Kara's Protector

by Angela Franklin

  Kara’s

  Protector

  Cedar Springs Series

  By: Angela Franklin

  Cover by: Liz Elmore

  This book is a work of fiction. The town, characters, and situations have no bearing in the real world. If you expect it to be true to life, please do not read this, but if you want to let your imagination wonder, enjoy!

  This book is dedicated to all those who have been in an abusive relationship. If you got out good for you, stay strong. To those who feel stuck, there is hope. You have to stay strong, there will be a way out.

  Welcome to Cedar Springs, NC

  Where the ladies are voluptuous,

  And the men are good ole country boys

  Trying to corral them!

  ~ Prologue ~

  Kara Walker had been driving for days. She was tired and dirty, but she had to keep going. She was only able to grab a few hundred dollars, and a couple changes of clothes before she left. Her hands shook when she thought of how bad her life had gotten.

  She had only been eighteen when she met Aiden. He was so handsome with those big blue eyes, and his blonde hair. Kara had grown up in foster care, and the day she turned eighteen, she was on her own. She had saved a little money working at a fast food restaurant while she was in school. The first thing she had bought was a car, the rest went to a place to stay. She was in a pay by the week motel, and barely scrapping by.

  One day as she was working the front register, Aiden had come in. He had on nice clothes, and he had flirted with her and told her she was beautiful. Kara was a solid size 16 and had been for a few years. She couldn’t afford to eat more than once a day, but that didn’t seem to affect her waistline. She thought she was the luckiest girl in the world when he had asked her to go out with him when she got off work.

  Aiden had made her feel like a queen when they went out, he had taken her out to a nice dinner, then they went for a moonlit walk through a park that was close by. When he had taken her back to the restaurant to get her car, he had asked to see her the next day. When she agreed, he smiled at her, then kissed her cheek before he left.

  After three weeks of dates, he asked her to move in with him. Her traitorous heart had done flipflops and she had agreed immediately. Things were great for almost a year, before he had started making fun of her weight. She tried to diet, and exercise, but nothing worked. A few months later, he gave her the first black eye. She had cried, but that only made him angrier. She suffered the abuse for six months before she tried to leave. He had caught her in less than a week and drug her back home.

  The day he took her back, he had beaten her so bad, that he had broken her arm and left several bruises on her body, and some bruised ribs to go with it. He had taken her to the ER and told them that she had wrecked her car. When he took her back to his house, he told her if she ever tried that again he would kill her, and she believed he would.

  For the next year, he ‘worked’ more, and was gone a lot. When he was home, he beat her. She cherished the time he was away, and never asked about where he went. The last time he came home was worse than usual. He had beat her till she passed out, then handcuffed her to the bed and raped her. She had come to while he was on top of her but she never made a sound. Her screams only made him worse. When he had finished, he uncuffed her and left the room.

  Later that night, she woke up to the sound of yelling. Carefully, she got out of the bed and went to the door. She peaked into the living room to see Aiden holding a gun pointed at a man’s head. She heard the man promise to bring Aiden the money for the drugs by the end of the week, but that wasn’t good enough. She stood frozen as Aiden pulled the trigger and the man fell over with blood going everywhere. Aiden looked up, and she ran to the bed and faked sleep. After he had slapped her to see if she was awake, he walked back out of the room shutting the door. Knowing he kept money hid in the closet, she jumped up, grabbed a stack of twenties, put a few changes of clothes in a bag and waited. When she heard other voices, she slipped out the window and ran for her car.

  That had been almost a week ago. She had only stopped for gas, or food, except at night. At night, she found somewhere to hide her car and slept in it with the doors locked, ready to leave at the slightest sound. She had made it from Montana all the way to North Carolina. She was almost out of gas, and she was down to just over a hundred dollars left. Seeing a gas station ahead, she pulled in and filled her tank. While she was holding the nozzle, she looked around. The sign a few miles back had told her she was in Cedar Springs. There was a diner across the street called Susie Q’s. Her stomach growled at the thought of real food. Kara hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. After she put the gas cap on, she went to get food.

  “Hiya Darlin’, welcome to Susie Q’s. Come right on over here and have a seat.” The nice older woman said with a welcoming smile.

  “Thanks.” Kara mumbled as she followed her to a booth. It was in between lunch and dinner, so there wasn’t anyone else there. Kara gave her order, and watched the woman walk to the kitchen.

  “Alright dear, here’s your drink.” She said when she returned.

  “My name is Susie, and this is my place. Are you just passing through?” She asked.

  “Um.” Kara was tired of running, but she had nowhere to go.

  “You look like you could use a break. Would you consider hangin’ round town for a while?” Susie asked her.

  “This looks like a nice place.” Kara murmured.

  “Well, you look like my kind of people. Here’s the deal, I need a waitress. Think you could help me out?” The woman’s smile made her wish she could stay. When Kara didn’t answer, Susie narrowed her eyes and continued. “You look like you are on the run. Have you done anything illegal?”

  “No ma’am.” Kara answered immediately.

  “Good. Your story is your own, but I want to help you. Here’s my offer, minimum wage plus tips and the apartment over the restaurant.” Kara looked up in shock. Surly this woman wasn’t offering to help her.

  “Sorry, but…” Kara started, work records could be tracked.

  “I’ll pay you under the table, as long as you let me know if any problems come up.” Susie was obviously an amazing woman.

  “Deal.” Kara said as she reached out her hand to shake on it.

  “Great, how about telling me your name now?” Susie’s smile was warm and friendly.

  “Oh, sorry. My name is Kara Walker.” How could she forget to give the woman her name?

  “Glad to meet you, Kara. You’re gonna fit in great here. After you eat, I’ll show you the apartment.” Susie went to pick up her food, then left her to eat in peace.

  Chapter 1

  Kara checked her appearance in the mirror as she got ready for work. It was amazing how much had changed since she had come to Cedar Springs two years ago. She loved working for Susie. After the first few months, a group of girls had even managed to pull her into their group. Callie was the one who kept asking till she gave in and went to girl’s night, then she had met Chasity, Lindy, and Taylor. They were all curvaceous just like her, and after three of them had found their happily-ever-after, it gave her hope that she could too someday.

  Her past was more complicated than any of theirs, but they never asked her to explain anything. After a few months with the group, Kara had opened up and started to feel like her old self. She wasn’t afraid to speak up any more, but she still flinched if a man raised his voice. Kara had opened up and told Susie her story, but she was the only one that knew. She didn’t want people to look at her funny, or pity her for her past.

  There had been no signs of anyone looking for her in the last two years, so last week when it was time to get her license renewed, she had changed the address, then
went and got a tag for her car. It had been parked. She was too afraid to have the tag switched when she decided to stay here. If Aiden had been watching, it would have led him straight to her. After all that time, she figured he had found someone else to occupy his time, thank God. She had gone to the bank yesterday and opened an account. Finally, she was free to live her life.

  The apartment over Susie’s wasn’t fancy, but she was proud to call it home. She worked hard to keep it clean, and make it look nice. She didn’t make much, but it was all she needed. Kara smiled as she surveyed her home. She had pictures of the girls up and seeing how happy they all were, her included, always put a smile on her face. She walked out her door, and let herself into the diner.

  “Good morning, Susie!” She called out as she tied an apron around her waist.

  “Hello, dear.” Susie said as she walked through the swinging door of the kitchen.

  “Ready to open?” Kara asked as she pulled her sandy blonde hair into a messy bun.

  “Yep, the Sheriff will be here soon.” Susie grabbed an apron and followed her out to the front.

  The Sheriff was always their first customer. Susie had told her that he used to only come in once or twice a week, but ever since she came here, he had been coming in almost every day. At first, she had worried that he was watching her, but he never seemed to pay much attention to her. He was always polite, but never pushy or very talkative.

  “Good morning, Sheriff.” Kara said as she sat his coffee cup in his usual spot.

  “Mornin’ Kara.” He replied with a smile.

  “Do you want your usual?” She asked avoiding eye contact. She had learned a long time ago not to look directly into his whiskey colored eyes. A girl could drown in those eyes, and never want to be saved.

  “Sounds good.” He drawled, as he took off his black cowboy hat and sat it on the stool beside him.

  Kara wrote his order down, then hung it up for Tommy, the cook, to get it. She busied herself with stocking sugar packets and checking the condiments on the tables while she waited for his order. She could hear him and Susie talking. Around here, everyone knew everyone. If strangers came it was a big to do. Tommy rang the bell indicating the order was ready, and she went to grab it.

  “Anything else I can get you, sheriff?” She asked as she sat his plate down.

  “No, thank you, Kara.” His voice even made her think of whiskey. It was like the first words you spoke after a strong shot of the good whiskey, rough and breathy.

  By the time the sheriff left, the diner was getting busy. She knew everyone that came in, and always looked forward to seeing them. Her day was completely normal, exactly how she liked it. When she got off, she spotted someone new, but Susie was taking care of them. She felt like someone was watching her, but she shrugged it off.

  She had gone to the library the other day, and had checked out a couple new romance books to read. She decided a nice long soak was a great idea, and reading a chapter or two while she relaxed was her idea of the perfect evening. When the water got cold, she got out and put on shorts and a tank top. Instead of turning on the TV she curled up on the couch with her book. She was in the middle of a good part, when someone knocked on her door.

  Kara didn’t bother checking to see who it was, and that was her first mistake. When she had the door cracked, the person on the other side shoved it open. The force knocked her back and before she could get up someone was hitting her. Kara screamed, and the next hit was to her mouth. She couldn’t see the person who was hitting her. One of the first hits was causing her eye to swell shut. She needed help, but her mouth hurt too bad to scream again. She tried to use her arms to cover up her face, and her attacker pushed her back on the floor. Before she could curl up, she was kicked in the ribs. She felt herself drift off, but her attacker grabbed her hair and jerked her up.

  “I was sent with a message for you, Kara.” His deep voice sneered. “Aiden will see you soon, bitch.”

  He threw her to the floor. Her head hit hard, and she welcomed the blackness that consumed her.

  *****

  Cameron Denton had been sheriff of Cedar Spring for over five years now. He was born and raised here. Life was simple here, it was quiet. Everywhere had crime, but his town didn’t have much. When Kara Walker first popped up at the diner, he had watched her to be sure she was safe. It didn’t take long to rule out her being here to cause trouble. He couldn’t break his morning diner routine after that.

  He had asked Susie about her after he watched her flitch when he spoke. It was subtle, but he was trained to observe his surroundings. Susie has assured him that she was okay, but that it wasn’t her story to tell. She had gotten better, and only flinched when someone yelled now. She had stopped making eye contact with him a long time ago, and he hated that. Cameron was quiet, and he tended to read people by their eyes.

  They had the same circle of friends, so they crossed paths a lot, but he had never gotten any information out of her. Her eyes had fascinated him. At first, he had assumed she used contacts, at first glance they were a gray color, but sometimes they had a green tint, and yet other times they seemed to be a light blue color. Before she had stopped making eye contact he had watched as they seemed to change colors while she was in front of him, that’s how he knew they weren’t contacts. He was pulled from his thoughts by his phone ringing.

  “Hello.” He answered.

  “Sheriff, this is Susie. Are you close to here?” Her voice was urgent and sounded like she was fighting tears.

  “Maybe ten minutes away. I could probably have someone there sooner. What do you need?” His mind was on alert as he spun his truck around.

  “Only you! It’s Kara.” Her voice broke and his heart stopped.

  “What happened? Where is she?” He pushed his truck to the limits.

  “Come up to her apartment, and please hurry.” He could barely understand Susie’s words.

  “I’ll call…” He started.

  “No!” She shouted. “Only you!”

  “I’m almost there.” He had no idea what was going on, but it couldn’t be good.

  He pulled up and slammed the truck into park. There were black marks from where the truck had skidded to a stop. He took off at a dead run for the stairs up to the apartment. He could hear Susie crying before he reached the top of the steps. As he walked in the door, he took in the scene in front of him. Susie was on her knees in the floor with Kara’s head in her lap. Most of Kara’s face was bruised and swollen. He wouldn’t have recognized her if it wasn’t for her sandy blonde hair, that was now tinged with blood. He fell to his knees beside her.

  “Is she…?” God, he didn’t even want to think it.

  “I can feel her breathing. It’s shallow, but it’s still breathing.” Susie had blood on her hands and her pants.

  “Is she conscious?” He didn’t think so, but maybe she had been when Susie found her.

  “No.” Susie sobbed.

  “What happened?” He was terrified to move her.

  “I don’t really know. I heard her scream, then several thumps. By the time I got up here, whoever did this was gone, and this is what I found.” Susie was shaking and Cameron was starting to worry about her.

  “We need to call an ambulance.” Cameron said as he pulled out this phone.

  “No. I don’t have time to tell you everything, but we need to take her ourselves, and I will stay and protect her. Then I will tell you everything.” Susie told him.

  Cameron nodded. He bent and carefully slid his arms under her. As he picked her up, she whimpered and he tensed. He prayed she didn’t wake up. He could only imagine the pain she must be in. He walked down the steps careful not to jar her any more than necessary. He was thankful that he had a club cab truck when it was time to put her in the back. Susie crawled in the back and held her. Cameron drove as fast as he could to the hospital. He wanted answers, but now wasn’t the time.

  He pulled up to the ambulance bay, when someone came out, he asked
them to get a gurney. They had come to asked him to move, but this was the quickest way to get her in. When they came back, he gently laid her out and watched as they strapped her down on it.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” A nurse asked.

  “All we know at this point is that she was beaten. I will move my truck, then I will be staying with her.” He told the nurse.

  “And you are?” She asked.

  “I’m the sheriff over in Cedar Springs.” He told her as he showed her his badge.

  “And you?” The nurse asked Susie.

  “I’m her mother.” Susie said without missing a beat. If Cameron didn’t know better, he would have believed her. The nurse nodded and they wheeled Kara in.

  Cameron parked the truck, then ran back inside to find her. He found Susie standing outside of a room. She explained they were cleaning and checking her, and they were supposed to wait here. It seemed like forever before the nurse let them in.

  “We have given her pain killers that will keep her knocked out until we know the extent of her injuries.” The nurse explained. “Someone will be up in a few minutes to take her to x-ray, and get a CAT scan too.” After they had taken Kara, he turned to Susie.

  “I would like that story now.” He said quietly.

  “She is from Montana. Her ex abused her and raped her. She saw him kill someone, and that was the night she ran. I took her in. I paid her under the table so she couldn’t be tracked.” Susie told him through her tears.

  “Did he do this?” Cameron asked her.

  “I don’t know.” She whispered.

  “How did he find her? She’s been here for two years.” Cameron said mostly to himself.

  “Last week she went and got her license, registered her car here, and even opened a bank account. She thought it was safe now.” Susie told him softly.

  “Why didn’t y’all tell me?” Cameron should have been watching for problems.