implant. The implant is a tiny little thing and is injected just under the skin of my upper inner arm, rendering me sterile for the next three years. My parents stress it’s necessary to prevent any unwanted pregnancies due to my “promiscuous behavior.” Dad frequently tracks my whereabouts and demands I check in whenever I’m coming or going. I’m on lock-down hell and I’m over it! I’m nineteen years old, and by God, I’m gonna start doing what I damn well please. Heath apologized for disrespecting me and is sorry for pissing off my dad. We keep in contact but more under the radar. Heath went out and bought me a cheap prepaid cell phone that I keep hidden from Dad. Usually, I leave the cell phone my parents gave me at home and sneak out; so if Dad tries to track it, it looks like I’m somewhere at home. I’ve fallen hard for Heath and multiple times have come very close to giving him my virginity, but I always chicken out at the last minute.

  It’s the middle of December, and with all the days I skipped with Heath, I’m on the cusp of failing. Who can keep organized the multitude of ways the kidneys filter urine or the route which the blood flows through the heart? My brain is toast. Heath and I have plans to go over to the house of one of his friends, who is having a Christmas party. My parents are going over to Malory’s, a close friend of the family, for dinner and drinks. I’ve been lying low, quietly hanging out in my room, hoping my parents will hurry up and leave soon. Hearing a knock, I glance up from my Kindle.

  “Hey, sweetheart.”

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “I want to invite you over to Mal’s with us. We’d really like you to go. It will be fun. What do you say?”

  “Ah, thanks, but I’d really just like to have a night to myself.”

  He narrows his eyes, letting go of the door handle, and strides deeper into my room. “It’s that boy, isn’t it?”

  “No,” I say too quickly.

  “I told you to stay away from him. He’s no good! Now get dressed; you’re going with us!”

  “You can’t tell me what to do, and I don’t care what you say. I’m going out with him tonight.”

  “So help me God, child, you will be the death of me!” Moving to my closet, he grabs a pair of flip-flops and throws them at me. “Put your shoes on. You’re going whether you like it or not.”

  Straightening my spine, I sit up tall, trying to muster up as much confidence as I can. “I. Said. No.”

  Daddy takes a step back as if he’d been shot. Hurt and sadness darken his face as he gently shakes his head.

  “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately. Your mother and I don’t even know who you are anymore. We don’t spend time together, and if we do, you’re tight-lipped about what’s going on in your life. We care for you and only want what’s best. Please don’t make us enemies, Lo.”

  Turning my head, not being able to take the expression on his face anymore, I refocus on my Kindle. “Have a lovely time tonight.”

  Dad flinches and pauses. Releasing a defeated sigh, he moves to sit on the edge of my bed. “Goodnight, Lo. Whatever you do, please be careful, and remember your mother and I love you with our whole hearts. You’ll always be our baby girl.”

  Dad leans over and gently kisses my forehead before making his way sullenly out of my room.

  I won! All the energy inside of me wants to jump up and down. I won! Finally, I’ve broken from his cage. I’ve played the part of the obedient daughter and have always been a good girl, but tonight I’m going to have fun. I mean, tons of other girls are doing so much more at my age than I am.

  Thirty minutes later Heath texts me he’s outside.

  The night is a blast! The main theme is an ugly sweater party; they hold a competition and even have corny prizes. The small apartment holds about twenty-five people, and we all laugh a lot, snack on hors d’oeuvres, and drink cheap wine. I don’t drink that much. I know I’ll have to sneak back into the house, and no doubt Dad will be waiting for me with a lecture the second I walk through the front doors.

  Pulling into the driveway around one in the morning, I notice my parents’ car isn’t in its usual spot. No lights are on in the house, not even the ones on the porch. Could I have beaten them home?

  “Thank you for an amazing evening, Heath.”

  “You’re so welcome, my love.” We kiss a very dreamy good-night kiss.

  After I unlock the front door, he waits until I’m safely inside before driving away.

  My body is humming. I’m deliriously happy, floating around, getting ready for bed. I’ll never forget this night. Tucking myself in, I check my phone one last time before drifting easily to sleep, letting feelings of satisfaction wrap me like a warm blanket.

  Around four in the morning, I awake to the sound of knocking at my front door. Knock, knock, knock. “Dad, get the door!” I yell. Nothing.

  Several more minutes of knocking continue, and I decide to get up. I blink a couple times, trying to clear my mind from the sleep fog and pull the door open. Two police officers stand side by side under the porch lights. I barely remember welcoming them in. They introduce themselves as Officer Myers and Detective Cimorelli.

  “Miss Knight, why don’t we take a seat?” Detective Cimorelli offers, extending his hand in the direction of the dining room, but I don’t move. I know from movies that this is bad, very bad.

  “I don’t want to take a seat. What can I do for you, gentlemen?” Officer Myers glances at Detective Cimorelli, debating whether to proce
ed. Their silence is making me very nervous. “Please just tell me.”

  Officer Myers takes a deep breath. “Okay . . . your parents have been in an accident.”

  I cover my mouth in shock and begin to panic. “Are they okay? What happened? Where are they?”

  “Calm down. Are you sure you won’t sit?”

  “Are my parents okay!” I scream, scared shitless.

  Officer Myers’s Adam’s apple bobs with a swallow and he continues. “Your parents were sitting at a red light when two cars raced through that intersection. A twenty-three-year-old male driving a souped-up Mitsubishi Eclipse lost control and crashed into your parents’ driver’s side door.” I gasp out a small sob. “From the evidence, we believe both cars spun out, until plowing into a gas station pump, pinning your parents’ car between the pump and the other car. The pump broke open and fuel spilled out everywhere. Even the gas station attendant couldn’t get the emergency turnoff switch to work. Unfortunately, the twenty-three-year-old had nitrous tanks built into his car, and the intensity of the impact caused one of his tanks to break open. No one expected it. The mixture of the gasoline and nitrous was deadly and instantly ignited the two vehicles.”

  “Oh my God!” I wail, feeling my stomach twist into knots.

  “Fire and rescue didn’t make it to the scene on time to save your mom and dad.” He pauses. “We’re sorry to have to tell you this, but they never made it out of that car.”

  My legs feel paper thin, sending me to the ground, and my heart shatters into a million pieces. Earth-crushing tears of pain pour out of me, all over the floor. One of the officers kneels down and places a hand on my back. I didn’t really want my parents to disappear. Please let this be a joke. I promise God I’ll be the perfect teenager if He’ll give me another chance. I’ll do anything.

  More crying and hard sobs follow. I fucking lose my marbles on that floor.

  The officer with his hand on my back patiently sits there, listening to me for a while. After I begin to calm, he clears his throat and helps me into a chair in the dining room. Once I’m in a chair, my face falls in my arms to the table, and I sob even more. I cry until my body is drained—so exhausted it’s hard for me to catch my breath. Once I do, I don’t dare look at either officer, even though they’re both staring at me.