Surviving Broken

by Beverly Preston

  Yanking her hand free of his grip, JC sprang to her feet, sending her chair reeling behind her, knocking it to the floor. “You need to go.”

  She wrapped her arms across her queasy stomach, clasping her elbows for safety. Blood rushed from her face and she felt as if she might pass out.

  “Is there a problem?” came a husky voice from behind and the sound of her chair being placed upright.

  JC gasped, her head snapped toward the familiar voice. Reed’s smiling face brought an instant feeling of security. His gape settled on her face, consciously taking in her flustered demeanor.

  The two men now stood side by side. Reed’s rugged, powerful, masculinity obvious in contrast and distinction to Luca’s sleek sophisticated disposition.

  “There’s no problem. My girlfriend and I are having dinner,” Luca replied in a subdued tone, gesturing for JC to sit.

  Reed’s smile fled. His lip twitched. Moving closer to JC, he rested his palm on the small of her back. His face held rigid as his eyes sized up Luca. “Is that so?”

  Luca stared vehemently as Reed lowered his mouth and placed a reassuring kiss of possession to her temple.

  JC felt a strange surge of power and confidence, knowing without a doubt, Reed would protect her. She was safe.

  Luca’s arrogance and irritancy showed in his shifting stance. He squirmed, keeping his mouth shut, but anger rose in heated layers, turning his placid face to flames.

  Turning his attention to JC, Reed stroked her spine, his slow gaze fixated on her stressed appearance. His fingers slipped to her wrist, testing the adrenaline fueled tremors coursing through her limbs in painful beats.

  His brows narrowed, creating a deep crevasse between his eyes.

  The caressing halted.

  “JC?” A low thunder bellowed from his chest. Reed patiently waited for the answer to the question he need not even ask.

  She nodded in silent relief, feeling as if she had just picked a guilty suspect out of a police lineup.

  Before she knew what happened, in one swift move Reed slammed Luca’s face down on the table, knocking over her glass of water. Dishes clattered with jumping silverware as Luca struggled to get free. Reed gripped the back of Luca’s head, smashing it to the table while twisting one of his arms behind his back clean up to his shoulder blade.

  “Oh, shit,” JC muttered. She reached in between them, but quickly withdrew.

  Reed leaned over Luca’s back. She barely recognized his voice beneath the list of colorful promises. “If you so much as look at her again I’m gonna tear you limb from limb. You understand? There will be nothing left after I get through with you.”

  The volatile air between the two men sparked with challenge. They weren’t yelling, however, they were loud enough to draw the attention of other patrons enjoying their dinner, who were now beginning to rise in their seats, attempting to peek around the tall rustic columns and gauzelike fabric draped from the wooden beams as a privacy screen.

  Spilled water flowed across the tablecloth and pooled on the floor. The waiter arrived with a towel, but stopped dead in his tracks, taking a large step back. His eyes widened to the size of golf balls. “Should I call the police?”

  “No!” JC assured in a pleading tone. “Reed,”—she shoved at his back—“Reed, stop.”

  Reed loosened his hold on the back of Luca’s head.

  JC thought it was over, but Luca turned aggressively toward Reed, spewing Italian.

  Reed slammed his face to the table again, shoving his arm so far behind his back, JC expected Luca’s arm to pop out of his shoulder socket at any moment. The waiter and JC both gasped, neither sure of what to do. A few men raised to their feet, trying the get a glimpse of the commotion. Blood stained the white tablecloth beneath Luca’s face.

  Cell phones would break out at any moment and if that happened, the entire incident would go live on the Internet shortly after.

  She grabbed at Reed, pulling and tugging on his bicep. “Reed! Stop! We need to leave. Please stop.”

  Grabbing hold of Luca’s collar, Reed yanked him to a standing position. “We are not going anywhere. He is leaving right now!” He bent forward, nose to nose with Luca. “You ever come near my woman again and I’ll fuckin’ kill you. Nothing would make me happier.” Reed shoved him into the walkway in plain view of all the other customers.

  Luca wiped the oozing blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. “Si cazzo mi ha tagliato. Non hai sentito l’ultima di me!” Realizing his face was cut, Luca seethed words of complaint.

  Satisfaction tickled JC’s tummy. She wished his lip dripped blood instead of his cheek. Every time Luca looked at his reflection in a mirror, he’d have his own reminder tattooed on his face.

  He snapped the fresh towel from the waiter’s hand, holding it against a small slice high on his cheek caused from the knife lying on the table. He straightened his suit jacket and stalked toward the entrance.

  Reed gathered JC in his arms. “You okay, darlin’?”

  Shaking uncontrollably, she nodded swiftly. He swayed slightly, caressing and petting her with long comforting sweeps down her bare arms. The waiter disappeared and returned to clean up the mess. Her desire for food fled out the door right behind Luca.

  “Reed, can we just go? I appreciate all the effort you went through to make tonight special, but I’ve lost my appetite.”

  The waiter briefly exchanged glances with Reed while changing the bloodstained tablecloth.

  “Sure,” he murmured, flipping the waiter a hefty tip. He shoved the money in his apron, acting as if he’d been ignoring their conversation.

  Leaving the restaurant, they realized they’d driven two separate vehicles. Reed sat with her for thirty minutes, allowing time for both of them to calm down before he followed her home.

  JC changed into her baby blue bathrobe and curled up on the couch with a steaming cup of tea. Curiosity and tension weighed heavily, she wondered how Luca found her at the restaurant. Was it a chance meeting or did he follow her? Had he been watching her? Reed reassured her, promising Luca wouldn’t be stupid enough to approach her again. His vanity wouldn’t allow it. If there was one thing Luca was fond of, it was his face, and Reed would rearrange his features with one swing.

  Reed was angry and agitated. He paced restlessly through the house, checking the locks on the doors and windows. Neither of them slept that night. At four in the morning, JC climbed out of bed to make breakfast. They hadn’t eaten dinner and now that the adrenaline wore off, both were famished.

  She stared numbly into the refrigerator at the empty shelves in her panties and tank top. Yawning, she pulled out a half empty carton of eggs, cheese, and an avocado, but cursed aloud reaching for the ketchup. “Shit.”

  He rested his chin on top of her head, taking the empty ketchup bottle from her hand. “I’ll just have toast.”

  Stress and no sleep caught up to her. “No,” she grumbled. “I’ll run next door and grab some.”

  “I’ll tell you what. You make breakfast and I’ll go next door and grab the ketchup.” He kissed the top of her head and swatted her butt. “Then we’re going back to bed. You’re kind of grumpy.”

  The eggs sat warming in the skillet. Reed had been gone for twenty minutes when JC slipped her jeans on and walked down the long driveway. By the time she reached the road, her mind raced as fast as her feet. Panic took over, allowing her mind to blow the situation out of control, fearing everything from he slipped and hit his head on the kitchen floor to a mountain lion attack on the back patio. She avoided the gate, opting to hop the wall instead.

  Dawn was breaking, but the sun hadn’t yet risen. She approached the open sliding glass door on the back balcony and maneuvered silently through the house, heading for the kitchen. JC expected to see Reed standing at the counter, squashing her foolish suspicions, but the kitchen was empty, filling her with dread.

  Paranoia mounted as JC crept down the hall, hugging tight to the wall lurking into each roo
m. Peering into her bedroom, she saw Reed slumped over the end of her bed in the darkness.

  “Reed!” She darted into the room. A hard object came across her chest with bruising force from behind, imprisoning her against the intruder. A familiar citrusy cologne burned her flaring nostrils.

  “He’s not going to save you, JC.” The long narrow piece of wood bore painfully into her chest and upper arms. Every nerve ending in her body sparked with desperation as she focused on Reed lying face down. She struggled madly, grasping at the bat, her father’s bat, but she couldn’t move, pinned up against the length of Luca’s body. “You are my woman!”

  “What are you—”

  He spun, slamming her to the wall, knocking the breath from her lungs. Each hand gripped onto both ends of the bat. Luca wedged his knee between her legs, crushing her with his entire body. “How could you love him? I am your family!” His eyes blackened with jealous need as he attempted to crush his lips to hers. “Ti amo!”

  JC shook her head violently back and forth. “No, Luca!”

  She didn’t care if he killed her. She’d never submit to him. She bucked and kneed at his groin in a fierce struggle. The sweat on her hands made it nearly impossible to keep hold of the bat, so she let go, striking aimlessly at his face. A right hook connected and Luca groaned with hatred, throwing the bat to the floor.

  Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he nearly yanked it from the roots. Spit flew from Luca’s mouth as he screamed in her face. “I meant nothing to you! Niente!”

  He grasped her throat, squeezing with his hands.

  “Stop, Luca!” she cried through gulps of air. Every pain-filled memory came flooding back. He held her to the wall, grinding into her hips. Tears slicked her eyes, blurring her view. The surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins weakened as her back slumped against the wall.

  The room resonated with a savage roar and exploded into chaos. The crushing weight was gone. JC wiped frantically at the wetness blinding her view. Sounds of the two men echoed through the shadows of the grey morning light. Reed tackled Luca to the floor, pummeling him over and over, sweat and blood flying everywhere. Reed’s blood. The back of his shirt stained crimson.

  “Oh, my God! Reed! Reed, stop!” She ran to his side. He showed no mercy. The sounds of his fists connecting with Luca’s face, punishing. He’d lost his mind, fueled by rage and hatred. By the looks of his shirt, Reed had lost a lot of blood from a gash on the back of his head. Luca lay beneath him, battered and moaning in agony.

  She tugged on his arm. “Stop, Reed! You’re going to kill him.”

  Panting and pallid, he turned to JC with glazed eyes.

  Luca swung, punching Reed on the bloody side of the head, toppling him to the floor.

  “No!” she screamed as Luca crawled over Reed who lay nearly unconscious, but he didn’t listen. He reached for the nightstand, grabbing a heavy glass framed picture.

  With terrified heartbeats, JC lurched for the bat lying on the floor beside the bed. As Luca raised the frame above his head, she swung for the bleachers. The crack of the bat indicated a direct hit to Luca’s ribs. The splintering sound resonated through the air.

  He hovered over Reed, so she hit him again. He folded over in pain, slouching off to the side. JC took aim again, but Reed caught the bat mid-swing with the palm of his hand.

  “Call the police.”

  She bolted to the kitchen and reached for the phone, her hands trembling violently as she dialed the number.

  “Momma,” she croaked. “I need to talk to Tom.”

  ****

  Years of being hounded by the media taught JC invaluable lessons. If Reed or Luca had been lethally wounded, she would’ve called 911. Calling Tom and Tess seemed the most logical choice.

  The police and paramedics arrived within fifteen minutes. However, having Tom make the phone call to his in at the police department held the paparazzi for a few hours. As it turned out, Reed wound up with eleven stitches on the back of his head and Luca’s badly battered face was nearly unrecognizable when the authorities hauled him off to jail from the hospital with several broken ribs.

  Still, the rumormongers arrived, creating a chaotic scene outside the hospital, snapping photos of JC and Reed. They followed them home, lurking outside his home for two days trying to get a cover story.

  Reed’s phone rang off the hook when photos of the two of them exiting the hospital fronted several tabloid magazines. They shielded their faces, but there was no mistaking who they were and the dry blood covering his shirt created cause for concern. Everyone wanted to make sure he was okay, but it was followed up with She’s a handful! or What did you get yourself into?

  The Cosmetic Co. chose to stand by JC, stating they had every intention of keeping their contract. She hoped Reed would too. She found herself actually praying he didn’t leave her.

  The sun hadn’t shined in five days and neither had Reed. His mood was as gloomy as the weather. JC missed his smile. As the days dragged by, she worried Hollywood drama was too much for him. Her insecurity seeped through the cracks, causing her to wonder if he regretted their relationship, instantly turning her thoughts to Annie. She was probably the perfect wife.

  Normally they openly discussed every intimate detail of their relationship, but he was withdrawn and buried deep in his own thoughts. Reed didn’t complain about the fight with Luca or getting stitches, but he wasn’t his happy self. He seemed annoyed and incensed with anger when it came to the paparazzi slithering past the front of his house. He compulsively walked the property, fixating on protecting her from harm of any kind whether it be physical or detriment of her good name. She’d been her own deterrent of her good name years ago and had been working hard to restore it.

  Lack of self-confidence resulted in lack of sleep for JC.

  Reed tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep well from the swelling, bruising and stitches. By day five of dreary weather and strained emotions, both were exhausted.

  On day six, JC finally slept all night. Rays of morning sunlight pushed through the window, warming her exposed bare leg peeking from the sheet. She rolled over with a yawn, reaching for Reed, but only found an empty pillow.

  JC sat up, dangling her feet over the edge of the bed, rubbing her eyes and curling her toes on the warm wood. A week’s worth of stress had taken its toll, leaving her feeling as if she had a massive hangover. Raising her hands to the ceiling, she stretched out the aches and pains hoping to release the stress from her tight shoulders.

  Glimmering rays of light sent a kaleidoscope of color through the room. She squinted and climbed out of bed naked, moseying toward the hues of color twinkling in the window.

  JC stood immobile at the window.

  Molten heat climbed up her neck with each heartbeat slamming against her chest. Her lip shivered and tears welled in her eyes.

  She lifted her palm to a diamond ring suspended in the center of the window by a clear string. Breathless, she gazed at the gorgeous ring resting in her hand.

  Sensing Reed’s presence, she gasped slightly when he lowered his lips to the sensitive curve on her neck. Goosebumps skittered across her skin.

  “Mornin’,” he whispered, standing naked beside her.

  The sweet scent of coffee drifted through the hair falling around her shoulders. He held out a steaming cup of hazelnut coffee and she accepted it in her left hand. She stared at him through repeated blinks while he gazed coolly out the window, taking in the peaceful sunrise.

  “What’s this?” she asked through a teary smile.

  “Your favorite cup of joe,” he replied in a voice so delicious it sent ripples of desire through her spine.

  This provoked a small giggle. “This.” She stretched out her other hand with the diamond ring.

  He turned slowly and cradled her hand in his. “This is my way of asking you to marry me, JC Mathews.”

  “It is?” Her chin quivered in confusion.

  “It is.” He took the cup from her
hand and placed it on the windowsill.

  “But, you’ve been so quiet. I thought you were gonna break up with me.”

  “I tried to do this the traditional way at dinner the other night and…well that didn’t work out so well for me.” He caressed her hand. “I’ve been anxiously waiting for the sun to shine.”

  “The sun to shine?”

  “Ummhmm. You love the sunrise. It’s your favorite time of day.” He folded her fingers, bringing them to his lips. “JC, darlin’, will you marry me?”

  “I...” This was the happiest moment of her life, but JC’s voice suffocated, strangled in her speculation Reed might not be able to love her as much as Annie. “I want to say yes.”

  “But?” Reed’s eyes floated shut with utter disappointment and his chin fell to his chest. “It’s okay if you’re not ready. I just thought—”

  “That’s not it, Reed.” JC dropped his hand and bolted to the closet.

  Reed followed right on her heels.

  She flung through clothes frantically, finding a pair of jeans and pulling a t-shirt over her head. “I need to ask my Momma something before I give you an answer.”

  He grabbed her by the arm, commanding her attention. “I’ve already talked to Tom.”

  JC stopped and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him as if she’d drown if she let go. “You did? Oh, my God, you asked Tom for my hand in marriage?”

  “Of course I did.” He followed right behind her as she rushed through the house slipping on her flip-flops and searching through her purse.

  “When? When did you ask him?” She stopped scrambling and beamed up at him.

  “I asked him the first morning we met.” Whatever Reed saw in her eyes calmed him. “He said yes…after he laughed and wished me luck. When he realized I was serious, he gave me his blessing and said he had a good feeling about me.”

  “I won’t be gone long.” She placed a peck on his cheek.

  Reed grabbed her by the waist, pulling her in close. “Where are you going?”