by V. E. Avance
“I’m fucking waiting!”
With a startled and confused look the little guy gives him the information. He doesn’t even need to search the computer system to remember where she went. “Austin, Texas,” he says, diverting eye contact from the raging devil before him.
What the fuck is in Texas? Why the hell would she go there? “One ticket for Austin, Texas,” he orders, slamming his bank card against the counter. When I get ahold of her, she’ll never pull this bullshit again. If she thought she got a beating last time, she’s got another thing coming. I’m going to show her what a real fucking beating is this time.
The little guy charges the card and slides it back to him, avoiding any and all contact with the fire breathing dragon before him. “Bus leaves in four hours,” he explains as he slides the ticket over and quickly removes his hand.
Mark grabs the card and ticket and storms out the door. I have just enough time to pack some shit and get back here. He grabs his cell phone from his pocket and dials it. “Pa?”
“What?”
“I need a ride to the bus station. Can you do it for me?”
“Where the fuck you headed? Was I right about the bitch going there?”
Mark grows angrier by the second. He hates when his dad is right and he knows that the old bastard is going to rub this in his face for years to come. “I’m going to fetch my bitch from Texas!”
“Aight boy, I’ll meet ya at your place. Ya want me to get the dungeon ready for the stupid bitch while you’re gone?” Earl breathes heavily into the receiver.
Mark’s eyes light up at the thought of using the dungeon. He’d love to see Leanna suspended from the rafters and her skin glowing with every switch of his whip. “Would ya, Pa?”
“I’ll start on it tonight, boy. I’m on my way.”
Mark hangs up and throws his phone on the passenger seat of the car before sliding in the driver’s seat. I’m coming for you, Leanna. I’m coming for you and you can’t hide from me. He starts the car and peels out into the deserted road and heads for home.
Ten
Leanna wakes early the next morning. The spare room at James’ house was comfortable and, once she got to sleep, she slept like a log. For the first time in a long time, nightmares didn’t plague her. She woke rested and ready to start the first day of her new life. She can’t remember the last time she didn’t have a nightmare about Mark beating her to death. Yes, the abuse that she’d suffered from Mark inflicted a rational fear of death in her subconscious.
She quickly gets dressed and throws her long, brown hair into a messy bun and makes her way downstairs to the kitchen. She fumbles through the fridge to find breakfast fixings. Yeah, I’m going to need to go to the store today. He doesn’t have much food at all in here; she makes a mental note to herself.
With eggs, cheese, ham and bread in hand, she makes her way to the stove. After a quick search through all the cabinets, she finally finds what she’s looking for—a skillet! As the skillet preheats, she beats the eggs and seasons them before pouring the mixture into the, now hot, skillet. She places the cheese and ham in it and scrambles it together—yeah, she can’t make an omelet for the life of her but scrambled eggs she can do.
“Something smells good,” James’ voice echoes across the kitchen causing Leanna to throw the egg carton up in the air. The eggs fall to the ground and break. “I’m sorry sweetie, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he rushes to her side.
“No, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“Stop! You’re fine. It’s not your fault. No reason to apologize,” he cuts her off.
Leanna’s face grows red from embarrassment. James has done so much for her in just one day than her good-for-nothing husband did for her in five years. “I’ll get it cleaned up,” she quickly says as she begins to turn to find a rag. “Oh crap, no!” The smell of burnt eggs catches her nose. She grabs the skillet and turns to the sink. “I ruined breakfast.”
A tear escapes and slides down her cheek. She quickly swipes it away and begins to clean up the mess she created. I’m such a fuck up. I can’t ever do anything right. Mark’s right, I deserved every beating he ever gave me. Her mind begins to drift to the first beating she ever suffered at his hands.
It was just after they’d gotten married and she was fumbling with dinner. She’d never learned to cook before her mom passed away and Mark didn’t believe in recipes. He believed that a woman should just know how to cook.
She got the cast iron skillet too hot and the pork chops burnt on the outside but was raw in the center. When Mark cut into the meat, his mood changed ten-fold. Before she had time to react, he’d thrown his plate against the wall behind her and had his hands around her throat, strangling her and pushing her backwards toward the stove. “You stupid bitch! You can’t do anything right. No wonder why your parents killed over; they didn’t want to deal with you anymore,” he snarled at her as he pressed her face near the burner. Had the phone not rang, she’s sure he would’ve burned her face against it.
“Stop that,” James startles her from her memory.
“Excuse me?” She asks, perplexed and dumbfounded.
“You heard me. I know you’re thinking you’re worthless and all that other BS your ex put you through and I want you to stop. Accidents happen and you move on, simple as that!”
Leanna nods her head but the thoughts still bellow in at full force. It’s hard to stop thinking negatively when that was all that has been told to you for so long. Her parents raised her to be a strong and independent woman but Mark took all of that from her in almost no time at all.
“Come on, leave the mess and let’s go grab breakfast. Dottie’s Café has the best damned pancakes this town has ever seen.” James gives her a huge, toothy smile and an adorable wink. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t say no to that face.
***
James wasn’t lying when he said that Dottie’s had the best damned pancakes. Leanna scarfed down her stack and then, like a little piglet, ordered another stack behind it. Mark had her on a ridiculously insane diet plan for the past six months. She wasn’t allowed anything but a piece of celery and a cracker for breakfast. She hasn’t tasted pancakes in so long. Sure, she made pancakes, bacon and eggs for him but she was never, never allowed even a taste of what she made. She was on his fatty-diet-plan, as he called it.
“Damn, these really are good,” she compliments between bites. “I never eat like this but…” she swallows another bite. “I sure could get used to eating like this every morning. You think the owner will give me her recipe so I can make these at home, er, um, I mean at your house.”
James lets out a hearty laugh. “Well, for all intents and purposes, it is your home now too.”
“Thank you, James. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help. You saved me from spending one more second in that crappy motel,” she adds, battling the tears that threaten to fall.
“Hey, James,” a burly voice calls out. Both Leanna and James look toward the sound. A tall, fit and handsome man is making his way to their table. “And who is this lovely lady you have here?”
“Hey Devon, this is Leanna. Leanna, this is my friend and fellow officer, Devon,” James makes the introductions. “Devon’s mom, Sandra, is the head dispatcher for the PD.”
Leanna wipes her hands on her napkin and extends her right hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Devon.”
“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Leanna,” he responds while kissing the top of her hand.
“Pull up a chair and join us,” Leanna offers Devon to join them for breakfast.
He pulls up a chair and sits on it backwards. “I’ve already eaten,” he says. “So, where are you from, Leanna?”
Leanna diverts her eyes to the table and taps her finger on the table top. She doesn’t want to lie to him since he’s a police officer but the less people who know where she’s originally from, the better.
“Oh, she came in from Georgia,” James starts for
her. Winking from across the table, he gives her a heart-melting smile. “She wanted a fresh start and thought that our town was the best place to do just that.”
“Georgia, huh? I heard that state is pretty gorgeous.”
“Um, yeah, but when you’ve grown up there your whole life, you just sorta need a change in scenery,” she pops another bite of pancake in her mouth. “Now, all I need is a job and I think I’ll be set.”
“The police department is about to have a dispatching position available. My mom is planning on putting in her retirement package in the next couple of days. Do you have a high school diploma?” Devon pours some sugar in his coffee and stirs.
“Yes, and I can even type,” Leanna’s eyes light up. If she can get this job she’ll be able to get her own place and stop being a burden on James.
“Well,” Devon sips his coffee, “you should apply for the position. You could even use James and I as references.”
“Really? I’d love to apply for that position,” she glances toward James. “Could you take me to the station so I could fill out an application?”
“Sure. After breakfast, we’ll head to the precinct and talk to Gidget in human resources about getting you on.”
Leanna quickly finishes her breakfast while the men talk about sports. Leanna is smiling both on the outside as well as the inside. Her new start in Austin was rough in the beginning but things are looking up for her now. She has an amazing friend that opened his home up to her and a job prospect and she’s only been in town for just over twenty-four hours. Yeah, life is good.
***
James takes Leanna by the house before heading to the department. She wants to look her best when meeting with Gidget for the first time. After half an hour, she races down the stairs and past James to the truck. “Come on,” she hollers.
James shakes his head before heading back out the door but not before giving Patches a pat on his head. “Women, right?” He chuckles at the pooch before shutting the door.
“Do you think this Gidget lady is going to like me? Do you think I’ll get the job?” Leanna rambles off questions as James focuses on the road.
“She’s going to love you,” James rolls his eyes.
She purses her lips and stares James down. He glimpses at her from the corner of his eye. “What?” He feigns innocence.
“You know what! You rolled your eyes at me,” Leanna plays with James. She can’t even pass off a fake angry face.
James tries to act scared but he can’t. He bites his cheek for as long as he can before he lets out a deep belly laugh. “I’m sorry, sweetie but…owww,” he yells out after she back hands him in his chest. “Damn, for a little lady, you carry a mean back hand.” He rubs his chest as if she hit him with the strength of a man.
They both chuckle before riding the rest of the way to the precinct in silence. James knows that Leanna is going to get the job that she’s so nervous about applying for. While she was getting ready, he made a quick call to Gidget Shallot and put in a good word for her.
They pull into the parking lot and he puts the truck in park. He looks over toward the woman next to him and notices that she’s biting her nails and bouncing her leg—a nervous behavior. He places his hand on her knee. “Hey, you’re going to do well. Trust me, Gidget’s gonna love you. Stop stressing so much.”
Eleven
Mark arrives at the bus depot in Austin, Texas two days later. If he thought he was angry when he came home and found that his wife of five years had left him, then he’s beyond livid now.
I’m fucking tired, hungry and smelly. This bitch is going to get exactly what she deserves, he thinks as he exits the bus and grabs his bag. He flags down a cab. “Take me to the cheapest motel,” he instructs.
Just a few moments later, the cab pulls in front of the Sleep Tight Motel. Fuck, this place looks disgusting. I better find that bitch soon before I catch some sort of disease.
He pays his fare and grabs his bag before kicking up gravel and walking in the office. “I’d like a room,” he tells the man behind the counter while sliding his credit card across the counter.
The man, without looking up, takes the credit card and swipes it. “Check in is at two and check out is at noon,” he slides the card and room key across the counter.
Mark grabs the card and key and turns to head out to find his room before a thought crosses his mind. If I ended up here then maybe, just maybe, that bitch ended up here or, better yet, maybe she’s still here.
A smile forms along his face and he turns and makes his way back to the counter. He grabs a photo of Leanna from his front pocket and lays it on the counter. “Have you seen this woman?”
The clerk puts down his Pepsi and takes the photo. “Yeah, she was here for one night a few days ago.” He slides the photo back across the counter and takes another swig of his drink.
Mark’s heart begins to race with excitement. Finding her may be easier than he had anticipated. “Do you know where she went?”
“Nah, she was mugged not too long after she arrived and then some guy in a truck picked her up a few hours later.”
Anger radiates from every pore of his body. If he were a cartoon character, steam would be shooting out from his ears. She was in this fucking sleazy place for less than a day and she already had a new beau?
Mark storms out of the office and heads to his room. He slams the fucking door and locks it. “That fucking bitch!” He yells as he throws his bag on the bed and pulls out his computer. “Well, I’ll find her soon and make her pay for the bullshit she’s done.”
He fires up the laptop and begins his search for Leanna. Mark isn’t a smart man by any means but he does know enough about the digital world to begin a small search for his runaway bride. He pulls up their online bank account and scours the account for any purchases with her credit card. Nothing! Not a single charge since the morning before she left.
After an hour of searching, he opts for a bottle of Jack Daniels. He slams the screen down on his computer and heads out the door to go to the corner store. He does his best work with liquid gold surging through his veins.
Twelve
“Officer McMullen,” Gidget Shallot calls out. “I hoped I’d see you today.”
James turns to face the older woman; her graying hair, pulled back in a neat bun and her round glasses sliding down her nose. “Hey, Gidget. I hope you have some good news.” James is hoping that Leanna met all the minimum requirements for employment.
“I do. Leanna has been officially hired. I know that she listed your cell phone as her primary number and, with you here at work, I assumed she didn’t have the phone on her. If you could, let her know to call me so we can set up a day and time for her to fill out the proper paperwork.”
Gidget smiles at James. James’ heart is racing with excitement for Leanna. He knew she would get the job. It’s not what you know but who you know. He knew that his good words about Leanna would help her get the job.
“I’ll let her know,” he says before turning and heading, quickly, toward his personal vehicle.
***
“Leanna!” James shouts as he enters the foyer of his home. “Leanna, where are you?”
Two days ago he’d taken Leanna to the precinct to fill out an application for employment as a dispatcher. He just got word that she was hired on.
“Is everything alright?” Leanna comes out with yellow rubber gloves on her hands. James catches a slight smell of bleach and realizes that she must’ve been cleaning the downstairs bathroom. A deep cleaning of any room in his home hadn’t been done in…well, he can’t remember when.
“You got it,” James says as he lifts her up and spins her around. “You got the job!”
James places Leanna down and looks at her with a huge smile on his face. “You’re now employed with the Austin Police Department,” he places his hands on both of her cheeks and plants a hefty kiss on her lips.
The excited kiss turns softer and more sensual. James slides his
right hand behind her neck and his left hand down to the small of her back. Her lips part and allows his tongue entry. Her lips are soft and inviting. He nibbles on her lip and a moan escapes her mouth.
The kiss ends and James rests his forehead against hers. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me,” he apologizes, though he’s not really sorry for kissing her at all. In fact, if he could, he’d kiss her plump, gorgeous lips again; if she’d let him.
Leanna diverts her gaze to her feet. “So, I got the job?” She clears her throat and slowly brings her eyes back to James. He could get lost in those emerald gems.
“Yeah, you sure did. You need to call and set up a date and time to go in and fill out your paperwork and you’ll start your training the following day, but you’re a shoe in, Leanna.”
“Well, I guess I better call and set that up. Do you mind if I use your cell phone?”
“Oh, sure hon and don’t let me forget to take you out to get a phone of your own tomorrow,” he says as he hands her his cell phone. She needs a phone of her own and he would love to be able to reach her and know that she’s safe while he’s at work.
He watches Leanna saunter up the stairs. He’s sure she doesn’t even realize how gorgeous she is. He can’t take his eyes off of her. And that kiss? Damn! He readjusts his pants because just thinking about her lips on his causes him to get hard. I’ve got to slow things down or I’m going to scare her away. She hasn’t even filed for divorce yet and here I am acting like a little fucking horn dog.
***
About an hour later, Leanna reappears from the second floor. Her smile is contagious and James can’t help but smile right along with her. “You get everything all set up?”
“Yeah, I need to go in tomorrow at eight,” her smile grows larger.
“Ok, I’m off tomorrow so I’ll take you in. Now, how about I take you for supper to celebrate?”