Hearts on Fire 4: Kisses Sweeter Than Pie(3)

She locked gazes with the marble statue of a dolphin. The anger, the disgust and hatred, filled her belly. She was desperate to be free. Rico had so much power and control that Nina could never leave him or escape from this destiny, as he called it.

He struck her with the belt across her back and she felt her skin break. He hit her again and then ripped her skirt. He was going to rape her. Her mind scattered into a thousand directions and was lost in the past and where she had been and how she wound up here. Just like her mother. A woman used by one man and eventually others would take from her what they wanted, too. She had wanted a better life. She wanted to succeed, to make it and be someone. But just as women before her, she allowed a man to take control of her destiny and use her.

The repeated strikes to her back sent her over the edge as her skin felt as if it tore, and she cried out in anger.

She gripped the marble dolphin and used all her strength to pick up the thing and swung it around her.

She was shocked as she hit Rico just right. He fell to the ground, blood dripping from his skull, and passed out.

She was shaking as she dropped the marble dolphin on the floor, then slowly moved toward Rico. The man was not moving. She feared she’d killed him as she covered her mouth and cried out. She was shaking with anger, fear, and emptiness. It wasn’t that she cared about him at all now. Not after what he did to her, degrading her, cheating on her, abusing her, and then getting ready to rape her. She realized she felt nothing. She had been living in a fantasy because she feared taking on life alone. Not anymore.

She wouldn’t get too close to him. She feared him now more than anything else. She kicked his foot and nothing happened.

“Oh God, did I kill him?” she asked aloud to no one. She felt terrible and then reminded herself that he was going to hurt her badly. She felt the stinging pain on her back caused by him. The throbbing in her cheeks, her lips, and her entire body caused by Rico. She had no choice. This wasn’t the same man she had fallen in love with.

It was a moment of realization, an epiphany. She could stay here, continue to be abused, neglected, used, and eventually wind up dead, or she could live. She could go out there and make something of her life, even temporary. She looked at Rico’s body, around the apartment, then back at him.

She knew she couldn’t leave him like this. Not dead and then run. She slowly knelt down on the rug and reached toward his neck. She felt his pulse. And he moaned.

She pulled back, jumped up, and frantically looked around the room. She didn’t know what to do. She went over everything in her head and wondered if this would be her only opportunity to escape his grasp. He thought he owned her. He said it himself that she was his. He was going to continue to have sex with all these women and keep her as his woman, too. She had become a possession, an obsession for him and nothing more. He kept her because she never had sex with anyone but him. He was sick in the head. She would die if she stayed here.

She felt disgusted and angry. She needed to make a quick decision. Stay here and be a victim of this monster, be his whore, his piece of property or run, escape to a better life, a new life elsewhere, and far, far away from Rico.

The tears spilled from her eyes. Could she survive on her own, all alone? Or was she too weak, too dependent on Rico?

I’m all alone. I have no one.

She thought about calling the police, but knowing that Rico knew so many cops around here, this situation would get turned around on her. No, she had to run. She had to get the hell out of here and never look back.

He moaned again and she knew time was running out. If she stayed now, he’d probably kill her, and Rico knew people.

The decision was made and she ran to the closet, pulled out her bags, and started throwing everything into them. She knew she only had a little bit of money. Rico was going to be very angry and he could try to come after her. She went over to the dresser and pulled out his wallet. She took a wad of money from it and then went into dresser drawer and took more. Enough to get her across the state, and somewhere safe, small, where she could blend in and begin a new life. She could put Rico and this mess behind her. She could live instead of stay here and die.

She didn’t count it. She just stuffed into her purse and looked around to see if she forgot anything. She didn’t have time. She couldn’t keep the mementos because this life was over.

She ran past him, heard his muffled moans getting louder. He was going to come to. Then she ran toward the dresser and took his phone and put it into the toilet bowl in the bathroom. Like many people he didn’t memorize people’s numbers. He had them locked in under their code. She was buying more time. He would call Cougar and Alex, his two best buddies and security. Perhaps even Martino and Miguel, the two thugs who hung around sometimes at the club who looked like murderers.

She shuddered just thinking about the two crazy men. Her body ached and burned, her cheek was incredibly sore, and she knew she should probably see a doctor but she couldn’t now. She was on the run. She needed to get as far away from San Francisco as possible.

She ran toward the door, looked back one last time at her old life, and headed out the door, slamming it closed behind her.

I can do this. I can survive on my own without a man, without anyone, and live. I just want to live and not feel any more pain again.





Chapter 1




Six Months Later



Detective Buddy Landers was running late. He was supposed to meet his brothers, Trent and Johnny, plus Ace, Bull, and Ice at the Station for drinks. First, he took a phone call in his truck from another detective in regards to a domestic violence assault in Fairway, one town over. The woman was involved in a relationship with the guy for the past six months when he started becoming abusive. One night a week ago things got out of hand. The police were called, but the boyfriend resisted arrest. They took him in. He was released the next day when the girlfriend didn’t press charges. Then three days later the girlfriend turned up dead. It was terrible. It seemed to Buddy that abuse was a vicious cycle. It was heartbreaking to think that this woman loved this guy so much she forgave him only for him to lose his cool again and kill her.

Buddy shook his head as the detective informed him that the boyfriend admitted to the murder. He fessed up to his attorney and said he didn’t want to go through a long trial trying to pretend he wasn’t guilty.

Buddy disconnected the call and headed inside when he heard his name.

“Buddy.” He turned around even though he knew he recognized the voice. It was out of habit of being respectful and courteous, unlike the individual approaching.

Tara Kelly. A lying bitch who tried to press charges against his brother Johnny for sexual harassment. The bitch has nerve calling my name and wanting to talk to me. She caused nothing but aggravation and a temporary suspension for Johnny until his innocence was proven. Which was within two weeks. What the fuck does she want with me?

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood there in his protective stance. It was one he used when questioning criminals or trying to intimidate an untrustworthy person.

She flung her long blonde hair off her shoulder so she could show off her breasts. The woman’s choice of dresses got shorter and shorter, tighter and tighter every time she came around.

“I thought that was you. How are you?” She smiled then winked. He kept his arms in place. He wasn’t going to take a chance that this woman would say he tried something on her.

“I have nothing to say to you, Tara.”

“You’re not still angry with me about Johnny, are you? I mean, it was my mistake. I took his flirting the wrong way.”

“Flirting the wrong way? You accused him of practically forcing himself on you. Sexual harassment is a very serious crime. It cost him his good reputation, a suspension on his record, never mind the social aspect of it.”

“It all worked out. Is he here tonight? Is Trent here, too?” she asked, straining her neck to look past him and into the main room.

“Listen, you stay clear of my family, you got it? We don’t like you. We don’t have anything to say to you.”

She reached out and touched his arm, but he pulled away.

“Don’t touch me. Take a hike.”

She looked him over. Those soft, sinful eyes looked at him with lust and then with evil intentions. He didn’t trust the woman as far as he could throw her. He turned and walked away from her and toward his brothers. He saw Johnny’s facial expression. The guy looked pissed off and worried. Tara’s damn accusations caused them all relationship problems. Plus they were so untrusting of women that none of them had dated anyone for nearly six months.

Something had to give soon. Johnny needed to get over the sexual harassment thing. Most knew he was innocent. Trent needed to not be so concerned about a woman seeing the burns on his body from a fire a few years ago, and Buddy, he needed to stop taking his work home with him. Every case affected him. But mostly the ones where women were victims, or men were abusive to some really sweet women.

He couldn’t help but to think that he and his brothers were good men. Compassionate, caring men who would never lay a hand on a woman or be controlling. Despite all the negatives of each of their individual relationship problems, Buddy and his brothers knew one thing for sure. They wanted to share a woman. They wanted one that could understand their individuality yet accept them as a package. Together. It wasn’t so easy. They each had strong personalities and expected a lot from any woman they were with, even one-night stands. They were particular, and they were passionate.