Hard to Fight

She forces a wobbly smile and I sit. “I’ve been told you have come forward with some information that might help a case of ours.”

  She nods. “I—I’m really scared,” she croaks. “Will he … I mean … Will he hurt me if I tell?”

  Fuck. “We’ll do whatever we have to to protect you, Janet. I promise.”

  She nods. “I didn’t come in earlier, I know I should have but—”

  “You weren’t ready,” I finish for her. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  She visibly swallows and looks up at me with broken green eyes. I’d like to kill Dean for the pain he’s left on her face.

  “W-w-w-where do I start?” she stammers.

  “From the beginning, I’m in no rush.”

  “I met Dean at a friend’s house,” she begins. “He was charming and sweet and he noticed me. No one notices me, so I was instantly drawn to him. We chatted and he asked me on a date. I accepted. We began dating and after four months, I noticed he’d started to change. He got angry at me all the time, especially when I told him I wasn’t ready to”—her cheeks go pink—“you know.…”

  “Yes, go on.”

  “One night, he set up this big date for us. He took me to dinner, brought me jewelry and flowers, he even lit candles. It was beautiful. When we got home, he started pushing himself on me. When I refused, he got angry. He wanted to know what more I needed. He’d done everything right, so why the hell wasn’t I giving it up. We got into a fight and—” She swallows.

  “Take your time, Janet.”

  She takes a few deep breaths. “He hit me. I was so shocked, so broken that I didn’t fight him when he pushed himself onto me. He raped me and I didn’t even fight.” Tears burst forth and she starts sobbing.

  “Janet,” I say gently. “It wasn’t your fault. You were scared.”

  “I was numb,” she cries. “I couldn’t even move.”

  God, the poor woman.

  “After that,” she goes on before I can respond, “after that he kept hitting me. Eventually, I ran from him. I had family two states away so I fled. I didn’t see him again.”

  “You’re doing the right thing, reporting this.”

  She nods. “He’s a bad man, and … well, I saw the news and they asked if anyone had information … I know it’s not going to help the case but I—”

  “Janet, what you’ve done here today is very brave and I promise you, it will help in more ways than you can imagine.”

  Dean, you’re going down.

  * * *

  “I don’t know why I’m here!” Dean spits, jerking in his cuffs. “I was just having a beer.”

  “You know exactly why you’re here, Dean,” I say, leaning back in my chair.

  “I don’t.”

  “You do. Tell me about the death of Kelly Knox.”

  He squirms. “I’ve told you everything about that.”

  I shrug. “I’d like to hear it again.”

  He bares his teeth and growls, “There ain’t nothin’ to tell. That psycho came in there and beat her, then he stabbed her. When I tried to help, he beat me and was going to kill me, too.”

  “Why did he just come in and beat his own sister?”

  “Because he’s fucking nuts.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  Dean glares at me. “How the fuck should I know? He was crazy. He was so controlling over her. Didn’t want her near me. She defied him and he didn’t like it.”

  “So you’re telling me he killed her because she wouldn’t stay away from you?”

  “Yes.”

  I cross my arms. “Tell me about the abuse.”

  Dean’s body flinches. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, Dean. Tell me why you used to hit Kelly.”

  Dean’s eyes widen and he stutters out, “I didn’t hit her.”

  “But you did. We have phone records and statements from neighbors.”

  “That doesn’t prove anything!” he yells.

  “We also have a statement from a lady named Janet, who you raped and beat before you met Kelly.”

  All the color drains from his face. Bingo.

  “N-never heard of her.”

  “Really?” I say, pursing my lips. “Funny, she seemed to know you pretty well.”

  “This has nothing to do with that psycho Raide Knox and his case.”

  “It has everything to do with it. I’m just going to come out and say it, Dean: You’re in serious trouble. We have evidence that proves you have been aggressive and violent in not just one, but two of your relationships. We have proof you took Raide and also a woman named Grace, and held them captive.”

  Again, Dean flinches. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You do know Grace was wired, don’t you?”

  His skin goes slightly paler, which tells me it was him who removed the wires. It also tells me that he now knows he’s fucked. He says nothing, but his eyes dart to the left in fear.

  “So we have proof you took her, we heard the whole thing. Now, why would you take an innocent woman if you’ve done nothing wrong?”

  Dean loses it. “That fucker was chasing me!” he bellows. “He wouldn’t let up. I was unsafe and I was doing what I could to protect myself from being his next victim.”

  “But he didn’t kill Kelly, you did.”

  “You know nothing!” he roars. “I didn’t kill her.”

  “You did and I have a strong investigation as well as evidence against you. You’ll go away, do you understand me? I’ll make sure of it. Not to mention you’re going to be charged with assault and rape while I’m at it.”

  I thank the heavens for Dean’s fried brain, for all the drugs he’s done, for his stupidity, because he bellows, “You don’t understand. You don’t. It wasn’t my fault.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what happened and we’ll go easier on you,” I say, not meaning a word of it. I know that with cowards like Dean, offering anything that can save their worthless asses is always good motivation. “The harder you make this for us, the harder we’ll make this for you.”

  “She made me do it. She fucking made me do it.”

  I keep calm even though everything inside me is wanting to scream with joy. “How can someone make you kill them?”

  “She wouldn’t listen!” he screams, his eyes wide and frantic. “I tried to make her. Tried to make her see that I was good for her but she just wanted to run back to her brother all the time. It wasn’t meant to happen, we got into a fight. You have to believe me.”

  “You took an innocent life, Dean.”

  “She just wouldn’t stop!” he bellows, and his entire body jerks. “She made me do it. She made me stab her. I just wanted her to listen to me and she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t listen.”

  That’s all I need. I stand and walk around the table. “Dean, you’re under the arrest for the murder of Kelly Knox, as well as the assault and rape of Janet Liason. You may speak, but be warned that anything you say or do can be used against you in the court of law.”

  And just like that, another one bites the dust.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Grace

  My phone ringing jerks me from my sleep.

  It’s been four days since Raide was locked up, and I’ve barely heard a thing about what’s been going on with him. All I’ve seen are stories on the news. I’m still staying at my parents’ house, because I can’t face going home. I rub the sleep from my eyes and stare at my flashing phone. It’s late, around 10 P.M. I glance at the screen and see it’s York.

  With a yawn, I pick it up and press it to my ear. “York?”

  “Grace, honey, sorry if I woke you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Good news. We arrested Dean tonight. He admitted to the murder.”

  I blink. My entire world stops spinning.

  “Grace?”

  “He—” I wheeze. “—confessed?”

  “Yes, he confessed. He’s under arrest¸ awaiting trial. He’s been
denied bail. He’s going down.”

  I burst into a fit of tears, my entire body sinking back onto the bed. “And Raide?” I croak.

  “They’ll be going to trial on Monday. Raide will be cleared of charges, however, he still skipped bail.”

  “How long do you think he’ll get?”

  “Probably three to six months.”

  That’s not life, though. I can live with three to six months.

  “Thank you so much, York. Thank you.”

  “No problem at all, honey. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” I whisper.

  “Night, Grace.”

  “Night, York.”

  And that night, for the first time in four days, I go to sleep with hope.

  * * *

  Raide’s and Dean’s trials goes ahead as planned on Monday. They moved a lot quicker than normal trials would because Dean confessed to the murder of Kelly. Dean is found guilty of murder, two counts of assault, and rape. He’s sentenced to life in prison. Raide is found guilty of assault and skipping bail, he’s sentenced to four months in prison. I’m there through it all, but the most I get is a glance of my gorgeous man. When they lead him back out, he stares at me and that stare holds so much promise.

  Four months.

  I can do four months.

  Right?

  * * *

  Two months later

  It’s been two months since Raide was sent to prison. I visit him as often as I can, but Don recommends, for job reasons, that I keep it to a minimum. I’ve only seen him three times since he went away, and it’s through a piece of thick glass. I ache to touch him, my body aches to feel his pressed against it. I miss him with every passing moment, but I know that soon, I’ll get to see him again.

  I’m still on office duties at work, which has kept me quite busy. Denver can be a crazy place when it wants to be, and we’ve had quite a few cases come in and out. I’m excited to be back in the saddle, but right now doing paperwork is probably the best thing for me. It allows me to focus while I deal with everything else around me. Don has let it all go, and seems to be fully back to normal with me. That feels nice.

  I’m working one morning when my phone rings. I shuffle through paperwork to find it, and see Kady’s number on the screen. With a smile, I answer it and press it to my ear. “What’s up?”

  “So, I’m at your house, right. And you have a visitor.”

  “Firstly, why are you at my house?”

  “It’s your birthday tomorrow, I was trying to give you a surprise birthday party.”

  “You just ruined that surprise, you know that, right?”

  She’s silent. “Well, shit.”

  I laugh. “Anyway, who is there?”

  “Some guy named Benny.”

  Benny! “Benny is there?”

  “Yeah, and,” she whispers low, “he’s hot.”

  “Kady!” I warn. “No.”

  She huffs. “You’re no fun. Can you come or should I send him to you?”

  “I’ll come. I have a break coming up.”

  “Right, see you soon.”

  I end the call and grab my jacket, then I rush out with a quick explanation to Don as I pass. I hurry home and when I arrive I see Benny and Kady standing on my front porch laughing about something. I rush over and smile big when Benny notices me and extends his arms.

  I launch into them and he swings me around. “Benny, it’s so good to see you.”

  “Thought I’d get off my ass and come in to see how you’re doing. Raide would kill me if he knew I didn’t check on you at least once.”

  My smile wobbles and he notices.

  “How are you doing?”

  I sigh. “Okay, I’m busy with work but I miss him.”

  “Yeah, I bet you do. I saw him yesterday. He’s doin’ okay. I offered to kiss you for him, he wasn’t down with that.”

  Kady and I both laugh.

  “I wonder why.”

  He shrugs. “It was just a kiss. He really is too uptight.”

  With another smile, I wrap my arm around his waist. “You want to come in? I’m on my break.”

  “You going to make me lunch?”

  I roll my eyes. “Of course.”

  “Then of course I’m coming in.”

  I turn to Kady. “You staying?”

  She gives me an um derr look and then mutters, “I’m setting up secret decorations, of course.”

  I laugh. “You’re the worst secret-keeper ever, Kady.”

  She grins happily. “I know.”

  “So I heard your birthday is tomorrow. What do you want?” Benny asks.

  “Raide, of course,” Kady says for me.

  I sigh. “One can dream.”

  Benny turns us into the house. “Dreams come true, Grace.”

  So I’ve heard.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Everyone is here, and it’s amazing: my family, Benny and his family, Kady and Vance, even Don. She’s gone all out for my birthday, and yet I can’t shake the throbbing pain in my chest. Everyone is here but him … and he’s the one I need the most. Still, I keep a smile on my face and interact with everyone as best I can. Kady and I dance, we drink, and there are loads of laughs. Even Gretchen and Stacy seem to be having fun.

  The night goes on, and everyone gets a few more drinks under their belts. Then Kady announces it’s cake time. I protest, because quite frankly, I hate being sung to. A lot. A whole lot. “No,” I say as she drags me to the head of a table where my cake is sitting. “No, I don’t want to be sung to.”

  “You just be quiet,” she protests. “We’re going to sing to you.”

  “No!” I laugh, digging my heels in.

  Benny comes up behind me and launches me up into his arms, wrapping one of them around my waist, and forces me forward. “You are going to get sung to,” he tells me, “and you’re going to like it.”

  “You’re a jerk, Benny.”

  He chuckles. “Never said I wasn’t.” He sets me down in front of the cake and everyone gathers around.

  My dad comes over and kisses the side of my head. “Proud of you, Gracie.”

  I beam up at him. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Who’s going to start this tune?” Benny yells.

  Everyone is silent.

  Well, this is nice.

  “No one? Oh, come on, it’s her birthday. You all love her, right? Someone has to sing to the poor girl.”

  No one opens their mouths.

  Ouch.

  “Don’t make me have to start, because I’m telling you, I suck at singing. Poor Grace.”

  Kady’s lips are twitching. I don’t know what she thinks is so funny. Benny stares at the silent group, and seriously, it’s freaking me out that they’re all just standing there. What’s wrong with them? I’m confused.

  Then I hear it.

  It comes from behind me in a low, sexy, husky tone. “Happy birthday to you—”

  I spin around so quickly, I hit Benny in the belly on my way around. Raide is walking into the living area, hands in his pockets, singing softly under his breath. Tears burn under my eyelids and I squeal loudly. I run toward him so fast that when I launch myself into his arms, Raide stumbles backwards and into the wall. My legs go around his waist and my lips find his. I kiss him so hard, I taste blood in my own mouth, but I don’t care.

  When we pull apart, he’s panting and his eyes—oh, those eyes.

  “You’re here, why are you here?” I cry.

  “Got out early. Good behavior.”

  “Y-y-y-y-you’re out?” I squeak.

  He grins. “Yeah, baby, I’m out,” then he leans down and brushes his lips over my ear. “Happy birthday, Gracie.”

  Best. Birthday. Ever.

  * * *

  Everyone pretty much leaves as soon as Raide arrives. I guess they know we want privacy. When they’re gone, I turn to the big, handsome man standing in my kitchen. He’s got his finger in the cake frosting and he brings it to his lips, s
ucking it off. Oh boy. I clench my legs together. He stares at me and his face is soft, gentle and loving.

  “I’ve missed you,” I whisper.

  He drops his hand and walks around the counter. He reaches me and curls his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. “Missed you, too, lady.”

  “You’re really here?”

  “I’m really here.”

  I swallow and meet his sexy gaze. “And us?”

  “Lady,” he murmurs, staring at my lips now. “Do I even need to answer that?”

  I smile. “No.”

  “Then stop talkin’ and kiss me. I’ve got two months of making up to do.”

  I grin. “I have an idea.”

  His brows shoot up. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  I let him go and rush over, find a tub of frosting Kady didn’t use and lift it. I wave it at him and his eyes grow lusty. Ah yes, Raide knows exactly what I plan on doing with this. Holding his eyes, I saunter toward my bedroom. He doesn’t waste time, he’s after me in seconds. When we reach the door, he captures my waist and pulls me into him. Then he kisses me. He tastes sweet like frosting, and so I devour him, sucking his lips, his tongue and kissing him until we’re both panting and desperate.

  He pushes me to the bed, taking the hem of my dress as I go backwards. He pulls it up over my head, then takes a moment to let his eyes slide down my body. With a pleased rumble, he discards the rest of my clothes and gently lays me down on the bed. “Me first,” he growls. He reaches for the frosting and flicks the lid off, then he takes a heap out on his finger. He gently swirls it over my nipples.

  I whimper and arch as they pebble beneath his touch.

  Then he leans down and licks it all back off again. His mouth devours my breasts, sucking and licking until I’m crying his name and begging for so much more. He slowly makes a path of frosting down my belly and then he takes his time sucking and licking it all off.

  My sex is aching, so desperate for him. “Raide,” I cry. “Please.”

  He takes another scoop with his finger and waves it about slowly. “Where do you want this one?”

  “Don’t play with me,” I breathe. “Please.”

  He grins and then he drops it over my clit. Oh. God. Yes. His mouth follows shortly behind it and I scream at the first contact. It feels amazing. He has to work extra hard to lick and suck all the frosting off, and because of this, my clit is dancing with pleasure. I come so hard and fast, my entire body bucks and I throw my head back into the pillow. Amazing. He makes me feel amazing.