Bent, Not Broken(6)

She’d wanted to ask Reese questions about his lifestyle. However, since her mother’s unexpected death, she couldn’t bring herself to talk to him about something so personal.

“Hey, honey, I didn’t know you were coming over tonight,” David said, breaking into her thoughts.

Turning around, Amy blushed. She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she had been standing in front of the open fridge for the past couple of minutes.

“I thought I could cook for you. I bet you hadn’t gone grocery shopping and looking at this cheese, I was right.” She pulled out a block of mold disguised as cheese. Amy chuckled, hoping he wouldn’t ask her why she was blushing.

“That would be great. No, your mother, I mean, she always took care of me like that.” David stopped talking, looking down at the floor. The emotion in his voice broke a part of Amy. She hated seeing him in any kind of pain.

“I miss her, too.”

“I’ll never stop waiting for her to appear. I love her so much.” He gripped the counter until his fingers were bright white from the strain. “I can’t handle it at times, Amy. She was only going to the fucking store.”

Amy rarely heard him curse but accepted it now.

“I hate this. She shouldn’t be dead. Brenda should be standing at that fridge, smiling at me. She should be by my side.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Amy.”

“If you want me to leave, I understand. I hate to impose.”

“No, I want you to stay. With you around, it is almost like it was before.”

Leaving her spot near the fridge, she reached out to touch his arm. “I understand.”

The love Brenda and David had shared was the stuff generally reserved for books and movies. Seeing him like this broke her heart.

“I’m going to make you a lovely meal. Go and relax, David. I’ll deal with the food.” She watched him walk away before going back to the fridge. The only love she’d ever felt similar to what David had with her mother was the love she felt for Reese.

Pulling her cell phone out of her bag, she scrolled through her contacts until she saw his name.

Hovering over his number, she threw caution to the wind and sent him a text.

Amy: Hey, it’s me. I miss you. I hope everything is fine with you.

She sent the message before giving herself time to change her mind. Putting her cell phone down, she started to put the groceries in the fridge, humming softly.

Her mother had been an amazing cook, teaching Amy everything she knew. Amy loved cooking and once wished she’d have a family of her own to cook for. She doubted that would ever happen. Who would want her? Her cell phone vibrated on the counter. Putting the vegetables down, she picked up her phone.

Reese: How’s my best girl?

Her heart turned over. Was she his best girl? Amy wanted to be more but her stupid reaction to the heated kiss five years ago had stopped that. She doubted Reese would have gone any further. He was rough and hard, but too much of a gentleman to take her at such a young age.

Amy: I’m good. Missing you.

Without second guessing her response, she sent the message. She really did miss him.



Joker’s fingers were blooded from the weeks of fighting. Tonight he was going after the bastard who called himself a father. The anticipation had built inside him to a fever pitch. He couldn’t let it go on any longer. Soldiers of Wrath needed him back to deal with whatever Zeke threw at them. His cell phone went off, and when he looked at the screen, he saw it was Demon’s number.

Letting out a breath of disappointment, he put the cell to his ear.

“Hello,” Joker said.

“What’s happening? You’ve been gone for a while over this.”

“I’m going to end it this weekend.” Starting tonight, Bruce wouldn’t be getting an easy death. Joker intended to prolong it, making it agonizing for him. The fights he’d entered had only set to fuel his wrath, not ease it. He wanted Bruce’s bones breaking; he wanted to tear the flesh from his body. Before Bruce died, Joker was going to sever the bastard’s cock and feed it to him. The list of his torture plans was endless and Joker couldn’t wait to get started.

He didn’t know the whole truth of what happened, but Zeke had filled him in on a few gaps in his knowledge. Amy’s sealed hospital records had filled in the rest of the blanks of what that monster did to her. No wonder Brenda had been so damned protective and secretive. She’d done everything in her power to make Amy’s life as easy as possible.

Blowing out a breath, he looked across the parking lot. Bruce was drinking in his local bar, loving the attention. He wondered what the residents of the town he lived in would think of the man they drank with if they knew he’d abused and raped his little girl.