A Sea of Smoke: A Dark Romance (A War of Hearts Book 2)

by Karen Lynn

  By the time Jake came home from work, her eyes were red and swollen from crying most of the day.

  What the hell should I do? If I tell him my intentions, he’ll be furious. There was only one option: she had to be truthful. Lies and deception were the cancerous lesions that threatened to destroy their relationship.

  They finished dinner and put the baby to bed. The uncomfortable coldness between them drove him crazy. Fumbling in his pocket with the ring he purchased earlier in the day, he psyched himself up to pop the question. With the divorce imminent, why not secure his position? It would ease his mind and the tension knowing they were engaged and would be married as soon as the damn divorce was out of the way. Most of all, it would be the only thing that would help quench his insatiable thirst for revenge.

  On his third beer by the time she slid next to him on the couch, he was almost there. As she snuggled up to him, his stomach tied up in knots. When he pulled her closer, he felt her heart racing. Something wasn't right, the severe tautness in her body had nothing to do with desire.

  “What's wrong?” He eyed her, unaware that his fingers had fallen from the ring.

  “The sentence hearing is tomorrow; Micky needs to meet me at the courthouse to get some papers—”

  “—You want to sit in court with him? You've got to be kidding me!” Mortified, he jolted upright.

  “No! Not with him! Just to meet Micky. It'll be easier and make things go smoother.” Why does every conversation turn into a disastrous battle?

  “It'll be easier when you forget that asshole exists and concentrate on us! I thought that's what we agreed, Kristen?” His voice boomed now, striking a chord of alarm in her.

  “I know, but, I...” Everything she had prepared in her mind evaporated. Why does he always have this effect on me?

  “But nothing. You know I don't trust that Micky bastard either. I still don't understand why you had to bring him into this.” His blood pressure zoomed, battling with the nice buzz he had from the beer.

  It isn't working. I have to calm down before I blow up and do something stupid. Taking a deep breath, he crammed his palm to his forehead and began rubbing it.

  “Jake, I promise, I'll just get the papers and leave. I thought I'd sit in on the hearing just to make sure he doesn't implicate me, but if you really don't want me to, baby forget it. My main concern now is making you happy.” She reached up to stroke his hair, her fingers lingering tenderly on his face.

  What is this about? Is she finally giving in or trying to play me again? Perplexed, Jake squinted to scrutinize her, frowning at the unexpected look of compassion and sincerity in her eyes. “So you won’t be alone with him and he goes straight to prison afterwards?”

  She nodded eagerly.

  As he stared at her mulling it over in his head, he felt all his mental and physical strength dissolve. Whatever her reasons were, whatever was going on, held little relevance. It’s over, she won. Again.

  Leaning in to kiss her, “What about Alex? I don't want him exposed.”

  “Of course not. I'll leave him with Cassandra. I won't be gone for long.” Relieved they were compromising, her happiness shined through.

  “You asked her already? Before talking to me?”

  Her eyes fell on the throbbing veins in his forehead. He was flaring up again. There was no way she would allow that. Not anymore.

  “No, of course not. But if she can't, I won't go, okay? I love you and don’t want you to be upset.”

  There has to be peace in our hearts, I can’t let all this turmoil destroy us. That voice in his head was back. It seemed he could never silence it—or maybe he just never tried.

  The desire to place the ring on her finger sparked in his mind, just as she slid onto his lap. With her eyes glued on his, she lifted her tank top and unfastened her bra. It was too late for Jake to turn back or be consumed by insecurities. In an instant he was devouring her, all thoughts of anything else but their lovemaking erased from his mind.

  TUESDAY

  The oppressive humidity hanging in the air saturated Kristen's skin as she entered the courthouse. Leaning back to the wall, she discovered pretending to be calm and impassive was out of the question. The huge door leading into the courtroom was closed, barring any view of Logan or Micky, assuming either of them were already inside. Fear held her back, preventing her from passing through that door and the onslaught of nervous tension made it impossible to stand still.

  Alicia's offer to accompany her passed through her mind. Perhaps turning her down had been a big mistake. A distraction and some moral support wouldn’t have hurt. Too late for that now—she was in it alone.

  8:00 a.m. The hearing calendar was scheduled to begin at 8:30, Logan’s case just one of many on a mile-long list. Do they enter from the hallway or a separate door? Her mind was on overdrive as she paced back and forth desperate to relax. Being one of the first to arrive and the lonely, empty hallway made it even harder to calm down. Thirty minutes seemed like an eternity.

  As people streamed in, the hallway buzzed with the mixture of voices, footsteps, briefcases clicking open and closed. Several suited-up attorneys engaged with family members of defendants, victims, or their adversaries. No sign of Micky.

  Her phone vibrated with an incoming text. Jake. She gulped, wondering if she should read it. A light tap on her arm startled her. Forgetting about Jake’s message, she put her phone away.

  “Hey doll, you made it.” Micky shifted his weight from foot to foot scanning the area, the antsy behavior increasing her nervousness. When his briefcase thumped onto the glossy marble floor, she flinched.

  “Where's Logan?”

  His smile turned into a frown. “He should be inside already. They come in from the front of the courtroom.”

  “Oh.” She fought to hide her disappointment.

  “We can go inside. Maybe you can talk to him for a second.”

  Hastily agreeing, she followed him to the door. The irritating sound of someone clearing their throat several times, followed by coughing made her look back. Nick shoved his way to the front of the line, stopping long enough to smirk at her. She twisted away, nauseated.

  Micky stood in the back of the courtroom waiting for her, the curious expression on his face hard to overlook. For a minute Kristen was so rattled, she feared she would faint. Glued in place, she made a frantic search of the entire courtroom for Logan. Just as she was about to give up, his disheveled blonde head came into view. She stiffened, the air knocked out of her. As if sensing her, Logan turned back, his eyes locking on hers. With a deep breath to inflate her confidence, she straightened her spine and walked inside.

  “I need to talk to him for a minute,” she mumbled to Micky without slowing down. He trotted after her as she weaved through people rushing to take seats.

  Once in front of Logan, the tears stung her eyes the instant they landed on his shackled wrists.

  I should be happy he’s suffering. Doesn't he deserve it for killing Ray, letting Nick rape me, for the countless times he cheated on me and made my life a living hell? It’s his fault I had the gun, his fault I used it, his fault Gina was there in the first place. If he hadn’t been screwing her…

  She longed to hate him, so why couldn’t she? Instead, it broke her heart.

  Puzzled by her silent stare, Logan’s eyes clouded.

  “Logan...” She glanced at Micky.

  Logan's eyebrows arched, his eyes questioning. The quirkiness was gone, his demeanor now sullen and serious. His body looked beaten down and defeated as it slumped before her.

  “I hope everything turns out okay for you.” It felt so bizarre, her own voice was unrecognizable. She brought her fingers to her lips.

  He couldn't draw his eyes from those lips, the need to commit them and everything else about her to memory, prominent in his mind. Emotions he thought died long ago, weakened him.

  Love or lust? He had no clue. With a sigh, he realized it was kind of late for that now anyway. Unsure of
how to respond, he gave her a weak nod, blinking back any evidence of tears.

  Micky took her arm, a mystified expression on his face, as he directed her to a seat. Two seconds later the bailiff made the announcement. The judge entered the courtroom.

  * * *

  As soon as Jake made the decision to leave work early and head to the courthouse, his pulse raced from over speculation.

  If only he knew for sure she was inside—but she never returned his texts and it was too late now.

  The bad vibe strangling him, held him hostage. This would be her last opportunity to prove who she was truly devoted to. Nothing could stop him, he had to know for sure.

  He scoped the area. There appeared to be one main exit from the courthouse. He had no idea what time the hearing ended, or, assuming both she and Nick were attending, if they were still inside. It was a chance he had to take. Aware there were metal detectors and check points inside the courthouse, he slumped next to a huge palm tree focusing on the staircase up to the entrance. Taking a deep breath, he felt for the knife in his pocket, checked his phone and waited.

  The judge questioned Logan about different aspects of his sentence then asked if he understood it. All Logan could do was nod. After that, everything went as Micky predicted: the judge agreed to the plea bargain and it was finished in a matter of minutes.

  Although Kristen’s legs were numb, she managed to lift herself from the seat, eager to escape. Logan appeared more lifeless than frightened, when a guard gripped his arm to impatiently lead him to his new home.

  She wasn't fast enough to exit. Neither was Logan. When he crawled past her, they made eye contact. A severe burning in her throat when she swallowed trickled down into her chest. She didn't want to follow him out, but he continued staring back at her and she couldn't rip her eyes away from his. Before she could blink, he disappeared from her sight.

  The nightmare is over, at least for the next year or so—if he manages to survive that long.

  Micky waited for her in the hallway, still bewildered by the intensity of her interaction with Logan.

  “Cheer up Kris, he'll be out before you know it.”

  Noticing the extreme pallor of her skin, his curiosity peaked. They blended into a group of people exiting from different courtrooms, all in a hurry to get to the elevator.

  “How about some lunch? A nice cold beer, or two?” Micky winked as they nestled into the rear of the elevator. The doors rattled to a close. Before she could answer, they jerked open again and Nick shoved his way inside. Disgusted, Kristen winced and sank back as far as possible. Still she couldn’t escape his penetrating glare. She closed her eyes as the elevator made its painfully slow descent to the lobby.

  When the doors eventually opened, she tried to sneak out.

  Nick was on her heels. “Tough luck for your boy, heh Kristen?”

  She picked up her pace, veering to the exit. Nick didn’t slow down.

  On impulse, she turned to face him.

  Fuck this! I am going to tell him exactly how much I loathe him, curse him out, make him feel like the sub-human piece of shit he is and always will be. At the last second, she couldn't lower herself.

  “Drop dead Nick!” The late morning glare was blinding, but she didn't let it discourage her. Micky strode behind, anxious to catch up.

  Jake spotted her the instant she stepped into the sunlight. He also spotted an odd looking man in an oversized jacket lurking nearby observing them.

  Why would anyone wear a jacket in this heat?

  With his suspicions rising, Jake took slow steps in Kristen’s direction. When she came to an abrupt halt, he stopped in his tracks, sliding off to the side out of view. After scanning the area, she continued down the staircase, resting at the bottom to search for her sunglasses.

  Nick took advantage, darting to her side. “Why are you being so hostile to me, Kristen after all the fun we had together.” Not waiting for an answer, he clamped her arm, pulling her closer.

  “Are you crazy? Get the fuck off of me Nick!” She yanked her arm out of his grasp.

  Micky caught up to them, out of breath and unsure if he should interfere. Consumed by hatred, Kristen glared at Nick, ignoring Micky.

  Jake remained fixed in place, giving her the chance to handle Nick on her own. As his temper flared, one hand disappeared into a jean pocket, the cold metal offering instant gratification. Out of the corner of his eye he spied the stranger converging on them. Very interested now, he squinted into the sunlight, trying to get a clearer picture of the man’s face. The glare made it impossible and the bad vibe persisted. He continued blinking until the faint glimmer of metal reflecting off the man’s fingertips, came into focus.

  “Let's go! Now!” Jake called out moving in.

  Kristen stumbled, whipping her head around in the direction of his voice, her wide-eyed look of surprise turned irritated.

  “Jake what are you doing? I have to talk to Micky!” Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she turned her back on Jake.

  Shocked by her reaction, Jake snapped his eyes back to the man to assure he hadn’t imagined the entire thing. This time the gun sealed in the man’s hands was in full view. His arm rose higher.

  Jake pulled Kristen forward, propelling both of them to the ground. She winced as he rolled onto her, shielding her with his body.

  For her, the rapid popping sounds came out of nowhere and sounded more like firecrackers than gunshots. She wiggled around, hoping to get a look. That’s when the force of Jake’s weight pinning her down, the way his heart drummed into her flesh, told her she was wrong—they were gunshots, and they were very, very close. Paralyzed by fear, she buried her head in her arms.

  The area erupted. Frantic screams, cries, shouts—frenzied people scattered in every direction, some falling to the ground in panic. Several more rounds rattled out, followed by more hysterical screaming. The chaos escalated to a feverish pitch, then without warning died down. The police yelled out commands, some of which were lost in the screeching sirens that grew more ear-piercing as the ambulances approached.

  Jake raised his head cautiously, easing some of his weight from Kristen’s trembling body. His eyes landed on the team of officers surrounding two motionless men: Nick, lying on the steps, the alleged assailment sprawled out by the bushes nearby. It was too surreal to be true. Spellbound, he sat up.

  All around voices buzzed, as people wobbled to their feet, some crying out, others too horrified to speak. It was impossible to determine the magnitude of the casualties in the commotion. The news vans arrived, reporters scurried around all anxious to be the first to report the tragedy. Onlookers called out trying to find out the details or contact friends and relatives that were affected. Law enforcement did the best they could to restore order in the turmoil.

  Once his shock diminished, Jake did a quick assessment of the area, returning his eyes to Kristen still huddled on the ground with her face hidden.

  “I think it's safe now Kris.” He placed his hands under her arms, gently lifting her up. Her knees buckled at the sight of Nick, twisted and limp on the stairs, a pool of blood trickling along his body to the concrete below.

  “Are you okay, baby?” Jake whispered, holding her close while his eyes darted around once more. Kristen shook her head, too dumbfounded to answer.

  “What the hell happened?” Jake maintained his hold on Kristen as he spoke to Micky.

  Micky shook his head, taking several deep breaths to compose himself. “Apparently that guy harassing Kristen wasn't very popular.”

  Jake stiffened, his face darkening as he stared off into the distance.

  “Looks like they got the guy though. Damn, that was close! It’s hard tell if anyone else was hurt.” Micky narrowed his eyes to follow Jake’s before bouncing back to Kristen still buried in his arms.

  “Holy shit.” Jake mumbled, his eyes widening.

  Kristen raised her head, her voice shaky. “Is he dead?”

  The terror in her face, ren
dered Jake speechless. His fingers were cold and numb, yet somehow he managed to shove the knife deeper into his pocket.

  What would have happened to her if I hadn't shown up?

  They stood silently amidst the ensuing chaos, each of them lost in their own thoughts, trying to make sense of it all.

  Coming out of the trance, her eyes danced across his face. “Jake, what are you doing here anyway?”

  He was too absorbed in the flurry of police activity around him, to hear her. The knife in his pocket loomed in his mind, turning his desire to leave into paranoia. “We need to get out of here.”

  His words washed over her. As she struggled to catch her breath, it dawned on her. I could've been the one lying dead on the ground if he hadn't been here for me. She clutched his arm with both hands, holding on with all her might.

  Micky’s impatience mounted. Pulling a large envelope from his briefcase, he decided to break the silence. “Listen, I really don’t want to be involved in this investigation crap.”

  “Yeah you and me both.” Jake mumbled, allowing his eyes to travel back to the confusion on the courthouse steps.

  Micky refused to be distracted by it. “Kristen, here's the documents from Marsha.”

  She gave him a blank stare.

  Micky raised his voice over the rising noise.

  “The new attorney that rents space in our suite now… remember?” When Kristen’s expression didn’t change, he pushed the envelope to her. Aware of her disoriented state, Jake intercepted.

  Still puzzled, Micky continued, careful not the mention Logan by name. “I'm sorry the day ended up this way, but at least the hearing worked out the way we hoped. Well, I better get going before they notice us.” He extended his hand to Jake, who stiffened, smiled and eagerly pumped it.

  “Hey man, thanks for helping her out.”

  “Any time. Kristen, take care and stay in touch, you hear?” Not certain if he should touch her, Micky’s lips quivered into an awkward grin.

  She hesitated, then broke out of Jake's arms to spring into Micky’s. Surprised, he glanced at Jake.