When Love's at Work

by Merri Hiatt

  Purity couldn’t move, speak or even breathe. Derek Worthington was four feet away from her. Every part of her body was ready to run, yet her feet were cemented in place. She couldn’t look in his eyes. She didn’t want him to see how much he frightened her.

  “You didn’t return my call,” Derek said, casting his gaze on Purity’s profile.

  Pure couldn’t find her voice. It was buried deep inside her memory. She knew if she could just move, take some kind of action, she’d break the spell. Finally, she was able to move the pinky on her right hand. With that small movement came release and she reached into her purse, retrieved her cell phone and dialed 911.

  Feeling a renewed power at taking forward motion, Purity’s eyes met Derek’s and held them fast as she said to the 911 operator, “My name is Purity Zyetta. Derek Worthington is four feet from me right this minute and he is violating a restraining order I have against him.”

  “Aw, Pure,” Derek said, taking a step toward Purity.

  Alex stepped directly in front of Purity.

  “I think that’s the lady’s way of saying it’s time for you to leave,” Alex said, not knowing the situation, but automatically taking Pure’s side.

  Purity continued to give information on her location and the situation at hand and then hung up.

  “Hey, man, I don’t want any trouble,” Derek said to Alex.

  “Good, me either,” Alex said confidently and with such a commanding presence that Derek seemed to shrink about three inches.

  Purity secretly hoped that Alex would keep him talking so the police would have enough time to arrive. Maybe this time there’d be some kind of repercussion for his actions. Heaven knows all the other times there weren’t.

  “I just want to talk to her. She won’t return my phone calls,” Derek explained, playing the victim.

  “Generally speaking, when someone has a restraining order against someone, there is to be no contact, including phone calls,” Alex explained.

  “My mother had a stroke, okay?” Derek’s voice was agitated and he was beginning to shift his weight back and forth from his left foot to his right.

  “Purity, go back to your office,” Alex said quietly, but firmly.

  When he didn’t receive a response, Alex turned to look Purity in the eyes. Instead of meeting her gaze, he found her lying on the cement.

  Derek stated casually, “She must have fainted.”

  Alex quickly bent down on one knee to check Pure’s breathing and her pulse. She was breathing and her heart was beating a steady rhythm.

  Alex heard the sound of tires on asphalt and then saw the police car pull up.

  “Fuck,” Derek muttered under his breath. He thought about running, but it was too late, they’d already seen him. He should have left sooner.

  One of the police officers called in for an aid car as the other officer began asking for details. He promptly put handcuffs on a raging Derek. “I didn’t do anything wrong! We were just talking.” He was read his rights and placed in the back of the squad car.

  When the aid car arrived, they administered smelling salts and Purity awakened. Shaking her head as if to clear her brain, the memory of recent events came flooding back. She searched the parking lot for signs of Derek.

  “He’s in the back of the police car,” Alex told her, holding Purity’s hand for comfort and support. There was fear in her eyes, even though he could tell she was trying to hide it. Pure’s face was pale and her hands were clammy.

  “Do you think you can sit up?” one of the EMT’s asked.

  “Yes. Yes, I think so,” Purity responded as she made her way from a prone position to a sitting one. The other EMT gave her oxygen and instructed her to breathe deeply.

  The two police officers were talking within earshot and both Purity and Alex heard them say they could take Derek in but they wouldn’t be able to hold him. He’d violated the restraining order, but he hadn’t actually hurt anyone. They would document the violation but, realistically, that was all they could do.

  Purity didn’t want to explain her relationship with Derek. She was sick of talking about what a fool she had been to trust him. What a fool she still was. Love was for teenagers, the idealistic young who still believed in happily ever after.

  Pure felt Alex’s hand in hers and turned her eyes upon the sight. Alex wanted more than she would ever be able to give. She was damaged goods. She’d never be able to give her heart to him, or any man. There was just no trust left in her. Besides, with Derek Worthington hiding around every corner waiting to pop up and ruin any chance she might have of happiness, it wouldn’t be fair to get involved with someone and drag them into the muck, too.

  Purity removed her hand from Alex’s grasp. It felt cold immediately and she missed his gentle touch.

  Alex knew that Purity’s walls were firmly intact, even more so than before the guy from her past showed up. He watched her eyes and saw the shadowed veil fall silently into place. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to lift it again, but he was damn well going to try.

  The policemen left, letting Purity know they would file the paperwork on the violation and she should also be in touch with Brad Thompson, who was following the case. Pure removed her oxygen mask so she could speak and assured them she would contact Brad tomorrow.

  Purity refused any further treatment by the EMT’s and said she wanted to go home. They had her sign paperwork and then left the scene.

  Instead of asking Pure if she wanted to go to his home, which is what he wanted to do, Alex said, “I’ll call your friends for you, if you’d like.”

  The lump in Purity’s throat made it impossible to talk, and the tears of vulnerability that she hated to show came pouring from her eyes. Pure nodded her head at Alex’s offer and handed him her cell phone. She couldn’t see clearly to find the numbers.

  “Courtney and Meg,” she half sobbed. She wished she had Dorothy’s ruby slippers right this very minute. She wanted to be home, safely tucked in her bed.

  Alex explained the situation to Purity’s friends succinctly and they were pulling into the parking lot within ten minutes.

  “That sonofabitch!” Courtney yelled as she approached her friend. “If he comes within a mile of you again, I will castrate him. I’m going to buy a knife tomorrow.” She sat down on the ground next to Purity and wrapped her arms around her.

  Meg was calmer and quieter, but nonetheless enraged that Derek was still hurting her friend. Meg sat on the ground next to Purity and Courtney and searched her friends’ darkened eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” Purity replied.

  No one noticed that Alex McCallister silently left the scene.

  There were only two Derek Worthington’s in the telephone book. Alex wrote the addresses down. One street he recognized immediately as being close to the new movie theater; the other was across town, he’d need to Mapquest that one.

  He’d already called the police station and found out that Derek was being released within the hour. Those restraining order laws were a joke.

  Alex hated seeing that look of fear in Purity’s eyes. It was true he didn’t know what had transpired between them, but he was confident Derek Worthington had crossed the line, not Purity.

  Would she ever be able to trust him? How long and how hard would he have to fight to break through her carefully crafted defenses?

  With Mapquest directions in hand, Alex headed for Derek Worthington’s home.

  Courtney, Meg, Tapestry, and Purity were all sitting on Pure’s bed drinking hot chocolate. Tapestry had been out of town and had to be informed of all the activity that had occurred.

  “Holy crap, Pure!” Tap exclaimed. “I’m gone and all hell breaks loose.”

  “Wasn’t it nice of me to wait until you were gone to have all my escapades?” Purity said, a touch of sarcasm scarring her words.

  The doorbell rang and Meg eagerly jumped off the bed. “I’ll get it.”

  “Gee, you think she’s anxious to see Bo
bby?” Courtney remarked when Meg was out of earshot. The trio smiled knowingly. Meggie had been crushing on Bobby for a couple of years, but it wasn’t until last December that Bob had noticed Meg. Pure thought it would be ideal if they ended up getting together. One of her best friends and her brother. Her biological family and her family of choice melding together. She liked the idea. A lot.

  “Hi Bobby,” Meg welcomed, adding a big smile.

  “Hey, Meg,” Bobby said, surprised that Purity didn’t answer the door. “You look great.”

  “Thanks. You, too.” He hadn’t changed much since she’d seen him last. He still had those full lips and deep sea-green eyes. His sandy colored hair was tossled in a way that made him seem even sexier.

  “Come in.” Meg moved aside so Bobby could enter Purity’s apartment.

  “Where’s Pure?”

  “She’s in the bedroom. There was an incident. With Derek.”

  Bobby’s face lit with anger and he walked briskly into the bedroom.

  “Hey, bro,” Purity addressed her brother, then saw the look on his face.

  “What did that low-life scumbag do now?”

  “How ya doin’? Nice to see you. I’ve missed you, too,” Purity commented, hoping to lighten the situation.

  “I’m not foolin’ around, Purity, this is serious.”

  “You don’t even know what’s going on, so how do you know it’s serious, Bob?”

  “Why else would you have three of your best friends surrounding you while you’re in bed? I just talked with you not three hours ago and everything was fine.”

  He had a point, Pure conceded, so she filled him in.

  “Does he still live over on 4th Street?” Bobby inquired.

  “Yeah, why?”

  Bobby headed for the door.

  Pure jumped out of bed, almost spilling her hot chocolate. “Bobby, wait,” she said as she put the mug on the side table and then followed him. It was too late. He was half way up the stairs before she even made it into the living room.

  “Shit!” Pure exclaimed. “Nothing good will come of this. He shouldn’t get involved.”

  Meg ran to the window and saw Bobby’s car heading out toward the main road.

  Purity tried to call Bobby on his cell phone but he wasn’t answering. “Of course not,” she grumbled, tossing the useless phone on the sofa.

  “Should we go after him?” Tapestry asked.

  “No,” Courtney said with venom in her voice. “The best thing that could happen to Derek Worthington is for Bobby to beat the living shit out of him.”

  Everyone turned their heads and stared at Courtney.

  “Hey, I’m not going to apologize for saying what every single one of you is thinking,” Courtney defended herself.

  “Court’s right,” Meg said.

  “She sure is,” Tap agreed.

  Purity nodded her head. She had been thinking the same thing. She just didn’t want Bobby to become involved in all of this, or get hurt. Nobody really knew just what Derek was capable of.

  As Bobby closed the distance between Pure’s apartment and Derek’s house, his anger was at a frenzied peak. He was sick and tired of this asshole abusing his sister. It was going to stop and it was going to stop now. He’d make sure of it.

  He found the home fairly easily as the area hadn’t changed much over the years. Bobby parked his car and surveyed the surrounding neighborhood. He noticed a car with someone inside it parked just across the street. He wondered if that could be Derek. He hadn’t seen him in a while and it was dark out.

  Alex had been sitting in front of Bobby’s house for half an hour. All the lights were out and he didn’t know if the douchebag was home yet or not. The other location he checked out turned out to be the home of a young couple with two kids.

  He saw the car pull up directly in front of the house he was watching, but the figure inside didn’t seem to have the same build as Derek. Besides, he had a full head of hair and Derek didn’t.

  The two men sat in their cars for about twenty minutes. Neither sure of what their best plan of action should be.

  Finally, Alex got out of his car and headed for Derek’s front door. Bobby watched him walk up the path and decided that this might be his opportunity. He got out of the car and followed Alex’s trail.

  As he approached Bobby said, “Are you Derek Worthington?”

  Alex turned around and replied, “No, but I’m looking for him.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I’m Alex McCallister,” Alex commented, raising his arm to shake Bobby’s hand.

  “Bobby Zyetta,” Bob replied, shaking Alex’s hand firmly.

  “Any relation to Purity Zyetta?”

  “She’s my sister,” Bobby said, surprised that this stranger would know Pure. “How do you know Purity?”

  “I’m a board member at The Kids’ Place where she works,” Alex paused, “and I’d like to be more than that.”

  So, Bobby thought, his sister had kept this beau under wraps. He’d have to drill her for more information when he got back to her place.

  “It’s my intention to beat the living crap out of this guy tonight,” Bobby explained without remorse.

  “That’s my intention as well,” Alex remarked. “I’ll flip ya for who gets to hit him first.”

  “Heads,” Bobby replied.

  Alex pulled a quarter from his pocket and flipped it in the air, catching it on the way back down and then placing it on the back of his hand. Heads.

  “Damn,” Alex said with regret in his tone.

  Bobby smiled. Purity had made a good choice.

  Derek Worthington told his friend to keep driving.

  “But your house is right there,” his buddy pointed out.

  “So are two guys who know Purity. Keep driving.”

  Derek wasn’t sure what the men wanted, but he knew it couldn’t be good. He hadn’t seen Bobby Zyetta in a few years, but there was no mistaking his presence. The other man was the guy Purity had been talking to earlier in the day. Purity must have sent them over to give him a good talking to, or worse.

  The thought crossed his mind that if he just let them beat him up, then he could press charges against them, and Purity for sending them on the mission. He liked the feeling of power he had over Purity. She had tried to hide it earlier, but he saw through her facade easily. She was scared.

  Derek wanted to feel Purity under him again, his hands around her neck. Loosely at first, then tighter and tighter. He just had to be patient. Bide his time. The restraining order she had issued was useless and they both knew it. The police would never do anything unless he actually harmed her in some way and he wasn’t stupid enough to do that.

  “You can stay at my place tonight,” Derek’s friend offered.

  “Thanks.”

  The two men sat on the porch for a solid hour before Bobby said, “I don’t think he’s gonna show.”

  “I think you’re right,” Alex concurred.

  “Wanna go get some breakfast?”

  “Sure. There’s a Denny’s about a mile up the road.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll follow you.”

  As they made their way to the restaurant, Bobby wondered what would have happened if Derek had shown up. He had been afraid he would lose control and beat the man to within an inch of his life. How in the hell were they going to keep him away from his sister?

  Bobby pulled his car into the parking lot and parked beside Alex’s car. Once seated, the men placed their orders.

  “So, tell me more about your relationship with my sister.”

  Alex took a sip of coffee. “We don’t exactly have a relationship at the moment. But, I’m working on it.”

  “I need to warn you that Purity has been through a lot. She’s not one to easily trust these days. I can’t say I blame her,” Bobby paused. “You seem like a solid guy, but I have to say, if you hurt my sister, you’ll have me to answer to.”

  “I can appreciate that. I’d feel the same way
about my sister, if I had one.”

  As the men shared their meal, Bobby filled Alex in on Purity’s past. Alex felt it was only fair that he share a bit about his relationship with his wife.

  “I need to make one thing clear here, Bob. I’m married,” Alex said, meeting Bobby’s gaze directly. “I’ve been trying to get a divorce for a couple of years, but my wife is adamant that we stay together.” Alex shifted in his seat. “We don’t live together. We haven’t really shared our lives for a long time. My wife believes that when you get married, you stay married, no matter what. She thinks if we get a divorce it means she’s a failure and she’ll never be desired or wanted again. I can’t seem to convince her that we should cut our losses and move on.”

  “You still wear your wedding ring.”

  “Yeah,” Alex said, fingering the ring on his left hand. “Twelve years is a long time. It’s hard to let it go. Plus, it helps give women the signal that I’m off the market.”

  “Has Purity ever asked you about it?”

  “No. I have a feeling her assistant filled her in on my story, although I’ve never asked her if she knows my situation.”

  They had finished their meal and were sipping the last dregs of their coffee when Bobby asked, “What now?”

  “Hell if I know. No one can seem to keep Derek away from Purity, so maybe she needs to take some kind of self-defense class or something.”

  “And carry pepper spray with her,” Bobby added.

  They said their good-byes and went their separate ways.

  When Bobby returned to Pure’s apartment, the lights were blazing and he knew the women were still awake.

  When Purity heard the knock on the door she was relieved to know Bobby was okay. She thought about letting him stand out there and rot for not returning her phone calls and making her worry.

  Meg answered the door with a hearty, “Did you kick his ass?”

  Bobby grinned, “No, but I would have, if he’d been home.”

  “If he wasn’t home, what took you so long?” Courtney asked, uncurling her legs from their position on the couch.

  “I met a friend of yours, Pure, and we ended up having a meal together.”